Of Keepers, Dragons, Pranks and Chests

Of Keepers, Dragons, Pranks and Chests

One day, after the lunch, Blaise Zabini came up to his friends of the Gryffindor House - Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Mortie Wimsey - and said:

`I received a letter. See you after the classes in Hagrid´s hut, and I will show it to you. You know French, Mortie?´

`Mais certainement,´ Mortie said with a smile.

`Then you can read it aloud to the others,´ Blaise said.

`Right-ho,´ Mortie said, and they left - Harry, Ron and Hermione for Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws, Blaise for the Charms with the Hufflepuffs, and Mortie for the Potions.

They met after the classes in Hagrid the gamekeeper´s hut at the edge of the dark Forbidden Forest. They sat down round the wooden table, on the wooden seats, the fire playing in the fireplace, and Hagrid´s huge boar-hound Fang lying near it, Hagrid sitting himself at the table with the schoolchildren, huge and hairy. Mugs of tea and plates with some cake were put before each of them.

`Now, what you have here, Blaise?´ Mortie smiled.

`Look for yourself,´ Blaise said and handed the envelope to Mortie. Mortie took it and read:

`M. Blaise Zabini,

Le Chateau de Hogwarts,

Hogsmeade,

Borders,

L´Ecosse.

From a French friend, eh?´

`I have many friends in France,´ Blaise said.

`Well, we shall see now which one it is from," Mortie said, opened the envelope and read aloud:

`Dear Blaise, how are you? I hope these Slytherins do not annoy you too much? Are you well? I am. I know you are friends with a very enterprising crowd. Give my greetings to Messrs. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, Miss Granger and Lord Saint-George. I am enclosing a little invention of myself, which could interest them, as well as you, Blaise. I called it the Secret Eye. With it you can see through any door and wall, only put it against the obstacle and say: `Lucidus!´ and you will see all as if there was not any wall between it and you. Your friend, such a Latin scholar and so good at Charms, surely will tell you how the spell is pronounced. It is tested, I may add, and proved very reliable. Have a good fun. My folks are all right. Hope to see you this summer. Well, all the best to you from your loving cousin,

Julien de Vigenere.

`De Vigenere?´ Mortie frowned. `Of the de Vigeneres?´

`Yes,´ Blaise smiled. `Of the stock of the Blaise de Vigenere, famous alchemist. My mother is nee de Vigenere, and that is why I was christened Blaise, though the name also reminds me of Blaise, Merlin´s tutor, and Pascal´.

`Who was Pascal?´ Ron asked.

`A great Muggle philosopher and physicist,´ Hermione said.

`So this Julien is your mother´s nephew?´ Mortie asked.

`Yes, son of her brother Uncle Basil de Vigenere, a winegrower in Dordogne. Chateau de Vigenere, heard of it?´

`Of course,´ Hermione said. `Very famous chateau´.

`Well, Julien is at Beauxbatons, in his fifth year,´ Blaise said. `He is very bright, and is always inventing something. His talent is for making various magical devices, and mine lies in Potions, but not all, only healing. I intend to be a veterinary wizard when I graduate´.

`Some company we have here: a future Charms master, a future Auror, a future Quidditch pro, a future Ministry servant, and a future veterinary wizard,´ Ron said.

`The vet wizards also are needed,´ Blaise smiled.

`There is no doubt of this,´ Mortie said.

`No offence, Blaise,´ Ron said. `Now, where is that thing?´

`Here,´ Blaise said, fishing out of the envelope a small tube, just to put one eye against it. `Must be it´.

`Yes,´ Mortie said. `What to test it on?´

`Look into the shed,´ Ron advised. Mortie took his golden-colored fir-wood wand out of the pocket of his black robes, touched the tube with it and said: `Lucidus!´ Then he put the wand back and put the tube against the wall, adjoining to the shed, on his eye-level, put his eye against the end of the tube.

Next moment he nearly dropped the tube and only his quick reaction saved it from breaking.

`Either this tube is out of order, Hagrid, or in your shed there lives a winged snake, glittering as rainbow,´ Mortie said, wide-eyed. Hagrid smiled broadly:

`Aye, there is `un in the shed. Came ter me today. I jus´ was going ter tell yeh abaht it. There is a lot o´ them in Wales. I call this one Bobbie´.

`I read of them in British Dragons,´ Mortie said. `But I never saw one myself. May I look at him?´

`Of course,´ Hagrid said. `Go wi´ me´.

Mortie, Blaise, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up and followed Hagrid to the dusty old shed behind the house, where a snake with wings, shining with all colors, lay on the straw and lapped milk out of a saucer.

`What a beautiful being!´ Mortie said.

`Aye, that he is,´ Hagrid said.

`Well, it isn´t forbidden,´ Hermione said.

`Did you hear, Hagrid? You may keep him with impunity,´ Mortie grinned. `Thank you for allowing me to see him. I hope I may visit him from time to time, to look at?´

`Of course, Mortie,´ Hagrid said. `When did I forbid yeh ter see my pets? Yeh are welcome ter do it any time, yeh a´ - `Arry, Ron, Hermione an´ Blaise´.

`Thank you, Hagrid,´ Mortie grinned. They returned to Hagrid´s house and sat down around the table.

`I think this Secret Eye is a very suitable device for some great prank´ Blaise announced. `We need only to think it´.

`I think you´re right, Blaise,´ Mortie answered.

`Then let´s go to your common room and think,´ Blaise said.

`A very good idea,´ Mortie answered.

`Good evening, `Arry, Hermione, Ron, Mortie, Blaise,´ Hagrid said, and the students went to the castle. At some point in the proceedings they were joined by a large chest on innumerable legs, which followed Mortie.

`Merlin! What is THIS?´ Mortie asked.

`A chest with about hundred legs´ Blaise explained.

`Yes, but why?´ Mortie asked.

`I don´t know,´ Blaise shrugged. `It just is´.

The chest followed Mortie to the Hall, up three flights of stairs and into the Gryffindor Tower, causing the Fat Lady to stare when it was coming through the portrait hole. In the Gryffindor Common Room it lay by the fireplace clearly intending to stay.

`Apparently it took fancy to me,´ Mortie said. `It must have lost its master, poor thing. I shall keep it and put my books and clothes in it. I am somehow sure nobody steals them, when they are inside it´.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Blaise saw the chest grin, though it had neither face nor mouth.

`How do you think you shall call it?´ Harry said.

`Luggage,´ Mortie said. The chest looked up.

`I think I devined its name,´ Mortie said.

`What else such a strange familiar can be called?´ Blaise said. `The wizard who owned it must have had a vivid imagination. I wish I could meet him´.

`It could have been a witch,´ Hermione said.

`Of course, it could have been a witch as well,´ Mortie said. `All the same, Blaise, you are right. I would like to meet them´.

`You know, I think I would better keep the Secret Eye in this Luggage of yours,´ Blaise said. `It isn´t safe to keep it chez moi, with these Slytherins about´.

`A sound idea,´ Mortie said. He stood up, went to the Luggage, opened its lid and put the Secret Eye in there.

`And what will happen with anyone else who shall attempt to open it?´ Blaise asked.

`I daresay it bites him,´ Mortie said. `So do not try to open it by yourselves, would you?´

`Certainly not,´ Blaise, Harry, Ron and Hermione said.

`Luggage, don´t bite too hard one who would try to open you without my leave, will you? Hold them instead and don´t let them go, understand?´ Mortie said.

The Luggage seemed to understand.

`Very well,´ Mortie said. `Now, how shall we use the Secret Eye? It must be some sophisticated plan´.

`The target must be either Snape, Filch, or Malfoy,´ Blaise said. `Or else my FELLOW-Slytherins´.

`Snape and Malfoy are Slytherins,´ Mortie observed. `I don´t know about Filch, but I think he is too´.

`Most likely,´ Blaise said. `But who exactly?´

`Malfoy, I think,´ Mortie said. `Snape is a decent teacher, though very malevolent. Filch is simply envious. Malfoy I don´t stand most of them three´.

`Yes, he is a one,´ Harry, Hermione, Ron and Blaise said.

`All right, then,´ Mortie said. `Malfoy it will be´.

`At least HE is not able to take any points off us,´ Blaise said. `The Gryffindors won´t be glad if they lose an astronomical sum of points through the fault of their Seeker, reserve Seeker and Beater, would they?´

`You bet they won´t,´ Mortie said.

`Just so,´ Blaise said. `So let us not be caught. Of course, MY capture would mean some points off Slytherin...´

`You ARE cunning, Blaise!´ Mortie said.

`That´s why I am a Slytherin,´ Blaise said. `But unlike all other Slytherins I know, I am ready to sacrifice MYSELF. Of course, it will be the last resort´.

`Of course,´ Mortie said. `Better not be caught at all´.

`But what exactly shall we do?´ Harry asked.

`Just let me think...´ Mortie said. `Have it! We shall crawl stealthily to the Slytherin dormitories, except you, Blaise, of course, you do not have to crawl there, as you live there. You shall be our stand-in´.

`Right you are,´ Blaise grinned. `What am I to do?´

`To tell us the password, for an emergency, and where your dormitory is, and to distract Malfoy´s attention´.

`Right,´ Blaise said. `And what shall you do?´

`We shall come up to your dormitory, I put the Secret Eye to the wall. You see to that Malfoy notes nothing, and we, when we see that Malfoy is sufficiently distracted, at once pronounce: `Diffindo!´ and then: `Wingardium Leviosa!´ Our combined powers must be sufficient to raise Malfoy very high´.

`Yes, indeed, with such talents as you and our Miss Granger,´ Blaise said. `Only I pray you to aim carefully and not raise me along with Malfoy´.

`Certainement non, Blaise,´ Mortie smiled.

`The password is Viper,´ Blaise said. `Honestly, this Wizard in Dark Green who guards our portrait hole has no taste whatsoever. And our dormitory is on the right from the stairs, then right again and then again right till you walk onto the wall. Our dormitory wall will be to the left then. Only if my distracting him results in a duel, you shall be my second, Wimsey. We are not on such terms with him that I could to distract him with a friendly talk, and he would get suspicious if I tried. To distract him with a squabble - now that´ll do, as him and I squabble always, and it´ll be a pleasure´.

`Right-ho, Blaise,´ Mortie said. `I´ll stand for you´.

`Good, then,´ Blaise said. `When do I begin?´

`Eleven o´clock tonight,´ Mortie answered.

`Agreed,´ Blaise said. `Then I begin to screw him up about eleven, and you must be behind the wall by then´.

`Right,´ Mortie said. `Good-night, Blaise´.

`Good night, Mortie, good night, Ron, good night, Harry, good night, `Mione,´ Blaise said and went away.

`Good night, Blaise,´ Ron, Harry and Hermione said.

Harry and Ron sat to play a game of chess, Hermione set herself to reading, and Mortie went upstairs to the second year boys´ dormitory, the Luggage following him. In the dormitory he opened the Luggage, put his clothes, personal utensils and books in it, and sat to read Donne.

Blaise went down the four flights of stairs to the dungeons in the basements, said: `Viper´ to a portrait of a tall, lean wizard in dark green robes, with a dark proud face, and entered the dark Slytherin common room, made in green and silver with gloomy furniture of dark wood. From there he went to the sixth year boys´ dormitory, took his cards from his dressing-table and sat to play patience - `The House in the Woods´ and wait for Malfoy and eleven o´clock to come.

Quarter to eleven, Harry stood up and went to the sixth year boys´ dormitory to fetch his Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk and then to come to the second year boys´ dormitory to gently tap on the door, on hearing which sound Mortie rose, put his book in the Luggage and took the Secret Eye out of it, put it in his pocket and went downstairs with Harry. In the common room they fitted themselves under the Invisibility Cloak and slid out of their common room at once. They descended the four flights of stairs, trying to make no noises and shaking at any sound, entered the damp, dark vaults of the dungeons, turned to the right, passed the door of the Potions classroom, then turned to the right again, then again to the right, till they were against a wall, and stopped. Mortie peeped out of the folds of the cloak and put the Secret Eye against the wall, took his wand out, pointed it to the Secret Eye and said: `Lucidus!´ In the green and silver Slytherin dormitory, a clock was nearly at eleven, and Blaise was quarrelling violently with Draco Malfoy.

`So where have you been, Zabini?´ Malfoy said. `Hanging out with your Gryffindork friends, as always, I suppose? But where else could you?´

`THAT is none of your business, Malfoy,´ Blaise said.

`None of my business, eh? Who do you think yourself, Mr. Dago Zabini?´ Malfoy said.

`That is an insult, Mr. Malfoy,´ Blaise said.

`So what, Zabini?´ Malfoy drawled.

`A wizards´ duel, that´s what it is,´ Blaise said.

`A wizards´ duel? And you won´t get cold feet, Zabini?´ Malfoy asked. The clock showed eleven. Mortie whispered to his friends:

`Now it´s the time! Pull out your wands!´

The four of them took their wands out simultaneously, pointed them at the wall and said: `Diffindo!´ The wall parted, and then they pointed their wands at Malfoy and said: `Wingardium Leviosa!´ Malfoy soared up to the ceiling from the chair on which he was sitting smirking, and it was a treat to see. The four Gryffindors and Blaise could but laugh. Then the Gryffindors said: `Finite Incantatem!´ Malfoy dropped onto the chair, the wall closed. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mortie hid their wands back in their pockets and hurried away.

`No, I won´t, Mr. Malfoy,´ Blaise said coldly. `Meet tomorrow at half past eleven in the Charms classroom. My second is Mortimer Wimsey. Who is yours?´

`Vincent Crabbe,´ Malfoy said, seething.

`Very well,´ Blaise said. `Now I´ll inform Wimsey´.

He went out of the dormitory, through the common room, turned on the right and up the great stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

In the Gryffindor common room, the four daring souls took off the Invisibility Cloak.

`All right, everyone?´ Harry asked. Ron, Mortie and Hermione nodded. Then Mortie felt an inclination to sneeze and reached to his pocket.

`Oh, damn!´ Mortie exclaimed. `I must have dropped my handkerchief there somewhere!´

`So what?´ Ron asked placidly.

`It is that this bally handkerchief has my cipher on it, under a coronet,´ Mortie said. `M and W under a viscount´s coronet in red, white, green and gold´.

`Oh!´ Harry, Ron and Hermione said.

`Yes, you got it,´ Mortie said. `In this school there is only one viscount by initials M and W. And if Filch or Snape find it, they will know that one Mortimer Wimsey was out of bed at night. And the odds are they will guess I wasn´t alone´.

`Oh gosh,´ Harry, Ron and Hermione said.

At this point, the door opened and Blaise came in.

`Mortie, we´re meeting Malfoy and Crabbe in the Charms classroom at half past eleven tomorrow night,´ he said. `How was it?´

`I dropped my handkerchief,´ Mortie said.

`You don´t mean?...´ Blaise exclaimed.

`Yes, it has my cipher AND coronet on it,´ Mortie said.

`That is a catastrophe,´ Blaise said.

`Ruin stares us in the eye,´ Mortie said. `There go umpteen points off the Gryffindor House´.

`Wait a minute,´ Blaise said. `I know someone who can pick this handkerchief up from everywhere and not be noticed by any man or ghost´.

`Macavity!´ Mortie said.

`Yes,´ Blaise smiled and whistled gently. A lean spotted red cat with outsize ears, tasseled tail and green eyes appeared from thin air.

`Listen, Macavity,´ Blaise said. `Seek everywhere in the castle for a handkerchief...´

`Cambric, with a cipher M and W with luxuriant flourishes, embroidered in red silk, under a coronet embroidered in gold, white, red and green silk, red, white and green for the precious stones, big red and little white in pairs on the rim, big green topped with little red on the spikes, which protrude from the rim,´ Mortie explained.

`Heard, Macavity?´ Blaise said. `Seek it out!´

Macavity meowed and disappeared. Mortie said:

`I still am not fully accustomed to this manner of your cat to appear and disappear like the Cheshire cat´.

`Here is a Kneazle for you,´ Blaise grinned.

`What is a Cheshire cat?´ Ron asked.

`A cat from a story by a Muggle author, Lewis Carroll. This cat could appear and disappear, and sometimes only his smile was visible,´ Mortie said. `They say the name comes from the Cheshire cheeses, which are made with a grinning cat´s face on them´.

`Well, of the Cheshire cheeses I know,´ Ron said.

`Well, from them Carroll got the idea,´ Mortie said.

`I hope Macavity shall succeed,´ Harry said nervously.

`He never let me down in such matters,´ Blaise said.

`Up to his name, what?´ Mortie said.

`Just so,´ Blaise smiled warmly.

At this point Macavity reappeared with a handkerchief in his teeth, the cipher in red, gold, white and green on it, M and W under a coronet. Mortie uttered an excited cry, seized the handkerchief and put it in his pocket. Blaise stroked Macavity, and Macavity disappeared.

`You are our savior, Blaise,´ Mortie said.

`That´s what friends are for,´ Blaise said.

`And speakin´ of that,´ Mortie said. `Did you tell that you have a duel with Malfoy tomorrow at half past eleven p.m. in the Charms classroom, and that Malfoy named Crabbe his second, and you me?´

`Quite right,´ Blaise said. `I warned you!´

`I shall stand by, Blaise,´ Mortie said grinning.

`At-a-boy, Mortie!´ Blaise said. `You are a real friend´.

`That´s what friends are for,´ Mortie smiled. `But Blaise, I know you are not very good at Charms´.

`Enough. Well, good night, Mortie, Harry, Ron, `Mione,´ Blaise said.

`Good night, Blaise,´ said the four Gryffindors, and Blaise went out.

`Good night, Ron, Harry, Mortie,´ Hermione said.

`Good night, `Mione,´ the three boys said, and Hermione went up the spiral staircase on the right. Harry, Ron and Mortie went up the left staircase. When they reached the dormitories, Mortie said:

`Good night, Harry, Ron´.

`Good night, Mortie,´ Harry and Ron said, and Mortie slid into the second year boys´ dormitory door. Harry and Ron went into the sixth year boys´ dormitory.

Next morning, at breakfast, when Blaise was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mortie, and the Slytherins were throwing malicious glances at him, Argus Filch the caretaker approached Blaise.

`Mr. Zabini, I suspect your cat of stealing an important piece of evidence from my apartments´.

`And what made you think so, sir?´ Blaise asked calmly.

`I found a red cat´s hair on the floor,´ Filch said.

`But sir, there is a lot of red cats in this school,´ Blaise said innocently. `You didn´t actually SEE my cat?´

`No, I didn´t,´ Filch admitted grudgingly.

`Then it might be any cat,´ Blaise shrugged. Filch saw the point and departed. Mortie said:

`There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair, -

But it´s useless to investigate - Macavity´s not there!

And when the loss had been disclosed, the Secret Service say:

`It MUST have been Macavity!´ - but he´s a mile away!´

`Yes, Macavity definitely baffled the `Secret Service´ of our school,´ Blaise said. `Not that it´s very quick´.

`Definitely NOT very quick, I should say,´ Mortie nodded. `But it was a NEAR shot, Blaise Zabini, so merci beaucoup´.

`De rien, milord,´ Blaise smiled.

`Shall we call on Hagrid´s pet tonight?´ Mortie said.

`I think it is a good idea,´ Blaise said. `All the more that we have our very own Parselmouth´.

Harry blushed but nodded. So did Ron and Hermione.

`It is a very beautiful species - Anguis volans Cambrensis,´ Mortie said. `Inhabits the woods around Penmark and Penllyne Castle in Glamorganshire´.