The Potter Twins and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 15: The Egg and the Eye

As Harry was following Cedric's advice on going to the prefect bathroom to try and solve the clue of the egg, Michael was carrying the egg past the lake to Hagrid's, in hope that maybe the half giant knew something he missed.

But it had been raining a little bit ago, so the mud under his feet was quite slippery.

Before he knew what was happening, he slipped and lost his grip on the egg, and it opened up as it rolled into the water!

Michael quickly dove in after it, despite the freezing cold!

But as he dunked down and swam to the egg, he began to hear a sound coming from the egg.

But it wasn't screeching.

It was…. Singing!

"Come search for us where we sound,

From very far below the ground,

An hour is all that you have to find,

To go and seek what we have bind,

While you are searching think of this,

The things you've lost give you bliss,

And if you do pass the hour,

You will feel nothing but sour."

Michael grabbed the egg and surfaced for air!

He looked down at the now closed egg.

Come search where we sound, far from above the ground?

That could only mean underwater!

The lake!

And he now had to find something taken by whatever was in the lake for the second task!

And that meant he probably needed some way to breathe underwater in order to search for it.

A trip to the library was in order!

As Michael made his way back to the school, he hoped his brother had found his clue as well….

….

Meanwhile, with Harry….

Harry slipped inside, bolted the door behind him, and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, looking around. His thoughts were that it'd be worth becoming a prefect just to be able to use this bathroom. It was softly lit by a candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool in the middle of the floor. A ton of golden taps stood all around the pool's edges, each with a differently colored jewel in their handles. There was also a diving board. Long white curtains hung at the windows; a large pile of nice towels sat in a corner, and there was a large stained glass window. It featured a mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face.

Harry moved forward, his footsteps echoing. Magnificent though the bathroom was, he couldn't suppress the feeling that Cedric might have tricked him. How was this supposed to help solve the clue? Nevertheless, he put one of the towels, the cloak, the map, and the egg at the side of the bath, then knelt down and turned on a few of the taps.

He could tell that they had different sorts of bubble bath mixed with the water, though it wasn't as Harry had ever experienced it. One gushed pink and blue bubbles; another poured very thick ice-white foam; a third sent heavily perfumed purple clouds. Once the bath was full of warm water, foam, and bubbles, which took a very short time considering its size, Harry turned off all the taps, pulled off his pajamas, slippers, and dressing gown, and slid into the water.

It was so deep that his feet barely touched the bottom. He started staring at the egg. Highly enjoyable though it was to swim in the water, there was no stroke of brilliance.

Harry stretched out his arms, lifted the egg in his wet hands, and opened it. The wailing filled the bathroom, echoing off the marble walls, but it sounded just as incomprehensible as ever, if not more so with all the echoes. He snapped it shut again, worried that the sound would attract Filch or Mrs. Norris, and then, making him jump so badly that he dropped the egg, someone spoke.

"I'd try putting it in the water, if I were you."

Harry stood up, sputtering, and saw the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, who was usually to be heard sobbing in the S-bend of a toilet three floors below.

Harry, "Myrtle! I'm- I'm not wearing anything!"

The foam was so dense that this hardly mattered, but he had a nasty feeling that Myrtle had been spying on him from out of one of the taps when he'd arrived.

Myrtle, "I closed my eyes when you got in. I'd rather get a peek at your brother. You haven't been to see me for ages, whereas he still comes to visit."

Harry, "yeah…. Well…. I'm not supposed to come into your bathroom, am I? It's a girls' one."

Myrtle, "you didn't used to care. You used to be in there all the time. You and your brother."

Harry, "we got told off for going in there. I thought I'd better not come back after that."

Myrtle, "oh…. I see…. Well…. Anyway…. I'd try the egg in the water. That's what Cedric did."

Harry, "have you been spying on him too? What d'you do, sneak up here in the evenings to watch the prefects take baths?"

Myrtle, "sometimes. But I've never come out to speak to anyone before."

Harry, "I'm honored. You keep your eyes shut!"

He made sure Myrtle had her glasses well covered before hoisting himself out of the bath, wrapping the towel firmly around his waist, and going to retrieve the egg.

Once he was back in the water, Myrtle peered through her fingers and said, "go on, then…. Open it under the water!"

Harry lowered the egg beneath the foamy surface and opened it…. And this time, it did not wail. A gurgling song was coming out of it, a song whose words he couldn't distinguish through the water.

Myrtle, "you need to put your head under too. Go on!"

Harry took a great breath and slid under the surface and now, he heard a chorus of eerie voices singing to him like his brother.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour, the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

Harry soon floated back up to the surface, and after a few more listens to the clue, Harry began to figure it out.

Creatures from underwater, most likely mermaids, must be what he had to face in order to get something back that they had stolen.

Myrtle commented on how it took so long for Cedric to figure it out, that almost all of the bubbles were gone, giving her and the mermaid a delightful sight. Ew.

Harry kept wondering how he was gonna breathe underwater to get these things back, until he eventually got out of the bath, got dressed, and thanked Myrtle for her help.

But as Harry left, under his cloak, using the Marauders Map to guide him, he saw something strange.

The name Bartemius Crouch was in Snape's office!

This got Harry curious about what was going on.

It just didn't seem in character, somehow, for the law-abiding Mr. Crouch to be sneaking around somebody else's office this late at night?

But as Harry went to investigate, he had slipped on one of the stairs and dropped the egg!

When it started wailing, Harry soon found himself on the run from Filch, who thought he was Peeves in hiding.

Eventually, Snape showed up as Filch had nearly cornered the invisible Harry.

Snape and Filch kept bickering about what was going on, until they heard….

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Snape and Filch both looked down at the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moody limp into sight through the narrow gap between their heads.

Moody, "pajama party, is it?"

Filch, "Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor. Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual, and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off-"

Snape hissed at Filch, "shut up!"

Moody took a step closer to the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moody's magical eye travel over Snape, and then, unmistakably, onto himself. Harry's heart nearly stopped. Moody could see through Invisibility Cloaks…. He alone could see the full scene: Snape in his nightshirt, Filch clutching the egg, and Harry trapped in the stairs behind them. Moody's lopsided mouth opened in surprise. For a few seconds, he and Harry stared straight into each other's eyes. Then Moody closed his mouth and turned his blue eye upon Snape again.

Moody, "did I hear that correctly, Snape? Someone broke into your office?"

Snape, "it is unimportant."

Moody, "on the contrary. It is very important. Who'd want to break into your office?"

Snape, "a student, I daresay. It has happened before. Potion ingredients have gone missing from my private store cupboard…. Students attempting illicit mixtures, no doubt…."

Moody, "reckon they were after potion ingredients, eh? Not hiding anything else in your office, are you?"

Harry saw the edge of Snape's sallow face turn a nasty brick color, the vein in his temple pulsing more rapidly.

Snape, "you know I'm hiding nothing, Moody. As you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself."

Moody's face twisted into a smile, "Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me to keep an eye-"

Snape "Dumbledore happens to trust me. I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!"

Moody, "'course Dumbledore trusts you. He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me, I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?"

Snape suddenly did something very strange. He seized his left forearm with his right hand, as though something on it had hurt him.

Moody laughed, "get back to bed, Snape."

Snape, "you don't have the authority to send me anywhere! I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!"

Moody, "prowl away. I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor some time…. You've dropped something, by the way…."

With a stab of horror, Harry saw Moody point at the Marauder's Map, still lying on the staircase six steps below him. As Snape and Filch both turned to look at it, Harry threw caution to the winds; he raised his arms under the cloak and waved furiously at Moody to attract his attention, mouthing, "it's mine! Mine!"

Snape had reached out for it, a horrible expression of dawning comprehension on his face

"Accio Parchment!"

The map flew up into the air, slipped through Snape's out-stretched fingers, and soared down the stairs into Moody's hand. Moody, "my mistake. It's mine, must've dropped it earlier-"

But Snape's eyes were darting from the egg in Filch's arms to the map in Moody's hand, and Harry could tell he was putting two and two together, as only Snape could….

Moody calmly folded up the map and pocketing it as he said, "Potter? What's that?"

Snape, "Potter. That egg is Harry Potter's egg. That piece of parchment belongs to him and his brother. I have seen it before, I recognize it! One of them is here! In their Invisibility Cloak!"

Snape stretched out his hands and began to move up the stairs; trapped, Harry leaned backward, trying to avoid Snape's fingertips, but any moment now-

Moody, "there's nothing there, Snape! But I'll be happy to tell the headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to the Potter twins!"

Snape, "meaning what?"

Moody, "meaning that Dumbledore's very interested to know who's got it in for those boys! And so am I, Snape…. Very interested…."

The torch-light flickered across his mangled face, so that the scars, and the chunk missing from his nose, looked deeper and darker than ever.

Snape was looking down at Moody, and Harry couldn't see the expression on his face. For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Then Snape slowly lowered his hands.

Snape, "I merely thought. That if the twins were wandering around after hours again…. It's an unfortunate habit of theirs…. They should be stopped. For- for their own safety."

Moody, "ah, I see. Got the Potters' best interests at heart, have you?"

There was a pause. Snape and Moody were still staring at each other. Mrs. Norris gave a loud meow, still peering around Filch's legs, looking for the source of Harry's bubble-bath smell.

Snape, "I think I will go back to bed."

Moody, "best idea you've had all night. Now, Filch, if you'll just give me that egg-"

Filch, "no! Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"

Moody, "it's the property of the champion he stole it from. Hand it over, now."

Snape swept past Moody without another word. Filch made a chirping noise to Mrs. Norris, who stared blankly at Harry for a few seconds before turning and following Filch. Still breathing very fast, Harry heard Snape walking away.

Filch handed Moody the egg and disappeared from view too, muttering to Mrs. Norris, "never mind, my sweet…. We'll see Dumbledore in the morning…. Tell him what Peeves was up to…."

A door slammed. Harry was left staring down at Moody, who placed his staff on the bottommost stair and started to climb laboriously toward him, a dull clunk on every other step.

Moody, "close shave, Potter."

Harry, "yeah…. I, er…. Thanks."

Moody, "what is this thing?"

Moody pointed to the map.

Harry, "map of Hogwarts."

Moody, "Merlin's beard. This…. This is some map, Potter!"

Harry, "yeah, it's…. Quite useful. Professor Moody, d'you think you could help me?"

Moody, "what? Oh! Yes…. Yes, of course…."

Moody took hold of Harry's arms and pulled; Harry's leg came free of the trick step, and he climbed onto the one above it. Moody was still gazing at the map.

Moody, "Potter…. You didn't happen, by any chance, to see who broke into Snape's office, did you? On this map, I mean?"

Harry, "er…. Yeah, I did…. It was Mr. Crouch."

Moody's magical eye whizzed over the entire surface of the map.

He looked suddenly alarmed.

Moody, "Crouch? You're- you're sure, Potter?"

Harry, "positive."

Moody, "well, he's not here anymore. Crouch…. That's very- very interesting…."

He said nothing for almost a minute, still staring at the map.

Harry could tell that this news meant something to Moody and very much wanted to know what it was. He wondered whether he dared ask. Moody scared him slightly, yet Moody had just helped him avoid an awful lot of trouble.

Harry, "er…. Professor Moody…. Why d'you reckon Mr. Crouch wanted to look around Snape's office?"

Moody's magical eye left the map and fixed, quivering, upon Harry. It was a penetrating glare, and Harry had the impression that Moody was sizing him up, wondering whether to answer or not, or how much to tell him.

Moody, "put it this way, Potter. They say old Mad-Eye's obsessed with catching Dark wizards…. But I'm nothing…. Nothing, compared to Barty Crouch."

He continued to stare at the map. Harry was burning to know more.

Harry, "Professor Moody? D'you think…. Could this have anything to do with…. Maybe Mr. Crouch thinks there's something going on…."

Moody, "like what?"

Harry wondered how much he dare say. He didn't want Moody to guess that he had a source of information outside Hogwarts; that might lead to tricky questions about Sirius.

Harry, "I don't know. Odd stuff's been happening lately, hasn't it? It's been in the Daily Prophet…. The Dark Mark at the World Cup, and the Death Eaters and everything…."

Both of Moody's mismatched eyes widened.

Moody, "you're a sharp boy, Potter. Crouch could be thinking along those lines. Very possible…. There have been some funny rumors flying around lately, helped along by Rita Skeeter, of course. It's making a lot of people nervous, I reckon. Oh if there's one thing I hate…. It's a Death Eater who walked free…."

Harry stared at him. Could Moody possibly mean what Harry thought he meant?

Moody, "and now I want to ask you a question, Potter."

Harry's heart sank; he had thought this was coming. Moody was going to ask where he had got this map, and the story of how it had fallen into his hands incriminated not only him, but his own father, Fred and George Weasley, and Professor Lupin. Moody waved the map in front of Harry, who braced himself-

"Can I borrow this?"

Harry, "oh, um..."

He was very fond of his map, but on the other hand, he was extremely relieved that Moody wasn't asking where he'd got it, and there was no doubt that he owed Moody a favor.

Harry, "yeah, okay. Just, please promise to give it back later?"

Moody, "of course. Good boy. I can make good use of this…. This might be exactly what I've been looking for…. Right, bed, Potter, come on, now…."

They climbed to the top of the stairs together, Moody still examining the map as though it was a treasure the like of which he had never seen before. They walked in silence to the door of Moody's office, where he stopped and looked up at Harry.

Moody, "you ever thought of a career as an Auror, Potter?"

Harry, "I dunno."

Moody, "you want to consider it. You and your brother. Yes, indeed…. And incidentally…. I'm guessing you weren't just taking that egg for a walk tonight?"

Harry, "er, no. I've been working out the clue."

Moody winked at him, his magical eye going haywire again.

Moody, "nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas, Potter….See you in the morning…."

He went back into his office, staring down at Map, and closed the door behind him. Harry walked slowly back to Gryffindor Tower, lost in thought about Snape, and Crouch, and what it all meant…. Why was Crouch pretending to be ill, if he could manage to get to Hogwarts when he wanted to? What did he think Snape was concealing in his office?

And Moody thought he, and even his brother, ought to be Aurors! Interesting idea…. But somehow, Harry thought, as he got quietly into his dorm ten minutes later, the egg and the cloak now safely back in his trunk, he thought he'd like to check how scarred the rest of them were before he chose it as a career.

Harry was happy that Michael was awake upon his return, Fleet and Nosey snuggled up in a pillow together.

Michael and Harry exchanged stories about how they had found out their clues and what transpired in the process.

Michael thought Moody's comment about them being Auror material was kind of touching.

Now as the two boys drifted off to sleep, one thought remained….

"How the Hell are we gonna breathe underwater?"

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: indeed. Things are growing more intense with each chapter. Fleet and Niffler will be good friends. Rita Skeeter sucks, plain and simple. And you can review Titans: Elemental on AO3. You can leave comments on chapters. But thanks. I hope you and all the other readers find the story again.

….