The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 54

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

There had also been a whirlwind of rumors about Isa. Those who stayed over the holidays noticed that she was gone and when she came back, she had the silver streak in her hair. Some believed that she dyed it, some believed that Harry did it to her as an Heir of Slytherin or something like that while others believed she met up with another witch or wizard who cursed her.

Harry, Ron, and Isa went to visit Hermione every evening. And Isa and Nolan reunited.

"Sick hair!" Nolan complimented when his eyes landed on her head. "So how'd you get it? Fought an evil wizard and got cursed?"

"Nah," Isa said with a smile. "I just dyed it."

Isa and Nolan were walking towards the Great Hall when they bumped into Harry and Ron into, coincidentally, the corridor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"What did you two idiots do now?" Isa asked when she saw it was flooded once more.

"We didn't do anything!" Harry said defensively. "We overheard Filch on our way to the common room."

"We'll let's go check it out." Isa didn't even hoist her robes up, she just walked through the flood and entered the bathroom that had an OUT OF ORDER sign.

"Isa," Nolan hissed. "I don't think it's a good idea⎼" He groaned when the girl ignored him, so he reluctantly followed her inside.

Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.

"What's up, Myrtle?" Isa said.

"Who's that?" Myrtle glugged miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"

Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me...."

"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," Harry said, reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"

Isa kicked him in the foot. He had said the wrong thing.

Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!"

"Who threw it at you, anyway?" Isa asked.

"I don't know... I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," Myrtle said, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out..."

Harry, Ron, and Isa looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.

"What?" Harry said.

"Are you crazy?" Ron said. "It could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Harry said, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"