Seamus Finnigan and the Quest for the Leprechaun Gold

Chapter Five

The seven boys arrived in the dungeons with not much of a plan and no underwear. Why no underwear? Well, I couldn't think of a witty first line, so I just threw that in.

Back to our story. They hid around the corner from Snape's office to tweak their plan. That's right. I said tweak.

"If the rest of you can create a diversion, Fred and Seamus and I can get into his office," George suggested. It must have been George because he said Fred.

"What will you do when you get in there?" Oliver asked.

"Leave it to us. We'll figure something out." This must have been Fred, as the other one must have been George because he said Fred.

"Here, use my dungbombs," George reached in his pocket again.

"Just don't get caught," Fred warned.

"Or we'll be losing more points than we can win back," George pitched in.

"Yes sirs," Lee saluted. "General Wood, I volunteer for this dangerous mission."

"Very well, Lee. We'll wait for you at the top of the stairs. Set off the dungbombs and run for it."

"Yes sir!" he saluted again, and Oliver, Harry, and Ron went up the stairs.

"Wait for us to get to a closer hiding place Lee," said Fred. Was it Fred? Seamus had lost track again.

Lee saluted once more, and the other three boys slinked along the wall to hide behind some suits of armour. George gave Lee the thumbs-up, and Lee threw a handful of dungbombs into the hallway like grenades, and dove in the opposite direction.

Seamus covered his nose and mouth, and watched as, sure enough, Snape came sweeping out of his office to track down the offender. He passed right by them.

The twin nearest the door waved for them to go into the office and then quickly crossed the hall, crouched in the reeking smoke.

"Look, he's eating his lunch!" one twin announced.

"Perfect! And there's his goblet, Seamus!" The other twin stepped closer to the tray on Snape's desk.

"Wait," Seamus stopped them. "He'll notice that it's not water he's drinking."

"Oh..." They both looked like Christmas had been cancelled.

"How to get him to drink it without tasting it..." Each rubbed his own chin.

"And even if he didn't notice," Seamus kept on. "He wouldn't drink enough to get 'drunk', would he?"

Now they looked like summer holiday had been cancelled as well. "Oh."

They thought quietly for a minute.

"I've got it!" One of them declared all at once. "We'll make his food so spicy-"

"-that he'll have to have lots of water!" the other caught on. "And he won't notice the taste if his mouth is practically on fire!"

They found Snape's private store of potions ingredients, and pulled out some Bottled Dragon Flame. Fred carefully added just the entire bottle to Snape's soup.

Seamus quickly pointed to the goblet and uttered, "Eye of rabbit, harpstring hum. Turn this water into rum!"

"He's coming!" Fred urged.

But there was no way out that Snape wouldn't see them. Panicking, one of the twins pulled the other two boys into the storage cabinet and closed the door.

"Eh, George?" Fred whispered. "Why are we in the closet?"

"Shh!" Seamus insisted. "Remember, slashers all around!"

Snape swept back in the classroom. From the look of malice on his face, it was clear he had not caught Lee. He sat back down at his desk, and irritably began spooning soup into his mouth.

"Aah haah..." he made a strange noise and opened his mouth to fan it with his hand. The boys in the cabinet couldn't help but snigger quietly. Snape grabbed his bottomless goblet and proceeded to gulp down his drink.

It was working! Snape stopped drinking for a moment, but the Dragon Flame was still burning, so he went back to the goblet. The twins were nudging each other and Seamus, and all three were trying not to laugh aloud.

But Seamus let out a snort, and Snape, quenching his burned mouth at last, swivelled on his heel and squinted directly at the cabinet they were hiding in. He took a step in their direction...

Then fell back into his chair and let out a long, revolting belch.