❝You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?❞
❝You should know the answer to that by now, Harry.❞
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Life has always been a bit disorganized for Novana Lupin. With her father's monthly transformations, the girl often found herself in the comp...
❝He'll be all right, Nova.❞ ❝What do you reckon's next?❞
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IN THEIR NERVOUS STATE, every statue's shadow looked like Filch and every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them.
At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs Norris sulking near the top.
"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered from in between Harry and Nova, who both shook their heads at the boy. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on them but didn't do a thing.
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" he suddenly spoke as they climbed towards him.
He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"
He rose in the air and floated there, squinting at them. "Should call Filch, I should, if something's a creeping around unseen."
"Peeves," Harry suddenly whispered, his voice hoarse. "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."
Nova watched with wide eyes as Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs before speaking greasily, "So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr Baron, sir. My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie and his little joke, sir."
"I have business here, Peeves," Harry croaked. "Stay away from this place tonight."
"I will, sir, I most certainly will," Peeves rushed out, rising in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."
And with that, Peeves scooted off.
"Oh, Harry, that was brilliant!" Nova praised quietly as she patted his shoulder.
A few seconds later, they were there outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.
"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly. "Snape's already got past Fluffy."
Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all four of them what they were getting into.
Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the others. "If you want to go back, I won't blame you. You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now."
"Nice try, Harry," Nova gave a small roll of her eyes as she lightly punched the messy-haired boy on the arm.
