One
What, Where
What happened was that Nikki Harfield was murdered.
I guess I'm jumping into it again, but that's about what happened. Nikki Harfield was pretty, blonde, popular, chattery, annoying, and generally a prep. You get them in every group. No one really liked her but her preppy friends, but still, nobody really wanted to kill her. Sure, she was annoying, but that's just the way preps are. So it was really messed up. And it wasn't just a murder, no, she was lying on the floor with an X cut into the side of her neck and the knife still in her heart. Lovely. Cold-blooded murder.
Of course, it all began when Alicia Silverstone started screaming. It was about nine o'clock at night, and everyone was still down in the common room because if was, after all, fifth year, and O.W.L.s generally suck. Alicia Silverstone is short, happy, slightly nasally and slightly naseua-inducing. She acted like a tourist all the time. And she was melodramatic, given to screaming, so usually no one would have paid any attention. But this wasn't even Alicia Silverstone, that you could tell--it was a sort of high, unearthly shriek that seemed to go on and on and on forever, wailing in on your ears.
Of course, we all started to run towards the dorms, half the boys falling back down as they tried, the others wisely waiting for the girls to run up. The first one up was Theresa Madding, who was generally a good, level-headed person, and as soon as she entered the room, she turned around. "Oh my god," she whispered, her face turning pale before she ran to the bathroom. Sounds of retching could be heard.
I was only a step behind her, and the same instinct rose in me, bile rising in my throat as I put my hands over my mouth. Wanda Hopan and Kelly Amea stopped in the door, both of them looking like they were going to be sick. "What is it?" some one yelled.
"NIKKI!" Kelly yelled, her mouth twisted in disgust and horror. Kelly Amea was one of her other preppy friends. "NIKKI!"
"WHAT?" someone shouted.
"Nikki...Nikki's been murdered," I said, barely above a whisper. It raced through the crowd like wildfire.
"Murdered?"
"Who's been murdered?"
"Nikki Harfield?"
"Who murdered her?"
"Someone get Head Girl," one person in the back said, who obviously had more sense than the rest of us. "Someone get Dumbledore!"
The Head Girl was Ariana Lyson, a very sensible, little bit strict brunette who immediately did the sensible thing, which was to clear the room. She told Alicia Silverstone and me to remain, as Alicia was the one who had found her and I was the only witness not puking my guts out who had actually seen firsthand. She sent a prefect scurrying after Dumbledore, and in five minutes Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both were in the common room, running up the stairs, which allowed Dumbledore access. Sirius Black tried to run up after him, but failed.
"Who is it?" Professor McGonagall asked crisply before entering the room. Ariana shook her head.
"Nikki Harfield," she said simply, and Professor McGonagall nodded. When she and Dumbledore entered the room, there was a horrified silence. Professor McGonagall's face was turning ashen, and her entire body was quivering with fury. The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone, and now cold fury seemed to radiate from him.
"My God," Professor McGonagall murmured under her breath. "Who...why...to a student!" she finally exclaimed. Dumbledore stood up sharply.
"Minerva, close the castle. We must see if anyone is on the grounds, have Hagrid talk to them. Have all the students moved to the Great Hall, and have no one touch this room, not even the House-Elves. Miss Silverstone, Miss Evans, you will remain here. I believe Miss Amea is nearby?" he asked, and I nodded in confirmation.
"She's in the bathroom, Professor," I said, and Dumbledore nodded understandingly.
"Bring her here, Miss Evans. We must speak immediately. Have all the girls in that dorm room remain in the common room."
Professor McGonagall left the room with barely a nod, her face still pale. My mind was racing. Nikki Harfield had been killed. Who had killed her? Was it from the outside? Someone inside Hogwarts?
"Girls, please bring Miss Amea and come with me," Dumbledore told us, and waited as I ran to get Kelly from the bathroom. Her face was in her hands, and she was kneeling on the floor.
"Kelly?" I asked, and she barely raised her head. "Dumbledore wants to see you."
Kelly barely lifted her head; tears still glistened on her cheeks, her face still ashen pale. "Who was it?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Why?"
I didn't have answers. "Come on," I told her reassuringly, and she followed me dumbly to the hall. Dumbledore went down the steps to the common room, where he sat down on one of the couches.
"Miss Amea, I believe you were in Miss Harfield's dorm," he said gravely. "Can you tell me anything about Miss Harfield? Who was in there last? Would anyone want to kill her?"
Kelly gulped nervously and Alicia put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Nikki was studying, Professor," she said tremblingly. "She didn't like the common room, she said it was too noisy, she said she wanted to study alone. I had gone up to get my Aritmancy book just before Alicia screamed. She was by herself, and no one wanted to kill Nikki!"
Dumbledore held up a hand. "How long was it from when you got your Arithmancy book to when Miss Silverstone screamed?"
"About ten minutes," Kelly answered nervously, pausing for a shuddering breath. "Why, Professor?"
"I cannot tell you as of now," Dumbledore said gravely. "I had hoped things like this would never happen. You may go down the the Great Halll, Miss Amea," he added gently, and Kelly stood up, gulping again as she almost ran out of the portrait hole.
"Miss Silverstone," Dumbledore said, addressing Alicia. "How did you find Miss Harfield's body?"
"I was going back up for my Charms book because I'd just finished Transfiguration homework," she said breathlessly. "Kelly had borrowed it and said it was in her dorm, so I went in there to look. It was horrible, you could almost smell it in there, I screamed right away. Made me sick, it did, with her neck..." Alicia trailed off, her eyes wide. "I'd told her, sir," she said in a knowing sort of voice. "I'd told her that she shouldn't study alone, who knows what will happen, I told her...."
"Thank you, Miss Silverstone," Dumbledore said gently. I rolled my eyes. Alicia had never told her anything of the sort; the girl would lie and everyone would be putting her in the spotlight now. Just what she needed; more attention to swell her head.
"Miss Evans," Dumbledore said gently. "What can you tell me about Miss Harfield's relationships--her friends, her enemies, and please be honest. Your opinions may be very useful to me."
I met his eyes. How had he knows that I would know about Nikki? But it was true; almost all the girls came to me when they had problems or something to gossip about. It's downright boring sometimes, I can tell you right now. But I always smile, repress a sigh, and never tell anyone. I don't remember half of it, but Nikki's gossip was always particularly juicy.
"Most of her friends were in her dorm, Professor," I said neutrally. "Kelly Amea was her best friend, but she had other friends. Alicia was one of her friends, and Wanda Hopan, Teri Fields...and Nik, Nichole Blankenship," I added belatedly. "I don't think she had any enemies. Some people...disliked her," I said, pausing, then the pause lengthened.
Dumbledore leaned forward. "Miss Evans, it is of utmost importance that you tell me your honest opinion of Miss Harfield. I know it is not polite to 'speak ill of the dead' but I must know."
"She was a prep, if you'll excuse me," I said bluntly. "She was a snob and a lot of the girls didn't like her. She had money and was always showing off all the new stuff she had, just to make people jealous. She never treated anyone very nicely either, she was always gossiping about them and calling everyone skanks. She flirted, too, Professor," I added. My opinion of her seemed very biased at the time.
Dumbledore seemed to smile just a fraction. "And what of boys?" he asked, his eyes grave again.
"James Potter," I said bluntly, disdainfully. Then my eyes widened. "They...they fought last night, in the common room," I said, my voice horrified. "It was terrible, screaming and yelling on both sides....she was screaming she'd kill him, and he tried to hit her, but Sirius held him back," I said, my voice still horrified. "Sir--"
Dumbledore held up a hand to silence me. "Miss Evans, do the girls talk to you? Do they confide in you?"
"Yes, sir," I said truthfully. Dumbledore nodded.
"I may need you to stay here and help me question some people. You also have underground information, if it can be called that, that may be useful to me in helping determine the killer."
"Do you think it's someone inside the school, then?" I asked quietly.
Dumbledore met my gaze and held it. "At this point I am eliminating no possibilities," he said quietly. A shiver ran down my spine.
Disclaimer:(sing it)
I own Nikki Harfield and her dead body
I own OCs and my own little plot-bunny
I don't own Lily and Marauders too
But JK does, so please don't sue!
(insert 'Shave and a Haircut' tune)Da-da-da-da-da, dan dun!
Notes: Disclaimer applies to one too. This is fun. I actually have no idea what I'm doing. I sit down at my comptuer and my muses guide me. Thanks for all the reviews! Don't worry, James next chapter. Hope you like it, love you all.
=}Abby