Magic? || Years 1-5

The Chamber Of Secrets: Year 2

The table was quite honestly a huge disappointment.

Amisty was expecting food that rivaled the food at the Great Hall.

She was mistaken.

A horrid smell attacked her nose, and she coughed, eyes watering. Everything was either rotten, burned, moldy, or so decayed there was no discerning what it was.

A massive grey cake that closely resembled the color of lead was in the center, blocky black icing writing out:

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington

Died 31st October, 1492

Amisty nearly jumped out of her skin as a stout, somewhat short ghost appeared and walked through the table, mouth gaping.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked curiously, his head tilted to the side slightly.

"Almost..." The ghost replied, his voice sad, before he floated away and back to the crowd.

"I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor," Hermione guessed, plugging her nose and leaning down to expect the food.

Amisty nearly lost the little food she had in her stomach at that.

"Can we move? I feel sick," Ron asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from Amisty, who was starting to sway at the smell.

So they turned around, only to come face to face with Peeves the Poltergeist.

"Hello, Peeves," Harry's voice was flooded with caution.

Peeves was one of the most trouble making beings Amisty had ever met.

"Nibbles?" He held out a bowl of peanuts... that were covered in a less than appetizing shade of green fungus.

"No thanks," Hermione replied quickly, glancing down at the bowl with poorly concealed disgust.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle. Rude you were about poor Myrtle," He smiled wickedly. "OI! MYRTLE!"

Amisty traded panicked looks with Hermione, who's alarm was shining in her brown eyes.

"Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset. I didn't mean it, I don't her--" Hermione pleaded, shutting her mouth the second the straight haired ghost floated toward them. "Er, hello, Myrtle."

"What?" She asked, her voice as gloomy as the very room they were standing in.

Maybe more.

Amisty plastered on a blinding smile, waving cheerfully.

"How are you, Myrtle? It's nice to see you out of the toilet!" Hermione smothered her voice with joy and politeness.

Myrtle gave her a skeptical look.

"Miss Granger and Miss River were just talking about you," Peeves whispered in her ear, smirking.

"Just saying -- just saying -- how nice you look tonight," Hermione replied quickly, stumbling over her lie.

"Y-yeah, that's all," Amisty added, cursing herself for her stammer.

She really needed to work on her lying skills.

"You're making fun of me," Myrtle wailed, silvery tears appearing in her eyes behind her glasses.

"No -- honestly -- didn't we just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" Hermione nudged Harry and Ron while Amisty sent them pleading looks.

"Oh, yeah--" Harry nodded quickly, holding his stomach.