How someone in the wizarding world hadn't come up with a spell to mimic the brief high of a cigarette puff, Fern Longbottom had no clue. Being a witch would finally feel worth it if she could blast herself at least once every ten minutes to feel momentary relief instead of having to climb the god-awful moving staircase to smoke one cigarette in the Astronomy tower before she was missed by the other Prefect on rounds.
Not that they even needed her. Prefect duties had become much easier ever since Umbridge had taken over as the unofficial authority at Hogwarts. These days, nary a soul, besides the dead ones wandered the halls after hours, for fear of peeving off the menace in pink. She didn't much mind the strict witch's presence, but then again, she wasn't exactly in the line of fire, nor was anyone else in Ravenclaw. The only thing that did make her roll her eyes was that almost all of her duties and responsibilities had been bequeathed to undeserving Slytherins on the Inquisitional Squad. They were a pack of eager dogs, desperate to bring their master the best corpse. At least when she gave someone detention, it was rather painless and they actually deserved it.
Thankfully, she hadn't run into anyone who deserved it tonight. Not that she'd mind the company. Every hall she had passed on the way up the dizzying stairs, was empty. That was one thing she did miss from the time before Umbridge. Usually, there would be absolute chaos in every corner of the dark seventh-floor hallway but tonight, it was silent.
She skirted through the hall, ignoring the hairs on the back of her neck, reminding her of how dark and empty the hallway was. Without light pollution from civilizations nearby, nighttime at Hogwarts was deep and unrelenting until morning. Even in the castle, candles and fireplaces couldn't illuminate the stone rooms enough to fully ward off the hours of shadow. To make matters worse, she'd noticed in her tenure as Prefect that in the evenings, without company or companion, the cobble architecture swallowed sound. Footsteps, words, laughter, and voices dissipated upon utterance without a crowd to overpower the course sandstone abyss. She didn't normally like the quiet, in any capacity, but especially in the castle that could easily swallow her whole with various secret halls, doors, and chambers.
Even at home, quiet was no good. If Neville wasn't rambling on about Herbology or Gran wasn't lecturing her brother about speaking too fast or walking too slow, the air felt thick. It clung to her limbs, and filled her lungs, and brought her thoughts to a standstill. The emptiness that followed, before sound rushed back in, froze her. She'd read a quote once, walking out of St. Mungo's after a particularly somber visit to her parents that said, 'for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.' Whatever abyss Nietzsche was referring to, she doubted that he knew what real emptiness felt like.
You didn't look at it, and it didn't look at you. It was an extension of consciousness; unrelenting and irremovable. Emptiness was a hospital room with people who couldn't recognize you. Emptiness was seeing the same careless bravery that had gotten them there in her brother who seemed too eager for war. Emptiness was being powerless to change any of it. After a while, she'd didn't feel so empty anymore, realizing that she'd simply become the abyss.
Now, it took up a corner of her mind, whispering evil things and infuriating questions with no answer. Every action had an equal reaction, and she was powerless to control every single one, not for lack of trying, as it liked to remind her. Every glance in the mirror, conversation in her head, and silent moment was tainted by this ache with no relief, other than the few times a week she got to smoke a cigarette.
She briefly closed her eyes as she walked, quelling the downward mental spiral by focusing on the crisp scent of fall turning into winter as it drifted in from the tower at the end of the hall. She imagined herself amongst the trees somewhere warm and beautiful, like Italy. The heat from the lone fireplace to her right acted as the artificial seaside sun. The crackling log was a babbling brook and she couldn't hear her own footsteps because she was barefoot in the grass. Her lips pulled into a soft smile. She was content until she heard footsteps.
She jumped and opened her eyes frantically as a very familiar figure appeared ten feet in front of her.
"Nev?" She half shouted.
"Oh hi," he squeaked out, looking behind his right shoulder, around a corner she couldn't see.
She cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain why he was out of his dorm so late but he just stood, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Hi… uh what are you doing up here?"
She watched as he jumped a little at her question, clearly uncomfortable with her suspicious tone. In recent years, her younger brother had become more akin to rule-breaking but sneaking around after dark wasn't usually his style.
He glanced over his shoulder again and took a few frantic footsteps towards her as if he was trying to herd her back down the hall.
"Erm…nothing," he worried. "I was in the uh tower."
His words slurred with the speed and she took sweeping steps to meet him before he got too far away from whatever it was that he seemed to be hiding.
"Nev," she said slowly. "In the tower…doing what?"
He didn't seem to register her question so she snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing his consciousness back down to earth.
"What's wrong with you? Why do you keep looking around like that?"
"Um…I'm just uh waiting —"
"For…?"
As if on cue, more voices appeared, loud and bouncing, out of thin air.
"Who is that?"
He looked down at his shoes, content to have her discover his counterparts on her own. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to actually hand out a detention, she breezed past him and towards the sound.
She made it three steps before Fred and George Weasley stepped around the corner and looked down at her, in shock, as if she was the one who had appeared out of nowhere. The evening was already a headache, but it was well on its way to turning into a migraine.
Before they could speak, she pounced.
"What are you doing?" Her voice was cruel and seeping with blame, directed at two of her least favorite people.
From as far back as she could remember, nearly seven years now, the three of them hadn't gotten along. The twins were intolerable, annoying, and self-centered. There was no joke, prank, or quip that could ever really be enough to fuel their egos so they always went too far, too fast, making the entirety of the study body accomplices and victims to their antics. Although, it hadn't been until her brother's unfortunate friendship with the twins that she'd started to harbor a real hatred for them.
"Hey," Fred called down the hall behind her towards Neville, pointing wildly, avoiding her accusatory stare. "Look Longbottom, it's Longbottom!"
"A family reunion," George added, clapping his hands together. "How touching."
Fred's eyes twinkled at her sour look. "Out for an evening stroll?"
She rolled her eyes. "I asked you a question."
"Oh c'mon Longbottom, no need to be so hostile, I'm only making small talk," Fred cooed. "Y'know like, how's your evening? How was your day? Are you —"
"Enough, you fucking half-whit. Why are you up here?"
George smiled big at her instantaneous anger but it was Fred who stepped closer and spoke again with a more threatening tone.
"Not quite, but you've almost got the hang of it. You're supposed to answer someone's question before you ask one of your own, it's polite."
"So answer it," she retorted, closing the last few inches between them.
"You first," he said with a scowl, relishing in her contempt. "How is your evening?"
"Abysmal, thanks to you."
"It always seems to be that way when we're together, Longbottom. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're the problem?"
"Funny," she hissed. "I would beg to differ"
"You? Beg? Now that would make for a lovely evening. Go on then," Fred taunted, looming over her with his usual pretentious sneer.
She glared at him, fuming, and ignored Neville's plea behind her to just leave it alone.
"Alright, we should really be off now," George yawned, stretching his arms over his head for dramatic effect. "Longbottom family, it's been lovely."
Fred bared his teeth as if to gloat and brushed her shoulder with force as he followed his brother towards the stairs. She glanced at Neville for backup but he gave her a miserable shrug. Discontent with the outcome, she spun around and grabbed Fred by the arm.
"For fucks sake, just tell me what you're doing up here or I'll give you a detention!"
He whipped around with a fire in his eyes and clamped a hand down on her wrist.
"Ask. Your. Brother," he hissed through clenched teeth, blazingly serious as he yanked her arm up close to her face.
Neville let out a little gasp at the outburst but she just hardened her glare.
She yanked her hand from his. "Charming."
Fred didn't let her finish the word before he stalked away in a huff, tapping Neville on the shoulder as if to say good luck. The less volatile twin shot her an apologetic look before disappearing down the stairs after his brother.
Despite having gotten used to Fred Weasley's short fuse and erratic temper, her heart nearly beat out of her chest. She'd been the reason for many an outburst, from detention slips to thwarted pranks over the years, none having been quite this tame. If they'd been alone, she liked to think that she might have accosted him back. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
Neville came up behind her, radiating with nerves.
"Really, Fern," he stuttered. "It's fine…I just had astronomy homework."
"Don't lie to me, Nev," she accused, probably louder than she needed to.
"Honest, we were just studying!"
"Oh give it a rest, those two have never studied a day in their lives! They're nothing but trouble. What are you thinking, letting them drag you into something sure to get you on Umbridge's bad side?"
"I'm already on her bad side," he mumbled. "So it doesn't really matter if —"
"Well then you can't really afford to make it any worse, can you? I mean hanging out with the Weasley twins after hours is one of the stupidest things I can think of. You're smarter than this!"
"They're my friends, it's nothing —"
"Some friends they are, Neville. Honestly, what could you possibly expect from hanging out with them, besides trouble? You're lucky that it was me that you ran into tonight, and not another Prefect, or worse. How could you be so —"
"You aren't my mum, Fern… I can look out for myself," he squeaked in a small, but stern voice.
She stopped talking immediately, struck by his sudden gumption. The twins had definitely gotten to him. Normally, he would've at least given her the benefit of the doubt and listened to her advice. She furrowed her brow when he glanced up, still looking nervously at the hallway behind her.
"You should get back to your common room," she sighed finally, unwilling to fight and elongate the portion of the evening without any nicotine in her system. "It's late."
"Alright," he said, nodding a little more energetically now that she'd stalled her lecture. "See you later?"
"Yeah….see you later."
He sped off down the hall, probably keen to catch up with his so-called friends. She cursed Fred to high heaven as she scaled the astronomy tower stairs, stopping briefly to retrieve a cigarette from the school stash, underneath a floorboard below the telescope. She tucked it between her teeth, used a non-verbal fire spell, and stepped over to the balcony.
The grounds were fuzzy and dark green beneath the muted moonlight. She stared confused for a moment at the darker than usual, blurred Hogwarts lawn, and then tipped her head upwards. A deep fog blurred the view, making the constellations completely invisible. The moon tried to blaze through the haze but it barely reached the earth's surface.
There was no way they got any astrology homework done, she thought, glancing around the room for clues.
Other than a few cigarette butts, there was nothing.
She took a drag and watched the smoke commingle with the haze. Nicotine rushed through her head providing momentary dizzying peace and oblivion. This buzz, although brief, was preferable to anything else. Drugs were unobtainable and inconsistent, alcohol lasted too long to be truly relaxing and she could never get the various potion options right. Tobacco gave her the two things that she craved, a tiny ounce of rebellion, and an unoccupied mind.
She flicked her finished cigarette onto the floor, one final testament to her moment of disobedience for the night, and flitted back down the stairs, eager to be finished with her rounds.
The hallway was still and dark again as she flew through it. The incident with her brother and his fellow Gryffindors had nearly been forgotten when other voices drifted from the hallway behind her.
Stunned by their apparition, she turned slowly, trying not to look terrified.
"Hey Fern," Padma Patil and Mandy Brocklehurst said in unison, arm in arm, coming around the corner where she'd been a few footsteps ago.
"Hey…guys," she responded, looking for an explanation.
"Prefect rounds?" Padma said, nodding to her house robes after hours.
"Yeah," she stammered.
"That sucks. Almost done though?"
She nodded and watched the girls try and contain their giggles about something she couldn't see. She glanced down the hall and found it devoid of doors or entrances despite the astronomy tower, where they most certainly were not.
"Astronomy homework?" She asked them, surrendering to her urges of suspicion. Where had they come from?
"Yep," Padma replied energetically.
"Lovely evening to see the stars," she goaded.
"They were brill," Mandy chimed in, turning to get her friend to nod in agreement. "Oh, by the way, I think a few people are going to be hanging out in the boy's dorm later tonight if you wanna come."
"Wicked," she responded, faking interest. "Corner and Boot's room?"
"Yep!"
"Ok, I'll try and swing by," she assured them. "You guys better get back though, I don't know who else has rounds tonight but if it's Abbott, you're screwed."
"Shit," Mandy said. "Is the Inquisitional Squad out tonight too?"
"Haven't seen them yet but I think they come round at 9."
"Thanks, Fern, you're a lifesaver!" Padma whispered, turning to run with her friend, hand in hand. "See you later!"
She watched them run back down towards the moving staircase and then turned to inspect the hall in a daze. She squeezed her eyes tight, imagining a door at the end of the hall but when she opened them, the stone wall remained the same; tall, grey, and empty.
There was no door anywhere.
Where were all these kids coming from?
The Weasley's having some secret entrance into the hallway made sense but her housemates and brother didn't. The mystery motivated her enough to make quick work of the walk back to her common room where she ignored a wave of 'hello's from her peers and rushed to her dorm room.
"Daisy!"
Her roommate jumped two inches off the bed and nearly toppled onto the floor as she rushed in and slammed the door. The tall strawberry blonde stared at her with wide, absent eyes for a moment before relaxing back onto the bed and setting her book on the nightstand.
"You might be content dying from a stress-induced heart attack at a young age, my love," she cooed, returning to her easy-going state. "But I, am not. Please exclude me from any further loud and anxious announcements in the —"
"Daisy," she repeated, ignoring her best friend's usual long-winded, abstract ramblings. "I think I may have stumbled upon a mystery."
Daisy gasped and threw a hand over her mouth, smiling wickedly as for one moment Fern thought that she was equally intrigued.
"I'm serious," Fern said flatly.
"I can't say I'm surprised," she said wistfully. "There is no way that we could know all the goings-on in a castle this old or this large. The mysteries it holds….the mysteries it has been witness to…well that must span centuries. Fern, what do you think was happening in this very room, a century ago?"
"Daisy, this room is not the one that I am concerned about. Will you please listen to me?"
"Yes, yes, yes," her roommate rambled, staring at the door as if she could actually see the ghosts of Ravenclaws past.
"On my Prefect rounds, I went up the astronomy tower—"
"So that you could look up at the night sky and not smoke a cigarette because you promised me that it was simply a fleeting phase of insubordination and not a serious habit?"
She squinted at the suddenly alert girl. "Yes."
"Lovely, please continue."
"Well on my way to the tower, Neville appeared out of nowhere with Fred and George Weasley in tow."
She paused for dramatic effect but continued quickly as Daisy didn't seem intrigued in the slightest.
"When I asked what they were doing, the twins wouldn't say, and Nev gave me some excuse about astronomy homework but when I went up to the tower, the fog made seeing the stars impossible!"
Daisy gave her an exasperated look. "So they were in the tower smoking pot?"
"Ah very clever, my love, but no. See, I would have smelled it either on them or in the tower if that had been the case but there was nothing."
"Okay…so what were they doing up there?"
"Now that is the mystery. I don't think they were up there at all."
Daisy stared at her silently, raising her brow in a combination of confusion and doubt.
"And here's why…when I came back down, Padma and Mandy appeared in the hall behind me, looking like they were leaving something, just like Nev and the twins had but they weren't up in the tower with me."
"Okay…"
"Daisy, are you hearing me? They said they were doing Astronomy homework, just like Nev. On a cloudy night! Don't you think that's a little suspicious that five people appeared out of thin air in a seventh-floor hallway this evening?"
"Well it's definitely odd but I don't know if I'd call it suspicious…actually maybe it's a little abnormal….no….bizarre perhaps?"
"Yes, yes, yes, all of the above," she said quickly. "What I'm trying to say is that I think they're up to something."
"Your brother, the twins, and two Ravenclaws?"
"Yes."
"Orgy?"
"Oh Daisy, for fucks sake, don't put that image in my head."
"Well, it's the obvious choice of usage for a secret room in a distant hallway with people who might otherwise consider each other acquaintances."
"They didn't look nearly flustered enough for that to be the case and besides, Padma and Mandy couldn't ever like any of them."
Daisy nodded like she was pondering.
"And you're sure they couldn't just be a study group?"
"Well I mean sure, they could be but what room were they using?"
"Fern, what time is it?"
"What?"
"The time," Daisy repeated.
"8:45, why?"
"So it's nighttime?"
"Yes…"
"Meaning that it was dark…up there."
"There are lanterns and fireplaces and moonlight, Daisy, I know what I saw. Dim light cannot hide an entire door. Or room!"
"No need to shout, I'm only trying to guide you to an air-tight hypothesis. Are you sure your mystery isn't just because of a lack of light or perhaps a result of your lack of sleep?"
She thought back to the hall and all the times she'd been there. It wasn't often, but it was enough to know what was there.
Nothing.
"No, I'm sure there is something else going on."
"Alright…I'll entertain it," Daisy said, propping her head upon her hand. "Do you think it's something sinister?"
"No," she mused, sorting through all the possibilities in her head. "Perhaps more of a nuisance in progress but I still don't like it."
"Fern, it's probably harmless."
"I can't shake the feeling that it's not. I don't want Neville involved with those fucking Weasley twins, no matter what they're doing."
"You're going to smother that poor boy. They're his friends, let him have his fun!"
Fern glared at her level-headed friend and then laid back onto her bed in a huff.
"We'll see."
