Chapter 8
Disclaimer; same as previous.
Christmas holidays brought snow and fun. Amy joined in with the boys and Ron's older brothers Fred and George in a fantastic snow ball fight that could only be described as intense. They pelted each other with the freezing powder balls for hours.
For the last few weeks leading up to the holidays she had left her dorm room before anyone else was awake and arrived back while the common room was almost empty. Her friends had been very helpful with this. George had shown her secret passageways, Hermione spent hours with her in the library and when she could, she sat with them for classes. Sometimes she still caught Dumbledore looking at her, but she just wasn't ready to take that leap away from her friends.
She couldn't help but be a little angry and somewhat resentful that he was making this even harder for her. She should be going home to her parents for the holidays, meeting them at Kings Cross, and hugging them, maybe even being a little embarrassed by their attentions in front of her friends. And they would traipse home together. Home was not a word she would use to describe the place she had grown up in, but it was one that she was beginning to think of as being the perfect word to describe the castle.
One good thing about the holidays was that she had free reign over the Slytherin common room. She no longer had to sneak into her own bed at night, like an intruder.
Christmas morning was wonderful. Amy woke to find presents at the end of her bed. She had a Christmas card from the orphanage, one that was given to everyone every year. She half smiled at the familiarity.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year was already printed on it and the only writing said: "To Amy, from the staff."
She also had a parcel of rock cakes from Hagrid, chocolate frogs from Hermione and a package with writing on it that she didn't recognise. Instead of opening it, she grabbed the bundle and ran, in her pyjamas to Gryffindor Tower.
The fat lady swung open when she said the password and she went in to find Harry and Ron coming out of their dorm with Fred and George. They greeted each other and looked at each other's presents. She showed Harry the card from the orphanage and he told her of the fifty pence piece he had received from his aunt and uncle, giving her an insight into his neglected childhood. She had almost forgotten about the unopened present when Harry asked her what it was.
"Another one," groaned Ron, "that woman!"
Puzzled, Amy tore open the package to find a box of home-made fudge and a knitted jumper like the ones the Weasley's and Harry were wearing. Hers was green, though, and had a silver snake on the chest above a silver A. Ron looked very embarrassed and peeked out from underneath eyelashes and said in a small voice;
"I-I sort of mentioned in my last letter that you and Harry weren't expecting anything."
Fred and George were looking at him with amused expressions. This plus her teary eyed thank you only caused him to go redder.
That evening at the wonderful Christmas dinner she stared up at Dumbledore discreetly as he laughed, wearing a flowered bonnet. She was so full that her eyelids began to droop lazily. When they were told to go to bed, she was still awake enough to feel jealous of all her friends, who got to go up to their common room together, when she had to split up from them in the Entrance Hall and head down to a cold, lonely dungeon.
Harry was very worried about the upcoming match against Hufflepuff because it was announced that Snape would be refereeing. Amy still wasn't convinced that it was Snape they were up against but they were adamant that it was him. She went along with it, hoping to prove them wrong. For some reason, she just could not believe that it was him.
Soon after the Christmas holidays Hermione finally figured out the mystery behind Nicholas Flamel and they were at last aware of what fluffy was guarding. Finally they were getting somewhere!
She figured that after the match in which Harry's broom had been tampered with it made sense that one of the teachers was up there with the rest of them. She did agree on the point that he might have volunteered in order to take Gryffindor down a peg or two. And though he would surely be unfair as a referee, she was sure that her friend would be a bit safer up there.
After the match, Harry disappeared and later came back with a story even Amy found hard to argue with. He had seen Snape bullying Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest. After this, they regularly checked the third floor door to make sure that the three-headed dog was still guarding the trap door. They had so much homework that Amy got to see her friends less and less.
They had end of year exams to worry about, along with everything else. She spent more and more time in the library with studying as an excuse on top of avoiding certain Slytherins. Hermione was there too of course, but the poor girl was becoming very stressed about the upcoming exams, and so didn't talk very much at all. She slept and she revised.
Harry told her one day after lunch about Norbert the dragon. It was just one more problem to put on the already toppling, massive pile. The Slytherins did not have herbology with the Gryffindors, so Amy was late getting to Hagrid's hut to see the hatching. When she came close to the cabin, she stopped dead. Malfoy was looking in the window. Even as she saw him, he was running back up in her direction.
"Didn't let you in on this one did they?" He asked, as he came close.
"Guess they don't trust you," the smirk on his face was enraging.
"This will be fun. I'm going to get your hero expelled and that oaf fired." He smirked at her before running back up to the castle. She continued on to the hut to worry and strategise with the others.
Poor Draco looked ready to explode as they all stood before professor McGonagall, getting a terrible dressing down. At least Harry and Hermione had been able to hand over the dragon to Charlie's friends without a hitch before they had all been caught. Amy felt responsible as she had been standing at the bottom of the winding stairs as look out.
All had gone well until the other two had descended after their successful mission. That was when filch had grabbed them and dragged them to the Gryffindor heads office. She had caught Draco by then and he was unsuccessfully trying to convince her about the dragon. She believed none of it thankfully. There was nothing her could do without any proof after all and so he was furious.
Major points were taken and they had to suffer through a detention. With Neville caught as well it was worse for the Gryffindors and they were no longer in the lead the for house cup. She tried to console herself by reminding herself that it would have been much worse if they had been caught with a dragon stuffed in a crate.
The forest was extremely dark. Hagrid had them looking for wounded unicorns. They had split up; she was with Hagrid, Hermione and Neville were together and Harry was stuck with Draco and Fang (after a quick reshuffle when Draco had scared Neville nearly out of his wits.)
She and Hagrid searched, following tracks she couldn't see but Hagrid was sure of. Suddenly she felt a horrible pain piercing straight through her, blinding her, and she grabbed at her forehead in desperation. A scream was torn from her lips.
Hagrid swung around as she fell, panting with the pain. She didn't know how she knew, but she was sure somehow that the others were in trouble. She didn't realise that she had spoken out loud until she felt Hagrid pick her up easily and run with her.
They soon ran into Malfoy, who looked terrified, and Fang, who was tripping over himself in his haste to get to Hagrid. They went in the direction the two had come from and were soon met by a strange creature.
Firenze the centaur was carrying a pale Harry on his back. Thankfully, he didn't look hurt. Amy was so relieved to see him. She didn't remember fainting, but woke to Hagrid carrying her into the hospital wing.
"WH-what happened?" she asked.
"Shh," he soothed her, "Yer gonna be just fine. Don' worry abou' a thing. You've jus' gotta sleep 'ere tonight an' Madam Pomfrey's gonna take a look at yeh." He left her down on a soft bed and a strict looking woman closed the hospital blinds around her.
"What happened?" the nurse asked Hagrid sharply.
"She fainted in the forbidden forest," He replied.
"I wouldn't blame the poor dear," said Madam Pomfrey and Amy felt embarrassed and agitated. She hadn't simply fainted. Remembering the pain, she closed her eyes and fell into a sleep plagued by nightmares of slithering cloaks and green lights.
When she awoke she instinctively knew she was not alone. Looking sideways, she saw the kindly headmaster smiling at her.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
."Not really," She replied a bit shyly, feeling as though his eyes were peering into her soul.
"Nightmares?" he asked. She nodded.
"One can learn a lot from dreams and nightmares," He said. She didn't reply and he lapsed into a thoughtful silence.
"Professor?" she said, "What happened to Harry in the forest?"
"From speaking to a friend of mine I have gathered that what I have long feared has come to pass." Slightly frustrated by his cryptic answer she asked;
"And what is that?"
"Lord Voldemort has returned and last night, Harry saw him and he saw Harry."
"So what happened to me?" she enquired.
"Hagrid told me that you fell in pain before fainting. I can only attribute this to some sort of intuition as to Voldemorts presence."
It was a weak answer. She was sure that he knew much more than he was letting on. She wanted the full story, but instinctively knew that it was futile to try and get it out of him. It was so frustrating she could have growled.
I think it would be best if you did not mention to anyone the reason of your fainting. Make up one, perhaps you fell and hit your head?" She agreed without speaking and for a moment he looked sad.
"Also I would ask again that you think more about spending time with your fellow Slytherins? Try to make alliances; it will be worth it in the end, I think..." And he left as mysterious as ever.
She glared up at the ceiling. Why was it so important that she blindly follow his instructions? She made a silent promise to herself to corner him someday and insist on more information. Then her anger faded to be replaced by fear at his announcement that Voldemort had returned. Everything else paled in comparison to this news.
Madam Pomfrey told her she could leave if she wished, so she got up and got dressed. She was a little early for breakfast but went into the hall anyway. There wasn't anyone there, so she sat alone at the Slytherin table, waiting. She was lost in thought.
Could it be possible that Snape was after the stone? She didn't know why, but it just didn't fit right. And what was she going to do about Dumbledore's advice? She couldn't relate to anyone from the Slytherin house. On top of all this, she still had stabbing pains in her forehead. A muffled cough from beside her broke her train of thought and she looked up to see that the hall was beginning to fill and people were already eating. She hadn't even noticed the tables had filled with food or the fact that she was no longer sitting alone.
Draco had sat beside her while she was lost in thought. He was staring at her with an odd expression. Was it pity or worry? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
"Are you all right?" he asked, looking as surprised as she felt at how soft his voice had come out as he asked. She looked up at him quickly.
"I'm fine," she said a little defensively, and then; "What do you want?" He looked a little angry for a moment at her rude reply but then he took a deep breath and his features were again as soft as before.
"What happened last night?" he asked in a whisper. She began to fidget and though carefully before answering. She supposed that Dumbledore's explanation was as good as any.
"I fell and hit my head. Hagrid picked me up. Hilarious I know." He didn't believe her.
"Yeah, right," He said. "I saw how scared you looked." She almost snapped that he looked as though he might wet himself when Hagrid had come across him and the cowardly dog but held back as he reached across her and grabbed a muffin from one of the platters before placing it on her empty plate and telling her she should eat. He didn't continue with his inquisition and she was glad of the reprieve.
They ate together in silence before heading to the common room together to grab their things for a last bit of study before the exams began. As she passed the Gryffindor table on their way out her stomach dropped a little at the disbelief and suspicion on her friends faces. All apart from Hermione who looked frazzled as she practically ate her study notes. Ron practically glared at her, turning in his seat to watch them leave. Was this what it was going to be like if she did as the headmaster bid?
