Day Eleven:

All night, the murderer lay awake, thinking about the best method of dealing with the imposter. I know Voldemort’s giving her extra lessons, they thought, but the train of thought stopped in its tracks as the murderer was overcome by rage. I should be the one getting those extra lessons! I did all the real work! She’s taking credit for my actions!

Suddenly, they thought of a brilliant idea. It was unbelievably clever, undeniably neat, and incredibly… perfect. I’ll find a way, the murderer promised themself. Andrea will tell me the secrets Voldemort has told her.

—

Andrea walked down Knockturn Alley, still desolate from Zeke’s death. If only she had thought it through before murdering him! Now it was too late, and she regretted her actions sincerely. She was so lost in a fog of sadness that she didn’t hear footsteps behind her.

Suddenly, a blindfold was thrown over her eyes and a gag stuffed in her mouth before she realized what was happening.

“Show me a place where we can talk undisturbed,” a voice commanded. Oddly enough, the voice echoed inside her skull, as if it was only in her mind. Without a doubt, she wanted to do exactly what this person said. Unthinkingly, she continued walking forward until she judged herself to be standing at the door of the building where Voldemort taught his lessons.

We can talk in here, she responded in her head.

Excellent, the person replied. A hand gripped her wrist and she was virtually dragged inside the building, then through another door. Andrea judged, by the scent of mildew, that this was a closet; though a large one, for she could twirl with her arms extended and not hit anything.

“Cut it out,” she heard the person grumble. Not knowing what compelled her, she stopped mid-twirl. “Okay, now we’ll get down to business,” they continued. They took out the gag. Andrea opened her mouth to scream for help, but instead felt a drop of something trickle down her throat. She swallowed hard. “What’s your last name?” the person asked her.

Andrea answered automatically. “I have no last name, because Ella didn’t make me one.” How strange. The thought of making up a last name never even entered her head, as it usually did.

“Excellent,” answered the person crisply. “Now, what secrets has Voldemort told you?”

Andrea knew she couldn’t lie. But she didn’t want to give anything away that would help this horrible person learn how to murder people. She decided to slip through a loophole. “Voldemort told us that he would personally kill us if we told his secrets-”

“Crucio!” shouted the voice. Andrea crumpled as pain tore through her body. It was her only reality, and it was awful. Awful- pain- make it stop- make it stop!

Suddenly, the pain ceased, and she was left crouched on the floor, shaking and sobbing. She heard a cruel chuckle as the other person watched her suffering. “Now,” they continued, “answer the question directly. What secrets has Voldemort taught you?” A slightly different wording this time, Andrea noticed, to block out any loopholes. However, she had an idea.

“Voldemort taught me Avada Kedavra,” she whispered, as if it were the greatest secret ever. To her dismay, she heard the person grumble “not helpful” followed by another “Crucio!” Again, pain raced through her body. Unbearable agony- as though she was on fire. The pain wracked her endlessly, so when it finally abated, she was clutching her legs to her chest, huddled in a ball.

“I already know Avada Kedavra,” the person growled. “What kind of murderer do you think I am?” Andrea felt a thrill of fear when she realized she was speaking to the murderer, and what they could do to her at any time. So she had to keep resisting the torture. If she gave in, she knew, she would be killed.

However, after five more sessions of unbearable pain, Andrea felt her will weakening to a breaking point. Death, she realized, would be a welcome relief from her reality.

“I’ll tell you everything,” she croaked through parched lips. And she did. She spilled the darkest secrets of the ages. Secrets of horrifying curses, of rare and dangerous poisons, of abominable spells fueled by anger. She told everything, until her voice was gone and she had to speak in a rasping whisper.

“Very interesting,” the murderer commented thoughtfully, then remained silent. They were making no attempt to kill her, Andrea realized, so maybe they would let her go.

“Can I leave now?” she whispered hoarsely. The murderer laughed with genuine mirth, and Andrea’s heart sank.

“Of course you can leave!” the murderer said, still laughing. “And why not send you on your way with some nice tea and biscuits? In fact, why not take a selfie here in this dank closet? Then I’ll set you free with a lovely parting gift: my wand! No,” the murderer said, growing serious. “Our time together was too important for word to get out about it. There’s no way I can let you go, Andrea. You understand that; you’re a smart young lady.” They paused, then added, “You were a useless excuse for a murderer, anyway; killing Zeke was a work of genius, but you ruined it by moping around and feeling all sorry.”

Andrea felt tears gather in her eyes at the mention of his name. She knew the murderer was wrong. Zeke didn’t deserve to die, and neither did she. But with a sinking heart, she realized that was exactly what would happen.

“Avada Kedavra!” the murderer shouted. There was a flash of green light through her blindfold, then… nothing.

—

“Has anybody seen Andrea recently?” Dumbledore asked. He looked around the dining area at the sea of shaking heads.

“She wasn’t with us in Voldemort’s group today,” Kitten pointed out worriedly.

“But she talked to us at breakfast,” Levana pointed out. “Remember?”

“Yeah, that’s right. She sat at our table,” Breeze explained. “So she must’ve gone missing sometime between breakfast and the groups meeting up.”

“Do you think she got lost on the way to wherever Voldemort’s group gathers?” Kat asked.

“We should check!” Darkking exclaimed. “Everyone in Voldy’s group, let’s go check Knockturn Alley and see if we can find her.” Yxek, Sammy, Leafpool, and Kitten agreeably followed Darkking as he led the way out.

As Kitten passed the old building where Voldemort’s classes were held, she felt a strange urge to check inside. Not really knowing why, she entered the building and scanned the interior, hoping for some sign of Andrea. Suddenly, she spotted a closet in the corner. Weird, she thought. I never noticed that there. Kitten crossed the room and pulled the door open.

The smell of mildew hit her like a cement truck. She wrinkled her nose. All of a sudden, she looked down at the ground and gasped.

Andrea was lying on the floor, face frozen in an expression of terror. Kitten dropped to the floor beside her and felt frantically for a pulse.

Nothing.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea

Alive: Gracia, Soren, Levana, Yxek, Sammy, Leafpool, Arwen, Serene, Kitten, Breeze, Darkking, Asthene, Leo, Noon, Kat

Day Twelve:

“Look, too many people are getting murdered,” said Kat as the few remaining vacationers ate breakfast. “We need to stick together and make sure that the murderer can't get alone, or get any of us alone.”

“I have a better idea,” said Levana. “How about we just leave?”

“No, remember what Beverly found out the day she died? We can't get out. The door's locked.” There was a brief silence after Kitten’s pronouncement.

“Soooo… go pester Dumbledore and make him let us out!” suggested Leafpool.

“Where is Dumbledore, anyway?” asked Sammy.

<inhs><room> answered Noon, to the surprise of the older and taller people, who hadn't noticed she was there.

<heab><ando><ndus> added Yxek.

“Well that's sad,” said Kat impatiently, “But what about my idea?”

“Motion to try Kat’s idea?” said Kitten.

“Seconded!” Leo called.

“Motion passes,” said Kitten conclusively.

“I'm not sure that’s entirely how it works,” began Levana, but no one was listening to her.

—

Kat ate her dinner with satisfaction. Her plan had worked, so far. No one had died today! Some people had less fun, sure, and she still didn’t understand why the group had to go to the dullest places in Diagon Alley all day, but those things weren’t important in the grand scheme of things. She yawned, put her fork down, and stood up. “Guys, I'm going downstairs to get teal M&Ms from the candy bar. Make sure no one else leaves!” They nodded and continued eating their dinners in silence. (Except Kitten, who muttered to the nearest person, “Teal M&Ms? Who cares about what color their M&Ms are?”)

Kat headed down the stairs and grabbed a handful of candy, not noticing the other person until their wand was pointed at her chest. “You? What? How? But- no- wait- but-” she sputtered.

The murderer sighed. “What is it with all of you and your silly, useless questions? Avada Kedavra!”

—

Dumbledore angrily stared Voldemort in the face. “You can’t be serious. You want to let the murderer have free rein and do nothing to stop them?” 

Voldemort shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying at all! I said that we should stand back and let the murderer kill people until they’re the only one left, at which point we can deal with them.”

“That’s what I said,” Dumbledore pointed out, barely keeping his temper under control.

“No, it’s completely different. You’re just too busy protecting your own interests to realize that what I’m saying is right.”

Dumbledore’s (admittedly not very good) retort was interrupted by a knock at the door. He turned with relief to open it. But when he saw the tear-stained faces of the CBeings outside, his relief immediately turned to fear, then sadness, then anger. He knew what they were going to say even before they said it.

“Um, Dumbledore, Kat’s dead.”

He took exactly seven deep breaths and asked Noon and Leafpool the first cohesive question that came to mind. “Who could it have been? Did anyone leave after her?”

“That’s the problem,” Leafpool said. “No one did. She was the only one gone.”

Dumbledore immediately turned to Voldemort. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

“I promise you that I did not! I was just explaining to you how we should leave the murderer alone and not get involved.”

“And I was just explaining to you how that basically means that everyone would die because we didn’t care about them enough to stop it, which seems exactly the kind of thing you would support if you were helping the murderer kill everyone!”

Leafpool and Noon watched this exchange with fascination, having never heard before the kind of discussions their two chaperones had when they weren’t around. Dumbledore seemed to realize this at the same time and motioned for them to leave.

“Oh, and also, Voldemort,” he continued when they’d left, “why did you insist on having blood-flavored lollipops, Cockroach Clusters, and Pepper Imps in the candy bar? Only evil people would want to eat those.”

“Well, then, why did you insist on having Toothflossing Stingmints? Only dentists would want to eat those.”

From where they stood outside the doorway, listening, Leafpool and Noon looked at each other and shook their heads. Nothing more to be gained here, Leafpool mouthed sadly.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat

Alive: Gracia, Soren, Levana, Yxek, Sammy, Leafpool, Arwen, Serene, Kitten, Breeze, Darkking, Asthene, Leo, Noon

—

Dumbledore is not Hermione Granger. Nice try, though!

Unlucky Day Thirteen:

“So it was definitely Dark magic,” concluded Gracia, chewing thoughtfully on a wad of raspberry bubblegum. “Or a time turner. Or Voldemort. Or Voldemort using a time turner. Or Voldemort using Dark magic. Or Voldemort with a time turner using-”

“You’re not helping,” grumbled Asthene. Gracia subsided.

“I hate to admit it, but Asthene is right,” sighed Kitten. “We can’t exactly accuse Voldemort of killing off the guests. Then it would actually be true!” She giggled quietly at her own joke.

“But guys, the only solution is to tell Dumbledore,” Leo pointed out, nibbling a square of dark chocolate. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Sammy snatched the bar out of Leo’s other hand and took a huge bite. Glaring at her, Leo added, “We can tell him anonymously, to make sure Voldy doesn’t find out.”

<dmbl><alll><redy><knws>, said a new voice. The dozen assorted CBers whipped around to spot Noon and Yxek emerging from the stairwell. Breeze noticed that Yxek was looking at Noon with a lovestruck expression, and she giggled. Ignoring her admirer, Noon gracefully leapt onto the table, fluttered her wings, and casually pierced a still-wriggling gummy worm with her talon. <told><hiim><ystr><daay>, she explained. The CBers exchanged awed glances at Noon’s bravery, but the awe turned to exasperation when she swept her tail and sent a bowl of skittles from the candy bar crashing to the floor.

<illl><pick><thse><uppp> offered Yxek immediately.

“Guys, I had an idea,” said Darkking, leaning forward on his elbows. “So, we should keep staying together in a group, like we did yesterday.”

“Even though that didn’t work,” pointed out Levana.

“Yeah, but we also have a person acting as a shadow. So, whenever someone has to leave the group to use the bathroom or whatever, we cast the Disillusioning charm on the shadow, and the shadow follows the person leaving wherever they go. To act as a witness to any murder that happens.”

“Wait, so the shadow would follow that person into the bathroom? Eww!” Breeze shuddered. She liked having privacy.

“No, but they would wait outside the bathroom and follow the person back to the group. I’m pretty sure the murderer wouldn’t go into the bathroom with someone else, either. We all have our boundaries.” Darkking smiled.

“Should we give it a try?” asked Breeze.

“Sure.” Gracia stood up. “Breeze, you walk up the stairs, get something from your room, and come back down. I’ll be your shadow. Somebody Disillusion me!” Soren, catching on quickly, rapped her on the head with her wand, and she seemed to fade into thin air.

Agreeably, Breeze climbed the stairs to the main hallway, with Gracia following quietly behind her. She opened the door to her room, grabbed the first thing she saw (a box of taffy from Honeydukes) and returned to the dining room.

“I didn’t get murdered,” she declared, placing the box on the table.

“She certainly didn’t,” agreed a voice from over her shoulder. Breeze jumped.

“Gracia! That startled me!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, quit your whining.” A piece of taffy floated into the air and hurled itself at Breeze’s head. It hit her square on the forehead, and she burst into tears.

“Stop it! You’re so mean!” she sobbed. Far from being discouraged, this made Gracia throw more taffy. But the sobbing and taffy-throwing were disrupted by the arrival of another.

“Oh dear,” Dumbledore sighed when he saw the scene. “Gracia, put the taffy down, please. I hate to be a downer, but one usually eats dessert after dinner, and it’s only four o’clock. The point being that you should perhaps wait another couple hours or so before delving into that.” He pointed to the candy bar and the taffy scattered on the floor.

“Sorry, Dumbledore,” they all said in unison, grinning mischievously.

—

After a delicious dinner and dessert at the candy bar, Noon felt herself growing sleepy. The heat from the fireplace made her feel peaceful. She was just about to fall asleep when a voice whispered in her ear.

“Hey Noon, want to go stargazing with us?” Leafpool whispered. With great effort, Noon raised her eyes to Leafpool and Arwen, crouching next to her. “It’s just me and Arwen, plus Leo as our shadow, and we figured you might want to come along.” Noon nodded sleepily, uncurled herself, and leapt onto Leafpool’s shoulder for the walk.

The night was quite dark, with no moon, but plenty of stars. There was a bit of a chill in the air. A perfect night for stargazing, Noon thought happily.

They finally found a spot behind one of the shops that offered an excellent view of the sky. The light pollution was minimal, and the buildings and trees were short enough not to block out the constellations. They spent a good twenty minutes gazing up at the stars in peaceful silence, feeling the wind on their faces, and growing sleepier and sleepier.

Finally, they all stood up and began walking toward the Leaky Cauldron once again. They walked for a bit, but stopped when Arwen stepped on something that made a crunching sound. Peering down, Noon spotted some sort of plant with long, thin leaves and a single white flower.

“What’s that smell?” asked Arwen. Noon sniffed, and she could smell a burnt aroma coming from the flower. Suddenly, her limbs tensed up, then worse, became numb. She couldn’t see, couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe…

<leeo> she gasped, but Leo didn’t respond. Apparently, whatever this was had affected her, too. She struggled to inhale, but to no avail. Her head ached fiercely. Her brain spiraled down and down and down, closer and closer to death.

Until finally, she died.

—

The murderer crouched in the shadows, a handkerchief over their nose, grinning with the thrill of eliminating three more people. They couldn’t see Leo, Disillusioned as she was. But, unknown to them, that poisonous plant had killed another person. They crept away, glad that Andrea had told them those herbological secrets.

Sorry, Dumbledore, they thought sarcastically. Didn’t you realize today was the thirteenth day of this vacation? Tsk tsk. Very unlucky.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat, Leafpool, Arwen, Leo, Noon

Alive: Gracia, Soren, Levana, Yxek, Sammy, Serene, Kitten, Breeze, Darkking, Asthene

Day Fourteen:

After a long and lonely night, Sammy gave up on sleeping and decided to go down to the dining room for breakfast. She walked down the hall to her room’s door, but paused when she saw the envelope slipped under the door. Confused but eager, she picked up the envelope and ripped it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper, bearing the following message:

Dear Sammy,

Please meet me in Room 7 at 3:00 this afternoon. I know you have a grudge against the murderer and I want to help you fulfill that grudge. I promise this isn’t a trap.

Serene

If Sammy were honest with herself, she would know that she didn’t care about Serene or any other people she might invite to the meeting. But she was curious, and still grieving her companion’s deaths. She figured this meeting was a prelude to something exciting happening.

So at 3:00 pm, for almost no reason at all, she found herself knocking on the door to Room 7.

—

Asthene quietly slipped through the door to Room 7 ahead of Darkking, privately rolling her eyes as he stumbled over the door frame. She took a seat in one of the chairs Serene had set out. She spotted Yxek, Sammy, and of course, Serene herself.

“So then we’re all here,” Asthene muttered to herself. Serene had assembled all the people with a companion killed by the murderer. She guessed this meeting was intended to make a plan in the wake of Noon’s death.

Serene, apparently coming to the conclusion that she needed to wait no longer, sat up and cleared her throat.

“Hello, um, welcome to the meeting?” she guessed, clearly not adept at navigating social situations. Asthene saw her struggles and recognized a kindred spirit: another insecure AE. She decided then and there to help Serene run the meeting.

With the two introverts struggling at the head of the circle, the group discussed the recent death of Noon and three others. They attempted to name suspects, but they always came back to Voldemort as the killer.

“Avada Kedavra doesn’t work on yourself, so it must have been Voldemort who killed Kat,” Darkking pointed out.

<buut><what><dowe><dooo?> asked Yxek, clearly nervous about the idea of confronting Voldemort himself.

“Well, we’ll just have to make do and power through,” said Sammy bravely.

Together, the group formulated a plan to force Voldemort to prove his involvement in this whole thing. They would sneak into Voldemort’s room that night, corner him, and demand to learn what he knew.

Sammy nervously went over the plan in her mind as she ate dinner. As she cleared her plate, she barely noticed where she was walking and collided with Voldy, who had a malevolent glint in his eyes. Seeing her terrified expression, he flicked his wand and the world descended into a fog.

“Tell me your plan for this evening,” he seemed to shout, though she didn’t see his lips move.

She smiled calmly. Of course, she responded, and began to tell him the entire plan from start to finish.

—

<vldy><room><bhnd><that><door>, Yxek, the leader of the operation, whispered. Sammy, wracked with guilt over her admissions to Voldemort, said nothing. Yxek led them across the hall to the door, where he flicked his tail at Sammy. Startled, she pulled out her wand and whispered, “Alohomora!” The door sprang open in the blink of an eye. She felt a flash of pride. I practiced that all afternoon, she wanted to tell the others. But they were busy with the task of sneaking in, and she hung her head in dismay.

The group crept into the main room, which appeared to be a living room. They slipped past the bookshelves (stuffed with horrid, bloodstained books) and were about to continue into the bedroom when they heard a familiar, furious voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The group swiveled around to see Voldemort, livid with rage, stepping from behind a bookshelf. “Sneaking into my room? Such insolence! That must be punished, you know,” he added cunningly. “Who is the leader of this operation?”

Terrified, Yxek inched forward a half step and raised his hand.

<iamm> he squeaked. Voldemort’s frown darkened.

“Crucio!” he shouted, and Yxek was lifted into the air, his semi-feline form writhing and thrashing. When the spell ceased, Yxek collapsed to the floor, panting with his little pink tongue stuck out. But there would be no relief, for Voldemort was lifting his wand again.

“Crucio!” he repeated, and Yxek was thrown upward, still writhing, but exhaustedly, as if his strength was draining. The others watched in horror as Voldemort continued this process. He cast the curse over and over, uncountable times, until Yxek was curled into a ball, mumbling incoherently, tortured nearly into madness. Finally, Voldemort seemed to be growing bored, and flicked his wand a final time.

“Avada Kedavra!” he shouted, and green light flashed from his wand. Yxek collapsed, his head lolling to the side. “Now the rest of you,” he said, addressing the group, “get out!”

The CBers and companions needed no further urging. Together, they fled the chamber, casting terrified glances behind them. Voldemort sat down heavily in a chair, tired after all that cursing, awaiting Dumbledore’s inevitable visit and anger.

—

Dumbledore climbed the stairs, exhausted after the long day. He had found Soren dead in her room that night, apparently killed with Avada Kedavra. Levana had not been in the room, so no one had any idea who had killed her. He sighed and pushed open Voldemort’s door, wanting to debate with him about what to do.

What he saw inside was not what he was expecting.

Voldemort sat in a chair looking exhausted, glaring at Dumbledore as soon as he walked into the room. Beside him was Yxek’s body, his face frozen in a terrified expression.

Clearly killed with Avada Kedavra.

Dumbledore turned on Voldemort, pulling his wand out. “Did you, by any chance, have something to do with this?” he asked in a dangerously low voice, gesturing toward the body. Voldemort’s scowl deepened.

“The little fool and his friends were sneaking around in my rooms! I couldn’t allow that! I had to set an example.”

“By killing him?” Dumbledore asked incredulously. Voldemort looked thoughtful.

“Well, I did torture him first,” he pointed out. Then seeing the look on his fellow chaperone’s face, he instantly reverted back to anger. “Anyway, you can’t expect me to tolerate your insolent guests when they start sneaking around in my chambers! They’ve gone too far this time!” His voice rose to a shout.

“‘Not killing your guests’ is a basic principle of hospitality!” Dumbledore insisted. “Clearly, yours is in short supply.” Voldemort shrugged, as if this was the least of his worries. “I can’t allow you to keep killing my guests!” Dumbledore continued angrily. “You could have asked me to come have a talk with those in your room. But you decided to take matters into your own hands, instead.” He flicked his wand, as if coming to a decision. “That’s it,” he said briskly. “I’ve had just about enough of you and your evil ways. You’re no longer a chaperone for this trip anymore. I withdraw any protection I’ve given you. You have an hour to pack your trunk and leave Diagon Alley. I can see that all my time trying to reform you was completely wasted.” He tossed a contemptuous glance over his shoulder as he left the room, leaving Voldemort thoroughly annoyed.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat, Leafpool, Arwen, Leo, Noon, Yxek, Soren

Alive: Gracia, Levana, Sammy, Serene, Kitten, Breeze, Darkking, Asthene

—

@Sammy, 'Unknown to them' refers to the murderer, not the group. 

Gracia throwing taffy at Breeze when Breeze is freaking out? Hmm, that seems very un-Graciaish.

I can do a Disillusion Charm?? Sweet.

…But now I'm dead.

WHOO

@Dumbledore, are you Rogue, spiffycat, or Artimerrx? 

Day Fifteen:

Breeze sat in the dining hall nervously, watching the people around her whisper. They’d heard from Gracia, who had a room with a front window, that Voldemort had left angrily in the middle of the night. Rumors abounded as to why he’d left: He’d grown tired with Dumbledore. Dumbledore had grown tired with him. Tom, the innkeeper, had kicked him out. No one knew. They thought Yxek might, though, and that he was probably talking to Dumbledore at this very moment. 

Their beliefs were proven wrong, however, when Dumbledore came downstairs, a frighteningly insane look on his face. The room fell silent as he ran a hand through his long, sleep-rumpled hair and shook his head silently. “Yxek is dead,” he said. All but four of the CBers and companions gasped. “Voldemort killed him,” Dumbledore continued, “so I kicked Voldemort out. Hopefully, he’s left Diagon Alley by now. If you see him at any point, please tell me, but under no circumstances should you approach him. Understand?” 

They did.

“I don’t have any sort of a plan for today,” he said with a tired sigh, surveying the much-too-small group of vacationers. “You can wander around Diagon Alley as you like, but be sure to keep in groups of three or more at all times.” And with that, he turned to get himself a plate of food, shaking his head all the while.

The vacationers ended up splitting into two groups of four: Breeze, Levana, Sammy, and Gracia would go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and possibly Eeylop’s Owl Emporium – they weren’t sure yet – while Kitten, Darkking, Asthene, and Serene would visit Cranville Quincey’s Magical Junkshop. 

Breeze followed her companions across Diagon Alley to the Quidditch store, slightly excited for the outing but also extremely sad and worried about Yxek’s killing. What if Voldemort was the murderer after all? What if he was going to kill her? She also felt a bit guilty for not really paying attention when the group discussed the murders. What if she knew some piece of information that could have helped them find the murderer, and she didn’t share it just because she was bored? What if it was all her fault?

Caught up in these horrible thoughts, Breeze didn’t notice Sammy veering them away from their planned path until they were well inside Knockturn Alley. Gracia appeared to notice at the same time. “Er, Sammy,” said the CBer. “Maybe we ought to go back to Diagon Alley, where Dumbledore told us to stay? Maybe? Please?”

“Can we at least go see what that crowd’s interested in?” begged Sammy. Despite herself, Breeze found herself curious too. Maybe this crowd had something to do with the murderer! 

“I’d like to see what the crowd’s excited about, too,” she told Gracia.

“Oh, alright, fine!” Gracia said. “But be careful; it might…” Breeze, Sammy, and Levana promptly began to run toward the crowd, not listening to whatever Gracia might be trying to say. They quickly reached the crowd of witches and wizards, muttering excitedly about whatever was in the middle. It didn’t occur to Breeze or the others that this excitement might be of the fearful and distraught variety. Instead, grasping the hands of the other two, she pushed her way through to the center of the circle, where they could see what was going on.

Voldemort was standing in the middle, killing anyone who came within wandshot.

Just as they realized that this might not have been a good idea, Voldemort spotted them. “You!” he growled. “This is all. Your. FAULT!” Sammy screamed and turned to run. Breeze began to follow, only to turn back upon hearing Voldemort’s curse. The green light of the Avada Kedavra shot right past her face, landing on the back of Levana, who had been the first to try to run.

Breeze watched incredulously as Voldemort’s wand leveled itself at her forehead. His mouth opened in slow motion and began to speak the words that would kill her. Gracia’s voice came dimly from behind her, urging her to move, but she was paralyzed with fear. The beam of light moved closer and closer to her eyes, and then, before she knew it, she was dead.

From a safe distance, Gracia and Sammy stared at the two dead bodies. Sighing, Gracia finished her earlier statement. “It might be Voldemort,” she said quietly. If only they’d stopped to listen to her warning. She shook her head sadly, grabbed Sammy by the elbow, and went to inform Dumbledore.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat, Leafpool, Arwen, Leo, Noon, Yxek, Soren, Breeze, Levana

Alive: Gracia, Sammy, Serene, Kitten, Darkking, Asthene

—

Soren, Dumbledore is not any of those. 

Day Sixteen:

“Do you, er, want to go into Flourish and Blotts?” Asthene asked Serene. She nodded enthusiastically, making her verbal response seem superfluous.

“Oh, yes, very much so,” she responded eagerly. Asthene grinned, and they walked into the shop together. They had developed quite a friendship bond in the time they had been on vacation together. The two introverts rarely spoke while spending time together, which suited both of them just fine.

“Hello, there, folks!” said an employee, greeting them with a smile. Serene smiled back. “Would you like to look at our newest display of color-changing ink?” he asked them. Suddenly, Asthene had an idea.

“No, thanks,” she told the employee. “Do you happen to have any books on, say, dark curses?” The employee looked instantly suspicious.

“Why do you want to learn about dark curses?” he asked warily.

So I can beat the murderer at their own game, Asthene thought. Aloud, she said, “One of my friends cursed my cat, and now she’s puking all over the floor. I want to get back at him.” The employee grinned.

“Ah, then you’ll want hexes, not curses,” he explained knowingly. “Hex books are in the backyard, outside of the shop. I can recommend some, if you’d like,” he added.

Serene caught her eye and gave her a tiny frown. Asthene gave an equally tiny shrug in response and answered, “No thanks.” The employee nodded and walked away. There was nothing Asthene could do without seeming suspicious, so with a sigh, she walked deeper into the shop until she and Serene reached the back door.

As they pretended to browse the hex books, Serene leaned over and whispered, “Why did you want a book about dark curses?”

“I wanted to use dark magic against the murderer,” Asthene explained. Serene looked relieved.

“Oh. Good,” she replied. “I thought—”

What she thought was never said, for at that moment, the pair heard a rumbling noise. Serene turned to Asthene, eyes wide with panic. “Is it an earthquake?” she asked. Asthene shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” she began, but she was interrupted by another rumbling noise, this one louder. The AEs searched for the source of the noise, but they were too late. They could only watch in horror as several tons of rock came barreling down the steep hill toward them. Asthene thought she saw a black-cloaked figure dart away, but perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps she was seeing things.

Then the boulders descended and everything stopped.

—

High on the hilltop, a ghostly figure watched the scene below. He flicked the spectral tip of his bionic tail and growled menacingly. As the avalanche began, he could just make out a black-robed figure racing away from the scene. But alas, his eyes as a ghost were not as sharp as he would have liked. Or maybe the figure was just very good at hiding.

He needed to tell someone what happened, and he knew just who should be told. Ironically, however, that was the person who would be hit hardest by the news. Turning away from the scene of the avalanche, Yxek bounded toward the Leaky Cauldron, intent on his task.

—

Darkking yawned and rose from the table after clearing his dinner plate. He tripped up the stairs, looking forward to collapsing onto his soft mattress, and he barely noticed the other presence until something hissed below him. He looked down in surprise at a sight he was not expecting.

“Yxek!” he began to exclaim, but the ghostly furball put a paw to his lips in an unmistakable gesture for silence. Darkking nodded, and continued in a whisper. “Are you a ghost? Why are you here?” Suddenly, he thought of the others, particularly Mor. “Are there other ghosts, too?” he asked in a hushed voice. But Yxek was wearing a sad and pitying expression that made Darkking stop in his tracks.

<ihav><news> Yxek whispered unhappily. <astn><dead>. Darkking felt a cold stone in his gut.

“How?” he managed to choke out. Yxek sighed. He hated breaking this news.

<aval><anch>. <shee><annd><sren><atth><same><time>.

Grief flooded Darkking’s heart. “I better tell the others,” he mumbled, and began shuffling back down the stairs. But Yxek stopped him with a growl.

<dont><trst><them> he said briefly. He bounded down the stairs and slipped out the back door, beckoning for Darkking to follow, which he did reluctantly. The pair walked quietly down the street until they reached a small, deserted corner. Another ghostly figure appeared, smiling.

“Hey, Darkking! Good to see you again!” Andrea called. She hurried toward him and wrapped him in a hug. It felt vaguely like being drenched in ice water. He shuddered, and she let go, grinning apologetically. From behind her came another figure.

“Why didn’t you listen to me?” Zeke complained. “It wasn’t logical to bring Darkking. You should have brought Sammy instead; she’s lost both of us, and Ella. Darkking’s more likely to be the murderer.” Darkking felt his indignation rise, but Andrea was already replying.

“You’re just swayed by your emotions,” she teased, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Zeke glared at her and rubbed his arm resentfully.

<shhh> Yxek growled, annoyed. The pair fell silent.

“Well, guys, I promise I’m not the murderer,” Darkking began. “For one thing, Mor was killed a couple weeks ago, and also, Asthene was killed today. But–but I just want to know: are there other ghosts?” His voice cracked a little in emotion, but he didn’t care.

Andrea smiled at him sadly. “No, there’s just us. I guess it’s because we all have really strong revenge motives against the murderer.”

Darkking sighed. Rest in peace, Mor and Asthene. “Well, it’s good to see you all. We should try to come up with a plan!”

For the better part of two hours, the ghosts and Darkking brainstormed a plan. Finally, they had it fully fleshed out, and Darkking walked back to his room, feeling hopeful.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat, Leafpool, Arwen, Leo, Noon, Yxek, Soren, Breeze, Levana, Asthene, Serene

Alive: Gracia, Sammy, Kitten, Darkking

Day Seventeen:

“Guys,” said Kitten quietly, “Do you realize that there are only four of us left?”

“Yes; who wouldn't?” Darkking replied, perhaps more loudly than he meant to.

“No- I mean-” Kitten struggled to get her thoughts out. It was always so clear to herself but so unclear to everyone who didn't have the privilege of being inside her head. “I mean, doesn't it surprise you that the murderer has managed to kill all but four of us? And they still haven't been caught?”

“Technically,” pointed out Sammy, “not everyone was killed by the murderer. Voldemort was responsible for, let's see, three, at the very least.”

“That. Wasn't. My. Point,” spat Kitten. “Maybe you're just trying to take some blame off yourself.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Let's all calm down, shall we?” said Gracia. “Everyone's a little nervous, but that's no reason to be pointing fingers.”

The three others apologized to each other, some more readily than others.

“I still think there's no harm in correcting people,” muttered Sammy. Gracia shook her head but refrained from commenting, clearly hoping to move on to a different topic. Sure enough, she began to speak as soon as the others had quieted down.

“So this new book came out today that I really want to read, and I was hoping we could go see if Flourish and Blotts had it,” she said.

“What’s the book about?” asked Darkking.

“It’s called Dust: A Lesson in Boredom.”

“That sounds really boring,” Darkking complained. “I don’t want to go with you to read a book about boredom. I mean, of all the things to write a book about, why would someone choose that? Boredom is, like, the most boring thing ever. Who would want to read about it? That’s so stupid.” 

While Darkking continued to rant about how boredom was the boring-est boring thing ever, Kitten looked at Gracia and raised her eyebrows. Gracia smiled slyly and winked. Tell you later, she mouthed.

“…and that is why I think that this entire book is completely useless and why I do not want to go with you to Flourish and Blotts!” finished Darkking.

“Okay, maybe we don’t all need to stick together today,” suggested Kitten, glancing at Gracia for confirmation. “I can go with Gracia to Flourish and Blotts, and you two can go to, oh, I don’t know, the Magical Menagerie.” Gracia nodded her head ever so slightly.

Sammy and Darkking readily agreed to the plan and headed off in a hurry, glancing behind them like there was a chance they would be forced to read about boredom all day. When they were gone, Gracia and Kitten looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“So, is there actually a book coming out today, or did you just want to be rid of them?” Kitten asked eventually.

“There is, actually; Jennifer Nielsen has a new book called The Warrior’s Curse coming out today. But I also wanted to be rid of them. I mean, we’ve been stuck with them for sixteen days; I thought we could at least have one day without them before we’re all, you know, murdered.”

“Yeah. That whole we’re-all-going-to-be-murdered thing.” Kitten sighed. “Who do you think the murderer is?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Gracia replied thoughtfully. “Presumably it’s one of the four of us, but I just can’t see any of us killing other people. Or maybe it’s Voldemort?”

“No, it couldn’t have been Voldemort. He was with Dumbledore the night Kat was killed, remember?”

“Yeah. But then… so was everyone else. No one could have killed her without us noticing.”

“Oh. Ooooooooooh.” Kitten stopped in her tracks, a sudden realization coming to her, and turned to face her companion. “Gracia, I think I know who the murderer is. It’s-”

“Wait. I care about what you’re saying, I really do, but I think there- um- might be a bigger problem right now. Turn around. Slowly.” There was a hint of panic in Gracia’s voice. Actually, more than a hint. She seemed terrified. Kitten turned around as slowly as she could, eyes wide with both curiosity and fright. She barely had time to see the bear before it was upon her, ripping her apart with a roar and moving on to Gracia. There was an anger in its eyes that seemed almost inhuman, almost as if someone was controlling it. Almost as if…

But she didn’t get to finish the thought, for her blood was flooding out of her body in great waves, and suddenly, she was dead.

—

Dead: Catsclaw, Spiffycat, Emerald Frost, Autumn, Mor, harry pooooooootter!, Beatrice, Claaws, Summer, Beverly, Jarnen, NK, Ella Starburst, Zeke, NatureWriter, Andrea, Kat, Leafpool, Arwen, Leo, Noon, Yxek, Soren, Breeze, Levana, Asthene, Serene, Gracia, Kitten

Alive: Sammy, Darkking

All guesses for me are incorrect.

*I THINK IT'S DARKRING!

I THINK IT'S YOU!

I'M SO CONFUSED!

I'm glad to be almost rid of this. Although I do believe that the bear was possessed. I think it might have been Sammy, as before, it was mentioned that a dark-clothed figure, which would be Sammy. Sammy also could have gotten a possession tip from Andrea. I am not certain of these facts, but either way, someone's going to die, and we might as well risk it all by starting a ghost revolution and killing Sammy. So, that's what I'm doing, because it sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday, and my other option is spending time with these dorks.