Harry Potter and The Soul Guide

Chapter-18

Quickly, he floated to the library, and over to the table where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were studying at. As he floated over their table, he began giggling.

“What do you want, Peeves?” Hermione asked, getting very irritated at the disturbance. The poltergeist ignored her and continued to giggle gleefully.

“Go away, Peeves,” Ron said, but still Peeves continued to laugh.

“What do you want, Peeves?” Ginny asked, and the poltergeist stopped laughing.

“I know something you don’t know!” Peeves exclaimed, and the three looked up at him.

“What do you know, Peeves?” Hermione asked, and Peeves began laughing again.

“Potthead, Potthead, I know something about the Potthead!” he started singing.

Ron, who was getting very annoyed, said, “Peeves, go away, find someone else to bug!” But Ginny put her hand up, silencing Ron.

“What about him, Peeves?” she asked, and Ron and Hermione looked at her.

“Woo Hoo! Miss Weasley has finally gotten it!” he yelled, and Ron and Hermione understood what he meant by, ‘Potthead.’

“What about him, Peeves?” Ginny asked again.

“He just entered a place that should be very familiar to you, Miss Weasley.”

“What?” she asked. “Peeves… Harry is dead, remember?”

“That’s not what I just heard!” he screamed jovially. “I just heard from a certain moaning ghost that Potty Wee Potter has come back to the school.”

“Peeves,” Ginny said, trying to be strong. “I don’t know who told you that Harry was in the school, or that he’s alive, but whoever told you had to be mistaken. We should know; we were at the memorial service.”

“You ask where I heard it from, Miss Weasley?” Peeves said, floating around in the air. “Why, I didn’t just hear it from Myrtle, but I heard it from Potter himself.”

“Oh really?” Hermione said, getting irritated at all this nonsense. “What exactly did he say, Peeves? If he really said anything at all.”

“He said that he didn’t want anyone to know that he was alive,” he answered. “Said that if they knew they would take him away, and he would never finish what he needed to do.”

Ginny’s eyes grew wide at the mention of Harry’s mission. No one was supposed to know why he left, and Peeves especially shouldn’t know. But from what he was saying, Harry was alive, and somewhere in the castle.

“Where did you say he was?” she asked urgently, throwing her books into her bag hurriedly.

“Ginny, you can’t believe that what Peeves is saying is truthful,” Ron said, shocked at his sister’s actions. “Peeves lies a lot, Gin. You should know that by now! He’s just trying to get to you, and he knows that saying Harry’s alive will be the way to do it.”

“Where did you say he was?” Ginny asked again, ignoring her brother’s comments.

“Peevsy doesn’t know if he should tell you,” he answered in a sing-song voice. “Potty did, after all , say that no one should know he’s back.”

But Ginny was too quick for him. She pulled out her wand and pointed it straight at Peeves, ignoring the gasp coming from Madam Pince.

“Tell me where he is, Peeves, or I swear on my life I will curse your pathetic existence away from this castle for all of eternity!” She had a critical expression on her face that Peeves knew meant she was dead serious… literally.

“He was in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom last I saw,” Peeves said smiling, even though he was scared to death. “He promised Myrtle that, if she didn’t tell anyone he was back, that he would visit her more often.”

Instantly, Ginny ran out of the library, leaving her bag behind her. She could hear the footsteps of Ron and Hermione behind her, trying like mad to catch up. Her heart felt like it would fly out of her chest, she was running so fast, and she could feel the locket bouncing against her neck softly with every lengthy footstep.

It felt like hours before she caught sight of the girls’ bathroom in which Moaning Myrtle lived. Inside she saw the sinks separated, yet they were slowly coming together. She knew she had to hurry if she was going to make it inside the Chamber of Secrets. But the faster she ran, the faster the sinks came together as one again.

She only had seconds left as her feet reached the bathroom entrance. Continuing her quest to get to the entrance before they closed she ran the last few steps.

But the second she reached them they closed. Angrily, she banged her fists up against them, tears flowing down her face knowing that he was down there, willing to risk it all, and knowing that she was up there, trapped just outside.

Tears burned her eyes as the thought crossed her mind that this could be it… she may never see him again. It could all be over in a few minutes, and she would never know the difference.

Ron and Hermione entered the bathroom a few moments later, coughing and out of breath. They were on their knees when Moaning Myrtle entered the bathroom, shock crossing her transparent face.

“What are you three doing here?” she asked. “Have you come to visit me? Finally, after all these years, you’ve come back to visit!” Her sad face turned into a smile as the thought crossed her mind that she was loved.

“No, Myrtle,” Ginny said, wiping the tears from her eyes. As she stood up she said, “We’re here because of Harry. We know he’s here somewhere, so we want to know why?”

Myrtle frowned. “Well, I can’t tell you why he’s here. He made me promise not to, and I will keep my promise… because he promised he would visit me. And I do like having visitors, you know.”

“Myrtle, please?” Ginny said, her voice breaking. “Please tell us. This could be the difference between life and death.”

“If he dies, it’ll be better for me,” Myrtle said in a hopeful tone. “Then I’ll have someone to stay with me for all of eternity.”

“But can’t you see,” Ginny said, letting the tears fall again. “Don’t you understand? This isn’t just some stupid game! This is everything!”

“Yes, well…,” she said. “Why should I tell you? What makes you think he would want you to know?”

“Because I love him, Myrtle!” Ginny replied, getting down on her knees. “I’ve told him! And he loves me, too!”

Myrtle’s face went from happy, to shocked, to sad all in one minute as she watched the red head cry frantically on her knees, hopelessly trying to find out information about the boy she loved. Hermione rushed over to Ginny’s aide, trying to calm her tears.

“I don’t know why he went down there,” Myrtle said sadly. “All I know is that he said if I kept his secret, he would visit me more often. And that’s all I want really.”

“We have go to Professor McGonagall,” Ron said. “She may know something we don’t; maybe a way that we can get inside the chamber without saying anything.”

And so the three rushed upstairs to the headmistress’s office, but not before Ginny thanked Myrtle for her information.

Meanwhile, Harry was below them, waiting for the final battle to begin.