Ghost Hunt
Cassie was zipping in and out of rooms, searching for anything that was linked to Tom Riddle. It was more difficult than she expected. Even as a gho- nevermind.
Even with her new, really cool abilities, she couldn't do this one thing. How were things connected to a living, breathing guy hidden from what was a not so living and breathing soul detector! Frustrated, she made the windows in the stairwell rattle.
A couple of first-years squeaked and rushed off, not seeing what had caused the haunt.
Really? A castle full of ghosts and you're freaking out over a couple windows?
She floated onwards. She could float! How cool was that? She still wasn't entirely sure what she could do, but she was dying to find out!
Well, not dying but... interested. Really curious.
She could feel a really cold presence through the wall next to her. She floated closer towards it. Yes, there was something there. It just felt dea- nope, not saying that word. Maybe she could just -
She bumped into the wall.
She bumped into a wall?
No way, she was a gho - a gho - ugh. She was physically unbound.
She zipped back and forth. What was so special about this wall? It was a normal wall!
She was a ghost with the gift of Rowena Ravenclaws magic! She should be able to handle a wall.
"Back and forth three times and focus on what room you want," Harriet muttered passing her a large thermos of tea in one hand and an even larger book in the other titled 'Magical Theorem: Post Mortem Contracts'.
"What?" Cassie asked.
"Room of requirement!" Harriet called over her shoulder.
"The what?"
Harriet stopped and turned, fixing Cassie with her how-do-you-not-know-this-stare.
"The room of requirement." she repeated. "Where we've all been hiding out for the past few years?"
Cassie shrugged in confusion.
Harriet sighed and snapped her book shut. "It's a hidden room at Hogwarts, magically created by Helga Hufflepuff. Y'know how every founder had a secret room or place? Well she wanted a place students could actively use in their times of greatest need. It appears when you require it to and morphs to fit what you want it to be."
"I think I found something."
Harriets bored expression turned curious. "What do you think it is?"
"Something directly linked to Tom Riddle."
"Well then." Harriet shoved her book in her bag, chugged her thermos before shoving that in too, pulled out her wand and walked over to Cassie. "Any idea in which required room it is?"
"Somewhere you would hide things?"
Harriet nodded, closed her eyes and started pacing to and fro.
Cassie gasped as a door materialised in the wall she had bumped into. It was rather plain looking and anyone would just walk right past it.
It was also too familiar. How had they hung out in a room without knowing about the magical properties?
Harriet grinned and pulled it open. "After you!"
Cassie floated through into a room that would make Madam Pince have a heart attack. No organization or categorisation anywhere to be seen. Things were piled as high as the ceiling and scattered all over the floor. Bits and bobs and trinkets littered the shelves. Wierd cabinets and paintings were stashed in between and an eerie looking wardrobe stood proudly down the aisle they were facing.
"How are we supposed to find anything in this mess?" Cassie asked, slightly horrified.
"You're the one with the built in tracker."
"Oh."
Harriet gave a quiet laugh. "You really forgot just now, huh?"
"Oh, shut it." Cassie floated away grumpily, trying to find the stupid thing that felt so cold.
Harriet trailed behind wondering if the memory lapse had been a sudden, one time thing or if it was going to be a steadily growing problem. Ghosts didn't traditionally have amnesia. It was the norm that they could remember everything about their former lives. What was going on?
Together they explored the room, moving some of the mess to and fro.
Harriet was somewhat busy 'borrowing' things for 'research' including a small pistol you could fit in a purse and various other objects including bottles of potions ingredients which were questionably legal.
Cassie came to a stop in front of a wooden box. It was plain and unassuming with a boring silver clasp.
"This is it." she said.
"Oh."
"You sound disappointed."
"I was expecting something a little bit fancier. He's one for the dramatics." Harriet rolled her eyes and waving her wand over it with various detection spells.
She picked up the box and flipped it open, nearly dropping it again.
Cassie's jaw dropped.
Harriet smirked. "Guess I was right after all."