As soon as I stepped forward into that room, time seemed to stand still. I could hear voices around me, whispering excitedly yet curiously and I knew they were talking about me. I kept my eyes closed frightened at what I would find when I opened them. A small breeze swept over my head, causing me to shiver slightly as I tried to figure out what it was.
I took a few small steps and stopped when a hand landed on my shoulder gently causing me to jump slightly, yet I was comforted when I recognized the scent coming from the person standing before me. I knew it was Harry. I relaxed instantly when I stood there, awaiting my initiation or what I thought would be my initiation, for little did I know there was no initiation it was all a trick to frighten me a bit, to get me ready for what was to come.
"Open your eyes"
A voice sounded to the right of me; it was female, with a tiny squeak at the end. I couldn't figure out who it was, yet it sounded oddly familiar. Taking a deep, cleansing breath I opened my eyes and waited for what was to come.
I was standing in a room full of young witches and wizards, all standing tall and proud, holding their wands with a determined look in their faces. The room was lit with candles which stood on the walls, casting shadows on the book shelves and cushions which were sitting on the floor, waiting to be used. The floor was hard stone, just like in the dungeons, making me think of a creepy old castle, derelict of life. There were no windows, yet the room had a breeze passing through it every once in awhile, which was strange.
I turned to look at Harry, who was standing in front of me with an odd expression on his face. I couldn't explain it really, it just reminded me of how George looked when we had our first flying lesson and he kept falling off his broom. I stifled a laugh, determined to pay attention as Harry began to speak,
"Welcome Winky, I'm glad you could make it." His face broke out into a warm, friendly smile as he continued, "I know you're probably expecting to learn magic tonight, yet I'm afraid we must discuss some things before starting your training. We don't have a lot of time either, there are reports that Voldemort," the whole room shuddered at the name. "That Voldemort is near Hogsmead, waiting patiently to strike at the most prime moment, which means we have to finish what we started."
The room broke out into a babble of excited whispers as everyone sat down on cushions or on chairs, watching Harry and Hermione with a look of curiously. I must admit, I was curious too, and sat down in front of him, folding my legs under me to keep comfortable. The room became quiet as he looked at everyone and began,
"Now, you all know Hermione and I, along with Ron had to leave earlier. What you don't know is that we have found another Horcrux and have successfully destroyed it. However, the object in question was vaporized from the powerful magic, so we were unable to keep it." He began walking around, looking at everyone in turn with a quirk of his eyebrow.
"What do you mean, it 'vaporized'?" a young girl asked, who I recognized as Susan Bones, niece to Amelia Bones. She had a curious, I-don't-believe-you look to her, which I found to be quite unnerving.
"It vaporized, like I said. As Hermione and I performed the necessary and quite dangerous magic to destroy the Horcrux, which was indeed the wand of Rowena Ravenclaw, a bright yellowish light erupted from it and it just disappeared. We don't know if it was a portkey, since it didn't transport us when we touched it, or if it simply destroyed itself. All I know is that I felt Voldemorts powers get just a little weaker as it vanished."
He finished and looked at us, wondering what we all thought. Of course, he didn't have to look hard, he could have easily read our minds if he felt like it, but he trusted us for some reason, so didn't bother and turned to Hermione, who had a sad almost depressed look to her. I knew then we were about to find out what happened to Ron. The room became immensely quiet; everyone was thinking the same thing, where was Ron? Did something happen to him? Hermione looked even worse now as Harry turned back to us and gave a wry smile.
"Before we were able to get to the Horcrux, we were attacked by a bunch of wizards. They were not Death Eaters though; they were just a bunch of normal wizards under the Imperious Curse. We managed to fight them off without seriously hurting them, but something happened to Ron. Right as we finished battling the wizards, he suddenly began convulsing. We immediately brought him back to Hogwarts, where Madam Pomfrey assures me he'll be fine."
The group gasped; shocked that something could happen to Ron. He had always been the one to get hurt the most. I could hear students around me whispering under their breath, each knowing now why Hermione was so upset. I sat there, watching her for any signs of her pain, yet there was none, she could hide her feelings well. I couldn't even sense her pain or anger, but I knew it was there.
The meeting continued for another hour, with me becoming an official member, receiving my official Galleon and taking the oath. It was interesting I might add; I had a lot of fun watching the other practice the spells which were too advanced for me. I wondered if I would ever be able to produce a Corporeal Patronus, or if I'd be able to protect myself as well as Neville could. I hoped I'd be able to even come close to the Expelliarmus spell that Susan Bones loved to use, it was strong enough to knock her opponent down each time. I was in awe of these students; each one with their own talent, each one had something they were best at. It was a perfect group; each one working together to help each other out.
Soon enough the meeting was over and it was time to head back to our common rooms. It would be difficult with all the patrolling teachers though and I wondered how we would get back without getting caught. I found out though as I followed Harry and Hermione through the secret passageways and hidden doors, leading us closer to the Ravenclaw common room. Since I was with Hermione, I knew I wouldn't get caught, that was one good thing about having a Head Girl as a friend.
Soon we managed to make it to the tapestry and I turned to look at Hermione, who was putting up a good fight to hide her tears. I reached up and hugged her, saying,
"He'll be okay Hermione, don't worry."
She smiled at me and nodded, replying,
"I know. Good night Winky, sweet dreams."
She then turned and walked away, her shoulders slouching. I stroked the unicorn and entered the common room expecting to see George there waiting for me. I didn't want to explain to him where I had been, I knew he wouldn't understand and sat down thinking about all I had learned. Half an hour later, I went up to the girls' dorm, and fell asleep.
It was now three weeks to Christmas; snow was falling gently outside, covering the trees and grounds thickly. There was a sense of excitement in the air outside, everyone gathered to play around in the snow, making snowmen and having snowball fights. Inside the castle everyone was curious about this terms Christmas festivities. Normally there would be a great feast, with all the students who were staying over the holidays and live entertainment by the ghosts, but this year was different. A shadow hung over the castle, bringing us all down. This was Professor Dumbledore's favorite holiday and we all wanted to honor him.
It wasn't the same though, having Ron still in the Hospital Wing, where he was finally awake and getting better everyday. He would be out when the holidays began, which was a good thing since he was going to the Burrow with Harry and Hermione, leaving me by myself. I had no place to go after all and I didn't know George well enough to stay with him, but I was anticipating an eventful holiday and was looking forward to Christmas morning.
The snow grew thicker each day, which meant classes were cancelled or moved into the castle. Herbology was still in the greenhouses though, which meant we had to trudge through a foot of snow to get there. It was getting tougher each day though; everyday a new student would get sick with the flu or a head cold, sending them off to the Hospital Wing for a Pepper-up Potion. I was lucky; I didn't get sick, though I did have a nasty case of the sniffles. George was worried about me even though I said I was fine, but he still made me get a dose of the peppery potion, which made steam shoot out of my ears.
One week till Christmas and school was done. The common room was packed every minute with students chatting merrily about the things they were going to do during the holiday, where they were going, leaving me sitting alone by myself feeling useless. I hated feeling this way, I wanted to do something, to go somewhere new and exciting, be with people who wanted me around them. But it seemed as if everyone in Ravenclaw hated me, except for George. Though even he was starting to do new things now, leaving me alone to do my homework or think about the D.A. I still hadn't told him what I did that night, and for that reason alone I felt he disliked me. He wasn't acting himself now; it was like he had changed overnight into someone new. It didn't scare me, though it did make me feel unwanted.
Yes, it seemed this was going to be a very lonely Christmas, but a boring one? Only time would tell…
