Water Lily | E. Riddle

[21] Back To School

Eridanus finally got the time to tell Nathan about the haunted lavatory and the hissing sounds that had been bothering him. It was when Nathan was walking him back to Hogwarts as Christmas break had ended.

Unsurprisingly, Nathan hadn't forgotten about it and as he knew Danny wanted to talk to him, he brought the topic up himself.

"You were telling me about something that happened to you in school and didn't resume because of Demi," he spoke up and Eridanus looked at him then nodded.

"Yes. I don't want Mum to get worried."

"What exactly happened?"

Eridanus told him about the lavatory and the hissing sounds that kept calling out to him. "I once went there with my friends to check. A ghost lives there, Myrtle, she used to be a student at Hogwarts but died years ago. When I was there, I kept hearing a hissing voice that the others couldn't."

"Perhaps you can speak Parseltongue," Nathan deduced, "that's why your friends would not have been able to pick up on the hissing sounds but you could understand it."

He thought about it, recalling the incident with Nagini at Malfoy Manor as well. "I think I can. There was one time I met a snake and was able to communicate with it. But after that incident, I have been cautious in not approaching any snakes and keeping this fact that I can understand them to myself."

"That's a wise decision. Danny, I appreciate that you trust me enough to share this but you should know that your gift of being a Parselmouth is very rare. These days, people might mistake it for being something ominous so you should always be careful."

"I know, Dad, I haven't told anyone else about it. Only Luc knows and Mum, Uncle Perce and you know."

They had reached the castle gates by then.

"Good, to be on the safe side don't go close to that lavatory again." Danny nodded obediently and Nathan ruffled his head gently as the gates parted to let them in, "Take care of yourself and if anything happens, don't hesitate to write to me."

In the distance, Danny could see the flying carriages that were bringing forth the rest of the students from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts.

"Dad, can you see thestrals?"

Nathan followed his gaze and saw those dark but magnificent creatures pulling the carriages, "yes I can. Are you able to see them too?"

He shrugged, "No but I can feel them."

"Only those people can see these creatures who have seen death. Like your Uncle Perce and I," Nathan mused, "but some people can sense them even if they can't see them. One of my colleagues at the MACUSA could sense thestrals too."

After that, Nathan bid him farewell as the rest of the students had arrived too and he thought it would be better to leave before his former students flocked around him again.

He walked back to the gates by himself after making sure that Danny was safe with his class fellows. But his mind was occupied with everything the boy had shared with him.

Perhaps the rumors about the Chamber were true. Perhaps Myrtle Warren had been killed by that serpentine creature living within the castle walls.

And if that was the case then Danny had to stay away from the Chamber at all costs. As the boy was a Parselmouth, only he could open the chamber again and if that happened, even by accident, it could unleash a lot of chaos and destruction.

So the farther Danny stayed from that place where he could hear the hissing sounds, the better it would be for him and the rest of the population in the school.

***

"How cool it must be to live so close to school?" Felix remarked as he greeted his best friend, "You're so lucky, Danny."

"If you say so," Danny managed a small smile at his friend's always cheerful outlook.

Felix was the sort of person who could put a smile on anyone's face. His ball-of-sunshine attitude affected his friends positively too.

"Em and Derek are here too, look. Over here, fellas!"

Upon Felix's call, Emmeline and Derek came up to them as well and casual greetings were exchanged between them. It was time for them to go inside by then so the queues were being formed.

They were telling each other about how their Christmas break went but Eridanus hadn't said anything just yet.

"How did your Christmas go?" Emmeline asked, and Eridanus looked at her.

"It went well," he replied vaguely.

"I heard the Malfoys held a great banquet," Derek spoke up, "were you invited too?"

"Yes."

"Do they really own peacocks?" Felix spoke up.

"Yes, and rabbits too. Lucius likes to keep animals so there's quite a variety at the manor," he replied.

"Cool... And how was the Christmas banquet? From all I heard, it would have been splendid. Lennore Greengrass from our house was invited too."

"It was alright, I guess," Eridanus remarked.

Emmeline noticed that Danny didn't seem too eager to talk about it so she changed the topic. "Boys, we have to go to our table from here. See you around, Danny."

"Sure."

In the Great Hall, they parted ways as Eridanus went to the Slytherin table while the three of them walked towards the Ravenclaw table.

"Don't you think Danny looked a bit upset?" Surprisingly Felix was the one who noticed his stiffness other than Emmeline as he voiced out his concern.

"Was he upset from something I said?" Derek asked, "I really shouldn't have asked him at the Malfoys."

"I don't think he was upset because of that," Emmeline replied, "maybe he's just readjusting. He will be fine by tomorrow."

"I hope so."

However, Emmeline knew there was something else behind Danny's unease. And she guessed that it was connected to that haunted lavatory where Myrtle lived.

Danny had been upset ever since he had heard those hissing sounds and wanted to find out the reason behind it. Emmeline felt that there was more to him than just hearing the sounds and her top guess was that Eridanus Whitburg was a Parselmouth and could understand what those hisses meant.

But of course, she had no proof behind her assumption. 

Besides, she didn't want to make Danny more upset by confronting him. By then she had realized that he did not have any foul intentions toward them so she was willing to wait and see what fate had in store for them.

***