Bad feeling

"This has gotten weird."

"Definitely."

The next morning, Barnaby and Sanshi brought a good handful of Susuwatari into the castle after paying them in sugar. They spread them out during the last Quidditch match when nearly everyone was out watching the game.

Even from inside, Barnaby could hear the cheers signaling Gryffindor's victory. That was also a sign that the students would be returning in about twenty minutes.

Now, Harry kissing Ginny during the celebration in the Gryffindor common room was just… strange, especially after how he'd found Harry and Draco.

"Does that mean Ginny won't be telling us anything more?" Sanshi asked, understandably concerned.

Or worse, maybe she'd start feeding him false information…

Barnaby wanted to say Ginny wouldn't do that, but when love and Harry were involved, he couldn't be so sure.

Especially knowing Ginny's longtime crush on Harry; even her brothers were tired of hearing her talk about him at home.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Ginny, but he'd have to take her intel with a grain of salt from now on—if she kept sharing anything at all.

He didn't even care about the Order's "big goals" against Voldemort; he just wanted Ginny to keep him informed if Dumbledore or any other member decided to move against him or his family.

And if such a situation arose…

They could forget about that member ever returning.

"Let's put that aside," Barnaby said, waving it off. "A Tonberry told me another set of runes appeared on the third floor. Let's see what our mysterious vandal did this time."

It seemed he wasn't the only one taking advantage of the match.

A few minutes later, on the third floor…

"Something's changed."

And Barnaby didn't like it.

"Same hand, by the stroke," commented Sanshi, frowning at the wall runes, "but it feels like a different person at the same time."

"Either they had a breakthrough and improved in rune usage, or they have help—maybe someone advising them," Barnaby noted as he examined the new rune setup. "I should tell Aunt Minerva; this isn't just a restless kid's prank or casual vandalism anymore."

He noticed several small runes meant for darker purposes, like blood sacrifices. The entire setup was designed as a one-way travel system that seemed aimed at bypassing the school's protections.

"But Dumbledore's always here. Why would anyone risk such an unreliable method to enter?" That part puzzled him the most.

Even though he couldn't stand him, he had to admit that Dumbledore was a strong deterrent.

Any intruder would be apprehended within minutes with that old man on duty. The only scenario that made some sense was entering during summer break, but even then, he couldn't figure out why.

Even if it was a Death Eater's child working internally, this rune setup was dangerous and clearly unfinished, far from polished. If ten people used it, maybe five or six would get through unharmed, while the others might not make it at all or end up missing body parts to varying degrees.

Someone must be really desperate to go to such lengths!

"Let's go." Barnaby headed toward Minerva's office after erasing the new runes but paused after a few steps. "I need to talk to Dad after meeting with Aunt Minerva," he reminded himself before continuing.

If there was even a chance things could go wrong in the end, he didn't want his father caught in the crossfire. Even though he'd managed to get his father to use some magic again for convenience, he wasn't suited for combat.

"You could suggest he go help your uncle with the mammoth cheese," Sanshi suggested.

"Yes, but the problem would be getting him to stay…" Barnaby ran a hand through his hair.

The use of the Draught of Living Death was a last-ditch measure.

As for defenses for the castle, he didn't have many options besides a few creatures and…

What was that spell he'd been taught?

Something like… Piertotum Locomotor?

"I'll have to ask Aunt Minerva again," he muttered, a bit frustrated for not having taken notes. "I have a bad feeling about this."