𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[002] Chapter 8

Makayla

This year, Harry and I ironically have Defense Against the Dark Arts together. Right before class ended, Professor Lockhart asked us to stay after class to help him "sign his fan mail."

Awkwardly, we walk up the stairs to get into his office. Just before we go to knock, Professor Lockhart opens the door.

"Ah!" he smiles that beau–he only smiles. "Great, you two are here." He walks into the room and sits at his desk. We stand in the doorway. He looks up at us, "Well, do come in." We look at each other, then back at the professor, and step in. He stares at us more. This is scary. "You can sit down." Two chairs magically pull out from a desk facing the window and pull up to his desk. Cautiously, we walk toward the chairs and sit down.

He opens a large drawer and struggles to pick some papers out of it. Then, he slams them on the table in front of us, causing us both to jump.

"Now, you guys just write letters back to these people and do your best to sound like me!" He smiles that . . . smile again. It is starting to get annoying. Like, how does his jaw not hurt?

I ignore it, though, and I start writing letters back to the fanmailers with Harry. This seems to be taking forever. We're doing this instead of eating our 5-star meal in the Great Hall? This is rubbish.

As time moves on, I begin hearing this weird sound. It's loud, and piercing my ears. It hurts. I think Harry hears it as well, because as I look up to see if I can hear it clearer, he does the same. It sounds as if it's a voice trying to say something, but it's hissing at every 's' that it comes across.

"What?" Harry and I say at the same time ironically, trying to understand what it is that the voice is saying.

"I'm sorry?" Professor Lockhart asks. He appears to not hear the voice, but Harry clearly doesn't understand. Stupid half–I mean it's pretty obvious that the professor doesn't hear it.

"That voice . . ." Harry says wistfully.

Great, now the professor thinks we're insane. Great going, Harry.

"What voice?"

The voice disappears after a little bit, so we finish our stack of letters and head on back to dinner. Soon, I realize that dinner is likely to be over now, but just before I get the chance to mention it to Harry, it comes back. The voice is abrupt, and more clear this time.

"Kill..." it whispers repeatedly.

We follow the voice frantically, then accidentally run into Hermione and Ron. Hermione exclaims, "Where have you two been?"

"Do you hear that?" I ask.

"Hear what?" Ron asks, wearily.

"That voice!" Harry cries.

"What voice, guys?" Hermione asks.

"It's so loud! How do you guys not hear it?" I ask, astonished.

"I think only we can hear it, Makayla..." Harry sighs.

"But why?"

We hear it again. It hisses the same word, "Kill..."

"I don't know what that is... But I think it wants to kill," Harry says sternly. I think it was obvious that it wanted to kill when it was literally repeating 'kill,' but whatever.

Harry starts running down the hall, and we all quickly follow. The voice gets louder, and louder, then shortly trails off as we nearly reach the end of the hallway.

There's water forming a large puddle on the floor. I almost gag. It smells horrendous.

While the children are intrigued by the water, I am intrigued by the writing on the wall, in blood. I think I'm going to be sick.