Chapter 10
“Ah my friends, welcome.” Nick smiled as they headed into the massive dungeon, hauntingly lit by ice blue flames. Hundreds of ghosts were mingling, many in the center of the room where they were danging to genuinely haunting music. “I’m so glad you could come.”
“Of course, looks like you had a a good turnout.” Harry nodded to the crowd. “Is it always like this?”
“It tends to be.” He smiled happily before heading off to mingle.
“Why don’t we look around too, no need to hover.” Hermione suggested, leading Harry in. Glancing around Harry took in a group of gloomy nuns as they waled past, a ragged man in chains, and the Fat Friar- the Hufflepuff ghost- who was talking happily with a man with an arrow through his head.
While he was there, Harry was not surprised that the Bloody Barron was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts.
“There’s Alyssa!”
“And she’s with Myrtle.” Hermione said with a smile, though there seemed to be a slight twinge of jealousy in her voice. “It’s good to see that Myrtle is enjoying herself though, the bathroom she’s been haunting has been out of service all year since she keeps throwing fits and flooding it.”
“You… Is everything okay between the two of you?”
“Yes, fine.” Hermione huffed, and Harry hesitantly nodded. “Look, I get that their mental heath is a bit worse this year but it’s frustrating knowing that they don’t really tend to it. They just trie to lock away any memories that upset them, and it… Let’s not worry about that right now okay?”
“Alright, why don’t we check out the food table.” Harry suggested, though he already knew it would be far from edible. “I mean the fact that there even is food here-“
“True.” Hermione’s thoughts seemed to be pulled from her jealousy as she followed him forward, grimacing at the pungent smell. Everything on the table was some combination of rotten and burnt. Large rotten, burnt black cakes, maggoty haggus, and a slab of cheese completely covered in green fur.
Harry watched, somewhat curiously as one of the ghosts headed up to the table, lowered himself through the floor and floated through the food, mouth open.
“Can you taste it if you walk through it?”
“Almost.” He responded sadly, Harry’s eyes landing on the large gray cake. It was shaped like a tombstone, with tar like icing scrawled across it.
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Popington
Died 31st October 1492
“I suspect they let it rot to give it a stronger flavor.” Hermione said, pinching her nose before leaning in for a closer look. Harry’s stomach rolled slightly and he shuddered.
“Let’s move I suddenly don’t feel all too good.”
The two hadn’t gotten far when Peeves floated up, grinning from ear to ear, carrying a bowl of Peanuts covered in fungus.
“Nibbles?”
“No thanks.” Harry said. “Though I should thank you for getting me out of trouble a few days ago.”
“I heard you talking about pour Myrtle.” Peeves put on a frown for a moment then a wicked grin. “And about Alyssa. Talking rather rude about them both.” Peeves let out a cackle and the bellowed. “Oi! ALLYSA! Hermione here was just talking ‘bout the two of you.”
Glancing up Alyssa said something to Myrtle before bounding up to Hermione.
“Hey, what’s with the tense look?”
“I was just saying that it was good to see Myrtle so happy.” Hermione forced a smile and Alyssa tilted their head. “What?”
“Miss Granger wasn’t just talkin’ about pour Myrtle. She was talkin about you.”
“Yeah, you seem livelier than the last few days is all.”
“Really? Hermione I… I know how to read people…” Harry watched Alyssa’s face fall to heartbreak. “You’re jealous… Why? Mione I’m still very Aromantic, and I’m not in the right head-space to even think about having sex with the two of you, let alone with someone outside the relationship.”
“It just seems like your spending a lot of time with Myrtle and I’m worried about you.” This was apparently very much the wrong thing to say as Alyssa’s face flashed with shock before falling to anger.
“Worried about me? For spending time with a friend?”
“Well its just Myrtle probably has some kind of a ghost depression and with how bad your mental health has been recently.”
“So two people with bad mental health can’t possibly bond over talking about that mental heath in a way that they know that they will understand?” Harry; despite himself, found himself watching, just as enthralled as Peeves. “Hermione, I talk with the other patients at Arkham for the same reason.”
“You hate hospitals.”
“It’s Gotham! Besides I have Ace and Psi when she comes around. Or when any of their forms come around really.” Alyssa was glaring; teary eyed, at Hermione. “And you really don’t think I can put my own shit aside to meet a friend. Dark fun fact, the cells actually help somewhat.”
“I didn’t know that. But that’s par for the course lately isn’t it?” At this point Hermione was also getting frustrated. “Because you’ve been keeping things from both me and Draco.”
“What?”
“He told me about the warding, about the bad dreams. When were you ting to tell me about them?”
Alyssa fumbled and Harry almost instinctively reached for the bowl of Peanuts before remembering the fungus.
“Hermione these aren’t the same as the dreams from before. I didn’t tell Draco because I didn’t want you two to worry about- Look I knew you would want to know about the past trauma, and I’ll tell you this right now. I. Don’t. Know. I repressed that for a reason.” Alyssa was tearing up, and Harry realized they were probably on the verge of something.
“That’s not a healthy way of dealing with things, especially with your powers.”
“What’s that meant to mean?”
“Well you were recently diagnosed with a mixed type personality disorder as well as traits caused by your abilities.” Hermione was talking in a hushed whisper, but Harry could see Alyssa grit their teeth.
“Your really just ready to say that.” Alyssa sounded hurt. “I-“
Shaking their head Alyssa pivoted and stormed off, Peeves taking after them cackling.
“Oh dear. I… I fucked up.” Hermione sighed and Harry gave a small nod. “I could have handled that so much better, why did I let them work me up?”
“Because you love them Hermione. Your not just crushing the way they are and part of you despises them for that.”
“I do not despise them.”
“Resent, that’s the word I was looking for. You want a relationship you can’t have and you need to be honest.” Harry said, turning quickly as Nick headed up to them.
“Are you two having fun?”
“Yes.” This lie came much smoother to Hermione.
“Well, it’s about time for my speech anyways.”
But at that moment the orchestra came to a halt; and the crowd fell silent as a trumpet sounded.
“Oh here we go.” Nick groaned.
As Harry turned he watched ten ghost horses trotted in, each being ridden by a Headless horsemen. The entire crowd began clapping though Nick just looked angered. Harry really couldn’t blame him. These people had turned him down completely, and were now barging into his deathday and stealing all the attention.
The group made their way to the center, where the front most man made a show of; quite literately, raising his head above the crowd. Several people laughed, but he quickly spotted his mark, making his way over to Nick.
“Nick. How are you? Head still hanging in there?” He gave a hearty guffaw and slapped Nick on the shoulder.
“Welcome, Sir Patric.”
“Livins?” Sit Patric gave an exonerated jump of surprise to that his head fell off again, even more people laughing. Harry could see that Hermione had zoned, clearly really upset about what happened with Alyssa. Of course he was fairly happy she wasn’t there, if Hermione hadn’t set them off this man would.
“Very amusing.” Nick drolled darkly.
“Don’t mind Nick!” Patrick’s head shouted from the floor. “He’s still upset that we didn’t accept him into the Hunt.”
“He’s too good for your silly little group of school grade bullies.” The words left Harry’s mouth before he really knew what he was saying, and quickly the attention was on him.
“I bet Nick put you up to saying that.”
“Of course not. He ‘s a great ghost. Better than you.”
“Ahem, if I may have everyone’s attention it’s time for me to make my speech.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Harry suggested, pointing at Hermione who simply nodded in turn. Heading closer to her he alowed the shadows of the room surround them and they kept to the wall as they quickly headed out.
“I’m sorry about starting a scene with your sibling. Your not wrong about me liking them more than they like me. It’s not even just romantically.”
“You feel second fiddle to Draco.”
“The worst part is I know that ii is a mental health thing. They both have a lot of issues they need to work though and I, can’t help them…”
“Can I give you a bit of advice?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t push on the mental health front. They really don’t like feeling Dependant. And well… They don’t always realize their in a bad habit, a lot of the times the Professor has to point it out to them. Or me. Or their dad. Or- You get the point. You also mentioned it yourself, they have a personality disorder, they aren’t always going to take things the same way as everyone else.”
“I know. Let’s take a longer way back, I want to give them some time.”
As Harry went to respond his ear caught the voice.
“Rip… Tear… Kill.”
“Hermione, cast the spells.”
Harmonie nodded, closing her eyes for a bit.
“So hungry…. For so long…”
Hermione’s eyes went wide with terror.
“Kill… time to kill.”
“Oh shit.” Hermione’s voice trembled slightly. “That’s bad.”
“Let’s follow it.”
“Are you crazy! Neither of has weapons, and I get what Alyssa means by spell slots. Not only do I have nothing offensive stocked, those can be really draining.”
“We have to go that way anyways.” Harry countered, quickly following the voice, up past the entrance hall, straining his hearing for the faint voice.
“Blood… I smell blood.”
“Hermione!”
“I know. Let’s get back to the base.” Hermione hissed and; with a slight sigh, Harry lamented, following her down one of the secret hallways back to the base.