The Older Potter // HP Older Sister

94

C H A P T E R 94

Now the wheels were turning.

Why was Barty Crouch at Hogwarts late at night in Snape's storage room?

It made zero sense.

Samantha completely forgot about watching the other corridors and kept staring at that spot.

Her mind was racing but no coherent thoughts were coming together. Here she was: late at night at Hogwarts where nothing about the tournament was going on so there was no need for Barty Crouch to be there.

Completely forgetting about Fred and George, she came to the quick conclusion to go and investigate. She had the Map so she could see where he was going and make sure not to be seen. And so, Samantha turned on her heel, left her spot, and quickly made her way down to the Potions storage room.

Her heart rate quickened with every step closer she came to the dungeons. The breaths her mouth let out could be seen in the coldness of the night. Through the nearby windows, her eyes graced over the crescent moon shining in the sky.

At last, Samantha checked the Map and saw that the corridor was clear. She gripped her wand just in case and neared Snape's storage room. There was an old statue near the entrance she could hide behind and wait for Crouch to appear. Hiding herself well, Samantha glanced back at the Map and saw that Fred and George were still in Filch's office so they didn't know she left. She also saw Barty Crouch's name still in the same place it was before.

As Samantha waited, her thoughts went wild again through the silence. In a matter of minutes, Barty Crouch would appear and she would see what he was doing in there and if he wasn't done with what he was doing. She kept thinking about how Crouch got there in the first place. Apparation was ruled out. Though the front gates are usually open so he could have easily walked right in. If that was the case, then Hogwarts really needed to up their security because anyone could walk right in.

As she contemplated how Crouch got there, small rumblings could be heard beyond the door....then she heard a noise she was not expecting.

It was a soft....definitive...thunk.

The same thunk when everyone knew that Mad Eye Moody was coming.

But this wasn't Mad Eye Moody, Samantha thought immediately. She was looking at the name of Barty Crouch, the Ministry official. As the thunk came closer and closer, Samantha wiped the Map and put it away, just in case.

Her eyes peered around the corner of the statue to see the door opening....and who walked out was someone she was not expecting in the slightest.

Walking out, holding a few vials, was Mad Eye Moody.

Forgetting everything and in complete shock she spoke out loud, "Professor?"

"AAGH!" he bellowed and almost dropped the ingredients. His magical eyes glanced around and saw Samantha Potter half hidden behind the nearby statue.

"Oh Merlin," Samantha breathed when she realized she stupidly revealed her cover and was now facing Mad Eye Moody even though the Map read Barty Crouch.

"Potter?" he growled. "What in Great Scotts are you doing here this late at night?"

Samantha took a breath to regain her composure. Any sign of stuttering would put him off and have him question her more. "Oh you know, sneaking about with Fred and George. While down here, I heard a...noise and had to investigate."

Moody's real eye narrowed a bit and scanned her face for any sign of breaking but he didn't see it. However, his true identity felt that Samantha Potter had known something more than she was letting on. It was no shock that the Potter was good at lying or making up stories. From the teacher's lounge, Snape had told him all kinds of stories about her sneaking around the castle at night.