One Pretending, Two Lying

When Lisa Turpin shouted those words, everyone's attention turned to a corner of the Common Room.

Jacob Kent stood there alone.

Scott remained on the stairs, looking down at him.

At Turpin's accusation, Jacob's expression changed at once. His face turned deathly pale, and he looked flustered and frightened.

But Scott could see more. He saw the calm in Jacob's eyes, and that his magic remained undisturbed.

Had the boy anticipated this situation? Or had it all been part of his plan?

It seemed Scott's earlier judgment had been mistaken.

Scott narrowed his eyes, studying the false expression on Jacob's face.

The boy had probably exposed himself on purpose.

But why?

Scott waited eagerly, wanting to hear what Jacob would say.

"Mr. Kent?" Professor Flitwick looked at Jacob too. "Could you explain? Why did you do this?"

"Miss Turpin asked me to help, Professor," Jacob said nervously.

Jacob acted just as he had when Scott first met him: he looked like a timid, cowardly boy.

"No! He offered to help me!" Turpin shouted in protest.

Interesting, Scott thought, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he slowly descended the stairs.

At that moment, Roger stepped in front of Jacob and asked, "What about you, Jacob? If that was Lisa's request, why did you agree?"

"I... I thought it was just a prank. She said she was Davis's girlfriend." Jacob shrank back, his voice breaking as if he were about to cry.

Just then, Professor Flitwick's expression changed again. He seemed to have thought of something, and asked Jacob, "You've been spending a lot of time with Travers from Slytherin, haven't you, Mr. Kent?"

"N-no."

Jacob shook his head quickly. His face turned even paler, as if he had been badly frightened.

Anyone could see he was lying.

And it looked as though he was being forced to lie.

By then, Scott had reached the bottom of the stairs.

He walked over to a window and quietly greeted Luna, who was sitting alone on the windowsill, swinging her short legs. "Hey, Luna."

There were two first-year Ravenclaws who were outcasts: Jacob was the boy, and Luna was the girl.

Whenever Scott saw her, she was almost always alone.

"Hello, Scott," Luna replied just as quietly. She even raised a hand to wave, looking pleased.

She seemed to be the only student there who wasn't paying attention to the incident. Scott noticed that she had been watching the view outside the window intently.

Professor Flitwick's voice rang out again. "And you, Miss Turpin. I remember we discussed this before our first lesson this morning."

"No, Miss Travers has nothing to do with this!" Turpin suddenly shrieked.

Professor Flitwick did not comment on what she said. Instead, he looked at Jacob again. "And what do you have to say, Mr. Kent?"

"I... I-I..." Jacob stammered several times, but could not get anything else out.

Scott watched with interest, then turned and quietly asked, "What do you think, Luna?"

Luna pursed her lips and stared wide-eyed at Jacob Kent and Lisa Turpin. Her voice drifted strangely as she said, "Wrackspurts have muddled their brains. Those invisible creatures can even make people say things that aren't true."

Her words could be taken to mean that she could tell Jacob Kent and Lisa Turpin were both lying.

As expected, the girl could see things that ordinary wizards couldn't. Scott thought it must be some kind of special gift.

Meanwhile, Professor Flitwick seemed not to have considered beforehand that Jasmine Travers might also be involved. He hesitated for a few seconds, then quickly made a new decision.

"Mr. Davis, Mr. Kent, and Miss Turpin," he called to the three students. "You'll come with me to my office."

From Professor Flitwick's manner, Scott realized that the professors seemed to take Jasmine Travers's clique-building more seriously than he had imagined.

After all, in a sense, Miss Travers had an advantage even over Voldemort. Unlike the Death Eaters, most of whom belonged to Slytherin House, Travers's clique had spread across every House except Gryffindor.

Of course, that was only Scott's guess.

Professor Flitwick looked extremely stern. The other students didn't say anything to oppose him.

After they left, the Ravenclaw students gathered in the Common Room dispersed peacefully.

That was typical of Ravenclaw House.

Most Ravenclaws weren't very curious about anything unrelated to knowledge. They would certainly stop to watch when something interesting happened, but they would never get too invested.

Except Eddie, of course.

After Professor Flitwick and the others left, Eddie and Milton came down the stairs too.

"Scott!" Eddie's eyes shone with a hunger for gossip. "How did this incident get 'Miss Poison Doll' involved again? What's going on? Do you know?"

Scott gave him a knowing smile. "You should uncover the truth yourself, Eddie. That's what you enjoy, isn't it?"

"Oh! I'll get to the bottom of it!" Eddie said, looking ready to take on a challenge.

"Neither Kent nor Turpin seemed to be telling the truth. They're hiding something," Milton said softly. "Their expressions and mannerisms gave them away."

Scott thought to himself that Lisa Turpin's expressions had been genuine, but Jacob Kent's might not have been.

Scott had originally thought Jacob Kent would completely conceal his part in the incident. He hadn't expected him to seize the opportunity to expose himself.

But by then, Scott had more or less guessed what Jacob was trying to do.

"Wrackspurts have muddled their brains," Luna suddenly told Eddie. "Those invisible creatures are always buzzing around, causing people trouble."

"Sorry?" Eddie looked at Luna blankly, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Be careful. Protect your brain so Wrackspurts don't get inside. They usually crawl in through your ears. Goodbye." Luna gave him another earnest warning, hopped off the windowsill, and went on her way, skipping.

"What was she talking about?" Eddie asked Scott, puzzled.

"Maybe a Fantastic Beast that most people haven't discovered?" Milton wondered, seeming eager to believe Luna.

Scott told them, "I think Luna can see certain things that are special. You could think of them as a wizard's emotions. Wrackspurts are just a more fanciful way of describing them."

"They're not real creatures? Then why did she talk about them so seriously?" Eddie complained.

Scott smiled. "Because she believes in them herself."