A Few Days Later:

Barnaby James has not spoken a word since. He remains fast asleep in his portrait.

We used the Memory Sivril around portrait - nothing. We used it by the cabinet where we discovered his portrait; all it revealed was that it was originally hidden by a student, and Moonwood did enter the common room at one point, examined the walls and then left.

We have embarked on more treasure hunts around the castle, with no new clues, and it all feels sort of empty without answers from that annoying, sleeping portrait!

So we've decided to pause the treasure hunts for the time-being. At least until Barnaby decides he's had a long enough nap!

Later:

Professor Willow was talking to me about my interest in teaching Ancient Runes. He seems to be more enthusiastic about it than I am.

I feel so demotivated when it comes to career paths or anything to do with my future. I've always considered myself to be an optimist, but now I don't feel very optimistic concerning the future, it seems riddled with hazards. I don't even know if I'm going to have a future.

All I can do is live one day at a time and see what happens.

Though I've come to a conclusion. I should do this. After all, I did decide I was going to find out what I wanted to do, in my final year, and I've found something right at the beginning. Something I'm already good at and passionate about.

Even so, it feels like I'm in the eye of the storm, and peace time is far, far away behind distant mist-shrouded mountains; but there's no harm in laying the foundations, even based on the faintest hope.

A Few Days Later:

Regulus was talking to me earlier. This is a rare occurrence. He was asking about Lotty. He thinks Amber Harris (Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain) is mad not to let her join the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

"Why does she have to be in Gryffindor?"he was going on,"she'd have made our team last year. We could do with someone that flies like that. I reckon she'd make a good Seeker. We're going to need a new one after this year, though I won't be around for that, of course. What about your other sister? How's she at flying?"

I know Anita can fly quite well, though I'm not sure she's interested in Quidditch. It could be a good idea, especially as I've received intelligence from Oliver that she has been to the Treehouse lately, several times, completely ignoring all of my warnings. She was seen going with Jeffrey, so she wasn't alone, but two kids like that? They might as well be alone, with people like Silas about - out there, somewhere. Quidditch could be a distraction?

Later:

So I spoke to Anita about the Quidditch idea. She seemed - not very interested.

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She went as far as to say that she might consider it, if she has time. I get the feeling that she is up to something. I've actually had this feeling ever since before we returned to Hogwarts. I'm sure she's working on some secret plan, and has been for a while...

Even later:

So it turns out that somehow Professor Livia found out about the hidden Firewhiskey... she also knows that students hid it. She just doesn't know who.

I asked Max and Jeremy if they were going to own up, but they're more annoyed about it being confiscated than anything else.

I just hope that Professor Livia doesn't take it too seriously. She is known for meting out collective punishment, and we Slytherins always get the worst end of it!

I overheard Jared telling Ed that he was someone's 'nemesis' earlier, and before I could put in,"don't you mean you have a nemesis?"I heard Ed reply:

"If you're going to be bad, you might as well be bad with a passion."

I really don't think I want to know what they're up to. Everyone's up to something! The less I know, the better!

I decided to go and see Antonius, as I haven't properly spoken to him in ages. Lately it seems like I only see him in class. He was in the library, books were piled around him, he was writing.

I went up and sat down next to him. He was so focused on his work, that he didn't notice me for a while.

"What do you want?"he asked, finally.

"Just to spend some time with you,"I answered.

"Don't you have studying to do?"he went on.

"I see that you're busy,"I said, feeling slightly hurt,"but is there a time when you won't be busy?"

"I don't know,"Antonius answered,"go and do something you need to do."

When he said that, I suddenly felt like doing the opposite of what I needed to do! Yes, I do have some studying to do, projects to work towards, but I'm not in the mood to do any of those things. Especially not after that!

I went to look for Lotty, but she was getting ready to go into Hogsmeade with Julia and Emily, and, of course, I couldn't join them. They said they'd bring me back a bottle of butterbeer, and I told them to make sure Professor Livia didn't catch them, or she might think they were the Firewhiskey fiends.

Anita and Jeffrey were flying around on broomsticks by the Quidditch Pitch, and I wondered if Anita was taking consideration of my suggestion.

I couldn't help feeling a bit lost. No one to do anything with. I went to my dormitory. Maybe I could read a book? Even though I felt too miserable to focus on reading.

Then I had an idea. The portrait under my bed. I looked around the dormitory, no one else was in there. I pulled the picture out from under my bed and set it down on my desk, leaning it against the wall.

"Professor James?"I asked.

To my surprise, the sleeping portrait awoke!

"It is I,"he answered.

I was so surprised, I didn't know what to say. Then I made up my mind, and decided to speak slowly and clearly.

"Who were the four wizards who created the Sivrils?"I asked.

"The Sivrils wast invented by Moonwood and Spinner,"Barnaby answered,"Lucas and I joined later, and then Sivrils we made also."

"Lucas?"I asked,"there were more than four of you?"

"Nay, thither wast only four,"Barnaby responded,"I, like thee, wast a Slytherin. Moonwood Hufflepuff. Spinner Ravenclaw, and Lucas Gryffindor."

"You mentioned before that there was someone named Arthur,"I went on.

"That beest Arthur Lucas,"Barnaby replied.

"I also heard that someone had a tragic end. Something happened that made Moonwood hide the Sivrils,"I went on, quickly, hoping he wouldn't fall asleep again.

"Terrible, terrible tragedy,"Barnaby muttered, then he said,"thee shouldst take great caution. The Sivrils can be very useful, but they can also be tools to great evil, they giveth thee ov'r to dark temptations..."

"But who?"I began.

Barnaby James had fallen asleep again, and I couldn't get him to wake back up!

At least I have some new information now. I was thinking, by the sounds of it... it couldn't have been Moonwood or Barnaby, I know that, and there had been talk of Arthur Lucas wanting to destroy the Sivrils when they were discovered to be dangerous, so it probably wasn't him... that left the Ravenclaw wizard.

Now I was even more curious. What happened to Spinner?