Grim Grinning Ghosts

Chapter 11: Granger, Weasley and Wood - Hogwarts Detectives

The next morning had Ron immediately accosted by a very eager Hermione Granger. He had just gotten dressed and was slowly trudging down the stairs, his mind already thinking about the breakfast that awaited him in the Great Hall, when she mercilessly confronted him. Had this girl no manners on the importance of breakfast? She looked confused when he grabbed her by the shoulder and steered her towards the exit of the Common Room.

"We can talk while we walk to breakfast." he told her resolutely.

"But-" Hermione attempted to argue, but was cut off.

"Stomach first, answers later." Ron stressed again, and as if to prove his point right, his stomach grumbled loudly.

After rolling her eyes at him, Hermione again gave him a hopeful look.

"So did you find out anything last night?" she asked.

Ron felt his heart clench up. On one hand he didn't want to disappoint her, and on the other he didn't want to break Harold's heart. He thought for a little bit on how to answer her, before coming up with something that could satisfy both parties.

"It may have just been because it was really dark, but I don't think he was breathing at all when he came into the room..." he told her quietly as they hurried down the hallway.

Hermione seemed to take this well, and began vigorously scribbling something down in her little black notebook as they passed another hallway.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize that they had just passed Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood, who had been explaining Potter's role in the certain win of the Quidditch Cup. Oliver paused when he heard Ron's reply to Hermione, and immediately stopped speaking. Percy raised an eyebrow at this.

"Something the matter, Wood?" he asked flatly, caused Oliver to shake his head out of a stupor enough to almost mechanically reply.

"Merlin Percy, we've been friends for four years and you still just call me Wood. Ouch."

"That didn't answer my question. What's on your mind?" Percy questioned in his Prefect voice, which sounded pompous but was actually just Percy trying to be normal.

"Well," Oliver started delicately, "Your brother just noted to his friend that Potter wasn't breathing at all last night...which is something I noticed as well. After the tests I put him through, he should have been beat and heaving, but he wasn't! It's not my imagination!" he explained, his voice getting higher pitched in panic at the last few words.

Percy just huffed.

"Well, I already explained this to Ron and his friend Granger, but if you haven't noticed already, Potter has the signs of an advanced Inferus. Remember last year? While the faster counterpart is a mystery to me, you cannot deny the signs that are displayed on the other one." Percy laid out matter-of-factly, barely batting an eye to the way Oliver gaped at him as he did.

"How can you be so calm about this?! We have to tell a professor! Surely they would know something about-"

"I don't think that's necessary," Percy interrupted flatly, "if Potter wants to tell a professor whatever condition he was afflicted with, that's his decision. As it doesn't seem like he has, and furthermore has hidden whatever secret he has even from his friends, it would be detrimental to pry. Could you imagine what would happen if I snitched on the Twins every time they pulled a prank? No thank you, I refuse to go down that route."

"You're skirting around the first question, Percy. How. Are you. So calm. About Potter?!" Oliver gritted out, "The Twins and their antics are one thing, but every year a catastrophe happens and you don't even bat an eyelash! And I know that's why you got the prefect position but after all these years of friendship I still don't know how you do it!"