Year Four - Chapter Six

The Gargoyles needed a bit more of fine tuning, I reckoned. They would animate to anyone not me stepping inside the room, but also to whatever noise they would perceive, which was a pleasant enough surprise since they apparently caught the noises of a duo of bumbling Gryffindors coming down the sewers.

"The bloody hell is this place?" I could hear the voice echo from the far end of the sewers. Ron Weasley's voice unmistakable.

"The sewers, no?" Harry answered. "He picked a new spot."

"He should smell like a sewer, you sure the House Elves weren't yanking your chain?" Ron asked instead, "I don't like this place."

Harry remained silent for a brief instant. "The map showed him come into the kitchens, and then disappear. It makes sense-the marauders wouldn't go in the sewers."

"And we bloody hell shouldn't too!" Ron exclaimed. "The boy's bonkers! He's a Ravenclaw, he's got the right of the oddity."

I could hear Harry's sigh, the two boys coming even closer. "Sirius wanted to know if he'd like to spend Christmas with us, so we're going to find him and we're going to ask."

"And you couldn't ask him tomorrow at breakfast?" Ron retorted, his wisdom surprisingly on point.

"Also, Hermione wanted to know which Hogwarts' room he's hiding in that may give him an unfair advantage," Harry finished, sounding quite lame as he said that.

"I get it, I damn well get it," Ron grumbled. "He's gonna kill us both, hide our bodies down here, and then say he hadn't the foggiest clue on where we were. Hermione should have come down herself."

"She had Muggle Studies classes," Harry weakly defended her. I waited, quite calmly, with my back against my Hall of Shadows' door. The Gargoyles were all doing their best statue impression, standing quietly to the sides of the door.

I finally saw them round the bend, looking every bit as dirty as I had been the first time I had come down, and before learning of the merits of the Impervius charm, and of the Scourgify and Tergeo ones. They both stopped at my sight, but I reckoned it was mostly due to the dragons.

"Good evening," I said, waving a hand. The two Gargoyle statues took that as the cue to roar, emitting billowing flames that rose to meet the ceiling. Both boys made a small jump back, and Ron slipped, falling with his ass in the sewer drain proper rather than on the walkway by its side.

"Bloody frigging hell!" he cried, even as Harry grimaced, and extended a hand to pull him up. "How's that the way to greet anyone?!"

I sighed, and pointed my wand in his direction. A second later and he gasped, his robes literally going through what could be described as the fastest dry-cleaner in all of existence. He quietly touched his squeaky clean skin too, and whimpered. "I've never been so clean," he whispered.

"You get used to it," I acquiesced. "So? You have come here for a reason, I would suspect." I looked at them both as they neared. The two Gargoyles' heads lowered ever so slightly, showing their teeth. I liked it when my Gargoyles actually began to learn by themselves. I'd get around to the speaking part later during the year, but as things went, they were surprisingly on point.

"Well, yeah," Harry said. "You doing anything for Christmas?"

I shrugged, helplessly. "I'd need to ask the Headmaster about that," I said. "I'll see him sometime during the week, when he tells me what day suits him best for our weekly encounters."

"Say, mate," Ron said. "You're not gonna kill us and dump our bodies in the sewers, right?"

I furrowed my brows. "That depends," I acquiesced. "See, I've charmed the Gargoyles to attack and kill anyone who comes down here unless they're me, they're Hogwarts' staff, or I tell them not to." I sighed. "I also heard you coming, so I deactivated the complicated wards meant to rupture organs, break bones, shatter souls and so forth," I gave them a small smile as I lied through my teeth. "There even was a nifty one involving fire and lightning, you know, stuff," I shrugged, helplessly. "I'd rather like it if you didn't tell anyone about my private room. Make no mistake; this isn't one of Hogwarts rooms," I lied. "I merely transfigured myself a spot in the sewers. I was torn between this and transfiguring a tree house in the Forbidden Forest."

"Yeah, yeah, we get you, everyone wants their private time," Ron said, shuffling awkwardly behind Harry.

"I'll let you know by the end of the week," I said next to Harry, "By the by, I couldn't help but hear you had a map that showed you the way to me?" I raised an eyebrow, and Harry quietly took a step back. "No need to be scared, I won't take it from you. I'm just curious if I could look at it ever so briefly? Since you've bothered me from my nap time, I think it's only fair."

Harry quietly pulled out from his robes the parchment, which he unfolded in front of him with one hand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, and ink blossomed across the paper to recreate a flawless replica of Hogwarts' castle, as well as tiny dots with people in it. I slowly grabbed hold of its edges, and scrutinized each and every room, my fingers trailing through the corridors to Alastor's own office, where the dot was pacing back and forth, Nymphadora Tonks' own dot standing still in a corner of the room.

The name on its head? Alastor Moody.

I exhaled in relief, a heavy weight leaving my shoulders. Good. There wouldn't be any silly fighting in the Triwizard Tournament. I could spend the rest of my years at Hogwarts at peace, and then deal with the Horcrux-hunting after I grew up to be a respectable paragon of Wizard Society and Common Sense.

I folded the map and gave it back. "Nifty little thing," I said. "Do me a favor and don't tell anyone else about this. This time, I'm serious," I stressed on, looking at Ron's ever so shirking attitude. "I took the worst possible place to have my peace and quiet, and I don't want it disturbed. I don't want to force you in an unbreakable vow, mind you, but I will if you persist on pestering me."

"Sorry about that," Harry said, "You're still angry about your other room?"

"I'm not angry, just annoyed," I answered. "Think how you'd feel if, after doing your homework, someone came and stole it for their own benefit. While the previous Room was already someone else's homework, and so I haven't the right to be angry about that, beyond this doors lies my homework, my sweat and blood, my effort...if you take it away, I won't just be angry, I'll be furious." I took a deep breath. "So just leave it at that."

"Hermione wanted to know," Ron muttered, "Can we tell her?"

"No," I said, flatly. "If she wants to know, she has to ask me. I'll give her the same answer I gave you. If she pries, learn to say no and have some spine in your back. You're Gryffindors, be brave." I sighed. "Now, if there's nothing else, I'll show you how to get out of here and even clean you both up a bit."

I gestured at the two Dragon Gargoyles, who resumed their normal, statue-like shapes while I brought the duo out. This time, I even gave them an Impervius and a Bubblehead charm to ensure they wouldn't get further dirty.

Then, I let them out and proceeded to backtrack to the sewers' system halfway point.

"And now, I'm starting to understand Salazar Slytherin's desire for a secret, private room," I grumbled. I'd need to transfigure a wall and some kind of secret passage. For the time being, adding some walls with grates to allow the water to flow through would do. Later on, I'd need to find a way to actually alter Hogwarts' sewers.

Perhaps I'd also find a way to add some magical mist that made one lose their sense of direction, and past that some smart, and yet utterly non-lethal traps.

Also, I'd need to deal with the Room of Requirements' secret entrance too, though that didn't lead directly into the chamber, but into the sewers near it. So, theoretically, as long as I blocked the path over there, I'd be safe and sound too.

I had always liked being a Dungeon Master...

...I just never expected I'd become one so literally.