I blinked, and darkness consumed us.
He still held my hand, and he felt so hot. Why was his touch so incredibly hot?
The ground seemed semi-solid, yet a blackness like water filled the space around us. It sounded as though we were underwater. I heard distant voices.
Harry?
He tugged, and I followed. We ran, and it felt as though we were moving against ocean currents. Resistance pressed against my body. The darkness shifted, and wispy tendrils peeled away from me.
Light!
Something appeared ahead!
Stone walls. A passage—no, a door with steps leading up to it. Braziers burned with green witch-fire. The door was made of brass and inlaid with jade in intricate Oriental designs.
“Alohomora!” Harry waved his wand.
The door clicked, then clanked.
I tried the handle and realized he was still holding my hand.
“You can release me, you know!” I narrowed my eyes.
“Right!” He snatched his hand back and wiped it against his cloak.
I raised an eyebrow.
Am I diseased or something?
Whatever.
I pulled the handle, but nothing happened.
I surveyed the room. We stood in a square chamber with suits of armour at each corner. One bore a sword, another a shield, a third a spear, and the last a wand.
“Hmm… a puzzle.” Harry tapped his chin.
I looked at the statues, then at the door. Instead of a keyhole, it had a tiny circular slot.
“Alright, we need to be super careful. There’s probably a trap here, and if we get this wrong, we could die—”
“Accio wand!” I pointed at the statue.
The wand flew towards me, but I waved my own wand and kept the object floating in mid-air. With a flourish, I sent the other wand flying into the keyhole.
A series of clicks followed. Mechanisms released, and the door opened.
“You figured it out.” He looked impressed.
I folded my arms and shifted my weight onto my other hip.
“A sword, shield, or spear isn’t going to fit in that hole.” I nodded towards the door.
“In retrospect, it’s a little obvious.” He nodded.
We entered a mead hall. Two long tables ran the length of the room, with a throne at the far end. Nordic spirits sat on either side, ignoring us as we entered.
Everyone seemed jolly. Warriors clanked their mugs together, ale sloshed everywhere, and some bit into ridiculously large cuts of meat. Others sang while wrapping their arms around their companions.
Most looked utterly inebriated.
We entered cautiously. I surveyed the room with my wand held low.
“The Phantom Sceptre,” Harry whispered.
I spotted it floating above the empty throne. It was a silver rod with a spiral pattern and two dragons at the top, their open mouths surrounding a white orb made of mist. Pale green ghost-fire enveloped the entire thing.
As we passed the spirits, their true size became apparent. Each towered at least eight feet tall.
Giant ghost warriors.
I eyed the phantom swords and shields strapped to their backs.
Great! A freaking army in one room. And then there’s me and Pot-head Number One.
Dear reader, have you ever seen a trap?
Yep… we’re totally in one.
“What do you think the chances are that they’ll turn on us the moment we touch it?” Harry asked, nodding towards the others.
“About one hundred per cent.” I nodded.
We reached the throne, and I glanced past it. A hallway stretched into the distance, ending at a door covered in roots and images of trees.
“If that’s the exit to the Forbidden Forest, we could run,” I said.
“Yeah, which means we need to run. I’ll climb up, grab it, and toss it to you so you can get a head start.”
“No! What if they get you?”
“Then I’ll have to figure something out.” He put a foot on the chair and began to climb.
“Wait!” I gripped his hand.
“What?” He looked at me.
I realized I was holding his hand again.
My heart hammered.
“Yeah?” He eyed me.
I gulped.
What are you doing, girl?!
Why are you stopping him?
I know why, of course! What if he, like, dies or something? Or what if he steals the sceptre for himself and… ah… why would he do that?
Oh, yeah. He’s a stupid Pot-head who… erm… well, I mean, he is helping me, so…
“Earth to Draconia?” He waved a hand in front of my face.
OH NO!
I totes spaced out.
He rolled his eyes and climbed onto the throne.
“Alright. When I throw this, you run.” He flexed his hands.
“I heard you the first time, Potty.” I held out my hands.
“Potty? That’s a new one.” He scoffed.
“Whatever.”
“Here goes. Get ready.”
He grabbed the Phantom Sceptre.
Immediately, all the revelry stopped.
The ghosts turned and stared at him.
“Go!” He tugged the sceptre free and tossed it towards me.
I reached for it and…
Totally…
Missed.
Yep. My big moment, and the thing brushed my fingertips before clattering across the floor.
Heads turned.
The ghost dudes, warriors, Vikings—whatever they were—just watched.
Cursing under my breath, I scrambled to retrieve the thing and wrapped my arms around it. The sceptre had been made for giants, and I had to use all my strength just to carry it.
Harry jumped over the back of the chair. He landed in a roll and came up running.
“Let’s go! LET’S GO!” He waved me on.
I ran, but this thing weighed a tonne!
We neared the door when I realized that all the ghost warriors had dropped to one knee, each pressing a fist against his chest.
I slowed to a saunter.
Then came the sobs.
I stopped and turned to regard them.
“Let’s go!” Harry roared.
“Take it.” I dumped the thing into his arms.
Chewing my lower lip, I paused to study the spirits. I approached a man with a braided beard and a shaved head. Ghostly tears streamed down his face.
“H… hello?” I asked.
“Please… release him.” The warrior sobbed.
All the men were crying.
“Victor Von Zoltz… the Hollow King?” I asked.
“Y… yes.” He nodded.
“Why?” I asked.
“It ain’t right… what dey did to ’im.”
“Bound him?”
“Ney! ’Tis worse dan dat. Dey made ’im dat fing!”
“The… Hollow King?” I asked.
“Yes. Please… free him!” He clasped my hands.
“Please,” the others sobbed.
I just stared at them in shock.
Slowly, I nodded.
“We’ll see what we can do.” I patted his hand.
“Fank yer, lassy! Fank yer!” the first warrior said.
I turned, and we left.
We reached the door, and to my surprise, it opened.
No tricks, traps, or other wizarding nonsense.
We pushed the door, and it swung open.
We strode out into what looked like semi-transparent rock. It was as though we were inside the rocks themselves. I felt a tingling sensation as we passed through them.
Once we emerged, the rocks became solid behind us.
“Wow.” I rested a hand against the stone, and sure enough, it was solid.
A pile of boulders marked the place we had come from.
“WHOA!” Harry dropped the sceptre.
He jumped back as the rod began to vibrate. Ghostly energy swirled around it, and it started to shrink.
Not all at once, nope.
The bottom shrank first, then half the top, and finally the ghostly orb. It shrank until it was the size of a wand, perhaps a little longer.
He reached for it, but I snatched it up first.
It felt light, too, and oh-so-cold.
“I’ll hold on to this.” I gave him my mess with me and I’ll blast you smile.
My stomach growled.
I grimaced.
The little traitor was always giving me away.
Worse! He had absolutely noticed.
He smirked and nodded towards the castle. We could see it through the trees, and I could just about make out the green Halloween lights around the dining hall.
“Let’s get you some food,” he said.
“I’m fine. Let’s go to the temple and get this done tonight.” I nodded towards the forest.
“You want to go trekking through the Forbidden Forest?”
“Yes.”
“At night?”
“Yes.”
“During Halloween?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“When ghouls, ghasts, ghosts, and the like are celebrating their one night of the year?”
“Ahhh…”
“We can do this in the morning.”
“But…” I looked away.
“Do you have to be so proud? I’m offering to help you. We’re out here at night, but the rest of this quest does not require us to wander around the Forbidden Forest after dark. Let’s go back, have dinner, and then tackle this in the morning.”
“Tomorrow’s a school day.”
“So?! The weekend, then.”
“Ah… yeah.” I nodded.
“Come on, then.” He walked away.
We walked in silence. He kept his hands in his pockets while I clutched the bag as if the sceptre were the MOST important thing in the world.
Well… it was.
My life literally depended on it.
I stopped when I saw something white dart behind a tree. It was about the size of a child and stared at us with unnaturally wide eyes.
“What’s that?” I aimed my wand.
“What?” he asked.
Another zipped past, then another.
They ignored us.
I laughed when I realized they were Mooncalves. The llama-like creatures had long necks, large blue eyes, and webbed feet. They crowded around us.
I laughed as I brushed my hand through their shaggy fur.
He looked at me and chuckled.
There we were, late at night in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by Mooncalves, all staring at the full moon.
They made lowing sounds and swayed from side to side. Their tiny, lipless mouths moved as if…
No, it couldn’t be!
“It sounds like they’re singing.” I laughed.
“I think they are.” He chuckled.
We stood there for a long time, surrounded by magical beasts, simply staring at the moon while the calves sang a lullaby.
For the first time in a very long while, I remembered the girl I used to be.
Under the moonlight, I caught him staring at me.
He smiled.
I swear I felt a jolt in my chest.
“What?” I chuckled.
My cheeks burned.
“N… nothing.” He looked away, blushing.
By the time we reached Hogwarts, the potion had worn off. We lingered at the school entrance.
I straightened, hardened my resolve, and fixed him with a serious look.
“This weekend?” I asked.
“Saturday. The shack behind the Quidditch pitch?” He held out a hand.
“Agreed.” I shook it.
I turned on my heel and strode towards the door.
At the entrance, I lingered and glanced back at him. My hair fell across my face. My cheeks burned, and I wanted to say something.
Except…
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?!
Am I sick or something? Why is my heart racing like this?!
I didn’t want this night to end. It was sooo much fun, and…
“I’m not a Pot-head!” I snapped.
“What?” His face fell.
“Humph!” I stuck up my nose and slammed the door shut.