After the prank disaster, me and Padfoot quickly made our exit so as not to raise any suspicions. When we were finally out of sight and hearing, we took off the cloak. Padfoot was literally laughing his head off. I had to force him into shutting up because we can never be sure if McGonagall came down searching for the mischief makers. 

Next stop is the Hogwarts dungeons. The Deathday Party was arranged in there and despite the fact that I didn't prefer going down in those cold parts still I figured that at least for the first time in my life I won't see Snape down there. I had been so inclined to laugh when a frog had landed right on Snape's hooked eagle's beak like nose. Priceless. Totally hilarious. 

When we neared the party place, an odd sort of music (actually it wasn't music at all instead it felt like someone was scraping the paint off walls by bare nails, ugh), but Padfoot insisted that it was music so well... Anyhow, we entered the dungeons. 

I nudged him, "hey give me the cloak." 

He shrugged, "you won't be needing it." 

And why is that? Seeing my expression he replied, "because no living beings except me, you, Prongs, Moony and Wormy are invited. And by the way the ghosts can't even guess that you're not a student of our time. You're going there as one of our friends. So there. Besides a dead man's witness is hardly taken into account." 

Okay, I hope so. 

***

I could recognize some of the ghosts in there (and seriously speaking it looked like all the ghosts ever in existence were hoarded around). There was the Fat Friar, Moaning Myrtle, Bloody Baron and Peeves as well. We spotted Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington (Nearly Headless Nick of course) and the rest of the Marauders in the center. 

Prongs was dancing with an old silvery lady who according to Padfoot was the Solitary Sage of Sicily. Then there was Wormtail eyeing the food as usual. However the food was stale and smelly so I didn't expect him to eat it. I scrunched up my nose due to the horrible decaying smell. 

"Don't you know, its a fact that ghosts can almost taste seriously spoiled food. That's why everything here is absolutely rotten," thanks for the info, Padfoot. 

I still need to know a lot of things. Because hey I had just spent barely a month at Hogwarts before I was catapulted 15 years back from my time. And for the time being my studies had also been postponed (which obviously doesn't help in my learning process) and the only way I had of studying about magic and stuff was either through Moony's books or by eavesdropping in the classes concealed under Prong's cloak. 

Moony approached us, "so how did it go?" 

Padfoot smirked, "fabulous. Entirely rib-crackingly hilarious." 

I left Padfoot explaining all the reactions rather dramatically to Moony, who was listening with a slight smile on his face, and headed towards Prongs who was trying to waltz but failing considerably. The Sage ghost was lecturing him about how it was done in her time and he was just trying to get it right. 

"Cute couple, Prongsie," I called. 

He turned around to face me, "hey Kat!" Then turning back to the old lady he politely made his excuses before coming up to me. 

"I was so flattered... But of course... The living must go with the living," the ghost glided away. 

"You guys didn't mess up anything, right? Padfoot managed to get the bats out, didn't he? Oh no don't tell me, Minnie caught you people! But of course if she had then you won't be here right now." 

I laughed, "get a grip Potter. How will I tell you anything if you just keep chugging out words as fast as the Hogwarts Express?" 

He stopped speaking for a moment then laughed as well, "oh, of course." 

I told him all about what we had done and he kept smiling and nodding to whatever I said. Wow, he really knows how to shut up sometimes. But the fact is that those times are very rare. Those special shut up times come when either Prongs really wants to listen something or when Lily Evans is doing all the talking. So yeah, you must have guessed by now how exactly rare it is. 

Sir Nicholas came gliding towards us, "ah I'm so glad you could make it. A friend of dear naughty little boys over here. Pleased indeed. Quite elated." We talked for a while as he told me all about the Headless hunt and how he wished to join it. 

But then Peeves outdid himself as usual and crashed down the party. The whole silver chandelier came loose and was dangling with Peeves sitting on top of it. 

"Holy Freaking Bludgers," Prongs muttered, "this poltergeist is always capable of crashing nearly anything." 

Peeves grinned mischievously, "ready or not, here I come." 

With a loud swoosh he flung off the chandelier and soon enough the whole of that crystal thing disintegrated. Oh God. Prongs pushed me out of the way and we tried to get away from the place where the chandelier would smash in a matter of seconds. 

All of a sudden everything grew dark around me. I tried to look around finding Prongs but a horrible darkness engulfed me. What the hell? 

"You shouldn't have come here," a mysterious voice addressed me. I felt a chill go down my spine. "You must go back before the prophecy comes true," that voice arose again. 

I couldn't see, I couldn't move. And seriously I believe that chandelier is not levitating in the air instead it must be on its way to come down on us and doom us to either death or severe injury or both. 

"Who are you?" I managed to speak. 

"You must go back," this time that voice was clearly intensified and I felt shivery and scared all over, "you must go back where you belong or else as a result the consequences won't be favorable." 

Then all of a sudden the surroundings came into focus. 

I heard a voice shout, "Kat watch out!" 

Padfoot? I spun around but before I could see or do anything, there was a loud crash. I lost my balance as if something heavy had smashed down on me. 

Maybe I fell...? 

I don't really know for certain but one thing was clear I was not standing anymore. I... I don't know. And then all of a sudden an excruciating pain pierced through my body. My legs hurt and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I could hear some voices but they seemed to be coming from far away because everything was swirling around me and I felt as if I was falling through a black hole. 

"Kat! Kat!" Perhaps someone was here. Everything seemed to be blinking like the cursor on a computer screen. "Kat, open your eyes, okay? Hey hey, can you hear me? It's me, Padfoot. Kat, just don't pass out. Keep your eyes open." 

Padfoot...? But I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was so dizzy and it hurt terribly. Then everything grew dark again and my senses went out.

***