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A Marriage of Convenience	By : NinaSweets Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 159311 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 45
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and places all belong to JK Rowling this is a not for profit story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
HAH I did it! Four chapters in a month! I beat my record! I mean... not really because it’s been the 1^st for nearly two hours where I am but just about everywhere else in the world I did it! I’m counting it I don’t care! HURRAY!

Chapter Twelve
The odd trio travelled through the castle completely undisturbed. It was nearly curfew so their journey to Professor McGonagall’s office was quiet.
McGonagall stepped in front of them and headed into her office, Snape and Harry followed behind her, Snape pausing to close the door behind him.
The office was nearly full; Professor Dumbledore was there along with Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff and Ludo Bagman. His fellow Ministry official Crouch wasn’t there, in fact Harry hadn’t seen him since the first task. He frowned but didn’t have a lot of time to think on it. He spotted Hermione sitting in the seat before McGonagall’s desk. There was a little girl with silvery blonde hair sitting beside her; she couldn’t have been older than eight. She spoke to Madame Maxime in French and the headmistress replied kindly.
“Harry,” Dumbledore said, “have a seat,”
Harry went to sit but Snape wasn’t letting go so Harry stayed beside the man smiling politely.
“The second task is a test of determination,” Dumbledore said, pausing to let Madame Maxime translate for the little girl.
“Each champion must find a way to the bottom of the Black Lake to recover something precious to them,” Dumbledore said, “Young Miss Delacour will certainly be missed by her sister and both Ms Granger and Mr Potter will be missed by Messer’s Krum and Diggory respectively. So tonight you will be put into an enchanted sleep and taken carefully down to the bottom of the Black Lake to await rescue by your champion. You will wake up once you resurface.”
The little Delacour looked horrified when Madame Maxime finished the translation. The woman began to soothe her, talking softly and the terrified looked slowly vanished but she was still looking watching Dumbledore warily.
“What if we’re not rescued?” Hermione asked.
“The Merpeople will return you safely to the surface and the champion will be penalised,” Dumbledore said.
“And it’s completely safe?” Hermione continued.
“Absolutely, I would demonstrate for you but I fear I would be left down there for quite some time,” Dumbledore said with a smile.
Snape was holding Harry’s hand very tightly but his face was the perfect mask of indifference.
“Well I’m okay with it,” Hermione agreed.
The little Delacour agreed as well with a hesitant nod, Maxime smiled brightly at her and patted her head.
Everyone turned to Harry who stared back blankly.
“Am I really precious to Cedric?” he asked after a few moments of silence.
“Of course you would wish to know that Potter!” Snape spat and Harry glared.
“Well if the guy isn’t going to save me I’m not going down there,” Harry replied.
“You’re not going down there at all!” Snape said glaring around at everyone. “This whole tournament is ridiculous,”
“Severus,” Dumbledore said softly, “he’ll be perfectly safe,”
Harry turned to Snape and raised his eyebrows, Snape stared back at him.
“I’ll be all right” Harry assured. Snape gave a short nod and let Harry pull away.
The three children settled together on the floor of McGonagall’s office. Harry never took his eyes off Snape. To be honest he was a little worried but he knew Dumbledore wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
Dumbledore waved his wand over the little girl first and her head immediately slumped forward in sleep. Hermione was next, her head dropping forward almost as quickly as the girl.
Then it was Harry’s turn, he was still staring at Snape, he gave the man a reassuring smile and then the world went back as he fell asleep.

Severus carried Harry in his arms. Madame Maxime was levitating the little Delacour girl, Gabrielle; the woman had said her name was. Her blonde hair was falling straight down to the ground as she lay suspended in mid air before the giant headmistress. Albus was levitating Granger before him, being very careful as they made their way down the stairs. Severus had preferred to hold and carry Harry, taking comfort in the not-so-heavy weight of the boy in his arms. He definitely needed to eat more, he was far too skinny.
They were an odd group making their way through the castle in the dead of night. Minerva was leading the way, Ludo Bagman beside her, Gabrielle being levitated before Maxime, then Granger floating before Albus, then Severus carrying Harry and Karkaroff walking behind him.
“Severus,” Karkaroff whispered quietly to him, “It’s getting worse now,”
“I told you to run, you should have,” Severus replied.
Karkaroff fell silent his eyes wild with fear.
Igor Karkaroff had sold out many of his fellow Death Eaters to avoid Azkaban, he was wisely nervous about the Dark Lord returning.
Severus was very lucky, Albus had a plan, they had a deal, and he would be all right.
It had cost him his life but he didn’t mind, this was a far better life then the alternative one he’d have had with the Dark Lord. This life, owned though it was by Albus, did include Harry and he’d make the same choice a hundred times over for whatever it was he and Harry shared.
The group made their way across the grounds and down the sloping hill to the Black Lake.
Three Mermen stood waiting in the shallows. The chief Merchieftainess Murcus stood at the front flanked by two Mermen on either side of her. They sat very near the edge of the water; their silvery fishtails gently swishing through the water.
The Mermen were selkies, so they weren’t the pretty half fish half human. The selkies were mostly human in appearance but had watery grey skin and wild green hair. The chief was wearing a headdress made of reeds and sticks. She was balanced carefully on her tail holding her up to their height; she was easily 6’8 her two companions were over seven feet long, balancing on their tails in the same way at the edge of the water. They were holding their tritons carefully, ready to attack and protect their chief.
Albus stepped forward and nodded respectfully to the chief. She lowered her head as well and began to converse with him in Mermish. It was a beautiful language in their natural habitat, underwater, above ground it was an awful screech. It was odd to hear Albus reply in the same screech she was using.
She turned to the men on either side of her and nodded. They swam forward not daring to move from the safety of the water so Albus and Maxime levitated the girls into their outstretched arms. They moved back, cradling the girls in one long arm the other still holding their weapons. The chief moved up to Severus and offered a smile. Her eyes were a bright yellow that matched her broken teeth. She screeched at him softly, reassuring him gently. She seemed to sense his hesitance and let him take his time. Very reluctantly Severus passed Harry over to the Merwoman. She smiled again then placed her hand on Severus’ chest right over his heart and then did the same to Harry’s.
“I shall protect your heart as you protect his within you,” Albus translated for him.
“Thank you,” Severus said to the chief as earnestly as he could which made her smile brighter.
She turned and nodded to the two men, together they wade out a little further and then disappeared beneath the surface taking their precious cargo with them.
Maxime had her hand over her chest looking very distressed as she stared out at the Black Lake.
“Come my dear, I trust Merchieftainess Murcus whole heartedly. If I didn’t I would never have allowed such a task to be even considered,” Albus said patting her arm gently. Maxime nodded and turned heading off to the carriage she was staying in with her students.
Karkaroff turned sharply and headed off to the other side of the lake where the Durmstrang ship was anchored.
Ludo Bagman bid them all good night and hurried off up to the castle to floo back to his own home.
Severus, Minerva and Albus made their way more slowly back up to the castle. Severus kept glancing back at the lake resisting the urge to dive in there and bring Harry back. He was being absurd again he knew it. That blasted boy was making him crazy.
He left Minerva and Albus in the Entrance Hall and headed down the steps to the dungeons. He entered his quarters and spent a restless night trying to sleep. He had a little taste of what life will be like when Harry leaves and he didn’t like it.
Not at all.
A few months ago he had relished the silence, solitude, a companion who didn’t hog the covers. Now they felt foreign, strange, the boy had seeped into every pore of his existence and he hadn’t even noticed. He missed the boys loudness, how even when he was being quiet he was so damn noisy, how he stole the covers at night and snuggled right up to Severus’ side in apology for making him cold.
He was cranky and irritable by the time he made it into the Great Hall that morning. He couldn’t eat a single thing. The toast tasted like carpet on his tongue so he stuck with coffee but even that tasted wrong in his mouth. He put up with it though for lack of anything better to do.
He glanced around the Hall; Diggory wasn’t eating. He was just poking at the eggs and bacon before him, his face set in a line of grim determination.
The Delacour girl already seemed to know exactly what the precious thing she would miss most and was glancing around frantically as if her sister would just magically appear and stop worrying her. She became increasingly more distressed as the meal went on and her sister didn’t appear.
Krum almost looked bored sitting at the Slytherin table and carefully eating his toast.
Weasley six was at the table with Weasley’s four and five and the Weasley girl; he looked rather worried by the absence of Potter and Granger.
It was time for the champions to go and soon after the crowd of students followed. Severus was walking along with Aurora Sinistra a woman in her mid twenties who had actually been in one of the very first Potions class he had ever taught at Hogwarts.
“No Harry today?” she asked conversationally as they walked.
“He’s... at the bottom of the lake,” Severus sighed.
“You killed him already? Well I just lost the pool thanks,” Aurora grumbled playfully.
“He’s not dead. He’s in the task; the champions have to rescue something they’ll miss. Diggory has to rescue him from the Merpeople.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much Severus,” Pomona Sprout said, “Hufflepuff’s are good at clues and we’re great at finding things, Harry will be back in your cranky arms very soon,”
“Thank you for the reassurance,” Severus said and she patted his arm before hurrying off ahead with Filius Flitwick.
Severus walked with Aurora down to the Black Lake in silence; she was glancing carefully at the students running past trying to work out who else was missing. She couldn’t pick it out though, out of four hundred odd students and an extra hundred from visiting schools she had no idea which three students were missing for the three champions to rescue.
A set of stands had been placed up near the lake where the students could sit. The teachers would sit behind the judging table.
The judges were already in place as were the three champions wearing their swimming gear. The Delacour girl was huddled over trying to conserve some warmth but the unforgiving cold of February was not being kind to her. Her long hair was braided away from her face showing her tears of distress as she fretted over the fate of her little sister.
Diggory was next to her dressed in a pair of swimming trunks his arms folded over his tanned chest in an attempt to stay warm.
Only Krum looked to be at ease standing proud and tall against the cold wind whipping across the grounds and rippling across the lake.
“Don’t fancy a swim today, no sir” Aurora said as they climbed the stairs.
She sat on a bench next to Minerva and tugged on her long dark hair to cover her cold ears. Severus sat down next to her and offered a nod of greeting to Minerva who nodded back politely.
Bagman stood up casting ‘Sonorous’ on himself so he could be heard over the excited babble of the students.
“Something has been taken from each champion. They have exactly one hour to look for what was taken and bring it back... or its gone, forever!” he cried out dramatically. The students all cheered the Durmstrang students began to chant in Bulgarian. Krum smiled and waved at them and they cheered louder.
“I wonder how he’ll make this interesting,” Minerva said, “We can’t see a thing through that water. This will be a very dull hour,”
Severus snorted in agreement; all he could hope for is that Diggory was the fastest so he could have Harry back.
“All right champions? Are you ready?” Bagman called, when he received the three nods he shouted out, “GO!”
Delacour ran out the fastest, quickly casting the bubble head charm on herself and then dived into the water.
Diggory was next, having a little more trouble wading through the water then Delacour had. He too used the bubble head charm which Filius was very excited about.
“I knew he would, he was one of the first to master it in class you know,” he said proudly and Pomona clapped excitedly.
Krum was last using a bit of human transfiguration on himself. Unfortunately it went a little haywire and he didn’t turn fully into a shark like he’d intended. Only his top half did leaving him with human legs. The sight was certainly something. He ran into the water and dived under quickly.
“Shame, it would have been quite impressive if he’d pulled it off,” Minerva said, “He just didn’t get the wand movement right but human transfiguration is so tricky,”
“So what would the wand movement be?” Aurora asked politely. Minerva pulled out her wand and began to show her the sharp up and down flick required for precise transformations.
“Incantations are only half the spell, people always forget that,” Minerva said watching as Aurora copied the movements with her own wand.
“Well I always had my head in the clouds so I was never going to get a good mark for any of my spells subjects,” Aurora said with a small laugh.
“You were wonderful in my classes,” Filius said and Aurora laughed
“When I wasn’t sneaking notes to Bill Weasley maybe,” she said with a grin.
It was about a half hour into the task when Fleur Delacour broke the surface of the water. She was screaming, covered in angry red cuts. She ran to the shore as best she could, crying and sobbing. She was shaking her head and pointing into the water. Maxime hurried from the judges table over to the poor girl. Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse practically sprinted down to the water bank with her travel sized first aid kit.
Delacour kept pushing her away crying and screaming in French.
Severus could only understand one word, “Gabrielle!”
She slumped down on the ground by the lake and put her head on her knees and sobbed hysterically.
“Looks like she’s run wild of some Grindylow,” Hagrid said sympathetically and the staff gave a simultaneous wince. Grindylow were vicious little water demons, their marks were horrible painful and would very probably scar if not treated properly. Delacour didn’t seem to care about that, letting her headmistress wrap a towel around her shoulders and warm her up a little, with a completely heartbroken expression on her pretty face.
Another ten minutes later Diggory was at the surface but so were Krum and the two hostages. The Merpeople were bringing them back.
Merchieftainess Murcus was screeching and pointing at the water, she looked terribly upset.
Where was Harry?
Severus could see Granger being dragged forward by the Merman that had carried her down last night. Gabrielle Delacour was in the arms of a Merwoman and both Diggory and Krum were being helped along by two other Mermen.
Where was Harry?!
Fleur Delacour sprinted into the water to grab hold of her sister and bring her safely to the shore.
Albus, proving he was still very spry for a man over a hundred, leapt up from the judges table and hastened to the water’s edge toward the chief.
Severus was standing as well, he wasn’t quite sure what his feet were doing but they were taking him down toward the lake.
Pomfrey was tending to everyone who had emerged from the lake, giving them towels and healing any injuries. She stopped though to watch Severus walk past, she looked very worried and seemed to be about to stop him but thought better of it.
Good, she would have lost her arm had she tried to stop him.
Albus crouched down by the water’s edge where the chief had dragged herself, trying to come as close to shore as she possibly could. Her people stayed a little way back staring at Severus with very sad yellow eyes.
“Where’s Harry?” Severus asked quietly. He didn’t think anyone would hear him over the noise, the Merpeople’s screeches and Albus’ replies, the crowd of students all cheering, shouting and yelling.
The chief turned to him and screeched at him thumping at her chest.
“What is she saying?” Severus asked.
“She says she’s sorry,” Albus said sadly, “She’s sorry she lost your heart,”
The chief began to screech again, looking pleadingly at Albus.
“She left her own personal guard with them throughout the night,” Albus said translating for her, “When she arrived this morning to check on them Harry was gone. Her two guards had been knocked out,”
The two guards swam forward and began to screech as well, Albus held up his hands to placate them, they both fell silent but still looked very distressed.
“There was a gap in the ropes, he hadn’t been cut away he’d been magicked away,” Albus said on behalf of the two guards. They both held their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads to Severus.
“It happened too quickly, but it was a jet of red light.”
“Stunning spell,” Severus guessed and Albus nodded.
Albus turned back to them and screeched a few words, the Merpeople responded and they sunk below the surface. The chief remained and screeched a little more.
“She wishes she could help more,” Albus said and Severus nodded in understanding.
The chief screeched at him sadly and then she too sunk below the surface, disappearing from view with a quick swish of her tail.
“She’s going to ask Grugarl if he saw anything,” Albus said and Severus frowned
“Grugarl?”
“The squid,” Albus said sounding surprised Severus didn’t know that.
Severus didn’t make a habit of getting to know all inhabitants of the castle especially not the ones who lived at the bottom of the lake and happened to be eight hundred year old giant squids.
“Merpeople are an interesting group, they are unfortunately deadly afraid of magic so she fears not only for Harry but for her people,” Albus said and Severus nodded again.
He wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Minerva was herding the students back inside with the help of Pomona and Filius. Aurora had stepped up to wrangle his fussy wayward Slytherin’s.
Severus turned around to find a sopping wet Hermione Granger and a very worried Ron Weasley standing behind him.
“Where’s Harry?” Granger asked.
Severus frowned at them and then looked down.
He couldn’t answer a question he didn’t know the answer to.
“He didn’t... drown did he?” Granger gasped
“No,” Severus replied quietly.
“Miss Granger!” Minerva called out sharply. “Back to your dormitory immediately!”
“You’ll keep us updated won’t you?” Weasley asked,
Severus found himself giving a curt nod; this was enough for Weasley who began to lead a very worried Granger away.
The students quickly disappeared inside the school, Maxime had ushered all her students back to their carriage, Delacour going happily, carrying her little sister in her arms, babbling away in French.
Krum followed Karkaroff and his fellow classmates away without a word.
Severus was left with Albus.
Severus turned and walked over to the stands sitting down on the first row. Albus followed and gently sat beside him.
“I love him,” Severus admitted quietly.
“I’m so glad you noticed. It was a real bother keeping that to myself for so long” Albus said and Severus let out an amused snort before he could stop himself.
“Who would take him? Where? Why? How the bloody hell did they do it too?” Severus cried standing up. He began to pace in front of Albus who just watched him sadly.
“I don’t understand. It’s surely the Dark Lord but how did he do it!?” Severus raged.
“Severus far stupider men have broken Hogwarts’ defences. Every great force has a weakness, even her” Albus said and Severus sighed.
“Yes well Black did get in proving that it doesn’t take a criminal master mind to get in here” Severus muttered crossing his arms over his chest and pausing his pacing.
“She has changed with age, I’ve tried to keep up with her but there are people more brilliant than I who will have thought of things that I have not to use against her” Albus said.
“Do the Apparation wards stretch out across the lake?” Severus asked.
“I’ve never tested them but I believe they do. They stretch out right across the mountains in the north and all the way down past the lake to Hogsmeade in the south. Majority of the Forest in the east is protected as well, it goes all around in a large square,” Albus said.
“How did they do it?!” Severus cried out again.
“We’ll go inside, see if any students saw anything or perhaps some of the staff can help. Seventeen brains are better then two,” Albus said gently taking hold of Severus’ elbow to steer him inside.
Severus sighed again and allowed the man to lead him up to the castle.
He was feeling decidedly numb. He didn’t often feel things anyway, with what he did for a living there wasn’t a lot of use for emotions. Emotions often lead to more harm than good anyway so he had become an expert in squishing them away into a tiny corner of his mind. Feelings could wait for when the boy was back in his arms. At the moment he needed to focus, help in any way that he could even if it was just him not falling to pieces.
Minerva met them on the Grand Staircase, “I’ve sent everyone to their dorms. The school is in lockdown for the time being,”
“Thank you Minerva,” Albus said, “We must get the staff together, call a staff meeting immediately,”
Minerva turned to head toward her office but stopped short. Severus and Albus turned in her direction and also froze.
Moaning Myrtle was floating in front of them looking very upset. Her silvery form was gently bobbing up and down as she stood before them, she had unfortunately died a speckled awkward emotional teenage girl and that was how she’d remain for all eternity. Thankfully she knew not to irritate Severus with her hysterics.
“Myrtle, my dear, how are you?” Albus greeted politely.
“All right,” she said with a small shrug but then heaved a very miserable sob. “The mean Merwoman said I should come and talk to you,”
“Oh, was it very important?” Albus asked.
“Right! Because it would have to be important for me to bother you! Sorry I tried!” Myrtle cried and burst into tears.
“Oh Myrtle, I didn’t mean to upset you my dear but Harry Potter is missing, time is of the essence,” Albus said soothingly.
“Well that’s what I came to talk to you about!” Myrtle wailed.
“What?!” Severus demanded rudely and Myrtle shot him a dirty look. “If you don’t spit it out right now girl I’ll make the Baron force you to!”
The Bloody Baron was the ghost of Slytherin house and was a very formidable man that kept all the other ghosts in line.
“Have a little patience! I’m getting to it! You don’t have to be so mean,” Myrtle sobbed. “I was in the lake because sometimes when I’m sitting in the u-bend thinking about death I can get accidentally flushed out into the lake. Well while I was there, avoiding the Merpeople because they’re always really mean to me, I saw that new Professor. The one with the weird eye,”
“Professor Moody,” Albus supplied.
“Yes! He was swimming through the lake. I don’t know what he was doing but the Merpeople told me I had to tell you so there I told you,”
“Thank you very much Myrtle you’ve been very helpful,” Albus said and the girl nodded proudly wiping her face of ghostly tears.
“Also, you didn’t hear it from me, but Peeves might have a little information for you as well. I don’t like him very much; he’s always really mean to me, teasing me because I have a crush on Harry. He’s good at spying though. I’m not what he knows but I think he might have an idea of what Professor Moody was doing, he was singing about what a naughty Professor he was,”
“Thank you Myrtle,” Albus said again and she smiled.
“You’re welcome Professor,” she said and drifted away disappearing through a solid wall.
“Peeves is hard to talk to at the best of times,” Minerva said turning to face Albus and Severus. She looked grim but her eyes were overly bright, as strict as she was she did care for her foolish lions and with one of them missing she was having a very difficult time hiding her concern.
“The Baron could get it out of him,” Severus said. The Bloody Baron was the silent ghost of Slytherin house who, other than Albus, was the only thing the trickster poltergeist would listen to.
Minerva and Severus split from Albus to search out the ghost.
“This had better not be some pointless goose chase, if it is I’ll personally drag Myrtle and Peeves into the hereafter, willing or not,” Severus growled.
They stalked through the school for a good hour. They didn’t find anything, not a ghost or a student or even another staff member to talk to. Just as Severus was getting ready to pull out his wand and very unfairly punish the suits of armour lining the corridor the Grey Lady floated through a door down the end of the hallway.
“Grey Lady!” Severus called. She turned slowly at the sound of her name. Severus was sure it was not her name but she had never responded to any other so it was what everyone called her. She was the ghost of Ravenclaw tower and rarely left its confines, today was one of those rare days.
“Hello Professors,” she greeted politely, her pearly white form glided toward them. She was wearing a long travelling cloak that hid most of her dress, her arms concealed right along with it. Her long hair was loose and almost floating around her shoulders. She titled her head to the side making her hair float to the left following where her head tilted, waiting for the two before her to speak.
“Grey Lady, have you seen the Baron?” Severus asked. She gave a small sad smile and turned pointing to the end of the corridor.
“He is never very far from my side,” she answered softly.
The Bloody Baron glided through the wall where she had pointed and headed toward them.
The man had chains draped across his torso with shackles on his wrists and ankles; they seemed to almost weigh him down. He didn’t hover as freely as the Grey Lady did, and his movements were slower, heavier. He had blood all down his front from where he’d cut his own throat.
“Professor Severus wishes to speak with you,” The Grey Lady said and the Baron nodded to Severus indicating him to proceed.
“My husband has been kidnapped. Myrtle has told us that Peeves might have information,” Severus said.
“Your husband Harry Potter?” the Grey Lady asked, Severus nodded. The Grey Lady looked at the Baron; they seemed to have an entirely secret conversation amongst themselves. Severus had never seen such behaviour in ghosts, he didn’t know a lot about them as a whole but this seemed like something unique to only these two ghosts in particular.
“The Baron will help you in your quest Severus,” the Grey Lady said and raised an eyebrow at the Baron. The Baron nodded once.
“I shall be in the tower,” she said to the Baron who nodded and then turned to Severus and Minerva, “I wish you luck in finding your husband, but heed this, love can lead even the sanest man to madness,”
She turned and floated away through the wall, the Baron watching her leave. He then turned to Severus and Minerva raising his eyebrows expectantly.
“Baron, would you happen to know where Peeves would be?”
The Baron turned his head to the ceiling and pointed up. Severus and Minerva foolishly followed his gaze before realising they wouldn’t be able to see anything other than the stone ceiling.
The Baron floated upward and disappeared through the stones above them.
A second later there was a loud crash that had Minerva jumping in surprise. Another few moments and the Baron was floating back through the floor stopping before them. He was joined by a tiny little man who was sitting cross-legged in mid air straightening his livid orange bow tie.
“Ah, Greasy and Kitty, heard there was a bit of an iddy-biddy issue at the task today,” Peeves said with a wicked cackle.
“Myrtle says you might have something to share with us,” Minerva said sternly, not in the mood for the nasty spirits tricks.
“Ugh, what would that spotty little-”
The Baron’s hand shot out interrupting Peeve’s midsentence. It was a warning and it worked, the man blew a raspberry and slouched back in the air.
“What is it you’re wanting to know?” he asked snottily.
“Tell us about Professor Moody,” Severus ordered.
“Ooohh, what would the students think? Knowing two teachers was interested in school yard gossip? Naughty, naughty Greasy Nose,” Peeves said waggling a finger in Severus’ face.
The Baron lent forward toward Peeves making the man skitter away uneasily.
“All right... I mean I might have seen something. I might need something to refresh my memory it’s all so hazy crazy lazy maybe.”
“Filch leaves you to your pranks for a whole day undisturbed,” Severus offered
“A week!”
“The day!”
“A month”
“A day!”
“Three months!”
“A day!”
“You drive a hard bargain!” Peeves cackled but he agreed.
“What did you see?!” Severus barked.
“The man’s got two faces. Wears one in some places, the others kept in cases,” Peeves said,
“Two faces?” Minerva repeated.
“Wears one in some places, it’s his day face. His night face steals from your stores, I seen him at it!” Peeves said.
“Polyjuice!” Severus guessed correctly, “Moody’s an imposter!”
“Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Right on the nose” Peeves crowed, he grabbed Severus’s nose sharply and made a loud “HONK!” noise before flying away cackling wildly.
“Moody is an imposter!” Severus repeated.
“But if he’s not Alastor Moody then who is he and what did he do with the real one?” Minerva asked and didn’t that just create a whole new set of unanswerable questions.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It mostly just wrote itself which was amazing for me! I’m so pleased with it! I’m so pleased with myself!
I loved all your reviews! Most of you were spot on guessing exactly what McGonagall wanted but I’m glad a few of you weren’t quite sure, I like to see I can still do a little mystery. I hope I didn’t drive you too crazy but I think as you only had to wait a day it’s not so bad.
Tell me what you think, I love hearing from you all, Nina
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A Marriage of Convenience