A Bump in the Night

Chapter 4

"How-?" stuttered Ginny.

"You Griffindors are not the only ones who have been... attacked," interrupted Draco darkly. "There must have been murders in our dorm rooms, is what I'm guessing."

"We- well that can't be right," muttered Ginny.

Draco was not one to be contradicted. "How so, Weasley?" he asked a bit sarcastically.

Ginny could feel her face turn red. Don't do that! He'll think you're an idiot...wait why do I care about what Malfoy thinks?

******

Draco noticed her redness. She looks very cute when she blushes...ARG! Shut up brain!

"Well?"

*****

"Well," she restated. "I saw something in that bathroom. It was a girl and she was tied up and stabbed and looked like she had been dead there for a while. But... she... sort of opened her eyes and started breathing."

Draco couldn't think of anything to say. Not an insult or a sharp reply. Now he was beginning to be frightened. No! Malfoys do not get frightened!

Before he could say anything they heard someone entering the classroom. Luckily they were in the front of the room and it was very dark. Draco pulled Ginny down behind the teacher's desk.

They could hear the person walking very slowly. Draco and Ginny peeked under the desk. The person's feet were barefoot and covered with...cuts and bruises. The feet were green blue yellow tinged.

Ginny let out a small gasp. Malfoy quickly covered her mouth with his hand. The feet had stopped walking. They could tell the person had turned towards the desk. Ginny leaned a bit closer to Draco. Draco looked at her and she glanced fearfully back.

Then there was silence.

Something was not right. Ginny slowly looked behind them. Then let out a scream. Draco whipped around (which was not easy under the desk). It was her. Bloody and oozing. Things happened quickly. She glared at them angrily and her eyes went from hazy to black and a cold wind swept though Draco and Ginny. They bolted from under the desk. On the way up, Ginny hit her head on the edge of the desk. Pain shot through her, but she kept on running practically attached to Draco. Once they had ran blindly, putting a lot of distance between them and the girl, Ginny stumbled to a stop. She clutched her head.

"It hurts! It hurts!" She moaned.

Draco dragged her to the side of the hallway into some shadows. He didn't want Filtch or Mrs. Norris to find them.

"Let me look at it." Draco said prying her hands off the wound. Draco's mouth dropped open. She had actually cut her head on the edge of the desk. Surly it wouldn't have been that sharp. "Um maybe we ought to get you to the Hospital Wing."

"I'm bleeding aren't I?" she asked. He helped her up and nodded. She stumbled and Draco caught her. "Thanks" she whispered.

Draco half carried her to Madam Pomfrey. Along the way Ginny broke the silence. "We have to find out who she is."

"We have to stay alive." Draco answered.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

"How did this happen?" Madam Pomfrey asked worriedly.

Luckily Ginny and Draco had thought up an excuse. "I was patrolling on prefect duty and I stumbled into Weasley on the stairs" Draco quickly and expertly lied.

"Well you may leave now, Mr. Malfoy" said the nurse.

'Bye,' Ginny mouthed before Madam Pomfrey whisked her away.

The door closed behind him and Draco wandered off...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door closed behind him and Madam Pomfrey quickly staunched the flow and gave her something to ease the pain and help her sleep.

Despite her fears and determination not to sleep, Ginny drifted off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning was Saturday so Draco had really nothing to do. The school was decorated in black and the mirrors in the halls were covered. (A/N: This is an old Southern tradition (the mirrors), when a person died, the mirrors had to be covered so the person's spirit wouldn't be trapped in the mirror. I work at a plantation as a tour guide. One of the mirrors is like that and they even changed the glass, but you can still see the image of a young girl who died there in it. It must be the frame...).

Ginny was woken up by the warm sunlight pouring onto her bed.

"Ah, you're up!" said Madam Pomfrey. "It's after lunch, I'll just go get some food, and you can take some more of this Pain-Be Gone Potion."

Ginny rubbed her eyes and looked around she was alone in the sunny Hospital Wing. She noticed something on her bedside table.

It was a letter and a page from the book. The letter said:

Ginny,

I sneaked into the Restricted Section last night and found a book with all the students who attended Hogwarts. I think this may be her. Her name was Estel Anderson. She was at school in 1942 when she was killed. Meet me at dinner in the library. Don't go around thanking me either.

-D.M.

Ginny picked up the book page. On it was the girl that she had seen the night before. Now she had a name.

"Hello, Estel," Ginny whispered.

Ginny knew she had to find out how Estel died. Before she claimed more lives. But what Ginny didn't know was that Estel already did...

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