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Chapter 13: The bUTton'S bACk!

Harry went reluctantly up the stairs, accompanied by no one, because no one could go with him. "This is a top-secret mission that you must do alone, only alone, and with no one else. You can bring along someone else, but they can't come with you. You need to do this alone, and just with you, yourself, and you. If I could come along, I wouldn't, because you have to do this alone. You can't go with anyone, and no one can go with you. It's just you. If anyone goes with you, they won't, because you have to go with no one. You cannot. If you do, you won't, 'cuz you can't. Got it?" He accused himself.

As he entered a classroom, he stared in horror at the teacher at the desk. It was Snapevine. Without looking up, Snapevine said quietly, "You shouldn't wander through the halls this late at night," although it was still the afternoon. "People will think you're..." He looked at Harry as if he just then noticed whom he was talking to, "UP to something."

"Oh, gosh!" Harry cried in false surprise, "Look at the time! Sorry, but, you know, I really have to be going, so, bye!" Harry was about to flee, flee for his life, but yet again, Snapevine rose from his seat and slammed down a button, lowering a metal door.

"NOOO! AAUGH!" Harry screeched in terror, clawing at the door. But, he realized, as Snapevine came closer, that it was too late.

Ron wandered into the deserted Transfiguration class. "Hello? Highest room? Tallest tower? Anyone? Oh, well. They must be out for lunch. Speaking of which, I could use some chow. I'm kind of in the mood for spaghetti. Mmm, spaghetti. Where does spaghetti come from?" Ron pondered, "A tree? A Great Spaghetti Monster? A vine? A-"

But before Ron could finish his sentence, a figure appeared in a balcony. "Did someone say Vine?" and with that, the figure swooped down upon Ron.

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

Katie watched solemnly as her friends departed to search for the tower. Finally, she was left alone in the Grand Hall. "Hmm... I guess I should go to Defense Against the Dark Arts. On the other hand, I'm hungry. Let's go find the cafeteria instead!" And with that, Katie left the Grand Hall (which was also the cafeteria, by the by) in search for food. When she came upon a staircase, she went up, looking in a room.

Katie gasped, glancing out the window. "This must be the tallest tower!" She said with pride. Sure enough, it was the highest room in the tallest tower on the largest mountain she ever did see. However, right as she was about to enter, a looming figure came up behind her.

"Looking for this?" he said, holding up a coffee machine.

"Not really." Katie said, but then looked up at the person holding it. "AAAAAUUGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screeched, as her life flashed before her eyes.

Hermione strolled out of the castle, muttering to herself. "Hagrid's Hut. I can't believe it. Someone with MY superior intellect sent to the filthy little shed. No matter. I bet I'll find the tower before any of them." She strolled down the lane to the hut. It sat there... menacingly. She stepped inside. "It's only a hut. Rather, the inside of a hut. Nothing special about it. It has a fireplace, a chair, a... Snapevine? FWOAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!" Her screams echoed through the hillside.

Jenny tumbled down the stairway to the dungeons. As she flopped on the ground at the base of the stairs, she pondered and then got up. It was dark and wet, with slime oozing from the walls. "Hey!" Jenny declared, "I bet this is where Snapevine lives!" She walked around a bit, then sat down and meditated. She lit a candle. It was cinnamon flavored. "Heninah, heninah." She chanted. Suddenly, it went out. Jenny opened her eyes to stare up at Snapevine dressed in a clown suit.

"Do you like clowns?" Snapevine asked quietly.

"Well, in my younger days, I was scared of clowns. Ooh! Once, there was this clown, and he took this thing, and he... uh, anyway, then he told me, 'If you believe in yourself, and with a tiny pinch of magic, all your dreams can come true!' Then, I told him that he was the master of torture. Then, he gave me a Krabby Patty, and it was nasty! It had a piece of mold growing on it, and I think something was living inside it. So, I screamed and threw it in his face, and he started chasing me, and then he turned into Ms. Gibbs, the evil French teacher, and she was chasing me through an elaborate maze of tunnels in this hospital/ torture chamber thingy for a field trip on the 1st day of school, and then I was jumping around on lily pads and rescuing a long-lost sneaker from a watery grave but she snuck up on me and I fled, fled for my life until I got to a bus where Ms. Hickey was waiting and then I fainted. Actually, that was a dream I had, but I was scared of clowns anyway. " Jenny replied.

"Are you still scared of clowns?" The Royal Vine questioned.

"Yeah..." Jenny said.