(1941-04-08) Finding Pringle's Diary
Details for Finding Pringle's Diary
Summary: Beauregard and Lyall form an unlikely team to find one of the objects that Peeves has hidden from Pringle in the Great Hall. Can the pair from opposite houses work together to find the prize?
Date: April 8th, 1941
Location: Great Hall, Hogwarts
Related:
Characters
BeauregardLyall

Great Hall Ground_Floor


Braziers that hang by chains from the beaks of griffin gargoyles that line the walls where they meet the high vaulted enchanted ceiling offer warm illuminating blazes. Four long tables are evenly spaced with the heads of the table at the north and south of the room. Each table has a cloth runner down the center and a plush rug underneath of the different House colors indicating to which house the table belongs.
The most westerly table is the Slytherin table. Beside them is the Ravenclaw table. The Gryffindor table is then between the Ravenclaw table to the west and the Hufflepuff table which is the most easterly table. One other table along the northern wall up on a dais for the Professors to sit at and look over all four of the other tables. Also on the dais is one lectern gilded in gold with an owl spreading it's wings at the top of the lectern. Candles line the tops of the owl's wings to illuminate anyone speaking at the lectern. A stool like protrusion comes out of the lectern as well as that's where the first years sit when they are sorted.
There are three sets of doors in the Great Hall. The main exit and entrance that leads to the Entry Hall is a large set of double wooden doors carved with vines and flanked by high stone pedestals each set with a small brazier above the stony 'H' carved in the pedestal. On the eastern wall is a much smaller door just next to the dais that's attached to the antechamber the first years come up from the lake through. Lastly one other door is set into the northwest corner behind the High Table.
As always high above within the obscured stone and wood cathedral like buttresses and crockets the outside weather is reflected in an illusion with all the sound and visuals of the weather, just without the actual effects of it.


Lyall sneaks into the Great Hall. He is breaking curfew, and it's hard to know why in the world he'd come here in the middle of the night when he visits the place every day, but here he is. Quietly he ducks among the long tables, eyes darting as he looks about for something, but when he catches sight of Beauregard, he gasps and cringes. All need for sneakery is forgotten as he exclaims, "Oi! What happened to you?"

Beauregard is under the table and he's searching for something out of place. He is trying to earn points for his house by finding one of the objects that are on the scavenger hunt. He wipes off his face, "Just a little dust and I'd ask you to please keep your voice down." He says politely. "You are Lyall correct? Of Gryffindor House?" He asks as he moves out from under one of the tables and he doesn't bother to brush himself off as he moves to go under another.

"…I am," Lyall says more quietly. Lyall squints at Beauregard, his body language relaying caution. "And you are a Slytherin, I see." Lyall run through the disorganized files of his brain, trying to connect the face of this boy to a name. "You're here for the scavenger hunt, I presume?"

Beauregard moves under the table to continue to look it over, "Yes I am, my name is Beauregard, we have a few classes together." He says, "If you would like to look together we can share the points."

Lyall doesn't move to help, but his stance relaxes. "Share them? How does that work?"

Beauregard continues to look, "Easily we turn it in together." He says as he moves towards the end of the table and then over towards the beginning of the other. "If you help me look that is, I wish a hufflepuff was here they are such good finders."

Lyall widens his eyes, shrugs, and gets down on his hands and knees, beginning his search along another set of tables. "Well, that's unexpected."

Beauregard hmms, "What's unexpected about it? That a Slytherin is willing to work with a Gryffindor?" He asks as he continues to look. "Or that I'd be willing to share the points?"

Lyall smiles a little. "The latter," he replies. "My father said a Slytherin would do anything to get their way." As he moves, he scoots against a bench which awkwardly makes an irritating noise that echoes through the hall. "Guh, you forget how big it is in here, don't you? At least you don't expect echoes with the ceiling looking like the sky.

Beauregard shrugs, 'Well in a way I am getting my way I want to help my house and find something on the scavenger hunt. You are helping me do so. Besides nothing says that you can't be friends with those from other houses."

Lyall's face tightens a little, confusion in his brow. "I guess. But Gryffindor and Slytherin's different. I mean, you know." He sighs a little through his nose and continues crawling forward. "Like, how do I know you won't claim all the points for yourself in the end?" Lyall says, "Besides, why would any Slytherin want to be friends with a Half-blood?"

Beauregard hmms, "You don't. Just like I don't know that you would. It's about trust." He hmms, "Hold on I think I found something. See I'm sharing." He hmms as he taps something hollow under the table.

Lyall remains suspicious as he listens to Beauregard, but at the mention of finding, he jerks up, bashing his head on the table. "Really? Ow! You found it?" He rushes excitedly to crouch next to Beauregard.

Beauregard nods as he starts to feel around, "Yes I think so. I got it." He says as he starts to wiggle the object out and he rolls out from under the great hall. He holds up the object, 'Looks like a book." He starts to brush it off.

Lyall can't help but smile, or reach out eagerly to inspect the new prise. "Go on, then, open it!"

Beauregard hmms, "It says Property of Apollyon Pringle. It must be the caretakers. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to open it." He says as he sets it on the table and he goes to open it. He cries out as he gets hit by a flash of light from the book and angry red boils start to go all over his face. He whimpers. "Stupid…stupid…stupid of me…come on let's go turn this in before I go to the infirmary.”

"Wouldn't hurt?" Lyall laughs. "Look right there what it says on the cover - " But before Lyall can say anything else, he finds himself gawking at an apparently very stupid Slytherin covered in boils. "Oh no, what's happened? Agh! Took the words right out of my mouth!" Lyall replies to Beauregard's self-deprecation. "No, you lumphead, look at the size of your nose! Hospital Wing first, yeah? Then we can worry about some silly scavenger hunt." Lyall takes the book and gingerly attempts to pull Beauregard along by the sleeve of his robes.

Beauregard shakes his head as he holds onto the book, "House points first and then the nurse." He insists as he gets dragged along. "Let's turn this cursed diary in first."

Lyall rolls his eyes. "It isn't like someone's going to steal the points away while you're in with the nurse, is it? As long as you've got it, you've won, and you can cash in later!"

Beauregard shakes his head, 'No I've probably all ready lost points because I opened the book I've got to redeem as many as I can. My face can wait. The points can't."

Lyall shakes his head with a sigh and says, "You know the way to the Hospital Wing, right? It isn't too far. Now, you tell me where to turn this in, and I'll do it in your name."

Beauregard is going to be stubborn about this. "We said we'd do it together so let's do it together. Let's go find Pringle and give it back to him. I'm sure that's where they are supposed to go. It is his diary after all." Beauregard adds, "And maybe he knows the counter-curse to this."

Lyall thinks for a moment, and slowly begins to nod in agreement. "You're right. It is Pringle's curse." He starts for the doors of the Great Hall, biting his lip. "We'll have to be quiet about it, though. What's the time?"

Beauregard winces as he moves along as the boils are everywhere not just on his face. "We can say we found it going to the bathroom." He winces a little more and then grits his teeth as he heads towards Pringle's office.

"What, both of us going together?" Lyall scathes, but still he cringes to see Beauregard in so much pain. "Agh, you can't carry on like this… There is a spell to move things or even people in the air with your wand, right? Dad does it all the time, only he doesn't say the larking word aloud every time…."

Beauregard shakes his head, "I'll manage. We can blame Peeves for it, said he teased us and we wanted to get this back for him."

Lyall glares at Beauregard and grits his teeth. "Fine. Just…stay quiet, then. Let's go."

Beauregard nods as he keeps his wincing to himself and he follows along hugging the book to him.

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