Chapter Thirteen
Loss and a Kidnap
Professor Ferrotte was in a worst state than she had been the entire Year. Madam Treaten tried to assist her and allow her to watch the Quidditch game, but she kept saying things like "He won't let me go! He won't allow me!"
"Of course he will," Madam Treaten had said to her. "Harry wants you to go to the Quidditch game, Cavusa."
Then, Professor Ferrotte started screaming at the top of her voice.
Terry, Travis, and Alia all enjoyed the Quidditch match. The Hufflepuffs had some of the best Beaters Terry had ever seen. They had taken out the Slytherin Keeper, Yardena Stinsta, and two Chasers (one just happened to be Jacelyn Goyle) so the Hufflepuffs were able to score without much intrusion; the Hufflepuffs won one hundred-forty to ten.
Because of this, the Ravenclaws were happy. The Quidditch Cup was basically in the bag for them. They were in first place and were beating Gryffindor (which was in second place) by sixty points.
Alia got great glee knowing that the Slytherins had lost and their was no chance of them catching up. Ethilina had lost...lost a losing battle against Alia. Alia would gloat about this whenever she saw Ethilina and soon, Ethilina grew to be very bitter.
One day, while they were cuing up in the dungeons for Potions, Ethilina was at her sourest.
"Hey, Clavereaux," said Ethilina, prodding Alia in the back. "What did you have to do to get that haircut? Twirl your hair around a bunch of bubotubers? It looks greasy enough."
Alia twirled around. "At least I don't have the face of a match. Do you even eat anything, or were you force fed Shrinking Solution as a child?"
"You're just used to looking in the mirror and seeing fat all over your face you don't recognize being truly petit. And the company you keep. A wizard from a poor family and a Mudblood. Tut tut."
That was the final straw. Terry and Travis both pulled out their wands. Terry was halfway pronouncing the words for the Spinning Hex and Travis almost through with the Perplexing Hex but Alia stopped them by putting her arm in front of them.
"Oh!" said Ethilina. Her voice sounded like a mother talking to her baby. "Is Ickle Widdle Cwavereaux doing to defend her widdle friends? How sweet."
Alia pulled out her wand like lightning and screamed as loud as she could, "Noenaeris!"
Like an invisible hand had done it, Ethilina's feet were lifted off the ground. She was floating in midair and then, with an ear piercing scream, Ethilina feel hard and was nearly flattened on the hard stone floor.
"What is going on here!"
Snape, with his usual sweeping cloak and evil, greasy face came out of his office.
"Clabbereaux addacked be," said Ethilina. Her nose and been squashed when he landed. It was red and swollen. "I was poking fun ad her and she hexed be."
"Well, well, well," said Snape, looking over at Alia with something like amusement. "Magic in the corridors and attacking a fellow student. I don't think this is allowed, Clavereaux. How does a detention sound?"
"Please, sir, she was provoked, sir," said Claire Hairan. "Ethilina was insulting her and — "
"Silence!" shouted Snape. "I will not be spoken back to! Five points from Ravenclaw! Now, Clavereaux. You will stay behind after class and we will set up your detention. Now, the rest of you: IN!"
The class hurried in and Snape slammed the door behind him. It was another hard lesson in which Ellistris Kanteroff cried again. Terry did reasonably well, so Snape glided by him without a word. Alia did well, but Ethilina secretly dropped a bit of frog spawn in and Alia's potion started to bubble and froth. Snape was then able to criticize it.
At the end of class, Terry and Travis waited outside Snape's classroom and leaned against the door and they heard the hissing voice of Snape and the soft and annoyed voice of Alia trying to argue over the time and place of her detention. After a few moments, Alia came hurrying out of Snape's dark classroom with an even darker expression.
"I have the scrub the picture frames on the first and the seventh floors. They're both huge. I have to do it all in one night or he's going to double the time I have to work. Example: I don't finish in one night, I have to do two more nights which adds up to be three nights of work. If I don't finish what I have to do on those nights, I have to do three more nights for a grand total of six night of working my butt off!"
"Whoa!" said Travis. "That's harsh, isn't it?"
"No kidding!" said Alia, curtly. "I hope that Professor Ferrotte goes so far insane that she starts attacking people and gets her revenge on Snape!"
Marigold had been working the Quidditch team so hard that Terry, Travis, and Alia had no time to do homework and if they had time they were far too tired to do any work.
The teachers also had them working like dogs because it was a month until exams were due to begin. Professors Dannersham, Granger, Snape, Elnota, Mourn, Budman, and Grubbly–Plank all gave them difficult homework and excruciating classwork. The school adapted a silent tone that any slam of a closing book or a scraping of a moving chair sounded oddly magnified and alien. Alia, who had become jumpy from all the stress, would make a sort of squeak anytime someone performed a loud spell or if Peragu attempted to throw a party.
The last week of May, the entire school was thoroughly excited and on edge on account of the fact the final Quidditch match of the entire Year was to be played that morning. Blue and red (and three or four people Terry, Travis, and Alia could identify) were worn by fourteen players with brooms over their shoulders.
Marigold, who was a pasty white, came up and informed the Ravenclaws (and Taylor Kinsburn informed the Gryffindors) it was time to go out to the Quidditch field. The two teams trudged down to the pitch and Marigold took the Ravenclaws into a review of everything they had learned the entire Year.
"Remember to use the Sloth Grip Roll, the Cork Screw Roll, and the Somersault Roll to avoid Bludgers. Clavereaux and Norron, I thought the Hufflepuffs were clever by taking out the Chasers and Keeper. Go for the Keeper, especially. And Beaters, keep our Chasers safe. The Gryffindors are sixty points behind us so, as long as we catch the Snitch and win...we should win. That means that this is up to you, Terry. Everyone clear?"
"Clear," said the team. Marigold grinned the biggest grin yet. This was the first time the team had ever replied without being sarcastic or something less than excited.
Terry and the rest of the team heard Peragu's commentary and knew it was time to join the rest of the school outside. They grabbed their brooms with shaking hands and carried them out into the bright sunlight of the stadium.
"And the Ravenclaw team has come out. They all look stunning in their blue robes and Natasha Skile's blonde hair makes her look like a visitor from heaven."
"Ahem!" said Professor Granger.
"Sorry, Professor. Just expressing myself. And the Gryffindor team is here," he said with something like boredom.
The red-clad players came out of the changing rooms and met the blue ones in the middle of the field. Madam Soan ordered the team captains to shake hands. They did with determined and sinister and intimidating looks floating around their faces.
Madam Soan gave the signal to mount their brooms and a moment later, she blew her whistle and the two teams flew into the air for the last time in the entire term. The front six players, as Terry could see, were playing their hardest. They threw fast, they flew fast, and they ran headlong into each other to knock the other off their broom fast.
"Ronnald — Baum — Haroldman — Hit by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by Ravenclaw — Skile catches — Tanes — Raymond — Dodges Ronnald — Approaches goal — And misses!"
Terry was thoroughly working his Zephryn hard. It was going at top speed and James Potter was attempting to through him off course, but the Zephryn's pinpoint precision was able to swerve out of the way and continue to circle the stadium.
James was tailing him. Then, on a sudden inspiration, Terry sped up and shot off purposefully. He made sudden turns and changed direction many times. If all went well, he would convince James he saw the Snitch and would be able to throw him off.
"And Gryffindor is in the lead one hundred to zero," said Peragu's magically magnified voice.
Terry stopped when he heard this. "Ow!" said Terry. If he didn't catch the Snitch soon, Gryffindor would win. But, at the moment, he had a determined Gryffindor tailing him. He went forward again and he heard the whooshing of James' broom behind him. He flew in a spiral around the Gryffindor goal posts and James followed. Terry then flew up, up, up, higher than the goal posts, higher than the stadium, higher then the Astronomy Tower back at the castle.
He made an about–face and flew downward. James, of course, did the same. Terry past the highest seat in the stands, the highest goal post, and soon, he was only fifty feet away from the ground. He was getting closer, which meant James was too. He remembered hearing about what he was about to do from Fraton, and it would probably work. As Terry, was but six feet away, he made a sharp turn up and started flying level with the ground. There was an definite crunch and he knew that James had collided with the ground.
"Sorry about that, mate!" yelled Terry over his shoulder. "It had to be done!"
Terry continued to fly without a slightest hint of the Snitch.
"Raymond — Tanes — Skile — Tanes again — Skile again — at the goal — Tonas catches."
Terry was on his third lap of the pitch. He was by the Ravenclaw goals and a large black something zoomed at him. He ducked and the Bludger flew off to pursue Baum. He glanced up and saw a tiny golden glint off at the other end of the field. Terry went as fast as his broom would allow and was soon not far behind the Snitch. The Gryffindor Beaters noticed that Terry was going after the Snitch and shot both the Bludgers at Terry. Terry tried to dodge them, but one hit the back of his broom and he fell forward and as he did, something small, round, and fluttering was put into his hand.
"Ravenclaw wins the Quidditch Cup! RAVENCLAW WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!" Peragu shouted. "One hundred fifty to one hundred forty!"
Madam Soan had landed and was jumping up and down with excitement. Travis and Alia had flown over to Terry and Alia hugged him. Marigold was crying with happiness. James Potter was applauding politely and gave Terry the thumbs up. Natasha hugged Terry too and Gary was applauding.
"Well done, Terry! Well done!" screamed Marigold though her tears.
The Ravenclaw team all landed and met Professor Potter in the middle of the field.
"It is my honor," said Professor Potter, "to award the Quidditch cup to Ravenclaw." He handed the large trophy to Marigold was absolutely beaming.
Peragu took the Quidditch Cup (as most would) as an excuse to though a party. This shindig was the best one of the entire Year. Decorations were on every inch of the walls and ceiling. Tons of food crowded a tiny table on the left side wall and the common room was holding its maximum capacity. Peragu outdid himself with the nicking and brought what could have been a five course meal and could have filled a giant's bladder.
Marigold conjured some dwarfs to sing as everyone mingled.
"Too bad Professor Ferrotte couldn't have seen the match," said Alia. "I think she would have enjoyed it."
"How do you know?" asked Travis. "You barely knew her."
"Well," said Alia, "who wouldn't have enjoyed that match."
It didn't take long for Terry and Travis to answer. When they did, they said in unison: "Ethilina."
A week later, the school was studying its hardest as in four days, exams were going to begin. On top of that, Alia had her detention the night before the exams. Terry and Travis sat at a tiny circular table looking up incomplete charming and waiting for Alia to return from the first and seventh floors.
"I don't think Alia will be back anytime soon," said Travis, looking at a grandfather clock in the corner by the owl statue hole. "The first floor has ten classrooms each with at least five portraits in each and then the seventh floor is nicely decorated too."
"Well, you never know," said Terry. "She's good at being quick so she may have hurried. I don't think she wants to work two more nights."
It soon grew apparent that Alia wasn't hurrying. One o'clock in the morning passed and two went by in a flash. Terry didn't even realize three had past until he looked the clock and saw the hands indicated that it was four–fifteen.
Terry went to bed at five and awoke at seven, so he was extremely tired the next morning. This wasn't good because over the course of the next three days he would be taking ten tests and exams. He got dressed and went downstairs to the Great Hall.
Alia was sitting by herself at the Ravenclaw table; Travis hadn't woken up yet. Terry moved his way over to her and she shot up out of her seat as if electricity had been run through it. She ran down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.
"Terry!" she whispered. This confused Terry because they were in the middle of a crowded dining hall.
"What?" asked Terry, going along with what Alia was doing and whispering too.
"Come with me," she hissed and she ran out of the hall. Terry ran after her and when he entered the Entrance Hall, Alia stared at him until the door closed behind him.
"I know where the Plunderer's Eye is," she said, forgetting her hushing voice. "I know where it is!"
"Where?" asked Terry, urgently. "Tell me." This seemed a bit odd. How could a girl cleaning picture frames for a detention find something that a Dark wizard was looking for also?
"On the seventh floor. It was behind the picture of a woman dressed in shawls," said Alia quickly.
From behind Alia came the sound of footsteps. They grew louder and Travis tottled down from the Ravenclaw Tower looking disgruntled and disheveled.
"Mor — mor — morning all," yawned Travis. "What's going on?"
"Alia's found the Plunderer's Eye," said Terry. He was a bit skeptical about Alia's theory of finding it behind a portrait of a woman who could have been his aunt.
"You did?" asked Travis. He was now fully awake and his eyes were huge. "Where?"
"Seventh floor," said Alia. "Behind a portrait. I can show you."
She dashed up the marble staircase and made a right onto the Grand Staircase.
"Should we follow?" asked Terry.
"Do we have a choice?"
They followed Alia up the Marble Staircase, and up seven flights of stairs to the seventh floor and onto the seventh floor corridor. Alia was waiting by the portrait of the woman with the shawls.
Terry approached the portrait and when he got a good look at the woman, he knew that there no mistaking that the portrait was of his Aunt Sibyll. He recognized her from her hair to her glasses to her shawls to her dress.
"The thing you've been dreading will happen on the eleventh of June," said Aunt Sibyll's portrait in a misty and ethereal voice.
"Yeah, we'll keep that in mind," said Alia.
"Alia," said Terry, "This is my Aunt Sibyll. I'm sure it is. She's too weird not to be."
"The one who fakes is the one you seek," said the portrait Aunt Sibyll.
"Alright, sure, now shut up," said Terry. "Now, Alia, how do you get in?"
Alia smiled, but looked around cautiously. "Well, I had a rag and a bottle of Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover. I was rubbing this frame — " she dropped her voice " — and listening to your mad old aunt — " her voice returned " — and it just sort of swung." She put her hand on the bottom right hand corner of the frame it was able to push it to reveal a round hole that seemed to descend.
"This is it," said Alia, triumphantly. "The Plunderer's Eye is down there."
"How do you know?" asked Travis. "I don't think you would have jumped down there."
"Travis, honestly!" said Alia. "Think about it! This is obviously not going to take you to the kitchens. It's too dark and too much like a tunnel. The secret passages here are a bit more...sophisticated. This floor has been destroyed by someone who seems the type to want to get the Plunderer's eye, and this is the only passageway we don't know where it goes. I asked Peragu; he's never heard of this passageway."
"Well, it seems a little too easy to get in though," said Travis. "Snape tore this place apart. Do you think there is the slightest chance he didn't check behind this old bat?"
"Bats foretell the comings of great illnesses," said Aunt Sibyll.
"Shut up!" said Alia. "Travis! Believe me. The Plunderer's Eye is down there. We better keep an eye on Snape to make sure he doesn't come up here to try and steal it or very bad and grim things will happen."
Alia turned on her heel and walked out of the corridor.
"The Grim, my dears, is an omen of death!"
"SHUT UP!"
Terry, Travis, and Alia's exams were difficult indeed. Professor Grubbly-Plank had them write an essay on hex deflection. They had to pick the proper diet for a Venemous Tentacula for Professor Budman. A paper on Medieval dueling was required from Professor Elnota.
The next day, Professor Dannersham made them write about incomplete Transfiguration. Professor Granger had them write a paper on the theory of Levitation Charms. Snape had them brew up a Forgetfulness Potion while he swept between them and staring into their cauldrons with disapproving eyes. That night at Midnight, they went up to the Astronomy Tower to stare though some telescopes and write down some constellations.
Friday, the last day of testing, consisted only two practical exams. Transfiguration was alright. They had to turn mice into snuffboxes. Alia was able to turn her large white mouse into an ornate snuffbox while Travis' still had whiskers. He lost points for this. Professor Granger had them make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. And then...they were done.
Terry, Travis, and Alia wouldn't have to deal with final exams again for another Year. They spent the rest of the afternoon outside by the lake with Natasha, Gary, and Peragu, just laughing, joking, and talking. Flick flew down from a Ravenclaw Tower window and joined them. Natasha and Flick took a liking to each other immediately. They splashed a bit in the lake and the combined forces of Terry, Travis, Alia, Natasha, and Peragu were able to toss Gary, who was reluctant to get wet, into the lake. He emerged sopping wet and with bits of lake weed dangling from his arm.
They went up to the common room and sat in front of the aqua-colored fire. Terry made a whistling noise to try and summon Midnight...but no one came down the boys' staircase.
Terry walked up to the staircase and yelled up, "Midnight! You up there!"
"I haven't seen her lately," said Alia. "I wonder where she is."
Then, Davis and Benjamin came down the staircase. "Is some one hurt or something? Who was yelling?" asked Davis.
"It was me, Davis," said Terry. "Have either of you seen my cat?"
"No, sorry, mate," said Benjamin. "Haven't seen her."
They stepped off the stairs and strode across the common room and left through the owl statue passageway.
The three of them split up and searched every floor. Alia took the dungeons, ground, and first floor. Terry searched the second, third, and fourth while Travis ferreted around the fifth, sixth, and seventh. None of them found one thing in the nine levels of the castle.
Terry felt half awake the next couple of days. After Midnight left, he felt like she had taken away his alertness and willing to do anything active along with her as baggage. Whether Terry, Travis, and Alia were dueling, pigging out on sweets, chatting, pigging out on sweets, flying around the grounds on brooms, or pigging out on sweets; nothing felt the same to Terry. I had loved that cat dearly, and he wasn't willing to accept her disappearance.
The day before the exam grades were due to be released was Travis' birthday. Terry had bought him a pack of Self-Shuffling Exploding Snap cards that made popping noises when they were shuffled and Alia had gotten him a tiny glass model of a wand that emitted tiny crystalline sparks when ever it was touched with a wand.
Still with no sign of Midnight, Thursday approached. Professor Granger moved down the aisles and distributed tiny leaflets with the grades printed on them. She handed Terry's to him with a smile and moved on to give Travis and Alia their's.
"What'd you get, Terry?" asked Travis, looking on to Terry's paper.
Terry read:
Terrence Ollivander
Transfiguration-E
Charms-O
Herbology-E
History of Magic-A
Astronomy- E
Defense Against -O
the Dark Arts
Potions-A
"Reasonably good," said Terry. He was surprised he had passed Potions. He was sure that Snape would have found someway to funk him, but Terry guess he had been marked down a bit.
Next to Travis, Alia was reading her grades out loud.
"Hmm, let's see," she said. "Transfiguration: 'O.' Charms: 'O.' Herbology: 'O.' History of Magic: 'E.' Astronomy: 'E.' Defense Against the Dark Arts: 'E.' And...Potions..." Alia made a sort of squeak. "'P!' 'P' for Poor! That no good...!"
"Well, you and he never really hit it off," said Travis. "What did you expect?"
Just then, Ethilina took that time to say loudly, "I knew that I would get an 'O' in Potions. It's all who you know and Professor Snape and my father are old friends!"
"I hate her," said Alia. "She's just bitter because of the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin lost every match they played."
The students now had a week to do anything they wanted to do without the burden of studying and classes. Monday, Terry, Travis and Alia rounded up some fellow Quidditch players and had an unofficial broom racing tournament. Terry beat James Potter, Logan Renfield beat Travis, Alia beat Natasha, and Marigold beat Lilly Williand. Then, Terry beat Logan and Alia beat Marigold. The final match was the longest one yet. The others would be a race just around the Quidditch pitch, but this match was a race around the entire grounds. Terry and Alia raced over the lake, around the castle, and back into the Quidditch pitch. In the end, Alia flew back first and Terry was left in the dust.
Tuesday was a bore...there was nothing to do. The biggest excitement of the day was learning about James Potter having to scrub the bedpans in the hospital wing because he let off a Dungbomb in the dungeons. But, Wednesday, Terry, Travis, and Alia decided to visit the library to research some more dueling techniques. The library was deserted; no other students even thought of learning after the term ended.
Alia had found a new hex she wanted to learn. When she opened the book something interrupted her studying. Something that sounded scary and worried.
"ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO THEIR DORMITORIES IMMEDIATELY! TEACHERS, COME TO THE THIRD FLOOR," echoed Professor Granger's voice. It was shaken and broke a couple of times.
"What do you reckon is going on?" asked Travis.
"I dunno," said Terry. "Want to find out?"
They put their stuff up and exited the library after Mr Fulton. They ran in front of him down the stairs and were able to slip into the third floor unnoticed. They hid in the deserted Charms classroom and all pressed an ear to a crack in the door.
Hurried footsteps grew louder and entered the third floor corridor.
"What's going on, Hermione?" asked Professor Budman voice.
Professor Granger was sobbing.
"It's horrible! Horrible!" she wailed.
"Tell us what's the matter," said a the voice of a wizard they didn't know.
"Yes, tell us," said Professor Dannersham.
More footsteps, slower and calmer could be heard now. Along with the footsteps, the sweeping of a long cloak.
"What is this about, Hermione?" asked the calm voice of Professor Potter.
"Harry!' Professor Granger exclaimed. "It's James! James has been taken."
Terry had to stamp on Alia's foot. She had gasped loudly and he didn't want to be discovered eavesdropping on a bunch of teachers having a private conversation.
"How do you know?" asked Professor Potter, now urgent and short. "What makes you think this?"
"I was going to go pay a visit to Cavusa and — and —" she sniffed "there was a note posted on the infirmary doors. Horrible...written in what looked like — blood. 'I have your little Mr Potter. Don't follow,' it said. "They have James, Harry! THEY HAVE JAMES!"
Professor Granger cried some more. Two sets of footsteps were heard again and Professor Budman and Madam Soan were saying comforts to her. The footsteps were heard again and then their was a groan of a chair; Professor Budman and Madam Soan had forced Professor Granger to sit down.
"Is all our number present?" asked Professor Potter.
"Hmm, let me see," said the voice of Professor Elnota. "We're missing Cavusa, of course, and...oh...where's Severus?"
"I expect he'll be along. Heads of house: go alert your students. Others, go and wait in your offices until further notice. Hermione, I think we should go and write the Ministry."
The crowd left with a loud amount of noise. Terry, Travis, and Alia didn't move until the sounds of Professor Granger's sobs had vanished from earshot. When they had, they opened the door and entered the corridor.
"James...I don't believe it. James..." said Alia, just staring forward. "James, of all people."
"I blame Snape for this!" said Travis. "He's obviously done this! Who else?"
"I know where Snape went," said Terry. "He's probably up on the seventh floor trying to get the Plunderer's Eye. He's holding James hostage so that no one will come after him because if they just start throwing spells at Snape they could hit James, the scum!"
"We have to go after him! No one knows it's him. You heard Potter. He just thought Snape was running late," said Alia.
"But, we're not even sure it's Snape! We're not even sure that's where the Plunderer's Eye is!" said Travis, throwing his hands in the air. " We could climb down that tunnel, get hurt, get down to the bottom, and find that's where Potter keeps his spare robes!"
"Come on, Travis! Do you want to sit here and let Snape take the Plunderer's Eye and take James fine by me. I'm going!" Alia turned around and stomped away. Terry and Travis exchanged quizzical looks and followed her.
Back in the common room, Terry went up to his truck in the boys' dormitory and grabbed the Masker Fraton had given him for Christmas. He might need it.
Terry came down and noticed that everyone looked solemn and distraught. Madam Soan had obviously been by to tell the Ravenclaws of James' fate. By the owl statue hole, a couple of second Years were sitting with their cheeks in their hands and their elbows resting on their knees.
"Oh, great! How are we supposed to get by them?" asked Alia under her breath.
An idea struck Terry. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at a pile of books.
"Unofruor," he said. The books all started to read themselves aloud and Alia and Travis were able to charm them to fly around the common room. People leapt up, trying to avoid the mad books and when pandemonium had broken out, Terry, Travis, and Alia slipped through the owl statue hole.
Even though it only took ten minutes to get to the seventh floor, it felt like ten hours to Terry, Travis, and Alia. They were the only ones who knew about Snape's plan to take the Plunderer's Eye and their were the only ones who knew he had James with him. Terry was amazed to find the corridors and staircases deserted. The three of them didn't see one living person (excluding Lady Anguia, who is in fact not living) their entire way up the Grand Staircase.
They finally reached the door to the seventh floor corridor and opened it slowly. It creaked something terrible, like a giant crow cawing at dusk, warning them to stay away. But, they couldn't stay away. One of their friends was in trouble, and the entire wizarding world might be in trouble if they didn't stop Snape.
"Good, evening, my dears," said the portrait of Aunt Sibyll. "I fear that my Inner Eye has foretold me that those who have been lurking around in the middle of the night, are going to meet a most unpleasant — "
"Yeah, Yeah, cut the small talk," said Alia, moving Aunt Sibyll out of the way of the hole. When the dark tunnel appeared, all Terry, Travis, and Alia could do was stare at it. Just stare. Nothing more. It was Alia who spoke first.
"Who wants to go first?" asked Alia, looking at her two comrades.
"I don't," said Travis. "Snape would finish me off in a second."
"I'll go," said Terry, stepping forward. "I'll disguise myself with the Masker. If you hear something like me getting hurt, go tell Potter. Tell him everything. He might be able to stop Snape if I can't."
He pulled the gelatinous gooey thing out of his pocket and stuck it to his face with an odd squelching noise. "Professor Potter," said Terry.
Terry's body elongated, making him taller. His hair turned jet black and started to grow very untidy. An odd pickling feeling was creeping along his forehead; Professor Potter's lightning bolt scar was forming. Like it had with Fraton, his vision became blurred and out of focus. He was the spitting image of Professor Potter.
"See you," he said, and he climbed up into the hole. He situated himself so he was lying on his back and used his arms to propel himself down the chute.
Left and right, left and right, Terry swayed back and forth in the round tube shooting downward towards Snape and the Plunderer's Eye. The slope of the tunnel started out quite level, but soon, it started to get more and more vertical until, at one moment, Terry was falling instead of sliding. The wind was passing his face and his hair was flying like whips flying from his head.
Suddenly, the darkness turned to a faint grayish glow and Terry landed with a thud on a hard, stone floor. The Masker flew off his face and landed over by James. He got up unsteadily and tripped on his robes. He stood up and had the shock of his life.