Participants:
Posthumous appearance by:
| Scene Title | Ghost Crossing |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | The inevitable run-in. |
| Location | Hogwarts - Grand Staircase |
| Date | April 24, 1995 |
| Watch For | Melissa getting spooked |
| Logger | Egbert |
Melissa is sitting on the top of one set of stairs, her head resting thoughtfully in her hand. Her gaze flicks between the surrounding paintings (some of whom are starting to get a bit curious) and the students passing by- every so often she raises a hand to try to get some Ravenclaw's attention, asking them if they've found a key anywhere, but the answer is always no.
Fresh off his last class - there's still a sheaf of parchment tucked under his arm - Egbert heads up the stairs, doing likewise with his own housemates (along with a Gryffindor at one point, who politely shakes his head). "No one up here spotted it either, huh?" he offers as he spots Melissa.
Melissa shakes her head, looking up at Egbert. "No… maybe I left it in my adult clothes from when we did the aging potion," she says. "I should write home and ask if they've seen it…" She returns to her thoughtful pose, wondering where else she might have taken it.
Egbert sighs, sitting down and leaning back. "I don't know, maybe… One of the animals could have run off with it, too, a key would probably be shiny enough to get their attention. Maybe a spell to just find it would be easier than one to bring it back?"
Melissa nods. "Probably. I doubt it's anywhere I can't go," she says. "It could very well be an animal though. I checked the box and I still hear the vial rolling around in there, so it probably didn't get taken…"
Egbert shrugs. "I don't know, then— I guess we wait till something turns up? At least you know it's safe in there, and if it spoiled then Snape would have warned you. Well, told you all that you'd probably screw up and leave it sitting around too long…"
Melissa nods. "Right… I don't think he'd leave out that sort of information… it'd be dangerous since he wouldn't know when we'd try to use it!" She looks around for a while. "So who in Ravenclaw brought pets? I still don't quite know everyone…"
"Well, didn't everyone?" replies Egbert, shaking his head and looking confused. "I think we'd better ask the teachers at this point, they might know how to narrow it down somehow."
She was wanting to put this off for as long as possible. Alas. There really wasn't a way around not showing herself. Eggie's got what, five more years of school? The castle is huge, but not that huge to remain hidden from view! Or is it!? Are there any students who can make it through without seeing every resident ghost? Hmmm.. OH WELL. She can't forestall the inevitable too much longer.. not when Perpetua's already been chatty with a few other Hufflepuffs. It's just.. her baby brat of a brother n'all. So here she is, and would be breathing in a deep breath for courage.. if she still had lungs n'all. Drifting like smoke, Perpetua slides through the wall, directly behind Egbert. Wordlessly, she hangs there in the air behind him, arms folded there against her ches… err.. well you get the idea of the sort of pose she's striking. (SO HARD being dead!)
Melissa shakes her head. "It's optional, I mean, I didn't- wha!" She falls back a bit, catching herself on the landing with her forearms, as Perpetua comes through the wall. "Could you… could you not do that?" she asks, a bit upset.
Egbert blinks in confusion. But he didn't do anyth— wait, she must be talking to someone else. Someone able to sneak up behind him without so much as scuffling their feet against the ground… he's starting to figure it out just as he turns around, freezing in place. "Um. H'lo, Pet." What do you say at a time like this?
"It's not like I can open doors! Get used to it, all the ghosts do this!" Perpetua looks just a bit put out, particularly at a firstie asking such a thing! HOW else is she going to move around? YEESH. "'H'lo Pet'? That's all you can say!? That's so disappointing." She looks a bit pouty and put out that there's no yelps, repeat fainting spells or panic attacks.
"I know… but still, there's got to be a better way than coming out of some random wall… couldn't there be 'ghost crossing' signs or something? We can't see through walls to know you're coming…" She frowns. "But I'm sorry if I offended you… erm, Pet?" She shrugs a bit, not knowing the ghost's actual name.
"Perpetua," Egbert automatically fills in for Melissa's benefit. With a sigh, he sits down on the floor, resting his chin in his hands. "Well, what do you expect? Anything I say now's going to come out sounding barmy— 'you're looking well, sorry you died and all'?" At least being able to talk with her is some comfort, even as he slips right back into the petulant tones of a little brother.
"Too bad. If I want to creep up on people, I can. All ghosts do it. I can also creep up on Eggie here all I want too. Big sister priviledge." So there! Perpetua even puts out her tongue at Melissa, acting oh so mature for sixteen years. "Silly first years. Ghost crossing signs.. of all the — Oh Egbert. I'd ruffle your hair and embarrass you in front of firstie here if I could.. /everything/ you say sounds barmy." She sighs and looks as if she might get weepy. He /is/ her brother and she did get herself killed.. and.. "Take care of my cat would you? Astrophel's going to be so confused when I don't come home."
Melissa blinks. "Oh, you're… you're Egbert's sister then," she says. "Well, it's a good idea, isn't it? But there's no way to enforce it I suppose… can't fine you or lock you up… so maybe you're right. And I guess ghosts are supposed to be scary…"
Egbert pulls out a handful of parchment (he stuffed it into a pocket earlier) and winds his arm back, as if to throw it through Perpetua, but he doesn't go through with it. Maybe he heard about someone taunting Myrtle that way. "Mum's taking care of him, I've already got Teal to look after myself. Pet, this is Melissa," getting up now and gesturing toward the Ravenclaw, "she's my— er, she's my friend." The hesitation says it all. Easy target for more teasing, P!
"No. It's not a good idea," Perpetua says, sounding a bit miffed, then her eyes narrow. She's watching Egbert like a hawk, "Don't you even think about it.. I may be dead, but I can get back at you.. and I /do/ know where you sleep. I'm learning all sorts of tricks." Then her expression grows cool, and she looks over Melissa and shrugs. Okay. Firstie is her brother's friend. "Hey Melissa." She can be polite and like her former self. "Okay, figured mum would look after him n'all. I thought about going to see her and dad, but figured they'd take things just even harder. So don't tell 'em, okay? Can you promise to not tell them I came back?"
Melissa gives a little smile. "Nice to meet you then, even if things did get off to a bit of a rough start between us," she says. "Oh, hey, while you're here, there's something I need some help with," she adds, brightening. "I had a really important key that went missing, do you think you could help find it? I think one of the other Ravenclaws' pets might have run off with it…"
Egbert nods. "Yeah, I'll keep quiet about it." If there's one thing that siblings can almost always agree on, it's keeping the odd secret from their parents! Then he glances over to Melissa, arching a brow: oookay, this should be interesting…
Perpetua shakes her head, "I haven't seen a lost key or anything. Hopefully just an animal ran off with it, cause if Peeves got it.. good luck getting it back. He's a total prat about that sort of thing." Forgetting what she is for a moment, a hand reaches out to pat Egbert on the head, and woosh, goes right through. "Erhm, sorry about that. I still forget I'm all.. ghosty.."
Melissa nods. "All right then," she says, wondering why, if she sometimes forgets she's a ghost, she's so comfortable with going through walls and spooking people. "I've been asking every Ravenclaw I see, and I thought you might be able to help… you can go all over the place after all…"
Creepy! Egbert whips around and does toss the parchment this time, though it really only sort of catches Perpetua in the side before floating off to the next floor down. Whoops. "Forget. A likely story." It may be the truth, but he's not buying it right now.
A scowl crosses Perpetua's face as she looks down at Egbert. "I /do/ forget at times! I haven't been dead that long and.. you're still a brat!" That seems all she can bring herself to say before she's zooming off and right through a wall!
Melissa scratches her head. "Is she always like that?" she asks. "Or is it just the whole ghost thing?"
Egbert starts down the stairs to retrieve the parchment. He needs those study notes, after all… "I don't know," he calls up to Melissa, "that was the first time we talked since— well, you know. I guess she is pretty new to it, still."
Melissa stands and follows him down the stairs. "Maybe… it doesn't sound like the kind of thing you could ever really get totally used to… I wonder how long some of the ghosts here at Hogwarts have been here. Are any of them older than the building and they just moved in?"
Egbert shrugs. "I don't know, I'll ask the Friar next time I see him." The parchment is gathered up in short order and put away again. "Do you know anything about why someone becomes one in the first place? They're not that common, or they'd be all over the place by now."
Melissa shrugs. "I've heard a few theories, nothing really conclusive…" she answers. "I suppose it's partly luck… good or bad, depending on who you ask."
Egbert shakes his head. "Probably a little of both. Anyway, you want to go outside for a while? I could use some fresh air." And the ghosts don't tend to wander around out there. That he knows of.
"Sure," Melissa answers. "Not much else to do, I suppose."
This was Perpetua and Egbert's first actual scene together. It's all your fault, Peter!