Seamus Finnigan and the Quest for the Leprechaun Gold

Chapter Four

The boys stood stunned for several seconds.

"Seamus," asked Ron with a raised eyebrow. "What was Salazar Slytherin's ghost doing trapped in your wand?"

Seamus shrugged. "No use trying to figure it out now. Let's hear that clue."

Harry unfolded the parchment and read it to them.

"On the hall on the second floor

You'll find a mysterious door

It's not made of wood

It's hidden real good

Behind a gargoyle of lore."

"What a horrible Limerick," Ron stated. "'Real good'? Doesn't this person know grammar?"

"I'd like to see you do better," the author's voice called down.

Harry wasn't listening to this. "I suppose that's the gargoyle that goes to Dumbledore's office."

"Can you take us to it?" Oliver asked impatiently.

"Yeah... come on."

They trudged up the stairs and through the halls until they came to the stone gargoyle.

"What now?" Ron asked.

They all looked around.

"Look! The clue, it's changed." Harry held up the parchment again, and read what it now said.

"You're in a pickle now

You annoyed the author, wow

She's making this clue

Harder, boo-hoo

So look in your pockets now."

"You used the word 'now' twice to get it to rhyme!" Ron declared. The author whacked the back of his head with her disembodied hand. "Sorry," Ron said meekly.

Everyone reached in their pockets.

"Spell-O Tape," Ron said.

"A yellow Every-Flavour Bean," Lee showed them. They all made sour faces.

The twins began emptying their own pockets.

"Dungbombs"

"Chocolate Frog"

"Belch Powder"

"Stink Pellets"

"Fizzing Whizbees"

Before the next item was brought out, the gargoyle started rotating upward. Harry stepped onto the staircase that pulled up after it, and the others followed.

The door to the Dumbledore's office was open, and there was no one inside.

"Fizzing Whizbees? That's his password?" one of the twins asked as they put everything back in their pockets.

"Always knew he was one knut short of a galleon..."

Seamus looked around. He had never been in here before. There were portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses all over the walls who were whispering and eyeing the group of boys. He recognized the bird near the desk as a Phoenix, and on a shelf near the bird was the tattered old Sorting Hat.

"What does it say now?" Oliver asked Harry, nodding at the clue.

"It hasn't changed again."

The boys made faces as they thought. Finally Harry turned to a portrait behind him.

"Excuse me," he said. "Can you by any chance tell us what our next clue is?"

"Have the boy with the funny Socks ask the Hat," the ancient headmaster in the painting replied.

"That's you then, Seamus," Oliver gave him a little push toward the shelf the Hat was on.

Seamus took the hat down. The last time he had worn this hat had been his first day of Hogwarts. It had taken nearly a full minute to sort him.

He put it on his head.

"Ah, Seamus Finnigan. What can I do for you?"

"We need the next clue for the Scavenger Hunt," he told it.

"Very well. Take me off, turn me over, and reach inside."

Seamus hesitated.

"Unless there is something else?"

"Well... I just wanted to know..."

"Why I had such a hard time deciding your house?"

"Yes."

"Do not fret, Mister Finnigan. You will know soon enough. But for now, I'm supposed to be vague and create a sense of mystery. Now, your clue?"

Seamus took off the hat, and turned it over to find another folded piece of parchment inside.

"If you want to win this game

You'll have to put someone to shame

You've got a plan

To prank a man

And 'Snape' is the fellow's name."

"Snape!" Fred grinned (well, it was probably Fred).

"Snape." George grinned and nodded (if it was indeed George, that is).

"Snape?" Harry and Ron made sour faces.

Seamus let out an uncertain laugh. "We have to get Snape drunk."