Worlds Collide (crossover fanfiction)

Chapter 16

Alistair scowled, turning around. That was no help at all. "Catch that boy!" He froze. That hate filled voice could only belong to Filch. Instinctively slide-tackling the ancient caretaker, Alistair sprinted out of the Great Hall at full speed, hurtling into Nearly-Headless Nick. He grunted, picking himself off the floor. The Gryffindor ghost opened his mouth to speak, but Alistair shook his head, tucking himself into a broom cupboard. He gave a sigh of relief. Safe at last. Sorta.

It was a great heroic day for Alistair Selwyn, until he heard a hissing noise, like something was being sealed shut. Thea grinned. No escape from the doorway for him. She returned her mind to Kia's prank, where Kia was struggling to breathe. Apparently, she had inherited the Hades/Pluto fear of water. She filled up the corridor, and swept Kia threw the sewers, past the gleaming pair of eyes, and into the cupboard that Peeves had helped lock Alistair in.

Alistair heard scream from somewhere above him. "Wha-" He barely had time to move himself before Kia fell right into his arms. "Merlin's bloody arse, Kit, I told you to stay there! And where the bloody hell did you come from?"

Kia groaned. "Honestly, I don't even know myself." She had taken a step forwards, and found herself tumbling down, down, down...

Suddenly, Alistair stilled, dropping Kia onto the floor and pulling her up. He twirled her around, pulling her right against his chest. Using one arm, he kept her from struggling, and pressed his other hand against her lips. Alistair felt Kia tremble in his grasp as he lowered his mouth to her ear. Kia gasped, feeling Alistair's hot breath fanning her neck. His deep and husky voice echoed inside the broom cupboard as he spoke. "Don't scream."

"Come out children, don't be scared!" There was a loud yowl, and Kia heard Alistair inhale sharply. Filch had arrived with his despicable cat. Through the keyhole, Kia saw a dangling lock of greasy brown hair, and a muddy brown eye peered at them. She couldn't help but whimper, pressing herself deeper into the folds of Alistair's robes. This was truly the stuff of nightmares. Screw that, the entire situation felt like a nightmare. "Come out kiddies, Mrs Norris can smell you in there!" The eye swivelled round, and Kia was sure it saw her. Alistair felt her shaking, and he began to rub circles on the back her hand with his thumb. There was an angry thump from outside, and the eye disappeared.

Alistair sighed in relief. "Okay, he's gone." Click. "Filch locked the door." A black cloth covered the keyhole, and they were plunged into complete darkness. Alistair swore loudly.

Kia glared at him. "You're a wizard, Alistair! Aren't there spells to solve this kind of problem?"

Alistair brightened. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Alohomora." Nothing happened. Alistair frowned, giving his wand a good shake before trying again. It didn't work. Alistair froze. "Oh shoot." Kia looked at him questioningly. He had read Hogwarts- A History back in third year that one of the broom cupboards in Hogwarts had an anti-spell jinx on it, preventing magic use from those stuck inside. "We're stuck."

Kia sighed wistfully. "I wish Ash was here. With his Hermes skills, he'd be able to bust us out in no time." Most children of Hermes had the ability to undo locks, and with the cupboard being jinxed, no wizard could undo it from the inside. But a demigod could. Kia had always fantasized being the child of another god with cool powers, like being a child of Demeter with their awesome plant tricks or being a child of Mars with the protective war haze thing. She sat down and stared out into the distance, eyes as dark as the shadows themselves.

For some reason, that made Alistair see red. "Do you like him?" He was choosing his words carefully.

Kia nodded. "Yeah, he's cool. He's one of my best friends." Best friend, then. She didn't like him in a romantic sense. She raised an eyebrow tauntingly. "Why ask?" She gasped, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Are you jealous? You are, aren't you? I know you all too well, your face is as easy to read as a book written completely in Latin or Greek." Being a demigod, she was a pro at reading in those two languages.

Alistair pulled at his hair frustratedly. "Yes! No! I don't know!" He slumped down to the floor next to her. "Honestly, I'm too scared to open up these days. Life was great when we were kids, and then everything became so damn messed up in third year."

Kia nodded, leaning on Alistair. "I understand the feeling." She looked at him, and her face was entirely serious. "Promise me that you won't tell this to Thea or Gavin. Swear that you won't tell anyone. I've never told this to anyone, but maybe that's because I don't feel like I can trust anyone anymore."

Alistair wrapped an arm around her, placing his free hand on his heart. "I solemnly swear that I won't tell anybody what you're about to tell me."

Kia laughed, shoving Alistair in the side. "Be serious! How am I supposed to trust you when you say that?"

Alistair winked, pulling himself upright. "You just do. By the way, I'm Alistair, not Sirius." He pouted. "I thought you knew that by now." He heard Kia snort, and she began to tell her story.