A/N: (You can skip this) For anyone who doesn't know, Turn the Lock, Turn the Key is a childrens game, I don't know how well-known it is but it was played in playgrounds when I was in primary school a lot. You may know it under a different name though but I won't go into that. It's not that important.
Chapter up! Finally a chapter that's a good length! Enjoy!
Chapter 55
Turn the Lock, Turn the Key
It turned out that Albus needn't have worried about getting Rose to come along with him to look for the cloak, as soon as he told Philip and Paul of his plan over breakfast they were right on his side saying that they should give it this one last shot. Rose, who was also there, was, as Albus had expected, unimpressed but after going through all the reason against the plan, which Albus already knew this time, she could she could not dissuade them and rather than get left behind she joined them, "against her better judgment."
On Saturday morning they sat in the Great Hall, finished breakfast but conspiring quietly about when they would have the chance to some searching that day. As it happened that chance came precisely two minutes after Rose posed the question.
A large bang sounded in the Entrance Hall behind them and all at once chaos broke out among the students. Several large explosions had covered the walls, floor and the students who were caught in it, with ice-cold blue liquid.
"Ouch, what a way to be woken up." Mused Philip.
Albus tried not to laugh, Paul already was.
"Oh, don't be so mean guys!" Scolded Rose giving Albus a quick nudge on the arm.
"Wait!" Paul exclaimed suddenly, "Quick, this is our perfect chance, Heep'll be cleaning this up for hours!"
Albus jumped to his feet, the other two, not wanting to waste any time, followed suit and together they rushed out of the hall. It seemed Paul was right, though the liquid itself came away quite easily, everything it touched it stained. The now blue-tinged students were all either shrieking in horror or laughing hysterically at one another.
The four first-years gathered up their cloaks and tiptoed carefully across the Entrance Hall. If they got even the slightest bit of that blue stuff on their clothes or shoes they would leave a clear trail all the way from their to the office.
They passed Heep in the next corridor and tried not to look too guilty as he peered down at them. Soon they were in the clear and they ran the rest of the way to the office.
"Alright Paul- will you stand guard?" Albus asked.
Paul nodded.
"Rose, you check the rest of the office over again incase I missed something last time. Philip and I will try to break into the closet."
Everybody quickly agreed and took their posts. The closet was locked, just as Albus had suspected.
"One of these keys must open it." Philip said examining the rows of keys on hooks.
"Check the lock." Rose advised, "Find a key that matches."
Albus and Philip set about doing this but they could not find a key that matched the lock perfectly. The closet was locked with a large, old padlock, yellowing-grey and heavy - it would have looked far more in place on a pirates treasure-chest. Immediately they set off looking for a matching key.
Despite what should have been a truly unique key the boys had not much luck. After searching for a while they started trying different keys at random. Paul hadn't said anything so they assumed they were quite safe.
"Hey guys," Rose said quietly, "I think I found something."
Albus and Philip turned around to find Rose crouched on the ground between a filing cabinet and Heep's large, mahogany desk. Albus had no idea what she could possibly have found down there but he peered around anyway. Rose was squinting into a narrow, vertical crack in the wall at about three feet off the ground.
"I knocked something off the shelf above and when I bent down to pick it up I swear I could have seen something shine from in here."
"Shine?" Asked Philip skeptically.
"Like, glint - from inside."
Albus crouched down next to her and peered into the crack, "What do you think it is anyway Rose? Obviously it can't be the cloak."
Rose shrugged, "Just got me curious, that's all."
"Try reaching in." Suggested Philip.
Albus wasn't too thrilled about the idea of sticking his fingers into a crack in the wall to uncover a mystery object but he didn't want to say this to his friends either. How bad could it be anyway?
Convinced he was just being stupid he slid his hand into the crack. His heart gave a quick jump as his finger tips connected with something cold. He latched onto it and pulled it out quickly.
He felt the others leaning down on top of him to get a closer look. A large but light, yellow-grey key sat in the middle of his palm. There was no mistaking the likeness to the padlock on the closet.
"Quick! Try it Al!" Rose said excitedly.
Albus stood up and stepped back over to the closet but just as he was reaching towards the lock he heard footsteps.
"Go Al! You can do it in time!" Exclaimed Philip.
At once Albus jammed the key into the lock and wrenched it right, too close now to turn back. Suddenly something very odd happened. Rather than the lock popping open, the key popped open instead. That is the head of the key swung open on tiny hinges splitting it in two and revealing a hollow inside.
There were voices in the hallway outside now. Albus stared at the keys interior. There was a piece of rolled up paper peeking out of the cylindrical section of the key.
"How long do we have left? I can't believe Tybalt!" Said the first voice outside the door. The voices sounded too young to be Heep.
"Not long. How's your lip Alex?" Asked a second. Surely they would pass right by.
"Oweee…" Muttered yet another voice. Albus edged the roll of paper out with his fingernails. A small note fell onto his hand.
The first spoke again, "Cost clear?" they asked, "Okay let's g-"
The door swung open and in the doorway stood, James, Blue and Alex; who was sporting a very bloody, swollen lip.
James stared wide-eyed at Albus. Albus stared back in a similar fashion. James's eyes traveled from his brother's face to his hand and if possible his eyes widened even further than before.
"Give me that," He hissed.
Albus looked from James to the note and back again noting the recognition in his brother's voice. He had found something that James wanted and he was standing guiltily before him in the searched office with the curious key and the lock in one hand and the note in the other. He didn't know why James wanted it but it seemed it was his only chance at a bargaining tool if things got dangerous.
"Why? What is it?" He asked carefully, determined to find out more.
"None of your business – it's mine, hand it over!" Snapped James.
"I found it." Argued Albus.
James didn't have time to respond. Letitia appeared in the doorway an alarming look in her milky eyes, "Heep's on his way! Better disperse."
Rose who had been standing by watching the brothers fight suddenly jumped,
"Move Al! We didn't come here for nothing!"
Pointing her wand at the closet she blew the lock off. Albus jumped, Philip covered his eyes, the doors flew open to reveal – an empty interior. Not a scrap of fabric let alone a cloak.
"What is wrong with you?" Exclaimed James, "Heep will have heard that for miles!"
There were hurried footsteps approaching. Without a chance to continue arguing the students made a run for it. Albus found himself still with the open key and the note clutched firmly in his hand as he was jostled out of the crowded office into the corridor.
It was impossible for Heep not to see the fleeing children as he marched down the corridor towards them. Within seconds they had dispersed in multiple directions into the surrounding labyrinth-like passages.
It only took a minute for Albus to find himself lost and alone, surrounded by silence and his own frantic breathing but it didn't stay that way for long. James burst from a passage on his left and like a scared rabbit he darted away, James still on his tail.
"Give me that note Albus, it's of no interest to you!" James called after him forgetting to be quiet lest they were discovered again.
"What is it? Why do you want it so badly?" Albus shouted back.
All he had to do was separate from James, he could take a look at the note and find out why James wanted it so badly. If he had thought his brother was up to something before it was nothing to how he felt now and by James's panicked reaction he was sure it was nothing good either.
He turned down a side passage but soon realized his mistake, it was a dead end and James was already blocking the only way out. There was no point running any more. He cleared his face of all worry and turned to face James confidently but his insides felt like jelly. James was clearly furious, face red from running and eyes wild for want of the note – what was its importance? Why was James so desperate to lay his fingers on it?
He didn't have a clue what the answers were but this was his chance to find out.
James had him cornered now, "Hand over that note!" He whispered menacingly, "It's no use to you."
Albus didn't know what the note was but he still wasn't going to hand it over without a fight.
"What is it? Why do you want it so badly?" He asked as calmly as he could, "Just tell me and you can have it."
This seemed to only infuriate James more, "Don't tell me what to do!"
He was at a dead-end, he needed to get out. He unraveled the already crumpled note but before he had time to make out its contents his attention was snatched away by James pulling out his wand and taking a threatening step forward.
Albus couldn't think of anything else he could do with the cold, stonewall behind him and James in front so he made a quick decision and swiftly drew his wand too. Bad choice.
"Expeliarmus!" James shouted immediately and the wand flew out of Albus's outstretched hand and soared over James's head, clattering down the corridor beyond.
Albus groaned inwardly at his own stupidity. Well there was that fight lost. He looked around him again as if hoping for a door to appear.
"Albus," James snarled, "I'll give you one last chance - give me that note or else!"
"Or else what?" Demanded Albus defiantly. Another bad idea.
In just one second Albus saw what 'or else' was. James apparently did not make threats lightly.
"Serpensortia!" Cried James and a big, black snake shot out of his wand and thudded to the ground.
If there was one thing Albus hated - it was snakes; the way they slid along their bellies eyeing you with their glassy, vertically slit eyes - and that was exactly what this snake was doing right now.
James spoke but what came out was not meant for Albus but for the snake. A cruel hissing escaped his lips - it was a talent James had prided and Albus had feared since its discovery.
Albus shivered involuntarily as a wave of memories flooded his mind. Memories of James muttering to his toy rubber snake when he was only three years old and making it bite Albus's chubby, baby arms, memories of family trips to the zoo where James would command the snakes to come right up to the glass, just to scare young Albus off, memories of the ashwinder James had told to trail him on their camping trip.
The snake now turned to ho his commander listening to his hissing and then turned back, slithering towards Albus and rearing it's great, ugly head high of the ground. Albus gulped. The snake was so close now. Albus froze, eyes wide open in fear, as the snake placed its head on the toe of his runner.
James was delighted with himself - he smiled wickedly and eyed the note hungrily.
"James-" Albus gasped, feeling the snake against his shin, "please!"
James ignored his plea for help and the snake slowly slithered up his leg.
Too terrified to move incase he angered it and it bit him. He had no way of telling it was poisonous or not but he didn't want to find out. He was frozen solid as he felt it slide up around his leg.
Then he saw Paul running along the corridor adjacent to theirs.
"Paul!" Albus called desperately and Paul turned back and saw them.
The snake now clinging tightly to Albus's hips gave a loud spitting hiss and Paul's eyes popped wide open.
"Don't move!" Commanded James with a glaring look over his shoulder.
Then he hissed something else at the snake who replied in a threatening whispering. Albus's breath had frozen in his lungs. With one swift, open-mouthed movement the snake darted out and sunk it's fangs into the parchment in Albus's stiff left hand. Albus slowly let out the long-held breath as the snake quickly retreated down his leg and back to James, who greeted it warmly and took the note from it's mouth.
Albus cursed to himself, he had forgotten that all James and his stupid snake wanted was that stupid note! His brain had temporarily numbed and had only just started regaining it's feeling.
Paul was still standing behind James, mouth-opened, frozen in shock. James sat on his hunkers and hissing more soft words at the snake and stroking it gently with one index finger he carefully pointed his wand at it and muttering the incantation and it disappeared in a smoky haze.
A/N: Big revelation in this chapter! Hope I did it justice! Thank you for all the support and reviews always appreciated!
P.S. Tuesday 8th November was exactly one year since I started posting here! Just thought I'd mark the occasion and say a extra massive, massive thank you to any of you have been here since last November!
