"About that paper you turned in last time, *'Ways to Deal with the Red Hat,'* I've got some suggestions," Professor Von Braun said. "Mind swinging by my office for a chat?"
"I can come by during summer break," Cohen said, turning to Luna. "But if we're meeting up, it'll have to be after July 15th. I'm heading to my grandma's place for her birthday—"
"Perfect," Luna chimed in. "I can show you those portraits of magical creatures I've been collecting. That way, you'll finally be able to tell the difference between a phyllifly and a locust-hook."
Luna winked at Cohen. She was standing just out of Professor Von Braun's line of sight, so even when she mouthed "Silver Key," he didn't catch it.
Cohen pretty much got what Luna was hinting at.
This Professor Von Braun probably had some connection to the Silver Key—Luna had picked up on something he said. Chances were, this guy had crossed paths with Mr. Lovegood at some point.
Dumbledore really knew how to pick 'em, didn't he? Recruiting all sorts of shady characters into the school, like he was worried the students might actually feel *too* safe.
But Cohen wasn't some delicate little student. If this Von Braun didn't play nice, well, Cohen knew a thing or two about the "Dementor's Kiss."
Following the stern, brown-haired, middle-aged professor into the Defense Against the Dark Arts office—a place Cohen had visited a lot last year—Cohen was the first to speak up.
"You didn't assign any homework last week."
"No, *you* didn't turn in any homework."
Von Braun shut the office door and sat down behind his desk.
"But I didn't call you here about homework."
"Then what's it about?" Cohen raised an eyebrow. "I'm only twelve, and I'm a boy—wait, hold up, that's not exactly your type, is it?"
"You've got quite the imagination," Von Braun said, staring at Cohen. "I heard you got kidnapped after coming back to school over Christmas."
"Well, your hearing's pretty sharp, picking up on something that far off," Cohen shot back sarcastically. "Only me, Dumbledore, and the people who grabbed me know about that."
"Headmaster Dumbledore told me," Von Braun said, narrowing his eyes. "Where'd those people who took you end up?"
"I already told Dumbledore about it. If he filled you in on the kidnapping, why didn't he tell you how it ended?" Cohen dodged.
Cohen was now sure Von Braun was tied to the Silver Key. It finally clicked who'd sent that letter luring him to the cave back then.
"You're a smart kid, but I'm not your enemy," Von Braun said, standing up. One hand gripped the edge of the desk, the other reached forward, like he was in a hurry.
"Those people are dangerous. I need to make sure they don't come after you again—"
"So Dumbledore doesn't know you're with the Silver Key, huh?" Cohen dropped the act. If he didn't call it out, this Von Braun would just keep playing his little game.
"He doesn't know, and I don't care," Von Braun said, locking eyes with Cohen. "They want—"
*Knock, knock, knock!*
Someone rapped on the door.
"Professor Von Braun? Professor Von Braun, are you in there?" a student's voice called out. "Professor Dumbledore needs you. He said to come right away."
Von Braun could've finished what he was saying, but the second he heard Dumbledore was looking for him, he clammed up.
"Stay here. I'll be back to explain everything," Von Braun said, rushing out the door.
Come back?
Cohen wasn't so sure about that. Dumbledore had probably sniffed out something about Von Braun already. Cohen had noticed several school portraits hanging in the office—those were all the headmaster's spies.
Dumbledore moved fast.
Still, Cohen couldn't help but wonder how Dumbledore always managed to rope some upperclassman into running his errands and delivering messages so quickly. And why did it always sound like the same voice?
No way…
But whatever Dumbledore's deal was with the other students didn't really matter to Cohen. What he cared about was figuring out what this Von Braun guy was up to this time.
First, he tried deception, then threw his teammates under the bus, and now he was attempting a redemption arc.
Realizing the hard approach wouldn't work, was he switching to a softer one?
While Von Braun was gone, Cohen poked around the office.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers changed so often that, even though they all used the same room, each one's style was totally different. Quirrell's office had been packed with books, all scholarly and serious. Lockhart's was plastered with portraits of himself. Von Braun's, though? It was plain as day—practically a corporate drone's desk. No decorations, just lesson plans and reference books.
Except for one thing that stood out on his desk.
A family photo. It showed an elderly couple and two men who looked about the same age—one of them being Professor Von Braun.
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The photo must've been of Von Braun's parents and brother.
The father, Philip Von Braun, looked oddly familiar to Cohen. His hunch had been right—the old ticket collector he'd met on the Knight Bus was indeed Von Braun's dad.
But for some reason, Von Braun's brother also rang a bell.
It'd been a while, though, so Cohen couldn't quite place where he'd seen him…
Before starting school?
No, it felt more recent than that.
On the Hogwarts Express? That was just students.
Christmas?
Cohen remembered spending his first-year Christmas break at Borgin Manor—and that's when it hit him…
"Huh?"
It clicked. The tall, lanky guy standing next to Von Braun in the photo was one of the two Aurors Cohen had killed at Borgin Manor.
Talk about fate bringing enemies together—a murderer and the victim's family crossing paths at the same school? That was almost *too* twisted.
But Cohen figured Von Braun didn't know who'd killed his brother. No one knew Cohen had been at Borgin Manor. Those two Aurors hadn't just shown up unannounced with no record of their trip—they didn't even have bodies left to trace.
What a coincidence. If Von Braun pushed his luck, he might end up joining his brother as one of Cohen's victims—well, not quite. Souls devoured by Dementors didn't exactly get to linger as ghosts.
After waiting forever—long enough that Cohen started thinking Dumbledore might've quietly taken Von Braun out and was about to head back to the dorm—Von Braun returned. And he didn't look happy.
"So, what's the word? Did Dumbledore pull some strings on you too?" Cohen quipped.
He remembered Quirrell having a similar look after meeting with Dumbledore.
*(End of Chapter)*