In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 143: The Second Task.

"You said you had already worked out that egg clue!" said Hermione indignantly.

"Keep your voice down!" said Harry crossly. "We just needed to - sort of fine-tune it, all right?"

We were all sitting at the very back of the Charms class with a table to ourselves. We were supposed to be practicing the Banishing Charm today. Owing to the potential for nasty accidents when objects kept flying across the room, Professor Flitwick had given each of us a stack of cushions on which to practice, the theory being that these wouldn't hurt anyone if they went off target. It was a good theory, but it wasn't working very well. Neville kept accidentally sending much heavier things flying across the room - Professor Flitwick, for instance. Me and Bailey got points taken away for laughing. But it was worth it because it was hilarious!

"Just forget the egg for a minute, all right?" I hissed as Flitwick went whizzing past is again, landing on top of a large cabinet. "We're trying to tell you about Snape and Moody...."

This class was an ideal cover for a private conversation, as everyone was having far too much fun to pay us any attention. We had been recounting our adventures of the previous night for the last half hour.

"Snape said Moody's searched his office as well?" Ron whispered, his eyes alight with interest as he Banished a cushion with a sweep of his wand (it soared into the air and knocked Parvati's hat off). "What...d'you reckon Moody's here to keep an eye on Snape as well as Karkaroff?"

"Well, I dunno if that's what Dumbledore asked him to do, but he's definitely doing it," said Harry, waving his wand without paying much attention, so that his cushion did an odd sort of belly flop off the desk. "Moody said Dumbledore only lets Snape stay here because he's giving him a second chance or something...."

"What?" said Bailey, her eyes widening, her cushion spinning high into the air, ricocheting off the chandelier, and dropping heavily onto Flitwick's desk. "Harry...Karlee...maybe Moody thinks Snape put your names in the Goblet of Fire!"

"Bailey," said Hermione, shaking her head skeptically, "we thought Snape was trying to kill Harry and Karlee before, and it turned out he was saving their lives, remember?"

She Banished a cushion and it flew across the room and landed in the box we were all supposed to be aiming at. I looked at Hermione, thinking...it was true that Snape had saved our lives once, but the odd thing was, Snape definitely loathed us. Me a little bit less - but it's not a competition. Snape loved taking points from Harry and I, and had certainly never missed an opportunity to give us punishments, or even to suggest that we should be suspended from the school.

"I don't care what Moody says," Hermione went on. "Dumbledore's not stupid. He was right to trust Hagrid and Professor Lupin, even though loads of people wouldn't have given them jobs, so why shouldn't he be right about Snape, even if Snape is a bit -"

"- evil," said Ron promptly. "Come on, Hermione, why are all these Dark wizard catchers searching his office, then?"

"Why has Mr. Crouch been pretending to be ill?" said Hermione, ignoring Ron. "Its a bit funny, isn't it, that he cant manage to come to the Yule Ball, but he can get up here in the middle of the night when he wants to?"

"You just don't like Crouch because of that elf, Winky," said Ron, sending a cushion soaring into the window.

"You just want to think Snape's up to something," said Hermione, sending her cushion zooming neatly into the box.

"I just want to know what Snape did with his first chance, if he's on his second one," I said grimly, and my cushion flew straight across the room and landed neatly on top of Hermione's.