Willow wiped the sweat off her brow. It was only six thirty in the morning, yet the sun was blazing hot on her black robes already. That day was going to be quite hot. Norbert would love it- if he was allowed out of Hagrid's hut.
Willow had been doing all of Hagrid's gamekeeping duties for him. He was stuck caring for Norbert all day, every day, and barely got to sleep each night. Hagrid was still looking through rose-colored glasses for the whole situation, which Willow liked. If either one of them were as negative as her trio of friends, Norbert could be killed multiple ways, whether by wizards' hands or not. The creature had stolen Willow's and Hagrid's hearts. Norbert was not going anywhere until they could find a more suitable place for him to live or a better way for Hagrid to take care of him.
For the time being, Willow scraped out heaps of soil with a trowel of inadequate size for the amount of work she was doing. There were a lot more gardens than she thought at Hogwarts. Some of them were blooming with beautiful flowers, others interesting and unique plants, and some with plants that Willow was careful not to get impaled by. Those were reserved for Hagrid when he caught a break and could hand Norbert over to her for an hour or two.
Willow transferred five more plants (all of which tried to hug her to death- or suffocate her, either way, really), then stood up and shook out her knees. They were sore and tired from all the bending she was doing recently. She really wished that her powers would work on the soil. Willow had tried more times than she could count to move the soil, but only succeeded in removing worm and insect populations from the soil. Apparently her powers were limited to life forms only. Useful, yet frustrating.
Willow looked over the rows upon rows of magical plants in the greenhouse. They were perfectly potted, all of them mumbling or purring in their funny ways to show satisfaction. She couldn't believe she woke up at five that morning, started gardening at five fifteen, and was just finishing at a little after seven. Willow had forgotten how long it took her to keep up with her greenhouse at home. It was a lot of work.
She had one more thing to do before she could visit Hagrid again. There were a few trees not far into the Forbidden Forest that Hagrid wanted Willow to introduce herself to. Of course, they were dangerous, but Hagrid never explained exactly how dangerous they were, so she was going to be on her guard. These trees were special ones, and the fact that they grew in a small grove was rare, almost never heard of. They were super defensive and required a long time to warm up to new visitors, Hagrid had said, so she had better introduce herself now that she was going to be taking care of them for a few weeks. Willow had special permission from Hagrid to go into the Forest whenever necessary, but it's not like she had cared about the rule of staying out of it before.
The Forest was really pretty in the spring. There were shocks of color against the dark branches, buds and tiny leaves that had grown- reds, greens, yellows, oranges, browns, and mixes as the leaves fully resumed their positions in the treetops. The early morning sun shined through the branches, lighting up the Forest with a more warm and welcoming light than usual. Willow inhaled deeply, letting her senses become overwhelmed with all the sweet scents of spring in the Forest. Springtime was more amazing at Hogwarts than it had ever been at home.
Well, at least since her mother had left.
Willow continued along the trail, sticking to the middle as to not stray off. She found a small cleared out path that was covered in extra-large boot prints and took that. Hagrid had said that the trees would be about a quidditch pitch farther. Willow hoped he was right. Something inside her hinted that he was.
A tugging suddenly brought Willow to her knees. The pain was so sudden and intense, as if she had been shot. She cried out and squeezed her hands into fists, desperately pressing on her chest to keep its airways open. Nothing helped. The longer she writhed in pain, the worse it got. Her feet tingled with a sort of longing. Or was it because of a lack of oxygen?
Willow started wheezing and coughing, expelling more of her precious air supply. She was getting weaker by the minute. It was as if someone had lassoed her around the neck and was dragging her along, choking her more and more by the second. Her throat began to get sore. Black dots danced in front of her eyes.
Calm yourself, Willow ordered herself. Calm down! You'll make it worse!
Forcing herself to stand up, Willow stumbled backwards into a tree, wrapping her arms around it for balance, keeping her posture as straight as possible. Her chest still throbbed, but she could breathe enough to satisfy herself for the time being. She gasped, trying to get the oxygen back into her bloodstream.
"There you go, you idiot," Willow mumbled to herself. "It's probably a sign, anyway."
Going through the possibilities, she realized that it was a sign. She wasn't running, she wasn't going through another power surge, and she wasn't using her powers in excess, so it was a sign. That meant the buzzing in her feet was longing to go somewhere, not her body letting her know about the obvious depletion of air.
Willow breathed as deeply as she could and walked along the trail for another hundred meters, and the trees came into view. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
It was beautiful. The trees formed a sort of bowl, their roots both above and below the ground, creating a floor of intertwining roots in between them. They were tall and wide, their bark having a silvery sheen to their dark color. Their branches stretched higher into the sky than Willow had thought possible, their leaves resembling that of a rowan tree but silver. A few unicorns stood in the middle of the clearing. The place was so spiritual, so peaceful, that Willow initially thought it was a worship place. But that silly thought cleared out a quickly as it came.
No. This place is more special than that. I'm going to give it a name next time.
Willow gazed around a little longer, embedding the image into her mind. She quietly entered the ring of tree in its only opening, the gap between the two largest trees at the end of the path. The whispering of several individuals filled the back of her mind, bouncing around and creating a background noise that surprisingly didn't bother Willow. She somehow knew not to dig deeper and try to discern each voice.
The unicorns snorted when they saw Willow and went back to wandering around, as if acknowledging her presence. Their hooves left misty prints on the roots, a light purple flutter of activity that slowly faded. Willow glanced down and saw that her footprints were doing the same. She crouched down, ignoring the pain in her knees, and touched the roots.
Wiggenwood trees.
The identification was the same as it had been with Norbert; it simply popped into her head. These trees were special. She had learned about them with Hermione when reading through One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi one night while studying that week. While a witch or wizard is touching a Wiggenwood tree's bark, creatures and spells of dark nature could not reach or harm that person. These trees are extremely powerful and their bark is used quite often in potions.
The pain in Willow's chest dissipated to almost nothing as she wandered around the root-covered clearing, giggling at her misty footprints. It still lingered, though, and was pulling her towards one of the trees. She followed it.
The tree it lead her to was the largest one of them all. Its leaves glowed white far above her head, towering over her. The whispering was strongest here, and stronger still the closer she got to it. Willow stared at its ancient, silvery appearance. There was something hidden here. She knew it. Reaching out her hand, Willow closed her eyes and touched the bark.
When she opened her eyes, Willow was no longer looking at the Forbidden Forest. She was in her mansion again. It was night, with the moonlight shining through her bedroom window. Everything was still.
That was not so. The door handle creaked, centimeter by centimeter, and the door was quietly opened. Willow was frozen in the corner of the room, watching her terrified nine-year-old self sleeping in the bed.
No, stop, please! Willow begged, recognizing the scene.
It was the one she had nightmares about so often. It was the one that brought back too many clashing good and bad memories. It was the one that changed everything about her life forever.
It was the day her mother went crazy.
The scene unfolded in front of her with too much memorable detail. Some of it she had forgotten about, some of it she had purposely erased from her memory. But the worst part of it all was watching her younger self wake up and witness it all with wide eyes. There was one thing she had never told anyone, because she couldn't.
She saw it. She knew the truth.
And everyone had tried to cover it up and lie to her.
The tree finally retracted the memory and placed Willow gently back into the clearing. Why had it done that to her? Wasn't this tree supposed to protect her? Weren't all of these trees supposed to be wary of her?
Apparently not, and it was probably because of her powers. Her powers were dictating her life far too much at that point. They were crossing a line set down by her, but they were a part of her, and she couldn't get rid of them.
The trees were supposed to protect her. Did they show her the memory because of the dark magic in it? Or was it because she needed to experience it in detail again to get over it? The last one seemed more likely, because if there was one thing Willow needed, she needed to get over the past. For Heaven's sake, her powers seemed to only show visions of the present. Maybe there was a lot more to these Wiggenwood trees than Willow knew- more than anyone knew.
You're right about them, the voice lady said. They're tricky, Wiggenwoods are. Many people have tried to discover their secrets, but they won't budge. It takes special powers like yours to make a breakthrough. The only problem is you can't tell anyone without revealing your power.
It's not like I haven't been keeping secrets from the world for several months on end. I can keep these small details to myself. Besides, it would drive others crazy when they can't confirm anything.
Good. It would be wise to talk about everything with your dad. When I reveal myself to you, the amount of information that will suddenly invade your mind could be too much with all of that bouncing around.
Thanks. Well, since I'm alone, and these Wiggenwoods seem to like me, should I do a power session?
Yes. Your last one was awful.
I'm trying. Let's get going with this. What are we starting with?
Plant manipulation.
Willow relaxed her shoulders and let the power flow through her, tingling in her fingers and hands. It felt more powerful, as if the Wiggenwoods were enhancing it. She hoped that she wouldn't lose control. Was that even possible, though?
Willow sent a ripple of energy through her feet, and the roots slowly raised her on a small platform. Then, she raised her hands and gently moved them inwards, connecting them to the trees. They bowed inward, their leaves swishing and branches creaking. Willow almost lost it when she saw all of the trees bend instead of two. She continued the connection despite that and bent them to the brink of starting to snap, then released them back into their regular upright position. Willow blinked in surprise, realizing that she barely tried and had succeeded.
Don't worry, the trees aren't mad at you, the voice lady said. Well done. That was much better than last time. You could barely do that with one tree.
Um...can I lose control with my powers?
Yes, but it's very rare. You have to be very angry for that to happen. When I say angry, I mean ready to kill someone without a second thought angry.
Oh.
Yeah. Don't lose control. But that's really hard, so I don't know why I'm warning you.
Next thing, please?
We're going to try something different today with shape-shifting. It's going to be MUCH bigger than last time. How do you feel about changing into dragon?
WHAT!
Hey, I'm just telling you to try! If you fail, that means we've got to go back to medium-sized animals.
Fine, I'll try. But if I get in trouble, this is your fault.
You can't prove I exist. Not getting in trouble is part of your training.
I hate you sometimes.
Trust me, you've told me countless times.
Willow sighed. This was going to be the biggest transformation so far. She had worked her way from small animals to medium animals, then small magical creatures to medium magical creatures. This was a huge jump.
Willow shook her head. She had this in the bag, she told herself. Norbert would love it. Do it for Norbert, she told herself. Erasing all doubt from her mind, Willow shook herself out.
Ready...set...go!
Willow let the familiar energy flow over her entire body, transforming her. But her concentration level was through the roof. Sweat poured down her neck and over her head. Jolts of pain struck her limbs like lightning, jerking them as they elongated and grew tough scales. Her stomach rounded and grew to four times its size, her ears became pointed, her teeth sharpened, and her nails became claws. Willow's coloring darkened until it was pitch black. Wings sprouted from her back, as long as her dragon form was. She opened her eyes and discovered that she was face-to-face with the treetops. The unicorns whinnied in fear and bolted.
Well done! the voice lady cheered. You get to fly now!
Willow tried out her wings, getting used to the muscles in them. She shook herself out. Her long, spiked tail swayed in a long ripple behind her. She was already struggling to stay in the form. Would she be able to fly?
There was only one way to find out.
Willow spread her wings, tensed her leg muscles, and launched herself into the sky. Her dragon appearance flickered but remained intact as she beat her wings. She emerged from the Forest and let out a miniature roar of approval.
Good job!
Willow was so happy about her success that she forgot to keep her concentration. Her body flickered, then all of a sudden she was falling, back in her regular human form. She yelped and desperately tried to find a place to land, but she was too close to the ground. Willow sighed exasperatedly.
Every time! she shouted.
Willow quickly summoned her bird form and flicked her wings out, stopping her momentum momentarily. But she was so exhausted from her previous effort that it barely lasted a second. She was still stuck speeding towards a lovely death of being splattered across the Forbidden Forest's floor.
Wand out, idiot! the voice lady shouted.
Willow fumbled in her pocket for her wand. The wind whipped her hair in her face, hurting her eyes. She really needed to stop getting herself into life-threatening situations. As if in a trance, she raised her wand, only ten meters from the ground, and shouted, "Aresto Momentum!"
Willow's body screeched to a halt only centimeters above the forest floor. She hung there a second, wondering if there was a counter-spell to let her touch the ground, then face-planted into the mud. Willow groaned and sat up, pointing her wand at herself and saying, "Aguamenti." A small stream of water splashed in her face and washed the mud away.
Was that you or me? Willow asked. Because I've never heard that spell before in my life.
Both. I can have a decent affect on your subconscious mind.
Oh, it all makes sense now! That's why I'm such a crazy idiot with no regard to others' feelings half the time!
Sometimes I wonder why you were chosen...
What?
Nothing! You'll learn all about it soon enough. Now, go to Hagrid's hut and get that baby Norbert before he burns the hut down.
Willow stood up, shaking out her stiff legs. That power session certainly went better than the last. It wasn't great, of course, but she was just beginning to realize her potential and grow with it. For the time being, she had a real dragon to take care of.
When Willow finally returned to the castle, it was four in the evening. Norbert had been left to her care for more than six hours. It wasn't the best experience Willow had with the Ridgeback. Norbert had been in rare form, ornery as ever, and he had tattooed Willow's body with burns. She had to resort to desperate measures, transforming into a baby dragon every so often, to keep him under control. Willow wondered if she would ever get the smell of blood and brandy out of her nose.
The Fat Lady was almost within sight when a strong arm yanked Willow backwards. Her eyes darting up, she recognized Paige holding her tight. Paige covered her mouth and motioned for her to be quiet.
"Fred is in there ranting about you," she whispered. "It could get ugly if you went in right now. Wait for him to cool down. I came out here to get some air, and you know I can normally watch people get angry."
"I know, but I think it's time I set things right with him," Willow breathed back. "Besides, he's in the mood right now to throw everything in my face. I need to hear it to know how to talk it through with him."
Paige shrugged, releasing Willow. "Your choice. But be warned, you three friends are in there with him. I think they've joined in."
"Wonderful. Just what I need. My friends talking crap about me behind my back," Willow mumbled sarcastically. "It's fine. We all need a group chat. This has been going on for a few weeks, and the longer we prolong it, the worse it's going to be for the rest of you."
Paige gave the password to the Fat Lady, and she swung open to reveal the portrait tunnel. "I'll watch. This stuff is like a soap opera to me. I promise I won't interject and make it worse."
Willow raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I find that hard to believe.
The two ducked and crawled through the tunnel, emerging in the common room. Only the Weasley twins, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were present. Their loud complaints instantly stopped when they saw Paige enter with Willow behind her.
"I'm going to go upstairs..." Paige trailed off, sprinting into her dorm and peeking her head out of the door frame. Willow let her eyes glaze over her friends, hoping to spot some sort of guilt. Of course, Ron and Fred were glaring back at her, but the other three were avoiding her eyes, instead shuffling their feet and staring at them as if they were the most interesting things they had seen all day.
"Look, I know you were talking about me," Willow sighed. "This is going to sound weird, but please, continue, because I need to hear what you have to say. Don't hold back. It won't offend me."
Most of it would offend her, she knew, but she was going to hide it if it killed her. They deserved the chance to sort out their anger.
"Well, for starters, I'd like to call you a few choice words that I've been dying to shout for a few weeks," Fred began. "You are a complete douche bag, a two-faced traitor, the biggest arsehole I've met."
"Freddy!" George scolded, appalled. "What has gotten into you?"
"This is what's gotten into him," Ron spat. "Willow would rather spend time with Slytherins like Draco than us, her real friends. Or should I say former real friends?"
"Both of you, honestly," Harry said. "Why do you hate her so much?"
"Are you joking, Harry? Do you not know what happened?" Fred scoffed, his face red with anger. "She slept with Draco and skipped our celebration! Can you believe that? What's more, she forgave that prick for hurting Ron, Neville, and her! She always forgives him! Every time, no matter how bad he hurt someone! Can you imagine? She wants to be friends with a bully! Why? I don't understand how she can simply shrug off everything he does and see him as this perfect little angel. Why would she want to spend time with that scumbag over us, her real friends?"
"Stop it, please!" Willow cried. "Shut it! Okay, I know that I said I wouldn't be offended, but that was a lie. You've spoken your mind. Now it's my turn."
"Why should you get a turn? You've already made your choice the night you slept with Malfoy," Ron said, glaring.
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione gasped, slapping him.
"No, Hermione, it's fine, let me handle this," Willow said. She turned back to Ron. "You think you know everything, do you? You're saying you're my real friends. Would real friends listen to rumors over their friend's true account of what happened?"
The words struck each person in the room as if with a stunning spell. The effect was instant. Everyone hung their heads, the truth ringing in Willow's words, shame wreathing around their hearts.
"I can't believe you guys thought I would do that," Willow said, on the brink of tears. "For once, I thought I had friends. Real friends. True friends that would have my back, maybe even best friends. But I was wrong."
George took a pace towards her. "Wait, no, Willow-"
"I know, George, it wasn't really you. But it was all of you, too, even if you thought positively of me. You all avoided me and left me alone. I thought I was done being alone. I thought that no one would ever leave me in the dark again. I guess I'll have to rely on my other friends for that now."
Willow turned and left the common room amid cries to wait from her friends. She was about the seal the portrait tunnel when a single sentence cut through the rest.
"I'm sorry."
Willow froze, her hand on the Fat Lady's portrait. She stood, rooted to the spot, while her friends clambered out of the tunnel. Fred was the first to reach her.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was just so cross with you about missing the party. George and I were hoping you would be there to celebrate with us, and after that dumb Malfoy got into a fistfight, we weren't expecting you to go and forgive him by spending the entire night in the hospital wing. Not many girls would do that, you know."
Willow couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "Did you ever even consider the fact that I might have been there for Neville just as much as Draco? That there were so many more possibilities to the story than the one you accepted?"
Fred paused a moment before replying, "No. I did not. But that will never happen again. I'm sorry, Willow."
"I am too," Ron sighed. "You know how emotional I get when I comes to Malfoy and my friends. Fred just won't admit to taking something seriously for once in his life."
"You absolute-"
"Freddy, don't," George warned.
"It's fine. I forgive you all, but you know how much I struggle with trust," Willow remind them. "It might take a while for me to stop being wary around you. Just...be aware. It might, it might not, since some of you weren't awful to me. I guess what I'm saying is, let me take my time."
"Don't worry, I've got Ron on a tight leash," Hermione promised. "One more toe across the line and he's in big trouble. I've been studying quite a few spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts lately, and I could use a test subject."
"You hear that, Ron? I'd be careful if I were you," Harry joked.
Willow smiled. "Honestly, I'm glad to have you guys as my friends. I don't think you've lost my trust at all. Although, it wouldn't hurt if you gave me an apology gift, like chocolate frogs..."
"Now you're pushing your luck," Fred said. "I'll enchant the frogs to attack you at this point."
"No you won't!" George scolded.
"Well, now that you're not at each other's throats, I'd say you celebrate by eating half the kitchens," Paige said, appearing behind the group. "While your guys's stupid squabble was going on, Lee and I have slowly been making some deserts disappear behind the house elves' backs. Care to join us?"
"I don't mind at all," Willow said.
Soon, the group was lounging around the common room, eating delectable cakes and pastries that tasted as fresh as the day the came out of the oven. Willow was thoroughly enjoying a slice of raspberry cheesecake. Neville appeared a few minutes after they had settled, and Paige graciously invited him to share the desserts. They had a lot more stored up than they thought. Lee and Paige must have been stealing a few slices per day, Willow thought, doing the math in her head. She felt like a million cobwebs had clogged up the Muggle school subjects in her brain. The upcoming summer would be a good opportunity to brush up- maybe. She didn't know whether she would be motivated to keep up on areas she wouldn't use in the future.
"Hey, Willow," Harry whispered, getting her attention. "I think you need to be caught up on some information we learned. We were going to tell you, but the whole silence thing happened, and, well..."
"I understand," Willow interrupted. "Please, tell me everything."
"For starters, the Stone is heavily guarded. There's Fluffy, of course, but a few other challenges are blocking the way to it. If I remember correctly, Hagrid said that Professor Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrel, and Dumbledore placed enchantments to protect the Stone."
Willow's eyebrows shot up. "That's some heavy protection."
"But here's the real kicker," Hermione interjected. "Snape is guarding the Stone, too."
Willow nodded. She still wasn't sure what to think about Snape. He had let up a little on watching over Harry, but he was still constantly showing up where Harry went. Quirrel was getting increasingly fidgety. It was hard for Willow to believe that either one was after the Stone, especially Snape, since he had proven to her time and time again that he was only being protective, not going behind peoples' backs and attempting to steal the stone for himself. Both Professors were equally suspicious in her mind. Since her friends were dead set on Snape, she didn't push the issue further.
"We'll keep watching for any sign of betrayal, then," Willow suggested.
"Good," Ron said. "There's one more thing. It's about Norbert. We sent a note to my brother, Charlie, about possibly taking Norbert off our hands. He should send an owl any day now."
"Isn't he the one you were talking about at Christmas?" Willow verified. "The one that works with dragons in Romania?"
"That's the one."
"If he's even a fraction as good as you say he is, then Norbert will be in a safe, loving environment with plenty of space in no time. Charlie's going to love him."
"We could only hope," Harry said. "Norbert's a piece of work. I'll be glad to get rid of him."
Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement, but Willow shook her head.
"Honestly, I think that dragon must like me, because I don't have nearly as much trouble with him as you guys do. He acts like an angel around me half the time, and the other half he's just a rascal, exactly what you'd expect from a baby dragon."
"It's only because you're really good with animals, Willow," Ron muttered.
"Ron, be nice," Hermione warned.
"He is, or at least trying to be," Willow said.
A wave of static reached her ears. Glancing to her left, she saw Fred and George adjusting a radio. They succeeded just then, and a fun, energetic song filled the room. Paige sprang to her feet.
"I know this song!"
"DANCE BREAK!" Fred shouted.
Everyone dropped what they were doing and hit the dance floor, which happened to be the space between the couches. Willow couldn't dance to save her life, and she knew that, but she at least tried to freestyle. It didn't take long for Paige to notice. The older girl danced her way to Willow and took her hands.
"Come on, klutz!" she joked. "It's something more like this!"
Paige guided Willow in a flurry of spinning, twisting, jumping, and everything in between. She struggled to keep up, sometimes nearly tripping herself, but Paige refused to let her fall. She would pull Willow right back up and throw her into a series of fast steps. Eventually, she figured out the pattern, and Willow was dancing her butt off. Paige seemed a little surprised by the sudden enthusiasm. In typical Paige fashion, though, she didn't outwardly show any obvious signs of it. They continued dancing instead until the song ended. The group collapsed in a panting heap onto the couches, completely exhausted. They looked at one another, followed by an awkward moment of silence, then burst out laughing, unable to contain themselves.
"I can't believe we were ever fighting with each other," Ron chortled.
"It was so ridiculous! I love you guys!" Fred guffawed.
Their chuckling began to die down, dissolving into a collective sigh. Willow's eyes darted to Neville for a quick second. His cheeks were rosy red, his freckles prominent again. The bruise on his forehead was completely gone. She noticed his messy dark hair and how much cuter it made him look. When she realized he was staring at her, too, she looked away, hiding her face for fear of him seeing the blush on it.
"Alright, everyone, Willow and I are going upstairs," Hermione announced, still beaming. "We promised to tutor our roommates for the upcoming finals."
"Wait, we did wh- ?"
"Aw, you're no fun!" George complained, masking Willow's confusion.
"Sorry, duty calls," Hermione said. "Come on, Willow, I can't take on five girls alone, you know!"
Willow hastily waved goodbye to her friends and was dragged up the stairs, into her dorm. Hermione shut the door behind them. All the girls were already assembled, their textbooks and past tests scattered across the floor.
"Okay, before we do anything, we have to admit, we were watching you guys through the doorway," Lavender said. She gave Willow a sly smile. "I saw that, Willow."
Her mouth went dry. Hermione shot her a quizzical glance. "Saw what?"
"The way you looked at Neville!" Mia squealed.
Willow's mouth dropped open. "I- I didn't- that wasn't-"
"Oh my God, stop lying to yourself!" Fay scolded. "We all saw it, Willow, even Sally!"
Hermione seemed to enjoy the direction this was taking. Normally, a change in plans from studying for exams to something non-academic was sinful to her, but this time around, she was ready to watch how this would go down. Willow was even farther appalled when Hermione crossed the room and stood among the other girls.
"The time for hiding is up, Willow," Sally said. "You need to spill. Since your heart isn't exactly on your sleeve, you get the opportunity to tell us the whole story. Isn't that exciting?"
"What do you mean by whole story?"
"Oh, give it up, Willow!" Hermione said. "Even I have been noticing the way you lovingly wear that headband he gave you. I don't know whether it's just my interpretation, but I've never known you to be the type to wear accessories. Anyone else?"
The other girls nodded in agreement. Willow's heart fluttered. Her roommates were teaming up against her, trying to force her secrets out. Were they really against her, though? Weren't they trying to get gossip, or maybe even help her with her love life? Like she even had one. She didn't know herself if she had feelings for anyone. Then, it hit her.
Oh! They're helping me realize if I fancy Neville or not! Willow thought. But do I really want this? Do I want to dig deeper into my feelings this young? I'm not sure if I'm ready to discuss things like this with anyone, and this might cause me to be too dramatic and emotional. Despite that, I think it's only proper of me to spend some quality time with my roommates. Might as well do what they want if it will make them happy.
"Are you going to get started or not?" Parvati prompted, scattering her thoughts.
"Right." Willow cleared her throat, nervously making eye contact with each girl in turn. "Okay. I don't know how to tell if I fancy someone or not, since it's never happened before. But there's a possibility I like Neville more than I thought. He was one of the first friends I made, right from the moment when I helped him down the hill to the boat launch on the first day of term. I've always been able to talk with him about everything. Lately, I've been noticing minor details about him, like how his hair is the same shade as mine, his freckles are more noticeable when he blushes, he has an accent that's got a hint of Irish to accompany the British-"
Willow stopped short. Had she said to much?
"Oh my God, how can you be so oblivious?" Lavender exploded. "You totally fancy him!"
"I do?" Willow wondered if she was right. Did she like Neville more than a friend? Or was it simply a really good friendship? Would she ever be able to separate the two?
No, stop worrying. You won't need to do that. You're not allowed to have a love life, remember? There's no way you can handle all that drama, and it will suck your life away in a heartbeat. Too many friendships could be at stake. Plus, you don't do touchy-feely things with someone else. You don't allow it. You'll never keep up, and you'll drown in too many over-analyzed emotions that shouldn't be there. So no.
"Willow, you need to tell Neville how you feel, and soon," Fay said.
"If you don't, I'll tell him for you!" Sally threatened. "Don't take that lightly!"
"What! Guys, no, I don't fancy Neville," Willow said. "I don't want to start getting over my head this early. If I jump at every possible relationship, then I'm going to be left with no friends and a broken trial of angry people in my wake."
"Willow, do you not remember us telling you that drama is how you get through the school year?" Mia questioned. "Seriously, don't be afraid! Get in the mix! Take a risk!"
"I'll take a risk, but not those kinds of risks."
"You won't ruin your friendships as long as you don't take things to seriously," Parvati reminded her. "Trust me, there's a way to do this right and make everyone happy, including yourself. You should go for it!"
Willow considered her words, which gave stirred her mind more than the others' advice. She was, in all likeliness, overthinking the whole situation. Maybe there was a way to establish a relationship that wouldn't disturb friendships. But there was on major component everyone was forgetting.
"Guys, I'm not very likely to hold down a relationship very long. What happens when I break up? Will there not be a shattered friendship then?"
"Only one!" Lavender said. "It's so worth it for the times you'll share together!"
"We could do your make-up for your dates!" Fay suggested.
"Dates?"
"We could style your hair to impress him even more!" Mia shrilled.
"Guys, no, come on-"
"Ooh, I call choosing the place to take them to!" Sally said.
"I'll help with getting them there!" Hermione added.
"Guys, stop it! I'm too young to go on dates, and where would I get the money?" Willow reminded them. "Besides, I don't want to change the way things are between Neville and I right now. Maybe next year."
The girls humphed. "Fine, but do you promise to explore it more next year without resisting us?"
"Yes. You have my word," Willow said quickly. Sighing, she added, "If it makes you happy, I'll even admit that I do, in fact, fancy Neville right now."
A swarm of squealing girls buried Willow. She coughed, crushed under their weight. When they finally removed themselves from her, they yanked her to her feet and bombarded her with almost indecipherable questions.
"Are you joking?"
"Is this real?"
"Did you say that only to make us happy?"
"No, yes, no," Willow answered. "I'm telling the truth. You guys are right. I do fancy Neville right now. But since I don't want to mess things up, I'm going to hold off on taking action. Thanks for forcing me to realize the truth."
"Oh my God! This is so cute!" Lavender shrieked.
"You're welcome! Anytime!" Sally screeched.
"Can we keep talking with you in private about him, at least?" Parvati inquired.
"Of course you can."
"Thank you so much!" the girls yelled in unison, enveloping her in another bone-crushing group hug. Willow thought she must have cracked two ribs at that point. Hermione ordered the girls to start gathering their thoughts for the tutoring session, then turned to Willow.
"Did you mean it? Do you really fancy Neville?" she whispered.
Willow smiled, heat rising in her cheeks. "I realized the truth when I spoke it out loud. Yes, I do."
Hermione did a happy jig, then began the tutoring session. Willow was lost in her thoughts only a moment longer, but it was enough to conjure a decision: Whatever just happened, I am not getting into this relationship business. Neville is my friend. I'm going to keep it that way, even if it kills me. Hopefully I won't have to explore my emotions ever again.
The next week was tortuously slow. Willow had never felt so thinly stretched in her entire life, it had dragged on so terribly long. She and Hermione had tutored their roommates every other night. On the other days, they would catch up the boys, and on Saturday, Willow would converse with Mandy, Lisa, Oliver, and Sue. She was so sick of studying that she wanted to throw up all over her papers. Fred and George regularly stopped by, sometimes with Paige and Lee, to relieve her of it. They always knew how to refresh her mind. Lately, they had been able to get in more quidditch practices than usual, as the twins had more time. Willow wasn't surprised that she didn't mind the constant running all over; that was how she liked to live. Before she had come to Hogwarts, she was always on the run, always doing something. This life was beginning to suit her more than she thought it would.
Willow was now the temporary full-time gamekeeper in Hagrid's place. The moment Hagrid heard about the reply from Charlie, he decided to spend as much time as possible with Norbert before Saturday. She had lost hours of sleep, starting her day early to take care of the plants and going to bed late because of her study sessions. Willow had been to the wiggentree grove once since her last visit. The trees had again shown her the vision of her mother, and she had conducted yet another power session, in which she successfully transformed into a small dragon for ten minutes before crash-landing into a tree. She discovered that she could not, in fact, heal herself. In addition, the cuts and scrapes she had received from the ordeal carried over into her human form. She had a heck of a time hiding them from the ever-curious Hermione.
Thursday brought with it a storm of information. Harry had informed her about Ron's injury, then the bad news of Draco's discovery of their plans. The Slytherin boy was constantly smirking at her and her friends. He wouldn't come near Willow, however, for fear of her ridiculing him in public or anything else along those lines. She hoped that her presence would be enough to keep him from trying anything stupid. The closest they had come was during Potions, where they spent the entire class ignoring each other while simultaneously brewing their potion together.
Willow and Draco had become very good partners for that class. Over the past few months, the two had risen to rival Hermione in her potion-making. Willow could practically read Draco's mind during the class. Snape seemed mildly impressed with them, one of the greatest compliments a Gryffindor like herself could receive from the teacher. Draco was always happy to take full credit for their projects, however, and Willow simply rolled her eyes, watching him brag to the world. As long as the boy would stay away from her friends, she could tolerate most of his day-to-day annoyances.
Friday found Willow practically begging for the week to end. Her last class of the day, which was the second morning block, happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Quirrel had been going in and out of some odd phases in the weeks since she had seen his breakdown. At times, he would be so unstable that he would tremble uncontrollably and stutter to the point where no one could understand his sentences, and some days he would come to class with clear sentences and a merely suspicious, guarded expression. Willow noticed that he had been calling on her a lot more. She would catch him staring at her now and then, but she dismissed it as part of his nervousness. After all, she thought to herself, she would watch people intently if she was scared, too.
Professor Quirrel had assigned them a review project that they were to complete with as many partners as they wanted. Willow decided to partner up with her Ravenclaw friends. Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione formed a separate group and promised her that they would compare their project to theirs at the end, just in case. That was enough to satisfy Willow. She and her friends finished it in no time, dividing up the work and even reading over each other's finished products before the second day of class time they had to do it. Since they had nothing to do, they chatted about the typical happenings around the school until the topic of Ron came up.
"I've heard that Ron got bit by a dog," Lisa said.
"Me too," Sue said. "I've heard it was nasty, too. He spent all of yesterday in the hospital wing."
"No way!" Mandy breathed. "That must have been a brute of a dog. Maybe he mistook it for a Crup. Those look just like Jack Russel Terriers in the Muggle world, but their bites are more ferocious than their bark, unlike Muggle pets."
"Probably," Lisa agreed.
"You're good friends with Ron, Willow. Do you know what it was?" Sue asked.
Willow's blood ran cold. She couldn't tell them about Norbert. Even though she knew that they would never intentionally tell anyone about it, one stray comment in the halls could get around the school within a week. She hoped that they couldn't see the fear in her eyes when she replied, "He said it was a dog. Your theory is most likely correct, Mandy."
Thankfully, her friends simply nodded without suspicion. Willow's acting had succeeded.
"Professor Quirrel is staring at you again," Lisa whispered.
Willow glanced to her left and saw that Lisa was right. Quirrel averted his eyes at the last second, but she had seen him. She was getting a bit annoyed with it by then. Why was he so intent upon making her out to be a threat? She had done absolutely nothing to him. He hadn't seen her running away from him after his breakdown, so she should have a clean record- right?
"How long has he been doing that?" Mandy said, breaking Willow's thoughts.
"Um, let me think...How many weeks has it been since the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match?"
"Several weeks," Sue answered for her.
"Several weeks, then," Willow said.
"You're so nonchalant about it," Lisa giggled. "You know, you're kind of funny like that, Willow. It's one of the many ways you get me to laugh, at least."
"I'm glad of it, then."
"Have you heard from your parents lately, Sue?" Mandy said.
"Oh, yes, actually. They've both been promoted to high-level positions in their jobs, and we might save up enough money to visit my family next summer."
"That's awesome!" Willow exclaimed. "How have you been doing lately, though? I've been listening, and you're not hiding your accent anymore. I kind of like it."
Sue's cheeks turned pink. "Thanks. I've been doing pretty well. Mandy and Lisa unfortunately get the full brunt of my cultural differences, and it's not always easy when other people make fun of me, but so far I've been good about ignoring them."
"'Unfortunately'?" Mandy scoffed. "Trust me, Sue, your Japanese traditions are so much better than my typical British city-girl lifestyle. I like the way our room smells now."
"Me too! I fall asleep so much better with your incense candles," Lisa agreed.
Sue glanced at Willow, who gave her a reassuring smile.
"See, I told you that you would be accepted by your real friends. But let me guess: Draco and some of the other first-year Slytherins are teasing you."
Sue nodded. "As if the pureblood mania wasn't enough. I just remind myself that they're racist scumbags who will get nowhere in life after Hogwarts, and I'm going to be the one working them to death in the future. This school is going to be the highlight of their non-existent careers."
Mandy nodded, impressed, while Lisa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I always knew you had that in you," Mandy said. "Maybe I'm rubbing off on you a little bit. Not sure whether that's a good thing, though..."
"It feels good to not care about everyone else's judgement for once," Sue said. "Of course it's a good thing."
"You guys are literally the best friends anyone could ask for," Willow commented.
The bell tolled, signaling the end of class. They packed up their things and made their way into the crowded corridors towards the Great Hall.
"I hope they have roast beef sandwiches today," Mandy said. "I'm starving!"
"Me too," Lisa agreed.
"Oh, Willow, I almost forgot," Sue said. She lowered her voice. "A little bird told me that you fancy a certain someone from Gryffindor."
Her cheeks burning red, Willow wanted to respond, You too? She caught herself just in time. Sue didn't know about her powers yet. Hopefully she could tell her other friends about them at some point, when she trusted that they could be careful enough not to speak about it in public. They were almost there. Maybe next year...
"That little bird is correct, then. How did you hear that?"
"I may have eavesdropped on your roommates this morning at breakfast. They were whispering," Sue added quickly, seeing the panic in Willow's eyes. "I was just listening so intently without them noticing that I was able to hear it. It's hard to simply ignore a conversation when you hear a familiar name come up."
"True. I assume you know who it is, then?"
"Yes. Can I tell Mandy and Lisa?" Sue begged.
Willow sighed. "Fine, you can tell them, but only them! And make them promise not to spread it around the school, either! I'm not sure how well Neville would take that..."
"How Neville would take what?" Oliver whispered, appearing beside Willow.
"That Willow fancies him!" Sue squealed.
"Pipe down!"
"You fancy Neville?" Oliver breathed, an excited light in his eyes. "That's amazing, Willow! I promise I'll keep it a secret! This is so exciting!"
"Leave it to Oliver to know exactly what to say for Willow," Sue said.
"I swear, he really does read my mind," Willow remarked. "Thank you, Oliver. I can't have it spreading all over the school. I'm only a first year, after all, and I'm not planning to do anything with this."
"Good choice, in my opinion," Oliver said. "It's not the best idea to get caught up in that sort of stuff anyway. You don't strike me as the type to be involved in romantic drama."
"I wish you could make my roommates see it that way," Willow muttered.
"They were going on and on about how you wouldn't do anything..." Sue trailed off.
The five sat down at the Gryffindor table, other familiar faces taking their usual places. Willow's roommates distanced themselves from her, most likely for gossiping purposes, not that she cared. If she could give them an interesting bit to mull over, then it was worth it. They deserved the chance to get excited over some drama.
"Willow, eat," Paige commanded, shoving food onto her plate.
"I'm getting to it!" Willow promised.
"Leave it to Paige to take care of you," Sue chortled. "You have an arsenal of personal servants. How do I get that?"
"You get in the middle of everything, I guess."
"Nope. That's out, then."
"Honestly, it's rather nice, having all these friends for a change," Willow said. "In Muggle school, I basically had acquaintances, people who didn't hate me, and the bullies I either ignore or put in their place. To find people like me that have my back...it's something I've been waiting on for a long time."
"Relatable," Mandy, Lisa, Sue, and Oliver said at the same time.
"We're all so pathetic," Mandy laughed.
"Not anymore. It's all thanks to Willow that we've come together," Lisa countered, her eyes shining. "Thanks to her, Oliver speaks to people, I have more than one good friend- several great friends, in fact- Mandy doesn't hate the world, and Sue can be herself."
Willow felt her cheeks flush. "Aw, don't give me all the credit, guys. You all had to overcome personal obstacles and fear to get to this point. You're the best friends I can ask for, and I hope I can keep your grades up for you."
A chorus of laughter went up, and for once, the group didn't care about all the stares they got. Oliver was the first to recover, as usual.
"I don't know what I'd do without you reteaching me all the Transfiguration lesson. You're really good at everything, Willow. You'd think since these three Ravenclaws are so smart, they'd do their homework and study, but of course not. They'd rather read the next book in their favorite series. Can't blame them, though. The books they've got in Ravenclaw Tower are the best of the best."
"Hey, everyone's smart in their own way," Willow reminded him.
"I swear to God, Willow," Paige threatened, looking up from her book. "If you don't finish your lunch, I'm going to force-feed you until you've eaten a week's worth of food. That goes for you too, Lisa."
Lisa's eyebrows went up in shock. Willow gave her a look that said, She's not kidding. Do as she says. Lisa received the message and piled her plate with food, rapidly eating glazed carrots. Paige nodded, made sure Willow was doing the same, then went back to reading and eating a roast beef sandwich. Willow noticed how happily Mandy was eating the same thing.
Fred and George suddenly appeared, a light sprinkling of dust over their robes. Lee wasn't far behind and bore the same appearance. They tried and failed to hold back their goofy grins.
"You three have been up to something," Willow observed.
"Nothing," they said in unison.
"I didn't even get to ask-"
"We know," Fred interrupted. "But you're not allowed to!"
"I can't know what?"
"We already told you, nothing!" George insisted. "It's a surprise!"
"Am I allowed to ask who it's for?"
"No," all three boys said.
Willow sighed, giving up. "Fine. I won't push to topic any further. But it's your fault if it distracts me from my exams."
"Your guilt trap won't work on us!" Lee said. "Honestly, we are one hundred percent certain that you will not fail your exams. You're too smart, and your standards are way too high. We would never have to worry about it. Failing to you is getting anything less than the top marks."
Willow conceded the point. "Alright, alright, I'll back off."
The three boys could barely contain themselves. They whispered furiously amongst themselves. Paige finally glanced up from her book, noticing their abnormal behavior.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothing," Willow replied.
The morning became evening, and Friday became Saturday. Willow spent the early morning pruning some rather nasty plants in the greenhouses, then attended yet another study session with Mandy, Lisa, Sue, and Oliver. She had an extra long quidditch practice with the twins and Paige. They still wouldn't reveal what the surprise was, not even drop an accidental hint about it. Willow refused to let it bother her.
The sun was setting on one of the most beautiful days so far that spring. Willow sat on top of the owlery roof, watching the sunset. The sun burned bright orange, a fiery color against the lighter backdrop of the sky. Clouds turned a fluffy pink, waves of light oranges, reds, and yellows crisscrossed and danced across the canvas. Willow could have taken a paintbrush and painted the same picture, it was so perfect. Behind her, to the east, the moon was just beginning to appear, a purple masses of clouds accompanying it. Willow had never seen a sunset more beautiful than the one she experienced that twilight. She hoped it was a good omen for that night.
Willow climbed back through the window, into the owlery. Iris swooped down onto her outstretched arm. She affectionately nuzzled Willow's head, clicking happily when she pet her soft feathers. The white and brown speckled pattern on Iris's feathers appealed to her eyes. She didn't know why, but Willow always subconsciously searched for patterns in nature, trying to identify each individual plant or animal. It was one of the many methods she used to calm herself down or ignore the pang of longing for her mother's return.
"Fancy seeing you here," a voice said.
Willow glanced up. "Hi, Harry. I just saw Hedwig, she was playing with my owl earlier. Oh, I see her- up there by Lee's owl- almost at the top."
Harry called Hedwig, and she flew down to land on his arm. Hedwig chirped in appreciation for his attention, almost cooing when he patted her head.
"Do you think we'll get caught tonight?" Harry asked.
"No," Willow answered with certainty. "We all know McGonagall never believes Draco."
"But she has to take these things seriously, doesn't she?"
"Not really. Draco lies quite a bit, and besides, she's kind of strict on the lights-out rule. As long as you stay under the invisibility cloak, you should be in the clear."
"I just can't wait to get rid of that bloody dragon. No offense, Willow, but that Ridgeback is beyond a nuisance. A nuisance is something like a fly buzzing in your ear, not a baby dragon nearly biting your friend's hand off."
Willow nodded, understanding. "I know how much trouble he's caused you guys. It's hurt me in the sleep area, but I can survive on six hours of sleep per night. Most of the time it's more, anyway. I've had a good experience with Norbert. It's time for him to move onto a place where he'll be happier and get a proper habitat."
"I can't wait."
"Well, it will all be over in a few short hours. He'll be flying to Romania by tomorrow."
"And not a moment too soon." Harry released Hedwig back to her roost, Willow following suit. "Come on, let's get back to the common room. Hermione said she's going to take a nap, and I'm starting to think that would be a good idea."
"Count me in. I'm already exhausted from today, and we'll need all our strength for later this evening. Let's go."
Willow and Harry went down the stairs, crossed the courtyard, followed a few corridors, and somehow made it up another flight of stairs to the Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady let them in without complaints for once, and they found themselves in a mostly empty common room. Hermione was the only other person present, and she was fast asleep, curled up on the couch. Harry found the opposite couch and laid down.
"Willow, what are you going to do while we transport Norbert?" he whispered, closing his eyes and taking off his glasses.
"Hopefully directing any wandering teachers away from you."
"Thanks..."
Harry fell asleep, breathing softly. Willow watched over her friends. Her body felt like it had been hit by a truck, then run over by that same vehicle, but sleep was far from possible. She instead contented herself to watch her friends sleep. Willow knew how creepy that sounded to others, but it was the truth. She had a protective instinct to make sure her friends were comfortable and safe at all times, and watching them dream peacefully made her feel like her hard work was paying off, that her dedication was doing good in the world. Her mother had helped her fall asleep before she left. Now, Willow was determined to never let anyone feel alone, especially at the most venerable time for everyone's emotions- right before they fall asleep. If she could make all of her friends feel comforted and cared for while they fall asleep, then her life was worth something. Otherwise, what was her purpose?
Willow woke Harry and Hermione at their requested time, half past eleven. They yawned and sleepily gathered their wits before taking the invisibility cloak and heading out of the common room. Willow paused, waiting a minute for them to get ahead of her, then also emerged from Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady grumbling behind her about students and their trouble-making habits.
Making sure there was a good distance between them, Willow followed Harry and Hermione, only knowing where they were by her keen ears, picking up the slightest whispering between them. The castle was dead quiet. No one, not even a teacher, was within sight. They made it past the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.
All of a sudden, Willow jumped. A loud bout of cackling rang in her ears, bouncing off the stony walls, echoing down the corridors. Peeves zoomed into view, his ghostly form silvery white in the moonbeams.
"Ickle firstie, about to be punished! Ha ha ha ha! Little Slytherin blond, in trouble with McGonagall! Ha ha ha!"
Peeves kept rambling on and on, laughing over what he had witnessed, blocking the way to Hagrid's hut. Willow sensed agitation radiating from beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Of course Peeves had to do that. Of course the poltergeist had to cause trouble for them again. The only good thing about it was that Willow had time to think about what Peeves was saying.
So Draco decided to show his face after all, Willow thought. And just like I predicted, McGonagall is mad at him. Hopefully I'll get to see him in detention. The little prat has some explaining to do before I decide not put give him a piece of my mind.
Peeves eventually cleared out of the way. Harry and Hermione sprinted to Hagrid's hut, already very late because of the holdup. Willow waited a moment, making sure they had time to explain themselves, then transformed into a cat and bounded to Hagrid's front door, tapping it and meowing to get Hagrid's attention. The door opened, and Willow surprised everyone by leaping inside, changing back into a human mid-stride.
"I'm never going to get used to that," Harry remarked.
"What are ya doin' here, Willow?" Hagrid questioned. "I thought you were stayin' behind."
"Technically, I am," Willow said. "I just wanted to come inside for a moment and say goodbye to Norbert."
The crate containing Norbert was huge, as the dragon had grown exponentially. Willow noticed a few teddy bears and some snacks inside. Norbert was tearing at the teddy bears already, angry that he was being held captive in a wooden box. Hagrid had tears in his eyes.
"It's going to be okay, Hagrid," Willow reassured him. "You've been a good mum to Norbert. He's going to be just fine in Romania. I'm sure Charlie's already lined up some possible friends for him."
Hagrid sniffled, but seemed to cheer up a little. He exchanged a few words with Harry and Hermione, then bade goodbye to Norbert one last time, letting the baby affectionately nibble his finger. Then, they were off.
Harry and Hermione struggled to keep their breathing quiet as they carried the heavy crate up numerous flights of stairs. They paused every so often, regaining their breath, then continued on. Harry had thankfully planned out a shortcut for them. He lead Hermione that way, Willow following them a good distance behind, shifting into a cat to have enhanced senses in case anyone came along. When the three were only one corridor away from the Astronomy Tower's entrance, someone did. Willow hissed loudly to warn her friends. They nearly tripped before darting out of the way.
Professor McGonagall appeared, dressed in her night robes and holding a flickering lamp, dragging none other than Draco Malfoy by the ear down the hall. He still hadn't given up fighting to get away from her. She scolded him harshly, taking an instant twenty points from Slytherin, giving him detention, and threatening to wake Professor Snape. They passed down the hallway. Once the light of Professor McGonagall's lamp had disappeared, Harry and Hermione completed their journey, racing up the Astronomy Tower steps. Willow decided to stand guard and wait at the base of the tower.
It didn't last for long. She heard Mrs. Norris before Filch even came into view. Her heart fluttering in fear, Willow bounded down the corridor, desperately trying to escape the pair. No matter whether she was in human form or not, Mrs. Norris would rat her out. She had to get out of there. Any other alternatives or goals disappeared from her mind.
Suddenly, Willow skidded to a stop. A small, round face appeared from the passage Harry and Hermione had used as a shortcut. Willow wanted to yowl in frustration. It was Neville. He was probably trying to stop Harry and Hermione from losing points for Gryffindor. What was she to do? Willow couldn't appear as a human, as Neville didn't know about her powers, and she couldn't go back to Filch, because she'd be discovered. She was trapped. There was nothing she could do. She was simply a bystander only able to watch the horrible situation unfold.
Harry and Hermione appeared, and Willow's breath caught in her throat. They had forgotten the Invisibility Cloak.
As if it couldn't get any worse, McGonagall reappeared. Neville had stepped out into the light. He froze with fear, and Professor McGonagall sighted him instantly. She wordlessly grabbed him by the arm and towed him down the corridor.
It all happened so fast. Willow was suddenly left alone, completely and utterly alone. She had failed her friends. She had broken her promise.
This was all her fault.
Willow changed back into a human, unable to keep her focus any longer. She stumbled, not wanting to believe what she had just done, what she had just allowed to happen. Willow covered her mouth with her hands, overcome by guilt and disappointment in herself. On the verge of tears, she sprinted back to Gryffindor Tower, barely able to keep her emotions stored away. Willow sat down on the couch, breathing hard, her head in her hands, still in complete shock. She wasn't a coward. She had never been a coward. What was wrong with her?
What have I done?
When her friends returned and saw her sitting on the couch, Harry and Hermione shot her looks that told Willow everything she needed to know. She had betrayed them. She had betrayed their trust. They were angry with her. The two went up to their separate dorms, boiling over with anger, sadness, fear for the morning to come. Neville trudged up the stairs, head down, radiating the same emotions as the other two. Willow hoped they weren't directed at her, but wasn't going to complain if they were. She deserved it for what she'd done.
After a few minutes, Willow went upstairs to her dorm. She was about to push the door open when she heard sobbing coming from the boys' room. It was Neville. Her heart slowly shattered into a million pieces.
What have I done?