Friday, May 9
9:15pm

Knox stared down at the charred paper in front of him.  When it had ignited, he'd dropped it to the table, stunned, and stood back.  He'd watched the ink glow orange and then light aflame, burning holes in the letter.  Now all that remained in front of him was burnt bits of parchment, sitting stiffly in the silhouette of a letter.

He couldn't believe what he'd read and immediately he began to try and recall the words.  It felt like he was snatching at the last wisps of a dream on waking, but memories of the dream were slipping away, as incorporeal as a lady-ghost's hair. 

The letter, even though it was signed "John", was from Kyle Gibson who had not yet been found by the Aurors.  He was on the run, hiding from charges of murder.  And of all people, he'd contacted Knox.  The Headmaster's head swam with the implications of what he'd read.  The murders, Knox had seen them with his own eyes! He'd seen Kyle's face, the anger that had always been there, now manifest.

He placed both hands on the table and bowed his head.  The guilt was immense and how again, Kyle was trusting Knox Greyfriar with his life.

"I can't," he said aloud.




The letter: Fugitive News

It was growing late, and Morrigan had been about to return to her quarters when she suddenly realized she had left a sweater on the back of one of the chairs in the staffroom.  She had been nearly half way there after her monitoring duties when the thought had struck her, and she had expected to find the room empty.  So, it was with a bit of surprise that she found the headmaster there.

His back was to her, but she could see the charred parchment on the table before him.  He looked as if he was carrying the very weight of the world on his shoulders, and for a moment Morrigan was a bit unsure what to do.  He seemed to be completely obviously to her presence; she could have easily made a quiet escape back to her quarter and left him to his thoughts.  Yet, with everything going on, everything that had happened with Remembering Day, she could not simply turn around and leave.

“I can't.”

“Can’t what?” she asked before she had even thought to speak.  Then she added, “I’m sorry for the intrusion…I forgot my sweater earlier.”

She made her way to the table, trying not to appear too annoyed with herself.  It seemed the incurable flaw of speaking without thinking had stuck again.  She didn’t wish to appear nosey, but it seemed he needed a friendly ear.  She saw her black sweater draped over the back of a nearby chair, but ignored it for a moment.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, trying to make a more graceful start to a conversation.

Knox's guilt spun him on his heel, half-expecting the voice to have come from an Auror come to demand recompense.  The Headmaster, seeing it was a friendly face, let his breath out with a whoosh. 

Since Morrigan's arrival at Hogwarts five years ago, Knox had found a friend in the young American transfigurist.  They were both dead-set committed to the value of study, and they generally got on, even while hotly debating some topic.  It had always endeared Morrigan to Knox that she wasn't shy about raising her voice. 

He wasn't wary of her now, either, and happy to have her ear.

"Kyle Gibson owled," he admitted, and indicated the burned letter on the table with a frustrated wave of his hand.

"What does he expect me to do!" he demanded of Morrigan.  "He's claiming innocence and asking I write back.  He's still on the run, and every day he's missing he's in more and more danger.  And he seems to think I'm the man who can help him continue to elude the consequences of his actions!"

Knox shoved a chair out of his way roughly as he retreated from the letter and paced.  "I saw it with my own eyes, Morrigan.  I watched him him do it.  How can he expect me to believe him let alone abet a fugitive?"

"Kyle Gibson owled.”

Morrigan’s eyes instantly went to the burnt parchment again as the words sank in.  She hadn’t been at the quidditch pitch when all of the chaos happened, but she had certainly heard, much to her own disbelief.  Gibson had been one of the students she had watched relatively closely, the maternal side of her often worried for him in silence.

When he had returned to Hogwarts after his sister’s death she hadn’t been the only professor to watch him a bit more carefully.  He had seemed to retreat into his mind, and the happy child with the bright smile had disappeared.  He had slowly seemed to find his way back, but this past year had seemed especially trying for him.

She listened as Knox continued on, her own internal conflict playing in her mind.  It was widely known that he had been dismissed from the Dueling Club and, while he was not one of her more stellar students, she knew he was a capable young wizard.  Everyone had their dark side, but the news had still come as quite a shock.

She flinched slightly as he shoved the chair out of the way, her eyes watching him as he paced.  It seemed to be a bit of a dangerous game that Gibson was expecting people to play with him.

“I don’t know,” she said softly.  “It’s obvious you’re someone he trusts, but still, he’s asking an awful lot regardless of whether or not he truly did it.  Everyone who was there saw him do it and I’m sure the ministry will not take kindly to his request of you should it be discovered.”

She pulled out one of the other chairs, seating herself as she folded her arms in front of her one the table.  Then, almost taking on the role of devil’s advocate, she asked, “Do you think it’s possible your eyes were deceived?”

Knox shook his head and did not join Morrigan at the table.  He'd asked himself the same question hundreds of times since Remembering Day.  The shock of seeing Kyle do these things was as fresh in his memory as the boys angry, hostile, desperate face.

"Of course it's possible," he conceded, not fully believing such a thing could have happened, "but it does nothing to dim the danger of this situation.  I know you weren't up there, Morrigan," the Headmaster went on as he paced. 

"The anger on his face was real! The spell he cast on Timmons - I know Kyle's capable of that.  Kyle has lashed out with violence at everything that threatens his tranquility.  The worst thing about it is hearing others say Kyle could never do what he did.  Speaking of him kindly as if he were already dead.

Knox pounded his fist on the table. "But that's just it:  Kyle could do it.  He is capable of that kind of rage.  I don't want it to be true but it is.  He's been out of control since what happened to his family and something like this was inevitable."

The Headmaster sighed.  "Something like this was coming from that boy.  I was just so eager to get him out of my hands and off my conscience that I refused to take responsibility for him.   The boy needed help and now he'll spend the rest of his life in Azkaban if the Auror see fit to bring him in alive."

Morrigan nodded slightly  as he spoke.  He was right, she hadn't been there and she hadn't seen it.  Kyle had been changed, and he had reacted with hostility quite often.  There was nothing any of them could truly do for him...It seemed Gibson had made his choice and now had to suffer the consequences.

She thought perhaps it was natural to want to believe that none of her students were capable of such a thing, yet everyone had some darkness with in them.  Perhaps Gibson had been filled with a deeper kind of darkness, one that she didn't like to think about.  She was already enough of a realist.

Something like this was coming from that boy.  I was just so eager to get him out of my hands and off my conscience that I refused to take responsibility for him.   The boy needed help and now he'll spend the rest of his life in Azkaban if the Auror see fit to bring him in alive.

"How could you have possibly known?" she asked.  "No one expected this to happen.  It was unthinkable!  We've all watched him, tried to guide him...and him and how many others?"

They were all responsible for every student that past through the halls of the school.  The could teach them, try to council them, but in the end each student had to make their choice which paths to pursue.

"Knox," she said, standing, "there is only so much we can do.  We try to mold them all as best we can, but in the end they still have free will to choose, and some of them will choose the less then moral path.  It's unfortunately, but you can not hold yourself solely responsible for Gibson."

 Professor Mainwaring was glad that classes were over for the day. Like many in the school he was having difficulty in focusing on anything but the events of Remembering Day. Gibson had been no angel but what on earth could have possessed him to commit the crimes that he had done and in so public a fashion. Theobald as yet had no answer.

 He did have the answer though to the gargoyles guarding the staff room who let him pass without hindrance. He was pleased to see his colleagues there but only caught the tail end of what Professor Ramsay was saying to the Headmaster. The topic of the conversation was no surprise, nor that Knox was in the staff room. This was a difficult time for them all and it was only right that they come together to deal with it.  Isolating themselves while they pondered what more they could have done to prevent such a thing from happening was only a recipe for madness.

 "Forgive my intrusion in your conversation but do you mind if I join you this evening? Mr Gibson's actions are rather dominating my thoughts as well."

 Theobald sighed heavily,

 "Has there been any word on how the  aurors' search for him is progressing?"

In the silence after Morrigan spoke, Theobald joined them.  The imposing Defense Professor was another welcome presence.  He had a level head.  And as Knox's ex-wife Meredith had been fond of commenting, Knox's own pate was a few degrees off center. 

"The whole world's on a tilt," he mumbled, mostly to himself.  He stood by the fireplace, which was cold on this spring night.

He turned back to Morrigan and Theobald and told them what he knew.  "The portraits have been keeping an eye out.  Dilys has been inhabiting her frame at St. Mungo's at my request - just in case that's where Kyle eventually turns up.  She saw Carter admitted, but ..." He paused and rubbed his aching brow.

"Evarard's only heard a thing or two, just that the hunt is growing more and more desperate as the days pass.  The Ministry's on fire day and night, he says."

"Theobald," he said suddenly, more loudly, "where did he learn magic like that?"

 "That is not an easy question to answer., Knox. He has been a keen duellist to be sure but knowledge of dark spells like sectumsempra is not exactly commonplace. It is possible I suppose that he could have acquired them from a book. He would not be the first to have done so but where he would have acquired such a tome is unclear. His brother Mark would likely have access to such magic. While I cannot believe that Mr Gibson would be in league with him given his sister's death it is possible that some of his artefact's could have come into his possession

 The question though that I think most needs answered is why he would do it and especially why he would commit such acts in so public a manner. What did  Theodora Kingstreet and possibly auror Timmons, assuming that he was not just in the wrong place at the wrong time, mean to Kyle Gibson that he was prepared to throw his life away just to kill them?

 Why more importantly did he decide to do it in public? If he just wanted to kill Kingstreet why not do it in private where the chance of success would be much higher and he would have some chance of getting away with the deed? What benefit did he gain by doing it in public? Notoriety I suppose would be one potential benefit if he was interested in such but it seems a slight gain for such cost. If he was making a point why did he not better explain his reasons? Moreover while few would cry if he had slain Kingstreet any support he stood to gain he threw away with the senseless murder of auror Timmons.

 The death of Timmons is the act that I find hardest to understand. It was not necessary in order to get at Kingstreet. A stunning spell would easily has incapacitated the auror if that had been his only intent so he logically must stand to gain something by Timmons death. The question is what?"

Theobald sighed again,

 "There are of course reasons beyond logic such as alcohol, hot-headedness, drugs, insanity or simply malice. If so it is only luck that has kept our students from harm.

 Do you know if any of Mr Gibson's friends noticed anything strange about him lately? I imagine they are still shell-shocked but if they do volunteer anything in the coming days it might shed some light on his actions."

Morrigan listened as Theobald spoke, nodding slightly in agreement to many points.  There was a lot about the event that had confused her.  Of course, not having been there to actually witness it she had been unsure what was fact and what was pure interpretation by those sharing the story with her.  It was a huge mess that needed to be sorted out, but to to do that successfully was the question.

"I haven't spoken to any of the students directly, but I think you bring up an interesting point," she said.  "Perhaps trying to speak with them might help...If nothing else we might clear up some of our own confusion over this whole matter."

She looked to Knox for a moment and then continued, "There are quite a few of us who have offered friendly ears to those who might need it.  I've had a few younger students come to me after classes, but none of them were around Gibson much.  I'd be willing to try approach a few of those who were...it might help.  Of course there's no way of knowing if they'll even open up."

Knox watched Theobald as he spoke.  The other wizard had clearly been keeping his own mind to Gibson these past nights as well.  And with Theobald's background in Law Enforcment, Knox could only assume these were the questions the Aurors would be asking as well. 

But the fact of the matter was, to everyone who'd seen it, to everyone who knew Kyle, none of this made any sense.  It seemed to Knox the sad reality was Kyle abandoned reason for his unfortunate family legacy.

"I'm not my brother, the letter said," Knox said suddenly.  "Kyle wrote at the end of his letter: I'm not my brother.  The rest didn't make much sense - that he didn't do what we saw him do." To Knox, it almost sounded like the words of some one trying to exorcise himself from his own actions, and the past actions of his brother.

He sat down then, and put his face in his hands as he leaned his elbows on the table.  He looked at Morrigan and spoke through his fingers.

"Nicola.  Nicola Hames.  I think she was his good friend."

 “Yes, I believe she was,” Theobald remarked absently. In truth he was startled at Knox's words. Had he heard the Headmaster correctly? Had he actually received a letter from the fugitive Gibson? He suddenly wished that he had been there for the start of the conversation.

 "I'm sorry Knox but did you say that you have received a letter from Kyle Gibson?”

 Theobald paused for a brief second,

 “So he said he did not commit those acts. Assuming that he is telling the truth, which is certainly a big if, did he make any sense at all? If not him, who does he believe murdered those people and why does he believe that someone is framing him? Most importantly can he provide an alibi? Without one he will struggle to convince anyone given the number of witnesses.

 Also have you decided how you are going to respond to this letter? The authorities would certainly be unhappy to learn of such correspondence should they learn of it from another source. Another consideration is of course whether you are sure that Gibson is the actual author. During the war when muggle-borns were on the run, the Death Eaters and their ilk on occasion flushed out their sympathisers by coerced or faked letters from those they had already captured. If someone wanted to damage your reputation for whatever reason, implying that you were in communication with a murderer on the run would be a good way of doing it."

 He sighed again,

 That last point is probably just the product of an overly suspicious mind. The main question I suppose is whether we have any reason to believe him? In addition to asking his friends if the authorities have not done so already we should probably go through his effects to see if there is anything which could provide some clue as to his mental state or plans.” 

Knox nodded at the charred bits of parchment on the table to answer Theobald's question.  The bits were all that remained of the letter, whose ink had lit itself, sending the letter aflame.

He listened quietly, his eyes trading glances with both Morrigan and Theobald as he conjectured and theorized.  Those kind of questions filled the halls of the castle and the minds of students.  The kids were squirrely and agitated.  It was spring, of course, and the hubbub of Remembering Day had left them all to their studies again.  And examinations were just around the corner.  All of these things had a subduing effect, but the agitation he sensed - that was because one Gryffindor was mysteriously missing from their ranks.

Hadn't Kyle been performing in the play just a day before? In a dueling scene with Knox himself? What was in his head?

Turning around and crossing his arms, Knox began to pace again.  "I have very few answers for you, Theobald," the Headmaster admitted.

"The note was frantic and shed no light on his location or an alternate explanation. He seemed confused and frightened. And as per the authorities," he said, pausing in his steps, and assuming a firm tone.

"Hogwarts will keep its secrets for the time being."

It sounded almost like an imperative to the others to 'keep it in the Penseive' as it were.  Knox only occasionally threw is weight around as ruler of Hogwarts, and this instance stank of it.

"I don't trust the letter," he said, still firm.  "I don't trust Kyle. I don't trust the Aurors and I cannot yet trust myself.  I need time."