A/N: Hmmm...for once, I have nothing to say. Ah yes, well, happy belated holidays and I hope you all have a wonderful new century and millennium (even if it doesn't really start 'til 2001) and don't run into any crazy bomb toting terrorists raving about the apocalypse! =)
Hermione stared into space as the other girls in the same carriage with her chattered away excitedly. And though she was crammed in between a bubbling Ginny Weasley and an equally loud third year, she barely heard a word they said.
Her mind was entirely on Harry Potter. Of course, she was flattered he'd asked her, she felt confused. Hadn't they agreed to just be friends? Were they still just friends?
She sighed, nervously brushing at a loose curl that fell over an eye and brushed imaginary lint off of her dress.
"...I hope Harry Potter saves a dance for me!" Ginny Weasley squealed. Then her eyes darted over Hermione and back to her gloved hands. She was blushing almost as red as Hermione's gown. Ginny herself looked rather like a French poodle in a frilly white and pink dress that was almost as curly as her crimped hair.
Hermione smiled a little at that. So, there had been rumors about Harry and her. She was not at all displeased to hear this.
Quite suddenly, the carriage jerked to a halt, causing shouts of protest and surprise from everyone. The candles in the carriage flickered, then went out.
There were squeals from almost everyone. Hermoine quickly stood, then with her wand, re-lit the candles, trying to calm everyone down.
Parvati looked up at her, eyes betraying her fear, "You don't think it has anything to do with..." she left the question inconcluded.
"Voldermort?" Hermoine asked boldly. The girls flinched at the name, "I sure hope not."
But inside, she felt herself shudder...was Harry okay? And Ron?
She shook her head. They could take care of themselves, she told herself. At the moment, she had to see if she was going to be okay.
Cautiously, she opened the door of the carriage, looking out into the dark night. With a quick muttering, her wand lit up. The teachers were hurriedly ushering children into their carts and there was much excited commotion. She also noticed an awful lot of children were looking up. She followed their gaze and gasped, almost falling backwards.
Covering the dark, starry sky, there was a dark gray cloud, almost like smoke. And it had a face.
And it was most certainly the worst face Hermione had ever seen. It was hideous, distorted with rage, slits of eyes the color of molten lava and like a snake's, and a black hole of a mouth opened wide enough to swallow them all...
She turned away, panicked, then saw Draco Malfoy cowering beneath their carriage, whimpering.
"What is it?!" she snapped, "You have to get to your carriage! There's no time to be a coward!"
To her surprise, he didn't yell back, just rocked back and forth on his heels, still blubbering uncontrollably, his skinny body shaking.
Suddenly, he spoke. But it was barely audible, more a whisper, "He's calling me...calling me, just like dad said, he wants me to come....don't let him take me...please...PLEASE!" suddenly, his voice rose and he whirled to face her, face red and eyes bloodshot.
He gave a last anguished cry, then faster than Hermione imagined possible, spun around and fell onto the road, quivering. Then, before her shocked eyes, he gave a last shuddering sigh, then finally lay quite still, looking asleep...or dead.
She pulled back, horrified. Finding her voice, she cried out, "Professor! Hagrid! Please, someone!"
Hagrid came puffing up, his great face worried and fearful.
"You okay, there, Hermoine?" he asked, heaving Malfoy over a colossal shoulder with a pant.
"Yes...why aren't we moving?" she demanded, pointing up at the face in the sky.
Hagrid shuddered, "Dumbledore says it's just a warning...from You-Know-Who..." he shivered again, "Damned scary one. We gotta get back to Hogwarts, but the Slytherins everywhere are dropping into fits and runnin' off in ter the night...they keep yowling about getting signals and such. All pretty darn spooky, if yer ta ask me!
"Now, you get back into the carriage and be good, we don't need anymore trouble..." he took a deep breath, "Looks as though there may be some fightin' later...you mind yerself, ya hear? Be good!" he spoke the last part very viciously.
She nodded, but as his great from faded from sight, Malfoy still limply draped over a shoulder, she ducked into the carriage, and looked Parvati straight in the eyes.
"Look, Parvati...there's danger. Real danger. I want you to stay here and keep the girls inside, keep them calm..."
"Where in magic's name are you going?" demanded Parvati.
"I...I got to go find...." she trailed off.
"Harry?" her friend completed.
Hermoine nodded. Hermione
"Oh Hermoine, don't get yourself killed for him!" she wailed, "You have to stay! Honestly, Hermoine! You can't-"
"I'll come back, I just have to make sure Harry-and Ron-don't go off somewhere. I need to, okay?"
Parvati glared but slumped back and sighed, "You be careful, Hermoine."
"I will. I just have to make sure Harry and Ron will too."
With that, she leaped from the carriage and sneaked past panicked teachers and students alike.
She looked around, feeling despair. Out of all these stopped, scattered carriages, how would she find the one Harry and Ron were in...if they were in it at all?
Suddenly, the sight of a fellow 5th year, a Gryffindor boy, peeking out the window of a carriage caught her eye.
That might just be their carriage, and in any case, it was the best lead that she had.
She picked up her skirt and hurried over. As she hopped onto the carriage foot step, she bumped into...
Solid air.
Solid air?
"Oh you!" she said angrily, then reached a hand into the open and pulled the invisibility cloak off both Ron and Harry who stared at her.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed, "What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with me?!" she cried, "What's the matter with you, Harry Potter? And you too, Ron? You two could get killed sneaking off like that! How could you not even think about all the people who care about you? How could you? And where on earth did that invisibility cloak of yours come from, anyway? You didn't bring it, did you?"
"Which question should we answer first?" Ron said under his breath.
Hermoine whirled on him, "You shut up, Ron, there's real danger here!"
"We know, Hermione," Harry said quietly to her, but even as he spoke, those amazing emerald eyes of his stayed glued to the sky, his fists clenched in a silent rage, "but that...that...thing killed my parents and a whole bunch of other innocent and brave witches and witches. Hell, he's even killed innocent muggles and children. He doesn't deserve to be left alone...to live," he looked at her for a brief second, then back up at the sky,
"As for this cloak," here he ran an affectionate hand over the liquid like material, "someone had pinned it to my bed with a note saying that I may need it. The handwriting looked like-"
"Dumbledore's." she interjected, "Look Harry, I know how much you look up Headmaster Dumbledore, but if its going to get you killed I won't let you do it."
"Hermione, you don't know what it's like to live with this..burden. And the pain of knowing I've met the beast, but it still lives! So I'm going, even if it does kill me!" he insisted.
"And I'm with him." Ron added firmly.
Her mouth turned into a mere straight line and she looked mad enough to explode, but all she said was, "Fine, but if you're going to be killed, you're not doing it without me."
His face was blank, but suddenly it lit up with what she said.
"Y-you will?"
"Of course," she retorted, "is there room in that cloak?"
They shuffled together, then making sure no one was watching, they threw it over themselves and slinked off behind some bushes, watching and waiting.
Already, the rest of the students had been herded into carriages and quieted.
Dumbledore stood with some of the other teachers in a circle, talking in hushed, fast voices.
"You're certain that the face in the sky is not...him?" Professor McGonagall asked, shuddering.
"Positive, Minerva." Dumbledore replied evenly, his brow dipped in frustration at that face, "But we can't keep our guard down. First, we need to get the children back to Hogwarts..."
"And then?" asked the oily voice of Snape.
"Then, there may be a battle for us to fight," Dumbledore sighed heavily, "I believe that he may be in the Hogsmeade Town Building, where the ball was to be. There will be much danger, we must be very, very careful."
And if Hermione didn't know any better, she'd say that he'd looked right at them when he spoke those last words.
"C'mon, let's go..." Ron hissed, breaking into her thoughts.
Yes, let's she thought with a sigh.
*A note to "Person" and All* Okay, ignore the other one. And in the review, I meant to write "I did not imply Ginny was a 3rd year," NOT a 4th year. I realize she is a 4th year. Please forgive me, I have the flu. *Sighs and downs another dose of cough syrup* *Bleeeeeeaaaaaaaccccchhhhhh* =P
Hermione stared into space as the other girls in the same carriage with her chattered away excitedly. And though she was crammed in between a bubbling Ginny Weasley and an equally loud third year, she barely heard a word they said.
Her mind was entirely on Harry Potter. Of course, she was flattered he'd asked her, she felt confused. Hadn't they agreed to just be friends? Were they still just friends?
She sighed, nervously brushing at a loose curl that fell over an eye and brushed imaginary lint off of her dress.
"...I hope Harry Potter saves a dance for me!" Ginny Weasley squealed. Then her eyes darted over Hermione and back to her gloved hands. She was blushing almost as red as Hermione's gown. Ginny herself looked rather like a French poodle in a frilly white and pink dress that was almost as curly as her crimped hair.
Hermione smiled a little at that. So, there had been rumors about Harry and her. She was not at all displeased to hear this.
Quite suddenly, the carriage jerked to a halt, causing shouts of protest and surprise from everyone. The candles in the carriage flickered, then went out.
There were squeals from almost everyone. Hermoine quickly stood, then with her wand, re-lit the candles, trying to calm everyone down.
Parvati looked up at her, eyes betraying her fear, "You don't think it has anything to do with..." she left the question inconcluded.
"Voldermort?" Hermoine asked boldly. The girls flinched at the name, "I sure hope not."
But inside, she felt herself shudder...was Harry okay? And Ron?
She shook her head. They could take care of themselves, she told herself. At the moment, she had to see if she was going to be okay.
Cautiously, she opened the door of the carriage, looking out into the dark night. With a quick muttering, her wand lit up. The teachers were hurriedly ushering children into their carts and there was much excited commotion. She also noticed an awful lot of children were looking up. She followed their gaze and gasped, almost falling backwards.
Covering the dark, starry sky, there was a dark gray cloud, almost like smoke. And it had a face.
And it was most certainly the worst face Hermione had ever seen. It was hideous, distorted with rage, slits of eyes the color of molten lava and like a snake's, and a black hole of a mouth opened wide enough to swallow them all...
She turned away, panicked, then saw Draco Malfoy cowering beneath their carriage, whimpering.
"What is it?!" she snapped, "You have to get to your carriage! There's no time to be a coward!"
To her surprise, he didn't yell back, just rocked back and forth on his heels, still blubbering uncontrollably, his skinny body shaking.
Suddenly, he spoke. But it was barely audible, more a whisper, "He's calling me...calling me, just like dad said, he wants me to come....don't let him take me...please...PLEASE!" suddenly, his voice rose and he whirled to face her, face red and eyes bloodshot.
He gave a last anguished cry, then faster than Hermione imagined possible, spun around and fell onto the road, quivering. Then, before her shocked eyes, he gave a last shuddering sigh, then finally lay quite still, looking asleep...or dead.
She pulled back, horrified. Finding her voice, she cried out, "Professor! Hagrid! Please, someone!"
Hagrid came puffing up, his great face worried and fearful.
"You okay, there, Hermoine?" he asked, heaving Malfoy over a colossal shoulder with a pant.
"Yes...why aren't we moving?" she demanded, pointing up at the face in the sky.
Hagrid shuddered, "Dumbledore says it's just a warning...from You-Know-Who..." he shivered again, "Damned scary one. We gotta get back to Hogwarts, but the Slytherins everywhere are dropping into fits and runnin' off in ter the night...they keep yowling about getting signals and such. All pretty darn spooky, if yer ta ask me!
"Now, you get back into the carriage and be good, we don't need anymore trouble..." he took a deep breath, "Looks as though there may be some fightin' later...you mind yerself, ya hear? Be good!" he spoke the last part very viciously.
She nodded, but as his great from faded from sight, Malfoy still limply draped over a shoulder, she ducked into the carriage, and looked Parvati straight in the eyes.
"Look, Parvati...there's danger. Real danger. I want you to stay here and keep the girls inside, keep them calm..."
"Where in magic's name are you going?" demanded Parvati.
"I...I got to go find...." she trailed off.
"Harry?" her friend completed.
Hermoine nodded. Hermione
"Oh Hermoine, don't get yourself killed for him!" she wailed, "You have to stay! Honestly, Hermoine! You can't-"
"I'll come back, I just have to make sure Harry-and Ron-don't go off somewhere. I need to, okay?"
Parvati glared but slumped back and sighed, "You be careful, Hermoine."
"I will. I just have to make sure Harry and Ron will too."
With that, she leaped from the carriage and sneaked past panicked teachers and students alike.
She looked around, feeling despair. Out of all these stopped, scattered carriages, how would she find the one Harry and Ron were in...if they were in it at all?
Suddenly, the sight of a fellow 5th year, a Gryffindor boy, peeking out the window of a carriage caught her eye.
That might just be their carriage, and in any case, it was the best lead that she had.
She picked up her skirt and hurried over. As she hopped onto the carriage foot step, she bumped into...
Solid air.
Solid air?
"Oh you!" she said angrily, then reached a hand into the open and pulled the invisibility cloak off both Ron and Harry who stared at her.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed, "What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with me?!" she cried, "What's the matter with you, Harry Potter? And you too, Ron? You two could get killed sneaking off like that! How could you not even think about all the people who care about you? How could you? And where on earth did that invisibility cloak of yours come from, anyway? You didn't bring it, did you?"
"Which question should we answer first?" Ron said under his breath.
Hermoine whirled on him, "You shut up, Ron, there's real danger here!"
"We know, Hermione," Harry said quietly to her, but even as he spoke, those amazing emerald eyes of his stayed glued to the sky, his fists clenched in a silent rage, "but that...that...thing killed my parents and a whole bunch of other innocent and brave witches and witches. Hell, he's even killed innocent muggles and children. He doesn't deserve to be left alone...to live," he looked at her for a brief second, then back up at the sky,
"As for this cloak," here he ran an affectionate hand over the liquid like material, "someone had pinned it to my bed with a note saying that I may need it. The handwriting looked like-"
"Dumbledore's." she interjected, "Look Harry, I know how much you look up Headmaster Dumbledore, but if its going to get you killed I won't let you do it."
"Hermione, you don't know what it's like to live with this..burden. And the pain of knowing I've met the beast, but it still lives! So I'm going, even if it does kill me!" he insisted.
"And I'm with him." Ron added firmly.
Her mouth turned into a mere straight line and she looked mad enough to explode, but all she said was, "Fine, but if you're going to be killed, you're not doing it without me."
His face was blank, but suddenly it lit up with what she said.
"Y-you will?"
"Of course," she retorted, "is there room in that cloak?"
They shuffled together, then making sure no one was watching, they threw it over themselves and slinked off behind some bushes, watching and waiting.
Already, the rest of the students had been herded into carriages and quieted.
Dumbledore stood with some of the other teachers in a circle, talking in hushed, fast voices.
"You're certain that the face in the sky is not...him?" Professor McGonagall asked, shuddering.
"Positive, Minerva." Dumbledore replied evenly, his brow dipped in frustration at that face, "But we can't keep our guard down. First, we need to get the children back to Hogwarts..."
"And then?" asked the oily voice of Snape.
"Then, there may be a battle for us to fight," Dumbledore sighed heavily, "I believe that he may be in the Hogsmeade Town Building, where the ball was to be. There will be much danger, we must be very, very careful."
And if Hermione didn't know any better, she'd say that he'd looked right at them when he spoke those last words.
"C'mon, let's go..." Ron hissed, breaking into her thoughts.
Yes, let's she thought with a sigh.
*A note to "Person" and All* Okay, ignore the other one. And in the review, I meant to write "I did not imply Ginny was a 3rd year," NOT a 4th year. I realize she is a 4th year. Please forgive me, I have the flu. *Sighs and downs another dose of cough syrup* *Bleeeeeeaaaaaaaccccchhhhhh* =P