Sirius's son

Chambers of secrets

The next few weeks passed by uneventfully. Rigel and Harry eventually stopped thinking about that weird voice and focused more on their studies. Hermione's birthday was on September nineteenth and their small group actually celebrated it that year, the three boys and Eliza each giving her a different book. It was a bit colder, having turned from September to October, and the flu was starting to make its way around the school. The only thing of real interest to happen at all in the weeks leading up to Halloween was Eliza, Rigel, and Harry being scolded by Filch after tracking mud into the castle from a particularly rainy quidditch practice.

The man stomped past Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, and dragged them to his office, still dripping wet and in their quidditch uniforms where he told them to "Sit down while I clean up your stupid mess. Defiling the castle like a bunch of heathens..." Muttering to himself, he left the office, leaving them in silence. Suddenly there was a loud CRASH from the floor above them and the two boys could hear Filch yelling about Peeves the Poltergeist, growing fainter the further away he got.

Being as hyperactive as he was, Rigel couldn't bear to just sit still and wait for however long Filch took to get back. Instead, he stood up and started wandering about the office, peering in file cabinets and rifling through the drawers of the desk. Harry only watched him, not protesting as he snooped. He came upon an envelope, which he removed from its drawer and sat back down next to Harry, who looked at it curiously. The seal of the envelope had already been broken, so it was a simple matter of removing the parchment and reading it.

KWIKSPELL

_____________________________________

A Correspondence Course in Beginners' Magic

Intrigued, Harry flicked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of parchment inside. More curly silver writing on the front page said:

Feel out of step in the world of modern magic? Find yourself making excuses not to perform simple spells? Ever been taunted for your woeful wandwork?

There is an answer!

Kwikspell is an all-new, fail-safe, quick-result, easy-learn course. Hundreds of witches and wizards have benefited from the Kwikspell method!

Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes:

"I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke! Now, after a Kwikspell course, I am the center of attention at parties and friends beg for the recipe of my Scintillation Solution!"

Warlock D. J. Prod of Didsbury says:

"My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I succeeded in turning her into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!"

"Why does Filch need this?" Eliza asked. "I thought he can do magic?"

But before Rigel could answer, Filch was coming back. Stuffing the parchment back into the envelope, Harry threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened. Filch was looking triumphant.

"That Vanishing Cabinet was extremely valuable!" he was saying gleefully to Mrs. Norris. "We'll have Peeves out this time, my sweet —"

His eyes fell on Harry to Eliza, then to Rigel, and then darted to the Kwikspell envelope, which, Percy realized too late, was lying two feet away from where it had started. Filch's pasty face went brick red. He hobbled across to his desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into a drawer

"Have you — did you read — ?" he sputtered.

"No," they lied quickly.

Filch's knobbly hands were twisting together.