Chapter Twenty-Two: Pajama Parties
That night Harish went down to the dormitory early. Everyone else was still up in the common room, hanging out. The young wizard emptied his school bag and put a towel, his egg, the Marauder's Map, and his Invisibility Cloak in it. Then, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. Then, he waited there until all of the other boys came in and went to bed.
Harish listened as their breathing became steady and several boys started snoring. Then, he grabbed his wand, murmuring, "Lumos!"
His wand lit up and Harish picked up his bag. He pulled the cloak out of it and put it on. The teen pulled up the hood, pulled out the map, and exited the dormitory. Harish checked to make sure that the coast was clear on the map before leaving the Slytherin common room. From there, he headed up to the fourth floor. When Harish reached a statue of Boris the Bewildered, he could see the door.
The teen walked over to it and muttered, "Pine Fresh."
The door creaked open and Harish winced. He glanced both ways before sidling through the door and shutting it behind him. The pool was glittering in the moonlight. All around it were golden taps that each had a different type of soap in it. There was a diving board at one end and at the other, against the wall, was a bench full of towels. Harish glanced up at the painting on the wall. In it was a mermaid that was fast asleep on a rock. Her hair fluttered every time she breathed out. Harish sighed in relief. She was rather annoying when awake, and Harish had no doubt that she would tell someone that he was out at night if she was.
Harish pulled the cloak off and set it and his school bag by the bench in the corner that held numerous fluffy, white towels. Then, he pulled his pajamas off and stuffed them into his bag. Finally, he pulled out his egg and dropped into the pool. The teen set the egg on the side of the pool. The water came up to his neck. Harish was sure that if he was much shorter, it would have been rather hard for him to stand.
Knowing he had all night, Harish then climbed out, and went over to the white diving board. He grinned and ran down it, before jumping off the end, doing a flip midair, and landing in the water. He had always wanted to do that, but being the son of Voldemort he had a reputation to uphold.
Then, Harish swam over to his egg and twiddled all of the taps that were within an arm's reach. Soon the pool was full of all sort of bubbles. There were large bubbles, small bubbles, pink foam, green foam, and blue foam. Some of them were heavily perfumed as well. Finally, after he was sure he had been there at least an hour, Harish grabbed the egg of the side of the pool and split it open, then he submerged it under the water and plunged in after it.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour you have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour—the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Harish let himself float back up and let in a gasp of air when his head broke the surface. Water and bubbles were streaming down into his mouth and eyes. Harish flipped his wet hair back, away from his eyes.
"Oh, you got it very quick!" A voice said from behind him.
Harish jumped and turned around to see a ghostly girl sitting on one of the taps behind him. It was Moaning Myrtle, the ghost that lived in the bathroom that held the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
"I thought you stayed in the girls' bathroom on the first floor?" Harish asked.
"We can go other places, you know," Myrtle said glumly. "I've even been flushed once or twice into the black lake. So," Myrtle said. "Did you figure out your egg?"
"It said, 'come seek us where our voices sound…we cannot sing above the ground…' I'm guessing that means underwater, because you can't hear the song of the egg out of the water, so the Black Lake? And…hang on," he went under water and listened to it one more time before coming back out of the water and said, "We have one hour to retrieve something from the Black Lake. Myrtle, there are not mermaids in the Black Lake, are there?"
"Oh yes," Myrtle said even more glumly. "They like to throw spears through me every time I get flushed into the lake. As if it's my fault!" and she plunged away into the tap she was sitting on.
Harish shook his head before climbing out over the water and drying off with one of the towels. Then, he put his pajamas on again and put the egg back into his book bag. The teen slipped the cloak over his head and left the bathroom.
Out in the dark corridor, Harish examined the map to check that the coast was still clear. The dots belonging to Filch were in his office on the third floor, Peeves was bouncing around the trophy room on the fifth floor, and there were no teachers patrolling the corridors. Harish took a step toward the dungeon before he stopped, realizing that Peeves was not the only dot on the map that was moving.
There was someone moving around in Snape's office, but it wasn't Snape himself. It was a dot that was labeled, "Bradwr Jugson". Harish's eyes narrowed. What was Jugson doing in Snape's office? Harish decided that since his dormitory wasn't very far from Snape's office, there was nothing wrong with stopping by and investigating.
The teen moved faster, still heading for the dungeons. He walked as quietly as he could, but as portraits' heads turned as the stairs squeaked, and his feet made little noises, Harish wished he knew a spell that would make them silent. Harish continued to creep along the corridor, pushed aside a tapestry about halfway along, and proceeded along down a narrower staircase, a shortcut that would take him down two floors. He kept glancing down at the map, making sure that Jugson was still there and that no one had come up behind him.
And then, halfway down the staircase, not thinking about what he was doing as he was checking the map once more, Harish's leg suddenly sank down into the trick-step, that normally he subconsciously avoided. He gave an ungainly wobble and, still damp from the bath, his golden egg slipped from under his arm. He lurched forward to try to catch it, but it was too late; the egg fell down the long staircase with a loud bang on every single step that was as loud as a brass band. The Invisibility Cloak slipped and Harish wisely stuffed the map into his bag and grabbed at the cloak at the same time.
The egg landed at the bottom of the staircase, fell through the tapestry at the end of the corridor, burst open, and began wailing loudly in the corridor below. Harish pulled the cloak back on and made sure that none of him showed. The teen stood stock-still, listening, for surely someone could hear the horrible racket the egg was making. Harish was shame-faced as he thought of what his father might say if he knew he had been caught in such circumstances.
And then, Harish was saved from his self-loathing when Filch bellowed, "PEEVES!"
The teen could hear Filch's uneven, shuffling steps grow nearer, his voice wheezy in fury.
"What's this racket? Wake up the whole castle, will you? I'll have you, Peeves, I'll have you, you'll…and what is this?"
Filch's footsteps halted; there was a clink of metal on metal and the wailing stopped—Filch had picked up the egg and closed it. Harish stood very still, one leg still jammed tightly in the magical step, listening. Any moment Filch was going to pull aside the tapestry, expecting to see Peeves…and there was no Peeves…and there was a very good chance that he would walk straight into Harish if he tried to go up the stairs.
"Egg?" Filch wondered aloud. "My sweet!"—Mrs. Norris was obviously with him—"This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school champion!"
Harish heart was beating harder than it probably had his entire life. He had never been caught doing anything before. What would they do to him if he was caught out of bed past hours? Would there still be a chance that he might be able to get away?
"PEEVES!" Filch roared gleefully. "You've been stealing!"
He ripped back the tapestry below, and Harish saw his face staring at the staircase that hid Harish, still stuck in the trick step.
"Hiding are you?" he asked softly. "Im coming to get you, Peeves…You've gone and stolen a Triwizard clue, Peeves…Dumbledore will have to put you out of here for this, you filthy, pilfering poltergeist…"
With nothing to lose, Harish wordlessly cast a spell that he hoped would free him from magic stair. He thought, "Repellere!" and pointed his wand at his leg. Miraculously, the young wizard's leg popped out and he carefully stepped onto the step below, making sure that the cloak didn't come up at his feet. Harish pressed himself up against the wall as Filch came nearer.
Then, the man halted as another voice called form the foot of the stairs, "Filch? What's going on?"
Filch stopped just a few steps below Harish and turned. Mrs. Norris rubbed against his pinstriped bed robe. Harish turned to look as well and saw his Head of House at the foot of the stairs; someone who Harish certainly did not want to be caught by. He was wearing a long grey night-shirt and he looked livid.
"It's Peeves, Professor," Filch replied. "He threw this egg down the stairs."
Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch, right in front of Harish. The teen clenched his teeth in annoyance, but was afraid to move for fear of being heard. Finally, Harish began to sidle to the other side of the staircase.
"Peeves?" Snape asked softly, staring at the egg in Filch's hands. "But Peeves couldn't get into my office…"
"This egg was in your office, Professor?"
"Of course not," Snape snapped. "I heard banging and wailing—"
"Yes, Professor, that was the egg—"
"—I was coming to investigate—"
"—Peeves threw it, Professor—"
"—and when I passed my office, I saw that the torches were lit and a cupboard door was ajar! Someone has been searching it!"
"But Peeves couldn't—"
"I know he couldn't, Filch!" Snape snapped again. "I seal my office with a spell none but a wizard could break!" Snape looked up the stairs and then down to the corridor below. "I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch."
"I—yes, Professor—but—"
Filch look yearningly up the stairs, as if he could see himself throwing Peeves out of the castle. Mrs. Norris walked over to Harish, staring at him with her lamp-like eyes. He began to quietly step down the stairs.
"The thing is, Professor," Filch said plaintively, "the headmaster will have to listen to me this time. Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all—"
"Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist; it's my office that's—"
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
Snape stopped talking abruptly. He and Filch both looked down at the foot of the stairs. Harish saw Mad-eye Moody limp into sight through the tapestry. He was wearing his old traveling cloak over his nightshirt and leaning on his staff, as usual.
"Pajama party, is it?" he growled up the stairs.
"Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor," Filch replied at once. "Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual—and the Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off—"
"Shut up!" Snape hissed.
Harish narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why didn't Snape want Moody to know that his office had been broken into. Wasn't Moody supposed to be one of the good guys (for Dumbledore's side anyway)?
Meanwhile, Moody took a step closer to the foot of the stairs. Harish saw his magical eye travel across the two adults, and then unmistakably land on him. Harish then realized that old Mad-Eye could see through invisibility cloaks. He alone could see the full strangeness of the scene: Snape in his nightshirt, Filch clutching the egg, and Harish standing uselessly just below them in his pajamas and under an invisibility cloak. Moody's lopsided mouth fell open in surprise. For a few seconds, he and Harish stared straight at each other. Then, Moody closed his mouth and turned his blue eye upon Snape again.
"Did I hear that correctly, Snape?" he asked slowly. "Someone broke into your office?"
"It is unimportant," Snape replied coldly.
"On the contrary," Moody growled, "it is very important. Who'd want to break into your office?"
"A student, I daresay," Snape said. Harish could see a vein flickering horribly in his head. "It has happened before. Potion ingredients have gone missing from my private stores…students attempting illicit mixtures, no doubt…"
"Reckon they were after your potion ingredients, eh?" Moody questioned. "Not hiding anything else in your office, are you?"
"You know I am hiding nothing, Moody," he said in a soft and dangerous voice. "as you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself."
Moody's face twisted into a smile. "Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me to keep an eye—"
"Dumbledore happens to trust me," Snape said through clenched teeth. "I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!"
"'Course Dumbledore trusts you," Moody growled. "He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me—I say there're spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean."
Snape suddenly seized his left forearm as though it had burned him. Harish, of course, knew that it was where Dark Marks were located. Did this mean that Snape was a Death Eater? It would make sense why Karkaroff would talk to him about his Dark Mark. It also made sense why Voldemort hadn't called him right away, because Dumbledore would be sure to find out if Voldemort did.
Moody laughed. "Get back to bed, Snape."
"You don't have any authority to send me anywhere!" Snape hissed, letting go of his arm as though angry with himself. "I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!"
"Well, prowl away, then," Moody said with a smile, though his voice was full of menace. "I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor sometime…"
And Snape stalked off with a huff. Harish almost laughed as he noticed that Snape looked less than half as menacing as he was when he had robes to swish dramatically.
"Now, Filch," Moody said, "if you'll just hand me that egg—"
"No!" Filch exclaimed, clutching the egg to his chest. "Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"
"It's the property of the champion he stole it from, now hand it over."
Filch handed the egg to Moody and disappeared from view, muttering, "Never mind, my sweet…we'll see Dumbledore in the morning…tell him what Peeves was up to…"
A door slammed. Harish was left waiting for Moody to give his egg back. Moody did so after moment's silence.
"Thanks, Professor," Harish muttered before walking down the rest of the stairs.
Moody's voice halted him.
"Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas to solve the clue, Blake…" Moody said with an odd expression.
Harish nodded awkwardly before pushing through the tapestry and finding his way down to the common room. He walked past the green couches, pulling off the cloak. Then, he went down a flight of stairs to the sixth year boys' dormitory. Once inside, he dropped onto his bed, and fell asleep. That had certainly been an experience he would not like to repeat.