XXXVIII. THE WRITING ON THE WALL

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"Twins, twins, twins."

Mia and Harry were sat in Lockhart's office, helping him address the envelopes of his fan mail. Shining brightly on the walls by the light of many candles were countless framed photographs of Lockhart. He had even signed a few of them. Another large pile lay on his desk.

"Can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention than by helping me answer my fan mail?" he asked as Mia rolled her eyes subtly.

"Not really," Harry said.

"I'd rather make friends with the Whomping Willow again," Mia muttered.

"Fame is a fickle friend, twins," he told them, "celebrity is as celebrity does. Remember that."

The candles burned lower and lower, making the light dance over the many moving faces of Lockhart watching them. 

'It must be nearly time to leave', Mia thought miserably, 'please let it be nearly time.'

Mia sighed as she put the quill down and leaned back in her seat to massage her wrist. And then she heard something. Something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's prattle about his fans. It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom.

"Come. Come to me."

Mia sat up, startled as she looked shocked. She looked at Harry, who had the same shocked expression on her face.

"What?" Harry asked as Lockhart looked at them. 

"Sorry?" he asked. 

"That voice," Mia said, looking shocked still. 

"Voice?" Lockhart asked, looking very confused.

"Didn't you hear it?" the twins asked together.

"What are you talking about, twins?" Lockhart asked, "I think you're both getting a bit drowsy. And great Scott, no wonder. Look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours. Spooky how the time flies when one is having fun." 

Mia smiled weakly as Lockhart looked at the twins like they were insane. 

"Yeah," Mia said, "spooky."

The twins packed up their things and left Lockhart's office.

"How did he not hear it?" Mia asked. 

"Was he pretending not to?" Harry added.

"It's weird," Mia said, "why does weird shit always happen to us?"

"Blood. I smell blood."

It was the same voice, the same cold, murderous voice he had heard in Lockhart's office. Mia stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all her might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway. The twins looked at each other and began following the sound down the empty corridor.

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