Whispers of Mischief | Sebastian Sallow

Meet me in front of your common room tonight

You were waiting in front of your common room's door, the anticipation weighing heavy on your shoulders. The message that Sebastian had given you in defense against the dark arts left you restless, your mind swirling with questions. "Meet me in front of your common room tonight at midnight," he had said. What adventure awaited you this time? As you leaned against the entrance, the cool stone against your back provided little comfort, and your own shadows seemed to dance because of the few lit torches.

You waited there for a while, not knowing how much time had passed. Was it 5 minutes? Or perhaps 15? You kept waiting patiently, minute after minute passing. Maybe Sebastian had tricked you, you asked yourself. "No, he wouldn't" you quickly told yourself. 

Sebastian was the guy to pull pranks on others, but he knew how dangerous it would be to get caught by a prefect or even worse, a professor at midnight. After all, you and Sebastian had gotten caught more times than you could count on both of your hands, detention was almost a weekly thing now. But it didn't keep you two from exploring Hogwarts at night, as you realized, that once again, you were out of bed, waiting to go on another adventure with him. 

A smile appeared on your lips, you had experienced so much already with him and you were eager to experience even more. You were thinking of all the adventures you had been with Sebastian until suddenly, the silence of the hallway was broken by the distant echo of approaching footsteps. Your heart raced, and instinctively, you hid behind a nearby wall, disguising yourself in the darkness. Were these the steps of a wandering professor, scanning the corridors for wandering students? Or perhaps it was a prefect on their patrol? Holding your breath, you strained your ears, attempting to make out how close the person was.

Suddenly, it was quiet again, the only noise was the fire burning on the torches.  A knot of unease tightened in your stomach. "What is going on?" you whispered to yourself, the words barely escaping your lips. Slowly, you cautiously peered around the corner, desperate to catch a glimpse of the person standing there. Yet, to your surprise, there was no one there, just an empty corridor, devoid of life. A chilling thought slithered into your mind—could it be Peeves, or maybe a ghost? You tried to remember if ghosts or poltergeists made any noise when walking on the ground. Lost in thoughts. Have you ever heard the footsteps of a ghost before? Or maybe Peeves somehow figured out a way to fake footsteps to scare students like this. 

Out of nowhere, you felt a strong force around your waist pulling you back quickly, fear gripped you like icy tendrils as your mouth flew open, ready to scream. But before a sound could escape, something warm pressed firmly against your lips, muffling your scream. Confusion and fear washed over you as you frantically searched for the source of this restraint, looking down and seeing nothing but your own body.

Panic surged through your veins, pulsing in time with your racing thoughts. Was this some sort of enchantment,  similar to the Petrificus totalus spell? If it's a spell then a person must be nearby, they must've seen you. Your mind raced, desperate for answers, until a very familiar chuckle, echoed softly by your ear from behind. Your heart skipped a beat as recognition set in—