Not Again//Harry Potter [2]

13

The same day, the four found themselves walking where Mrs. Norris got petrified. The blood was still on the walls, saying the same thing. It made Autumn feel uneasy.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered, gesturing to a corner in the hallway.

At that moment, the corridor was deserted. No one, except them, roamed that hall.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.

"Scorch marks!" he said. "Here -- and here—"

"Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny. . ." 

Autumn walked towards Hermione and saw what she was pointing to. A trail of at least twenty spiders were scurrying through a small crack in the wall.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly.

"No." Autumn shook her head.

"No. Have you, Ron? Ron?" Harry spun around trying to find Ron.

Ron was backed up against the wall farthest from them.

"What's up?" said Harry.

"I don't like spiders," said Ron tensely.

"I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise.

"You've used spiders in Potions lots of times, Ron," Autumn said.

"I don't mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don't like the way they move. . ."

Hermione giggled. Autumn started to laugh too.

"It's not funny," said Ron, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my-my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick. . . You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and. . ." He broke off, shuddering. 

Hermione was trying not to laugh, while Autumn was amazed.

"You mean Fred and George turned your teddy bear into a spider when they were five?" Autumn practically had her mouth open.

"Yeah -- It was bloody scary, that's what it was," Ron dismissed the twins marvelous magic abilities. She found a newfound respect for the twins.

"Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up," Harry said.

"It was about here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. "Level with this door."

Ron reached out for the handle, then shot his hand back to his side.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"Can't go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That's a girls' toilet." 

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," said Hermione, standing up and coming over. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look." 

Hermione walked towards the end stall, Autumn slowly following, looking at the familiar sight of the bathroom. Her eyes immediately rested on the broken mirror to her left.

"Hello, Myrtle, how are you?" Hermione asked.

Myrtle immediately eyed Ron and Harry.

"This is a girls' bathroom," she said. "They're not girls."