Holiday Ghost Event: Road Less Traveled

[shnpc]

WHO: Everyone, affected and not
TONE: Not of this world
RATING: PG
WHEN: December 11th through 12th
WHERE: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
WHAT: Due to visiting holiday ghosts, some students and staff find themselves living as they would have if something in their lives did or didn't happen. An alternate version who could be better or worse off!
NOTE: This signals the event start. Use any posting format you want, and feel free to post about this as well on the journals!

Comments

[3houseswatson]

[They'd broken in, blowing the door off the hinges. There had been pain - the horrible, all-over burn of nerve endings tormented with dark magic. Then one of them raised his wand high, and there was a blinding flash of green light. This was the last thing John Watson remembered before he died.

He comes to awareness with a shout so loud and raw that it would have made his lungs ache if he still had them. If there was anything between his death and his sudden, completely unwanted awakening as a ghost, he didn't remember it.

He doesn't know why he's in Hogwarts and not where he actually died. He doesn't know how long its been since his death. Really, he's only sure about two things:

1) He is very, very dead.

2) He is furious.]

[ooc: For this event, John's torture under Crucio was brief... because his Death Eater attackers used Avada Kedavra on him. This AU version of him died a few months after turning 15, during the summer before the start of his 5th year. He has not always been a ghost in the intervening time; suddenly appearing as a ghost is a very unwelcome surprise.]

[helmetdoesnothing]

Fuck!

[Normally, such a sudden shock as a ghost appearing out of nowhere with a yell loud enough to, well, wake the dead, would have sent Mituna Captor into some kind of panicked fit. Today, however, there's something notably different about him. He's not jumpy, or twitchy, and there's a spark of fierce intelligence in his eyes that's been missing for the past couple of years.

At least, for those who have known him in his normal timeline, it has.

It's a nasty surprise that sends the boy back a couple of feet, one hand clutched over his heart as it pounds, and boy does he ever look pissed off.]

What the fucking hell is wrong with you?!

[3houseswatson]

[John glares right back at the boy on the ground.]

That's a rather long list right now! Do you mean besides being dead, having my last memory be the killing curse, and suddenly - and COMPLETELY without any consent or input on my part - reawakening as a ghost?!

[helmetdoesnothing]

Isn't that general procedure for becoming a ghost? It would by definition require a bit of being dead.

[Mituna's eyes narrow slightly.]

What do you mean, killing curse? Here?

[3houseswatson]

Well, obviously. I mean I want none of this ghost business.

[John gestures to his ghostly jeans and t-shirt.]

Does is look like I got killed here?

[helmetdoesnothing]

Maybe on a fucking casual day.

[FROWN. No, it doesn't look like he got killed here. Mituna's mind starts ticking.]

Where were you killed.

[3houseswatson]

[John is quiet for a few seconds, his body-language expression tense.]

In my own damn home.

[helmetdoesnothing]

[He's regarded carefully for a long moment, but he has no reason to lie - why would he? A ghost gains nothing from lying, unless they revel in the suffering of others and knowing something like that causes no harm to Mituna.]

And you have no fucking idea why you're here.

[3potionproblem]

[Sherlock hadn't really any plans other than to see about getting some ingredients from his potions professor. Spying a transparent John was...

His stomach sank.

His blood felt cold.

His chest hurt.

It took far too long to notice John was shorter as far as his "non-existent" heart was concerned. John's hair was longer--cut differently. He wasn't wearing his school uniform. He seemed... off. Sherlock kept his hopes high as he walked over to the specter.]

John.

[3houseswatson]

[John turned at the sound of his name. The other boy was vaguely familiar, meaning they probably shared a year. Or had shared a year, anyway. But that was the extent of John's knowledge of him. He also definitely had the air of a Pureblood about him, and John was instantly put even further on edge, as if death weren't the ultimate edge already.]

What?

[3potionproblem]

[Seeing him face to face made his stomach sink further.]

...why are you a ghost, John?

[3houseswatson]

[John rolls his eyes.]

Oh, I don't know! There could be all sorts of reasons! Like, maybe I won a lucky lottery! Or maybe being a ghost is really fashionable right now!

[He scoffs.]

It's because I'm dead. It's kind of the only prerequisite for being a ghost.

[3potionproblem]

[Sherlock looks him over for clues. What killed him?!]

How? When?

[3houseswatson]

[Why was he bothering to talk to this guy, again? He should just phase into a wall and leave. John looks like he's strongly considering it.]

Summer after 4th year. Don't know how long it's been since then. Time doesn't really mean a whole lot anymore.

[3potionproblem]

[... something weird is going on again. This isn't John. Not his John.

He wishes he felt more relieved.]

You were killed by the death eaters?

[3houseswatson]

[Now John's suspicious. Would the Ministry really tell the school that he'd died in a Death Eater attack? Or would they try to make his death look unrelated in order to keep other Muggleborn families from panicking further?]

Yes.

Didn't expect the Ministry to be honest about how I died.

[3potionproblem]

Just a guess... So you're.. we've never met.

[3houseswatson]

No. Not really.

I might have seen you get sorted, but that's it.

[3potionproblem]

Right. Of course. It was years ago. Ah... don't suppose you're interested in investigating what's going on at Hogwarts right now?

[3houseswatson]

[On one hand, John was feeling far from sociable. But on the other...]

Do you think whatever's going on is related to me appearing as a ghost here instead of where I actually died?

[3potionproblem]

I do, yes. It's been two years since that attack and my John Watson was alive and well last we spoke.

[3houseswatson]

[Well, that certainly gets John's attention.]

"Your" John Watson?

[3potionproblem]

From now--from my time in existence.

[3houseswatson]

Wait, so you seem to think there's another me - a not-dead me - running around whenever this is?

But I am... was the only me, aren't - damn it - wasn't I?

[Under his not-breath] Fucking tenses.

[3potionproblem]

You're not dead in the reality I know. Just stick to that for now.