Colin glanced around at the darkness surrounding the area. The lamps weren't on. Probably a Halloween thing, Frobisher had been playing around with the lights and the library and just about everything over the last week. He always went to town over anything trick related that could be blamed on other students. Colin couldn't blame him, tricking the firsties was fun. Being tricked as a firsty wasn't so much fun, but he remembered the sheer awe of all the magic that was everywhere (being able to semi-control the library was even better, once he realized that most people weren't able to do that), and he clearly remembered not minding all the pranks because they were so much fun too.

But it was Halloween, and that made him almost worried. Anything could happen, figuratively. He wouldn't put it past some of the people in his year or younger to play a malicious trick. Something could go bad and he could end up hurt before he even realized it.

There was a faint dripping sound from somewhere. He couldn't place it. Probably ahead of him, maybe a bathroom tap that someone had left on as a joke for a horror story setting, or for a dare. People could get away with anything to do with the bathrooms these days, the teachers didn't care whether they were all messed up or not, because they got private bathrooms that weren't horrible or dirty or flooded. Lucky bastards.

Colin turned around. There was no one around. Odd. The feast should have only just finished, so there should be loads of people in the area, or at least some people talking as they streamed out of the Great Hall. But there was nothing. Just silence, and that continuous dripping, and the darkness.

Someone screamed.

Noise broke out everywhere. People were running through the corridors as quickly as they could, not seeing or seeming to care that Colin was standing there. He glanced back, but could see nothing. Probably a silly scare prank. He hoped.

He walked along with everyone who was running, stopping to pick a couple of people off the floor, but all they did was glance back and run off again. It was getting a little unnerving, really. Surely all of this wasn't a silly prank. And if it wasn't a prank, why was no one telling him what was going on? No teachers, no panicked first years shrieking about axe murderers or Daleks in the dungeons.

Eventually, the river of people trickled out, and just by walking back to Gryffindor Tower at a reasonable pace, he was alone again. The dripping was gone, thankfully. That had been more than a little creepy after the scream and the flood of people.

"Mister Baker!" It was Professor Jayston calling from the edge of the corridor. "What are you doing out of the common room at this time?"

"It's before curfew, professor, and I didn't want to get caught up in all those people who were running around." He answered as politely as he could. He didn't like the History of Magic professor; they really needed a new one. This one was always going on about court stuff in wizarding history, and nothing else.

"Mister Baker." Professor Jayston said quietly. "Those people were running from the group of killers who ended up in the Main Hall. Someone let them in. It is not yet certain who it is, or if any of the killers themselves still roam the corridors. It is not safe alone."

What. Killers. In the school? Who had let them in? Colin glanced around, a bolt of fear sinking into his stomach.

"I'll be very careful, sir." Colin said. "I'm very good at Defence." He was acutely aware that the professor's wand was out (could be for protection) and he had said that anyone could be the person who got these killers in. It could be him, and he wasn't taking any chances. Why oh why was he so bad at Defence Against the Dark Arts?

"Baker, you failed Defence Against the Dark Arts." He said smoothly. Merlin. Merlin's dick. This was not good. Not good at all. He didn't even have his wand on him. He couldn't defend himself. Mel had his wand. Mel had his wand and he was defenceless against someone who could be planning to murder him. Not good. Not good at all. Why had he given Mel his wand...

The next thing he saw was a bright jet of red and everything went dark.

*•**•**•**•**•**•**•**•*

The room was dark and there was a dripping noise. Colin opened his eyes slowly, knowing that whatever he would see next would be the opposite of a good thing.

It was a very bad thing. Very bad. Dear Merlin. It was horrible.

A girl a little bit younger than him, maybe in third year or something, was hung by her hands. The bottoms of her feet were slashed, and there was a faint shimmer of a magic barrier underneath her. When each drop of blood hit the ground, it echoed far louder than a single drop should have been.

They were in the room alone, yet his stun had been lifted. So whoever it was must have just left.

"Hey." He said quietly, and her eyes shot open, thoroughly panicked. "Sorry. I'm Colin."

"Evelyn." She rasped, and winced as another drop of blood hit the floor. Tears welled up in her eyes at the effort of speaking.

He made the choice. He knew what would happen, what he would have to do. He didn't have much of a future, nor did he have many friends, or anyone that would miss him too much (don't think about mum, she'll be fine). Evelyn was bright. He had heard her name, now, he realized, and she had the opposite of no future.

"Okay, Evelyn. How do you feel about Threstrals?"

+•+•+•+•+•+•+•+•+

"It was painless." Colin said, just over a month later. "At least, it was painless after the torture. He tortured me with...I don't know. I can't remember. It was a spell and it was creating bruises very quickly."

He stopped for the observers to take notes, before continuing. "He didn't use an unforgivable to kill me. I think there was blood for that one, but I was dead so I wasn't exactly certain."

"Thank you, Mister Baker. That wraps up our section on Mister Jayston's trial, if anyone not directly related to Mister Baker's case could now leave." Most of the people in the room got up without speaking and left the small room.

"Now we can continue. Was there a particular motive for becoming a ghost that can be fulfilled so you may continue onwards?"

There was, but it wasn't going to happen. They didn't give wands to ghosts. Ghosts couldn't do spells as such that had anything to do with incantations or wands. He wanted to learn the defence that could have saved him, but knew he couldn't. It was an impulse choice that he really shouldn't have made. He should have thought about it.

"No." He said.

"And is there anywhere specific you wish to reside in your death?"

"Hogwarts."