I watched sadly as Draco left. Not to mention I was confused as hell. Did he care or not? He woke me out of my stupor, and then just walks away? Who the hell does that? I looked up into the face of the person (still) carrying me.
Professor Snape? I was about to request to be put back on the ground, before realizing... my insides were still too empty from... well, I just knew I wouldn't have the strength to walk. And actually, it was kind of nice of him to be helping me out.
Psshhh, I thought, Yeah right. More like Dumbledore ordered him to and he had no choice.
Nevertheless, I allowed myself to be carried the rest of the way to the Gryffindor dormitory by him. I even admitted to myself that I was rather comfortable in Snape's arms like that. I ended up curling up into his chest a bit and clutching at his robes lightly as if that would give me my strength back.
Finally, Snape reached the Fat Lady and spoke the password before walking in, his robe flapping up behind him. The other Gryffindors in the common room looked shocked. The only ones I recognized were Ron, Lavender, and Seamus. The rest were first-years.
I gave a weak smile and didn't have time to see their responses before Snape had whisked me up the stairs and into the girls' dorm room. I was sure Snape must have cast some sort of spell on the room (boys weren't allowed in) but it must have been nonverbal because I heard nothing before the door opened and he strutted in.
Oh so gently, Snape lowered me down onto my bed. I was amazed at how he was treating me as though I was so delicate when I would have thought he would have been an ass to me. Enjoy my torment even. But he was handling me as though I were something precious, something breakable; like he knew how it felt to be in this state.
Automatically Snape turned to leave as soon as I was lying down. My head rushed.
"Thank you," I said quietly. Snape stopped dead in his tracks, and without even turning to look at me, he cocked his head towards me and inclined it slightly. With that he was gone, nothing left to even suggest that the Head of the Slytherin House had been in the Gryffindor girls' dorm. I was left to ponder for a few moments until-
BAM! The dorm room door flung open and in burst possibly all of the Gryffindor girls, and Anna and Elisabeth had joined them. Luna was there also, towards the back.
I turned on my side away from them, indicating I didn't want a huge crowd bugging me for details. This wasn't that kind of situation. Hermione (being the prefect) stepped forward and took control.
"Alright, I'm sorry you all but she obviously wants some space. Let's just... ok anyone that isn't a sixth year needs to leave."
A few unhappy students stumbled out and even a few of the sixth years that I wasn't close to left.
Thank god, I thought. Hermione had nailed what I wanted. Just my friends and I. But not total solitude. I turned back over to face my friends... and I couldn't help it. The tears softly trickled down my cheeks.
Cautiously the girls left approached me. This group consisted of Hermione, Anna, Elisabeth, Ginny, and Luna. Anna walked up in front and sat down on the bed beside me. Tenderly, she brushed the hair back from my face. My other friends stood, crouched or sat around me.
"Well you look rather distressed Mia," Luna commented airily. I chuckled a bit in my mind (Luna's blatant honesty always impressed and amused me) but I couldn't let the sound out.
"Do you want to tell us what happened babygirl?" Anna asked quietly.
I did want to, but my mouth didn't feel like opening. For a minute or so, my friends and I just stayed like that, with Anna stroking my hair and Ginny clasping my hand for support. Finally,
"My dream... my parents. My dad... dead," the words were coming out as a strangled whisper.
My friends all looked horrified and so pitiful. I forced myself to continue.
"And my mom was... was crucio-ed. She's at St. Mungo's now."
Ginny's hold on my hand tightened and I felt the tears flowing again. My body began to shake in tortured sobs. First they were silent, but they progressed to the point that I was positive that all the other Gryffindors in the vicinity must have heard me. As if I cared. I'd fucking hex them all if they complained.
For the rest of the night, I lay there crumpling on the inside, with all my friends supporting me. None of them left, they just used magic to move a few of the closest beds so that they were right up against mine, and all of them lay down with me. I fell asleep like that; Anna lying down behind me, arm around my waist, and the others clustered nearby. I drifted into a dreamless sleep.
