Katie's condition turned out to be as Barnaby had estimated, and she was sent to St. Mungo's that same day to begin her treatment and recovery. A detail Barnaby initially overlooked, but later discovered, was that some of the runes on the cursed necklace matched those that had been appearing on the walls in recent weeks.
So, it seemed that the author of both incidents was the same, given that they had copied the runes from the necklace, albeit without any real effect.
This headache temporarily subsided as Barnaby turned his attention to the potion book by the so-called Half-Blood Prince, whose notes had piqued Barnaby's interest.
Few people seemed as interested in correcting and altering existing potion formulas, and the trials he performed based on the notes all yielded excellent results, even better than the original instructions.
He planned to transcribe everything into a neat, organized, and easily understandable version, eventually giving Snape a copy. Maybe it wouldn't be ready by this Christmas, but it would be an excellent gift for the next one—a present that would undoubtedly please the Potions Master.
Now, unfortunately, not all his headaches were so easily resolved.
"Am I interrupting something?" Barnaby asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
This morning, he'd had a feeling, but he didn't expect to find Harry and Malfoy on the bathroom floor in a rather... compromising position.
So, were their fights just a front?
Wow, Barnaby had honestly thought Harry was infatuated with Ginny; he hadn't expected to be THIS wrong…
Oh well, he couldn't always be right.
"I haven't seen or heard anything," Barnaby assured them, turning around.
Even though they weren't exactly best friends, he knew that Draco and Harry's unconventional love would be frowned upon by nearly everyone.
"What?" x2
Draco and Harry didn't understand Barnaby's reaction until he took three steps away, and they hurried to separate.
"Wait, it's not what it looks like!" Harry shouted, a little desperate at the remote chance that Ginny might find out about this and misunderstand—severely. "Malfoy was crying, and…!"
"Shut up, Potter!" Draco snapped furiously. "I wasn't crying—don't slander me!"
Barnaby looked between them and exchanged glances. It was obvious from Draco's red eyes that he had been crying, but it seemed his pride wouldn't let him show such vulnerability.
As for the reason he was crying...
Perhaps… Harry hadn't been gentle?
"That doesn't change the fact that you were about to cast the Cruciatus curse on me!" Harry shot back. "I was only defending myself!"
"Is that true, Draco?" Barnaby asked, looking seriously at the blond.
"Of course not!" Draco vehemently denied the accusation. "It was just a Leg-Locker curse," he clarified. "I mean, isn't it creepy that Potter barged into the bathroom while I was in here? That's what's weird!"
Seen in that light...
"Why did you barge in, Harry?" Barnaby asked, giving Harry a chance to explain.
"I already said," Harry insisted. "Because I heard Malfoy crying!"
"I wasn't! Don't lie!" Draco denied stubbornly.
"Malfoooooy!"
"Potteeeeeer!"
Seeing them argue back and forth, Barnaby rubbed his forehead with an exasperated expression.
How old were they to be arguing like children in a kindergarten?
"Enough!" Barnaby struck the floor with his staff, creating a wave that threw them both off balance and silenced them. "Harry, next time don't enter bathrooms if they're clearly occupied. And Draco, if you need to 'not cry' again, I suggest you talk to Snape. He's still the head of your house, and talking to him might help with whatever's 'not making you cry,' okay?"
Harry and Draco exchanged glances in silence.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Barnaby narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.
The duo flinched and shook their heads in unison.
They weren't joking around—after seeing what Barnaby could do over the years, both on his own and with his creatures, there was no telling if that was even his full power.
Who would dare not take him seriously?
Even Draco, knowing about his father's renewed support and Barnaby's dislike of Dumbledore, kept a respectful distance to avoid provoking him unnecessarily.
He had even stopped glaring at Hagrid just days into their first year!
"Good. Now you may leave."
Harry and Draco quickly left.
Harry, for his part, needed to go practice for the upcoming Quidditch match, while Draco… had things to take care of.
"That Malfoy kid looks unwell," commented Sanshi from the shadows.
"Are you calling him ugly? You shouldn't pick on people's looks."
"I mean he looks very pale!" Sanshi clarified, snorting. "Do you think he could be the one messing with the runes using his own blood?"
"Well, his father was a Death Eater, and it wouldn't be surprising if he'd passed some tasks onto his son, even under threat," Barnaby recalled Draco's red eyes from crying, and Draco didn't seem like the type to cry over nothing. "He also has the means to obtain cursed objects, like the opal necklace."
"So?"
"But there are several Slytherins in similar situations," Barnaby knew that Draco's circumstances weren't unique by any means, nor were the other houses entirely innocent. "So, a likely suspect? Definitely, but we can't confirm more yet. Besides…"
"We still don't know how the culprit is managing to evade the Tonberries," Sanshi finished. "You know, they're not thrilled about the situation either. I've seen them sharpening their knives in the basement with a dark look…"
"Yeah… Filch and Mrs. Norris aren't happy about it either. They've been doing extra patrols just to catch this person." But as much as it annoyed him, Barnaby couldn't just send everyone out to patrol the castle hallways. That would only make the culprit lie low, and they wouldn't make any progress.
"What if we asked for help from those beings Calcifer mentioned?" Sanshi suggested. "If they spread out across the castle at night, they should be a great help."
"The Susuwatari?" Barnaby considered it for a moment. "Actually, they might be able to do it. Though I'd need to find a source of star candies to pay them…"
Or maybe he could ask the house-elves to make some?
"Don't worry, I can make them myself!" Sanshi thumped her chest confidently.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Although… I might need a bit of help from Lily…"
"Well, we can try," Barnaby sighed. "Are we missing anything you'd need to make them?"