ON MY WAY {HP X SHADOWHUNTERS} [DISCONTINUED]

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt by Aries's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Hayley. "You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —" he was about to lunge at Hayley but a voice stopped him. "Argus!" Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Hayley, Draco, Raphael, and Teddy and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. "Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Ms. Potter, Mr. Banewood, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Malfoy." Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free—" he offered. "Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professor McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Hayley saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back.

Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. The quartet exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her. . . ."

"Someone please shut this poser up" Rose groaned, irritably. 

"I know, Merlin, he's even more irritating than the toe-rag and Black combined" Lily scoffed. 

"EXCUSE ME!!!"

"LILYFLOWER, I'M OFFENDED"

Sirius and James yelled, looking at Lily in disbelieve. 

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch, Hayley couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as she felt for herself. If Dumbledore believed Filch, she would be expelled for sure. Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand, but nothing happened: She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed. ". . . I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once. . . ." The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net. At last Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly. Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Ha! gotcha" Sirius cheered.

"I knew he was a fraud," James added, "he doesn't knows shit about what's going on"

"Oh you wait till they find out" Hayley muttered to Raphael, who nodded. 

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?" Filch questioned. "She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore. "Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart. "But how, I cannot say. . . ." Dumbledore added. "Ask her!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Hayley. "No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —" Dumbledore tried to explain, but Filch won't listen. "She did it, she did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what she wrote on the wall! She found — in my office — she knows I'm a —I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "She knows I'm a Squib!" he finished. "I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Hayley said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at her, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib is." Hayley told them. "Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "She saw my Kwikspell letter!" Filch said, scathingly. "If I might speak, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall said, "Potter and her friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," she suggested. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was she in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't she at the Halloween feast?" Snape countered, a slight sneer curling his mouth.