Little White Lies | Book 4

Chapter 12: I'm Not Insane

On my way back to the common room that night, I felt my body go slightly cold. I blew it off, figuring it was a draft, and decided to ignore it. But, as I progressed further and further into the corridor, the feeling grew stronger. I rubbed my eyes, sighing. It was probably just drowsiness.

When I opened my eyes, I felt my heart begin to race. There, standing in front of me, was Amber. "A-Amber? You're back," I stuttered, making her giggle. "You're silly, sissy! Come see what I made for you!" She took off around a corner, and I followed. "Hurry, sissy, before it's gone!" She called. I picked up my pace. My heart seemed to be going a million miles an hour. Either this was a dream, a hallucination, or I'm actually seeing the ghost of my little sister. Hopefully, this was a dream.

I kept my eyes on only the small child, so I didn't notice she had led me directly to Filch, until she hid behind his leg. "Student out of bed! Ha, I caught you! Detention tomorrow night!" He spat, as Mrs. Norris leapt onto his shoulder. "Wha-? Amber!" I exclaimed angrily, as she continued laughing. "Amber? Have you lost your mind? I'll escort you to your common room myself! I can't have anymore tomfoolery tonight! Why you foolish children think the rules don't apply to you, I have no idea! But this is about to end!" I looked at the battered Care Taker, then back down to my sister. But, she was gone.

Filch roughly grabbed my arm, and practically dragged me back to the common room. I was too shocked to fight back, even though his grip was painful. Mrs. Norris trotted happily behind us, as though she were pleased to see me in the state I was in. Finally, we made it back to the Fat Lady, who was rather angry that we woke her from her slumber. Filch told her the password, and shoved me into the Portrait Hole, before stalking away again.

Harry's worried face appeared on the other side, and he reached forward to help me out. "Love, where have you been? I was so worried about you! Are you alright?" He panicked, holding my waist to keep me on my feet. I reached up, and clutched my hair in my fists. "I'm not insane. Do you believe that?" He frowned, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes scanned mine, as he sighed. "Of course I believe that. What's wrong, my love? Please tell me."

"I saw her. I saw Amber again. She led me to Filch, and he couldn't see her. How come I'm the only one?" I rambled. He sat down on the couch, and held me in his lap. "You were just paranoid, I'm sure. You're clearly exhausted, so it could just be a vision. You have nothing to worry about." I shook my head, feeling my body begin to tremble. "I really saw her, Harry. She talked to me, and she asked me to come see what she made for me. Next thing you know, she's laughing, and hiding behind Filch. It was real! I'm not crazy!"

"Alright, it was real! Why were you out so late? Surely Amber didn't lead you all the way to Filch from here." Luckily, I was quick to think of a lie. "I lost my earring, and I went out to look for it. It was my grandmother's, and I couldn't bear to lose it. But, now it's gone, and I have detention with Filch for being out of bed." He sighed, and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, love. Why don't you get some rest? A lot has happened this week."

He laid me down on a pillow, and rested his head beside me. Then, he summoned a blanket, and laid it over us. I sighed contently from the warmth that the blanket provided. After kicking off my shoes and socks, I snuggled into Harry's chest, and fell asleep.

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"I think you should go straight to Dumbledore." Hermione told me the next morning, after I explained last night's events. Ron had decided to join Lavender, and eat her face for breakfast. "How? He's always gone. He only seems to be here when he has those private lessons with Harry." I replied. "That's not true! He's here more often than that!" Harry protested. "Then explain to me why he's not at breakfast again." I challenged, gesturing to his empty chair at the teacher's table in the front of the Great Hall. "Maybe he wasn't hungry." I snorted, and rolled my eyes at him. "Right, Harry, right."

"You two already sound like an old married couple!" Hermione scowled, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, when he gets back, you need to tell him. This could have something to do with your Prophecy! Think about it, Riley, who can see the dead? It's definitely not a common skill, and I'm pretty sure your Prophecy said something along the lines of you having something no one else has." I grinned, taking a sip of Pumpkin Juice. "I think it was talking about my good looks, and amazing smarts. Now, can we please talk about something else?"