keeper → g. weasley [EDITING]

↝fifteen

  THE LIBRARY WAS ALMOST empty, spare a pair of students at a table near the section on Magical History.

It was a Saturday night and with all this hysteria over the competition, not too many people were keen on starting work just yet.

Mallie found an empty table near the fireplace beside the window, rain was rapping loudly at it's pane.

She placed her bag on the table and splayed her books around where she sat.

The library was beautiful at this time of the night. The fire crackling merrily, the rain singing and the wind heaving against the walls from the outside.

Regardless of the serenity of the environment, Mallie struggled to focus on the essay she was supposed to be writing ("Advantages and Disadvantages of Inter-species Transfiguration"). Eventually she gave up and let mind float wherever it pleased.

Without noticing, she began listening to the conversation of the couple sitting behind her.

She recognized them as two seventh years, Mallie had gathered that they were in conversation about the champions.

It was hard to talk about anything else at this point.

"Yeah, apparently Dumbledore's explaining all the rules and stuff to them." The male voice said.

"For an hour and a half?" The female voice replied.

"Yeah, Mikey told me they'll be let out around midnight. He's been listening at the door. I suppose they're taking so long because they have to discuss whether Potter is gonna be allowed to compete or not ..." 

Mallies head turned up to the large clock lying flat against the wall of the library:

11:25

It would still be another thirty-five minutes before Cedric would be let out, but Mallie needed to talk to him, find out what happened.

She sat another five minutes before deciding that she couldn't sit any more- her mind far too preoccupied to worry about the essay that was due Monday.

She would deal with her bad decision later.

Mallie packed her things and walked out past the couple into the deserted corridors of Hogwarts.

She wandered them for a while before perching herself on a ledge near the gardens.

Mallie muttered a small spell and several shining white numbers appeared before her in the air, stood a moment, and then disintegrated.

11:40

It was at approximately two minutes after that, that Mallie heard voices echoing down the corridor, and this time she did recognize them.