An Otherworldly Experience (Tom Riddle Era)

Chapter Seventeen

Warren was heading, alone, up to her charms class a little later than everyone else after being in the Hospital Wing for something. Kelli closed her map, murmuring 'I was not invited' to the map before she did, and headed off to cut Warren off around the time that Peeves would be finding her as well.

Kelli arrived later than Peeves, who had started to be rather cruel. Warren wasn't looking very pleased but wasn't saying anything. Kelli sighed, pulled out her wand and silenced the poltergeist with the same spell Kelli had used on Warren's previous bullies. Peeves turned, looking for the person responsible for his silence and she made his bright orange bowtie spin. His eyes landed on Kelli and he shot her a rather nasty grin.

Kelli tilted her head at him, as though speculating on what could be better and turned his bowtie into a top hat which then started to fall. Peeves went to reach for it before it hit the ground, still silenced with her spell, and Kelli levitated it, flicking her wand up and the hat followed out of reach of his hand.

There was a moment where he looked up.

And that's when the hat went down and went over his head, breaking at the top and going past his head and landing back at his neck. She turned it back into its orange bowtie, but this time with white polka dots.

"Well, I've had my fun," Kelli then said, putting her wand away and unsilencing Peeves. "Though, that's only if you have."

"Well, I suppoose," he replied, practically singing out the drawn-out 'ose'.

"Sounds good, move along please," Kelli replied, smiling at the poltergeist.

He floated off and disappeared.

"I . . . I don't need your help . . . anymore."

"Peeves tells me another story," Kelli answered, guessing that the Hospital Wing was for a reason. But then she shrugged and pulled out the polished grey rock and threw it to Warren. "Even if you don't think you want my help anymore, you might later. Just squeeze it until it goes cold and I'll come to help you."

"I just said I don't-"

"I know you did. Listening is one of my advantages, Warren, complying is not," Kelli replied jokingly. "But it doesn't matter if you don't use it, just keep it, huh?"

Warren looked at the rock, before sighing and putting it into her pocket and saying, "Alright, Wats-"

"What's this?" a cold voice emerged seemingly out of nowhere. Tom had arrived and he looked semi-amused. "Two muggleborns out of class."

"Ah, back to the insults," commented Kelli with a bright smile that felt like she was breaking every bone in her face to do. He was going to kill her. "Of course, you're also out of class, Tom."

"You see, a certain ghost appeared in class and told Professor Dumbledore that there's a student from this class wandering the hallways," Tom replied a tad too smugly for Kelli's liking.

Kelli didn't want to make him angry in front anyone else, she enjoyed annoying him in private, so she turned to Warren and said, "Warren, it would be best if you head up to class now, I take it you have a note to be out of class?"

"Y-yes," she replied, before heading off.

"So, would you think Peeves enjoys his new bowtie?" asked Kelli as Warren disappeared around the corner.

"You're not so bothered about being late to class," Tom replied.

"That's an accepted fact of being late, being late to class and getting some form of punishment," Kelli replied. "No reason to worry about it, don't you think? Anyway, besides my point, bowtie? What did you think?"