Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 23:5

Between bites, the twins watched the Professtigator's ink dot on the map while he cleaned out his temporary office on the third floor. They were forced to hide the parchment when Angelina scooted closer.

"Lee told me that you knew all along. That you've been spying on Professor Parsimonae since the day he arrived. Is that true?" she asked, waiting for a reply.

The boys nodded.

"Was that the reason you missed the Quidditch final?" asked Lee. "I hadn't noticed if Parsimonae was in attendance. Maybe he was missing!"

"No, he was there," said Fred.

"And I don't think we have to call him Professor anymore," George noted.

"Why not say something?" asked Angelina.

"We didn't know about the Meantail," said George. "We suspected...er...other things."

"Pray tell? Evidently you know more than the rest of us."

George looked to his brother. "Should we?"

"Might as well. It's happening tonight," said Fred assuredly.

Lee squinted. "What is?"

"Whatever Parsimonae's been planning, clearly," Fred finished, gesturing with his own uneaten drumstick. "He's being kicked out in the morning, so he has no choice. If only Dumbledore hadn't interrupted us in class, we would have called him out on the whole thing."

"Parsimonae is the one destroying the paintings. They know the location of a treasure here at the school," said George confidently.

"Not this treasure nonsense, again," Angelina huffed.

"It's true. Ian knows about it. Their whole family does."

"Don't forget Montague and Meaney," said Fred, speaking through a mouthful. "Quirrell, too. He must've learned some clues during his travels. That's why he came back early from Albania."

"Your Enchantments professor?" asked Lee. "The one with the awful stuttering problem?"

"Long story," Fred replied.

"We think someone else heard about it at the same time," George continued, lowering his voice. "You-Know-Who. He sent one of his Death Eaters to Hogwarts to track it down."

"Aruzula Darc!" Angelina said hotly.

"Has to be," said George.

Lee bent over the table, unknowingly resting his elbow in a tureen of mashed potatoes. "The treasure's got to be something more than a chest of Galleons for her to risk drowning the students who were trying to stop her."

"Parsimonae knows that we're on to him, as well," said George.

"Which is why we need to catch him in the act!" said Fred. "These are his final hours at the castle — his last chance to escape with the treasure. It's going to happen tonight."

George was nodding vigorously. "After curfew, he sneaks away to the portrait gallery in the moving stairwell."

"That's where we wait."

"Kettleburn has to be involved, too, don't you think?" Lee suggested.

"Why him?" asked Angelina incredulously.

"Well...he's the one who went to Dumbledore about the bird, isn't he?"

"Tonks found out and there was nothing else he could do," said George.

"Or maybe he's trying to manipulate Parsimonae into hurrying up, so he can hijack the treasure for himself," said Lee.

Fred was grinning, his eyes bright with certainty.