Little did they know of the person standing behind them until they spoke. "Neither. Do. I."
Selena froze, and then turned around to find someone she hadn't wanted to see right behind her and Renee.
Erebus glared down at them, his purple-and-silver prefect badge glinting in firelight on his chest, close to the Hufflepuff crest.
Selena smiled, her pulse beginning to thunder. "So... how's it going?"
He smirked. "Wonderful that I'm about to turn in two Gryffindors to Snape." Erebus' frosty blue eyes glinted.
He reached for them, but Selena ran. Renee threw one of the banshees and sprinted after Selena.
They looked back down the dark corridor to find Erebus on his knees, covering his ears as the toy screeched. The ghostly blue banshee flew around the air in a figure-eight, clearly not about to quit wailing for some time.
Selena laughed and grinned. "Thanks Ree," she said. "Now let's get out of here. I'm sure someone's bound to hear it too."
The two girls started down the Great Staircase, portraits snoring loudly around them, and ran to the second-floor corridor. Torches lined the walls, orange crackling flames throwing their long shadows across the stone walls. Selena panted, her and Renee slowing to a walk as they both tried to regain their breathing. Scanning the dark doorways, they found the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. Peeking through the keyhole, Selena saw Professor Moody snoring in a chair.
"Well, he's asleep," Selena said. "We can go in."
She took out her wand and pointed it at the keyhole. "Alohomora!"
The door lock clicked and she pushed it open quietly. Moody was also holding a bowl of beans and his mouth was wide open as he slept. "Ew," Renee whispered. "He spilled the food on his cloak."
Selena crept through the office as gingerly as she could, scanning any number of instruments that she didn't recognize. Artifacts were all piled around the space, a trunk tucked in a corner. Holding her breath, Selena tip-toed around the desk Moody slept near, opening a wooden drawer. The wooden sides scraped faintly, but it was enough to make Selena grimace. However, Moody didn't stir. To her disappointment, the only the thing in the drawer was a magnifying glass. Selena then rifled through the papers on his desk, parchment rustling softly.
She glanced up to find Renee still peering at Moody with hesitation and disgust, gaze drifting to the bean-stain on his cloak. Selena whispered. "It doesn't matter, help me find some clues."
Renee nodded and put the banshees back into her pocket before she picked up a stack of parchment, tossing the wrong papers behind her. She gasped and Selena looked up.
"What? Did you find the password?" she asked, her voice barely audible as Moody continued snoring.
"No! I got a Troll on my last essay!" Renee whispered.
Selena gave her an annoyed look and continued looking through the parchment until she found one that said Tripora Alohomora in loopy scrawl.
"Found it!" she said holding it up.
Renee smiled and then opened her mouth up and started breathing in.
"No!" Selena said without thinking, and covered Renee's mouth in time before her friend sneezed.
"Thanks," Renee said once Selena had removed her hand.
Selena nodded. But Renee suddenly sneezed, too fast for Selena too stop it.
Moody dropped his bowl and it crashed on the floor, beans splattering on stone. Selena yanked Renee by the hand, her heart leaping into her throat. She sprinted out the door, dragging her friend. She heard Moody get up and heard him yelling, enraged.
"You get back here!"
As if, she thought as they ran out of Professor Moody's office, rushing through the corridor so fast that a portrait began yelling as well.
They made it to about the last part of the floor until they almost reached the stairs to the second floor. A Ravenclaw prefect walked out behind a corner, probably alerted by the yelling, and pointed at them.
"You there! Stop!"
"Let them go, Ree!" Selena said. Renee grabbed one banshee from her pocket and tossed it into the air close to the boy. The banshee started to scream and the boy nearly dropped to the ground like Erebus, covering his ears. The girls covered their own ears as they ran past him and towards the staircase.
January 16th, 1995. Saturday.
"You actually snuck into his office, nearly got caught, and ran?'"
Renee nodded as she talked to Seamus, then she laughed. Renee had told Selena she couldn't resist telling Seamus Finnigan, who was also avid in pranking, and who she knew wouldn't tell on them. Though, Renee didn't reveal all the reasons why they were searching the office.
"I even left a little.. present for him..." Renee continued mischievously.
Selena looked up at her, surprised, spoon frozen in cinnamon oatmeal.. "Wait, what're you talking about?"
Renee grinned. "Well - I think that when Moody goes to open his desk drawer he'll get a little surprise. I left a banshee in there."
Selena laughed and Renee smiled.
"He deserves it for giving me a Troll on my essay!"
Sasha sat down beside Selena at the Gryffindor table, ignoring breakfast, holding the Daily Prophet. Tess also appeared, sitting down slowly, wringing her robe sleeves. Sasha glanced at Tess. "I'm going to show them..."
Tess nodded and looked worriedly at Selena and Renee.
Selena cocked an eyebrow. "Tell us what?"
Sasha handed over the crinkled paper, corners falling limply. "I suspect you two should know that Wendy isn't... happy about this."
Selena and Renee looked down at the paper.
Hogwarts Student Breaking MORE Rules?
by Rita Skeeter
I remain at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardy, reporting on the Triwizard Tournament as the Second Task approaches. However, when I noticed that Professor Albus Dumbledore had to leave his office urgently yesterday evening about a student, I heard a ghost - one of many who haunt Hogwarts Castle - mentioning "something wrong."
Something wrong? Of course, as a dutiful reporter, I had to follow.
When I arrived at the site I found that a student had jinxed all the sinks in the third floor girls' lavatory. The sinks were shattered, faucets and pipes spraying water as they began to flood the lavatory.
I've already done a report on this particular pupil: Wendy Rossotto, a fourth year Gryffindor.
She refused to comment and followed Professor Dumbledore to his office.
I talked to a bystandard, a Miss Kellie Jo Clark, of Slytherin.
"I really think you need to stay out of other people's business. You're the rudest women I've ever met."
After this, she walked off, rushing as if wanting to distance herself from Miss Rossotto's very name. Next, I talked to a young lady, Miss Pansy Parkinson, who is also a Slytherin, and is in Miss Rossotto's year.
"I've never liked her, Rossotto. She belongs locked up. I think she's trouble. And she not pretty either. She even tried to steal my boyfriend from me. Ha! My Draco left her immediately."
So she even has an obsession with stealing the affections from another? How far will this young student go to get attention?
I promise you, I will find out!
Selena looked up and Tess nodded. "Came out this morning."
Renee shook her head, light-brown ponytail swishing. "Why did Wendy do that? And did Draco actually leave her? Is that the reason?"
"No," Sasha replied. "Malfoy ran after her. And I have no idea why she did that."
Seamus shrugged, peering at the article as well. "Danny said-"
Selena snapped her fingers. "Danny! What if Danny tried to talk to her?"
Tess bit her lip. "It's possible..."
"I can't believe Pansy said that about her," Ginny Weasley said, her cluster of friends further down the table joining in the conversation.
Hermione Granger nodded. "Remember what she said about me in that article last month?"
Ginny scowled in reply.
Anne Black grinned. "Good thing I jinxed her this morning."
Selena smiled at her. "What did you do?"
Anne smiled in return. "I put glue all over her robes before we got here for breakfast."
Selena glanced over at Pansy, sitting beside Vincent Crabbe at the Slytherin table. "Will she be able to up?"
"She won't," Anne laughed. "I'm betting Ron that she'll tear her robes off around her middle."
Renee looked up. "How is she going to use the lavatory?"
And DONE!
Sorry this chapter took so long. It was more of a - filler. And is Moody going to find out it was Selena and Renee?
What's going to happen to Wendy? And I just HATE Pansy Parkinson. She's so mean, right?
Anyway, I had a great birthday! It was a few days ago and I got a Harry Potter wand. I thought it pretty cool, but I still want to go to Orlando for the Harry Potter theme-park.
And here is a question:
What is Kellie's nickname?
Okay, and here are the review (for chapter 46) thanks:
PerriwinklePadfoot
Kurono-Angel
CharmedMillie
PhoenixRose92
So, thanks again everyone!
And thanks for reading this chapter! And please take my poll! Once I get 7 people voting, I'll show you it! So far, I have 5!
Review, maybe?
THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE LONGER! It will also have the second chapter in it! =)
~Meghan