Here's a bonus chapter for you all! Thank you so much for waiting. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I hope you have a wonderful time reading!
The corridor leading to the Deathday Party was lit with candles, but the effect was far from pleasant. Thin, black candles burned with an eerie blue flame, casting a ghostly glow over the hallway. With each step they took, the temperature seemed to drop. Orli pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
A screeching sound suddenly pierced the air, like a thousand fingernails scraping across a blackboard. They all shivered. When they finally turned the corner, the scene of the party came into view.
The dungeon classroom was packed with hundreds of pearly-white, translucent figures, most of whom drifted aimlessly on the overcrowded dance floor. The chandeliers overhead were also lit with blue-flamed candles, their light enhancing the haunting atmosphere as the ghostly band played their macabre music. Their breaths formed misty clouds in front of them, as if they'd stepped into a freezer.
# Harry
"Shall we look around?"
Harry suggested, hoping to warm up his feet.
# Hermione
"Be careful not to walk through anyone."
Hermione warned.
They weaved their way to the far end of the dungeon classroom, where an overpowering stench nearly made Orli gag. Huge chunks of rotting meat were laid out on a long table, alongside cakes burnt to a crisp piled high on trays. A moldy green cheese sat prominently in the center, and an entire stinking salmon, complete with wriggling maggots, lay nearby.
## Orli
"I think I want to leave."
Orli said, holding her breath against the nausea rising in her stomach.
# Ron
"I can't take this anymore."
Ron's teeth chattered from the cold.
# Harry
"Let's go."
Harry agreed.
Hermione looked as though she felt it might be rude to leave, but she couldn't think of a good reason to stay.
As they made their way towards the door, they awkwardly smiled at the ghosts who turned to look at them. They carefully avoided the troublesome Peeves and Moaning Myrtle, and within a minute, they were back in the corridor with the black candles.
# Ron
"Hopefully we can still make it to the Great Hall. I bet the pudding hasn't been finished yet."
Ron said hopefully, leading the way towards the staircase that would take them to the entrance hall.
Just then, Harry stumbled and stopped abruptly. He grabbed onto the stone wall, listening intently as his eyes searched the dimly lit corridor.
# Hermione
"Harry, what's wrong?"
Hermione asked.
# Harry
"That voice! Did you hear it? There's a voice!"
Harry said loudly.
# Ron
"What voice?"
Ron walked over but heard nothing.
# Harry
"There! … It's speaking—you didn't hear it?"
Harry said urgently, his eyes darting between Ron and Hermione. They stared at him, bewildered. Orli's face turned deathly pale.
It was here.
The Basilisk had emerged.
What had gone wrong?! Orli's mind raced frantically, trying to figure it out.
Harry's gaze swept across the walls and ceiling.
# Harry
"This way!"
He shouted and took off running. They dashed up the stairs, through the entrance hall, and onto the second floor. Orli stumbled along, gasping for breath.
# Hermione
"Harry, what are we doing…?"
Hermione panted.
# Harry
"Shh!"
Harry held up a hand, listening again before taking off once more. They sprinted through the third floor, turning corner after corner. Finally, they rounded a bend and found themselves in an empty corridor.
# Ron
"Harry, what's going on? I didn't hear anything…"
Ron said, wiping the sweat from his face.
# Harry
"It's gone."
Harry said, looking around blankly.
Orli, trembling, clutched Hermione's hand and began scanning the area. Thankfully, there was nothing unusual—no bloody writing, no petrified cat. Only a large puddle of water on the floor.
A low murmur began to rise from downstairs, the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs and the cheerful chatter of students after dinner. Soon, the corridor was crowded as students jostled their way through from both ends.
## Orli
"Let's go. We'll talk later."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Orli pulled them towards the staircase leading back to the tower.