In the darkness, barefoot Aisling gripped her wand tightly, lowered her body, and pressed close to the common room wall as she crept toward the Slytherin collection room.
Aisling had not been particularly sensitive to sounds when she was little, but after witnessing her parents being murdered by attackers at the age of nine, she had become exceptionally sensitive to every sound around her. Her hearing range was no better than that of an ordinary person, but she was unusually alert to all sounds in her surroundings, especially footsteps.
In the darkness, Aisling slowly felt her way to the collection room door. As that faint low-frequency noise drew closer and closer, an unusual fear rose uncontrollably within her. It seemed that Nameless's equipment really was extremely effective at "creating fear." Even when she had been kidnapped to America, Aisling had never once entertained thoughts of retreat. Yet as she stared at the void-like darkness before her, constantly emitting strange sounds, the option of running away began to weigh more and more heavily in her mind.
Using the tiny bit of firelight spilling from the common room hall, Aisling hid behind the wall and cautiously poked her head out to observe the darkness ahead.
Suddenly, an indistinct black shadow flashed past the doorway in front of Aisling. It moved at an outrageously fast speed, but even more terrifyingly, it made not the slightest sound.
Aisling jumped in fright, hurriedly covered her mouth, and ducked back behind the wall.
"Was it a thief? Or one of those malicious attackers? What should I do?"
Using the faint firelight from the common room hall, Aisling had only caught a blurry glimpse of a black figure. She could not make out its height or build, but she could be certain that it was a person.