Badger's Den

Cedric was frustrated. He and Abercrombie would have found the relevant detention records and come out without any trouble whatsoever. But some idiot had decided to set off some firecrackers to harass the caretaker at that exact moment! If they had not struck today, Hufflepuff would have won. But there was nothing for it now. He and Abercrombie had been found outside Filch's office and lost 5 points apiece with a detention each.

He turned to Harriet, "You were supposed to keep an eye on Filch and tell us if he was coming back. Why couldn't you holler for us?"

Harriet had been thinking about that, "I don't know. I mean I thought I should shout for you all to run but when the firecracker went off, I got distracted. I went looking in that direction for the culprit. You wouldn't believe it but there was no one there. I mean I wanted to see who was idiot enough to cause trouble right outside Filch's office but no! It was like they had disappeared into thin air."

Wilson scowled, "You can't apparate in and out of the castle, Kelsen. They must have been hiding themselves in some other way. That's the only explanation."

Abercrombie asked them, "Why all the interest in them anyway? Someone had a grudge with Filch and they just chose the most inopportune time to act on it. That's all. We'll have to try again some other time. Next time, we'll have to make sure that there is no one hiding in the corridor to thwart our plan."

Cedric nodded but his mind was stuck on one tiny detail that Harriet mentioned. He couldn't claim to know the castle better than Filch or the twins or even Hadrian Potter-Black but he was reasonably certain that there was no secret way near Filch's office where anyone could disappear. Also there was no other place for people to hide themselves. Unless someone was using a disillusionment charm or an invisibility cloak, there was no way for them to disappear. That gave rise to the question as to why one would go to the lengths of using such a charm just to harass Filch and Invisibility Cloaks weren't that common. Only those who had a ludicrous pile of gold or connections in the right places could own one. Even his father who worked with creatures in the ministry wasn't able to obtain one. He decided to keep his eyes open and pay attention to everything that happened around him.

The serpent's tricks

The serpents too were running through everything that they knew about Argus Filch. One thing that could be credited to them was that they never played their hand until they knew all the cards. Information was something that they valued and they always made sure to make some use of it. So what they wanted before they committed their heist was information. Particularly they were looking for information about Filch's office and on the other teams.

They were crooked enough to know that they couldn't expect everyone to play fair especially the twins. Those two hadn't obtained the position of pranksters in residence by being honest and upfront about it and the serpents knew it. What they had not taken into account in their calculations was Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom.

They knew that Harry was behind transforming the student's opinions but at the same time they didn't know anything about him being responsible for Peevesie antagonizing the Slytherins for no fault of theirs. They didn't know that he was the one behind Snape's dungeons stinking like dragon dung. They didn't know he had lost them all those points in one night because they had antagonized Ernie Macmillan. So they had appointed Griffith and Fawley heiress to keep an eye on the twins and they had nothing to report so far. Since the competition was announced, the twins had gone cold turkey. As far as the serpents knew, they were doing nothing. Hadrian Potter-Black meanwhile was too busy playing in the political arena to care about it. Perhaps those 100 Galleons were destined to come to the serpents. They also knew that two of the badgers had been put in detention by Filch and one of their attempts had been thwarted. They were also curious about it but like others, they had no idea how that had happened.

The heir of Du Vant had been tasked with keeping an eye on Potter-Black but Potter- Black looked like he had all the time in the world to do whatever he wished except making any plan. Only Bole was suspicious of Harry's apparent ease because he understood what others couldn't. Harry was raised by the Blacks. If anyone after Slytherin knew anything about scheming, they were the Blacks. Hadrian Potter-Black was up to something.

It was with a view to keep an eye on Potter-Black that he approached Pucey, "Adrian, I want a word."

Adrian who was with his friends talking about something inconsequential, asked him warily, "What do you want, Bole?"

Bole was undeterred by his demeanor, "In private, if you please."

Pucey followed him to their dorm which was empty at that moment. When they were sure that they wouldn't be over-heard, Adrian asked him, "What do you want?"

He asked him without preamble, "What do you know about Potter-Black?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow, "What is it about, Bole? As far as I know Potter-Black has never antagonized you."

Bole insisted, "Would you answer the damn question?"

Adrian shrugged, "Alright! Potter-Black is a fine bloke. Never meddles with other's affairs needlessly and certainly doesn't seek any enmity with anyone. Why do you ask?"

Bole told him about the prank competition and when he was done telling, he said further, "I don't think that the Weasleys are really behind this. I mean they don't have the galleons to stake. It is all Potter-Black, I tell you."

Adrian mused, "Hmm… he certainly is Slytherin enough in his dealings. Having lived with Lord Black he must have learnt a thing or two from him. And then he has Sirius Black as godfather and I have heard snippets of conversation about him and James Potter being pranksters in their own time. So, what do you want of me?"

"I want you to keep an eye on him. I think he is up to something and would resort to tricks to win this thing. I want you to keep an eye on him and let me know if he is plotting something."

Adrian eyed him warily, "Are you out of your mind, Lucian? You just said that he is as Slytherin as they come yet you think he would open up to me? He would see through your ploy and lead me around by the nose. Besides I am not a fan of cheap tricks. You want to win this then use your talents."

Bole already knew that Pucey wouldn't agree but he just couldn't give up without trying.

Oh Isobel!

The next morning, like the last day Harry chose the Slytherin table and this time he sat at the far end with Pucey, Neville and Du Vant. He knew it would take time for others to come to terms with him sitting at their table or open up to him and he was willing to wait.

"Potter-Black", Du Vant asked him, "Have you made any preparations?"

Harry, looking the very picture of innocence, responded evasively, "I'm sure that I don't know what you mean, Heir Du Vant."

A bit later, when Malfoy came into the Great Hall, he sneered, "What's your game? Are you trying to suck up to them, Potter-Black?"

Harry did not deign to answer him. Instead Pucey replied this time, "Malfoy, you can always pick a fight with him later. For now, let us eat in peace or I will have to complain to our Head of House about you."

Draco turned to him, "my father will hear about this."

Neville snorted, "And what will he do about it, Malfoy? As I've heard, he doesn't have the political clout he used to have. His gold has been rapidly squandered recently and he lost his standing among his peers. The House of Pucey on the other hand is respected by everyone. Do you think anyone would stand with your father in this current political climate?"

Draco of course realized the truth in Neville's words but could not admit it, "You will see Longbottom."

Neville gave him a very casual look, "Malfoy, I am always here, ready to see whatever you have to show me."

"I trust that you are not fighting, boys", said Professor Flitwick who was coming down that row. He herded Malfoy and his cronies away, "Mr. Malfoy, it would be wise to have your breakfast and go. Classes will start soon."

That noon, Neville stayed behind in the Greenhouses while Harry went to do some research in the library. Isobel found him there, "Harry, I thought you were to remind me to tell you what I was talking about."

Harry shook his head, "No. You said to remind you but I had not promised. However I am curious to hear you."

She nodded, "I know what you are doing with the students."

He arched an eyebrow, "And just what do you think I'm doing?"

She smirked, "You are marking your territory."

Harry asked her curiously, "And please explain Miss McDougall what do you mean by marking my territory? I am not a cat, dog, wolf or bear."

She waved him off, "Making friends with students in every house, having them unite behind you and getting them to do whatever you want. If that isn't marking your territory then I'll eat my hat."

Harry chuckled, "That poor piece of fabric would be poor fare, Isobel. I mean I don't have any intention to be a ruler or anything. What I want is a very peaceful existence in this school for the next seven years. If that means making peace with others then that's not so bad."

She huffed, "Alright. I'll prove it."

Harry had avoided directly answering her question for now. But, he was still curious. How Isobel could have guess his plan amused him. That also made him more wary of everyone around him. Arcturus Orion Black had taught him not to trust his own shadow in matters where secrecy was required. Maybe he needed to watch his words more and let Neville know to do the same. In a way it was good that he found this mistake so early. He had time to correct it.

Egg of the dragon

Quirrell decided that getting a dragon's egg would solve one predicament for him. The egg would make the oaf speak if he played those cards very carefully. Getting a dragon's egg was not easy. Getting a live egg on the black market would take more gold than he could raise with a teacher's salary. Dragons could not be bred in someone's backyard. They were bred in Reserves where they would be under high security. For Voldemort, the security would not have presented any challenge but for Quirrell it may be difficult. Then there was another problem. He couldn't just leave the castle to go and fetch a Dragon's egg.

He had classes to teach and Severus was dogging his steps at every moment. If he just disappeared, he would be missed immediately. He would have to ask for Dumbledore's permission. The old fool may try to learn where he was headed. He had to deal with a hundred issues and there was no solution to them.

He decided to come up with some pretense to get out of the castle. There has to be something which only Quirrell could do and then there was no way that Dumbledore would be able to refuse him permission to leave the castle. Perhaps the pretext of some personal issue that would require his attendance or obtaining a creature for his class which Kettleburn did not already have and could not obtain quickly. Yes, obtaining a creature. That was close enough to the truth to make the lie convincing.

The claws aren't too sharp

The claws had done their research. They were meticulous in their preparations. They liked to plan to the point of perfection before they acted on it. Harry knew how they worked and he knew they would spend about three days making their preparations before they struck.

Sure enough Sean Murphy had been trailing Filch for two days taking note of the path he took through the castle and how much time he spent doing anything. When he was not at it, Shikhar Gupta trailed him. Between them they had some sort of a plan ready. Their planning was so meticulous that they had one of their number loiter outside of Filch's office on the pretext of reading the list of forbidden items, something that nobody in living memory had ever done before. Filch had growled at that student, threatening detention and suspecting they were up to some mischief while the student made a detailed study of Filch's office. His office was practically bare except for the table in the room and some filing cabinets along one wall. The table had a few drawers. There was no telling what could be in those drawers. It was a magical world. If someone had charmed a drawer with the bottomless charm, there could be any number of things in it and nobody would be the wiser. Then there were a lot of drawers in the cabinets and there was no way they could know if they were ordinary or charmed. They also knew of the botched attempt of the Hufflepuff's to retrieve the desired records and they didn't want a repeat of it.

Their plan was similar to that of the Hufflepuffs with some slight alterations. They decided that it was time to act. The only snag was that they didn't know about the map. Neville Longbottom was dutifully keeping an eye on them.

That night after curfew, Filch was on the rounds of the castle when he heard a distinct crashing sound. From his years of patrolling the castle and dealing with the various menaces therein, such as the students and Peeves, he was sure that the sound involved a suit of armor somewhere on the sixth floor. One of Peeves' favorite pass-time was to push them over when he was feeling bored. Taking a few trusted shortcuts, he arrived at the scene faster than anyone could have guessed a man of his age and in his apparent physical condition could. The couple of claws who were on the look-out flashed the signal to their comrades to make the move.

Unfortunately for them, the little menace known as Longbottom was also prowling the castle, armed with the invisibility cloak and the map that Harry had loaned to him. Lately he had taken to camping around Filch's office in the night. When he saw Filch moving and the dots of Ravenclaw students out of their common room, he knew they were up to something.

Thanks to Remus who had taught him a complicated locking charm which the Marauders had created, Neville secured Filch's door. He knew the claws wouldn't be able to open the door and neither would Filch for that matter. When he left Filch's office, he saw the claws descending and standing in a corner. He decided to stay and watch the spectacle. It was too good to miss.

Shikhar Gupta and Sean Murphy were to cause the distraction while Agnes Reid and Esmeralda Vasquez had come to do the actual deed. Esmeralda tried to yank open the door but couldn't. As per their research, Filch was a squib, meaning that he couldn't use magic. Yet the door was locked by magic anyway and it was a charm that none of them had seen before. They kept trying every unlocking charm they knew and Neville was amused to see them try to yank the door open with all their strength. He also kept an eye on Filch to see if he was returning. He also noticed Harry was out of the Badger's Hole now. He knew that Harry would go through the Eagle's nest before he returned to the Lion's den. He was doing what was part of the other plan.

He also noticed with amusement that Filch seemed to be chasing Gupta and Murphy whom he had found at the site of the crash and they had taken him on a prowl of the castle. Shrugging his shoulders but remembering the tidbit, he paid close attention to Vasquez and Reid who were now desperately trying to open the door. All their attempts with unlocking charms were failing miserably. Neville was suppressing the urge to howl with laughter seeing them trying everything in their power to open the door. In their desperation, Vasquez even conjured a two-handed sledge-hammer to break down the door but it was a poor decision. The door could not be broken by a full grown troll and they were mere students. What's more, bashing on the door with the massive hammer made a huge booming racket that was sure to wake everyone in the castle. A quick look in between watching the claws attempting to break the door, he noticed that Filch had caught up to Gupta and Murphy and seemed to be reprimanding them.

After about 10 more minutes when he noticed that Filch was on the second floor, he decided to take his leave. He let off a dung bomb as a parting gift for the Claws and to let them know that it was time to leave. On his way back to the Gryffindor common room, he deliberately took one of Filch's favourite short-cuts and let off a couple more dung bombs in the passageway. As expected, Filch started howling at the top of his voice and trying to find the miscreants. He could smell the dung-bombs; see their remains but no one in the vicinity who could have used them. His shouts however alerted the rapidly retreating claws who knew to avoid the passageway where filch was. They knew for a fact that Filch could not do magic but whoever had locked his office certainly could.

The Lion's den

When Neville reached the Lion's den, he found Harry at the Notice Board, pinning the latest poster on it. When the portrait hole opened and there seemed to be nobody there, Harry knew Neville was back. Neville appeared from under the cloak after the portrait hole closed behind him.

Having finished putting up the notice, Harry turned to Neville, "By the grin on your face, I suppose we were successful?"

Neville couldn't hold it in any longer. He doubled over in gales of laughter. When he was able to speak again, his grin got wider, "We did. Gupta and Reid were got caught by Filch though. I think they were too busy causing mayhem to think about getting away."

Harry smirked, "No, they were showing the most obvious trait of Ravenclaw. If Filch caught them out of bounds he can give them what? A detention or two and maybe take away a few points apiece. In return for that, they get the title of 'Prankster of Hogwarts' if they get the records. To get the records, they would have tried to keep Filch away from his office for as long as they could. They perhaps got caught to buy time for their team mates."

Neville's mouth was open in shock. He could not decide whether to be in awe or laugh at their stupidity. Finally he decided that he would rather laugh about it and broke down in whole hearted laughter again. After about a good five minutes, he was able to speak again, "They aren't too sharp, are they? I mean they didn't even figure out what to do if they were stopped in any other way or if Filch's office door was locked."

Harry shrugged, "There is a reason that Fred and George are better at it than others. Anyway, we are done for the night. Tomorrow, we will see the reaction of the school."

Eagle's nest

Vasquez and Reid had escape Filch but just barely. If he had not started shouting suddenly, they would have run right into him. They would have been caught and put in detention.

When they reached the Eagle's nest they found the other two of their team waiting for them in the common room. The hope in their eyes that perhaps Vasquez and Reid had finished their work made them feel embarrassed however they had good reasons for their failure.

It was Murphy who asked her, "So, did you two get the job done?"

Vasquez shook her head, "No. We didn't get it."

Gupta cried in surprise, "Why? I mean it was tough sure but not that hard. You didn't get to check all the drawers?"

Reid answered, dejected, "We didn't even get through the door. You two idiots failed to gather all the relevant information."

Murphy asked her, "Whatever do you mean by that Agnes?"

"You people took note of everything that Filch does in his office or in the castle and how much time he spends at it but you two did not notice that the door to his office is locked with an unusual locking spell?"

"What?", Murphy asked in surprise, "How can that be? I told you that Filch is a squib. He can't cast a spell to save his own life. And even if his door was locked by magic, why didn't you use Alohomora?"

Esmeralda replied, "Of course we tried something that obvious and five or six other unlocking charms besides before we ran out of ideas. The charm that he used was different. No unlocking spell that we knew worked on it. We even tried the Anti-Alohomora spell but it didn't work either. I even tried to break down the damn thing with a hammer but it didn't budge."

Murphy was frowning, "It's just not possible. There is no way Filch can do that. However it is possible that Dumbledore may have put some new charms on his office door to prevent students from breaking in. Being the headmaster, he can do so."

Reid asked him, "So what do we do now?"

"We will wait for other teams to make a strike and then we will make ours."

Gupta groaned, "It was all hard-work wasted today and here we had improvised the plan to give you both more time to go through his drawers."

Reid arched an eyebrow, "Explain."

"When we were discussing the drawers and that they might be charmed with extension charms, we thought that perhaps we could give you more time. When Filch came up, we led him on a merry chase round and round the castle for about 10 minutes before we were caught. Then he spent 10 more minutes berating us, threatening us and then he put us in detention after taking 30 points each from us. We thought we had given you both time to find the desired records but it was all a waste."

Vasquez was incredulous, "You two morons decided to lead Filch on a wild goose chase and then get caught because somewhere in your twisted mind, you were giving us time to search his office more thoroughly? Couldn't you have asked us in advance?"

Murphy grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. But what's done is done. We will try again."

The Bishop of Hogwarts

The next day was chaos. Scratch that, since this year had started, it had been chaos every other day and this was just the newest addition to it. During the night posters had been put up in every House common room for everyone to see. They were issuing their challenge to everyone.

When the students arrived at the breakfast table, their eyes were looking for the Weasley's in particular. They apparently had something to do with the posters that had miraculously appeared in their common rooms. They were not explicitly named in it but pulling a prank like that was something they could do. There were resourceful for sure.

Before the Lions made their customary appearance behind Hadrian Potter-Black, a barn owl winged its way towards Dumbledore at the staff table. Relieving the owl of its burden, he opened the letter to read. As he proceeded, the corners of his mouth started twitching. He had to work hard to hide the smile that was trying to form on his face. The letter read:

"Dear Headmaster,

Sorry for not telling you sooner and in person. I have taken your advice about extending an Olive Branch to the Slytherins. In fact we have decided to extend it to every house. Acting under the advice that you gave to me, I have looked into what can be a healthy all-inclusive competition between the houses and reached the conclusion that a chess tournament will be a good choice. I really want a favor from you however. Can you please take the credit for whatever we have done? Imagine how good a prank it will be upon the others?

Hadrian Potter-Black.

p.s. We arranged a little surprise for everyone. I hope you will like it."

Dumbledore was amused. A first year student was presuming that his headmaster would go along with some harebrained scheme without even knowing what it was. But then maybe it wasn't too bad. He decided to humor the child this time. He had no idea what he was getting into.

Minerva who was in the seat beside him asked, "What has got you smirking, Albus?"

Slipping the letter into his robes, he replied, "Oh nothing. Just something that I had thought about yesterday and was going to formally announce today. I presume that you have already heard?"

Her head snapped up, "Do you mean that was you?"

He had no idea what it was that she was referring to. He jovially replied, "Yes Minerva, it was me. What has you so worked up?"

She said nothing but clamped her mouth shut. Dumbledore knew there was a surprise coming and he had been foretold but waited for the surprise to unravel and decided to act as surprised as others did. Owning up to Minerva didn't mean he couldn't play along. The one to bring the surprise to his attention was Severus Snape, as he expected.

Snape entered the double doors with his robes billowing behind him, his trademark sneer in place and an unpleasant expression on his face.

"Headmaster", he said curtly, "Look what they are up to now."

Dumbledore tried to keep his face expressionless as he turned to Severus, "Who? What happened, my boy?"

Severus shoved a big roll of parchment into his hand, "This! Read this!"

Dumbledore was amused by Snape's reaction to whatever was in that parchment. It must have been something funny to have rankled Severus so fiercely.

When he tried to unroll it, Severus shook his head, "Don't open it like that. It is charmed like a howler. Just tap it with your wand and let all the Great Hall hear it."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, "That's very complicated magic, my boy. Are you sure you want me to play it for all the students?"

Snape drawled, "If I didn't then I won't have brought it to your attention, Albus."

Dumbledore said with a smile at the corner of his lips, "Very well! If you say so."

Saying that he tapped the parchment and it flew open. Dumbledore immediately regretted having tapped it. There was a very loud screech which accompanied the unfurling of it. It attracted everyone's attention towards it. Looking at others' faces, he realized they all had seen it beforehand.

As the poster screeched, Seamus fell off his seat. When Dean pulled him up, he asked stupidly, "Where is the Banshee?" Others around him chuckled.

The poster screeched, "THE MARAUDER'S INC. PROUDLY PRESENTSSSSSS "THE BISHOP OF HOGWARTS CHAMPIONSHIP". Do you think-

You have what it takes to be the champion of Hogwarts?

That the sorting hat told you that you are the most-clever individual?

That you can brew potions better than Professor Snape?

You think you can perform transfigurations better than Professor McGonagall?

You can charm a quill faster than Professor Flitwick?

Think that you know better than Professor Dumbledore?

Think you can understand whatever Professor Quirrell is teaching between his stutters?

Because if you think so then you are delusional and you need to see Madam Pomfrey. Not that she would like you in the infirmary more than necessary but no one else in the castle can treat mental delusions. If you have such delusions, then you can compete in this tournament.

Open to all from all years and the winner gets the title of "Bishop of Hogwarts" not that it would mean anything considering most of my titles are just that. To ease the ache in your heart however the prize for the winner shall be 100 G. To sign up, please see Professor McGonagall.

When the poster was done speaking, he realized how much hot water he was in. Whoever had designed this poster had a rotten sense of humor. He had a good idea that Sirius and Remus shared that kind of humor but it was entirely possible that Hadrian and his friends had designed it.

Minerva was saying, "Albus you were saying?"

He turned to the Great Hall, "Oh yes, I have an announcement to make. I believe you all have seen this poster in the common rooms of your houses this morning. In the view of the increasing camaraderie between the students, I decided to make an effort to get them on friendlier terms with each other so I came up with this. As they say, rivalry is better when it is in sports."

Severus asked him in a cold drawl in low whispering voice, "Was it your doing headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled brightly or tried to, "Yes my boy. It was."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know that you were a Marauder, Headmaster."

Dumbledore improvised on the spot, "Lord Black is sponsoring this tournament so I decided to name it as per his liking."

Minerva, whose mouth now resembled a thin line, asked him curtly, "And what made you accept Lord Black's offer?"

He sighed, "Minerva, Lord Black has a seat on the Board of Governors of the school which he gave up to Mr. Bowen to sit in his stead. In addition to that, he made a generous donation of five hundred thousand Galleons to the school just this summer which allowed me to get better facilities for the students. In return for everything that he has done, I could agree to his demand."

That shut them up. Dumbledore turned to the students, "Any student can participate in this tournament. There are no restrictions upon it. Interested students can give their names to Professor McGonagall for the next week after which the lots will be drawn."

When he finished speaking, he looked at the Gryffindor table where young Harry was sitting with his friends and giving the headmaster his best lope-sided grin. Dumbledore was reluctant to admit it but Harry had just pulled one on him. In fact Dumbledore had walked into it knowing what the little miscreant was capable of.

As they were leaving the Great Hall, Neville whispered to him, "Well played Harry, well played."

Hermione who was just behind them asked, "What do you mean, Neville?"

Neville turned to her, "Harry and I designed that poster and had his guardian charm it. The words were written by his godfather who told us to send a letter to the headmaster beforehand. The headmaster, as Sirius Black had predicted, walked into it headfirst."

She huffed, "He is the headmaster."

Harry turned to her, "yes he is the headmaster and it looks better coming from him. I mean this way it can happen in the middle of the Great Hall without any need for secrecy."

Isobel who had the same class as them joined their group, "Harry, I remember you bringing the poster into the common room and giving it to Michael Corner. Why did the headmaster say that it was his idea?"

Harry grinned at her, "It is just one of many things, Isobel. There will be many more."

The serpent's counsel

That evening, the snakes decided the time was right to make their strike. They had most of the relevant information. They knew that someone unknown was ruining the game for other teams. What they did not have was any idea about who it could be. They knew that someone had deliberately set off a firecracker in front of Filch's office spoiling the Puff's attempt. Then someone, likely the same someone, had foiled the claws by locking Filch's office behind him. They knew for a fact that Filch was a squib so it was out of the question that he did it himself.

Now there were many possibilities about the suspected identity of the person who was ruining their game. It could be a Gryffindor. They were known for being brash and abrasive, always heading into danger. The twins were known to be knowledgeable enough to be able to do that. They also knew their way around the castle. Perhaps no one else knew the castle as well as them except Filch. They were also quite ruthless in competition. But the rules of the tournament which Hadrian Potter-Black himself had set stated that one team could not interfere with another team's strategy. The Gryffindors were too straight laced to think of ways around that rule. They could not think of anyone else in Gryffindor who would be prankster enough to merit consideration.

The last possibility was that a Slytherin was sabotaging their plans. The way they were operating, employing subterfuge, and escaping notice were all indicative of them being a Slytherin. If it were a Slytherin then it was no problem because they wouldn't sabotage the team from their own house. Now all that they had to do was to form a strategy. The main part of their strategy was the same as other teams. They would have to distract Filch to keep him away from his office. It was not risky but what was risky was what came after that. They would need enough time to search the office and retrieve the records they were after. That meant they would have to keep Filch busy for a long time. That would require some thought. They had no worries from Severus Snape because he would avert his eyes from whatever they were doing. On that count, they were sure that Snape would not even give a second glance to whatever his snakes did. Another issue was to keep the infernal cat Mrs. Norris away from them during this time while watching for Peeves over their shoulder. The poltergeist had some sort of enmity toward them. He harassed them whenever he could. None of the Slytherins could remember what they had done to make him mad at them. If Peeves got to them, there would be no escape.

They had a meeting to form their strategy in the fourth year boy's dorm. The Snakes had long since removed all the portraits from that room. They swept it regularly for scrying spells and maintained privacy wards about it at all times. Unless someone in the meeting was a traitor, they could be reasonably sure that they would not be observed or overheard. Lucian Bole by reason of being their leader presided over the meeting, "As you all know, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have both already attempted to grab the records. They were thwarted by someone unknown. By process of elimination, we agree that whoever that person might be, it is likely one of our own. But, just on the chance that it isn't, we have decided to plan in secret and strike quickly. That will give us the best chance to complete the job before we can be stopped."

Griffith said, "Come to the point, Bole. What are we to do and when do we strike?"

Bole smirked, "We will strike about an hour from now. That way, whoever is sabotaging the other teams won't know about it. Even if it were not a Slytherin, they won't be any the wiser about us."

Du Vant grinned, "That is a good plan. Now what are we going to do?"

Fawley took the lead in this one, "Two of us are going to cause mayhem in the dungeons, scattering debris and causing much chaos. That will keep Filch busy for the evening. While he is dealing with the situation, we will be in his office, going through the drawers and swiping the desired records."

Bole grinned, "I like the plan. We have to make sure that we keep Filch engaged long enough to have enough time to make our search."

With that they agreed and started making preparations.

When Neville noticed their dots together in the Slytherin seventh year dorm, he found Harry immediately, "Harry, the serpents are meeting."

He grinned, "Well it's about time. Let's see what they are up to."

Telling the twins that they were going to run some errands, Harry and Neville walked down towards the dungeons while hiding under the cloak. They had to take immediate action so that the snakes won't win. Their plan was simple. They waited for the serpents to come out of the Common Room and watched in amusement as they dirtied a length of the corridor with soil and debris.

While they were at it, Harry understood what was going on. Quietly they left the place to arrive in an empty room. After making sure that they won't be over-heard, Harry turned to Neville, "They're going to create mayhem and then send someone to inform Filch about it. Filch, neat freak that he is will see to it that the mess gets cleaned up quickly. While he is laboring there, they will be going through his filing cabinets."

Neville nodded, "So what should I do?"

Harry smirked, "Just give him the helpful suggestion that the house elves could take care of the mess for him."

Neville grinned in response.

About 15 minutes later, cannon-bangs attracted Filch's attention who was on the scene within minutes. He found the corridor dirty and debris strewn around and howled in anger. As he was thinking what to do with the debris that was strewn about, he decided that cleaning it right away was the best thing.

He had just started to work on cleaning when Neville Longbottom approached him, "Good Evening, Mr. Filch."

Filch sneered, "What do you want, brat?"

Neville feigned innocence, "I wanted to thank you for all the hard work that you do. Look I have also brought a chocolate for you."

Filch took a look at the offered chocolate which was perhaps Honey Dukes' finest. The innocence of the brat before him and his genuine appreciation of Filch made him take the chocolate. He turned to Neville, "Thank you for appreciating my work, brat but others doesn't appreciate my hard work. I clean all day and they keep dirtying the castle."

Neville asked him with a puzzled expression, "But you can have any of the House elves clean it. For them it is no bother than a snap of the fingers."

Filch was frowning and thinking that the brat was indeed talking sense. This work could be done by a house elf within a second. The brat meanwhile was taking his leave of him after having done his work.

In exactly two more minutes, Filch was hobbling back to his office. Fawley who was on the lookout noticed Filch coming back before the anticipated time. She was initially freaked out but instantly hooted like an owl which was the signal for her housemates to run.

Filch's office was a curious place for students. Everyone had heard that he had confiscated a lot of items from the students over the years. Most of them were prototypes. So when three students got the chance to get into his office, they couldn't resist the allure of going through all the drawers to see if they could get their hands on any such thing. As a result they forgot their main errand which they were supposed to be doing. They started rummaging through the drawers in Filch's desk to find something curious and fun. Bole however remembered that they did not have much time. He growled, "We're here to find the records, not toys. Look for the records or I'll make sure that you will pay for your lack of focus."

They quickly pocketed the gadgets that they had in their hands and got back to rummaging through the other drawers. Pretty soon, they found a big drawer which was labeled 'Detention Records (1975-1978). The size of the thing was massive. Just the size of the drawer made them groan. It held three years worth of detention records. It would take a long time to find the desired records.

They started pulling random slips to see what the year of the detention was when suddenly they heard an owl hooting in the distance. Two of them were so engrossed in reading the things done by their fore bearers in detention that they forgot this was their signal to escape. However Griffith remembered it. He nudged Bole and Du Vant hard, "Filch is coming back. We'll have to run for it."

Bole frowned, "How can he be coming back so soon?"

Griffith growled, "Let's get out of here first, idiot. We can speculate about it later."

Du Vant asked, "And what about these? We won't get another chance to put our hands on these records."

Bole decided in a moment, "Let's take the whole lot. We'll sort through them back in the dorm."

They emptied the contents of the drawer into a small sack with extension charms on it that they had brought for the purpose and hastily made their exit. When Filch returned and saw that his office had been overturned, he howled with fury. He could see that something was missing and it didn't take him long to figure out what. A few of his favorite gadgets that he had confiscated from students and the contents of an entire drawer full of detention records from previous years were missing. These nasty little brats had gone too far. He would make them pay.

He hobbled up to Dumbledore's office and ran all the way up the ascending stairs. He burst into the Headmaster's office, "Headmaster, thieves have overturned my office and stolen from it."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in question, "Stolen? What do you mean by that Argus? Explain."

Filch had already decided not to mention the missing gadgets. He was still howling, "Someone broke into my office and took away all the detention records for the years 1975 through 78."

Dumbledore was surprised, "That is curious. What would anyone do with detention records?"

He was genuinely curious. Recently it looked like someone had been targeting Filch and his office. First he had been whipped in his own office, and then someone had locked his office with an unknown charm that required Professor Flitwick to undo. Now someone was raiding his office. He had a difficult time imagining what use detention records were to anyone. But perhaps the objective was to further humiliate the janitor yet again. Regardless of the motivation, theft was theft. The thieves would have to be caught and punished. The question was how to find them?

He turned to Filch, "Mr. Filch, call all the ghosts."

A few minutes later, all the ghosts were in his office. Being the headmaster, he could banish any of them from the castle so they were bound to serve him. He started speaking slowly and clearly, "Someone raided Mr. Filch's office and stole some detention records. I want you all to look for them and find them."

The Bloody Baron glided forward, "There is no need for that, Headmaster. Minutes ago, I saw three Slytherin students returning to the Common Room carrying a sack. I am sure that it contains those records."

Dumbledore raised an eye-brow, "And how do you know that?"

The Baron said impassively, "There were being secretive about it and they entered at a run as if they were being chased by someone."

Dumbledore stood up, "Alright. It may turn to nothing but it is worth checking over. What were their names and where are they now?"

"Lucian Bole, Cameron Du Vant and Richard Griffith, Headmaster. I believe they are in their fourth year dorm at the moment."

Dumbledore walked to the fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder and said, "Severus, I want a word."

Severus stepped out of the fireplace brushing the soot from his robes and drawled, "What is it, Albus?"

"I have been told that three of your students are responsible for breaking into Mr. Filch's office and stealing detention records from past years. The Baron has seen them entering the common room with a sack."

Severus continued in the same drawl, "And of course, since they are Slytherins, they are bound to be carrying those records?"

Dumbledore challenged him, "If you are so sure about their innocence then let's go and find out. On the same note, I am not making an opinion about their guilt or innocence unless I know for certain."

A scant few minutes later, they were standing outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room. To normal perception, it was a blank stone wall. Unless one knew where the entrance was and the password, they could not tell where the portal was, never mind get through it. But, for the headmaster of Hogwarts and the Head of house, the portal revealed itself and opened without the need to utter the password.

When they entered Severus asked, "Where are Lucian Bole, Richard Griffith and Cameron Du Vant?"

The head boy stepped forward, "They are in the fourth year dorm, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded, "very well. You, Marcus come with me along with the other Slytherin Prefects."

When they were outside of the seventh year dorm, Dumbledore dismantled the wards with a nearly imperceptible movement of his wand before opening the door. They didn't need to go to any extra efforts since the three boys were there, right in front of them, sorting through the detention records. Once in a while they read one of the slips trying to get an idea for a new prank, or at least one that hadn't been seen for a while.

They yelped in fright and jumped down from the bed seeing the professors in front of them. They knew their heist had failed and it was time to face the music.

Dumbledore said jovially, "Shall I assign them punishment or will you, Severus?"

Severus sneered, "I will see to their appropriate punishment, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, "Very well, I shall leave you to it then."

With that, he waved his wand and the slips rose into the air to arrange themselves in an orderly fashion. Levitating them, Dumbledore walked out of the dormitory.

A/N- I heard so many people have succumbed to Noval Corona or Covid-19 recently and my prayers are with them and their families. I also hope that you all are staying inside, keeping yourself safe. For those who are out there, fighting this epidemic to save others, I take off my hat for you all and dedicate this chapter to you on me and my editor's behalf. Take care, stay safe.