Chapter 15- The real test
Anne fidgeted with her hair as she waited outside the examination room. After a few minutes, Chris emerged from the room, submerged in his Transfiguration book and muttering to himself.
"Got that right…Damn, I missed this one… This one okay…"
"Chris?" Anne blurted.
Chris dropped the book and stared at Anne. "You scared me," he said as he picked up his book.
"Sorry," Anne said. "I need to talk to you."
"Yeah, me too," Chris sighed. "I also read the Prophet today."
Anne stared questioningly at him. "You know… the murder of the owner of the Hog's Head," Chris said impatiently.
"WHAT?" Anne exclaimed loudly, earning a disapproving look from some passing students.
Chris pulled Anne aside and looked at her gravely. "Whatever happened a trillion years ago is happening right now," he said in a dark tone. "We have to do something."
"We?" Anne snorted. "Chris, this is up to the Ministry…"
"Wouldn't it be fun if we solved this?" Chris grinned, his eyes twinkling.
Anne rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Chris…" Chris grasped Anne's arm and looked deep into her eyes.
"Anne, we saw the murderer that night," Chris snapped. "You can't deny that."
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not my father?" Anne said exasperatedly.
Chris stared at her blankly and looked away, letting go of her arm. Anne opened her mouth to speak, but a lump in her throat made her remain silent.
Chris looked at her again and snorted. "What's happening to us, Anne? It seems like we don't know each other anymore."
"I know, and I don't like it," Anne sighed.
They looked at each other and suddenly they burst out laughing. "That sounded so… tragic," Chris chuckled.
Anne laughed and hugged Chris. "Okay, I'll help you. Let's solve the big mystery."
Later that day"You're going to what?"
Marcela was gaping at Chris and Anne, and Andrew crossed his arms. "Anne, I don't think this is a good idea," Andrew said. "Maybe we should go with you."
"No, no," Anne said. "We'll be fine!"
Marcela embraced Chris tightly and started crying. "Oh, for God's sake, Mar…" Chris seemed pretty embarrassed. "I can take care of myself. After all, we're just going to spy in this 'ghost'"
"If we don't return before breakfast tomorrow morning, inform my parents," Anne said. "But I'm sure nothing is going to happen, okay?"
"And what am I supposed to tell Wayne?" Andrew asked.
"That I'm sick or something," Anne sighed. "I don't know, come up with something convincing enough."
Anne looked at Andrew, who had concern filling his eyes. "You're not your father, Anne. Please do be careful."
Anne nodded and gave Andrew a hug. "Let's go," Anne said to Chris. "While everyone is distracted."
The Common Room was packed, and no one would notice them part. After a final wave from Marcela and Andrew, Chris and Anne left the Gryffindor Tower and they put the invisibility cloak on.
They arrived to Hogsmade after dodging a couple of teachers and even Headmaster Hagrid. Hogsmade looked even creepier without the usual light from the Hog's Head at the end of the street.
The Hog's Head was surrounded by magical barriers, forbidding any wizard or with to enter.
"Where should we start?" Chris asked. "I mean, if you were a crazy ghost trying to murder shop owners… where would you be?"
"I wonder why it kills shop owners," Anne frowned.
"I have one guess… maybe he tried to put a shop of some sort but other owners refused? I don't know, I'm as lost as you," Chris sighed.
They heard some bushes rustle and they turned around quickly. Anne drove out her wand, Chris doing the same.
"Whoever you are, stay where I can see you!" Anne yelled.
"Anne?"
Harry Potter came out of the bushes, closely followed by other wizards. Anne felt her face very red and her heart beating fast.
"What on Earth are you doing here?" Harry snapped, and Anne lowered her head. "Do you have any idea of how dangerous Hogsmade is right now?"
"It was my fault, Mr. Potter," Chris said in a strong voice. "I dragged her along because I wanted to solve the mystery of the murders that have been going on."
Harry's eyes lingered in Chris and then he turned to look at Anne again. "Whatever the reasons might have been… It is very dangerous that you are here. I'll take you two to Hogwarts, and let's hope you don't face expulsion…"
All of a sudden, a very strong wind started blowing, and Chris grasped Anne's arm very tightly.
"The ghost!" He yelled and Anne nodded.
"Dad, the same thing happened a few nights ago! We saw someone!" Anne bellowed, but her father didn't seem to hear her.
"Stay here!" he yelled as he pushed them inside one of the stores.
"But Dad…" Anne started, but Harry pushed them in and locked the door behind him.
Anne tried to straighten her hair as Chris looked around. "We're in so much trouble," Chris sighed.
"You shouldn't take all the blame," Anne said. "We both planned this."
"But I don't have anything on my record," Chris said. "Another smudge on your behavior and you will expelled."
CRASH!
Anne looked at Chris. "Was it just me or did I just heard something break?"
"Over there," Chris said, pointing to the back of the store. He walked over to the counter and tried to have a look.
"It's so dark," Anne said, joining him.
"I'll go check," Chris said, drawing out his wand.
"No," Anne said, fear rising in her chest. "I'll tell my father, just stay here."
Anne ran over to the door, but she couldn't open it. She grabbed her wand and tapped the door. "Alohomora!"
Nothing. She tried with another incantation, but it was useless. She cursed under her breath and turned to look at Chris.
"My dad locked the-"
Chris was nowhere to be seen and Anne knew that he had gone to the back of the store. She swallowed hard and decided to follow him.
It was very dark, but she could figure out a door in one of the walls. "Chris?"
The door blasted open and something collided with Anne so hard that it drew the breath out of her. She fell hard on the floor, and felt her ribs throbbing with pain. She coughed uncontrollably and she narrowed her eyes as light flooded the room.
"I thought that after the other night, you two bloody kids would mind your own business." A large man with chains attached to his wrists was staring at Anne, pointing his wand at her.
"What?" Anne gasped. She could see through the man and she trembled. It was really a ghost!
"120 years ago I wanted to have my own store of dark magic artifacts in Hogsmade, but the owners of the other shops refused," the man said. "And before I could finish them all, I got arrested and put into Azkaban. Do you know how does it feel like to die, watched by at least other twenty prisoners?"
Anne tried to move, but the man waved his wand and pain invaded Anne's body. "I was in limbo all these years, not able to figure out how to get out, but now that I can…" The man cackled sinisterly. "People will believe in ghosts now."
"Anne…" Anne looked next to her and gasped. The thing that had collided with her was none other than Chris. His face was covered in blood and Anne felt her heart stop as she saw his shirt soaked in blood as well.
"He's done for," the man said. "But you… I'm afraid that I can't leave any witnesses."
Anne stood up, shaking badly. "What makes you think that a skinny wretched teenager like you will be able to defeat me? I'm already dead! There's nothing you can do."
"Maybe not," Anne smirked, blood dripping from her nose. She wiped it with her sleeve and chuckled. "But I'll give it a try."
"Impedimenta!" Anne bellowed but the spell went through the ghost, who merely cackled insanely.
"I told you! Estreatus!" Anne was blasted off her feet and hit the wall behind her. She fell, and she couldn't get up.
She felt the man standing beside her and cold surrounded her. "This is your end, my meddling friend… AVADA KE-"
Anne heard blasting noises everywhere, followed by a high-pitched scream. The light that had flooded the room before seemed to have gone. It was all pitch-black again.
"Anne, are you all right?" Anne raised her head and saw her father staring anxiously at her.
Anne nodded and turned to look at Chris. His eyes were closed, his brown hair drenched in blood.
Anne ignored her father's questions as she crawled over to Chris. "We have patched him up a bit but people from St. Mungo's are on their way, he seems a bit delicate…"
Anne kneeled next to Chris, apparently lost in thought. One of the wizards called Harry, who hesitated a bit, and then walked over to him.
Anne felt tears running down her face as she saw Chris's unconscious body. "Oh, Chris, please don't die," Anne croaked. She took one of his hands between hers and clutched it tightly.
"I love you," Anne whispered. Anne felt shocked for a minute, because the words had left her mouth without her thinking about it. She felt confused and light-headed as she let go of Chris's hand.
She breathed deeply as she felt this new feeling invade her heart. "I love him as a friend, of course," she thought desperately. "He's my best friend."
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face her father. "You and Chris are going to St. Mungo's, okay?"
Anne nodded. She knew it would be useless to fight about it. "What about the ghost?"
Harry pointed to a large steel box standing in the middle of the room. "Courtesy of my friend Draco Malfoy," Harry said, a smirk lurking in his smile. "This ghost will never give us any trouble again."
Two Healers put Chris on a stretcher and Harry kissed his daughter on the forehead.
Anne said nothing as a Healer asked her to lie on a stretcher. Harry smiled at Anne and promised her that after filling some papers he would go get her. "Your mom already knows. She's waiting in St. Mungo's."
Anne lay down, still not saying a word. Harry clutched Anne's hand and shook his head. "Honey, promise me you will never try to do something like this again."
Anne looked at him, her eyes filled with defiance.
"I don't know… I'm your daughter after all."