The shadows on the walls seemed more defined, Ron was shocked to find that he could see his breath, and still the black cloaked figure walked slowly away. The figure didn't seem to be aware of the shaking boy stood only metres behind him. But to Ron's disbelief, the figure seemed strangely familiar. The long black cloak, the long silver staff, the long sleeves that covered his hands. Ron suddenly had the urge to run. But where? The school was empty, Dumbledore was gone, there was no where to go, no one to help. He would have to find out what this black figure was going to do. But walking up and asking him wouldn't help in the slightest. He could kill him in seconds. In a split second decision, he ran up behind the figure and grabbed his shoulder.
The figure flinched, made a noise that sounded anything but human and fell to the ground. The long black cloak deflated like a balloon, and the staff seemed to sink into the ground. Ron frantically picked up the cloak and found nothing below it.
"Whaa?" he breathed.
Ron stood up like a bullet and started looking around. Was he going insane or something? There were several paintings around, but not a single one had a person in it. Ron looked down in despair.
Snape, who hadn't moved since Ron had left the Ron, slowly began to stand. He looked around, as if he had only just realised that there were bodies in the room. Every body his eyes encountered made him flinch. He walked over to Harry's body by the door and bent down beside him. He gently shook his shoulder,
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Harry screamed as his eyes suddenly burst open to find Snape's face right up close, his confusion very evident.
Ron almost jumped out of his skin down the corridor when he heard the yell, and he flung himself against the wall, breaking a chunk off an empty painting.
Harry violently scrambled away from Snape as Snape stood back up, never taking his eyes off Harry for a second. Harry looked at Hermione, still lying on the floor looking quite lifeless. Then he looked at Snape again. Harry didn't know quite what to do.
"Snape?" he whispered.
No reply.
"Snape, you've, you have to help Hermione."
Snape looked confused.
"Hermione, over there." Harry pointed.
Snape slowly turned his head. He had obviously lost his mind. He seemed beyond the ability to communicate.
"You've got to help her!" Harry shouted, "I don't know what to do, she's going to die you have to do something!"
Harry leapt up and shook Snape gently. Then from the corridor Harry heard something.
"HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Harry spun around to find the door opening slowly with a high pitched creak. A black sleeve was coming around the door frame.
"HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Move!"
"Where?"
The hand was still moving around the door.
"Just move Harry! Jump out the window or something!"
The door was now totally open. A large black cloak with no face that could be seen was standing in the doorway. The figure swung his silver staff forwards and stretched his arm out into an unmistakeable point. Towards Hermione. Then Snape. Snape looked slowly upwards at the figure, and fell to the ground shivering.
"Cold, no, cold, so very cold, no." Snape murmured. The black figure stepped towards them. Harry looked at Snape, utterly shocked at who used to be such a powerful person. But he was now quivering pathetically.
"What are you going to do?" Harry said, as Ron slowly came round the door.
The figure looked up at Harry. Harry's eyes travelled to Ron behind him, still moving forwards.
"Don't hurt them," said Harry, as Ron lifted something into the air, "who are you?"
Then suddenly, Ron swung a large piece of picture frame at the back of the black figure. But he may as well have hit a feather. The cloak flung against the door hard and the piece of picture frame shattered against the door with the power of Ron's swing. The cloak fell to the ground. Ron and Harry looked at each other.
"Where did he go?" said Harry.
"I dunno. That happened in the corridor as well, there's something weird going on here. That guy sort of, doesn't have a body, but does, but he didn't so, he mustn't exist, but he was here, we got his cloak, AARRRRGGGHHH!!!!! What's happening to the world? I, I don't know anything anymore!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ron will you calm down! You're sweating buckets! But, technically you're not so, you're sweating water, but by the bucket load, so you're sweating buckets but your not!!!!"
Suddenly Harry paused and took a deep breath. Ron was now crouched in the corner shivering violently and murmuring things under his breath, and you could make out the occasional 'cucucucucloak' or something that sounded like 'mmmmmonkey'. Wait a minute, he couldn't be saying monkey because monkeys have absolutely nothing to do with this scene. How could they? I haven't mentioned monkeys; they are of no relevance to the plot. Sorry. I can see what's happening here. The confusion is transferring from the characters to me! Oh no, this could take over the world and cause us all to turn into mini leprechauns with over sized chainsaws!
I'm sorry, I'm getting carried away. I'll carry on with the story which I hope will explain all.
"Ron," said Harry, "Can't you see? Someone has put a confusion spell on the whole school. We must try to stay calm, or whatever has happened to everyone else may happen to us."
Will this, Ron seemed to compose himself. A little. "But, that would mean we have a confusion spell to deal with as well as a strange guy in a black cloak that disappears!"
"Yep."
"Oh, ok, this should be easy then. Lets go save the day. Why is it always us that save the day?"
"Shhh, Ron. We're not allowed to ask stuff like that."
