❝ All men are loyal, but their objects of allegiance are at best approximate. ❞ — John Barth

Curiosity is not a sin, but we should exercise caution with our curiosity. The wise words of Albus Dumbledore rang in my ears like a CD stuck on rewind as I found myself pressed behind a statue, eavesdropping on two people's conversation on my way to the Gryffindor Tower.

   Though I had never been the type to stick my nose into other people's business, I couldn't help myself when I overheard my name in passing. I was used to catching whispers of my name every now and then when I passed by—being a transfer from Ilvermorny (supposedly) was enough to give people something to talk about, and the last name didn't play on my favor either. But now that the organization had become a thing, my popularity had increased by tenfold, something I neither thought possible, nor that I enjoyed. If people were suspicious about my Dolphinus identity before, the whole school was certain of it now.

   "Our plan is going great so far," a male voice said, followed by a chuckle.

    I turned my concentration back to the conversation that I was spying on. I wasn't able to recognize the voice, but something about it sounded awfully familiar.

   "I'm just surprised," said another voice, a female one. This too, unrecognizable, yet familiar. "It's been a month and we still haven't gotten caught. Nobody knows what we're up to. Are they really this thick or are they just waiting for the perfect time to tell Dashawn?"

   The boy snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. How bright do you think Gryffindors are?"

   "Kin's reaction when we take photos of her is priceless," the girl said. They both dissolved in laughter.

   My heart dropped. They were the mysterious photographers.

   After days and weeks of hearing the camera noises frequently wherever I went, I came to the conclusion I wasn't going insane or having hallucinations. I felt scared, and now I wasn't even ashamed of admitting it.

   For the longest time I'd wondered why nobody else was able to hear the pop of a flashbulb each time the camera took a picture. It was frustrating that I was the only person who turned their head at the sound of the noise, and even more frustrating when I came face to face with nobody. But after what these two strangers had just said, I realized it had been intentional all along.

   "Are you sure nobody can hear us?" the boy asked.

   "C'mon, bro," the girl said. "They would turn their heads if they did. They can't hear shit."

   "Good. The more they think Kin's going mad, the more that's gonna help us."

   They both fell silent for a moment at the sounding of stealthy approaching footsteps. I pressed my back harder against the marble statue.

   "You two better prepare to head back to your dormitories soon," the familiar voice of Henry Kei sounded. "It's almost curfew."

   "Sure thing, Kei," the boy said.

   "What's up with your voice, Simmons?"

   "Uh, I've got the flu."

   "Nice try, but I know an Enchantment when I see or hear one," Henry said. "Anapneo."

   "Happy now?" the boy asked, his voice two pitches lower.

   I tried to unhear the familiarity of that voice, but couldn't. My heart sank inside my chest. A sickening feeling started to brew in the pit of my stomach. I shook my head in refusal to accept the very awful, yet very real possibility of who the boy and girl whose conversation I was eavesdropping on were.

   This is all a dream, Polly. A very bad dream, a nightmare. This is not really happening. This is just a dream.

   I decided to be bold and peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of the three of them. Henry stood with his back to me, so all I could see was the back of his dyed blond hair and Gryffindor robes. Opposite him, shorter in stature, with naturally blonde hair, porcelain skin and clad in yellow and black, were my friends, Maddie and Akker Simmons.

   I held my breath and withdrew my head. My heart's thumping was hard against my ribs, on my temples, on my pulses.

   "Make sure to head back soon," Henry said. "And don't mess around with voice-enhancing Charms again."

   His footsteps grew lower in intensity. Maddie and Akker were silent. When the footsteps were no longer audible, Maddie opened her mouth again to speak. I felt like I was going to be sick.

   "Where's Beetroot?" she asked.

   "I told her to come," Akker said. "I have no idea why that bloody minger hasn't shown up yet."

   As soon as he said that, I heard the sound of heels clicking against the deserted floor of the hallway, growing louder as the person approached. The sound stopped when they reached the twins.

   "Ah, Beetroot, you finally decided to join us!" said Akker, his tone one of mockery.

   The person they referred to as 'Beetroot' scoffed.

   "I would appreciate it if you at least found me a more decent nickname," she said.

   Her voice was unrecognizable to me, but it sounded so terribly familiar somehow, just like Maddie and Akker's voices in the beginning. She had probably manipulated it with a voice-enhancing Charm as well.

   "If you want us to call you by your real name instead, that's fine by us," Maddie said.

   "No!" the girl shrieked. I flinched at her sudden outburst. Her following words were uttered in a lower tone. "I agreed to help you only in one condition, Simmons."

   "Yeah, yeah, we already know."

   "I agreed to help you only if no one ever finds out who I am. Even when you publish that article of yours, my name will remain anonymous."

   Article? They were planning on writing an article? I pursed my lips to hold myself back from jumping out of my hiding spot and hitting them both in the chest with a jinx. So that explained why Maddie seemed so eager about our next article in The case of Dolphinuses. Well, if she thought I was dumb enough to let her publish it, she really didn't know who she was dealing with.

   "Bit unfair that you want to beat the rap, isn't it?" repined Maddie. "Akker and I will make our names public in the end. You're in this just as much as we are."

   "Listen up, Simmons. I don't give a damn what's fair and what's not. Life's not fair. All I want is to see that bitch in Azkaban, am I clear? I want her as far away from here as possible. If she rots to death in there, that will just be a huge bloody bonus."

   "Alright, chill out," said Akker flatly. "We're not here to listen to how much you hate Kin. All we want are the materials. Give them to us and we'll keep your identity a secret. That was the deal, right?"

   "It was indeed," Beetroot mumbled. I heard a shuffling sound. "Here."

   For the third time that afternoon, I decided to risk a quick peek at them. A wave of disappointment washed past me as I looked at the stranger, who was dressed in a black floor-length cloak with the hood up so it fully covered her face.

   I watched as she handed Akker a yellow folder. A smirk crept onto his lips as he opened it up and started going through the photographs that were inside. My lips tightened. His face seemed so distorted from the aimable and charming expression it usually held, it was almost as if I wasn't even looking at the same person anymore.

   "Great job, Beetroot," he sneered. "We're getting very, very close to the end of our plan."

   "All we need now are some last photos," Maddie added. "Even Kin herself won't see it coming."

   "One of you do it then," Beetroot said. "My job here is done."

   "Who the bloody hell do you think you are?" Akker snapped. "Your job is done when we say it's done. We can let everybody know who you are this instant if we want to. Beetroot."

   "Do it and then I'll let everyone know what you're up to," she retorted, undaunted by Akker's threat. "But I believe that's something that neither of us want, right? I know you two want to see that goddamned murderess in Azkaban just as much as I do."

   "Fine," Akker spat out after a brief pause. "We'll handle the pictures. But don't think you're off the hook. We're not done with you just yet."

   "What more do you want from me, huh? Isn't it enough that I stole those bloody letters from McBon's office?"

   I covered my mouth with one hand to prevent myself from gasping loudly. So they were the ones who had stolen Breeze's letters with the Minister of Magic? Okay, why they wanted me imprisoned, I could understand. But Breeze? What had she ever done to them?

   The hatred boiling within me grew hotter now. This time, fighting the urge to jump out of my hiding spot and hex them was hard.

   "Isn't it enough I had to follow that bitch everywhere and take pictures of her like a bloody obsessed fangirl?" Beetroot continued, her voice growing louder. My head was beginning to ache.

   "It will all be over soon," Maddie said.

   "When?!" the girl shrieked. An old man in a portrait somewhere grumbled in annoyance.

   "Calm the heck down!" snapped Akker. "We told you. Soon. Very, very soon."

   I couldn't think straight, overwhelmed by a sudden feeling of nausea. My head felt heavy, my feet cold as ice. My brain was too dizzy to register any word either of them said after that point.

   I finally moved from my hiding spot behind the state, numb and impassive, as if nothing that had just happened was real.

   Before I knew it, I was running.

   I couldn't tell what sound was louder—the thump of my steps against the solid floor, or that of my heart that pounded my ear drums. My breath was a roar in my ears.

   When I reached the staircase that led to the Gryffindor Tower, my feet failed me. I held on to the railing and dragged myself up, lumbering up the stairs. My body was covered in sweat and my breath came out in short, heavy pants as I struggled to keep standing. I could faintly make out a figure of a girl rushing to me, but I couldn't tell who. Everything was hazy, like I was viewing it through fogged lenses. 

   "Polly! Oh my god, are you okay?"

   Sibi. She rushed toward me and threw one of my arms around her shoulders to help me up.

   "Why are you so pale? What happened?" she asked. Her hazel eyes gleamed with concern.

   I tried to walk but couldn't, so instead I hung like a limp rag doll to her arm as she half-carried me toward the portrait hole.

   "We . . . " I began to cough loudly. My whole head was spinning.

   I collapsed to the floor. The impact knocked the breath out of my lungs so violently I felt like I would pass out.

   "We've been betrayed," I choked out.

   I barely registered the blood that rushed to my head, and before I could even as much as utter another word, darkness clouded my eyes completely and everything faded to black.

◈

END OF PART IV