Walking Fire

Chapter Three: The White Feather.

By Aleathiel

I nearly screamed. But some rational part of my brain told me silence was my only hope. If I screamed the thing would see me too and we would be equally helpless.

I wanted to call to Ginny, to tell her to run, to tell her to get away. But if I did I would give away my own position and my only chance of helping her.

She continued through the dripping trees, her face wet with a salty mixture of rain and tears, not looking to the side, unaware of the gleaming face which followed her every movement hungrily. Then the moon went behind a cloud and the face vanished into the darkness. This was more terrifying than seeing its burnished leer as it meant I didn't know where it was or what it was looking at.

The familiar grounds exuded hostility and the black fear I had felt the night before welled up inside me, threatening to spill over as panic. I stumbled after Ginny and she heard my clumsy movements.

"Who is there?" she gasped, whirling around. Obviously, even without seeing the grinning mask, the ominous blanket of night around her was making her nervous.

"It's me," I whispered. "It's Claire."

"Oh!" she gasped in relief which quickly turned to anger. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you leave. I followed." Well it wasn't quite a lie.

"Oh," she seemed subdued. "You haven't seen anyone else around here?"

"What the person you were meeting?"

Her eyes flared in fear. I reassured her, "I didn't see anyone and I don't know who you were meeting. I won't ask if you don't want to tell me."

"Thank you."

"I did see a face..."

"You just said that you didn't see anyone!"

"I'm not sure this was a someone, more a something. A scary mask-thing. It was watching you..."

I was interrupted by a blood curdling scream, a wail of pain. The same wail I had head the night before.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Let's get out of here!"

"No! Someone needs help."

"Ginny - don't be insane! Get inside!"

With a reluctant look over her shoulder in the direction of the scream she started running up to the castle doors. I followed as if my feet were on fire. With a sigh of relief, I slammed the door behind us and sank against its reassuring boards.

Ginny and flung herself straight at the window, cupping her hands against the distorted glass, peering out.

"Can you see anything?" I asked, careful to keep my voice low now that we were inside.

"No. Just darkness. Anything could be happening out there. Anyone could be out there. We have to do something."

"Go back to your dormitories." The calm, authoritative voice came from behind us and we whirled simultaneously to face the stern face of the headmaster.

Neither of us knew what to say.

"Everything is in hand. Severus, Minerva..." Out of the shadows materialised two familiar figures. "The door if you please." They moved to do his bidding and a blast of cold air came through as the doors were opened once more to the night. "Girls, bed please. You should not be out at this hour and you know that. I will overlook it this once as you were obviously disturbed by the noise. I will not overlook it again."

As we scampered off we could hear the conversation continue. "That's seven of yours out of bed so far, Minerva, and only four of mine," came Snape's superior tone.

"But Mr Malfoy and Mr Nott were both found before the scream. They were up to something."

"I will deal with my house. You see to your own."

We paused at the top of the main staircase and looked down into the hall in time to see three dark figures be swallowed into the night, cloaks billowing behind them, and then doors banging shut with a thud which reverberated with finality.

~

At breakfast the headmaster stood, his fork ringing against his glass for silence.

"I have something to say to you all. Many of you were woken in the night, perhaps for several nights running, by a distressing sound. Professors Snape, McGonagall and myself investigated after the loudest of these screams last night. Although the matter has not been resolved, we can assure you that no student is in danger and that the intruder has vacated the grounds. Please continue your studies as usual, including those studies which involve use of the grounds. As is normally the case, I must insist that no pupil ventures outside the castle after nightfall. But I should not need to say this as no pupil should leave his or her dormitory at night."

As he said this his eyes were firmly fixed on the Gryffindor table and I am convinced that I saw Harry Potter blush. Then the headmaster turned back to address the rest of the school, "and that, of course, means no midnight ventures to the Astronomy Tower."

There were groans from all over, particularly from the Slytherin table. I saw Ron lean over and whisper to Hermione. "There goes Malfoy's social life. Now they might actually have to talk to him."

I glanced over at the object of their discussion. He was stretched casually across his chair, any more relaxed and his feet would have been on the table. A fawning Pansy Parkinson was leaning eagerly across the table to talk to him, 'accidentally' exposing the pale slopes of her breasts for his inspection. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and laughed, his usual sneering laugh, and Parkinson laughed too, falsely, obsequiously.

Harry was frowning at his plate of scrambled eggs. He pushed his floppy fringe of hair out of his eyes, brushing it unconsciously up over his forehead and baring his scar. He had a smudge of ink on his nose even though we hadn't even been to out first lesson yet. He must have been up studying. I found this rather endearing.

But maybe he just hadn't washed from the night before.

Ginny was nudging me, trying to catch my attention. "Look at Snape's face. Something is irritating our favourite potions master."

I followed the direction that the nod of her head indicated. Snape was sitting in his customary place at the far end of the high table. He was frowning at something in his hand. Without warning he stood, crossed the dais and left the room via the door at the back.

"Did you see what he was carrying?" I whispered.

"No. It was wrapped in a piece of parchment. Like a thin parcel. But the post hasn't come yet this morning."

"We have potions first this morning. If we hurry now we can get there early and see..."

Her brother overheard me. "Get to potions early!" he spluttered. "Is there something wrong with you both?"

Hermione kicked him under the table and smiled approvingly at us. But I hardly noticed, I was far more aware that the third pair of eyes which had followed Snape's exit were now firmly fixed on mine, his smile more stern than his friend's appreciative one. Harry.

~

Despite Ron's words we did hurry. On our way out of the Great Hall, Harry had caught my arm. My spine tingled as I bent my head to hear his whispered words.

"Tell me."

I had nodded breathlessly, perfectly aware of what he was referring too. Of course I would tell him. He was Harry Potter.

But as it turned out there was no great mystery. I was almost disappointed not to have the excuse to do some Potter-esque investigating. But when we went into the potions classroom there was the parcel open on Snape's desk. 'PROFESSOR SNAPE' the parchment read in block capitals.

Lying on top of the parchment was the contents of the package. A single white feather.