wanna be yours

XVIII. DEATHDAY PARTIES AND WRITING ON THE WALL

chapter eighteen; the chamber of secrets

1992

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Amazed at their luck, Elodie and Harry sped out of the office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Filch's office without punishment was probably some kind of school record.

"Harry! Elodie! Did it work?" 

Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Elodie could see the wreckage of a large black-and-gold cabinet that appeared to have been dropped from a great height. 

"I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch's office," said Nick eagerly. "Thought it might distract him. . . ." 

"Was that you?" said Harry gratefully. 

"Yeah, it worked, we didn't even get detention," Elodie said beaming, "thanks, Nick!" 

They set off up the corridor together. Nearly Headless Nick, Elodie noticed, was still holding Sir Patrick's rejection letter.

"I wish there was something we could do for you about the Headless Hunt," Harry said. 

Nearly Headless Nick stopped in his tracks and Elodie walked right through him. She wished she hadn't, it was like stepping through an icy shower. 

"But there is something you could do for me," said Nick excitedly. "Elodie, Harry, would I be asking too much, but no, you wouldn't want. . . ." 

"What is it?" said Harry.

"Well, this Halloween will be my five hundredth deathday," said Nearly Headless Nick, drawing himself up and looking dignified. 

"Oh," said Elodie, not sure whether she should look sorry or happy about this. "Okay." 

"I'm holding a party down in one of the roomier dungeons. Friends will be coming from all over the country. It would be such an honour if you two would attend. Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger would be most welcome, too, of course, but I daresay you'd rather go to the school feast?" 

He watched Elodie and Harry on tenterhooks. 

"No," said Harry quickly, "we'll come. . . ." 

"My dear boy! Harry Potter and Elodie Wilson, at my deathday party! And. . . ." he hesitated, looking excited ". . . .do you think you could possibly mention to Sir Patrick how very frightening and impressive you find me?" 

"Of, of course," said Harry and Elodie nodded. Nearly Headless Nick beamed at them.

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"A deathday party?" said Hermione keenly when Harry had changed at last and he and Elodie  joined her and Ron in the common room. 

"I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those," Elodie said beaming with Hermione, "it'll be fascinating!" 

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron, who was halfway through his Potions homework and grumpy. "Sounds dead depressing to me. . . ." 

Rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing homework or, in the case of Fred and George Weasley, trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander. Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smouldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.