Howling at the Moon

8.A Very Sirius Encounter

The shrieking shack had been quite the phenomenon for many years. The mere mention of it left the witches and Wizards of Hogsmade quaking in their boots and left them incapable of talking at a normal volume. It was rumoured to be haunted, Diondre found this irrational as Hogwarts was haunted, but nobody was scared of Hogwarts.

She was sat in the Three Broomsticks with her Hufflepuff friends. They were discussing the topic of Sirius Black, due to Harry Potter not being allowed to join them on the Hogsmade trip today. Diondre tried to stay clear of all things Harry Potter, he seemed far too much trouble than he's worth, Hogwarts was a peaceful school before he turned up. But Sirius Black had caught her attention, a mass murderer, on the loose, intent on killing the boy. It won't be long before he turns up at Hogwarts, security or not, dark magic has a way of worming its way into the walls of this magic school, and in the case of last year it was already in the walls, well...pipes.

Something about this conversation had Diondre thinking back to the shrieking shack. Everyone, to some extent, pick up and put together all the little things around them, a persons intention, a likely disaster; all from the way people stand, talk and glance, or from a subtle difference in the wind that they would never be able to put a finger on; they create these small premonitions, or feelings. Often unphrasable. For Diondre, it's a little bit stronger. She knew things, just like she knew Harry was hiding under the table that Ron and Hermione sat on.

The cause of his hiding was sitting right next to him, and like the rest of the pub their talk was about Sirius Black. She shushed her friends so she could listen, like a domino effect they all tilted their heads to hear better. Hufflepuffs took to gossip like a fox to a chicken pen.

The mood of the table had drastically changed, no longer was the subject of a mass murderer merely a silence killer, hearing McGonagall talk about the real killings had left their blood cold. Faith gave an audible gasp when it was mentioned that the biggest part of Peter Pedigrew left was one finger. Tahlia had to stop herself crying when she heard of the betrayal, even the boys on their table had to clench their jaws to hide their repulsion of a man who laughed at murder. Diondre was the stony faced one of the lot, allowing her subconscious to soak in the information and something.... didn't sit right. 

Once all the teachers had left, Harry came out of hiding, another level of distraught, Diondre couldn't help feel really sorry for him, to have that man as his godfather. She gave him a pitying glance as he and his friends left the pub. Her table started back up again, talking about all that they heard. Diondre opened her mouth to voice her funny feeling, but she saw the familiar face of Professor Lupin walking up to the Three Broomsticks and quickly snuck out before he could see her.

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If Diondre was on the run from the ministry she would be hiding in the building she currently stood in front of. This was perhaps the most dangerous thing she had ever done. And somehow she couldn't convince herself not to. There was no entrance to the shrieking shack but Diondre had learnt a interesting spell in a transfiguration book, she had never tried it before but was sure with her current determination it wouldn't go too wrong. If it did however it might be years before anyone found her, as hardly anyone even goes close to the shack.

She pointed her wand inwards and said the incantation, imagining herself a ghost, able to move through solid objects. Her arm began to go transparent and she took that as a sign to walk through the wall into the supposed most haunted building in all of Britain.

The inside certainly fit the rumour, it looked rancid, like an animal had been living in there. It smelt like wet dog and something fouler, rotten meat. Diondre scrunched up her nose and held her sleeve to it. She began to look around the shabby hut only to see dust... and some paw prints, there was a dead something in the corner of the room, it looked like it had bites missing from it, she shuddered.