Chapter Five

Dollhouse

With the arrival of lunch the student of Hogwarts rushed into the Great Hall. The young wizards and witches ran to their house tables. All except Parvati who sat aside her sister, Padma, at the Ravenclaw table.

"A secret stash of brooms?" Padma obviously didn't share the same enthusiasm portrayed by the Gryffindors.

Parvati nodded. "That's why we need the blueprints. To find another way into Dumbledore's office.

Padma chewed the last piece of her sausage slowly.

"We can't do it without your help."

Padma's fork clanked against the empty plate. Parvati was her sister and as cliché as it sounded she would do the same for her. "Fine. I'll talk to my house."

"And Lisa?"

"Especially Lisa."

From the teachers' table Dumbledore watched the interaction between the sisters. "Minerva?"

She sipped her chicken soup from her spoon. "Hmm?"

"You're teaching the fifth year Ravenclaws after lunch, right?"

"Yes, why?"

Albus took a gulp of orange juice. "I want you to teach them about hidden doors."

She arched a single brow. "You're asking me to change my perfectly planned schedule? This wouldn't have something to do with you little game?"

"Minerva, please. When does it not?"

After lunch Padma entered the transfiguration classroom and placed her heavy textbooks on the table. Also occupying the table was Mandy Brocklehurst. "Where's Lisa?"

Mandy pointed to the front of the classroom.

"Lisa!"

Lisa turned around surprised that someone would raise their voice so loud within a classroom.

Padma motioned her to take a seat at the empty desk behind Mandy. Lisa took her seat and Padma spoke quickly. "At dinner eat fast. Then we go to the library. I have something to tell you guys."

Mandy waved her hand to shoo the buzzing fly the contently hovered by her ear. "Why?"

Terry Boot leaned on the desk. "Yes, why?"

"Mr. Boot, please take your seat."

"Yes Professor." He sat beside Lisa.

McGonagall walked to the table at the front of the class. On it was an unknown object covered with a silver cloth. She lifted the fabric and revealed a dollhouse that was missing a front door.

Padma felt a light tug on her braid. She turned around to see Terry smiling. She mouthed, "What?"

"What's happening in the library?"

"None of your concern."

"Please."

Padma was about to say no, but instead was kicked discreetly in the ankle by Mandy. "Fine. But only you. Not your groupies Michael and Anthony."

McGonagall clapped her hands to get the attention of the class. "Today we shall be learning the great technique of hidden doors."

Michael Corner spoke. "I thought we were going to transform snakes into razor blades."

"There's been a sudden change in the curriculum. Now, hidden doors are very useful. Say you have a room that contains something you want no one else to find. The answer is a hidden door. The door does not hide through invisibility or an illusion. It changes into something else entirely." She strode to the doll house. A perfectly quaint dollhouse with an adorable faded pink roof and small windows accessorized with miniature curtains. "Now watch carefully." McGonagall took out her wand made of rosewood. She traced a figure eight in the air and said the incantation, "Imatava."

Buzzing went towards the house. A black fly contrasted against the white paint. It grew larger and into a rectangle. The black turned to gray which faded into a powder blue. A golden doorknob grew from it followed by a knocker.

The students had practiced making the door appear and reappear, but now class was over and Minerva now stood alone in the classroom. She looked down at her old toy and lifted the roof. She pulled out a toy cat carved from wood. She petted its head and the cat came to life purring. Minerva smiled and placed the cat gently back into the house. She closed the roof and the purring stopped.

In the Great Hall Perry watched as Katie consumed an entire stake in a matter minutes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just quidditch tryouts are next week. I know I was on the team last year, but you never know."

"How 'bout you take a nice rest tonight. We'll deal with the Ravenclaws, if they agree to help."

Katie looked up from her mash potatoes. "What?"

"I talked to my sister about the stash," said Parvati.

"You talked to the Ravenclaws?" Katie's jaw grew tense.

Lavender defended her friend. "I asked her to."

Katie threw down her napkin. "I can't believe this. How come you guys didn't tell me?"

"We just thought of the blueprints yesterday," said Lavender.

"Blueprints?"

"Yes, to use as a map, but a Ravenclaw has them."

Katie chugged her glass of milk. Some spilled onto the table and dripped into her pleated skirt.

"Listen," said Perry. "We need their help. More specifically, the blueprints." Perry handed her a napkin.

"Thanks." She patted vigorously. "Maybe I do need a long rest."

"Yeah…" Perry's attention drifted when she saw a small group of Ravenclaws, including Lisa and Padma, leave the Great Hall.

The group of Ravenclaws took their seat in a private corner of the library. With their massive amount of time spent there they were able to determine the best spots to read a book, complete their homework, or to discuss plans that could deduct them a fair amount of points.

Mandy spoke in a low voice, afraid of the librarian. "Okay Padma, tell us what's going on." she didn't like secrets, especially ones she didn't know.

Padma repeated what her sister told her.

"A stash? You've got to be kidding me."

"The Gryffindors need the–"

"Blueprints," said Lisa. "No wonder they looked so upset when they asked to borrow them."

Mandy turned back to Padma. "What do they think the stash is?"

"Brooms."

Lisa furrowed her brows. "That's illogical."

Mandy agreed. "It's probably… well, not brooms."

"Books," said Terry. "Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards of all time, right?"

Mandy nodded with desperate enthusiasm.

"And power comes from knowledge."

"And knowledge comes from books," Padma added. "Imagine the library he has up there."

Lisa's eyes widened. "First editions!"

Padma jumped in her seat. "Shakespeare's lost play!"

"Books from Atlantis," Mandy exclaimed.

Terry smiled. "Saved scrolls from the Alexandrian Library."

Lisa's eyes grew wider. "Merlin's journals."

Terry stood up. "We will join the Gryffindors!"

"Shh," said Prince appearing from behind a shelf.

On Perry's way to Defense Against the Dark Arts she walked past Lisa.

"Follow the black raven."

Perry stopped in the middle of the hall. "Black raven?" She turned around just in time to see Lisa disappear into the crowd and be pushed out of the way of Pansy Parkinson.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins entered the classroom, in an orderly fashion of course. Girls sat on one side, boys on the other.

Professor Umbridge placed down her flowered teacup. She cleared her throat before she spoke. "Today we are going to learn proper table settings. You have glasses, plates, and the necessary cutlery on your desk."

Hermione raised her hand. "Excuse me Professor, but how is this going to help us protect ourselves?"

"No speaking when not spoken to Granger."

"But you were speaking to us and therefore to Hermione," said Perry.

Umbridge pursed her bright pink lips. "Not you too Miss Duncan."

Harry stood up. "Table manners aren't going to stop Voldemort."

Umbridge's eyes opened wider than Harry thought possible. "Don't you dare say his name."

"What? Oh, you mean Voldemort? What's wrong with saying Voldemort?"

She hit her teacup against the table creating a loud clank. "Stop it you pathetic excuse for a wizard!"

"Voooldeeeemmmooooort haaaas reeetuuurned!"

"I said quiet."

Harry shouted louder. "Then tell me how Cedric Diggory died."

Umbridge had a slight twitch. "Detention Potter! All next week."

Immediately he began to use his indoor voice. "But quidditch tryouts are next week."

She smirked and picked up her cup again. "You should have thought of that before you told lies." She took a sip.

At dinnertime Perry sat between Seamus and Lavender at the Gryffindor table.

"So…"

Perry looked at Seamus and finished chewing the salmon. "So…?"

"Did you get in trouble?"

Perry played with her mashed potatoes using a fork. "Trouble from what?"

"Perry, make eye contact."

She sighed and stared into his hazel eyes.

"Did you get in trouble?"

Perry held a straight face for three seconds before she blurted, "Fine, you win."

He nudged Dean who sat on his other side. "I just once free butterbeer!" Their high-five was interrupted when a raven flew into the Great Hall and landed in front of Dean. He opened the letter and read aloud. "The password is Gillyweed."

"Password for what?" asked Colin.

The raven took flight and left through the doors.

Perry jumped form the extremely long bench. "Follow that bird!"

Meanwhile Luna Lovegood skipped down the hallway humming to herself. Her skipping ceased when she saw an unhappy Neville. "What's wrong?"

"We lost the bird."

"We were supposed to follow it to the Ravenclaw common room."

"Colin!" Dean covered his mouth. "Shh."

"Actually," Perry began. "Luna, you're a Ravenclaw. Can you take us there?"

Luna turned to Neville. "Is it important that you go?"

He nodded.

"Then I shall take you."

"I think Luna should be part of it," said Neville."

"Part of what?" Luna smiled lightly.

There were quick glances between the Gryffindors. Neville, glad to see no on object, walked beside Luna. "You see, there's this stash…"