What happened inbetween.

Back at Hogwarts the day before Midsummer:

Lotty followed Emily out of the library.

"There are these prank sweets I got for Christmas,"Emily said,"I've never used them because they're pretty awful. The idea is, they're supposed to make you seem ill, so you can get out of doing things. Now, listen, here's my idea. We can swap uniforms, you pretend to be me, and I'll pretend to be you. We're already both the same height, and have the same colour hair."

"How will that work, though?"Lotty asked.

"I'll pretend to be you, eat one of the sweets to make myself seem ill,"Emily explained,"Nurse Pamela has really bad eyesight, all I have to do is dress in your Gryffindor uniform and tell her I'm Charlotte Carrow. You can pretend to be me. That way, you can hide in the Hufflepuff common room and spend the night in there too. Silas' gang will never think of looking for you in there, and they won't notice you're missing from the Gryffindor quarters, because they'll think you're in the Hospital Wing."

"There are two problems, though,"Lotty said,"what if people in Hufflepuff recognise I'm not you, and what what if Silas' gang tries to capture you in the Hospital Wing, thinking you are me?"

"From what I've been told, only pure-bloods are in danger at the moment,"Emily replied,"I'm half-blood, and if they go for me, they'll realise I'm not you."

"But then they might guess we switched places,"Lotty said,"they might think about looking in the Hufflepuff common room."

"Most of the other Hufflepuffs won't allow it,"Emily reassured her,"ever since Jeremy Jackson left the Muggleborn Rebellion, he's been warning them about Silas' gang. We still have some people who are enemies, like Horrible Hector, but most of them are 1st and 2nd Years. If the other Hufflepuffs realise you're hiding in there to stay safe from Silas' gang, most of them will try to help hide and protect you. I'll let Jeffrey know our plan, so he can help with it."

So Emily and Lotty switched uniforms. The plan worked well. Emily ended up in the Hospital Wing, and Lotty followed Jeffrey into the Hufflepuff common room.

Sneaking in there reminded Lotty of the warning about the Sivril - 'to they that deceive'. As she thought about it, she realised the reason she was doing this, was because she was hiding from danger, not in order to trick someone for personal gain.

"But surely the best thing to do would be to stand up for myself and face my fears?"she thought,"hiding away like a coward isn't honourable. I'm not really being 'honest and true'."

Then she realised that if she left herself in harm's way, she wasn't strong enough to fight Silas and his gang. Standing up for herself would be a brave thing to do, but not exactly helpful for those looking out for her. If she got herself captured by APS to be used in a ritual, she would have to be rescued somehow; and that would just create trouble that could have been otherwise avoided. Though she wasn't exactly happy with this plan, she knew it was the only one they had, and all she could do was stick to it until the danger had passed.

The Hufflepuff common room was a cosy, cheerful place. There were a lot of plants, and even though it was down in the cellars, the atmosphere was bright and sunny.

Jeffrey showed her around, talking non-stop as he did so.

"Look, there's the Princess and the Frog picture that your sister got Hoppy to get,"Jeffrey said,"we caught him taking it off the wall. If it hadn't been for that picture, we probably would have never become friends and discovered the secret of the Sivril, and we would have missed out on so many adventures!"

Lotty decided to go to bed early that night. It was strange, going to sleep in a Hufflepuff dormitory. It reminded Lotty of being on holiday somewhere, or moving house.

In the morning, Lotty woke up extra early, she snook up to the Hospital Wing. There, Emily (who was much better now) gave Lotty one of her prank sweets, they switched uniforms again, and Lotty took Emily's place. This was meant to be until classes were over.

"Something happened last night,"Emily whispered to Lotty, just before leaving,"I think someone was seriously injured. One of the Gryffindor 6th Year boys. I'm not exactly sure what happened, I overheard some things, but whatever it was, it sounded really serious."

"Do you know which one?"Lotty asked, anxiously, hoping it wasn't Max.

"I think his name is Kevin or Ken or something,"Emily answered.

"Kenneth Brass?"Lotty asked.

"Yes, I think that was the name,"Emily responded,"from what I overheard, it sounded really bad. I hope he's alright."

It was while she was lying in bed in the Hospital Wing that Lotty overheard the remainder of the rumour. Kenneth Brass had been murdered, and Catherine was accused - but she had escaped and run away with Antonius Parkinson.

Lotty was horrified, but she was sure her sister wasn't responsible for killing Kenneth. Something else must have happened, and she knew Silas must be behind it.

As soon as classes were over, Emily returned to switch places with her. Lotty told Emily what she had overheard.

"I'm glad you know,"Emily replied,"we heard about it at breakfast in the Great Hall. The Headmistress gave an announcement. There are loads of extra rules, so things are going to be difficult. We're supposed to be confined to our common rooms and House-quarters outside of lesson times, but I suppose that means you can stay safe in Hufflepuff quarters. Tonight is the crucial night."

"I wish there was something I could do to help Cathy,"Lotty said, then she had an idea,"I wonder if Ed still has the Sivril?"

"Get Hoppy to fetch it,"Emily instructed,"if you call him, he'll come. We thought it only worked near the Castle Kitchens before, but it seems to work wherever we are. Quickly get into the Hufflepuff common room first, Jeffrey is waiting outside. He'll take you through, then get Hoppy to fetch the Sivril."

Once again, Lotty found herself following Jeffrey through the through the false-barrel entrance into her place of refuge. Once inside, she made her way over to a quiet corner that was overshadowed by a plant the size of a small tree and called,"Hoppy!"

Hoppy appeared. For a moment, he looked at Lotty in confusion.

"Is it the Lady Emily or the Lady Lotty to whom Hoppy speaks?"he asked.

Lotty laughed,"it's me, Lotty! I'm hiding in here from Silas' gang. It's not safe for me in the Gryffindor quarters."

"Hoppy understands,"the house-elf answered,"but why has Hoppy been summoned?"

"Could you fetch me the Golden Sivril?"Lotty asked,"I need to ask it some questions. Ed has it."

"Certainly, My Lady,"Hoppy replied, disappearing with a pop, then reappearing a few seconds later, holding the golden ball.

"Where is Cathy?"Lotty asked the Sivril.

"In a cave in the Forbidden Forest,"was the answer.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"What can I do to help her?"Lotty continued.

"She may need the protection of the Sword of Gryffindor,"the Sivril gave its reply.

"How?"Lotty asked.

"Bring the Sword of Gryffindor to Max Castellanos,"the Sivril responded.

"But where do I find it?"Lotty asked.

"The Sorting Hat,"the Sivril responded.

"But can Cathy use the Sword of Gryffindor?"Lotty asked, feeling slightly confused,"she's a Slytherin. Will it allow her to use it?"

The Sivril gave its 5th answer,"only a True Gryffindor can pull the sword from the Sorting Hat; but anyone with courage and honourable intent may wield the sword in time of need."

"How am I to get the Sorting Hat?"Lotty sighed, she'd used up all the questions,"it's locked up in the Headmistress' Office, and we aren't even supposed to leave our common rooms!"

"Hoppy could fetch it for you, My Lady!"the house-elf eagerly suggested.

"Would you be able to do that?"Lotty asked,"don't let the Headmistress catch you!"

"What are you going to do?"Jeffrey asked as Hoppy disappeared.

"I have to somehow get the Sword of Gryffindor to Max,"Lotty said.

"Pity you used up all the questions,"Jeffrey said.

A few minutes later, Hoppy returned - with the Sorting Hat!

"Good work, Hoppy! How did you manage it?"Lotty asked.

"Hoppy had to wait for the Headmistress to leave her office,"Hoppy explained.

As Hoppy described in detail how he had managed to fetch the Sorting Hat from Wells' office, Lotty suddenly had an idea about how she could get the sword to Max. That is - when she had it. The idea involved Hoppy and Jeffrey...

She took the Sorting Hat from Hoppy and glimpsed a glint of metal, then put in her hand and drew out the Sword of Gryffindor.

"We really are in a time of need,"she whispered, as she held it in her hands.

The sword was small and light, just about the right weight and size for her to use without too much difficulty; but she resisted the urge to swing it around, and especially resisted the random temptation to use it to slice up the large potted plant she was standing next to.

"Wow!"Jeffrey gasped, admiring it,"I wish we had a Sword of Hufflepuff!"

"Jeffrey,"Lotty said,"would you be willing to risk getting into trouble?"

"I risk getting into trouble all the time already,"Jeffrey said.

"I've got a plan, and this is my plan - we'll use Hoppy as a scout,"Lotty began explaining.

"Certainly, My Lady,"Hoppy agreed, promptly.

"You, Jeffrey, can come with me,"Lotty went on,"and in case a teacher comes or someone is about to spot us, like one of those nosey portraits or ghosts, you can create a diversion. So hopefully they'll think you're the one sneaking around, instead of me."

"I'm up for that,"Jeffrey agreed.

"Hoppy, could you sneak into the Gryffindor common room and spy out the situation for me?"Lotty asked,"if you see Julia Brown or Max Castellanos, can you deliver them a message? A message to come to the Portrait Hole that goes into the common room. I'll be waiting outside ready to give the sword to Max, but he has to know he has to leave the castle to deliver it to Catherine in a cave in the Forbidden Forest, as soon as he has it!"

Hoppy vanished. He reappeared around 10 minutes later.

"Hoppy has news, My Lady,"he announced.

"Tell me!"Lotty said, eagerly.

"The other Gryffindors are keeping a watch on the boy, Max Castellanos, they are making sure that he does not leave the Gryffindor quarters under any circumstances,"Hoppy explained,"Hoppy couldn't even deliver him the message, he was being guarded so closely; but Hoppy was able to deliver the message to Julia Brown. Another girl, her name is Patricia Finnigan, saw Hoppy speaking with the Lady Julia, and asked what Hoppy was doing. Hoppy told her that you pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, and you needed to get it to the Honourable Max, for there was great danger!"

Lotty was going to tell Hoppy off for not keeping the message secret from the other Gryffindors, but remembered she hadn't specifically asked him not to, and didn't have the heart to criticise the helpful little elf for his honesty.

"What happened then?"she asked.

"The Lady Patricia will help us,"Hoppy said,"and there was a boy too, the Honourable Richard. They will both help us."

"Why would they help?"Lotty asked,"they never helped us before."

"They said that if you have indeed drawn the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, then there must be real danger, so whatever mission you have, it must be an important one,"Hoppy answered,"they said it may take a while for them to plan what to do. The Lady Julia will summon Hoppy when they are ready to instruct Hoppy on your place in the plan. For now, Hoppy must return to Hoppy's place in the kitchen, My Lady - Hoppy shall return to you when Hoppy has the next instructions."

The house-elf disappeared with a pop.

As she waited for him to reappear, Lotty casually chatted to Jeffrey, but she couldn't help wondering what her sister would need the Sword of Gryffindor for? Surely she wouldn't need it to attack Silas? Already she was wanted for the murder of a student. If she used the Sword of Gryffindor to incapacitate, or worse - decapitate - Silas Warren... Lotty decided, as much as she wouldn't mind doing that to Silas herself, it would not result in ideal consequences; and she doubted Catherine would be capable of that kind of violence...

An hour passed, and in that time, Lotty realised the Sorting Hat was still with them in the Hufflepuff common room. Fortunately none of the other students had noticed, they were all busy doing their own things; reading, chatting to each other, playing games, studying...

Jeffrey and Lotty played a game of Wizard's Chess. Jeffrey was close to winning, when there was a loud pop!

"You must go to the Portrait Hole now, My Lady!"Hoppy said,"then plan is, if you are to go there and wait, the Honourable Max will come out to you, but he might need you to help get him out of the castle."

Lotty had another idea,"Hoppy, after I've gone to deliver the sword to Max, could you go up to the Hospital Wing and tell Emily what we are doing. Tell her, if she has a plan to help, she can join us."

Hoppy agreed and instantly disappeared.

Lotty and Jeffrey snook out into the cellars. They crept up the winding stone steps into the halls above. Navigating the Grand Staircase was the worst part.

As Lotty was finally getting close to the Portrait of the Fat Lady, she was startled by a voice behind her. She spun around.

It was Nearly-Headless Nick!

"What is this?"the Gryffindor ghost asked, floating around them curiously.

"I am on a very important quest,"Lotty answered,"if you could help keep this quiet, I would very much appreciate it."

"It must be an important quest indeed, if the Sword of Gryffindor has presented itself to you,"Nearly-Headless Nick replied, approvingly,"I don't suppose this has anything to do with the corruption that has gotten into our noble House?"

"It has something to do with that,"Lotty responded,"but don't worry, I'm not going to murder anyone with it."

"Well, I should hope not, for I certainly would not keep such a plan as that quiet!"Nearly-Headless Nick said,"I suppose I shall leave you, for what I did not see, I cannot say!"

He floated off through the wall.

The Portrait opened.

"So that's where the Gryffindor common room entrance is,"Jeffrey observed.

Max stepped out.

"I have to give you this,"Lotty said,"I can't explain, but you're meant to bring it to Cathy. She's in a cave somewhere in the Forbidden Forest."

Max looked at the sword, curiously as he took it from her,"have you heard from Cathy?"he asked.

Lotty shook her head.

Suddenly Julia jumped out beside Max,"they're onto us!"she hissed.

They fled down the hallway towards the Grand Staircase. Suddenly they were being chased by Lauren, Amber and Luke!

Luke grabbed Jeffrey (who was the slowest running) and began yelling. A door opened somewhere down one of the corridors and Professor Livia began running up towards the noise!

Max, Lotty and Julia all quickly stuffed themselves into a cupboard.

"What is going on here!? Return to your house quarters at once!"Professor Livia yelled.

"But..."Amber tried to explain.

"All of you! Back in now! Immediately!"Professor Livia barked.

"They were sneaking out! They were trying to sneak out!"Amber tried to say, as it sounded like Professor Livia was chasing them all back through the Portrait Hole.

Lotty was hoping Jeffrey was alright. She didn't hear anything else. Maybe Professor Livia had caught him, but she couldn't hear it? What she didn't realise was that Professor Livia hadn't noticed that Jeffrey was a Hufflepuff, and now he was locked in the Gryffindor common room while she guarded the way out...

Max pushed open the door of the cupboard and peeked out. They were around a corner, where Professor Livia couldn't see them. They crept out carefully. As they were trying to sneak out of the castle, they bumped into Emily and Hoppy.

"All of the entrances are guarded, according to Hoppy,"Emily warned,"we'll have to fly out of the windows on broomsticks at this rate!"

"I overheard they put tracking spells on ours,"Julia said,"on mine, Lotty's and Max's."

"They won't have put tracking spells on mine,"Emily said,"where's Jeffrey, by the way?"

"I'm not sure,"Lotty said,"I think Professor Livia caught him, so he's probably in trouble, but he'll have been escorted back to his common room."

Emily tried summoning her broom, but for some reason it wouldn't work.

"Hoppy can get out of the castle,"Hoppy suggested,"Hoppy can take two of you at a time."

Hoppy, with his own house-elf magic, was able to disapparate with Max and Lotty out of the castle. He left them by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They waited around a minute, wondering what was taking the others so long. Then Hoppy appeared next to them with Emily and Julia.

"Lotty!"Emily exclaimed, waving a piece of parchment,"we were just about to disapparate with Hoppy, when the Golden Sivril gave us another message! Look!"

Lotty took the parchment from Emily, while Hoppy vanished along with the Golden ball Emily had just given to him.

"It just suddenly rolled up to us and spat it out, like it usually does when we ask it questions,"Emily said.

"Go to the Centaurs,"it read.

"That's it!"Lotty said,"that's where we'll go! Max - you need to go to a cave in the Forbidden Forest, and we'll go to the Centaurs!"

"I think I know where the cave is,"Max said,"what's a golden Sivril?"

"No time to explain now,"Lotty said,"let's go!"

They parted ways. Max went off to the tunnel; and Lotty, Emily and Julia went into the Forbidden Forest.