Nadie Lee and The Ghosts of Ilvermorny (Completed ✔️)

The Discovery

A/N- Once again, sorry for the wait. But I think you'll want to see what happens. Anyway, thanks for your support.

Nadie couldn't tear her eyes away. Everything seemed to slow down around her. Her heart pounded. She tried to take a deep breath. Finally, she closed her eyes and turned around, fighting the sick feeling in her stomach. "I have to find him," she said quietly. "Hugo?" The boy looked stunned. "Hugo!"

"Wha... what?"

"Did he tell you anything when you last saw him?"

"Just that he was finishing up something," Hugo said slowly.

"What was he working on?"

"I don't know!" Hugo said angrily. Nadie took a step back. "I'm going to the headmistress." He turned and ran off towards the offices. Nadie walked over to Gretchen. She was shaking a bit.

"Hey... we're going to find him." Gretchen looked at Nadie incredulously. 

"How?"

"Can we get into the boys' rooms?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's see if we can figure out what he was working on. Then we can see where he might have been heading."

"Ok..."

The girls hurried towards the Finnimar tower. "Nadie... what if we find it?" Gretchen said tentatively.

"We'll use what we know to protect ourselves."

"What if that's not enough?"

Nadie was quiet. Her pace quickening, she headed towards the boys' room. Slowly, she eased open the door and stepped inside. She located Malcolm's desk and found his Herbology textbook open. "This is our only lead?" Gretchen moaned.

"When we saw the girl that appeared to be under a charm, she was walking across the courtyard. You can get to the greenhouse that way. So it would make sense..."

She exited the dorm, Gretchen struggling to keep up.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea, Nadie. Maybe we should get a teacher."

"And what if I'm wrong? I've got to do this myself."

"By yourself?"

"With you, of course. I'm assuming I'll need backup."

"Nadie..."

"Gretchen, I've got to..." Nadie started as she tripped on the spiral staircase.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Nadie scowled. 

"I'm going to find him".

Finally, they made their way into the hall.

"Follow me!" Nadie stopped and looked around. "Over here!" Gretchen had stopped. "Your left! Your other left!" Nadie finally spotted the girl they had seen in the picture a while back. 

"I'm going to go ahead and assume that's a no," Gretchen whispered as the girl in the painting moved through other portraits down the hallway.

"Actually," Nadie said as she began to walk, "we are going to follow her."

"Are you crazy?"

"Gretchen, she's heading towards the courtyard. What if Malcolm followed her?"

"You don't think she's a monster, do you?"

"No."

"Well then what..."

"She could be leading us to one."

******

The girls were approaching the end of the hall.

"Nadie, it's not too late to turn back." Nadie shook her head and kept walking.

"This is the best lead we have. Malcolm always wanted to listen to the paintings. Doesn't it make sense?"

"I don't know, Nadie." Nadie stopped.

"Gretchen, where did she go?"

"Isn't she..." The girls looked around. Gretchen gulped. "She's disappeared."

Nadie's hand clenched around her wand.

"Be very quiet." The girls backed up, standing near the wall. Suddenly, Nadie heard voices.

"I can sense that I am getting stronger now." The chilling voice almost made Nadie shiver.

"Really?" A softer voice queried.

"What happened?" another voice chimed in.

"I felt the rain..." Nadie looked at Gretchen, confused. "With this new addition, I suspect that soon, I may even be able to taste again."

"Do you really think so?"

"I hope. It's been so long. Have you tried yet?"

"I'm a bit reluctant..."

"And you?"

"Not yet."

"A soft spot for the kids?"

"No..."

"You could go for the professors instead."

"That's not... no."

"It doesn't hurt them."

"Yes... but using the energy from their physical states to regain the senses just seems..."

"Wrong." Nadie's eyes widened. Gretchen clapped a hand over her mouth.

"What's wrong is us spending an eternity like this, never feeling, never tasting, reduced to this state. Once we can figure out a way to bring them back to their original forms without them giving us away, we can just switch them out. Such a small sacrifice. Just a short while in the paintings, and we can feel alive again."

"If you say so."

"We must figure it out soon. They are starting to get suspicious."

"Yes, this is true. Just now, I sense that a couple of them have discovered our plan." Gretchen's eyes widened in horror. Nadie stood, paralyzed. "Girls, come to us. You will be just as useful."