Forgotten

Book 2 Ch 6

 "I hate this." Ali grumbled.

She was impossible to take serious with smoke shooting from her ears. I laughed as Poncho pecked at the steam. This only enraged Ali even more as she swiped Poncho away. The owl pecked at Ali in frustration before retreating to my knee.

"Just try not to get me sick." I said.

"Everyone is getting sick. Not just me."

I went back to my book. My finger stroked over Poncho's head. "I never said that it was just you."

"I don't see you laughing at anyone else."

"Because no one else looks as ridiculous as you do."

Ali sliced her pillow through the air, but I was quick enough to move from its path. Poncho hooted angrily and retreated to the windowsill, safe from any flying objects. I wished that I was as small as him in order to escape.

"And on Halloween, of all the days to be sick!"

"You'll still be going to the feast, won't you?"

"Yeah, I just don't know how to cover this up." She motioned towards the smoke. "There has to be something that you can do. A charm that will conceal it or something."

"Not enough magic in the world could help you."

I dodged another pillow.

"Fine, I'll put on one of my hats. Not much else I can do."

Ali pulls on a woven Grffindor hat, but it doesn't help much. Steam just slowly rise from the wool. Ali sighs in defeat with one look in the mirror.

"Forget it. Let's go before we're late."

I take a cracker from my trunk and toss it to Poncho. Eyeing Ali, Poncho hops out of the windowsill. When he is sure that Ali is done throwing whatever she can get her hands on, he started to peck at the cracker.

"Happy Halloween, Ponch." I said and followed Ali from the room.

We were probably the last people left in Gryffindor Tower by the time we got to the common room. Not even the twins and Lee had waited for us.

"We're going to be late." I said.

"I'm aware."

Ali and I made our way down to the great hall. The corridors were nearly empty by everyone being at the feast. That meant that there was nothing to muffle the sound of something running along the wall. I stopped walking to look over the stone. Ali nearly missed that I had stopped, but when she realized that I wasn't next to her, she turned to me with furrowed eyebrows.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure." I run my fingertips along the stone. "I thought I heard something."

"I didn't hear anything."

I pressed my finger to my lips and nodded for her to join me. She sighed and stepped next to me.

"What -"

"Shut up and listen."

The sound of something scraping against the wall came from further down the corridor. Ali exchanged a look of shock with me. I whispered that I was right before chasing after the sound. My fingers skimmed along the wall in the path that whatever was hiding with it would have gone. I had been through the castle thousands of times and never found a path through the wall.

"What do you think it is?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Maybe we should leave it alone. You know, not everything that moves in the castle should be messed with."