Regulus Black
Regulus climbed the steps linking the dungeons to the castle hall, everything going downhill much faster and uglier than it had since Halloween and Madame Nor-r-ra's petrification.
A bad time for Dumbledore to be removed from his post by the Ministry. Because of course, they're screwing up again.
Now the school is about to be closed, perhaps forever, and a student is missing inside the castle, the victim of something that should only be a legend.
"Black," Stevens called out, intercepting him on his way to the principal's office, "We've got problems."
"More?"
How could this get any worse?
"Have they found her body?" he asked.
"No, no one knows where the Chamber of Secrets is," she said with a mixture of concern and indignation, "This shit had to come from the racist Slytherins," she hissed but continued before he could speak, "I went to Lockhart's office, obviously he's missing, but McGonagall's back from her Common, Potter, and the youngest Weasley boy is also missing.
"Oh, fuck!" he grumbled, "why does that surprise me?"
"They're Gryffindor," she said simply.
"We have to find them.
[...]
"Longbottom said he saw them in the girls' bathroom, the boys and Granger a few times during the year," she mentioned as they walked down the corridor.
"Which bathroom?"
"The one with the ghost," she mentioned pointing to the opposite side, "maybe she knows."
Myrtle's bathroom has been avoided by students for years, obviously because of the crying ghost who never seems to leave the place. So it's a good place to hide, even the teachers don't bother going there normally.
They looked at each other for a moment, wordlessly agreeing to check the place out. They turned around and went to that particular restroom.
There was nothing different about the place, everything seemed in place and even clean, but also empty.
"The boys aren't here," he said.
"Well, where would they be? Granger is still petrified in the infirmary and Miss Weasley, well nobody knows where she is."
Before he could answer, the ghostly figure stepped out of one of the cabins, startling Stevens, who jumped behind it before drawing his wand.
"Myrtle, hello" he greeted her.
"Little Black," she said in her usual strangely whiny voice.
"Hang on," Stevens said, giving Regulus a few warning slaps on the arm. He pulled away, letting her have the epiphany his face says she's having "Myrtle, I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but when did you die?"
The ghost's eyes widened behind her round-rimmed glasses. Regulus never understood why a ghost would still wear glasses, it never made sense in his head, but he shook the thought away by focusing on what the woman was saying. Myrtle has been dead since before they started studying there, and if I look at it now, she's wearing her Corvinal uniform.
"It was exam time, I'm not sure what day," she said, slowly wandering off to the side, "it was 1943. Why does everyone seem so interested in my death all of a sudden?"
"Suddenly?" Stevens squeaked, as she does when she's shocked "You were a student, you died at school, and... and nobody bothered to ask you about it before?"
Myrtle just shrugged and shook her head.
"Ekeínos o gerontikós géros," she muttered angrily.
"Who asked about your death, Myrtle?" Regulus asked.
The ghost's eyes widened behind her round-rimmed glasses. Regulus never understood why a ghost would still wear glasses, it never made sense in his head, but he shook the thought away by focusing on what the woman was saying. Myrtle had been dead since before they started studying there, and if he looked at her now, she was wearing her Corvinal uniform.
"It was exam time, I'm not sure what day," she said, slowly wandering off to the side, "it was 1943. Why does everyone seem so interested in my death all of a sudden?"
"Suddenly?" Stevens squeaked, as she does when she's shocked "You were a student, you died at school, and... and nobody bothered to ask you about it before?"
Myrtle just shrugged and shook her head.
"Ekeínos o gerontikós géros" she muttered angrily.
"Who asked about your death, Murta?" Regulus asked.
"The boys, Potter and Weasley."
The two of them looked at each other. Regulus would have wondered why the boys wanted to know something so morbid. As Longbottom had said earlier, the three Gryffindor boys had been wandering around this bathroom for several months, and everyone was curious about the Chamber of Secrets, who wasn't this year?
Now, what could have been mere childish curiosity became a real risk, because it was clear that Potter and his friend were getting into such serious trouble. How had he gotten to the age of twelve by being so reckless?
If he was able to face all the traps that Dumbledore created and confront a teacher possessed by Voldemort himself and survive, of course he's going to try to save his best friend's little sister.
Myrtle says he died in 1943, the same year Hagrid was expelled for opening the Chamber of Secrets, or for keeping a dangerous creature in the school. He's not entirely sure.
"How did you die?" Regulus asked.
"I don't know," the ghost says a little irritated, "as I told them. I was here, crying, right in that booth, when I heard someone come in, and a boy's voice saying something strange over there by the sinks" she pointed to the sinks arranged in a circle "when I went out to tell him to go away, I saw yellow eyes and I died."
Regulus approached the sinks, he stared at the taps touching the metal, embossed with a snake.
"It was in 1943 that the school was almost closed for the last time, wasn't it?" Stevens asked, looking at him from afar.
"It was," he agreed, "what do you think?"
"What can kill us just by looking?"
"I don't know, but if you can kill with just your gaze, why did you only petrify the others?
"What if petrifying them wasn't intentional?" she says, moving closer to him. "Think, fídi, there was water on the ground at Halloween, Justin was behind Nick when he was petrified. Colin was looking through the camera."
"Miss Granger and Miss Clearwater were looking in the mirror," he realized, walking into the bathroom, "there was always something reflective or something in front of it."
"Is that possible?"
"I'm not sure, Blaireau."
"Regulus," she called out.
He turned to her and noticed the sink moving, opening sideways. He waved his wand and pointed at the spot.
Before Regulus can realize what's happening, she pulls him into the cabin, closing the door almost completely.
"Have you gone mad, Illythios?" she says quietly, "there's something that can kill just by looking at it and you want to hit it head-on? Are you a Gryffindor now?"
"There's no need to offend either," he says, looking through the doorway.
"Then stop staring at death like that," she grumbles, "use the mirrors."
"Right," he says staring at the reflection of the sinks that are still moving, "if I get petrified, run."
"Do you think I'm stupid?" she says, slapping him on the arm "I'm going to stay here until I'm sure I'm not going to die..."
He covers her mouth. The sounds of the sink dragging against the stones on the floor stop and they both hold their breath. After seconds of silence, several sounds break the growing tension.
The loud chirps of a bird, the thud of various things on the floor, and familiar voices. Regulus takes a deep breath before looking through the crack again. In his reflection, he sees several people on the floor near the sink, which is now moving back to its original place.
Regulus opens the door and steps out of the cabin to get a better look at the scene in front of him. He ignores Stevens' grip on his arm.
With a tired but still happy sigh, he faces the three missing students, and although a little annoyed, he also faces his colleague, Lockhart.
"Children," he says with a barely disguised sigh.
He watches out of the corner of his eye as Stevens comes out of the cabin, the wand still in hand.
"What the hell happened?" she said like an angry mother.
She approached the children to take a closer look at their injuries. They were all dirty with dust and soot, but Harry and Gina's robes were wet, unlike Ron and Lockhart.
Harry had blood on his hands and arms and a small bruise on his chin. The girl was just wet, shivering from the cold, and with messy hair, no blood or other visible injuries.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, Professor," the three replied to the dark-haired man.
"Well? Look at them," she said, gritting her teeth but speaking quietly, "I won't believe it until Pomfrey assures me."
They finally turned to Lockhart who was strangely quiet, looking around with a fascination very unusual for the man.
"Lockhart," Regulus called out.
The man turned to him with a puzzled look.
"Do we know each other?" he asked.
Regulus opened and closed his mouth a few times, this was not the reaction he was expecting. Things are very serious without Lockhart acting like a stranger.
"Nop" Stevens said getting up and helping the children "Pomfrey first, explanations later. Merlin tells me it's going to be a long explanation."