-The Graveyard, Chapter Thirty Five-
CECILY POV
The rest of the train ride was quiet, except for the constant pattern of footsteps going by the door. I changed into my robes with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, feeling terrible the whole time. I had worn black robes far too long. I put on my dark purple cloak on over, it was cold and raining heavily outside.
The cloak was so big, Ron Harry and Hermione fit underneath it. Our only mishap was going to the carriages. For some reason, the steeds pulling the coaches loved me; they all tried to come over. Thinking sadly about Bertha Jorkins, the woman I had seen die, I quickly got in the carriage before the steeds could seriously break free and come over.
Ron Harry and Hermione chatted animatedly, but I was silent, watching Hogwarts come in to view. It was a beautiful castle, one that I longed to be inside. I firmly blocked off my soul reader, to avoid any accidents as we climbed awkwardly out of the carriage, everyone under my cloak, and made our way inside the huge entrance hall. I slowly put down my hood, looking around.
The ceiling was higher than any I had ever seen, beautifully adorned with archways. Students flowed around me, staring, but going into the Great Hall. I looked up to see an earth-bound spirit; you may call it a ghost, floating over the crowd. He was a small little man, with wicked eyes and a wide grin.
Then Harry pulled me into the Great Hall, and I was at a loss for words. The ceiling was beautiful as it was dark, rain slashed down and disappeared into nothing above thousands of floating white candles, all in various lengths and sizes. The room itself had rows of benches filling up with students.
Harry laughed at my expression and steered me over to what I realized as the Gryffindor table. I looked at all the tables and felt a chill as my eyes passed to the Slytherin table. Malfoy was sitting there, and my dislike for Slytherin deepened sharply.
When everyone was assembled, the doors opened, and McGonagall, an Order member, walked in with a long line of scared looking first years behind her. I immediately made a mental note to thank Dumbledore for sorting me already. I was a first year, but yet I wasn't.
The first years were sorted, and then Dumbledore rose, and instantly, everyone quieted. "Welcome! He said. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Let us dig into to our excellent feast!" He said, and suddenly, the table was full of food, dishes and dishes of it, some foods I still didn't know.
I sat there staring until Hermione noticed. "You just take what you want, really." She said, and I flushed a little, but thanked her and hesitantly took some potatoes with gravy, and peas and carrots. I had a strange aversion to meat, ever since I tried bacon at the hospital.
Everyone ate for some time, and slowly, people around me lapsed into conversations, and I listened attentively. The Weasley boys, as usual, were talking about Quidditch with Harry. Hermione and Ginny were talking, but I didn't know the topic. So I sat quietly, listening until a girl next to Fred across the table leaned over and spoke.
"Hey, Harry's sister, right? What's your name?" She asked, making me start in surprise.
"Cecily." I said softly. Her face turned serious. "I heard you talk with the dead, and you lived with Voldemort your whole life, is that true?" I was saved from answering by Dumbledore rising again, and the hall quieted once more.
"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. The Forbidden Forest is simply that, forbidden, as many of you tend to forget." His eyes flashed in the direction of the twins, who smiled identical evil grins.
"As usual, the use of magic is forbidden in the corridors. Mr. Filch will be happy to remind all of you happen to forget." His eyes twinkled as he spoke, and I glanced quickly at Filch. He was holding the cat, Mrs. Norris, in his arms, and he glared at the student body.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" He said happily, and the students rose, talking to each other, and began to exit the hall.
The ghost I had learned to be called Peeves was waiting outside the doors, making loud raspberries at random. Suddenly, he whirled around and stared at me, like all the other ghosts currently in the hall. I quickly ducked my head, flushing, and followed Ron, Harry and Hermione up the marble staircase.
"So, what did you think, Cecily?" Ron asked as we walked down a corridor that I tried to memorize. I didn't want to lose my way.
"I thought it was great." I said quietly as we stopped in front of the portrait hole. I was about to climb in, when I got the sensation of ice cold water touching my shoulder. I realized instantly it was a spirit, and I knew it was Peeves before I even turned around. Suddenly, I knew everything about him, how he died (in one of his pranks) where he lived, the whole deal.
"Yes?" I asked softly, waving at Harry to go on. He gave me one last look before shutting the portrait hole, leaving me alone in the hall with Peeves. Peeves looked very unsure, and after a moment, all of the other ghosts appeared out of the walls and formed a small semi-circle around me.
I suddenly understood what they wanted as they looked nervously at each other. "Do you want a service?" I asked.
"Speak up! I can't hear you, my ears are 400 years old!" barked the Bloody Baron. I flushed the deepest red I could muster, everyone in my family and the Weasley's told me I spoke too softly, but that was the way I talked.
"Hush, Baron. She asked if we wanted a service, which is what we want, so do shut up." Barked the Fat Friar, suddenly not so friendly. It was interesting to see the different sides of ghosts.
"What can I do for you?" I asked, stopping any argument the Fat Friar and the Bloody Baron may have had.
"Erm, well, I guess we should do this one at a time." Said Nearly Headless Nick. He drew himself upright and declared, "I wish for you to send me back." All of the ghosts twittered, looking at me expectantly. I was shocked, nobody had asked me to well, kill them before.
"I don't think it does that, but I'll try. Nobody's asked me that before." I said truthfully, and he floated over, looking unsure again. "Sorry if this is a little awkward." I murmured, and put my left hand on his shoulder; my hand going inside him. He shivered.
I quickly filtered out all of the spirit information, that was private, but I focused on the spirit itself, making space in the ring, then I tugged on it, much to his protest.
"Its—not—working." I said after a few more tries, getting frustrated. The one person in the world who might be able to help him was a failure. "I'd have to get more information to help you, about the ring itself." I said and removed my hand, starting to shiver. Spirits were cold.
"Thank you for trying, let me know if you figure it out." He said grandly, and floated back to his spot. Some of the ghosts had left, dissatisfied. In fact, only Peeves remained.
"Can you contact someone for me? Her name was Miranda Gondhawk." He said, and the name clicked instantly in my brain, and her spirit came forward. I have Peeves here…anything you would like to say, say it now. I said, and she instantly started using me as her mouthpiece.
"Peeves!" my mouth squealed, (I was quite still, with my eyes closed) "Good to hear from you! I feel really dumb for not becoming a ghost, it's so lame being dead. I miss you, old buddy. I still think we should have used even more fire-newt tail on that final prank, now that I know it would have killed us. It brings a whole new meaning to going out with a bang!" I continued, the preppy, loud voice spilling from me not my own.
I couldn't see Peeves face, which was somewhat of a relief. "But, yah, I'm so bored. There is seriously NOTHING to do. All we do is float around in this nasty black gooey stuff, it would be awesome for a prank, it's all cold and slimy… anywho! I'm sure this chick I'm talking too will be totally drained by the time I'm done talking, so um, cha." Miranda broke away quickly, taking most of whatever energy I had left. My knees quickly bent and I slumped against the wall, opening my eyes.
Peeves looked absolutely stunned, not normal for him. "Thank you—" He blurted quickly and zoomed away. I stayed against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position, totally drained, emotionally and physically. Allowing spirits to talk through you was always hard. I leaned my head back against the wall and sighed. I had to help the ghosts.
The portrait hole opened and Harry cursed loudly, helping me to my feet, getting a good scolding from the Fat Lady on language. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?" He asked, totally over reacting.
"Nothing, I contacted a spirit for him." I said nonchalantly, like people did that everyday. He frowned, totally confused. I sighed. "I let a spirit talk through me to him. It's just a little exhausting is all." He shook his head and dragged me inside the common room, which was full of people, talking and laughing.
He pushed me into a chair, muttering, "Oh, just a little exhausting my ass, nearly passed out on the floor—"
"I'm fine." I said softly, but he ignored me completely, settling down at my feet, still glaring at the floor. "Harry, I talk to the dead. Of course the ghosts are going to come calling, I'm surprised people haven't started asking. Someone asked me about it at dinner." I sunk deeper into the chair, exhausted.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, leaning over. I groaned and nudged Harry with my foot, letting him explain. He would contradict me anyway. I pressed my fingertips to my temples and closed my eyes, sorting and organizing my spirits and their information. Call me OCD, but it made things a lot easier to deal with. This way, they weren't running my life, like they could be.
I paused at the 'Draco Malfoy file'. It would be useful, and invaluable if I was to lose it. I stored it in a safe place, and opened my eyes. People had noticed my appearance, and were starting to tell their friends, stealing glances over their shoulders.
"Come on, your wiped. Let's go up to the dormitories. Sleep is what you need." Hermione said firmly and helped me up, and to the staircase. I waved quickly to Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins as Hermione nearly forced me up the stairs.
She showed me to a bed, and sat me down. "Ok, I know you had to touch Malfoy today, and please tell me you managed to get something off of him." She said in a rush. I surprised myself by laughing.
"I 'got something'. I got more than I would ever want to know, but I'm not going to go through it now. There is a lot of stuff." I said, and Hermione grinned, bouncing around the room in excitement.
"Oh, yes. I have longed for this day." She bounced over to her trunk and started pulling things out. I hung up my cloak, contemplating how to ask her for help on researching the ring.
"Hermione...you know you're way around the library, right?" I started, changing quickly as I heard footsteps on the stairs. I was still a little unsure of my body; I was still 'much to thin', according to Mum and Mrs. Weasley. My ribs still showed, and my shoulder blades were pointy still.
"Oh, of course. Why do you ask?" she asked. She came over and sat crosslegged on the foot of my bed, closing the hangings as some more girls came up curiously.
"I need some help researching something for Nearly Headless Nick, whenever you have the time. He wanted me to well…not make him a ghost anymore. In fact, all of them asked that, but I couldn't do it, I don't know how." I said quietly. Hermione gasped.
"I thought it was only Peeves who was there, that's what Harry made it sound like. But all of them? Wow. Of course I'll help you, I've wanted to look it up ever since I met you." She said, and I felt a warm, unsure feeling I had never felt before; friendship. It was hard to believe I was a year older than her.
"Thank you." I said, and she just smiled, got up, and went to her bed. Girls were looking over curiously, so I closed the hangings again, and hid my left hand under the covers as the ring began to glow again.
Slowly, I fell asleep at my first night of Hogwarts. That night, I had the same dream I always had, the relived moment of what I thought was Harry being killed. It played in my head like a mantra, until I finally dreamed no more.