Chasing The Keeper

I❤️Vinny

It was nearly winter break, and I was sitting next to June, lazily staring out the window while McGonagall's droning voice rang out across the classroom. I could feel myself dozing off into a daydream, which was abruptly ended. I was startled by Peeves' screams from the hallways.

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

Crash - crash - crash - door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out, including my whole classroom. I could see the hallway become a chaotic mess, with everyone running around and screaming.

McGonagall used her wand to create a loud bang, restoring silence. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene.

I could finally make out the little body of a Hufflepuff laying motionless on the ground. The look of shock was frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Even weirder, next to him laid another figure. It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to the little boy's.

"Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.

"That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song:

"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off students, you think it's good fun--"

"That's enough Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry.

Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft.

The rest of the students were sent back to their respective dorms, and so eventually everyone was out of the hallways.

I sat on my bed next to Sarah, mindlessly playing cards to keep our hands busy. The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into a real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. "What could possibly do that to a ghost?" people asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.

~~~~

At last, the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle. I stood once again on platform 9 3/4, bidding goodbyes to my friends. I spotted my mom waving to me across the station, and I practically ran into her warm embrace.

We got home by the floo, and my mom instantly began bombarding me with questions about my school's attacks. After I assured her that I didn't need to be homeschooled and that I would be fine, she finally started to ask me about Vincent, something I've been dreading.

"So, how is Vincent?" She asked while dicing peppers for a salad.

"I'm not sure, but we're going on another date tomorrow." I shrugged, hiding a light blush with my palms.