The forest was deadly still. Harry looked around and saw Ron's hands
shaking, holding his wand out in front of him like a gun. Harry lit the end
of his own and followed Fletcher and Sirius into the depths of the wood.
"Hang on," Harry muttered a few minutes later. "D'you see something up ahead?"
The others stopped and looked carefully. Indeed, something seemed to be happening. They could see a small clearing faintly and hear popping noises. They began to run flat-out to reach the clearing - but they were too late.
They had stepped into a horrible sight. There were bodies lying on the ground, sprawled out, dead. Harry heard Ron gasp.
"Ginny!" Ron yelled, blundering forward and turning over a very small figure some twenty feet away.
Harry hurried to him and knelt down next to him. Ginny was lying there, her eyes closed, her face pale and cold. She was dead. Harry's eyes burnt. He looked away and stood up, facing Fletcher and Sirius, who were looking at the other dead students.
"C'mon," said Sirius quietly, who had crossed over to them, "Let's get you out of here. C'mon, Ron."
But Ron didn't want to leave. He held his sister tightly to him and shook his head violently. Sirius grabbed his arm.
"You're not safe here," he said gently.
"I don't care," said Ron, pulling Ginny closer to himself.
"Go back to Hermione. We'll sort this out. I'm sorry," Sirius added as his voice caught in his throat, which he tried to disguise.
"Come on, Ron," said Harry, feeling his stomach contract at the sight of Ginny.
"We'll sort this out," repeated Sirius, successfully moving Ron away from Ginny.
Ron fought, trying to get back to Ginny, but Sirius was too strong for him. Eventually, with much coaxing and insisting from Fletcher, Sirius, and Harry, Ron agreed to go back to Hermione. He and Harry walked slowly out of the clearing without talking. Ron kept clearing his throat. Harry wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't. He was numb with horrible shock. How - how - could Ginny be dead? He was supposed to apologise to her! How could she be dead before he got to apologise to her? It wasn't fair.
"Harry!" shouted Ron suddenly. "Look out!"
Harry wheeled round and saw, to his horror - a Chimaera. He recognised it from a picture he had seen in The Monster Book of Monsters. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. He now understood fully why it was a Class-A Non-Tradable Good. Without thinking, Harry pushed Ron out of the way and leapt forward.
"STUPEFY!" Harry shouted at the top of his voice.
It worked, but too late - the Chimaera had already lunged at him and sank its large teeth into his right arm. Harry yelled with pain and Ron pulled the monster off of him. It was unconscious. His arm bled freely, and was causing him much pain. He had dropped his wand in the confusion.
"Here!" panted Ron, brandishing Harry's wand towards him.
Ron pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Harry's arm. The blood soaked through, but the pain was slightly relieved.
"Aren't you cold?" Harry asked. Ron only had a t-shirt and it was rather chilly.
"I'm fine," said Ron without looking at him. "Let's go."
The rest of the walk out of the forest passed quickly without incident. Once they had cleared out, they saw Arabella hurrying towards them looking stricken.
"Boys!" she shouted.
"We're okay!" they said over and over, but she held her lit wand up to their faces.
"You are not! Look at your arm, Harry! And Ron, your face!"
Harry looked. Ron hadn't said anything about his face, but in the light of the wand, he could see that it was scratched and cut. Harry supposed that he had got hurt during the meeting with the Chimaera.
"Come on, let's go to the hospital wing," she said, ushering them towards the castle.
Ron looked down the whole time. Harry felt horrible. The door opened and Madam Pomfrey streaked over to them, her face white.
"You two will be the death of me," she muttered, wiping the blood off of Harry's arm and Ron's face.
Ron's face contorted at the word "death". Madam Pomfrey obviously hadn't heard about the students. He seemed to be trying not to cry. Hermione was asleep in the bed, still pale and weak-looking.
"Is Hermione okay?" asked Harry.
"She's fine," said Madam Pomfrey.
She made Harry and Ron lie down and rest. Neither of them could relax, though. Hermione stirred once or twice, but did not wake up. Ron kept rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat. Harry felt his hands shaking again.
"Ron?" said a voice from the door. It was Sirius.
Sirius crossed over to them and sat by Ron's bed. Ron did not look at him.
"Ron, I'm very sorry about your sister," said Sirius in a quaking voice. "I really am. You are exempt from the Order if you choose to be so. So are your parents and brothers."
There was a long, tense pause. Ron bit his lip and thought. Harry braced himself for Ron's answer.
"Hang on," Harry muttered a few minutes later. "D'you see something up ahead?"
The others stopped and looked carefully. Indeed, something seemed to be happening. They could see a small clearing faintly and hear popping noises. They began to run flat-out to reach the clearing - but they were too late.
They had stepped into a horrible sight. There were bodies lying on the ground, sprawled out, dead. Harry heard Ron gasp.
"Ginny!" Ron yelled, blundering forward and turning over a very small figure some twenty feet away.
Harry hurried to him and knelt down next to him. Ginny was lying there, her eyes closed, her face pale and cold. She was dead. Harry's eyes burnt. He looked away and stood up, facing Fletcher and Sirius, who were looking at the other dead students.
"C'mon," said Sirius quietly, who had crossed over to them, "Let's get you out of here. C'mon, Ron."
But Ron didn't want to leave. He held his sister tightly to him and shook his head violently. Sirius grabbed his arm.
"You're not safe here," he said gently.
"I don't care," said Ron, pulling Ginny closer to himself.
"Go back to Hermione. We'll sort this out. I'm sorry," Sirius added as his voice caught in his throat, which he tried to disguise.
"Come on, Ron," said Harry, feeling his stomach contract at the sight of Ginny.
"We'll sort this out," repeated Sirius, successfully moving Ron away from Ginny.
Ron fought, trying to get back to Ginny, but Sirius was too strong for him. Eventually, with much coaxing and insisting from Fletcher, Sirius, and Harry, Ron agreed to go back to Hermione. He and Harry walked slowly out of the clearing without talking. Ron kept clearing his throat. Harry wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't. He was numb with horrible shock. How - how - could Ginny be dead? He was supposed to apologise to her! How could she be dead before he got to apologise to her? It wasn't fair.
"Harry!" shouted Ron suddenly. "Look out!"
Harry wheeled round and saw, to his horror - a Chimaera. He recognised it from a picture he had seen in The Monster Book of Monsters. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. He now understood fully why it was a Class-A Non-Tradable Good. Without thinking, Harry pushed Ron out of the way and leapt forward.
"STUPEFY!" Harry shouted at the top of his voice.
It worked, but too late - the Chimaera had already lunged at him and sank its large teeth into his right arm. Harry yelled with pain and Ron pulled the monster off of him. It was unconscious. His arm bled freely, and was causing him much pain. He had dropped his wand in the confusion.
"Here!" panted Ron, brandishing Harry's wand towards him.
Ron pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Harry's arm. The blood soaked through, but the pain was slightly relieved.
"Aren't you cold?" Harry asked. Ron only had a t-shirt and it was rather chilly.
"I'm fine," said Ron without looking at him. "Let's go."
The rest of the walk out of the forest passed quickly without incident. Once they had cleared out, they saw Arabella hurrying towards them looking stricken.
"Boys!" she shouted.
"We're okay!" they said over and over, but she held her lit wand up to their faces.
"You are not! Look at your arm, Harry! And Ron, your face!"
Harry looked. Ron hadn't said anything about his face, but in the light of the wand, he could see that it was scratched and cut. Harry supposed that he had got hurt during the meeting with the Chimaera.
"Come on, let's go to the hospital wing," she said, ushering them towards the castle.
Ron looked down the whole time. Harry felt horrible. The door opened and Madam Pomfrey streaked over to them, her face white.
"You two will be the death of me," she muttered, wiping the blood off of Harry's arm and Ron's face.
Ron's face contorted at the word "death". Madam Pomfrey obviously hadn't heard about the students. He seemed to be trying not to cry. Hermione was asleep in the bed, still pale and weak-looking.
"Is Hermione okay?" asked Harry.
"She's fine," said Madam Pomfrey.
She made Harry and Ron lie down and rest. Neither of them could relax, though. Hermione stirred once or twice, but did not wake up. Ron kept rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat. Harry felt his hands shaking again.
"Ron?" said a voice from the door. It was Sirius.
Sirius crossed over to them and sat by Ron's bed. Ron did not look at him.
"Ron, I'm very sorry about your sister," said Sirius in a quaking voice. "I really am. You are exempt from the Order if you choose to be so. So are your parents and brothers."
There was a long, tense pause. Ron bit his lip and thought. Harry braced himself for Ron's answer.