A/N: I was reading other fanfics, and I noticed that other people put their author notes @ the bottom of their stories. This left me thinking: Am I that self centered? Oh well, anyhow. You know what I love most about this ward in fanfiction.net? (I know you don't care, but humor me) The fact that there's no smut or NC-17 rated stuff. I mean, sure we have some language, but it's nothing outside of the stuff that you hear on the school bus. And if your home-schooled...I haven't a comparison for you. *Sighs* Okay, now that I've said that, it's only a matter of time before the slime starts pouring in...well, anyhow, there's usually only a few people who read this anyway. Whoa, I talk way to much. Sorry. Read on...
Hermione was not very pleased under Harry's invisibility cloak.
Not only were they about to face Voldermort, a being so terrible few dared to say his name, but it seemed they'd all grown quite a bit since the last time they'd crowded under the liquidly cloth and it was a tight squeeze.
Though it was hard to see, she was pretty sure that Ron was in front of her and she had her lightly freckled nose smushed into one of his bony shoulderblades.
"Harry, can you see where we're going?" Ron hissed, as they narrowly missed hitting yet another tree.
"Well, it's hard when my glasses have been split in two by your elbow," Harry snapped back.
"Oh honestly!" Hermione sighed, "Is there anyone around, Harry?"
"No one that I can see, then I can't see much," he replied.
"Fine, then let's just take this stupid cloak off and walk," she snapped.
"Should we risk it?" Ron asked, stopping short and causing her to bump into him and fall over. Her leg caught Ron's shin and he went down, tangling Harry in the cloak. In a jumble of cloth, limbs and grumbled curses, they fell to the cold ground.
Hermione looked around her. They faces were all exposed, the invisibility cloak draped over Harry's shoulders so that he looked like some eerily floating head.
"I guess we'll just have to risk it," she replied, struggling to her feet and brushing dirt off of her dress and attempting to regain her dignity.
Harry sheepishly pulled the cloak off his shoulders, folded it up and tucked it inside the trunk of a tree.
"Remember that the cloak is here....you know, just in case I don't, you know, make it back," he said bravely.
"Harry, don't talk like that!" Hermione reprimanded sharply.
"Yea, if you die, we're dying with you!" Ron exclaimed brightly.
Hermione glared at him, "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, Ron."
The three shivered in the cool night air, thoughts of the dark lord himself filling their heads.
"Well, let's go," Harry spoke, breaking through their thoughts.
The group walked up the marble stairs of the Hogsmeade Town Hall steps.
"So, Hermione, what's the history of this place?" Ron asked.
"Hogsmeade Town Hall was built shortly after the founding of the town. Of course, the initial structure was not nearly as elegant or extravagant as this building, however, it even at that time was the largest, most fanciful place in the entire village. It is and has been used for citizen meetings, board meetings, village announcements and social gatherings such as balls, dueling matches and other functions," she replied immediately.
"I knew I shouldn't have asked," Ron muttered.
"Oh shut up," Hermione prissed good naturedly.
They reached the top of the stairs and looked down upon the silent village of Hogsmeade.
"They all evacuated," Harry said softly, looking at Hermione, "Ron and I saw them run away. Some of them...had those weird seizures like the Slytherins did. I heard someone say it had to do with the strong bonds between Voldermort and his house," he added.
"Poor people," Hermione whispered.
"Poor people?!" Ron demanded, "How about poor us?"
They turned to face the tall, beautiful Town Hall. Against the night sky, it was foreboding, almost evil looking. The face in the sky had faded and had been reduced to faint pink wisps of smoke and mist.
"Think he's in there?" Harry asked, his voice sounding impossibly loud in the cool air.
"We'll have to find out." Came Ron's reply.
Wordlessly, they took out their wands and entered the building, not sure if they would ever come out.
Hermione was not very pleased under Harry's invisibility cloak.
Not only were they about to face Voldermort, a being so terrible few dared to say his name, but it seemed they'd all grown quite a bit since the last time they'd crowded under the liquidly cloth and it was a tight squeeze.
Though it was hard to see, she was pretty sure that Ron was in front of her and she had her lightly freckled nose smushed into one of his bony shoulderblades.
"Harry, can you see where we're going?" Ron hissed, as they narrowly missed hitting yet another tree.
"Well, it's hard when my glasses have been split in two by your elbow," Harry snapped back.
"Oh honestly!" Hermione sighed, "Is there anyone around, Harry?"
"No one that I can see, then I can't see much," he replied.
"Fine, then let's just take this stupid cloak off and walk," she snapped.
"Should we risk it?" Ron asked, stopping short and causing her to bump into him and fall over. Her leg caught Ron's shin and he went down, tangling Harry in the cloak. In a jumble of cloth, limbs and grumbled curses, they fell to the cold ground.
Hermione looked around her. They faces were all exposed, the invisibility cloak draped over Harry's shoulders so that he looked like some eerily floating head.
"I guess we'll just have to risk it," she replied, struggling to her feet and brushing dirt off of her dress and attempting to regain her dignity.
Harry sheepishly pulled the cloak off his shoulders, folded it up and tucked it inside the trunk of a tree.
"Remember that the cloak is here....you know, just in case I don't, you know, make it back," he said bravely.
"Harry, don't talk like that!" Hermione reprimanded sharply.
"Yea, if you die, we're dying with you!" Ron exclaimed brightly.
Hermione glared at him, "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, Ron."
The three shivered in the cool night air, thoughts of the dark lord himself filling their heads.
"Well, let's go," Harry spoke, breaking through their thoughts.
The group walked up the marble stairs of the Hogsmeade Town Hall steps.
"So, Hermione, what's the history of this place?" Ron asked.
"Hogsmeade Town Hall was built shortly after the founding of the town. Of course, the initial structure was not nearly as elegant or extravagant as this building, however, it even at that time was the largest, most fanciful place in the entire village. It is and has been used for citizen meetings, board meetings, village announcements and social gatherings such as balls, dueling matches and other functions," she replied immediately.
"I knew I shouldn't have asked," Ron muttered.
"Oh shut up," Hermione prissed good naturedly.
They reached the top of the stairs and looked down upon the silent village of Hogsmeade.
"They all evacuated," Harry said softly, looking at Hermione, "Ron and I saw them run away. Some of them...had those weird seizures like the Slytherins did. I heard someone say it had to do with the strong bonds between Voldermort and his house," he added.
"Poor people," Hermione whispered.
"Poor people?!" Ron demanded, "How about poor us?"
They turned to face the tall, beautiful Town Hall. Against the night sky, it was foreboding, almost evil looking. The face in the sky had faded and had been reduced to faint pink wisps of smoke and mist.
"Think he's in there?" Harry asked, his voice sounding impossibly loud in the cool air.
"We'll have to find out." Came Ron's reply.
Wordlessly, they took out their wands and entered the building, not sure if they would ever come out.