"Who is that? Avery... that surname sounds familiar..." Hermione said, frowning in confusion.
"Avery...!" Ron exclaimed, startled. "Pure-blood!"
"Right! I remember now—the Sacred Twenty-Eight, they're the second family listed: Avery," Hermione said quickly. "But both father and son are Dark wizards... Only Clifford Avery was cleared of charges over a decade ago, just like the Malfoys, Notts, and Crabbes."
"That's exactly the problem," Harry said. "Why would this Avery be in Snape's office at one in the morning? I was thinking about that when my foot got stuck in one of those vanishing steps..."
Both he and Ron looked expectantly at Orli, as if hoping she might provide some explanation. But Orli's face had gone deathly pale. She could only think of one possibility—after Barty Crouch Jr.'s death, Voldemort must have been forced to settle for Avery as his next best option. So this year, the infiltrator at Hogwarts was Avery. That would also explain his presence in Snape's office—he was stealing ingredients for Polyjuice Potion, just like Barty Crouch Jr. had done in the original timeline!
The real question now was—who was Avery impersonating with the Polyjuice Potion? Moody?
"Continue," Orli said, her voice far from steady.
"Right... so my foot was stuck, then my golden egg fell and the Marauder's Map went floating down too... The egg started shrieking, Filch came running..." Harry groaned, covering his face with his hands while Ron clapped a hand over his mouth in horror.
"Merlin's beard..."
"Thank God I still had the Invisibility Cloak on," Harry said with evident relief. "Filch thought Peeves had nicked one of the champions' eggs—he didn't spot me."
"What happened next?!" Hermione demanded, struggling to swallow a mouthful of milk Dobby had brought, as if it were poison.
"Then Snape appeared. He was wearing black pajamas, looking absolutely livid, and told Filch that someone had broken into his office," Harry continued. "He said he'd been passing by his office when he noticed the torches were lit and a cabinet door was slightly ajar—someone had been rummaging around inside... That's when Moody showed up too. He asked Snape whether he'd been doing something illegal in his office or hiding contraband, since he seemed so panicked... Apparently they've searched Snape's office before, more than once."
Ron drew in a sharp breath.
"Moody also told Snape not to think about running—he said 'Some stains never wash out, not everyone gets a second chance'..." Harry glanced at Orli as he spoke. "Right after that, Snape grabbed his arm, like his left arm suddenly hurt terribly."
Orli's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers were gripping the armrest so tightly it seemed she might snap it in half. She felt her nails might be splitting; Hermione was watching her with deep concern.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Harry?" Orli asked, her voice sounding nothing like her own.
Harry pressed his lips together, swallowing whatever he'd been about to say, then continued:
"After that, Snape seemed to realize I was there. He spotted the Marauder's Map and the golden egg, then tried to grab me, but I was under the Invisibility Cloak so he couldn't reach me. In the end, Moody drove him off—he let me return to the dormitory and borrowed my map. He said..."
"You gave the Marauder's Map to that Moody?!" Orli shot to her feet, sending her chair crashing backward.
"Did he ask you anything else? About Avery—did you tell him you saw Avery's name on the map?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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