Chapter Nine

It was Halloween. A close contender for one of my favourite days of year. While, when I was younger, I would have spent it up in my room with a copy of thriller and a book of ghost stories, at Hogwarts it was an excuse for the school to break out the pumpkins, create sumptuous food and for Peeves to let loose with whatever pranks he'd spent the year cooking up. Previous highlights had been throwing water over Filch while disguised as a suit of armour and making the aforementioned pumpkins chase first years down the corridors.

What made this Halloween even better was the fact it was a Hogsmede weekend. One could wander through the town, gorge on the offers at Honeydukes, shop for Peeves defence at Zonko's and, most importantly, visit the shrieking shack.

Which was what I was trying to persuade Flora to do. "Come on" I urged her, Henry beside me "It's Halloween. You have to come."

"No" she insisted "I don't like it."

"You're just scared"

"Of course I'm scared. It's the most haunted place in Britain!"

"Come on Flora" Henry grinned "I'll protect you."

"What about me?" I interjected with mock indigence

"Please, the ghosts are probably more scared of you. I heard what you did in Quidditch practice, Burrow looked quite shaken."

"I only threatened to hex the next person to drop the Quaffle."
"It's not a threat if you actually do it." Flora pointed out. "Stretton's ears were twitching like crazy when he got the hospital wing."

"Ok, maybe I went a bit overboard. But I apologised, I even sent him flowers." I said, thinking of the carnations I had spent half an hour trying to conjure rather than explaining to the whole affair to Madame Sprout. "Now, can we please move away from this and talk about something more important. Like Flora going to the Shack."
"I've told you, I'm not going." She said, heading back up the path "I'm going to meet some people in town."

I knew it was hopeless, we'd had the same argument every year since third year. "Fine, we'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks in half an hour."

"See you then."

"See you Flora." Henry called after her. He offered me his arm, "Shall we?"

I took it graciously, but not before I pulled my hat down over my, now numb, ears. "Why does it have to be cold here?" I grumbled.

"Oh stop moaning" Henry smiled at me "You know you love it here. Let's go look at the Shack."

We set off down the twisting path that led out of the town, towards the derelict building that crouched on the outskirts.

"Who do you think Flora's meeting?" Henry asked suddenly.

"What? Erm, I don't know. Just some friends I guess." I replied, caught out by the question.

"You don't think she's seeing a guy do you?"
"Why would she be doing that?" Henry raised an eyebrow at me "Ok, silly question. But she hasn't mentioned a guy, so I don't know. Why do you care?"

Henry just shrugged "I don't really, I just thought it would be an interesting bit of gossip."

He didn't convince me, for a moment a pause hung in the air. Then, finally, Henry broke it.

"So how close shall we get?" he asked, motioning to the shack, we had reached the fence.

"Let's go in." I said, seized by a sudden daring.

"What?" Henry stared at me. "No one goes in!"

"Sounds like a challenge." A familiar voice said behind us. I whipped round, and saw Wood leaning casually against a fence post.

"Wood" I said, at once filled with an intense dislike.

"Alvic" he replied coolly "So did you mean it? Would you actually go in?"

I knew he was challenging me "Yes." I replied, trying to sound confident "Of course I would."

"Prove it" he grinned back, walking over to me, his eyes searching mine for a tell. "Or perhaps you're not as tough as you claim."

I didn't reply. I just started to climb over the fence.

"Riza! What are you doing?" Henry shouted at me.

I just grinned at him "Are you coming?"

"What? No. No I'm not. And neither should you. Get back here! What if Black's in there?"

I ignored him, and I had taken a few paces before I turned back to them. "What about you Wood?" I called to him "Or are you too scared?"

Wood smiled at me, but he seemed to have lost some of his bravado. "I'm a Gryffindor" he replied, climbing over the fence to join me "Bravery is what we do."

We looked into each other's eyes, knowing neither one of us could back out now. It was silent, except for Henry shouting at us that we were both crazy. I could barely hear him. All I could see was Wood, all I could hear was my heart beating.

"Let's go" I smiled wickedly at him, and I set off towards the shack.

"If you're not back in fifteen minutes I'm going to get Flitwick!" Henry called after us, but his voice fell, ignored on our ears.

Wood and I didn't speak as we got closer to the Shack. I didn't know why Wood wasn't speaking, but I knew that if I tried to speak my voice would crack and reveal the slow terror that was building in my stomach.

Finally we reached the door. Extending a shaking hand I tried the door. It was locked.

"Of course it's going to be locked" Wood muttered, he pulled out his wand "Alohomora" he whispered. The door creaked open.

"Ladies first" Wood smirked, gesturing towards the dark passage.

"How chivalrous" I said sarcastically, sweeping past him. Wood followed me, the door swung shut behind him. For a moment everything was dark, I grabbed my wand from underneath my coat. Lumos I thought, and a pale bluish light fell over the floor in front of me. Behind me Wood did the same.

We stumbled along the passage way, our breathing heavy. Occasionally our hands would brush against each other, and neither would pull away, desperate for the comfort the human contact provided. My heart raced in my mouth, I seemed to have dropped my stomach somewhere back on the path.

At the end of the passage were two doors. "Left or right?" I asked Wood.

"Right" Wood said, "I like right."

I took the left door, behind me Wood sighed, but he still followed. I pushed the door open. This room had a window, and the pale winter light was streaming through dusty and torn sheets.

"Oh my God" I said as I entered, the shocked gasp I heard Wood emit told me he agreed with the sentiment.

Everything in the room was torn or shattered. Vast chunks had been taken out of the chairs and sofa, a table lay capsized in the centre of the room. It had been mauled it was the only word I could think of. Smashed glass crunched under my feet. I suppose the room must have once been a living room, or a parlour or something. It must have been quite grand, now it just lay in carnage.

"What did all this?"

"The ghosts?" I suggested, "It is haunted after all."

"It doesn't look like ghosts, something solid did this."

Henry's comment that Black might be here suddenly swam into my mind. I gripped my wand tighter.

The two of us stood there, surrounded by the destruction, and I wondered whether I was too scared to move. I certainly felt like I was rooted to the spot.

Suddenly I heard a smash. "Please tell me that was you." I said to Wood.

"Sorry" he said "I think that came from upstairs."

We looked at each other, suddenly we were running for the door, back along the black corridor, heading for the small patch of light which was our salvation. We ran, almost blinded by terror, until we were back at the fence. It was only then I noticed Wood had grabbed my hand. I stared at it. He dropped it quickly.

"Never again" I said, breathlessly.

"Never" Wood agreed "God, you're some girl Alvic."

I looked over at him, but his face revealed nothing. Suddenly he broke out in a grin. We've to be the first students to be that brave."

"Be that stupid, you mean" a voice interjected, I'd almost forgotten about Henry, who stood watching us, his mouth disapproving but his eyes smiling. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well, we heard one." I grinned back at him, but my heart was still racing. "It's weird in there. It's like you forget who you are."

"Well, you're definitely a pair of morons." Henry declared, looking the two of us over "you deserve each other." I gave him a warning look "Sorry" he continued "are we not allowed to joke about that yet?"

His words jerked me back to reality. A reality in which I was angry at Wood. It didn't help that Wood was not making this easy. I did my best to glare at him with contempt.

"Come on" I said to Henry "I need a drink."