"Peeves really has perfect timing…"
Andrew sighed to himself, but he had no intention of heading to the castle gates—he was just a first-year student, what, was he supposed to go get clobbered?
That was the poltergeist who dared say "no" to every headmaster!
Peeves had been ruling the castle long before Dumbledore came along, and now he was still gleefully wreaking havoc with his pranks.
"Let's just wait—it'll all blow over eventually…"
Andrew leaned back in his chair, continuing to quietly tinker with the shoelace charm—under the influence of the faint incantation, the two shoelaces slowly squirmed like they were attempting to untangle themselves. His curious dormmates scooted their chairs closer and started trying the rather dull spell themselves.
By the time Andrew could reliably get the laces to tie themselves, Peeves' rampage was finally brought under control. After being pelted repeatedly with the same bread he'd been throwing at them, the older students who had returned in droves from Hogsmeade managed to drive the poltergeist off. Muttering curses, Peeves finally left the corridor.
"Poltergeist Defense, Rule One: Let him trip on his own chaos…"
Andrew made a mental note of this, and silently thanked Hamm, a senior student and minor club leader, who had bought him a bunch of snacks.
"Studying hard and going to the library is a good habit—knowledge is the greenhouse of wisdom."
Hamm patted Andrew on the shoulder with a smile, sounding just like an inspecting club leader before turning and walking away.
"No wonder they say his club is the strictest in the whole house…"
Harle looked on enviously after Hamm left—he'd clearly been KFC'd (Kept From Chocolate).
"All for show… and I can't even say it out loud," Andrew thought grumpily but kept his mouth shut. Club meeting discussions were not to be shared outside, and he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention from the upperclassmen. If something genuinely problematic or abusive happened, he'd definitely speak up—but when it came to mere attitudes or vibes, any resistance could get him labeled as "too extreme."
Of course, the nickname "No-Nose" was jarring, but apparently his real name had been cursed, so no one dared say it aloud. Plus, most of what Andrew knew came from second-hand commentary.
As far as he knew, No-Nose's followers had always had their own agendas, and only got punished when they failed. Andrew figured there was no way he'd be more ridiculous than that guy.
Back in the dormitory, they divided the snacks—unsurprisingly, Andrew got the largest share. But no one bothered to keep things separate: everything was just piled in the center of their card table, free for the taking.
"Sleep, sleep—who knows, maybe owls will come again tomorrow. We can't let a disaster like today happen again!"
But when Andrew woke up the next day, the sky was only just lightening and the owls hadn't made a peep.
After thinking for a minute or two, and remembering what he'd told his roommates before bed, Andrew decided to sneak out quietly—he'd been working so hard the past few days that he'd been sleeping longer, but since he went to bed early last night, he was feeling refreshed. Waking everyone else would probably land him in the hospital wing…
"Time for a run… The essay's done, homework's done… Been too busy with magic lately, can't believe I've neglected something as important as running…"
Dressing quietly, Andrew made his way downstairs, taking in the peaceful early morning view of the common room.
At five in the morning, Hogwarts was still a little dark. Most of the paintings on the walls were asleep; a few yawned and glanced at him as he passed, but soon drifted back into slumber.
"Looks like no one else is up this early…"
He decided to jog a loop around the Black Lake—the Quidditch pitch was nice, but probably already occupied.
+++
"Phew…"
After running half a lap, Andrew stopped under a willow tree to catch his breath, then resumed at a brisk walk—just over a week off, and he was already a little out of shape.
The view of the lake was lovely, and best of all—no couples! Sure, some couples jogged together, but given that yesterday was Saturday, the odds of any showing up today were slim.
But fate had other plans—Andrew spotted a Hufflepuff wandering along the lakeside, pacing back and forth like they were about to run into the water.
"Excuse me, over there—have you seen my toad?"
Andrew hesitated only briefly before jumping on the perfect excuse.
"Toad?"
The student looked confused, turning around. "Haven't seen one over here."
"Ah…"
Andrew put on a disappointed face. "He's not very big, and he's been cooped up a lot lately. I thought I'd let him swim in the lake while it's quiet, but he hopped off…"
"Want me to help you look?"
The other student offered cautiously. Andrew latched on immediately. "Really? That would be great, thank you so much…"
'Keep him talking, get him distracted, then steer the conversation toward whatever's going on with him, and maybe help him out a bit…'
With that in mind, the lies flowed easily.
"My roommate said maybe he just prefers being free. I don't know… maybe we just weren't right for each other…"
"Could be. I mean, the Black Lake is huge—definitely better than a dorm room. Plus, rumor has it there's a Slytherin treasure hidden in there. Maybe your toad went to study it!"
The Hufflepuff lowered his voice after a brief hesitation. "I've read a bunch of theories like that, and recently there's been some strong evidence. So I've been researching it—you know, with everything that's going on lately…"
???
Something wasn't right here.
"Honestly, no harm in telling you—we've got a group of students planning to explore the lake. We've been preparing quietly… If we spot your toad down there, we'll carry your thoughts to him. Maybe he'll send a blessing back with us…"
Are you serious right now?!
Wait—Andrew realized he'd jumped to conclusions. This guy wasn't about to drown himself—he was just obsessively fascinated with the lake and its legends. Especially now that the "treasure" stories were circulating again.
"Fourth year. Jack."
The boy extended a hand. Andrew, slightly embarrassed, decided to give his real name—one lie was enough, more would be hard to untangle.
"First year. Andrew."
"Got it. I'll help you keep an eye out. If I hear anything, I'll send a school owl your way. I'm going to check over there—maybe I'll find your toad. But I still think it's living free now. Anyway, see you."
"See you… I'll check over that way too. Maybe he's just being naughty…"
Andrew faked an anxious expression and started "searching" again for the nonexistent toad.
Then I'm sneaking back, grabbing some snacks, and heading straight for the library—no way I'm facing the dining hall after that! Too awkward!
T/N: For twenty chapters ahead on all my fics become a P@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle