Chp 37: Operation Distraction

Location: Grand Staircase

Time: 00:59 am 

'Should be about a minute left' thought Adam dressed in the bright body suit he had found in the ruin finally having found a use for it as a distinctive disguise. He waited silently pressed into an alcove feeling the seconds tick by towards the inevitable chime of the Hogwarts clock which went off every half hour.

DOONG DOOONG DOOOONG 

The bell sounded, 'Game on', he pulled the horned mask down and then sped down the corridor careful to make as much noise as he could.

Jumping up and down with two feet, he attempted to make a thudding noise but for some reason not a sound came from the padded footwear which was part of the garish suit.

'Huh ... guess we gotta ramp it up a notch eh Calcifer'.

"Ohhh nouuuhh a students out of bed!" shouted Adam badly attempting to disguise his voice, putting on an aggressive Scottish accent.

Still there was no sign of Filch or any other Professor for that matter.

'Mmmhhmm' thought Adam stomping his way past the great hall ineffectively, before making a left, heading towards the entrance hall.

Peeking his head through the large door to the entrance hall he had an idea, grabbing one side of the massive door he strained closing it, until one side of the door was in the shut position.

'Hehe'.

'Do it' egged on Calcifer.

Adam dug his shoulder in and ran, smashing the door into the wall.

BAANG

"Who's there" shouted a voice somewhere out in the viaduct courtyard, the sound of a person running echoing up through the entrance hall.

'It is Filch, nice'.

Adam waited until he could see the top of Filch's head entering the entrance hall.

Fumos cast Adam from around the corner.

A cloud of smoke billowed out the tip of his wand identifying exactly where he was but obscuring what he was doing or where he was going.

"You can't hide ... show yourself".

~Rocky theme plays~

Adam quickly ran back past the great hall and then towards the grand staircase. Skidding to a halt where the staircase met the landing he pointed his wand skywards towards the top of the grand staircase.

Avifors he intoned a bird transfiguring itself out the head of a balustrade, it came out misshapen and not very birdlike, though not surprising considering it was only his third quasi-successful casting of the spell. 

Nonetheless, it served its purpose cawing loudly up the staircase.

Adam descended the opposite way rapidly shuffling down the stairs hearing the echo's change as Filch turned the corner outside the great hall.

'Let's see if he falls for it' said Adam to Calcifer looking around. 

Running down the staircase he suddenly heard more footfalls below him. Adam froze for a second not knowing which way to run.

'UP'.

Blasting up the staircase four steps at a time he saw Filch out the corner of his eye barely twenty meters away running down the hall towards him with a strange high knee running style.

Adam's adrenaline was spiking now, decreasing the hold he had over the warp slightly.

Running up the stairs, he turned at the first landing, running up the next flight. Filch was hot on his heels his knees high technique being surprisingly effective at going up the stairs.

'Reminds me of old times Adam' said Calcifer calmly. 

'No ... [Huff] this is much more relaxed, I'll take scrubbing cauldrons over eternal torture any day'.

Adam gained a burst of speed passing the second floor with athletic grace.

"[Huh ... huh] ... stop!" shouted Filch out of breath.

"No-ow" shouted Adam putting the Scottish accent back on.

'Now you're just being mean to him'.

Another voice shouted up the staircase "Stop right now or your punishment won't be so merciful", it was Snape.

'Shit' thought Adam for a second before the bad influence spoke.

'Tell him you'd like that wouldn't you'.

"You'd like that wouldn't yo-ou" shouted Adam down the stairs only to gulp as he realized the next flight of stairs wasn't in place to ascend to the fourth floor. 

Adam looked around trying to see another option, only to catch sight of the abomination of a bird he had transfigured staring back at him looking more like a disabled melted wax statue than an actual bird, perched on a balustrade just like the one he had transfigured it out of.

"Shooo" said Adam to the bird before committing to the level he was on, as he heard Snape overtake Filch below, his progress evidenced by the cursing and grumbling coming up the stairs as the two staff members raced up behind him.

Adam ran left towards the door to the charms corridor only to find it locked as he rattled the door.

Not wasting any time he ran back through the creepy spiderweb corridor and towards the door on the other side of the corridor, as he passed the plinths burst in flames consecutively. He reached the other door as he heard Snape and then Filch alight the level.

It was locked.

'Shit what's the spell' 

The sound of running was heard behind him.

Adam gave up, realising it wasn't going to come to him fast enough, he enhanced his legs with the warp and jumped into the darkness of the ceiling above hiding behind a stone rafter seeing if he could get Filch two for two.

"You've got nowhere to run ... intruder," said Snape.

Adam heard the quiet sounds of both men moving slowly in either direction down the corridor.

The steps drew closer, closer ... closer. Adam scrunched up his face the tension growing too much. He opened one eye, and right below stood Snape, slowly Snape turned his face up facial features impassive.

Adam's breath hitched in his chest.

'This is it Calcifer, tell Kaldor ... tell him I was strong and that I didn't make a sound ... eeeeehhh'.

Snape took a step forward, looking back down before moving towards the door with a frown turning his wand over as the door's lock clicked open giving Adam a direct line of sight to the massive dog within, scratch that, the blu-ming three-headed dog within 'Thrones hell'.

Snape carefully edged his head in careful not to wake the beast, once in he scanned the room top to bottom with his eyes before shaking his head as he stepped out of the room and closed the door as quietly as he could behind him.

With a confused expression on his face, he walked back under Adam and towards the exit of the third-floor corridor.

"Anyone here Mrs Norris" he heard Filch call.

Miawoo

Snape swept out the corridor his animosity palpable through the air.

"Back this way, they must have stepped off the staircase on the second floor, they must have had a broom", shouted Snape. Adam looked down at himself confused as to why Snape hadn't seen him after having looked directly at him.

He waited a few minutes before deciding it was safe to leave his hiding place.

Adam looked down at his arm as he manoeuvred himself back to the ground.

"What"?