Just before the end of the feast, the Weasley twins sidled over to the Ravenclaw table. They had dark rings under their eyes, were constantly yawning, and looked thoroughly exhausted.
To find the perpetrator, the twins had spent their entire holiday staying up late, keeping an eye on the Marauder's Map to monitor Snape's potion stores.
Their dedication was truly moving—these two, who usually seemed utterly unreliable, were proving to be surprisingly dependable when it mattered!
William decided, out of appreciation, to make them some Draught of Living Death so they could finally sleep soundly. It was the best sleeping potion out there, leagues beyond any Muggle melatonin—not that he'd ever tried brewing it before, so this would be good practice.
George pulled a little notebook from his robes and handed it to William.
"That many suspects?" William raised an eyebrow. "You even kept a log... that's pretty professional-."
He hadn't even finished his sentence when he stopped short.
The first page of the notebook read, "Super Mario Level Guide!"
So the twins hadn't been watching out for the thief or anything at all—they'd been in Hogsmeade, playing video games?
Fred, massaging his temples, grumbled, "William, how do you get past Level Seven?"
"Yeah, Fred and I tried every trick we could think of," George added, looking equally frustrated.
The twins had spent their childhood tossing gnomes and playing on broomsticks, and they were utterly captivated by the novelty of a Muggle game console.
After just one Christmas break, they'd become hooked, even sneaking over to Muggle houses to recharge their console!
"It's not that we weren't keeping watch; it's that no one went near Snape's storeroom," George explained.
"Counting us, there were hardly any students left at school," Fred said through another yawn. "Everyone else stayed holed up in their common rooms."
George continued, "We did suspect Professor Tywin, but he left on the first day of break. Snape came back not long after that and has been treating us like culprits ever since. Naturally, we escaped to Hogsmeade."
George handed William a large bag of snacks they'd brought back from Hogsmeade.
William picked up a small bag of pepper imps. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter then. We were only investigating out of boredom, anyway."
"It does matter!" Fred insisted, looking dead serious. "If this guy breaks in again, we might as well join him."
"..."
After the feast ended, William and Cho joined the rest of Ravenclaw as they all made their way to the tower, chatting and laughing along the way.
But as they reached the wooden door to the common room, they found the hallway packed with people.
"Why's everyone just standing here?" Marietta asked curiously.
Peeking over the heads of the crowd, William saw that the door was closed.
"Let me through," came the voice of Robert, the prefect, as he pushed his way forward.
"Why are you all blocking the way? Answer the riddle already, I want to hear the door knocker say something—"
The crowd fell silent. It was like a chill spreading outward from the door as the quiet moved through the corridor.
And then, suddenly, a piercing, mournful wail filled the silence. The sound was so unsettling that William felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The crowd parted, revealing Robert slumped against the wooden door, his back pressed to the wall, toes digging into the floor as he struggled to get up. He managed to raise himself halfway, only to collapse back down.
Next to him, there was a thick hole in the wall where the eagle-shaped bronze knocker should have been.
It was gone.
"Oh, Merlin—" Marietta shrieked, clutching William's arm.
William winced from the pressure of her grip; her strength had definitely increased over the holiday. She really ought to try out for the Beater position on the Quidditch team.
"Someone fetch Professor Dumbledore!" someone shouted.
In a matter of moments, Dumbledore himself arrived, hurrying toward the damaged door while the Ravenclaw students parted to let him through.
Dumbledore surveyed the damage with a quick, serious glance, then pulled out his wand and tapped the door.
A line of red letters slowly appeared across the wood, spelling out: "I took Ravenclaw's bronze ring!"
"Professor Flitwick, please inform Filch to lock down the entire castle," Dumbledore said in a grave tone.
"He's already long gone," came a raspy voice from above.
Peeves was floating just over their heads, a gleeful look in his eyes. Nothing pleased him more than chaos and distress.
"What do you mean by that, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked, his tone calm but piercing.
Peeves' grin faltered for a moment, avoiding the sharp blue gaze of the headmaster. Then, in a slick tone that was almost less grating than his usual rasp, he replied, "Why, Headmaster, only a short while ago, I saw a shadow slip right past here."
"He looked right at me, too, and he even said a few words!"
Peeves giggled, clearly delighted.
"Oh? And what did he say?" Dumbledore asked, voice calm as ever.
"Let me think…oh, yes, I remember!" Peeves sneered at the students below him, his voice dropping to a sinister tone.
"He laughed and said, 'I'm a Death Eater, and with Ravenclaw's ring, I'll bring back the Dark Lord!'"
Shrieks filled the hall as students began pushing and shoving each other in panic.
"Silence!"
Dumbledore's voice was steady yet powerful, and the crowd's noise gradually died down.
Dumbledore glanced at the red letters on the door, his eyes flickering with a hint of anger before his face settled into calm again.
"Did you see his face, Peeves?" he asked.
"I did, yes," Peeves replied, clearly shaken by Dumbledore's presence. "He looked exactly like Professor Snape!"
Then, in a flash, Peeves did a mid-air somersault and zipped up toward the ceiling.
The silence that followed was so intense it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.
It was impossible. Professor Snape had been at the feast the entire evening, seated at the head table, and hadn't left for even a moment.
All the professors were there, sitting in plain view without ever leaving their seats.
After a moment's thought, Dumbledore ordered all Ravenclaw students to return to the Great Hall.
Ten minutes later, students from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin joined them, all looking confused.
"My staff and I will be conducting a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore announced, his expression stern.
"You will all be spending the night in the Great Hall."
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick went to close all the entrances to the Great Hall.
"For your own safety," McGonagall said, "you may need to sleep here for the night. I expect all prefects to stand guard at the entrances, and the Head Boy and Head Girl will monitor things inside. If anything happens, report to me immediately."
Dumbledore paused, about to leave, then turned back with a slight smile. "Oh, one more thing—you'll be needing…"
With a casual wave of his wand, the long tables floated to the edges of the Great Hall, and hundreds of purple sleeping bags appeared on the floor.
"Sleep well," Dumbledore said with a nod, before closing the door behind him.
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