Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 27: Sneaking Around
"What are you doing here?!" Ron shouted.
"This is also my bedroom… have you forgotten about it?" Harry walked past them.
Neville and Seamus were both looking at Ron with concern. If the redheaded boy were to lose his temper again, things were going to get messy this time.
"Y-You…" Ron was trembling with anger.
However, he allowed Harry to pass by his side without lifting a finger.
Harry noticed this and gave him a smirk. "At least you are learning. How was the test? Did you find anything wrong with Hermione?"
This comment took them all by surprise.
"How did you…" Neville and Seamus looked at each other.
"You knew," Seamus said.
"Of course." Harry shrugged. "I know everything that goes on in this castle." He tried to sound ominous, but the answer was an easy one to guess, even more so for Ron, if this one was capable of using his head.
Harry had made good use of the Marauder's Map to keep track of where everyone was.
For the most part, he was keeping an eye on the Headmaster, but he had also noted the three boys going to Professor McGonagall and then paying a visit to the Potions Master of the castle. It was very obvious what they were doing.
He didn't mind it one bit. His confidence in the slave collar was absolute and not something that Snape's potions could dispel...not without even if the man understood what he was dealing with.
"We know you did something to her," Ron said.
"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you sleep at night." Harry turned around to leave. "The truth is that she doesn't care about you any longer."
"Wait, Harry. Where are you going?" Neville called for him.
"It's almost curfew. We've been told to stay in our rooms," Seamus reminded him.
"You guys are too noisy for me to rest properly. I'll be downstairs. The couches are very comfy," Harry said before leaving.
None of the other boys tried to stop him, even though it was technically against the rules to be downstairs at this time.
The truth was that they would all sleep more comfortably if Harry were not in the same room as them.
"I hope he stays out there," Ron said as soon as they closed the door, since he was sure that Harry would not be able to hear them.
"There is something creepy about him…" Seamus could not help but say out loud. "I don't know how to explain it. The way he moves and talks is strange."
"I think I know what you mean," Neville muttered. "Something is very wrong with Harry. I just feel like… it's not him anymore." He had known him for four years, but could no longer recognize Harry.
<><><><><><><><><>
'What a wonderful artifact.' Harry was moving across the empty halls at a good pace while keeping his body hidden with his invisibility cloak.
Now that he was wearing it, he could tell there was something special about this cloak. Something that set it apart from a normal magical artifact. And the invisibility it provides seems to be superior to the charm. That's why he was using it. It was very important that he was not found out tonight.
"Mmm?" All of a sudden, Harry felt a presence approaching.
At this time, there should be no students roaming the halls, so it should be one of the teachers.
Despite being under the cloak of invisibility, Harry became extra cautious and waited behind a pillar to see who it was.
'The cat?' Turns out, it was Filch's nasty cat, Mrs. Norris. 'That's weird… is it detecting my presence?'
The cat seemed to be looking around as if it were searching for something specific.
'That should not be possible.' Not only was he invisible, but he had also applied several more charms on himself to conceal his scent and noise.
And yet, Mrs. Norris continued to get closer to him.
'This is irritating. I don't have all night to enter the library. And if the cat is here, then the owner cannot be too far away.' He decided to tackle the problem upfront.
Instead of wasting time trying to figure out how this cat was detecting him or if it was a coincidence, it would be more efficient to get rid of it.
He moved closer, and Mrs. Norris stopped immediately and hissed, as if it sensed the danger.
'Too late.' Harry's wand was already poking from the cloak. A yellow orb shot out of the wand and moved almost as fast as a bullet.
The cat had no chance to avoid it, and the spell hit its rear leg.
What followed was a loud screeching sound.
The cat's fur and flesh melted at an incredibly fast pace. In less than five seconds, it had all been reduced to a pool of red liquid.
"Mrs. Norris! Is that you?! Hold on, I'm coming!" Filch sounded alarmed after hearing the cry of agony that his cat had produced.
Harry hurried to follow up with a powerful cleaning charm that removed all the nastiness left behind by Mrs. Norris, covering his actions flawlessly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Filch taking a turn in a hurry, looking for his cat.
'You will never find it though,' Harry thought with amusement as he quietly made his way out. 'This should also keep the professors occupied for the time being, searching the castle for that nasty thing.'
Unlocking the door to the library was so easy that even a first-year student would have managed to do it.
And accessing the Forbidden Section was almost just as easy.
This made him wonder if they actually kept anything dangerous in here, given how poor the defenses were.
But then again, it was also possible that the Headmaster didn't care as much as he claimed about the safety of the students.
'Now, let's see…' He moved through the rows of books, glancing at the titles on the tomes.
Despite having been an avid reader, he could not recognize any of these titles.
This likely meant that these books were fairly recent and didn't exist during his time.
He was losing hope before even making it halfway through the shelves, but then, he spotted something that called for his attention.
'Malleus Daemonica. Could that be?'
A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.
You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 20 advanced chapters. You can also find characters images to view for free in Collections/Beneath the Skin Images
-patreon.com/Kriogenix
For donations and commissions, go to ko-fi.com/kriogenix