The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

76. Ghost of the Filch's Office

Over in Herbology, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were repotting Bouncing Bulbs. They were these strange purple bulbs that supposedly could grow to be human-sized, but the ones they were working with weren't larger than a fist. Mrs. Sprout warned them that the bulbs didn't like being handled and should be repotted quickly before they tried to attack the person holding them. Jack found that wasn't the case. Maybe he happened to get very happy ones, or maybe they simply liked him because they cooperated and allowed him to situate them in their new, bigger, freshly-fertilized home.

"Did you find your shoes yet?" he asked Luna who was humming happily.

"I found two," she answered lightly. "It's a shame that my favorite one is still missing."

"If I catch whoever did it, they'll be sorry for a year," Elsa hissed and her bulb squirmed in her grasp. "If you don't stay still, I'll freeze you."

The bulb might not have understood her words, but it had to have understood the threat because it stopped squirming and started trembling.

"I heard there's a box in Mr. Filch's office where found objects make their home," Luna said while smiling at her bulb. "I tried asking him but he's so upset about Mrs. Norris, he didn't hear me."

Luna's bulb was the calmest of them all. It even rubbed its leaves against her skin affectionately.

"They really love you," Jack commented and Luna startled as if he had come out of nowhere.

"Oh, wrackspurts got me again. They are very talkative today."

Jack wondered what these mysterious creatures could be. Luna seemed to talk about them a lot.

"So where did you find the two shoes?"

"We found one with Elsa and Sue Li. It awaited us in the hallway. The second one found me in the common room. I was trying to chase nargles out of a curtain, and my shoe fell out of it. I knew they would start coming back to me soon."

Jack said, "They're taking a while to come back to you though. I'll check that box in Filch's office for you. Just give me a description in case there's more than just your shoes in there."

"How are you going to ask Filch?" Elsa asked him with one brow raised.

Yes, she was right. He couldn't ask Filch since the Squib couldn't see him, but there was no reason why he couldn't just walk into his office and take a look around. Maybe he could ask for Peeves' help. It was time to start the pranking he agreed to.

"I'll find a way," he answered with a smirk and she dropped the issue.

Luna placed her bulb in the pot and gently covered it with dirt. "My purple shoe with a butterfly is missing her sister."

Jack grinned broadly. "Are you saying, your shoes are twins?"

"Of course. All shoes have twins."

Jack turned to Elsa and waggled his eyebrows. "We're a pair of cool shoes. Get it? Cool shoes?"

She groaned and shook her head. "Jack, you and your puns really need to take a break."

"Who needs broken puns, Elsa?" he asked in a very serious tone.

"Jack, I'm warning you," she narrowed her eyes to slits and pointed her trowel at him.

"Well, we are cool so I'm right about that so... I'm right and you're left. Get it? You're the left shoe."

He had to duck out of the way as she threw her trowel at him so hard, it embedded itself in the wooden post behind him.

"Woah, chill out, sis." He put his hands up as she grabbed a large pot, ready to throw it.