Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 163

"Hiding, are you?" he said softly. "I'm coming to get you, Peeves. . . . You've gone and stolen a Triwizard clue, Peeves. . . . Dumbledore'll have you out of here for this, you filthy, pilfering poltergeist. . . ."

Filch started to climb the stairs, his scrawny, dust-colored cat at his heels. Mrs. Norris's lamp-like eyes, so very like her master's, were fixed directly upon Kirra and Jasper. 

Kirra had had occasions before now to wonder whether the Invisibility Cloak worked on cats. . . . Sick with apprehension, the fourth years watched Filch drawing nearer and nearer in his old flannel dressing gown — Jasper tried desperately to pull his trapped leg free, but it merely sank a few more inches — any second now, Filch was going to spot the map or walk right into them—

"Filch? What's going on?" Filch stopped a few steps below Kirra and Jasper and turned. At the foot of the stairs stood the only person who could make Kirra and Jasper's situation worse: Snape. 

He looked livid. "It's Peeves, Professor," Filch whispered malevolently. "He threw this egg down the stairs." Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch.

Kirra gritted her teeth, convinced his loudly thumping heart would give them away at any second. . . .

"Peeves?" said Snape 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! Somebody 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, straight through Kirra and Jasper, and then down into the corridor below. "I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch."

"I — yes, Professor — but —" Filch looked yearningly up the stairs, right through the students, who could see that he was very reluctant to for go the chance of cornering Peeves. Go, Kirra pleaded with him silently, go with Snape . . .go . . . 

Mrs. Norris was peering around Filch's legs. . . . Kirra had the distinct impression that she could smell her. . . . Why had she filled that bath with so much perfumed foam? Not to mention she probably smelt like the hospital wing

"The thing is, Professor," said Filch plaintively, "the head master 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 very abruptly. He and Filch both looked down at the foot of the stairs. Kirra saw Mad-Eye Moody limp into sight through the narrow gap between their heads. Moody was wearing his old traveling cloak over his nightshirt and leaning on his staff as usual.

"What has seemed to catch your attention over here?" he growled up the stairs.

"Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor," said Filch at once. "Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual —and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off —"