Queen of Disaster | 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

Chapter 23

Throughout the rest of the day, Diana didn't talk to Layla about the strange things that had happened to her in the Divination classroom. She remained quiet as Layla went on and on speaking about the sixth year Slytherin boy who had recently asked her out.

Diana could still remember the way Professor Tenebris was looking into her eyes as though piercing through her soul. She recalled seeing the moon again, and the feeling that had rushed through her for the second time.

Diana kept grazing her hand over her left shoulder, where she had felt the sudden pain, even though it was only for split second. The pain was so real to her that she had even pulled aside her shirt's collar in the bathroom as soon as they had gone up to their dorm, just to check and make sure there was no actual wound or scar there.

Diana tried to push the thought away as she got to bed early that night. But no matter how many times she twisted and turned in her bed, she failed to close her eyes for even a minute.

She couldn't help but feel that there was a connection between what she had seen in the crystal orb and the feeling she had gotten all those months ago, when her skin had brushed against Remus's hand.

The feeling couldn't have been a jinx or a hex, Diana thought to herself as she stared up at the ceiling motionlessly. What if it had something to with Divination...?

She shook her head, feeling silly for even thinking that. But she couldn't deny that it was eerie. She had to trust her gut on this one.

     Her curiosity was killing her, and it certainly couldn't wait until tomorrow. So, with that thought, Diana pushed the emerald green blankets off her and got out of bed. The other three girls in their dorm were down in the common room, probably catching up with their studies. Layla was sitting cross-legged on her bed, writing her Potions essay.

Earlier that night, Layla had gone to one of Slughorn's dinner parties and had returned only an hour ago, already in her pajamas. But when she saw Diana changing into her school trousers and shirt, she frowned in confusion.

"Where are you going?" Layla asked curiously, glancing at her friend's direction.

"Library," Diana replied shortly. She decided not to wear her Slytherin tie or her black cloak. Instead, she grabbed her wand and put it in her back pocket, making her way over the dorm's door.

"Library?" Layla repeated in surprise, craning her neck to check the clock in their dorm. "But it's already twenty minutes after curfew."

"See you later," Diana said, too lost in her thoughts to have heard Layla.

Quickly, she walked down the stone staircase of the girls' dormitory, finally leaving the common room as she avoided the curious glances of the other Slytherins there.

Diana was careful with where she was going and who she might run into. She hid behind a wall before entering each corridor, keeping an eye for Peeves, Filch, or anyone else that could get her in trouble for being outside her common room after curfew.

She wanted to get to the library to see if she could find any useful books on Divination, desperately wanting to know the connection between her visions inside the crystal orb and the horrifying feeling of pain and darkness which she had felt twice until now.

If there is any connection, she thought to herself, not wanting to get any false hope in finding an answer that night.

But just as Diana was about to turn a corner to enter the next corridor, she flinched when she heard a voice call from behind her,

"What are you doing here?"

Diana groaned quietly to herself, cursing her luck. She was already trying to make up an excuse in her mind as to why she would be here, and a way to get herself out of trouble. But she didn't get the time to think of anything as the boy called again and approached her.

Turning around, Diana saw a Ravenclaw boy behind her with a Prefect badge pinned over his chest on his cloak. She couldn't recognize him from any of her classes, which meant he was either a sixth or seventh year student.

"Answer the question," the boy said sternly, repeating himself, "What are you doing here? It's half-an-hour past curfew."

"Oh, yeah? If it's past curfew, then what are you doing here?" Diana asked stubbornly, folding her arms. She already knew the answer to that, but she just wanted to stall him long enough to figure out a good enough excuse to get herself out of trouble.

"I'm a school Prefect!" the boy snapped, looking offended. "Prefects are allowed to be out until midnight to search the castle for rule-breakers such as yourself!"

"Rule breaker? Oh, relax. It's not like I killed anyone or something." Diana laughed lightly before smirking, giving him a mysterious look. "Or have I...?"

"The punishment for wandering around after curfew is forty points." The boy gritted his teeth together furiously, growing irritated. "What House are you in?"

Good thing I didn't wear my tie, Diana thought to herself.

"Gryffindor," she replied, before pouting mockingly. "Please don't take off any points. We are so close to winning this year after centuries." Diana couldn't help the witty remark toward the Gryffindors, which was always a matter of joking to the Slytherins.

The Ravenclaw boy narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "I don't believe you."

"Suit yourself." Diana shrugged, grinning. "You can divide the forty, and take ten points of each House just to make sure you get me."

"Listen here," the boy grumbled, his blood boiling in fury, "maybe I can't take points off you without knowing your House, but I can take you to Mr. Filch. He'll know how to deal with you."

Diana paled. Maybe she could've annoyed the boy into jumping off the astronomy tower, but there was no way she could get out of gruesome detention with Filch.

"That would be a month of detention." The boy sneered. "So either tell me what you're doing here or I'll —" He was saying, but he was cut off when someone suddenly spoke from behind them.

"She's with me."