(The Zero Enigma Book 6) The Family Pride

by Christopher Nuttall

  “Take one for the team,” Francis advised. He leered cheerfully in my general direction. “Probably literally, in this case.”

  “You ...” I sighed. “It might work.”

  “Yeah,” Francis said. “And while you’re at it, you might also plan how you’re going to teach etiquette to Louise. The way she’s going, she’ll spark off a House War just by walking in the front door. Or she’ll be kicked out within seconds of the moment she opens her mouth.”

  “Another problem,” I said. “But, fortunately, I have books to help.”

  Francis gave me a mock-appalled look. “You’re going to make her read Lady Dancing Sunbeam’s books on how the Decent Woman Should Comport Herself in Polite Society? Poor Louise! What has she ever done to you?”

  I laughed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The school felt eerie after dark, as if familiar corridors and chambers became something strange and alien when the lights were out. I strode down the corridor, my footsteps echoing oddly in the shadows as I walked past a set of closed doors. The statues of famous magicians through the ages became twisted and warped in the semi-darkness; the stuffed and mounted animals on the walls became terrifying monsters ... I knew them all, in the light, but I still got nervous as I caught glimpses of them in the darkness. They seemed to take on an entirely different aspect in the shadows.

  And there are supposed to be ghosts in the school, I thought, as I walked onwards. Who knows what might be lurking in the darkness?

  I shrugged, dismissing the thought. I’d never seen a ghost, not in Jude’s, but everyone knew a friend of a friend who’d seen something after dark. I had a private suspicion that what they’d really seen had been an upperclassman on patrol. Some of my peers were sadistic enough to pretend to be ghosts, although that sometimes backfired. I’d been a fourth year when the Head Boy had come down to breakfast, sporting a magnificent black eye. The official story had been that he’d walked into a wall, but I knew the truth. Francis had been sneaking around the school and, when he’d been caught, had lashed out. By tradition, anyone who managed to escape had to be let go, but Francis had been lucky the Head Boy hadn’t seen him clearly. I wouldn’t have cared to be in Francis’s shoes for the rest of the year if he’d been recognised.

  And now I’m in the Head Boy’s shoes, I reminded myself. I’d better be careful.

  I yawned as I slipped down the stairs, listening carefully for the sound of tiny footsteps. It was uncommon for firsties to start sneaking around the school so early, but the other years ... they might have started right from the start. Alana had told me that she’d caught a pair of third-years trying to break into the kitchen only a day ago. I wondered just what sort of reception they’d had in the dorms, when she’d marched them back upstairs. Their dormmates would have been expecting a midnight feast, not a hasty dive under the covers when the Head Girl walked in. The dorm monitor had probably received an earful too. Letting the younger students sneak out was bad enough, but getting caught at it was worse.

  It was difficult not to yawn again as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Mondays were always busy, but this Monday had been bad. I would have swapped patrol duties if I’d thought anyone would be willing to exchange. I wanted my bed, not ... I considered, briefly, just going back to bed anyway, before putting the thought out of my head. I had a duty and ... I stopped, dead, as I heard scuffling from inside the kitchen. The door was ajar. A thrill of excitement ran through me. Someone was inside.

  Got you, I thought, as I inched forward. The sound stopped, abruptly. Whoever was inside knew I was there. And now ...

  Sweat prickled on my back as I pushed the door open, a spell dancing over my fingertips. If whoever was inside took a swing at me, he’d regret it. And yet ... nothing moved inside. I wondered, for a moment, if I’d been hearing things before I saw the shape standing in front of the cupboard. I laughed, despite myself. The hypnotic spell the kitchen staff used to defend the biscuit cupboard had claimed another victim. It was easy to avoid, if you saw it coming, but if it took hold of you before you realised you were there ... I relaxed, slightly, as I inched closer. The lowerclassman stood there, dumbly. He must have walked straight into the spell when he was trying to hide.

  I reached out and tapped his shoulder. He jumped, spinning around. The spell had practically frozen his awareness. He wouldn’t have heard me coming up behind him. He wouldn’t even have been aware of my presence. To him, I’d practically appeared from nowhere. He lost his footing a second later, crashing to the floor. I peered down at him, silently noting his face. A second-year, clearly. Old enough to know enough magic to get into the kitchen, but too young to be sensitive to the more dangerous traps ...

  “On your feet,” I said, without heat. I wasn’t really angry. Sneaking around school was an old tradition, after all. I’d done it myself as a lowerclassman. “Name?”

  “Um ...” The lowerclassman paused, clearly trying to think of a fake name. “Daniel Morgan.”

  “Really?” I didn’t believe him. “Danny is real?”

  The lowerclassman flushed. It probably hadn’t occurred to him that taking a name from a funny strip character hadn’t been a good idea. I might have outgrown them a few years ago, but I still remembered. It wasn’t as if I’d sprung into the world fully-grown.

  “Simon.” He lowered his eyes. “Simon Portage.”

  “That’s better.” I took the punishment book from my belt and scribbled down a note. “Write fifty lines. I will not get caught when I sneak out of my dorm in the small hours. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Simon said.

  “Good.” I jabbed a finger at the door. “Go back to bed. And don’t get caught again.”

  Simon hurried out the door and ran up the stairs. I smiled after him, then closed the kitchen door and resumed my patrol. There was no need for any further punishment. He hadn’t done any real damage, after all. Besides, his dormmates would give him a very hard time, once he got back upstairs. They’d mock him relentlessly until someone else got caught.

  The remainder of the patrol passed uneventfully. I returned to my suite at five in the morning, when the servants started lighting fires and cooking food for the students, and flopped into bed with a sense of relief. I needed to write a report, but it could wait. Besides, I was the person who was meant to read the report. I resolved to speak very sharply to myself later, then closed my eyes. My alarm spell went off a second later. It took me several minutes to realise it was noon.

  I checked my watch, just to make sure, then stumbled into the shower before changing into a fresh uniform. It was nearly lunchtime ... I picked up my bag, then hurried out of the bedroom, through the office and down the corridor. If I was lucky, I’d have a chance to catch up with Penny before she went down for lunch. We really weren’t supposed to be speaking publicly, not given that there were two years between us. Or unless we had a very good excuse ...

  A trio of lowerclassmen hurried past me as I entered their dorm complex. Simon was amongst them. He lowered his eyes as he saw me, as if he was afraid of catching my attention again. I ignored him as best as I could. Upperclassmen were not supposed to notice lowerclassmen unless they were doing something naughty. It wasn’t quite as easy as people made it sound.

  I smiled at the thought as I passed through the wards to the firstie dorms, then frowned as I heard someone shouting in the distance. I picked up speed as the voice grew louder. It sounded like Penny. No, it was Penny. I rounded the corner to see Penny looming over a Firstie girl, who cowered against the wall. She was shouting loudly enough to be heard on the other side of the school.

  “ ... uniform is a total disgrace!” she shouted. She looked as if she was on the verge of picking the girl up and shaking her. “And your braids ...”

  She reached out and tugged at the girl’s braids. The girl yelped in pain as they came loose, blonde hair spilling down around her face. I felt my heart twist. She looked so much like Isabella that it was almost painful, even
though her face was different ... I knew, technically, that I should turn and walk away. But I couldn’t ... the girl could have been my sister, if things had been different. If ...

  “And what would happen,” Penny demanded, “if one of the boys tugged on your braids?”

  I cleared my throat. “What - exactly - are you doing?”

  Penny jumped. I saw magic darting over her fingers as she swung around to face me. Behind her, the girl started to splutter. She looked as if she wanted to turn and run. I’d caught her being bullied by her dorm monitor, her braids were down and ... I didn’t blame her for being horrified. If there was anything worse than being picked on, it was having people watching while you were being picked on.

  “I was teaching Kate the ropes,” Penny said. She stood upright, her hands resting on her hips. “Go away.”

  I cocked my eyebrow, then looked at Kate. She was utterly terrified. “Is that true?”

  Kate looked from me to Penny and back again. “Yes,” she stammered. Tears were streaking her face. “I’m ...”

  “Go into your dorm, get cleaned up and go down for lunch,” I ordered. I knew Kate was lying, but I didn’t blame her. No one could afford a reputation as a sneak, even if the people they sneaked on thoroughly deserved it. “And close the door as you pass.”

  Penny’s face reddened. “How dare you?”

  I felt my temper rise. “How dare you, you ... what did you think you were doing?”

  “She’s my charge,” Penny said, ignoring my question. “And she can’t go out of the dorm looking like the common-born brat she is! I knew how to tie a tie when I was her age!”

  “You had six years of education from a succession of governesses,” I pointed out. Penny’s governesses had tended to resign. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew why. “Kate’s first introduction to etiquette came when she entered the school, ten days ago. Do you really expect her to know how to tie a tie?”

  “It isn’t difficult,” Penny insisted. One hand went to the tie around her neck. “I know how ...”

  “It took me years to learn,” I told her. In truth, I hadn’t mastered it until I turned fifteen. I’d just figured out how to use magic to tie the tie. It had nearly strangled me, a couple of times, but it had worked. “It takes time to learn.”

  Penny ignored me. “You have absolutely no business butting in ...”

  I took a moment to compose myself. Francis might believe that Penny could join the team, and that she might be useful, but I didn’t. I’d intended to give her the chance, yet now ... I shook my head. She could take the Challenge herself, in two years, if she lived so long. I had the feeling the firsties were on the verge of mutiny already. And it had only been ten days!

  “You seem to have forgotten who you’re talking to.” I channelled my father, as best as I could. He didn’t shout, when he got really angry. His voice grew so cold that the air seemed to turn to ice. “I am the Head Boy, Heir Primus of your House. You do not talk to me like that. Not now. Not ever.”

  Penny paled as she realised just how badly she’d put her foot in it. Upperclassmen had freedoms lowerclassmen lacked, but they didn’t include the freedom to be rude to the Head Boy. And I would be her Patriarch, when my father died or retired. I could make her life thoroughly miserable, if I bore a grudge. She knew she was in trouble.

  She dropped to her knees, bowing her head. “I seek pardon,” she said, formally. “And I ...”

  The door opened, behind her. I cursed Kate’s timing as she hurried out of the door, almost tripping over Penny. Penny would never forgive Kate for witnessing her humiliation. It was bad enough to have to beg my forgiveness on bended knee. If word got out ...

  I said nothing, but jerked my head towards the corridor. Kate took the hint and practically ran past us and down the stairs. I hoped she’d have the sense to keep her mouth closed. If she talked ... Penny would do something stupid. I was sure of it.

  “I seek pardon,” Penny repeated. I could practically hear her teeth grinding. “And I ...”

  I took a moment to centre myself. “You are the dorm monitor,” I told her. “It is your job to help them settle into school, to teach them the basics of school life and etiquette ... it is not your job to bully them, or to belittle them when they make mistakes ... mistakes that shouldn’t surprise you, as you made mistakes when you were a little girl.”

  My heart twisted again. Kate really did look like Isabella.

  “It’s my responsibility,” Penny said, quietly. “What they do reflects on me ...”

  I let out a sigh. “No one expects them to be practically perfect in every way,” I pointed out, as calmly as I could. “No one is going to blame you when they mess up.”

  “Really,” Penny said.

  “Really.” I allowed my voice to harden. “They will blame you, though, if you treat them badly. Or if you lay hands on them.”

  “My dorm monitor slapped me,” Penny said, dully.

  “She shouldn’t have done that,” I told her. The nasty part of me found it hard to blame the poor girl. But ... I was surprised Penny hadn’t complained. Her father would have had something to say about it - and he was married to my aunt. “And you should have complained.”

  Penny lowered her eyes and said nothing. I looked at her for a moment, then shook my head.

  “Get up,” I ordered. I was tempted to leave her on her knees, but someone else might be along at any moment. “And listen to me.”

  I waited until she was standing, then met her eyes. “You are to treat your charges well. I’m not asking for you to be their best friend, or pretend you’re one of them, but you are to treat them well. Show patience, when you try to teach them the ropes. And don’t mistreat any of them. Do not give Kate a hard time because she saw you on your knees.”

  Penny reddened, again. “If she tells the world ...”

  “She won’t,” I said, although I had no way to be sure of it. Kate was a commoner. She had no way to understand what she’d seen - or why she should keep her mouth shut. Penny had sacrificed her dignity to plead for forgiveness. “Give her a chance. Give all of them a chance.”

  “You don’t understand,” Penny whined. “You were ...”

  “I was a dorm monitor,” I reminded her. I hadn’t enjoyed it - and there had been times when I’d wanted to strangle the little brats - but I hadn’t bullied them either. “I coped. You can cope too.”

  “Yes, but you had boys,” Penny said. “I have girls.”

  I blinked. “What difference does that make?”

  “Your boys had all the freedom they wanted before they came to school,” Penny argued, angrily. “My girls had no freedoms until they came to school.”

  “Really.” It sounded like a weak argument to me. I’d spent half of my fifth year chasing boys who’d let their new freedoms go to their head. But then, I supposed Isabella might have agreed with her cousin. “It doesn’t matter. You are not to mistreat them. Be their big sister, instead. Be there for them.”

  Penny looked unimpressed. “You’ve seen how Cousin Candy treats her siblings?”

  “Then try and do better than her,” I growled. “She’s a bad example. Do better.”

  I turned, then stopped. “And if you do it again, I’ll give you lines.”

  Penny flushed. “You wouldn’t.”

  “If you act like a kid, I’ll treat you like a kid.” I lifted my hand in farewell. “Behave yourself.”

  I left her behind as I hurried down to the dining room. If I found Kate alone ... I sighed inwardly, unsure of what I’d say to her. Kate couldn’t be seen talking to me, particularly not now. The Head Boy talking to a firstie who wasn’t in trouble? Some people would want to know why. Penny would think she knew why. And she’d take it out on Kate.

  There was no sign of Kate as I entered the dining room. I frowned, hoping she hadn’t decided to skip lunch. She’d have a rough time of it later if she had, unless she’d hidden some cake and treats in her trunk. I made a mental note to keep an e
ye on the situation and headed over to the upperclassman table. The staff had cooked curry for lunch. I took a helping and sat down, wondering what my mother would say if she knew I was eating curry for breakfast. It still felt like the early morning to me.

  Francis came into the room ten minutes before the bell, collected a plate of food and sat next to me. His lips were slightly swollen, but he was grinning like a loon.

  I glanced at him. “You alright?”

  “Yeah,” Francis said. His grin grew wider. “Things couldn’t be better.”

  “Potions this afternoon,” I reminded him. I had no idea what he was so happy about. Two hours of advanced potions were looming in the near future. “Things are rapidly growing worse.”

  “Hah,” Francis said. He leaned closer, until he was practically whispering in my ear. “Guess what I’ve been doing?”