Chapter 54 - How do They Keep Disappearing?

***** Regular Chapter Release ***** A/N: Sorry this is late. I passed out and took a nap after work, as the smog is pretty bad on my asthma. The Forest fires are making everything Smokey in my area so that's fun. NYC is extra bad looking like something out of some zombie movie. Walking around with a god damn mask like it's Covid again 💀 *****

Harry ran up to his dorm to grab his invisibility cloak, before rushing back down to the common room to meet back up with Hermione.

Huddling closely together and placing the cloak over top of them, they both rushed out of Gryffindor common room, hurrying towards The Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower.

They had just found Khan again after he had gone missing off even the Marauder's Map for several days now, and they weren't going to let something like curfew stop them when they were so close to tracking him down. Especially with something like Harry's invisibility cloak aiding them.

Rushing as quickly as they could, huddled together under the invisibility cloak, Harry was following Khan's progress on the map as Hermione led the way, ensuring that the elusive Jordan would not disappear again.

Although, at least on the map, there appeared to be little action, with Khan now in the same room with Mr. Crouch and Professor Moody, so Harry wasn't so pre-occupied that he wasn't able to watch where he was walking.

"Looks like he's arrived and is talking to Mr. Crouch and Prof. Moody." Harry whispered, informing Hermione.

"Hopefully he won't disappear off the map, before we can talk to him." Hermione whispered back worriedly.

The Defense tower wasn't exactly the closest structure to the Gryffindor dormitories. Not to mention they were moving slower than usual, keeping huddled and quiet underneath the invisibility cloak.

They hurried along the corridors of the castle, Harry watching the map passively as they walked, before he noticed something that startled him.

The name Bartimus Crouch had disappeared from the Marauder's map now, directly from the Defense office.

Harry looked at his map in confusion, as it seemed to be malfunctioning lately.

Firstly, it was missing a room, with the mysterious 'come-and-go' room the Dooby described, absent from the Marauder's map.

Secondly, it appeared to have trouble tracking certain people such as Khan, as it seemed he too was missing from the map for a period of time, before randomly showing up again out of nowhere tonight.

That apparently was becoming a theme, as now Mr. Crouch had somehow directly disappeared from the Defense office.

"You can't apparate in Hogwarts, right Hermione?" Harry clarified. "What about portkeys?"

"That's right Harry, nobody can apparate in Hogwarts. Most visitors and even teachers will have to exit Hogwarts grounds to escape the wards." Hermione whispered back. "Portkeys can still work, but they need to be allowed by the headmaster so he can allow them to pass through the wards successfully. I read it in Hogwarts: a History!"

"Why do you ask?"

"Mr. Crouch just disappeared directly from the Defense Office...." Harry replied.

"He disappeared?" Hermione asked, as she started thinking about how that could be possible. "I suppose he could've used Prof Moody's fireplace to floo back to the ministry."

Hermione chose the most logical option available, not believing Crouch to be capable of overpowering and breaking through the wards on his own by apparation.

Not to mention portkeys were quite expensive and typically only single use items, the ministry placing heavy restrictions on regular portkeys, so she doubted that Crouch would use one to simply move back and forth from Hogwarts, when he could simply enter/exit via leaving Hogwarts grounds and apparating.

"That makes sense." Harry nodded in response, looking back at the map, ensuring that Jordan was still there, talking to Moody, before putting it away for the moment. "Come along Hermione, lets try to hurry, in case the talk is quick and Jordan ends up leaving again, flashing away to god knows where."

Harry still didn't understand how he was able to flash around Hogwarts, although he fully intended to ask Jordan at a later date. Probably when he wasn't so mad.

They had finally entered into the Defense Tower, and Harry figured that they wouldn't need the map anymore, with the classroom just up a few more set up stairs.

After a few minutes of quiet shuffling, they had finally arrived and entered into the Defense classroom through the open door, still in the invisibility cloak of course.

Looking around the classroom, they noticed it was empty, with Moody and Khan hopefully still in his office.

Taking off the invisibility cloak, they both rushed up to the office, eager to meet back up with their friend, and looked inside.

They saw Khan, dressed in his fancy Blue and Yellow Battle robes they both remembered him wearing during the wizarding world cup.

The defense office appeared similar to how Prof. Lupin used to keep it, with Moody keeping the furniture in roughly the same place with the same decorations, Harry noted to himself.

Except it appeared Moody had a particular interest in brewing his own potions, a Potions table and cauldron set up in the corner of the room.

However, strangely, it seemed Moody too now seemed to be missing, the office appearing empty, other than Khan of course, who appeared to be rummaging around, looking for something.

They both found it odd, as Moody was just on the map a few moments ago, and they had not passed him on his way out of the Defense classroom or tower.

How was it that everyone was disappearing/reappearing tonight?

"Ahem!" Hermione cleared her throat to announce their arrival, hands on her hips.

Harry could already tell, that one of her famous 'Hermione Lectures' was on its way, just from her posture.

He had been lucky to avoid her wrath so far, even with her usual target Ron, being absent from their group.

Harry waved at Jordan, once he had looked over after hearing Hermione, giving a silent prayer for him in his heart.

"Hey you two!" Khan greeted back distractedly, still looking around the Defense office for something. "It's been a few days hasn't it?"

Harry watched as Jordan moved over towards a large chest, close to the potions table and cauldron in the corner, casting an 'Alohamora!' on it, opening it idly while talking to them.

"Is that all you have to say to us?" Hermione demanded angrily. "You were completely irresponsible leaving unannounced for a few days, not teaching your classes!"

Khan finally looked up from his search, getting a proper look at his 2 younger friends, realizing that Hermione was upset with him for some reason.

"What do you mean?" He questioned with a slight tilt of his head in clear confusion. "I informed Dumbledore I would be taking a few personal days to clear my head, the night of the first task."

"You told Dumbledore?" Hermione was immediately shocked, and stopped mid lecture, before deciding she was too upset to stop now and continued. "Why didn't you tell us then? You had us all completely worried!"

Harry watched equally stunned as Hermione (but for a different reason) as Jordan put on a suave grin, and started teasing her.

"Oh I had you worried did I?" Khan stated in amusement, moving a few steps closer to Hermione. "I'm sorry Hermione.... I didn't realize I was so important to you."

Hermione immediately turned red, Harry noticing that she was even blushing up to her ears, as she denied his claim.

"No... I'M.... All of us were worried...." She stuttered out, before remembering their Hogsmeade outing, and their 'back and forth' teasing when they were spending time at the 3 Broomsticks, deciding to tease him back. "You had poor Fleur in a complete fit all week, after all."

Harry laughed, as he remembered the poor upset looking French woman who had just cornered them earlier that evening during dinner.

"She really did seem like she was this upset housewife, waiting for her missing husband to come home." Harry stated backing Hermione up, chuckling aloud at the comparison.

"Please tell me you know where Jordan is?" Hermione mockingly imitated Fleur, posing like a maiden.

"AHAHA That's a pretty good imitation!" Khan laughed, surprisingly agreeing with Hermione. "But you're missing her French accent. Gotta work on that Hermione!"

"Actually, this IS her accent now!" Hermione said with her own smirk now, sticking out her tongue. "So I was accurate with that immitation!"

Jordan took on a slightly confused face, evidently remembering Fleur's strong French accent, that she still possessed just a few days ago.

"She's right." Harry decided to back up his best friend in her teasing, confirming her side of the story. "She's strangely lost her French accent this week, even taking on a British accent."

Harry didn't want to allude to the rumors they were dating, but couldn't help smirking at Jordan's obvious confusion.

Khan couldn't help but be confused of course. Accents could not be changed that significantly within a few days, even if she had been previously practicing.

And He did not know of any spell or magic that caused someone to change their accents at will.

Khan reached up to touch his lips absentmindedly, remembering The last time they had spoken, was right before her first task, when she had surprisingly kissed him on the lips.

"Anyways... where did Prof. Moody go?" Hermione interrupted his thoughts of his kiss.

"Oh, um.... He left maybe 5-10 minutes ago." Khan mumbled in response, soundingly a bit uneasy.

"5-10 minutes ago? But he was just here..." It was Harry's turn to be confused, as he remembered the map.

Moody was just in the office a few minutes ago. It was Crouch who had left about 5 to 10 minutes ago, wasn't it?

"How would you even know?" Khan questioned, to which Harry had no answer.

He was currently unsure as to whether or not to share the secret of the Marauder's map with Khan. They had grown a lot closer lately, especially with Jordan being the only other person other than Hermione who believed him when it came to not putting his name in the Goblet.

"Well... at any rate, I can assure you, I've been alone for several minutes now..." Khan continued vaguely, as didn't want to allude to his kleptomaniac tendencies. Although he had been still nonchalantly looking through Moody's things, It wasn't exactly something he was proud of after all.

Harry meanwhile had internally come up with a decision to share with Khan his secret.

With Ron now no longer his best mate, Harry was looking to make more dependable friends. To count on, rely on, and trust to help him in his fight against Voldemort.

And who better than their Jr. Prof. himself, Jordan Khan?

Watching him defeat that horrible Hebridean Black Mother dragon in direct combat, not to mention remembering his rampage during the world cup, Harry had no doubt that Jordan would perhaps be his strongest and most powerful ally in his fight against Voldemort.

Thus Harry decided to show his good friend some more trust, and let him in on another secret of his, Khan already finding out about his special invisibility cloak.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled back out the old piece of parchment, unfolding it in his hands.

"I solemnly swear, that I am up to no good!"

He casted the activation charm of the map, causing it to go through its usual 'ink-filling-process', creating a live map of Hogwarts and its inhabitants.

"This is the Marauder's map." Harry started to explain. "My father and his friends created it back when they all attended Hogwarts. It shows a live map of Hogwarts and all its current inhabitants."

Holding it out to show the curious Khan, he pointed at the Defense class room, indicating where the thre- four of them were?

According to the map, directly where his finger was pointing, he saw the names: Jordan Khan, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger of course. But in addition to the 3 of them, he also saw the name Alastor Moody!

Harry looked around the classroom in confusion, joined shortly by Khan, who after looking at the map in awe, noticed the room where Harry was pointing at, and read the names there as well.

Khan clearly remembered sending 'Moody' away.

Why did this map show that Alastar Moody was still in this classroom?