She fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"HERMIONE!!!" I cried, as I ran forward to her.

Harry was distracting the huge dragon. How in the world did a dragon get into Hogwarts?

I pointed my wand at Hermione, casting the water spell. A puddle of water appeared in mid-air and splashed onto her. The fire was out...and so was Hermione. She was out cold. Her skin was burnt and raw. I couldn't bear to look at her. I turned towards Harry. His right arm was scalded and bleeding.

"Take Hermione to the Hospital wing! Both of you! And then get the professor!" I shouted to Lavender and Parvati. Those two girls were really useless.

They rushed towards Hermione. Lavender waved her wand and said, "Mobilicorpus."

Hermione floated up, and both of them, with one last frightened glance at both the dragon and Harry, ran off to the Hospital wing.

"Oi! You big horned head! I'm here!" I shouted, trying to distract the dragon. I succeeded. It turned towards me, and fired another blast of flames. I dodged it, but not too expertly. The flames managed to hit my left arm, leaving a burnt, bleeding mark similar to Harry's. "Harry! Do something! Hex it or anything!"

Harry frowned. "Hey! Stupid dragon! Over here!"

The dragon turned. Harry pointed his wand at it and whispered the spell for the Conjunctivitus curse. The dragon staggered back, as if Harry had used something to hit it in the eye. I felt a sense of deja vu. That's what Krum did two years back at the Triwizard Tournament.

I waved my wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Stoned, the dragon fell abruptly to the ground, making a loud crashing noise.

Professor Mcgonagall arrived on the scene, but a little too late, as usual.

"What in the world went on here?" she said, sternly.

Both Harry and I were too breathless to speak. Finally, I said, "A dragon, Professor. We have no idea how it got in here. It was attacking the girls. Parvati and Lavender were unharmed, but its flames hit Hermione in full blast."

Hermione! How was she now?

"What? Miss Granger got hit by the dragon's flames?"

"Yes," said Harry. "And us too. But Hermione's in greater danger."

"Hermione! We've got to see her!" I said, unable to control my anxiety any longer.

Without another word, I ran towards the Hospital wing.

"I'm sorry Professor, but we're really worried," I heard Harry explain. Then he ran after me.

I couldn't believe it. I was going to lose her! I haven't even told her that I loved her! This was so...unbelievable. I needed to see her now.

I arrived at the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey refused to let me in the intensive care wing.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go in. She's not in a state to see anyone," she said.

"What? No, please, you've got to let me in," I said. "Or at least tell me if she's badly hurt."

"The dragon's flames had done serious damage to her skin. She is in grave danger. You can't go in now, I'm sorry. And you, boy, are also injured. I will have to treat you first."

I let myself get pulled into the room. Harry followed. Madam Pomfrey applied some weird orange paste onto our skin, presumably to cure burns. But I couldn't even care about the pain. I was too busy wondering how Hermione was. Would she be scarred for life?