Aymee Parker - The Secret Tournament

Chapter 16 : Halloween's Night

The major problem was that it was still early, barely 9pm. The ordeal began at the obligatory bedtime, that is to say 10 p.m., the time when the torches go out on their own throughout the castle. To leave immediately was completely idiotic: the torches were lit, the pupils visible and it was forbidden to leave for all those who were not prefects. So it would be a kind of suicide to come out before, let's say quarter to ten.

But Aymee had decided to leave immediately.

Only the first years knew about their trial and weren't allowed to talk about it. Also, the common room was empty except for a few first years waiting for the perfect time to come out.

When Aymee opened the door, Duncan jumped to his feet.

"Are you going out already!?"

"Yes?"

"But you'll get caught!"

"Or not!" replied Aymee as she left.

No sooner had the door closed behind her than Aymee clouded Mist over herself. She descended the many steps of the tower to reach the fifth floor. The half-blood took out the map she had drawn. The Hall of Trophies was on the third floor, so she had to go down at least two.

Aymee then set off for the stairs. Since she had nearly six hours to live through, she moved cautiously, paying particular attention to the sound of her footsteps. Aymee passed Peeves and thought he looked particularly cheerful. A little too much. By reflex, Aymee hid behind a statue when she saw him at the end of the corridor.

He was floating low, playing with his fingers, and looking everywhere around him with wide eyes as if searching for something. When he got closer, Aymee could hear him humming:

"Come on, come on, come out of your hiding place! Hehehe! Peeves will find you! And catch you! And you will be fired! Go! Go! Go! You will lose! Hehehe!"

He knows, realized Aymee. It was going to complicate things. She hadn't checked to see if the Mist worked on ghosts as well. You have to lure it somewhere else.

Silently, Aymee unhooked her wand from her bracelet. She was still in the corner of the hallway, so she could see a corridor and not Peeves. The hallway had a few statues and a few wooden benches for the students. Not to mention a large chandelier on the ceiling. If she could get one of the benches to topple over, Peeves would streak away. Then she would have a chance.

Aymee pointed her wand at the bench. In class, she had had no trouble with a quill or a book, a bench was a little heavier. She had to concentrate. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to concentrate more before whispering the formula they had been working on in spells class.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The bench lifted about eight inches before Aymee let it fall with a thud.

"HAHA!"Peeves then exclaimed, a smile of victory plastered on his face.

He flew at full speed without glancing at where Aymee was hiding. The half-blood didn't wait before going as far as possible, as quietly as possible. She finally arrived at the stairs, where she passed two Slytherin prefects. They refrained from giggling while discussing in low voices, but Aymee heard them without any problem:

"So Annelise is watching them, right?"

"Yes! With her map! Poor first years! They don't stand a chance!"

"You say!" sneered the second. "One foot in a classroom and she strikes them out of the test. Same if they're not out of their dorms when the torches go out or in the trophy room at three o'clock."