"It's already the third one this week. I'll have to ask the Tonberries to be more vigilant during night rounds..."
Barnaby examined the dark scrawls on a lesser-used corridor wall—a clear attempt to use rune magic, albeit unsuccessful, since half the runes were invented.
And Filch couldn't scrub them off even with the cleaning supplies he'd given him, which was impressive in a way. So, Barnaby had to come in person to check them out, and what a surprise it was.
"Why would anyone use this?" Barnaby muttered, studying the only functional part of the runes. "This time, the runes are 'Weakness,' 'Corrosion,' 'Penetration,' 'Omission'..."
The rune combination clearly aimed to weaken and breach a barrier in an aggressive way, but the rest of the runes completely threw off the intent, creating an effect that, if this were a Muggle computer, would result in the infamous "blue screen of death."
"The last one tried to mimic the Floo Network effect, while the first didn't even contain a functional rune," Barnaby grumbled, scratching his head. "It's as if someone's learning Runes on their own, but without the right books and in a rush to try out everything that comes to mind."
To be fair, this latest attempt would be a lot more impressive without the random runes. It might even have been somewhat functional.
"But whoever's doing this is only looking for quick results," concluded Sanshi as she appeared beside him, taking advantage of the empty corridor. "There's resentment in these marks, and I smell blood." She wrinkled her nose. "Human blood."
"Yes, anyone who's taken even a few beginner classes would see that the rune order is completely wrong." Barnaby used acid to burn the wall along with the scrawls and then restored it. "This strange paint is really a nuisance. Though, I suspect they're using their own blood."
"Whatever they mixed in, it completely destroys its original essence," Sanshi circled around, sniffing. "I can't pick up the scent of whoever did this."
Barnaby expected that. With so many creatures in the castle, doing something like this without taking measures to conceal the scent would be foolish. And there were plenty of ways to eliminate odors.
"Let's keep an eye out for any students looking paler than usual. The amount of blood needed for each attempt can't be small."
"Since that man's confirmed return, there are plenty of students looking pale, and it's not for lack of blood but of courage," Sanshi mused, waving her tail slowly. "Or maybe they're more aware of their situation than it seems?"
"I'd say both," Barnaby replied as he finished up and turned toward the kitchens to get something for both of them. "Many people are probably regretting their past actions at the moment."
"You mean Ginny?" Sanshi asked, walking agilely beside him. "It was surprising she told you some things about Dumbledore's Order after that talk you two had."
No major plans were revealed, but many small details could prove useful in certain situations if used correctly.
"Do you mean how Ginny ranted about Ron for two hours?" Barnaby had never seen a Weasley so flushed and foul-mouthed. He'd learned many new words that day. "As for the Order stuff, I think the twins had a hand in it, even if they pretended not to know what Ginny did."
"Mmm," Sanshi rubbed her thumb over her lip in thought. "You mean about Luna and her mother?"
"That's right."
"So, you're saying they regret (or feel guilty about) following Dumbledore's order that summer, then remembered they owed you for Luna's mother's situation, so they helped Ginny bring you up to speed on things they considered harmless and wouldn't affect their operations?"
Looking at it now, it sounded a bit convoluted.
"Think about it. Do you think Molly would let her youngest daughter hear those things?" Barnaby glanced at her as they walked. "The information Ginny gave me came from the twins. They might even have used those extendable ears they sell to gather it—I don't know. But they were undoubtedly the source, while Ginny acted as the messenger."
"Does that mean we have a spy in that old man's Order?" Sanshi asked, blinking twice. "I mean, I wouldn't suspect Ginny of all people."
"I wouldn't call her a spy. At most, she and the twins might collaborate on a few things under the table," Barnaby replied.
There was a big difference between repaying a favor and following orders. Bringing loyalties and friendships into it could complicate things significantly.
"For now, my goal hasn't changed," Barnaby said. "Keeping the family safe, trying to prevent Hogwarts from falling apart, and... I suppose helping Harry against that man. My own way, of course, since the approach I used until now wasn't appreciated as it should have been."
They entered the kitchens, where a song was echoing through the place.
"Fried bacon~, bacon, fried bacon~..."
Several house-elves were taking notes seriously as they watched an odd yellow dog preparing fried bacon, his limbs stretching in strange ways to handle six frying pans at once.
"Hey, Jake," Barnaby called, approaching as the house-elves cleared a path.
"Oh, you're just in time!" Jake turned his head like an owl, something no other dog could do. "Come over and give me your honest opinion. These pointy-eared folks are good company, but they only keep saying it's good!" he grumbled.
"Maybe because it actually is?"
"Mmm, no, I think it could be better…" Jake eyed the bacon thoughtfully, like a sage contemplating a mystery that defies knowledge. "I want to perfect it for when I make it for Finn and Rainicorn as a surprise. I didn't even know duck bacon existed until I got here!"
"But bacon alone is just a little…" Barnaby looked at Jake's different variations. "Maybe with a couple of fried eggs and some orange juice?"
"Toast," suggested Sanshi. "With some kind of jam."
"Oh, those are good ideas. But now I'm hungry!" Jake rubbed his stomach, which growled in protest. "Hey, could you guys make the rest of that stuff?" he asked the house-elves.
Five seconds later…
"Whoa!" Jake stared at the table, which was now laid out with everything he needed to accompany his fried bacon.
There were toast options with six different types of bread, eight jams to choose from, a large pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, enough fried eggs to make a small mountain, and…
Ice cream for dessert!
"Hey, Barnaby," Jake looked at him with starry eyes, "do you think I could take a couple back home?"