Chapter 242 - Vanishing Cabinet

After dinner, Rowan went on her usual walk to give herself some time digest her meal and to try to find the Vanishing Cabinet within the castle. Apparently, it wasn't quite as easy to find considering the scope of the castle. And despite checking the first two recorded locations of said cabinet, the room of requirements and the first floor the vanishing cabinet was nowhere to be found.

Still Rowan continued her search after dinner on her daily twenty-minute walk. Slowly, but surely, she covered empty classrooms and obscure parts of the castle. She shivered at the chill of the cold corridors and tugged her robes around her that much tighter. A bit distracted in thought she failed to notice the hovering figure above.

A soft bell jingle caused Rowan to glance up only suddenly see a large black cabinet falling straight towards her. Without any hesitation, she pointed her wand at it and said, "Bombarda!"

The vanishing cabinet exploded into a cloud of sharp wood splinters. Wincing Rowan felt several shards digging into her hands and bleeding cuts on her face and neck. Wincing in pain, she glared at the shocked tiny little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie hovering right over her. The usual wide malicious face of Peeves the Poltergeist was agape in utter shock.

Raising her sleeve to wipe the dripping blood from her face, Rowan winced in pain. Still glaring, she growled, "That is the last straw, Peeves. I'm telling the Bloody Baron!"

Quickly Peeves face begins to pale as he blusters, "You wouldn't dare! His Bloodyness, sir, would never believe you!"

"I'm one of his snakes," Rowan snapped back. "Want to make a bet?"

Before Peeves can zoom away a glistening figure emerges from the wall, who had been in the nearby Astronomy tower and having been attracted by the nearby explosion. The gaunt face of the Bloody Baron stares impassively at them both as his robes stained with silver blood flutter at his side. Carefully eying the wand pulled out in the girl's hand, and the blood dripping down her face, the Bloody Baron can easily piece together what had transpired.

A very icy air is excluded from the Bloody Baron as nearby torches suddenly begin to burn blue rather than their warm fiery color. Rowan can suddenly see her breath in the now freezing hall. Trying to keep her teeth from chattering, Rowan says, "Bloody Baron, sir, Peeves tried to drop that large cabinet on top of me!"

The Bloody Baron fixed Peeves with a frightful, deadly gaze. "Is that true, Peeves?" The Bloody Baron hoarsely asked.

Peeves shivers in sudden fear and squeaks, "It was a prank, your Bloodyness, sir!"

The temperature seems to drop several more degrees as the Bloody Baron says, "I have made it abundantly clear to you, Peeves, that my snakes are not to be hurt."

Peeves eyes are wide filled with fright as he stutters, "It was a prank, sir!"

"It would seem I have been lacking in my discipline of you, Peeves," the Bloody Baron matter-of-factly stated. An awful presence could be felt emanating from the Bloody Baron as he simply reached over and clasped his long, powerful fingers around the back of Peeves' neck.

Pausing to nod at his snakeling, the Bloody Baron said, "This will not occur again, child. Go and have the matron see to your wounds." Without another word, the Bloody Baron vanishes through the wall with an utterly terrified Peeves in tow.

Rowan watches the Bloody Baron go when it occurs to her that since ghosts can touch each other surely, they can hurt each other as well. In fact, probably one of the few things in existence that can hurt a ghost is another ghost. And if so, that proved that despite ghosts not being living beings that did not mean ghosts were not, in fact, a version of Horcrux's much like a ghost, which is an imprint of the deceased is able to affect the world around them to a small extent. And if so, could a powerful enough ghost destroy a Horcrux or become a type of Horcrux? It was a thought-provoking thought at least.

Wincing, Rowan wiped the trails of blood pouring down her face. Glancing at the destroyed cabinet all around, she nods in approval. At least, Peeves had saved her the trouble of finding the other vanishing cabinet.

Still, Rowan wasn't taking any chances and gathered all the wooden pieces and shrunk them down to later to be tossed into the fireplace as kindle. That would ensure that nothing be left beyond ashes and dust.

Wincing in stinging pain now that the adrenaline and shock had worn away, Rowan makes her way to the infirmary. She needed the splinters of wood to be taken out of her wounds before her wounds could be healed shut. It wouldn't do to get an infection or worse.

Needless to say, Rowan didn't make it very far when she was spotted by the Hufflepuff Female Prefect. The poor 5th-year girl was extremely anxious as she quickly escorted Rowan to the infirmary. Everyone quickly got out of the way as the Hufflepuff Prefect basically glared everyone out of her way. That and everyone was whispering in hushed voices at seeing the blood still dripping down Rowan's face and neck.

The infirmary at present was filled largely with coughing sounds coming from behind white linen curtains that held those ill with a cold. It was still winter, and the flu was still making its way around. Not that going out in freezing temperatures to play in the snow or fly on brooms helped the issue.

The kind, but stern matron, suddenly rushes forward as her red dress, white apron and matron cap flutter behind her. "Miss Prince!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "Exactly what has happened?!"

Rowan makes a face, which causes her to whimper in pain at causing the wounds on her face to stretch. "Peeves," Rowan hissed. "He dropped a cabinet on me, and I somehow managed to blast the cabinet apart before it hit me. But the splinters still got all over my hands, face, and neck."