Time Is Life

Dungeons

Out in the dark corridor, Harry examines the Marauders Map to check that the coast is clear. Yes, the dots belonging to Filch and his cat, Mrs Norris, are safely in their office...nothing else seems to be moving apart from Peeves, though he is bouncing around the trophy room. Harry has taken his first step away from Gryffindor Tower when something on the map catches his eye...something distinctly odd. Then he remembers and shudders at the grave mistake he made back then by leaving the map with professor Moody.

Peeves is not the only thing that's moving. A single dot is flitting around a room in the bottom left-hand corner - his dad's office. But the dot isn't labelled "Severus Snape"...it's Bartemius Crouch or more specifically Crouch jr.

Harry stares at the dot with a sinister smirk. Harry watches closely as the dot moves around and around the room, pausing here and there...

Barty is gathering the ingredients for his polijuice potion. He sighs as he moves down the stairs as quietly as possible, though the faces in some of the portraits still turn curiously at the squeak of a floorboard, the rustle of his pyjamas. He creeps along the corridor below, pushes aside a tapestry about halfway along, and proceeds down a narrower staircase, a shortcut that would take him down two floors. He keeps glancing down at the map, wondering how he best approaches the situation and confronts Barty.

In his musings he doesn't realize, isn't concentrating on anything other than his thoughts, he bumps into something once turning a corner. Harry staggers back and the person falls to the ground with a groan. Harry's breath hitches as he makes sure to keep as quiet as possible.

"Who's there?! I know you are there, whoever you are!"

Harry sighs in relief before grinning mischievously. He hides behind the tapestry and waits for the person to approach his hiding spot, then he takes a hold of their arm and slams their bodies together. The boy shrieks slightly, a very manly shriek if you don't mind. Harry laughs.

"I should've expected running into you."

"Harry?! What are you doing out of bed at this time?! You know for a fact that I'll have to take house points from you for being out of bed. Why are you anyway?" Cedric hisses into his ear. Harry smirks and points to Snape's office, where Barty is still scuttling around.

"I wanted to talk to dad but this caught my attention, that would be Bartimeus Crouch junior trying to brew polijuice potion. Although the first time this happened I came from the prefect's bathroom and the egg fell out of my hand because I stepped onto the trick step and if it hadn't been for Barty, Filch and dad would've found me."

Cedric blinks before paling. "Blimey, do you ever not get yourself into trouble or danger for that matter?"

Harry sniggers and then raises his eyebrows, "Aren't you going to take off house points?"

Cedric sighs and shakes his head. "You're lucky this time, but in exchange, I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not."

"Of course, then let's go. Get under the invisibility cloak."

Cedric blushes yet complies and gets beneath the cloak, he bends down seeing as he's a tiny bit too tall to be covered completely. Harry chuckles softly and tugs Cedric closer to him. Their bodies are incredibly close now, Cedric gulps. He has to stop thinking like that, he turns his head away but his traitorous eyes shift over to Harry. His green eyes tethered to the front with determination. That underlying determination is what Cedric admires most about Harry. His mate is amazing!

Together they walk further into the dungeons and towards professor Snape's office. The grey cobblestones beneath their feet making echoing noises throughout the empty corridor. Harry curses beneath his breath before casting a silencing charm. Cedric looks at him with a questioning glance.