When any screen is left idle for several minutes, Peeves shows up, just as Jo warned us about in her Welcome message.
Be sure not to click on anything while you’re waiting!
But you may open another browser window and leave the screen running in the background…. and/or move your mouse to prevent a screensaver. Tickling the bugs does not effect the time interval, since they are cursor-overs, as long as you do not click.
Peeves’ appearance is always announced by a whooshing wind and his mischievous cackle.
Desktop: After several minutes he breezes in knocking over the pencil cup, moves some gum wrappers, the watch face goes wacky. (Dumbledore’s watch? see the Watch page for details), and a doxy flies through. Clicking on the doxy does nothing.
Turning the lights off does not seem to attract him sooner.
On Sept 16, 2004 the large marble appeared on the desktop. At the very beginning of Peeves’ entrance it floats and lights up… click on it while it is lit for another scrapbook extra.
ExtraStuff: He pulls the tack off the Street Cars business card (the card blows away to the left, the tack drops straight down), revealing the Taxis card underneath; and sets the hanging pen swinging.
From Aug 16 through Dec 1, 2004 when the Street Cars card blew off, it revealed a new GOBB LYNN card with the code for the safe in the secret room. On Dec. 1 when the Christmas decorations appeared, the card with the code was gone, so when he blows the Street Cars card off, the Taxis card shows again.
Fan sites: Wait a while and he blows through taking the two 1st place ribbons and fluttering the streamers on the cup.
Links: He snuffs out the candle and swings the hanging bookmark. After March 9, 2006 he knocks down the picture on the left to reveal a hint to a new Scrapbook extra.
“?” (The Secret Door): He graffiti’s “Peeves woz ere” on the mirror. He doesn’t seem to heckle anything in the secret room.
Until March 9, 2006 he knocked over the vase of daffodils on the table under the window.
On Oct 31, 2004 when he upset the vase, it fell to the right and a swarm of keys flew out… (catching the right one unlocked the door) until Nov 15, 2004 when the vase still tumbled to the right, but no keys emerged.
After Dec 1, 2004 he knocked the vase over to the left again. After the March 2006 update, he didn’t bother the new plant or potions bottles.
Rubbish bin: He breaks a pen spilling ink and shifts 3 gum wrappers.
Before March 9, 2006 he also moved a crumpled paper and there was speculation on any meaning to the number and “Neil” written on an envelope that was revealed when a gum wrapper moved. Since it is now obscured, we can assume that it was meaningless.
While the site was decorated for Christmas, when the crumpled paper moved, it landed on the garland. This was the only Christmas decoration affected by him. The crumpled paper is now gone.
Peeves will show up in the background in the ExtraStuff, Fan Sites and Rubbish Bin rooms while you have a flashscreen open (such as the fansite scroll) but not in Links or on the desk top (behind the News, Rumours, etc.)
JKR.com: Peeves' Antics