A/N: I'm thinking about cutting out the drifting focus thing, or at least not switching back and forth between characters every chapter. So sometimes there might be two Ginny chapters and just one Harry chapter, or vice versa. Let me know what you think about that. Also, this is my last update until after my exams are done (which will be on the 21st). I probably won't be getting stuff up again until around Christmas(ish).
Chapter 9
Harry and Ron left the common room after having made sure that Ginny didn't want to come with them.
"What are we going to do?" Ron asked in a small voice.
"Get her back, of course!" Harry balled-up his fists fiercely, "If I find out--no, not if--when I find out who did it, I'll kill them!"
"And I'll be right with you, mate."
Harry leaned against the stone wall, feeling the coolness of it through the back of his robe, thinking hard. Something about the whole occurrence struck him as odd. None of the girls were coming forward as witnesses.
"Ron," he said suddenly.
"Hm?" Ron's face was still wearing an expression of shock.
"Don't you find it a bit weird that an apparently strong curse was used in the girls' dormitory last night but that no one remembers anything? I mean, it would have made noise and probably a flash of light too. Not to mention that whoever did it probably woke Hermione up before cursing her," Harry's eyes flashed.
"Yeah," said Ron, catching on, the color slowly returning to his face, "Yeah, that is odd. Hermione must've put up some kind of struggle. Why didn't anyone wake up?"
"Maybe they did wake up," Harry said slowly, and then in response to Ron's confused expression, added, "Maybe they woke up but had a memory charm done on them!"
"Can't have," Ron shook his head, "Ginny seemed normal. Remember that when I accidentally did it to Lockhart he forgot everything--"
"Yes, but it went wrong with Lockhart. The charms don't always have to be so strong," Harry interrupted impatiently.
By this time the two boys had made their way down to the second floor corridor and Ron was just opening his mouth to reply to Harry when the sound of frenzied sobbing met their ears.
Harry and Ron stopped walking and looked at one another, "What do you suppose that is?" Ron looked around wide-eyed.
"I think it's more of a question of who. C'mon," Harry started off down the hallway, trying to follow the sound. After a moment's pause, Ron hurried to catch up.
Together he and Harry traced the sound to coming from behind a statue of a hunchback. Carefully, Ron and Harry peered behind it.
"Lucy!" cried Harry in surprise.
Lucy looked up, her eyes red from crying and tears trailing down already wet cheeks. When she saw who it was she cowered away from them, "Don't come near me!"
"Why? What's wrong?" Ron started forward.
"No no!" she shrieked, "Just stay away!"
Harry held out his arm to stop Ron, "Let's do what she says," he turned his focus to Lucy, "Lucy, we won't come near you, but tell us what's wrong."
"I can't," she sobbed, "Oh I can't. It feels so awful," her voice rose, "Make it stop Harry, make it stop!" Lucy reached towards him and then seemed to think better of it, snatching her arms back.
Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. They had no idea what they should do. Suddenly Lucy seemed to pull herself together, "Please," she said in a pleading voice, though Harry thought that there was something cold and harsh underneath it, "Please just go away. I don't want to hurt you."
And as he looked into her eyes, Harry saw something that scared him. Her eyes shifted between what he knew was Lucy, sad and frightened, and what seemed to be someone else looking out, cruel and cold, "Yeah, all right," Harry grabbed Ron's arm, "We'll see you later then, Lucy."
"What're you doing?" Ron asked as Harry pulled him away.
"She needed to be alone. We weren't helping things," Harry kept the expression in Lucy's eyes to himself. Maybe he had just imagined it. What could possibly have gotten to her that would make her two people? In his state of worry, he had completely forgotten Ealia.
Ron looked as though he wanted to protest, but to Harry's relief he just shrugged, "Maybe we should go down to the Great Hall. We still need to get our schedules."
"Right. All right then, let's go," with the sounds of Lucy's distress growing faint behind them, Harry and Ron made their way back to the staircase.
They reached the Great Hall as people were beginning to filter out to get to their classes. The two walked over to the Gryffindor table and picked up their schedules from in front of their places. Harry looked down the table and saw Ginny talking to Colin.
"Oh no," Ron sounded disgusted.
"What?" Harry turned back to his friend.
"We've got double potions with the Slytherins first thing today."
"You've got to be kidding!" Harry felt disappointment settle in his stomach. Snape was the last person that Harry felt like dealing with, but upon opening his schedule, he saw that Ron was right. There was no arguing with the black print on the parchment. Harry checked his watch, "Let's get going, we don't want to be late for Snape's first class."
Ron sighed and tucked his schedule away into his pocket, "Yeah."
When they entered Snape's dungeon classroom, Harry was pleased to see that they were annoying the first student to arrive. At least Snape couldn't shout at them about tardiness.
Harry and Ron had just set their bags down together at a table when Snape swept into the classroom, looking as usual, rather like an overgrown bat.
"Ah, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," he said softly, "It's nice to see you on time for once. I don't think I'll have you sitting together though," Snape's dark eyes scanned the room, "Potter, you can join Crabbe, and Weasley, why don't you go and join Mr. Zabini."
Harry and Ron scooped up their things and went to their new seats as directed, their eyes shooting daggers and Professor Snape. Harry slammed his bag onto his new table, making one of Crabbe's empty glass vials fall to the floor and smash.
Snape looked up from his desk, "Carelessness, Mr. Potter, " his eyes glittered maliciously, "ten points from Gryffindor. I expect you to treat supplies more carefully in the future."
Harry heard a mean snort of laughter and turned to see Draco Malfoy walking to a seat, "So very skilled of you, Potter," he said nastily.
"Keep your mouth shut, Malfoy," Harry shot back.
"Watch your manners. You don't want Professor Snape to hear you and to take more points from Gryffindor, do you?" Draco smirked, "But then again, you do like to be the center of attention, don't you Potter?"
Harry would have responded, but he felt a sharp pinch on his shoulder, "Don't Harry," Neville, who was behind him, whispered.
Still furious, but temper under control, Harry took out his notebook and quill. Suddenly he heard a bang and looked up. A very angry-looking Ginny Weasley had just sat down next to Malfoy. Snape was lecturing her on her behaviour, threatening to dock more points from Gryffindor because of her. Apparently she had lost some earlier. Harry caught her eye and smiled sympathetically at her. He knew exactly how she felt. The slimy old git had put him in the same situation many times before.
Class had started in earnest now, but Harry was only half paying attention to the information that Snape was writing on the board. The events of the day were occupying his mind, and suddenly Harry remembered his dream. Ealia! She was behind it all, Harry was sure of it. He would kill her. But how, he thought, could he kill something that wasn't alive in the first place? If Hermione had been around she would have known what to do. harry felt a tightening in his chest. He would simply have to track Ealia down himself. She was wandering around somewhere in the castle.
Thoughts such as these kept Harry busy for the duration of the lesson. When it ended, he realized that he had no idea of what Snape had actually covered, and according to the notice written on the board, the class was to be tested on making a healing potion at the next lesson. Harry grumbled to himself. He'd just have to get Ron's or Ginny's notes. If they had them.
He joined Ron as the students gathered their things and filed out of the dungeon, "I didn't get a bloody thing done in that lesson," he muttered.
"Me either, and he's testing us next class," Ron scowled, "Maybe Ginny took notes."
"Well she's right up there," Harry nodded towards the distinct copper-colored head in front of them. But before they managed to ask her, Ginny whirled around.
"Where were you two this morning?" she snapped.
Harry and Ron sighed. Ginny was clearly not in a good mood. The two boys looked at one another and launched into an explanation of the events of that morning.
"Dunno what happened to her...maybe whatever got Hermione got Lucy too," Ron finished.
Ginny's anger seemed to have drained away, "Something very strange happened last night. I have a really strong feeling that I've forgotten something..."
"A memory charm," Harry mused, remembering his thoughts from earlier. A sudden, idea struck him, "I bet there are books in the library that will help us."
"Yeah!" said Ron eagerly.
The three friends took off for the library, and upon reaching it, shoved open the doors to it.
"So where do we start?" Ginny asked, setting her bag down next to a chair.
"Memory charms. Look for books about memory charms," Harry had already started off for the shelves, his eyes scanning the dusty book bindings.
Twenty minutes later, when all three were seriously considering giving up, Ron gave a shout, "I've got one!"
He brought it over to a table and Harry and Ginny crowded around him, peering over his shoulders.
"'Despite the common belief that memory charms like 'Obliviate' are irreversible, there is a potion that can be made that will counteract most of the effects of the charm,'" Harry read aloud, "Listen to this, 'The Memorium Potion is on of the easiest potions to both gather ingredients for and to make.' That's excellent!" Harry said excitedly.
"Keep reading," Ginny was looking closely at the page, "'However, there is a layover period of one month during which the potion must mature. It must also be taken during a full moon so as to avoid adverse effects.'"
"Oh," Ron looked glum.
"So it takes a month--" Harry began.
"More than a month. We have to make the potion, remember. The month is just for the maturing stage," interrupted Ginny.
"Ok. So it takes a little more than a month to make," Harry corrected himself, "I still think it's worth it. We want to know what happened that got erased from everyone's memories, don't we?"
"Yes. Definitely," said Ron determinedly.
"Hang on. I'm the one who's got to take it," said Ginny, "Has it got any 'adverse effects' if the person taking it hasn't actually had a memory charm done on them?"
"But you did, Gin," Ron looked at her.
"I don't know that for sure, Ron. I only said that I felt like I'd forgotten something. I might not have really."
Harry was scanning the pages, "It doesn't say."
"Oh," there was silence for a moment.
"Well, I suppose I'm just going to have to chance it, aren't I?" Ginny spoke up finally, "If we want to know what happened to Hermione I've got to do it."
Ron seemed pleased, "Yeah, and I bet Madam Pomfrey could fix you up if something happened," he said encouragingly.
"Let's not that about that, all right?" Ginny said somewhat coldly.
"Oh. No. Sorry Gin."
"Well..." said Ginny.
"Well let's copy this stuff down, the ingredient list and procedure I mean. We can all get to work on getting everything we need together," Harry reached for his quill.
"All right," Ginny and Ron dove into their own bags for paper and quills.
"But listen, Ron," Ginny sat down at the table, craning her neck to read the book.
"Yeah?"
"Don't breathe a word about any of this to Mum. She'd have a fit."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah I can hear the Howler now, 'How dare you jeopardize your sister's health and safety?! I expected more of you than that!' She'd blame it on me you know."
Harry grinned. Mrs. Weasley always seemed to like blaming the family problems on Ron if there were no way to rope the twins into it.
Ten minutes later, Harry, Ron and Ginny returned to the Gryffindor common room, stretching their fingers and hands which were suffering from cases of writer's cramp.
After dropping off their notes, Ginny turned to Harry and Ron, "We'd better get down to the Great Hall if we want any lunch. There's about thirty minutes before the second half of potions."
"Yeah, all right. I'm starving. Harry and I didn't get any breakfast," Ron perked up at the news of lunch.
Upon exiting the common room, they found themselves face to face with a much improved Lucy.
A/N: All right, so this chapter's not super long either; only a bit over six pages. Six and a half if you round it. My workload is ridiculous though, and frankly, I was surprised that I got through another chapter. Because I may not be updating very rapidly, you can do what I do with other stories which is to stay one chapter behind. That way there's always something to read. For instance, I don't read chapter five of something unless chapter six is up. So if the suspense is really and truly killing me, I can read the next chapter. The only thing is, you've got to wait until I get chapter ten up before you can start using that technique... Keep the reviews coming! :-)
