A/N: Whoa! I'm actually updating now! Woo-hoo!
DISCLAIMER: All Harry Potter logos, characters, and indicia are trademarks of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. In other words, I own nothing here but my own character(s).
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They all stopped in their tracks, listening to the scream slowly start to die down.
"Come on, let's follow it!" yelled Harry.
He began running, the others behind him, the direction of the scream. It was coming from the Quidditch Pitch.
"But - that's - always - locked," panted Hermione, catching up with Harry.
"I know," he puffed back.
A minute later they had reached the enormous stadium. Sure enough, the doors were locked. Candace took out her wand.
"Open sesame!" she said, pointing her wand at the lock. The scream was nearly gone.
The doors began to creak open.
"Hey, I didn't know that was an actual spell!" cried Ron.
Harry hadn't known either, and he thought it was odd that Candace hadn't first tried the simplest unlocking charm 'alohomora'. But there was no time to dwell on that. Ron and Hermione were pulling the doors make them open faster. With a final tug the doors opened and the stadium stood before them majestically, although Harry hardly noticed.
They all ran inside and almost immediately Harry saw something red glistening on the ground in the middle of the pitch. Running again, he reached the object at top speed. When he saw what it was he gasped in horror. Hermione, Ron, and Candace came up alongside him and Hermione gave a scream of disbelief before passing out. Ron grabbed her, still staring at what he saw. Candace dropped to her knees, mortified.
Before them lay the remains of a body, a human body none the less. It was covered with dark red blood, yellow plasma trickling here and there. It looked as though someone had thought them to be a vegetable and had attempted to chop her up with a very large knife.
"No," Candace whispered, shaking her blonde head, "it can't be. Why?"
"Harry," Ron said in a hoarse whisper, "if Dumbledore finds out he'll have to close Hogwarts for sure!" Ron paused. "Although we can't exactly hide this," he relented, still holding Hermione to him.
"I know," was all Harry could say. He bent down next to Candace.
Candace looked at Harry, her eyes wide. "Do - do you know who it is?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Harry was afraid to look at the face, which was facing away from them. Slowly, he walked around to the other side of the body and looked at the face. He felt nauseous when he did.
"Lavender Brown," he said softly, coming back over to his friends.
Candace stood up and began rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "What do we do now?" she asked quietly.
"We go to Dumbledore," said Harry. He looked at his watch. "Dinner's over by now; he should be in his office. Ron, can you take Hermione to the hospital wing while Candace and I go to Dumbledore?"
"Of course," Ron nodded, "but what about-" he stopped, but he didn't need to finish. Harry knew he was talking about Lavender, or rather, what was left of her.
"Leave her here for now," he said firmly, with one more look at her mangled body. "We'll let Dumbledore take care of that."
Quickly as possible they headed back to the castle. Once inside Ron went to Madam Pomfrey and Harry and Candace went to Dumbledore's office. They saw him entering just as they rounded the corner.
"Professor Dumbledore!" called Harry. He didn't want to stand in front of the gargoyle trying to figure out one of his Headmaster's wacky passwords.
Dumbledore turned around and smiled when he saw Harry and Candace approaching.
"Ah," he said, "how are you two?"
"Not well sir, not well at all," said Candace, "and we need to talk to you right away!"
DISCLAIMER: All Harry Potter logos, characters, and indicia are trademarks of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. In other words, I own nothing here but my own character(s).
*************************************************************
They all stopped in their tracks, listening to the scream slowly start to die down.
"Come on, let's follow it!" yelled Harry.
He began running, the others behind him, the direction of the scream. It was coming from the Quidditch Pitch.
"But - that's - always - locked," panted Hermione, catching up with Harry.
"I know," he puffed back.
A minute later they had reached the enormous stadium. Sure enough, the doors were locked. Candace took out her wand.
"Open sesame!" she said, pointing her wand at the lock. The scream was nearly gone.
The doors began to creak open.
"Hey, I didn't know that was an actual spell!" cried Ron.
Harry hadn't known either, and he thought it was odd that Candace hadn't first tried the simplest unlocking charm 'alohomora'. But there was no time to dwell on that. Ron and Hermione were pulling the doors make them open faster. With a final tug the doors opened and the stadium stood before them majestically, although Harry hardly noticed.
They all ran inside and almost immediately Harry saw something red glistening on the ground in the middle of the pitch. Running again, he reached the object at top speed. When he saw what it was he gasped in horror. Hermione, Ron, and Candace came up alongside him and Hermione gave a scream of disbelief before passing out. Ron grabbed her, still staring at what he saw. Candace dropped to her knees, mortified.
Before them lay the remains of a body, a human body none the less. It was covered with dark red blood, yellow plasma trickling here and there. It looked as though someone had thought them to be a vegetable and had attempted to chop her up with a very large knife.
"No," Candace whispered, shaking her blonde head, "it can't be. Why?"
"Harry," Ron said in a hoarse whisper, "if Dumbledore finds out he'll have to close Hogwarts for sure!" Ron paused. "Although we can't exactly hide this," he relented, still holding Hermione to him.
"I know," was all Harry could say. He bent down next to Candace.
Candace looked at Harry, her eyes wide. "Do - do you know who it is?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Harry was afraid to look at the face, which was facing away from them. Slowly, he walked around to the other side of the body and looked at the face. He felt nauseous when he did.
"Lavender Brown," he said softly, coming back over to his friends.
Candace stood up and began rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. "What do we do now?" she asked quietly.
"We go to Dumbledore," said Harry. He looked at his watch. "Dinner's over by now; he should be in his office. Ron, can you take Hermione to the hospital wing while Candace and I go to Dumbledore?"
"Of course," Ron nodded, "but what about-" he stopped, but he didn't need to finish. Harry knew he was talking about Lavender, or rather, what was left of her.
"Leave her here for now," he said firmly, with one more look at her mangled body. "We'll let Dumbledore take care of that."
Quickly as possible they headed back to the castle. Once inside Ron went to Madam Pomfrey and Harry and Candace went to Dumbledore's office. They saw him entering just as they rounded the corner.
"Professor Dumbledore!" called Harry. He didn't want to stand in front of the gargoyle trying to figure out one of his Headmaster's wacky passwords.
Dumbledore turned around and smiled when he saw Harry and Candace approaching.
"Ah," he said, "how are you two?"
"Not well sir, not well at all," said Candace, "and we need to talk to you right away!"