Chapter 6

The Grinch scowled to himself in the shadows by the staff room; lurking behind an old statue he waited, and waited.

Inside the room, the teachers were having another meeting, clustered round the neat tables and chairs, clutching mugs of hot chocolate or something stronger. He knew they were talking about him, pooling their resources and planning the next move, their agitated expressions growing steadily more annoyed.

It wasn't even a battle, but somehow, the Grinch knew he was going to win. He was so inconspicuous, so well trusted to be even a suspect.

They weren't going to get their Christmas presents back. Not if the Grinch had anything to say about it.

He couldn't believe they had forgotten him every year- that they hadn't even thought to involve him in the plans- everyone knew he was an expert on looking around the school!

They had hunted high and low, searched every corner of the grounds, from the Astronomy tower to the darkest reaches of the dungeons. They had interrogated every remaining person at the school, their thorough attempts at discovering the whereabouts of their lost gifts growing more and more dramatic.

And all they had to show for it was glitter.

The Grinch mentally kicked himself for it; he couldn't believe he had slipped up, not after he had planned what to do. It was thorough, perfect, full proof. And yet, they had a clue. But they seemed to lack the ability to piece the pieces together, like a jigsaw.

He laughed evilly to himself, but then stopped when he saw someone coming down the corridor. He shifted further into the shadows, his face peering out into the corridor through the hood of his cloak, silently watching.

Professor Trelawney wandered down the corridor, a stack of cards clasped in her hand, which she shuffled. She swayed slightly; the sound of clinking bottles came from her hanging shawls.

She took a card and muttered to herself, examining it. "Five of Cups; taking love and happiness from an ally for granted can lead to sadness, grief and regret. A warning of a change in choice- a new direction."

The Grinch stifled a snort as she tutted and muttered to herself some more, entering the staff room in a slow movement of clinking bracelets. When she opened the door, the Grinch could hear a loud argument brewing, from the shouts and undeniable wizards swears that someone seemed to be yelling. Again, he laughed.

A loud smash was heard, followed by a brief pause, which was followed immediately by more swearing.

The shouts and swears, while funny, were attracting an audience as people wondered what was forcing their teachers to act like children deprived from sugar. Or presents, really. The muttering got louder and louder, until the frustrated and bespectacled face of professor McGonagall appeared at the door and told them to be quiet, her no-nonsense face hard to trust covered in glitter like that.

The Grinch stifled a laugh. They were examining the glitter like crime scene investigators. Never had a group of adults gone so crazy over a pile of junky presents (albeit well-wrapped) in shiny paper.

The crowd began to slowly disperse and McGonagall shooed them away like unwanted animals, the yelling scarcely stopping behind her.

A little first year, a Hufflepuff by the name or Eric DeMott brushed past the statue behind which the Grinch was hiding. His small, bright, childish eyes looked into the shadows, and the Grinch knew he had been seen, by the child who probably still played hide and seek, and was an expert in uncovering people who really wanted to be left alone.

"Excuse me, sir," Eric said, his face not showing the usual terror the rest of his classmates showed at the sight of the grouchy old man. "But why are you hiding?"

"None of your business," the Grinch said harshly, wishing he could just go away.

But Eric wasn't going to go. It hadn't snowed yet, and his friends were simply playing chess in the common room. Eric was bored. He had thought that Christmas in the castle would have been great, but it was a let down. And now, here was this man, acting very peculiar, something which entertained Eric in the cold day.

The Grinch did not care to being found out by a measly, tiny first year. He would not stand for it, so standing as high as he could in the small place, he tried to make himself domineering. The kid blinked, and did not go away as the Grinch waved him off, scowling. Professor McGonagall was not paying attention, as she was dealing with some fifth year who demanded help on an assignment, so sighing, the Grinch crept out of the hole and made his way down the corridor, leading Eric away.

"Why don't you go down to the kitchen, DeMott, and stop lurking in the corridor."

Eric sighed and turned away. He would just have to find another way to keep himself entertained. He would have continued to walk down the corridor and leave, but he stopped and with laughter in his eyes, he loudly said; "You do realise your back is covered in glitter, don't you?"

Then there was a pause. The Grinch scowled at the first year, chanting in his head; Go away, Go away, Go away…

And when he turned, with a sickening heart, he realised Professor McGonagall had heard every word Eric had said, and was looking straight at the Grinch.

"You!" He heard her gasp, as her eyes burnt through the cloak he wore, which scarcely covered his nose; trying to discover who he was. Her eyes got as dark as the flames in hell, the clear look of absolute detest and hatred.

Honestly? The Grinch felt quite scared.

McGonagall turned and swiftly poked her head back into the staff room. She shouted a few words, and then leapt back down the stairs to follow the Grinch, the crowd of teachers following her.

Shocked, the Grinch hadn't moved, but now he did. Picking up his cloak and brushing past the cheerful first year, he scampered down the corridor, skidding slightly on a patch of water. He heard the teachers let out a loud cry as they followed him; mugs of hot liquid being dropped on the floor as they eagerly chased the thief.

Eric stood quite still, stunned, as the teachers he had been taught to appreciate and respect (with expressions of sheer warlike determination) yelled "Get him!" and charged onto him, chasing someone who had stolen some boxes of chocolates and random trinkets.

If a sixth year had not pulled him out of the way just in time, Eric DeMott would have been quite crushed on the floor, and would never have got to see the chase that then ensued, as the (now panting) teachers followed the Grinch around the school.

They split up into groups, and having now acclaimed weapons of saucepans and candlesticks, made their way through the passages that made up the school. Normally, when a fight like this happened, it was a good-bad situation, and although the Grinch was supposedly bad, he wasn't trying to take over the world and make life bad for its inhabitants.

The Grinch tried to escape, he really did. He went everywhere, he tried chucking things at them and going through secret passageways, but nothing worked.

Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and an even tipsier Trelawney chased him up a staircase, down another one, round the towers and into the dungeon. Through tapestries and by classrooms they raced, passing suits of armour and decorations quickly. Eventually, all slightly exhausted, they were at the top of the Astronomy tower. They edged forwards, cornering the Grinch against the sides as he continued to try to escape. The other teachers had arrived, and were clustered behind them, watching.

Stepping forwards, Snape smiled maliciously. "Let's see who this present thief is…"

And he pulled back the hood of the cloak…

Hello, thegirlofcrazy here, or MadKillerSheeperflyRabbitXD as it says on the profile. So you have probably heard the rules to death, and I can't be bothered to say them again. xD But anyway, lots of authors, less that 2,000 words, awesome.

Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, (not really xD) sorry if it is rubbish and sorry for the long wait. A lot of people dropped out and I found out that it was my turn a bit over a week ago.

Thanks to Stalker of Stories for beta-ing this chapter!

Hope you enjoy!

And Penandpaper67 you are next!