The Strange and Mysterious Case of the Hogwarts Haunting
Strange things had been occurring at Hogwarts this year. For most, it was not noticeable, but for a select few it was becoming a problem.
It had started shortly into the school year with a few silly instances of students claiming their homework was spontaneously completing itself. Most ignored such claims, exclaiming things like,
"Who would want to do your homework for you"
Or...
"Why would someone do extra work"?
And to be fair, they were valid points. At the end of the day, the students who had their homework completed for them were certainly not going to complain beyond questioning why, and so such events mostly were forgotten or pushed aside.
Less easily ignored were the instances of books disappearing from the library just when students happened to need them, only to reappear in their assigned spot no more than an hour later. There was much grumbling over this by the older students, especially the ones for whom this year was their OWL or NEWT year. Madam Pince was beside herself over the number of students complaining, but yet she was always able to find the supposedly missing books.
Concerned that some students were overly stressing about tests, and being somehow temporarily rendered blind within the library by such stress and unable to see the very books they were looking for, she had complained to the heads of house who had been forced to institute mandatory break periods where the library was off limits and the children were expected to "go have fun" somewhere else. Most students simply accepted this, although there was much irritation from the Ravenclaws.
However, despite these break periods where no student should be within the bounds of the library, Madam Pince was positive that a student still roamed its shelves, as she could often detect the sound of pages being turned and books shelved. But unable to catch anyone and with the doors still seemingly locked and secured, she had pushed the thoughts aside, attributing it to house elves cleaning, or some other such nonsense.
Another notable thing had been the lack of pranking by the Weasley twins. This led some to consider them suspects in the whole matter although others often would quickly point out that it was unlike the Weasley twins to do such subtle pranking, and that they themselves were suffering. Yes the Weasley twins themselves had been overheard complaining to their friends of a lack of supplies, which apparently were being secreted away somehow without the twins knowledge. Stolen was the term they used, but being that the supplies were often illegal within the halls of Hogwarts, or had been obtained in less than... uh… legitimate ways, they could hardly report such thefts to anyone.
This was actually good news to some within the castle for whom the Weasley pranks tended to be quite annoying. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs seemed to appreciate the increased peace and quiet, even if other such more subtle pranks still seemed to abound. Slytherins were simply relieved and a bit more bold at meal times. Even the professors seemed to think that the Weasleys were finally maturing, not realizing of course that it was not the Weasley twins who were the cause of their reduction in pranking. Even a few Gryffindors had been overheard speaking in appreciation of the change, Hermione most notably.
"It's so much easier to study and do my homework now without worrying about their nonsense" she had been heard saying to Ron and Harry.
Although the little smirk she had as she said "nonsense" seemed to indicate that she did appreciate the cleverness of the twins even if it did disrupt and distract her from her work.
Probably the most noticeable of the odd occurrences were the increase in Slytherins being sent to the hospital wing. It had started much later in the year than the other events, and Madam Pomfrey was often heard commenting on it at meals to other professors. None of the injuries had been serious but there had been a marked increase in broken noses, particularly as it pertained to Draco Malfoy, and some minor ankle and wrist sprains from Slytherin students stumbling or falling in the halls.
Professor McGonagall had been heard snickering with Madam Pomfrey over an apparent increase in what the muggles called "wedgies" amongst some of the more notable Slytherin boys. Neither McGonagall nor Pomfrey had understood exactly what wedgies were until Colin Creevy had overheard what had happened to the Slytherin boys and had shyly explained the matter to Professor McGonagall. McGonagall, despite being a teacher, felt that the situation was most amusing and that many of the boys deserved it after some of the horrible language they had used towards muggleborns and halfbloods.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office chatting with Fawks and slowly unwrapping a lemon drop.
Albus Dumbledore had mostly ignored all the events, for nothing had yet become truly dangerous and he found some of the chatter surrounding the "Hogwarts Hauntings" as some students were now calling it most amusing. Especially these things called wedgies, even if they sounded particularly painful.
As long as nothing stole his lemon drops, he would simply sit back and enjoy the show.
However, there was one aspect of these "Hogwarts Hauntings" that caused him a bit of annoyance. Severus had been a real pain in his side, convinced that he knew the source and furious over many of his Slytherins apparently being a primary target. Why couldn't Severus stop complaining to him and just let him enjoy his lemon drops for once?
After all, it was only a small group of Slytherins, mainly boys, who had become apparent targets, and some of them had been awfully rude at meal times and in the halls to other students. And Severus's theory had been proven incorrect time and time again as well.
The sudden knock on the door just as he had the drop nearly unwrapped made Albus groan.
"Come in" he stated sitting back in his chair as Severus glided through the door looking particularly irritable.
Or was that normally how he looked…. Albus was not sure.
"Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit" exclaimed Albus Dumbledore as he sat behind his desk his hand still paused over the lemon drop.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Snape bit out. "He has once again complained about someone punching him in the face. And once again he seems to think its Harry Potter!"
"Does he have any proof of this Severus?!" exclaimed Dumbledore
"No, of course, he doesn't," said Snape with a sneer, "but he has been getting punched for weeks on end now, and the damage to his face is proof enough that someone is punching him.
"I see," said Dumbledore in a disinterested way, glancing back down at the yellow candy resting on his desk.
"I don't think you do Headmaster. It has happened in classrooms, hallways, out on the grounds, and his friends have confirmed many of the incidences. He even claims it happened while sleeping once!" Severus said as he paced about the floor of Dumbledores office.
"Yet he has seen no one?" prompted Dumbledore staring hard at Severus.
"You know he hasn't Albus! He simply claims that he gets hit with an invisible force that feels like a fist, knocking him to the floor. But no magic is seen.
"Hmmm, no magic? How interesting…" said Dumbledore as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced down just in time to see Fawks steal the unwrapped lemon drop from his desk.
He glared at Fawks as the bird trilled and looked smug, and then looked back towards Snape where he just caught the end of a ghost of a smile that had flitted across the man's face.
He sighed and then unwrapped another lemon drop and popped it into his upturned mouth.
"This is not the first time I have brought this problem to your attention headmaster" ground out Snape tired of waiting on Dumbledore to speak further.
"Yes, yes I am aware Severus, but what do you expect of me? Without proof… or without witnessing such an event myself…."
Snape, unable to hold his tongue at this point roared, "Perhaps headmaster… just perhaps…. it is a fist hidden under some sort of "INVISIBILITY CLOAK!"
Dumbledore chuckled, rolling the lemon drop about in his mouth savoring the taste.
"Severus, we have been over this. Harry Potter has had an alibi for at least a dozen of these instances over the past few weeks. He simply can't be the one punching Draco Malfoy."
Snape was silent for a moment before growling…
"It just has to be him Albus. Who else would it be but the spawn of a Potter? Besides, he has a vendetta against the Malfoy boy… you know this... and he is the only one with the means. Who else would wish to punch Mr. Malfoy in the face repeatedly Dumbledore, and be able to be invisible while doing so!" Severus raged.
"I don't know Severus... I just don't know" Albus said quietly while steepling his fingers, sitting back, and thinking.
Elsewhere in the castle
Hermione giggled to herself as she turned the time turner once again, hidden within the borrowed invisibility cloak.
Harry knew she borrowed it now and then and thought that she used it to study undisturbed in the library, distracted as he was by certain other aspects of Hogwarts life. He and Ron would never suspect what she was really doing with it. After all, she was Hermione and not one to break rules or cause trouble. Besides, they did not know she also had a time turner this year.
What would he and Ron think if they knew she was using it for a more... nefarious purpose?
As she finished traveling back in time, she quickly hurried down the dimly lit halls towards the dungeon stairways that led down towards the potions classrooms and Slytherins common room. She knew Malfoy would climb out of it alone on his way to lunch, and that she would once again have an opportunity for a little fun.
Ever since she had first hit him it had become almost an obsession for her. She knew it was wrong but it felt so right. And so she had devised a plan and for the last month or so had been making Malfoy's life hell. She had also enjoyed tormenting the other Slytherin boys, boys who had often leered at her and called her or others like her horrible names.
But Draco she got a special pleasure from.
As he came into view she crept forward, and with a burst of speed, jumped forward and landed a solid punch to his face, knocking him on his butt. He never saw it coming of course.
Quickly turning and ducking around the corner, she vacated the scene giggling quietly to herself. Her thoughts were soon on when she could next catch him with a solid punch in the face using the time turner and Harry's invisibility cloak.
Perhaps she would toss in a wedgie as well for Crab and Goyle should they happen to be with him.
It was going to be a rough rest of the year for Draco indeed.
Giggles continuing to burst out of her as she tried to stifle them with a hand, she headed off to the library for a little reading. Later she would check in on the Weasley twins to see if they had procured anymore dungbombs. They had been a bit too smug lately for her tastes.
She smiled at how much fun she was having this year and at the ignorance of her two best friends.
A Hogwarts haunting indeed.