Part Two
by Ashwinder
Ginny
stepped through the portrait hole into the Common Room and noted with dismay
that it was full. Her fellow Gryffindors all seemed to be occupied with either
homework or relaxation. Ginny chewed her lower lip as she considered how she
was going to get the Invisibility Cloak from Harry's dormitory. She thought of
drawing her wand and using a Summoning Charm, but that was certain to be
noticed. She was sure she'd be discovered if she tried sneaking over to the
boys' stairs as well, since the room was so crowded. On top of that, she
noticed Ron and Hermione had taken up residence in an armchair by the fire
which put them in full view of the staircase. Of course, they weren't really
noticing what was going on around them at the moment… Ginny decided there was
nothing for it but to brazen it out, so she strode purposefully toward the
boys' stairs, hoping against hope no one would notice.
When she
reached the top of the tower, she found the door shut and that gave her pause.
Then she noticed something else. "That's odd," she thought. "Why would someone
leave a hanger on the door?" Indeed, a wire coat hanger was hooked through the
iron ring which served to shut the massive wooden door. With trepidation she
opened the door and peeked into the dormitory. The image of Neville Longbottom
in nothing but his boxer shorts flashed through her mind. She had once had a
brief glimpse of just that while on a sock-stealing mission and was not eager
to repeat the experience.
At first
glance the room seemed empty so she went quietly in. Halfway to Harry's trunk,
Ginny froze. She had heard a sound, and then it came again. It was an
unmistakably feminine moan. This was followed by the sound of rustling
bed-clothes and a masculine grunt. The noise seemed to be emanating from the four-poster
across from Harry's, which, Ginny now noticed, had its curtains drawn. Her face
flamed red as she realised just what exactly was transpiring behind those
curtains.
As quietly
as she could, Ginny hurried to Harry's trunk and opened it. She grabbed the
Invisibility Cloak, which was fortunately on top, and retained the presence of
mind to nick a pair of socks while she was at it. Stuffing the socks into a
pocket of her robes, she donned the Invisibility Cloak and flew back over to
the door. She closed the door again and paused to allow her heart-rate to
return to normal. Then she drew her wand with a giggle and muttered an
incantation. "That'll teach them to lock the door," she thought.
Ginny
re-entered the Common Room and began to pick her way carefully across to the
portrait hole. She noticed in passing that the armchair previously occupied by
Ron and Hermione was now empty. As Ginny waited for someone to come along and
open the portrait hole, she giggled again, thinking, "I must remember to ask Harry
who sleeps in the bed across from his."
