Invisible

Something Strange Is Afoot

That night, after Hermione suspiciously eyed Ron and Harry, interrogating them, asking why they were so late to charms, Harry lay thinking about that hit that Malfoy delivered. It wasn’t that it had hurt, but it came as a surprise. He rolled over onto his side and stared toward the closed curtains of his four poster bed. Closing his eyes, he attempted to sleep. But, just as he was dozing off, a loud noise startled him awake. He lied there for a moment, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He slowly drew open the curtains and peered out, trying to locate his glasses.

 

Harry’s fingers found them and he slid them onto his face, looking around at the darkened room. No one seemed to have heard the noise because they all remained fast asleep. He lowered his feet off the bed and got up slowly, wrapping his hand around his wand and listening intently. There it was again, a strange crashing sound like something big and clumsy moving around. He held his breath, his heart thumping frantically in his chest. He moved down the stairs toward the common room. There was nothing there, but he heard it again, a little ways outside the portrait hole. Slowly, after a moment’s hesitation, he moved toward the exit, climbing out of it.

 

The hall was dark, and he knew he wasn’t supposed to be out, but he couldn’t help wondering what it was that was making that awful sound. Part of him wondered why he didn’t wake up Ron, but it didn’t stop him from quietly heading down the corridor, following the distancing sound. Soon, he ended up in the main hall and he panicked, hearing footsteps nearing. Looking around, he threw himself behind something, holding his breath. A shadow spread across the ground and someone seemed to be looking around. It looked like a beast and Harry eyed it as his glasses slid down his nose. There was another crash and Harry leapt out, wand held up. The figure did the same and there was a pause.

 

“Potter”, Malfoy hissed.

 

“Malfoy”, Harry replied, more confused than anything else.

 

“Was that you?”

 

“Were you making that awful sound”, Harry asked in a loud whisper and Draco shook his head.

 

“Oh, just you wait Potter!” There was another set of footsteps in the distance, approaching quickly. Malfoy opened his mouth to call for whoever it was and Harry, thinking quickly, grabbed him and pulled him into an empty classroom nearby. Losing his footing, he fell onto the ground right on top of Malfoy. Before Malfoy could say anything, there was a strange clicking sound outside of the door and they both remained silent. The inhuman clicking passed and Malfoy shot Harry a strange look.

 

“That noise, you didn’t make it”, he asked hurriedly.

 

“No. No one heard it, but me. What are you doing out here?”

 

“I-I heard the-”

 

“And you didn’t bring Crabbe or Goyle?”

 

“...”

 

“That’s what I thought.”

 

“Potter, you better listen to me! I didn’t have-You heard that noise just now!”

 

“What, Malfoy, did you think you could take whatever it was by yourself? Who knows...what was that?”

 

“I-Potter, I don’t know! Get off!” Harry rolled off of the blond boy and stood, not bothering to help him up. He looked toward the door, adjusting his glasses.

 

“Whatever it was, it didn’t sound human, did it?”

 

“...who knows, Potter”, Malfoy snapped back, his snarkiness returning.

 

“Oh, cut it Malfoy”, Harry said quietly.

 

“Wait until I tell Professor Snape that you were out of the dorms”, Malfoy replied, smirking evilly.

 

“And what about you?!”

 

“I just happened to hear the horrible noise you were making and-”

 

“And came to see what it was, leaving your dorm”, Harry finished. Malfoy fell silent, glaring toward him.

 

“Look, just drop it Malfoy, there’s no point.”

Malfoy stayed silent the next day, and much to Harry’s surprise, said nothing to him or anyone.