Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reprieve

'Oh,' said Gideon, 'I didn't realise it was you. Why are you helping me?'

'I'm not helping you,' Alex replied, 'I'm helping my dad. He's had a lot to deal with this week.'

'Well, that's not my fault.'

'Isn't it?'

Gideon sighed and turned away. 'You don't know what you're talking about,' he said.

'I know enough. The rest I can guess. For instance, what happened in here the night it almost burned down.'

Gideon was thrown, but he tried not to let it show and remained silent.

'The guys in my dorm went out late that night,' Alex continued. 'When they got back, they were acting strangely. Since then, they've been different, especially when it comes to you. They haven't been messing with you in class or anything.'

'Is it written somewhere that people are supposed to mess with me? Maybe they got tired of acting like stereotypical bullies?' Gideon retorted.

'No. I think something happened to them that night, right here in this room. The only reason they wouldn't tell me is if they might get themselves or me in trouble. So, what happened? Did they mess with you again? Yeah, I think so.'

Gideon was surprised by Alex's scarily accurate presumption. 'Afraid you missed out on a good time?' he taunted. 'Six against one your kind of odds, are they?'

Alex ignored his provocation. 'They messed with you. So, you used your freaky powers to scare them, but you ended up nearly burning the place down. That's right, isn't it?'

'Why do you care?' Gideon asked.

'I care because I don't want my friends, my dad or anyone else for that matter, getting burnt to a crisp!' Alex snapped.

The memory of Gwendoline's pained face flashed before Gideon's eyes. He glared at Alex and without thinking, responded angrily, 'You want to know what really happened? Want to know what your loser "friends" really did?'

'Try me,' Alex said.

Gideon took a breath and collected himself. 'Forget it,' he said, 'you couldn't handle it. I wouldn't want to burst the perfect little bubble you live in.' He turned away again and focused intently on the fireplace across the room.

There was a knock at the door. 'It's me, Al,' said Mr Grimsby.

'Alohomora,' Alex uttered, and the door opened.

'Sorry to keep you waiting, boys,' said Grimsby. 'The coast is clear now, Gideon. Professor Dandridge is meeting with the Minister, but she sent away the gaggle of reporters and looky-loos. Actually, she made their cameras, notebooks, quills and remote viewers chase them from the castle!'

Gideon made his way across the room without meeting Alex's eyes. He passed by Grimsby and through the door with a simple, 'Thank you,' and carried on to the dungeons. On the way down the stone steps, he worried he had said too much to Grimsby Junior. Would Alex tell his father or his Head of House what Gideon had intimated?

'Diamondback,' said Gideon upon arriving at the hidden entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. With everyone in classes or otherwise occupied, it was empty. Gideon went straight to his dormitory, where he lay down on his four-poster bed. It wasn't exactly home—he wasn't sure he had one of those anymore—but it felt good to be back.

After a few minutes of blissful solitude, just staring up at the ceiling, Gideon pulled himself up and flung himself down toward the other end of the bed, in reach of his trunk. His things from the Hospital Wing had been placed on top of it. Attached to his bag was a folded note.