It started in the study hall. Portraits of former teachers watched as fifth-years studied for their O.W.L.s. I mean, revisions in March weren’t compulsory yet, but Harry’s free time had been gobbled up by stupid Professor Snape and his Occlumency classes.
Making matters worse, Harry had been different over the past few weeks. He said he’d been dreaming about the Dark Lord fighting Von Zoltz and some Viking spirits. Even weirder, the Pot-minions had gone into full mission mode where my BF was concerned. I swear, his absence had made me especially irritable, and I’d been taking it out on almost everyone.
As we studied, students literally tiptoed around me, lest I come at them with a barbed word. Georgia sat beside me, doodling in her book.
‘Young lady, I’m sure there’s a better use of your time,’ Professor Goodhem said. The watercolour lady adjusted her glasses, and her image sloshed at the edges as she moved.
‘If I keep studying, I’m gonna diiiiieee!’ Georgia stretched her arms, then collapsed onto the table.
‘Hm.’ I ignored her and jotted down notes.
‘Dracy... come on! I wanna leave and do something.’ She tugged at my cloak.
‘Hm...’ I waved her off.
She slid along the bench and leaned against me.
‘Ooooh, someone’s been grouchy lately.’ She poked my cheek.
I gave her the side-eye.
‘Whoa! Sorry, Princess. Didn’t mean to actually offend!’ She slid back and waved her hands.
I sighed and put down my quill.
‘Sorry... I’m just... ah... it’s nothing. Look, let me finish this page, and we can go out.’ I nodded.
‘Three Broomsticks?’ she asked.
I checked my watch. I was supposed to meet Harry at 3:30 p.m., except he’d said he had Order business and might not make it.
‘Fine.’ I nodded.
‘Yes! Butterbeer! Butter-butter-beer!’ She punched the air.
I chuckled, covering my mouth.
I got back to work, but no sooner had I started than she leaned against me and poked my cheek.
‘Done yet? Done... done yet?’ she asked.
‘Yep! Completely done!’ I snapped my notebook shut.
We walked to Hogsmeade. Georgia had her arms folded behind her back and skipped a few paces ahead.
‘Hey, remember Peeves?’ she called.
‘Oh, yeah! I haven’t seen him in a while. Good riddance.’ I nodded.
‘Apparently, they’re all gone.’
‘All... gone?’ I stopped in my tracks.
‘Yep. Apparently, it’s been going on for a while. No one noticed, but all the ghosts have left Hogwarts. They even left Hogsmeade and Hogsfield, too.’
‘Whoa... that’s weird.’
‘No! It’s good. No more Peeping-Nick!’ She punched the air.
The following week, I lay on Harry’s lap while he worked. We’d met in the Room of Requirement, and he moved his lips as he read his notes.
‘Do you always have to do that when reading?’ I poked his lips.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘You move your lips when you read. It’s very cute.’ I giggled.
‘I do?’
‘No one’s ever told you?’
‘Nope.’
‘Hmmm... well, don’t stop.’ I poked his chin, then his cheek.
‘What are you doing?’ He caught my finger.
He still hadn’t taken his eyes off the book.
‘Go back to massaging my head,’ I groaned.
‘My hands are busy.’
I leaned over to check out a book.
‘Massage, massage, massage!’ I poked his chin with my other hand.
‘Fine.’ He snapped. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He ran his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes. His touch felt so nice, and I just wanted to fall asleep right there. I started drifting off when he stopped. I opened my eyes to find him jotting something down in his book. Yep, one of those fancy ones I’d dumped on him for Christmas...
Oooh! I needed to buy him something!
I sat up, and my forehead collided with his jaw. We both groaned and clutched our injuries.
‘Ahhh!’ I rubbed my forehead.
He clutched his mouth as blood dripped out.
‘Harry!’ I exclaimed.
‘It’s fine. I bit my tongue,’ he said.
‘I’m soooo sorry. I just had this stupid idea and wanted to write a note and... ah... never mind. You don’t need to know. Just open your mouth.’
‘Why?’
‘Just open it.’ I pulled out my wand.
He opened his mouth, and blood oozed from his tongue.
‘Episkey!’ I waved my wand.
Green energy suffused his mouth, and the wound healed.
‘There. Much better.’ I leaned over and kissed him.
‘Great. Now let me study.’ He nodded.
‘Ahhh, come on! Let’s do something. Anything! I’m dying from all this revision stuff, and it’s not even June.’
‘Well, I don’t have a choice. These stupid Occlumency classes have made it almost impossible to fit in any revision work. Also, I’m basically failing some of my other classes.’
‘Oh. It’s that bad?’
‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘Let me help you study. Like, seriously study. I might not be a dungeon master like you, but I know how to revise.’ I clasped his hand.
‘You have a good memory, hah.’
‘Of course. The best.’ I held up a finger.
‘Like the way you remembered the thing you smacked my chin for?’
‘Ah... oh, no! I remember now!’ I grabbed my bag and pulled out my notepad.
He craned his neck to get a peek.
‘What are you doing?’ I hid the paper.
‘What’s all that?’ he asked.
‘My private business.’ I held the notepad to my chest.
‘Or a list of things you have to do before you forget?’
‘How’d you know?’
‘You just told me.’
‘Heeey!’ I smacked his arm with the notepad, and he laughed.
He got back to work while I checked my notes. I’d completed several tasks, so I crossed them off the list and tore the pages out of my notepad.
‘You know the ghosts have gone,’ I said while working through my list.
‘What!’ He looked up.
‘Yeah, they’ve been gone for a while. They’ve even abandoned the local towns and villages. I say good riddance.’ I tore another completed page from my notepad.
‘You’re kidding, right!’ He gripped my wrist, his eyes full of fear.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.
‘Erm... meet me in the library. I need to get something from my room.’
I waited for Harry at our usual place: the second floor of the library, in one of the dimly lit sections. A small table barely had room for two people, and our books usually overlapped when we studied there.
Though, we usually just made out.
Harry ran up the stairs and pulled a cloak from his bag.
‘Hurry.’ He waved me over.
I ran to him, and he draped the cloak around us. He put an arm around me, and I held him close. I took the opportunity to rest my head against his chest. His heartbeat hammered beneath my ear. The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
‘I claim cloak rights,’ I said.
‘Cloak rights?’ he whispered as we descended the steps.
‘Yep! This thing barely fits two people. So, no girls under here! I don’t want no home-wrecker under here with you.’ I poked his chest.
‘I’ll try to restrain myself,’ he chuckled.
We made our way towards the Forbidden Section, the former favourite haunt of the Grey Lady. Suddenly, I felt her absence. In fact, ever since I’d noticed the ghosts had left, the school had seemed somehow a little less... Hogwarts-y.
‘Keep an eye out,’ he whispered.
His head and arms emerged from beneath the cloak as he got to work. I looked around but didn’t see anyone. Every so often, we shuffled along together, and I had to fight back laughter. There I was, wrapped around my boyfriend beneath a cloak while he checked out books.
He looked so serious, moving his lips as he read with the book held in front of him. I snorted and buried my face in his chest to stifle my laughter.
‘Found it,’ he said.
He opened the book and flipped through the pages.
‘I found the page,’ he said.
‘Great.’ I poked my head out from beneath the cloak.
We must have looked ridiculous: just two heads floating in the air, with four arms seemingly connected to nothing. Illustrations covered the pages, including one depicting a giant Viking warrior.
‘Von Zoltz?’ I asked.
‘Yep. Look, ah... here.’ He turned to the right page.
‘Von Zoltz raised an army of ghosts and swore to kill Ravenclaw... wait. Ravenclaw’s dead.’
‘I know, but her legacy isn’t.’
‘You mean the school?’
‘There’s a whole house named after her.’
‘Oh no!’ My blood ran cold.
‘There must be a way to stop him. How did Ravenclaw do it?’ I grabbed the book and started leafing through it.
‘Is there someone there?’ Madam Pince called.
Light swept towards us. I snatched the book, and we ducked beneath the cloak. The librarian rounded the corner, looked our way, saw nothing, and moved on.
‘Let’s read this in private,’ I whispered.
We returned to the Room of Requirement, and I dropped onto a couch. I started leafing through the book while Harry sat beside me. I lay against him.
‘Like I said, you won’t find the answer.’ He shook his head.
‘There must be a clue,’ I said.
I reached the back, only to discover that about ten pages had been cut out.
‘Where is it!’ I snapped.
‘No clue.’ He shook his head.
‘Hmmm... Dumbledore needs to hear about this.’
‘I told him.’
‘Before me?’
‘He knew way before we started dating. That’s why he came to the Hollow King’s tomb.’
‘Oh, right. But the ghosts?’
‘I’m sure he knows. That’s why they made those barriers around the school.’
‘Yeah, but barriers don’t stop ghosts... or do they...? Ah... maybe?’
‘Well, it’s fine. Volde... he’s fighting the Hollow King, so...’
‘Stop being so cavalier about this! If the Dark Lord loses, Von Zoltz will come for the school. If he wins, then we’re completely screwed. Like, dead-as-a-doornail-level screwed.’
‘Ahh, you mean doorknob, right?’ He held up a finger.
‘Whatever! I don’t want to die!’ I slapped his hand.
‘Then we find the rest of the book. There must be an answer in its pages.’ He tapped the book.
‘Yeah... I guess this is couple power. Oh no! I’ve become a Pot-head, too! Oh no! Check my hair. Is there a flower growing out of my head? Does it look like a pot yet? Perhaps there’s some soil!’ I shoved my head in his face, and he laughed.