The Traitors [HP6] *EDITING*

Chapter 9

 Two weeks went by, and Dumbledore had not yet returned. The Spell Invention class was on the honor system; the students filed in and they were expected to read out of their books all period. Though Hermione and a few others did this, the rest of the class took the time to practice playing Wizard Duel. Hermione was right: the news of Harry's magnificent victory over Ak had spread like wildfire around the school and now almost everyone was into the game.

Each day after Quidditch practice, Harry, Ron and Hermione made it a habit to head to the library, to see if they could find anything about Harry's ring, or any link it had to the Sorcerer's Stone. Even though the three of them had looked through practically every book last year to study for the O.W.L.s, they were surprised to find a few that they had never gone at before. However, each day they came no closer to finding any connection or any information at all.

It was during the trips to one of these such sessions that Harry heard a most peculiar noise coming from the bathroom.

"What was that?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"Oh no," said Ron. "It came from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

The noise came again. It sounding like an insane donkey yelling as it tried to swim

in an acid bath... not the most pleasant thing in the world.

"Should we investigate?" asked Harry, leaning on the door to the room.

"I don't know..." said Hermione. "Who knows what could be going on."

"All the more reason to look," grinned Harry, pushing the door open and walking

in.

"No no!" scolded Myrtle to a group of ghosts. She pointed to her forehead. "Sing

up here! In your head voice!" Her voice's frequency went off the charts as she sang, creating that horrible noise he heard before.

"Myrtle," said Harry, covering his ears and looking at the groups of ghosts. Each one that resided inside Hogwarts was there: Nearly Headless Nick, The Fat Friar, The Grey Lady, The Bloody Baron, and even Peeves! What was going on? "What are you doing here?"

"Just teaching these ingrates how to sing," smiled Myrtle.

Smiled?

"Whatever for?" asked Hermione.

"To help them on their journey towards becoming spirits," she said, as if it were

the most obvious thing in the world. "Singing brings out the inner life!"

"You're all trying to become spirits?" asked Harry.

"Why else would we be caught here?" asked Peeves, floating all around the room. "Well, you may want to learn how to sing before you teach others," said Ron, still

covering his ears from the last fortissimo of sound.

"Oh... I think I do just fine!" said Myrtle, turning back towards her small crowd of

ghosts. She 'sang' again, and then the group tried to copy what she did. It was horrible, far worse than any torture, Harry could imagine; even worse than the Cruciatus Curse.

"Well then, we'll be on our way," said Harry, covering his ears again and backing up slowly towards the exit.

 "Wait Harry!" cried Hermione, tugging at his shirt. "Look over there."

Harry looked over where she was pointing and saw a small pile of books laid on top of a sink. "Maybe what we need is in there." The three of them walked over and Harry picked up a book.