The students of Rowling High school could attest to the normalcy of its wide old halls. The garish setting of several urban legends partially for to the old world feeling due to the enormous castle that was the great building that was Rowling High school. A particular class of 30 English students, had at once been given a all around bad feel of their new class once term had begun and regretted more then ever that their class had been selected and shipped to the sister school of Hogwarts until their graduation. It was half way through their freshmen year that things had begun to get a little bit strange and on the side of the supernatural...
Student 31
It was another late night for Mr. Edelstein's class. All were sequestered in the Rowling library studying nearly sleeping as their weary eyes gaze at their textbooks and notes. Mr. Edelstein, a man of approximately 43 years of age, small pudge in the middle covered by his tweed jacket and shimmering balding head, observed his students as he walked along the entirety of the row. He knew that it was a wicked thing to do-after all, these foreigners had never had done anything to warrant staying after class which by the looks of it only student 13 seemed to be doing better then the others. A smart girl, he thought, Hermione Granger was probably used to staying up at odd hours just to study.
The bell tower stuck twelve and the students, who by now already knew what this meant, began to hastily pack away their belongings. Student 18, Draco Malfoy, nearly knocked his seating partner Student Eloise Midgen who had fallen asleep.
"Now remember students, I want your calls. The times have stayed the same. One call at 12:30 AM, another at 2:00 AM and the last at 3:15AM and be sure to not only say your name but your student number as well! If I do not get those calls it will come off you're your grade. Now, get along home." The students were so well used to this that there was no room for argument. Student 29, Ronald Weasley had given a fuss for a while but now found it to be nothing but air going in one ear and out the other as Mr. Edelstein would threaten with detention.
.
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. 3: 14 AM
Richard Edelstein was not tired, oh no. He waited for the calls to come pouring in again with a smile on his face. The tea in his cup steamed and smelled delicious and he imagined would taste better when the calls came again. The tired students too exhausted to put up their ridiculous fights to afraid of losing their grade-like his two top students- Student number 13 and Student number 18- oh how they had not even thought to fight him on it.
How it showed in their behavior. He leaned back in his lounge seat and stared at the far wall just imagining the tired faces and voices. How had he come to be such a bastard, as to enjoy the torture of his students? He couldn't even remember when it had started. He knew of course, that he was a strict teacher just a bit cruel obviously but he had their interests at heart. If they were too tired there would be less delinquency to deal with. If they were too tired then there would be less fighting him they would listen with great care do their work only to be left to their own devices after which often times found them sound asleep.
.
.
.3:15 AM
-Ring
-Ring
-Ring
The cellular phone was flipped opened and gleefully he placed it to his ear-it was probably Student 24 who always seemed to call first and Richard could almost picture him, glasses half hanging on his face, green eyes misty in his sleep deprivation.
"Hello?"
"Hi Teacher, I'm number 31." A weak voice sounded shocking him-it was usually Potter who called first.
"Who?"
-Click
And the phone line went dead.
After that call the others came as per usual-Potter next saying in his tired voice "Hullo Mr. Edelstein. I am Student 24."
Suddenly a thought occurred to him and his blood boiled.
The students were playing him for a fool, of course. He only had 3o students in his class-none would have mistaken their number after all, student 31 was Blaise Zabini, a boy. But who was the culprit?
With that thought set he took the rest of the calls like he normally did waiting to interrogate the class the next day together.
.
.
. The Next Day
"I want to know who crank called my phone." He demanded in his usual boisterous voice. The student all looked on curiously before they broke out into whispers. "I want which ever one of you who did it to own up."
They continued their whispering, no one was going to come up, he realized with anger. "I could care less for any type of revenge act. I just want to know who it is who has called me."
"But, no one called you." Student number 16 said.
"Yeah!" Shouted Student number 19, Cormac McLaggen.
"Why would any of us prank call you?" Asked Student number 28, Dean Thomas.
Mr. Edelstein had enough of their questions and shouts. His students had never acted like this before but he knew, he instinctively knew that they all had to be apart of it. They were all working together to make him look like some sort of paranoid fool.
"If no one comes forward I will take it out of your grades in such a way that even acing the midterm will not save you!"
Student number 18, Draco Malfoy raised a gossamer brow. "Are you trying to threaten us?"
After all, he'd only taken a tiny percentage away from their grades never so much as he was threatening to take now. He had to be bluffing.
"I do not threaten," He told his students who had all gone quiet.
.
.
. 2:00 AM
-Ring
-Ring
-Ring
-Ring
"Hello?"
"Hi Teacher, I'm number 31!"
"Wh-"
And so it continued for a straight week all the calls coming at the set times now came at random and always with; "Hi Teacher, I'm number 31!"
Finally after a month of torturous calls Mr. Edelstein gave up.
He'd asked every students lowered grades and had even went as far as questions students who were not ever in his class. No one had come forward and no one ever would.
It was a Friday when the bell rang. He dismissed his students who looked on at him oddly for this behavior although silently thanking whatever student had prank called their teacher. However, student number 29 had detention and stayed after school.
It was fifteen minutes into the detention when the call came and Mr. Edelstein too tired and angry threw the phone at Ron who barely caught it. "You get the phone and tell that student to stop pranking me."
The phone rang several times before Ron flipped it opened and pressed it to his ear. Mr. Edelstein staring at the red heads freckled face.
"Hullo? Who is this?"
Mr. Edelstein watched as Ron's face began to pale and something close to horror etched itself in his features.
Mr. Edelstein took the phone.
"Hi, Teacher, I'm number 31-"
"Who is this?!" Asked Mr. Edelstein near frantic.
The girl replied softly; "I'm in your class, Teacher. You know me."
Ron Weasley still looked pale. Something about the call obviously discomforted him.
Mr. Edelstein put the phone on speaker suddenly unable to be the lone person to hear the voice. This time he wanted there to be solid proof that he was being prank called.
"My class has only 30 students, stop trying to trick me." He asked finally expecting an answer to the tortures phone calls.
But the girl only sadly sighed as she spoke.
"I'm always watching you during class, Teacher. But you only show me your back. I want to see your face." Then once again, the call was cut off.
The next Monday found the students all whispering to themselves-Ron Weasley having recounted the tale to his peers. Mr. Edelstein decided that enough was enough; the students didn't need to stay back anymore. He also changed his number.
The year progressed nicely and normally the calls having finally ended. They had even been moved to another building due to the main building being renovated.
"Mr. Edelstein." Ron Weasley, student number 29 stood in front of Mr. Edelstein's desk as the man packed up his belongings. He was packing up his things looking forward to his early retirement.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley."
"My brother Bill," Ron began. "He's been working on the renovations."
"Yes. I know this." Mr. Edelstein said. He put down the box of his things on the oak desk. "What is it Ronald?"
"Well, he was working in your room with the rest of his coworkers. They knocked down the wall where the black board was." He swallowed hard the sound loud. "There was...a...body, a girl's body behind the black board sir, behind the podium where you taught."
But Mr. Edelstein could hear it clearly Ronald was trying to drive the point home; where your back was always turned the black board always saw your back.
Student Number 31, Su Li, had been a ghost.
End of Year One.
Coming soon Year Two- The Polaroid Picture.