The night rolled around like clockwork as the next day dawned on them. The group of Theseus, Newt, Leta, Noelle and Amelia had become solid friends, with a few sibling rivalries. The group decided to visit Newt again that morning, as well as investigating Professor Trelawney who collapsed a while back and was transferred from St Mungo's to the Hogwarts hospital wing.
They arrived early, tiptoeing quietly to Newt, who was sleeping.
"He's asleep," Leta muttered. "What time is it?"
The group furiously searched for any analog clocks around the room. One was conveniently placed above Newt's bed.
"It's… 8:30 am…" both Amelia and Noelle said in unison.
"He's a deep sleeper. If we wake him up, he'll be sour till midday." Theseus stated the facts.
"Well. I suppose we'll just leave him there." Leta spoke. The group observed Trelawney, determined to finally resolve the unsolved mystery.
"Who's she?" Amelia questioned.
"She's the Divination teacher. She collapsed a while back due to unknown causes. Unfortunately, Newt was one of the main suspects of the collapse and… he isn't present at the moment." Theseus informed her. As Theseus told this information, his brother juddered awake and gasped as if waking from a nightmare.
"Welp. He's present now!" Noelle exclaimed, "Hi Newt!"
He groaned a little, placing his hand on his forehead, testing his temperature.
"No temperature…" he mumbled. "Hi, Noelle. What are you doing here?"
"Inspecting Trelawney," she responded.
"What can you tell us?" Amelia questioned him.
"Give me a minute," he muttered. "God, what a nightmare…" he muttered again under his breath, shaking his head.
"What was your nightmare?" Theseus questioned.
"I died. Freezing to death on a mountain expedition. All of you were in my crew for some reason, and you all ignored me… You all left me… Freezing to death." His lips quivered as he wrapped his hands around his body, trying to regain composure.
"Enough of that! Out! Out! Out!" He began to manipulate his brain from the nightmare. "OK! OUT!" he continued. He sighed greatly, slouching into the bed, finally relieving himself.
"You alright?" Theseus asked him.
"Hehe." he shuddered, "All swell. Now, back to the topic at hand. Trelawney." he paused. "She seemed like she was under some kind of spell…"
"How ironic," Noelle muttered.
"Or under a trance. She had several objects at her desk. They include a few crystal balls, a globe, several Divination books and a bottle of liquor. Looked like Firewhisky."
"How do you remember that?!" Amelia exclaimed in awe.
"I have a photographic memory. It's quite helpful in times like these."
"Firewhisky you say?" Noelle questioned him.
"Yes."
"Firewhisky is an intoxicant. I mean, it seems like the only explanation."
"We should inspect her and the classroom," Leta stated. The group had now become detectives in times of crisis.
They nodded in unison.
"Since Newt can't go anywhere, he'll have to stay here. I'll stay with him." Theseus volunteered.
"Ok. The three of us will head to the classroom and investigate there." Amelia spoke up, rather excited to be a part of the detective gang.
The group split up at once, the brothers beginning the interrogation as soon as the others left.
"Hey Professor, are you there?" Newt stood up and waved his hand over Trelawney.
"Huh?" she replied, slurring, her eyelids bobbing up and down.
"Slurring? Theseus muttered, "Clear sign of alcohol. I'll jot this all down." He magicked up a clipboard and quill, assuming the position of Rita Skeeter.
"I'm gonna try the foreigners' technique." He looked at his brother for reaffirmation. "What do you reckon?" he continued. Theseus shrugged.
"Well, anything goes," he muttered, tapping his foot on the floor.
"Do you…" he pointed at her, elongating his words, "Remember…" he continued, pointing at his forehead, "Collapsing?" Newt couldn't think of a suitable action to aid her memory, so he stood still, staring at her.
"I only remember fading into darkness after staring at…" she paused, staring at the two figures, trying to recognise them. "I think it was you?"
"It was," he replied.
"Surprisingly good memory," Theseus muttered.
"Do you remember anything before that? Like before you entered the classroom?"
"I was approached by a student. A boy. And he offered me a bottle of liquor." she began laughing hysterically, "I took it of course! Needed a pick-me-up, they say. And well, several minutes later, I'd collapsed on the desk. I must say, I felt a bit out of whack."
"Well, glad to see you are recovering. We'll keep inspecting you and attempt to figure out anything else." Newt walked away from Trelawney and over to Theseus.
"You got that?" he asked his brother.
"Yeah. It's the wine. Who gave it to her though?"
"Dunno. The girls will have had to figure out something by now."
Meanwhile, the girls had only just reached the Divination room. Amelia and Noelle were breathless, the Divination room located on one of the top floors of Hogwarts. On the other hand, Leta was lively, having done this routine several times before.
"We're here!" she exclaimed.
"Finally." Noelle groaned.
"Well, let's get to it," Amelia muttered, opening the doors. The room was small and pitch-black since it hasn't been in use.
"Lumos." The room was lit up by a faint glow from Noelle's wand. The other two did the same.
"Ok. The biggest clue. The liquor. Let's look for that." Leta commanded her entourage.
The darkness was the biggest factor contributing to their failure. The clumsy trio bumped into several objects before retrieving the alcohol.
"Easy." Amelia stated sarcastically, "Found it." She held the bottle in her hands, beckoning the others to come to her. A shadow loomed over her, a tall one.
"That's not one of us. We've got a stalker on our hands." she thought, now taking caution to her every action.
"Well, I found a better object to find!" her sister bragged, her voice echoing around the room.
"Shut up! Someone's watching us!" she yelled, her caution thrown out the window within seconds.
The shadow drew closer, a voice now bouncing around the walls.
"What are you little ladies doing out here? All alone?" The voice sounded elderly, female and sinister.
"Ah!" Amelia shrieked.
"Lumos maxima!"
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
The three curses were fired in the voice's direction. The shadow stopped in its tracks, staring at the trio, the light now revealing the figure.
"MCGONAGALL?!" Leta exclaimed.
"Yes. Leta." She cleared her throat, leaning against the wall.
"Why are you stalking us?" Amelia piped up.
"Hah. I have a right to walk these school grounds however I please, Miss Silverliner."
"You were stalking us though." her sister interrupted, "Why?"
"No need to give reasons. I'm a teacher."
"And you're a stalker."
"You know, this room is strictly off-limits."
"No one said we couldn't enter." Leta retaliated casually.
"We are trying to solve the case of Trelawney's collapse." Noelle clarified, "We aren't up to no evil."
"Oh, I believe ya." she retorted sarcastically, "You've practically destroyed the place!" she exclaimed, flicking on the light switch. The trio surveyed the room, gasping in shock.
"Did we really do that? Amelia muttered.
"Yes. You did. Caught red-handed." The teacher smirked, "Now, raise your wands."
"You aren't a cop."
"But you are criminals."
"Because we are trying to help a teacher."
"And destroyed her classroom."
Their continuous protests died down. The murmurs of Newt and Theseus travelled through the air.
"They should've been done now. I couldn't stand another minute in there!" Newt exclaimed, absolutely fed up of being restrained at the hospital.
"They should've. How's the fresh air?" They continued to ascend the stairs.
"Fantastic." he took a deep breath, "Absolutely fantastic."
The Divination room approached them like thunder in a torrential storm. The door was left ajar, so the boys crept in.
"You're here!" Leta yelled, her hands now aching.
"What's going on?" Theseus questioned, "Mcgonagall?" he stared, astonished.
"We've been through this already," she smirked. "You aren't permitted to be in this room, nor become an…" she paused, pursing her lips, "Odd bunch of detectives. Toodle pip!" She cackled quietly before gracefully exiting the room, slamming the doors shut and locking them with a quick non-verbal charm.
"At least we have the lights…" Leta spoke up nervously, chuckling.
An awkward silence drifted through the air, the group unsure how to fix their predicament.
"Thank Merlin for Thomas Edison." Theseus muttered, "Well, we're trapped." he stated.
"Yup." Amelia replied, "What did you two find out?"
"The liquor's the key. It was given to her by a boy, presumably another student." Theseus rattled off his notes, "She took a swig or two, to be met by collapse. She was slurring her sentences a little, eyes very fatigued, lethargic, hysterical laughter. Did you find the bottle?"
"We did." Noelle replied shortly, "Have a look."
"Well," he handed the bottle over to his brother, "It's chipped a fraction…" A waft of alcohol spread through the room. Newt stared at the bottle for some time, before breaking into high pitched laughter.
"I'm alive!" he smiled at his brother more than he usually would, "I'm alive!" he laughed giddily and spun around on the spot like a happy child on Christmas morning, losing his balance, "Bring it on!" he continued.
"The influences of that alcohol are very strong," Leta muttered, before ushering Newt to sit down. He obeyed her actions, sitting down on a timber bench situated at the back of the classroom.
"Here. Take this." She magicked up a bucket and left it on the floor. He nodded, dazed.
"We need a tracking spell since someone gave her this." she gestured to the bottle, which was upright next to Newt, whose head was lopsided. "Anyone know any?"
The four of them were lost in thought for a few minutes before Newt spoke up, slurring,
"Appare vestigium." He sloppily pointed his wand at his surroundings, gold dust swirling through the air. The spell at once materialised footprints and figures.
"Good job, Newt." Theseus winked at him, "He still has some of his right mind, even while intoxicated." The group examined the spell.
There were two people in front of them, talking. One was Trelawney, the other a young boy, who was now discovered as a Gryffindor student, thanks to the red scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Hello. What are you up to?" she questioned him, "I have a class to attend to, so make it quick."
"I just thought I'd give you this." he quietly said, holding out the bottle to her. "You know, winter's coming."
"Oh," she muttered, taken aback by the young man's gesture. "Thanks. Are you in my class now?"
"Yeah. Divination."
"Are you new?"
"No. I'm Cormac." he held out his hand, "Cormac McLaggen."
"Well, thanks Cormac." she shook his hand before walking off briskly. The vision dissolved within seconds after ending.
"It was Cormac." Newt reiterated, "Of course! He sent me the paper plane that very morning, that trickster." He shook his head, thinking that the effects of the alcohol were finally wearing off. Unfortunately for Newt, the effects were still present and he vomited in the silver bucket Leta provided.
"Good Lord!" Noelle exclaimed, rushing over to the boy who somehow continuously fell ill.
"Now that we've solved that…" Amelia interrupted, "How do we escape?"
"Unlock the door. Simple." Leta pointed at it and muttered, "Alohomora." The door didn't budge. "Of course she'd know a fancy spell to lock this room. Any ideas?"
Theseus and Amelia rushed to the door, Noelle still comforting Newt.
"Alohomora." Theseus tried again. "Nup."
"Aberto," Amelia muttered. Nothing. "Do you have any ideas, lovebirds?"
"Nope." Noelle smiled, "Do you, cutie?" She stroked his hair.
Newt's head lurched forward towards the bucket, spewing. "I dunno." he coughed, "Try kicking it down. Go ahead and kick it!" The alcohol spontaneously attacked him, "I dare ya!"
"Well," Theseus muttered, "We have nothing to lose." He gave the door a firm kick, somehow causing it to unlatch. "Well, well, well. It worked! Good going!"
"Thanks." his brother replied quietly. "She restricted us from using magic, not brute force."
"FREEDOM!" Amelia yelled, giggling excitedly and racing outside. "We're free from that prison cell!"
"Yeah." Leta nodded in agreement, "Let's get out of here."
"Wait---" Newt slurred, "Wait for me----" He reached out his hand to Leta, who contemplated it.
"We'll have to disapparate." Leta spoke up, "In this detective group of ours, no one is left behind." The rest of the group nodded in unison, including Newt, who was rather lethargic now. They formed a circle with their hands and were instantly hurled to the hospital.