The Marauders: Year Two | #Wattys2016

Filch's Chase

It was at the door that Sirius realized they didn't have the invisibility cloak. He groaned. "We're going to get caught," he said.

Remus replied, "Honestly, that's what we get for being out of bed. And on a school night, no less."

"Filch is going to be right excited about putting us in a detention," Sirius said.

They stepped into the fourth floor corridor and found they were coming out behind a big mirror that neither had ever noticed before. The mirror closed behind them and they looked around to figure out exactly where they were. Remus figured it out first and motioned for Sirius to follow him as he led the way through twisting hallways to the staircases. The staircases were groaning and twisting as they usually did and Remus scrambled to get on a case just about to leave the fourth floor landing and Sirius hurried to join him, only just making it with a leap before the case turned away.

"We'll go right up to Dumbledore's office. If Filch finds us, we tell him we were looking for Dumbledore," Remus said, determinedly.

Sirius nodded, "We don't need Filch knowing anymore shortcuts between corridors!"

Suddenly, high above them in the hollow area made by the staircases, they heard the echoing shouts of the poltergeist, Peeves. Sirius groaned. "Oh bloody hell, last thing we need is Peeves."

"Maybe he won't notice us," muttered Remus, "Just stay low."

But Peeves had a sort of sixth-sense when it came to spotting students out of bed at night and a fetish for alerting the proper authorities. He looped and swooped down and down among the staircases until he was hovering right above Sirius and Remus. "Ohhh ickle lit'l secondies out of bed after midnight! Get lost, did you?" He rolled over so he was hanging upside down right over their heads.

Remus crept up the stairway, followed by Sirius, trying to ignore the poltergeist, just wanting to make it to the fifth floor at least before he decided to zoom off to get Filch. "Ignoring me, is you? Silly secondie thinks he can ignore Peevesy!" And with that, Peeves let out a low howl, like a wolf at the moon.

Remus looked up at him, "Shut it, Peeves."

"Peeves knows?" whispered Sirius, confused.

"Peevsy knows everything," sing-songed Peeves, and he blew a raspberry at Sirius as he rolled over and over, like a giant beach ball, following along with them as they made their way up the stairs. He let out the low howl again. He stopped rolling and spotted James's wand in Sirius's fist. "That isn't your wand, you nasty little sneak-thief, is it?"

Sirius snapped, "It's none of your business."

"None of my business?" Peeves asked, "But everything is Peevsy's business!" He cackled, grinning, "Nasty little sneak-thief probably the one who's done it, too, aren't you? Making that mess downstairs!"

"What mess downstairs?" Remus asked, genuinely confused.

"Acting innocent won't get you out of trouble when Mr. Filch gets you," Peeves giggled, "He'll chain you up and beat you with ropes for such a mess!"

"What mess?" Remus asked.

Peeves grinned, "All that mud and water in the Entrance Hall you left behind. Messy maker making messes!"

"That wasn't us," Remus said, "We haven't even been to the Entrance Hall."

"Oh and a liar on top of it all! Lying-sneak-thieves who make messes!" Peeves hooted, "Peevsy should tell Mr. Filch, on the double!"

"Please, Peeves, we're trying to see the Headmaster," Sirius commanded, "There's been an emergency."

Peeves grinned, "Emergency? Raise the alarm! THERE'S BEEN AN EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY ON THE FOURTH FLOOR!" he zipped about in loop-de-loops, away from them, up through the stairwell, shouting into each floor's corridors and making a horrible noise like a mix between a wolf and a police car as he spun. "AROOOO! AROOOOOO!!!"

Remus groaned.

"Peeves! Enough of that racket!" came a voice from above them. Filch. "Bloody poltergeist!"

"Other way - other way!" Remus hissed, and they both ran down the stairs. It had been one thing to be caught and in trouble for something they had done - being out of bed, that is - but they didn't want to be blamed for making a mess in the Entrance Hall that they hadn't done! So they scrambled madly back down the staircase, and leaped from the bottom step onto the landing it was just approaching as Filch's voice echoed down the well in pursuit.

"Stop right there! You're in trouble!" Filch shouted, "Peeves! Follow them!" Peeves didn't, though. Instead, he cackled and blew a raspberry at Filch and his cackling echoed off as he zoomed away down one of the corridors on another floor. "Bloody poltergeist!" hissed Filch again.

Remus and Sirius were panting. Neither had ever run so hard in all their life. They rounded a corner and realized they were all the way down on the second floor somehow and they were fast approaching the top of the stairs that led down into the messy entrance hall. Sure enough, just as Peeves had said, there was a terrible mess of mud and water all over the floor, leading off to the stairs from the doorway. Somebody had come into the castle, soaked and caked in dirt, but the footprints faded off halfway up the stairs, so there was no telling who it was or where they'd gone. "Blimey, that's a lot of mud," Sirius commented, "Think it was Hagrid?"

"Dunno," replied Remus, "But I don't care to be blamed for it. C'mon." He rushed on past the stairs, down the west wing of the second floor corridors. Somehow - probably by one of his secret passageways - Filch's voice was near at hand once again, echoing down the hallway behind them. Not only were they going to get blamed for the mess, but it would be them who'd led him right to it! They reached a dead end in the corridor, nearly slamming into the wall.

"Now what?" Sirius asked.

Remus could barely breathe, he doubled over, clutching a stitch in his side, unable to form a clear plan in his head for all the thumping of his heart.

"Psst! Sirius. Remus. Over here."

Sirius had never been so happy to hear a voice in his life. "James!" he cried and he ran toward the voice and a hand that seemed disconnected from any body, waving to him from the darkness by an old suit of armor. "Thank Merlin! Is Peter with you?"

"I'm here," Peter squeaked. He sounded as though he was squashed in behind the armor.

"C'mon, quickly. Under the invisibility cloak. Hurry," James said.

The other two squished in and they pressed tight against each other, using the wall to help them hide and better fit beneath the cloak. They'd only just gotten under it and seen the fabric settle when the light of the torch that Filch carried lit up the hall they'd just been standing in. His long shadow stretched across the carpet and the silhouette of his nose crept up the wallpaper as he looked about from left to right, his breath wheezing and weak. The four Gryffindor second years held their breath and squeezed tighter together.

"Where'd they go, my pet?" Filch asked the ancient orange cat, Mrs. Norris, who wove about his ankles as they approached the place where the boys hid beneath their cloak. James held his breath, Filch was so close that surely the sound of his breathing would alert him where they were and they'd all end up with detentions. Filch growled, "Know you're here... might as well just come out now and save us both some time."

Suddenly, there was a door that slammed down the hallway and Filch stiffened. He turned around on his heel, staring back the way he'd come. "Could've sworn they came this way..." he muttered, but then he was off, charging down the corridor, thinking he was in hot pursuit of his prey.