Ben spun just as the headmaster’s shadow fell over him. When Harris realised who he’d caught, he stopped mid-sentence, and his features creased in obvious disgust.

‘You. I might have known.’

Ben swallowed. The headmaster appeared ghostly in the murky light, and his eyes blazed with fury.

‘How disappointingly predictable,’ he said. ‘What were you doing? Peering through keyholes? Stealing? Empty your pockets.’

‘What? No, I wasn’t—’

‘I said, empty your pockets.’

There was nothing in Ben’s pockets except a folded piece of paper with his timetable on (he still hadn’t managed to remember it) and a few coins. When Ben held out his palms, he could read the headmaster’s disappointment in his snarl. But after a second or two, his expression turned to one of triumph.

‘So, spying, then. Peeking. You disgusting child. Your father shall hear of this. The disciplinary board, too. Given your woeful record, I would not be surprised if this proves to be the final straw. I shall certainly be recommending suspension at the very minimum.’

Harris grabbed Ben by the upper arm, his strangler’s fingers pinching Ben’s bicep.

‘Hey! Get off me! I wasn’t doing anything!’

Harris gave a snort. ‘I can imagine precisely what you were doing. I even saw you, bending to look through that door.’

‘What? That’s a lie!’ Ben’s own fury gave him strength enough to break free. The headmaster’s grip left a burn on his arm, but Ben barely felt it as he whipped around to face him. ‘I wasn’t peeking. I wasn’t doing anything. I told you!’

‘Really?’ said Harris. ‘Then perhaps you could explain how I happen to have found you in the girls’ dormitories in the first place.’

Ben opened his mouth to reply, but from struggling to contain his righteous anger, he didn’t know what to say.

Harris’s smile spread like melting butter. ‘You have no excuse because there is none. You are a liar and a reprobate, Benjamin Draper, and you have no business being at an institution as prestigious as Beaconsfield. As I am sure the board will agree when I present them with the facts.’

Harris tried to grab him again, but Ben backed away. He knew the headmaster was right. There was no excuse for Ben being here. The girls’ dorms were in the east wing of the school, as far from the boys’ dorms as it was possible for them to be, and nowhere near any of the classrooms. Still, it wasn’t fair, what Harris was accusing Ben of. He didn’t steal. Since Ben had arrived at Beaconsfield it was other kids – richer kids – who stole from him! And he wasn’t a perv, either. The idea of Ben spying had probably only crossed Harris’s mind because he was here to spy on the girls himself.