"Oi, Draco. You 'lergic to Billywigs?" Hagrid asked, holding up Harry's
jar.
"No." Malfoy said.
"Great. Come over 'ere 'en." Hagrid said with a grin, unscrewing the lid. "Giss your arm."
"No." Malfoy said again.
"Come on boy. Twon't 'urt ya. Much."
"I'll tell my father you're trying to injure me."
"Fine. Any other volunteers?" Hagrid asked. "Spoiled brat." He muttered under his breath.
Everyone simultaneously took a step back, leaving Neville, who was slightly slow on the uptake.
"Ah, you're a good boy Nev." Hagrid declared, grabbing for his arm.
"No! Nononononononono!" Neville cried, but Hagrid gripped his arm and began to unscrew the lid of the jar.
Neville screamed. "No! Get away from me!"
"Torturing students Hagrid?" someone asked.
Harry turned. Professor Riddle was leaning against the fence, a good- natured grin on his face. He glanced over at Harry, and, when their eyes met, a searing pain blasted through Harry's head. It quickly subsided, but his knees buckled and he crumbled to the ground.
"Are you alright Harry?" Malfoy asked, appearing beside him.
"I think so." Harry said, touching his head gingerly.
"Careful Harry." Ron warned. "Draco's a bad influence you know."
"That's me." Draco agreed cheerfully, offering Harry a hand.
Harry took it and pulled himself up. "Only according to my mother."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Parents." He said. "You know, my father volunteered to play Santa Claus at this year's Christmas Ball at Hogsmeade. I swear, if he does I'll disown him."
Hagrid and Professor walked off together, apparently forgetting about the students. Hagrid chuckled at something Riddle said. "Sounds like fun."
.......................................
Ginny put her hands over her ears. She had never before noticed how loud silence could be. For the second night in a row she had ignored the sleeping potion, but now she was beginning to wish that she hadn't. She was pretty sure she was the only person in the whole school (or perhaps the whole country) that was awake, it was so quiet.
With a sigh that was barely audible over the deafening silence, she flung back the blankets and swung her feet to the cold floor. Maybe a walk would help.
Every two metres, there was a colourful poster for some kind of event. Ginny didn't pay much attention to them as she wandered through the halls.
She got lost quickly. The hallways seemed to look different in the darkness, and she ended up going through the wrong door.
She stopped beside a portrait of a sleeping woman. "Excuse me." She whispered.
"Wha?" the portrait said, opening one big blue eye. "Whaddayawant?"
"Um, where is this?"
"This is Hogwarts. Can I go back to sleep now?"
"No, where in Hogwarts is this?"
The woman glared at her. "Why is everyone bothering me tonight. First that potter kid, now you and your dopey questions. I'm going back to sleep now."
The portrait on the other side of the hallway opened his eyes. "She's not very helpful that one." He said kindly. He was a chubby red headed man with a jeweled crown sitting at an angle on his head. "What were you wanting to know dear?"
"I'm a bit lost."
He nodded, making his crown slip off and clatter to the bottom of the portrait. "You're the second one tonight. Go straight ahead, then turn left."
After going straight ahead then turning left, Ginny was still lost. She ended up in a long, narrow corridor, which was in complete darkness, as there were no windows or doors lining the walls, which were painted black. The colourful posters lined the walls here too. It appeared that every inch of Hogwarts was covered in them
A light bobbed at the end of the corridor. Seeing no better alternatives, Ginny walked towards it.
"Ginny?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Harry" she replied, glancing down at her purple flying pig pyjamas a little self-consciously.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I can't sleep. You?"
"I was admiring this poster." He pointed to one of the posters.
"In the middle of the night?"
He laughed. "Alright. I was planning to have a go at this." He held up a box. Nestled inside was an amulet.
"What's it do?"
"It lets you walk through walls. Dad let me borrow it, but I had to promise that I'd use it only for pranks."
"You should have worn the invisibility cloak. You'll get caught."
"Wear the invisibility cloak? As if dad would let me anywhere near his precious toy."
Ginny looked at the poster. It was advertising a school dance. 'Are you going to this?"
"Yep. It sounds like fun. We have to wear muggle clothes. That should be funny."
There was some finer print at the bottom of the poster. "It says here that we won't be allowed in if we aren't accompanied by a date."
"No problem. Ron can go with Hermione. I'll go with you. That is" Harry suddenly looked a bit shy. "If you want to?"
"Yeah, sure," she said. "I want to go, after all," she added hurriedly. "But don't you want to ask Cho first? Just in case?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "What, and get my head beaten in by Cedric Diggory?"
"But Cedric's-" she started, then she shook her head. "Never mind."
"No." Malfoy said.
"Great. Come over 'ere 'en." Hagrid said with a grin, unscrewing the lid. "Giss your arm."
"No." Malfoy said again.
"Come on boy. Twon't 'urt ya. Much."
"I'll tell my father you're trying to injure me."
"Fine. Any other volunteers?" Hagrid asked. "Spoiled brat." He muttered under his breath.
Everyone simultaneously took a step back, leaving Neville, who was slightly slow on the uptake.
"Ah, you're a good boy Nev." Hagrid declared, grabbing for his arm.
"No! Nononononononono!" Neville cried, but Hagrid gripped his arm and began to unscrew the lid of the jar.
Neville screamed. "No! Get away from me!"
"Torturing students Hagrid?" someone asked.
Harry turned. Professor Riddle was leaning against the fence, a good- natured grin on his face. He glanced over at Harry, and, when their eyes met, a searing pain blasted through Harry's head. It quickly subsided, but his knees buckled and he crumbled to the ground.
"Are you alright Harry?" Malfoy asked, appearing beside him.
"I think so." Harry said, touching his head gingerly.
"Careful Harry." Ron warned. "Draco's a bad influence you know."
"That's me." Draco agreed cheerfully, offering Harry a hand.
Harry took it and pulled himself up. "Only according to my mother."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Parents." He said. "You know, my father volunteered to play Santa Claus at this year's Christmas Ball at Hogsmeade. I swear, if he does I'll disown him."
Hagrid and Professor walked off together, apparently forgetting about the students. Hagrid chuckled at something Riddle said. "Sounds like fun."
.......................................
Ginny put her hands over her ears. She had never before noticed how loud silence could be. For the second night in a row she had ignored the sleeping potion, but now she was beginning to wish that she hadn't. She was pretty sure she was the only person in the whole school (or perhaps the whole country) that was awake, it was so quiet.
With a sigh that was barely audible over the deafening silence, she flung back the blankets and swung her feet to the cold floor. Maybe a walk would help.
Every two metres, there was a colourful poster for some kind of event. Ginny didn't pay much attention to them as she wandered through the halls.
She got lost quickly. The hallways seemed to look different in the darkness, and she ended up going through the wrong door.
She stopped beside a portrait of a sleeping woman. "Excuse me." She whispered.
"Wha?" the portrait said, opening one big blue eye. "Whaddayawant?"
"Um, where is this?"
"This is Hogwarts. Can I go back to sleep now?"
"No, where in Hogwarts is this?"
The woman glared at her. "Why is everyone bothering me tonight. First that potter kid, now you and your dopey questions. I'm going back to sleep now."
The portrait on the other side of the hallway opened his eyes. "She's not very helpful that one." He said kindly. He was a chubby red headed man with a jeweled crown sitting at an angle on his head. "What were you wanting to know dear?"
"I'm a bit lost."
He nodded, making his crown slip off and clatter to the bottom of the portrait. "You're the second one tonight. Go straight ahead, then turn left."
After going straight ahead then turning left, Ginny was still lost. She ended up in a long, narrow corridor, which was in complete darkness, as there were no windows or doors lining the walls, which were painted black. The colourful posters lined the walls here too. It appeared that every inch of Hogwarts was covered in them
A light bobbed at the end of the corridor. Seeing no better alternatives, Ginny walked towards it.
"Ginny?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Harry" she replied, glancing down at her purple flying pig pyjamas a little self-consciously.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I can't sleep. You?"
"I was admiring this poster." He pointed to one of the posters.
"In the middle of the night?"
He laughed. "Alright. I was planning to have a go at this." He held up a box. Nestled inside was an amulet.
"What's it do?"
"It lets you walk through walls. Dad let me borrow it, but I had to promise that I'd use it only for pranks."
"You should have worn the invisibility cloak. You'll get caught."
"Wear the invisibility cloak? As if dad would let me anywhere near his precious toy."
Ginny looked at the poster. It was advertising a school dance. 'Are you going to this?"
"Yep. It sounds like fun. We have to wear muggle clothes. That should be funny."
There was some finer print at the bottom of the poster. "It says here that we won't be allowed in if we aren't accompanied by a date."
"No problem. Ron can go with Hermione. I'll go with you. That is" Harry suddenly looked a bit shy. "If you want to?"
"Yeah, sure," she said. "I want to go, after all," she added hurriedly. "But don't you want to ask Cho first? Just in case?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "What, and get my head beaten in by Cedric Diggory?"
"But Cedric's-" she started, then she shook her head. "Never mind."