HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬

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October arrived, spreading a damp chill through the gardens that seeped into the castle. Madame Pomfrey, the healer, had been very busy with a sudden wave of flu among professors, staff, and students. Her restorative potion had an instantaneous effect, though it left those who drank it steaming from the ears for many hours. Astria was behaving strangely, with a red nose and a hoarse voice. She was practically dragged to the infirmary by Lady Black to take the potion. She sat for two hours with her arms crossed and her forehead creased in frustration.

Raindrops the size of revolver bullets pounded relentlessly on the castle windows for several consecutive days. The lake waters swelled, turning the flower gardens into a sea of mud, while Hagrid's pumpkins grew to enormous proportions, something Astria deduced could only be the result of a spell. A spell that Hagrid shouldn't be using, considering his ban on performing magic.

Despite the inclement weather, Marcus Flint's enthusiasm for regular training sessions remained undaunted. That's how Astria found her on a stormy Saturday afternoon on the eve of Halloween. This occurred shortly after a morning, as always, of tea with Professor Snape. She returned to the Slytherin common room drenched and covered in mud. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was shivering from the cold.

It was an excellent training session. Fred and George from Gryffindor had been spying on the Slytherin team, and they had seen with their own eyes the speed of the new Nimbus 2001 brooms that Draco's father had bought for the team. They put on a show and changed tactics so that the Gryffindors wouldn't see their tricks.

The week went by without major incidents until the blasted invitation from Harry Potter caught her by surprise: an invitation to a deathday party. A deathday party for a ghost, to be more precise. She rolled her eyes disdainfully. Who in their right mind celebrated something so morbid? The idea scandalized her. However, despite her internal objections, there she was, at seven in the evening on Halloween, in the Slytherin common room, waiting for Draco so they could attend this peculiar gathering.

"It's always a different situation with you," Draco grumbled, clearly annoyed, as they walked down the corridor.

Astria chuckled softly. "Oh, come on, admit it, you're as curious as I am. And quit complaining. You could have just declined the invitation."

Draco huffed, seeming unsure whether he was more irritated with her or himself. The rain continued to lash against the windows, now as black as ink. Yet within the castle, everything seemed bright and lively. The flames on the torches lining the corridors illuminated the intricate passages.

Despite the week being relatively quiet, the voice she had heard a few weeks prior hadn't returned. Nothing abnormal had happened, but Astria still hadn't gathered the courage to mention the experience to Lady Black. She didn't know how the woman would react to it.

The rest of the school was taken over by the Halloween spirit. The Great Hall was adorned with the usual live bats, and Hagrid's enormous pumpkins had been carved into lanterns so large that three men could fit inside them. Rumors about Dumbledore hiring a troupe of dancing skeletons to entertain the students were also circulating, but Astria was certain that story was nothing but a fabrication.

They met with the Gryffindors in the main corridor of the dungeons. Ron and Hermione's not-so-pleased expressions contrasted with the broad smile Harry wore. The group was ready for Nearly Headless Nick's peculiar deathday party.

The corridor leading to the party was lit by candles along its entire length, but the effect was far from cheerful. The candles were long, thin, and black, emitting a blue light that cast a spectral aura even on the faces of the living. With each step, the temperature seemed to drop, causing Astria to pull her robes even closer to her body. Amidst the silence, a sound resembling a thousand nails scratching a chalkboard sliced through the air.