Disclaimer & Credits: Don't own LotF or HP. Never have, never will. Deal with it. Oh, and many, many thank-yous for the revie to Broadwaypoetess, superhan (like your title btw - I'll use it if I can't think of anything better! ^_^), and Jax!
Chapter Six: A Very Bad Sign
Ralph's body relaxed slightly as he ceased blowing
and allowed the conch to hang limply by his side. He lifted his other arm to
his face to shield his eyes from the malevolent sunshine. "Where are
they?" he muttered.
Simon struggled to stand on legs that had lost circulation from being sat on.
"There," he said, pointing. He smiled reassuringly. "See, Ralph?
They're coming."
Lowering his raised hand, Ralph heaved a sigh. "Took 'em long
enough," he grumbled, then returned the other's smile. He gestured widely
for silence from everyone. They almost immediately obeyed, waiting in eager
anticipation for an assembly.
However, there would be no such assembly; Ralph just pointed to the pool and
said, "Back to work. All of you. Now."
There were loud groans of protest as the boys started to pick up logs.
"What 'bout my asthma?" Piggy protested.
"Sucks to your ass-mar," Ralph sighed, then, pointing toward the
mages, he added, "You, too."
The Hogwarts students glanced at each other, shrugged, and started to work,
Draco mumbling something obscene under his breath about the "stupid
Muggles".
At last the wall was dismissed as "good
enough" and everyone who hadn't wandered off already abandoned the
remainder of the project. The sun was setting, and some of the smaller children
waddled toward the huts to go to sleep.
Jack and company had headed in the jungle to hunt (and look for the two
"misplaced" spears)...although they couldn't escape Hermione, who had
apparently decided to pass time by lecturing them on the errors of their ways, and
why wild hogs had as much right as anyone to life. "Honestly!" she
shouted at them in the most disapproving tone she could muster as they
disappeared into the trees. She was answered by all the things Jack would have
done to her if she wasn't a girl.
Draco leaned against the palm tree in meditative
posture, his eyes closed and his head resting on his chest. A small hand on his
knee made his eyes flutter open.
"Ask him!" Henry whispered bossily in Johnny's ears.
"No," Johnny whimpered, "I touched him - you ask
him."
"No, you!"
"You!"
"Fine," Henry snorted.
*What is their problem?* Draco wondered irritably, glancing from the first
little boy to the second. "Um, mister," one of them asked shyly,
"are you a...wizard?"
*How could they know?* the young mage wondered. "Yes," Draco drawled,
eyeing them. They squeaked and the Slytherin couldn't help but smile...silly
Muggles..."Yes, I am, and...I'm going to..." Draco paused to think.
What were Muggles afraid of? Oh, yes, he remembered someone saying that the Muggles
thought wizards would turn them into frogs...."turn you both into
frogs!"
The two frightened children shot each other glances before running as fast as
they could away from the Draco.
"I knew he was a wizard!" Johnny started to cry. "I knew
it!"
Harry and Ron ambled up and down the scar of the
isle with increasing boredom.
"Where do you s'pose Fred and George are?" Ron said after awhile.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno," he said absently.
"Anywhere, knowing them," Ron said, answering his own question. Then
another question posed itself. "Ginny - where's she?"
Harry yawned. "Just fine, I'm sure."
Ron shook his head, frowning. "Harry, what's your problem? Why're you
so...out of it?"
Harry deliberated with himself for a few seconds before deciding not to tell Ron
about the slight pain that was shooting up his scar, knowing what his friend's
reaction would be if...
"Tired, I guess," the Boy Who Lived replied lamely.
