rower staircase, a shortcut that would take him
down two floors. He kept glancing down at the map, wondering ... It just didn't
seem in character, somehow, for correct, law-abiding Mr. Crouch to be sneaking
around somebody else's office this late at night....
And then, halfway down the staircase, not thinking about what he was doing, not
concentrating on anything but the peculiar behavior of Mr. Crouch, Harrys leg
suddenly sank right through the trick step Neville always forgot to jump. He gave
an ungainly wobble, and the golden egg, still damp from the bath, slipped from
under his arm. He lurched forward to try and catch it, but too late; the egg fell
down the long staircase with a bang as loud as a bass drum on every step - the
Invisibility Cloak slipped - Harry snatched at it, and the Marauder s Map fluttered
out of his hand and slid down six stairs, where, sunk in the step to above his knee,
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he couldn't reach it.
The golden egg fell through the tapestry at the bottom of the staircase, burst open,
and began wailing loudly in the corridor below. Harry pulled out his wand and
struggled to touch the Marauder s Map, to wipe it blank, but it was too far away to
reach -
Pulling the cloak back over himself Harry straightened up, listening hard with his
eyes screwed up with fear. . . and, almost immediately -
"PEEVES!"
It was the unmistakable hunting cry of Filch the caretaker. Harry could hear his
rapid, shuffling footsteps coming nearer and nearer, his wheezy voice raised in
fury.
"What's this racket? Wake up the whole castle, will you? I'll have you, Peeves, I'll
have you, you'll... and what is this?"
Filch's footsteps halted; there was a clink of metal on metal and the wailing
stopped - Filch had picked up the egg and closed it. Harry stood very still, one leg
still Jammed tightly in the magical step, listening. Any moment now, Filch was
going to pull aside the tapestry, expecting to see Peeves . . . and there would be no
Peeves ... but if he came up the stairs, he would spot the Marauder's Map . . . and
Invisibility Cloak or not, the map would show "Harry Potter" standing exactly
where he was.
"Egg?" Filch said quietly at the foot of the stairs. "My sweet!" - Mrs. Norris was
obviously with him - "This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school
champion!"
Harry felt sick; his heart was hammering very fast -
"PEEVES!" Filch roared gleefully. "You've been stealing!"
He ripped back the tapestry below, and Harry saw his horrible, pouchy face and
bulging, pale eyes staring up the dark and (to Filch) deserted staircase.
"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.
Morris's lamp-like eyes, so very like her masters, were fixed directly upon Harry.
He had had occasion before now to wonder whether the Invisibility Cloak worked
on cats. . . . Sick with apprehension, he watched Filch drawing nearer and nearer
in his old flannel dressing gown - he 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 him -
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"Filch? Whats going on?"
Filch stopped a few steps below Harry and turned. At the foot of the stairs stood
the only person who could make Harry's situation worse: Snape. He was wearing a
long gray nightshirt and he looked livid.
"Its Peeves, Professor," Filch whispered malevolently. "He threw this egg down
the stairs."
Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch. Harry gritted his
teeth, convinced his loudly thumping heart would give him 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
Harry, 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 Harry, who could see that he
was very reluctant to forgo the chance of cornering Peeves. Go, Harry pleaded
with him silently, go with Snape . . . go. . . Mrs. Norris was peering around Filch's
legs.... Harry had the distinct impression that she could smell him.. . . Why had he
filled that bath with so much perfumed foam?
"The thing is, Professor," said Filch plaintively, "the headmaster 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.
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Snape stopped talking very abruptly. He and Filch both looked down at the foot of
the stairs. Harry 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.
"Pajama party, is it?" 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 -"
"Shut up!" Snape hissed to Filch.
Moody took a step closer to the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moodys magical eye
travel over Snape, and then, unmistakably, onto himself.
Harrys heart gave a horrible jolt. Moody could see through Invisibility Cloaks... he
alone could see the full strangeness of the scene:
Snape in his nightshirt, Filch clutching the egg, and he, Harry, trapped in the stairs
behind them. Moody's lopsided gash of a mouth opened in surprise. For a few
seconds, he and Harry stared straight into each other's eyes. Then Moody closed
his mouth and turned his blue eye upon Snape again.
"Did I hear that correctly, Snape?" he asked slowly. "Someone broke into your
office?"
"It is unimportant," said Snape coldly. "On the contrary," growled Moody, "it is
very important. Who'd want to break into your office?"
"A student, I daresay," said Snape. Harry could see a vein flickering horribly on
Snape's greasy temple. "It has happened before. Potion ingredients have gone
missing from my private store cupboard ... students attempting illicit mixtures, no
doubt...."
"Reckon they were after potion ingredients, eh?" said Moody. "Not hiding
anything else in your office, are you?"
Harry saw the edge of Snapes sallow face turn a nasty brick color, the vein in his
temple pulsing more rapidly.
"You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody," he said in a soft and dangerous voice, "as
you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself."
Moodys face twisted into a smile. "Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me
to keep an eye -"
"Dumbledore happens to trust me," said Snape through clenched teeth. "I refuse to
believe that he gave you orders to search my office!"
"Course Dumbledore trusts you," growled Moody. "Hes a trusting man, isn't he?
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Believes in second chances. But me - I say there are spots that don't come off,
Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?"
Snape suddenly did something very strange. He seized his left forearm
convulsively with his right hand, as though something on it had hurt him.
Moody laughed. "Get back to bed, Snape."
"You don't have the authority to send me anywhere!" Snape hissed, letting go of
his arm as though angry with himself. "I have as much right to prowl this school
after dark as you do!"
"Prowl away," said Moody, but his voice was full of menace. "I look forward to
meeting you in a dark corridor some time.... You've dropped something, by the
way. ..."
With a stab of horror. Harry saw Moody point at the Marauders Map, still lying on
the staircase six steps below him. As Snape and Filch both turned to look at it,
Harry threw caution to the winds; he raised his arms under the cloak and waved
furiously at Moody to attract his attention, mouthing "It's mine! Mine!"
Snape had reached out for it, a horrible expression of dawning comprehension on
his face -
"Accio Parchment!"
The map flew up into the air, slipped through Snapes outstretched fingers, and
soared down the stairs into Moodys hand.
"My mistake," Moody said calmly. "It's mine - must've dropped it earlier -"
But Snape's black eyes were darting from the egg in Filch's arms to the map in
Moodys hand, and Harry could tell he was putting two and two together, as only
Snape could. . . .
"Potter," he said quietly.
"What's that?" said Moody calmly, folding up the map and pocketing it.
"Potter!" Snape snarled, and he actually turned his head and stared right at the
place where Harry was, as though he could suddenly see him. "That egg is Potters
egg. That piece of parchment belongs to Potter. I have seen it before, I recognize
it! Potter is here! Potter, in his Invisibility Cloak!"
Snape stretched out his hands like a blind man and began to move up the stairs;
Harry could have sworn his over-large nostrils were dilating, trying to sniff Harry
out - trapped. Harry leaned backward, trying to avoid Snapes fingertips, but any
moment now-
"There's nothing there, Snape!" barked Moody, "but I'll be happy to tell the
headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to Harry Potter!"
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"Meaning what