Regulus Black the Potions Master

Capítulo 37

Regulus Black

Regulus climbed the steps linking the dungeons to the castle hall, everything going downhill much faster and uglier than it had since Halloween and Madame Nor-r-ra's petrification.

A bad time for Dumbledore to be removed from his post by the Ministry. Because of course, they're screwing up again.

Now the school is about to be closed, perhaps forever, and a student is missing inside the castle, the victim of something that should only be a legend.

"Black," Stevens called out, intercepting him on his way to the principal's office, "We've got problems."

"More?"

How could this get any worse?

"Have they found her body?" he asked.

"No, no one knows where the Chamber of Secrets is," she said with a mixture of concern and indignation, "This shit had to come from the racist Slytherins," she hissed but continued before he could speak, "I went to Lockhart's office, obviously he's missing, but McGonagall's back from her Common, Potter, and the youngest Weasley boy is also missing.

"Oh, fuck!" he grumbled, "why does that surprise me?"

"They're Gryffindor," she said simply.

"We have to find them.

[...]

"Longbottom said he saw them in the girls' bathroom, the boys and Granger a few times during the year," she mentioned as they walked down the corridor.

"Which bathroom?"

"The one with the ghost," she mentioned pointing to the opposite side, "maybe she knows."

Myrtle's bathroom has been avoided by students for years, obviously because of the crying ghost who never seems to leave the place. So it's a good place to hide, even the teachers don't bother going there normally.

They looked at each other for a moment, wordlessly agreeing to check the place out. They turned around and went to that particular restroom.

There was nothing different about the place, everything seemed in place and even clean, but also empty.

"The boys aren't here," he said.

"Well, where would they be? Granger is still petrified in the infirmary and Miss Weasley, well nobody knows where she is."

Before he could answer, the ghostly figure stepped out of one of the cabins, startling Stevens, who jumped behind it before drawing his wand.

"Myrtle, hello" he greeted her.

"Little Black," she said in her usual strangely whiny voice.

"Hang on," Stevens said, giving Regulus a few warning slaps on the arm. He pulled away, letting her have the epiphany his face says she's having "Myrtle, I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but when did you die?"

The ghost's eyes widened behind her round-rimmed glasses. Regulus never understood why a ghost would still wear glasses, it never made sense in his head, but he shook the thought away by focusing on what the woman was saying. Myrtle has been dead since before they started studying there, and if I look at it now, she's wearing her Corvinal uniform.

"It was exam time, I'm not sure what day," she said, slowly wandering off to the side, "it was 1943. Why does everyone seem so interested in my death all of a sudden?"

"Suddenly?" Stevens squeaked, as she does when she's shocked "You were a student, you died at school, and... and nobody bothered to ask you about it before?"