A/N: This will be a very short chapter, my apologies. I had this fic written out on paper, and this is where it ends, so the updates will also be less frequent. Again, my apologies. And just when it gets good! Read on…
Chapter 12—All Hallow's Eve
They straggled to dinner, and for a moment, even Ben forgot to complain. The Great Hall was bedecked in Halloween splendor, with pumpkins the size of bicycle sheds surrounding the tables, and real live bats fluttering around. Ryan eyed them nervously; she wasn't a great fan of bats, but she had to admit they were a nice touch. The smell of turkey and pumpkin was absolutely mouth-watering, as was the sight of all the trimmings and puddings and more.
"Excuse me…" The Grey Lady, resident Ravenclaw ghost, was heading towards them, passing through students and leaving them shivering in her wake. Ryan didn't have time to get out of the way, and had the sudden, very unpleasant feeling that she had just been ice-diving.
"Grey Lady, watch it!" she said, rubbing her upper arms with her hands, trying to scrub the goose-bumps feeling away.
"I'm terribly sorry," she called over her shoulder, "but I'm late for Sir Nicholas's Death-day party!" and then she walked through a wall and disappeared.
"His what?" asked Ryan, but Ben wasn't paying attention.
"So that's why none of the ghosts are here! Even the Bloody Baron is gone." He was right. None of the Hogwarts ghosts were in attendance. Fi poked her in the arm.
"Hey, Ryan, maybe this means we can use that bathroom now, do you think he invited Moaning Myrtle, too? That should cheer her up." Ryan entertained herself with a mental image of the mopey bathroom-haunting ghost in a party hat.
"I don't think anything will ever cheer her up. I think it's just best to avoid her bathroom altogether." Ben tugged them into sitting positions.
"Will you two quit going on about ghosts and eat? It's getting cold." Because everyone knows the worst thing in the world is quitting cold-turkey. Ryan giggled at her own private pun, bad as it was. She considered sharing it with her friends, but doubted that they'd appreciate it. Instead, she helped herself to some turkey, cranberry sauce, and peas.
"This night couldn't get any better," sighed Ben in satisfaction as they trooped back to the dormitory. But as they neared, a crowd blocked the corridor.
"However, it can get worse," observed Fi. "Isn't that Myrtle's bathroom up ahead?"
"Oy! Move!" yelled Ben. No one paid attention to him in the slightest. He gave Ryan a push on the shoulders, shoving her forward. "Ryan, you're smaller than me and Finn. Go see what's going on!" She pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring protests from the older students as she ruthlessly stamped on toes to get her way.
She was greeted by a terrible sight: Mrs. Norris, that horrible cat of Mr. Filch's, was dangling from a torch sconce, and silver paint shined on the wall above her. Ryan squinted, trying to make out what it said. Then she realized that there was a great amount of water on the floor. Myrtle's throwing a fit again. Mrs. Norris was reflected in the water…and so was the message on the wall: The Chamber has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware. It meant nothing to her, but the dead cat on the wall was clear enough.
Other people seemed to know what it meant, however; they pointed first to the cat, then to the wall, all with horrified expressions on their faces.
But that wasn't all. There, trapped in the corridor, standing in another puddle of water, was Potter and his two friends. All three had the look of a cornered convict. Potter? she thought, bewildered, Potter did this? It doesn't seem possible…That Malfoy boy, the one who was rude to her on the train, stepped out of the throng.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware!" Was it her imagination, or did his eyes flick towards her? "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" There was an intake of breath at his words…and then Filch came.