Chapter Fourteen -- Thick Blood

She was lying on her bed, in a loose fetal position, covers tight around her. Try as she might, she could not fall asleep. She listened to Lavender and Parvati snore lightly, and though she longed to join them in their slumber, sleep was not wrapping her in its warm arms.

It took a while for her to realize that something felt wrong. She set her woman's intuition on the case, trying to pin-point the problem. There was something in the room. What? She didn't know. *Probably just a mouse*, she thought, which was very likely. But--no. There were no scratching noises like she normally heard from the local mice. This was something different.

Well, whatever it is, she thought yawning, it better not keep me up all night. And she fell asleep.

^*^*^

She was awakened by a sound. Loud and distinct, she rubbed her eyes and threw off her sheets. In her head she cursed the mice that were obviously waking her, and whispered, "Parvati? Hermi? You hear that?"

Another sound. Was that...a growl?

Hopping out of bed and turning on the light, she saw two red beds, with two very dead looking girls in them.

She screamed.

^*^*^

He woke from pounding on the door. He highly doubted that it was anything important, but he forced himself out of bed, to unlock the door, open it -- and he found a white Lavender staring back at him.

"Wazza matter?" he asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

"A-Attack!" she screamed, causing two more bodies in the room to wake up. "Parva--and Hermi!"

Harry was suddenly awake. "Hermione?" he said quickly, turning to the other two now-awake boys. "Dean, go get a teacher. Ron, go check all the other boy dormitories, and make sure no one else is hurt. Lavender, check the girls. I'll go help Hermione and Parvati."

The three nodded at his demands, and set off in different directions, while Harry ran to the sixth year girl's room.

He found blood. Mostly blood. A memory of Seamus' bed and body shot like lightning through his head, but he quickly dismissed it and ran to each girl.

Parvati was dead. No hope as far as Harry could tell. He pulled the drapes closed around her, then ran to Hermione. Still breathing, though poorly, he pulled back her sheets to find her chest severely cut, ripped, and...eaten?

She was moaning, though quietly. Harry grabbed her hand and said, "I'm here. Help is coming. It's okay, Hermione, it's okay."

Frantically, she shook her head. "Wolf!" she yelled. "N-Not w-werewolf!"

Harry covered her mouth. "No, Hermione, no talking. Stay with me, stay awake, but no talking."

She fell quiet, but kept her eyes open to let him know she was still conscious.

The seconds it took for McGonagall and Pomfrey to arrive where few, but it felt like an eternity to Harry, who was holding a clearly dying Hermione. He tried so hard not to let any tears fall, in case that would frighten her. But as soon as help arrived, he pulled away from her, and cried.

"My GOD!" McGonagall screamed, looking at Hermione. "Poppy, you must help her!"

Poppy nodded. "I'll do my best, Minerva, but--" she shook her head and placed a spell on Hermione to stop her from bleeding. She then floated Hermione down to the infirmary.

"The other girls are fine," Lavender suddenly announced, coming through the door.

"Boys too," Ron said, following her.

McGonagall looked at them. "You...you checked the other rooms? Wonderful. One last thing for me to worry about. Who--?"

"Harry," Ron and Lavender said together.

McGonagall looked somewhat pleased, considering the situation. "Nice job, Potter. I want you three to now collect everyone and bring them to the Great Hall. Understood?"

They nodded and hurried off, just as Professor Snape and Dumbledore entered.

"I've sent Potter, Weasley, and Brown to collect the Gryffindors into the Great Hall. Shall I have the other houses do the same?" McGonagall asked Albus.

He nodded. "Yes, that would be best. Is Miss Granger...?"

McGonagall shook her head. "She's alive. Miss Patil however..." she motioned to the curtain-drawn bed.

Shaking his head sadly, Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Get your students out of their rooms. I want everyone together. No student may be alone. Find the other teachers. Make sure everyone, and I mean, *everyone* is in the Great Hall. Minerva, I'd also like to make sure Sybil is safe, so if you please..."

Too wrapped up with thinking about the danger, she nodded without even considering the fact that she was off to save someone she held little respect for.

McGonagall and Snape both left, leaving Dumbledore to look at the body of Parvati Patil. He walked sadly up to her bed, and pulled back the curtains back and saw a very sliced up girl. He frowned heavily, and began to examine her.

Shallow gash marks across her cheek and deep ones through her chest. Her white nightgown had been dyed scarlet, and her eyes, which he closed moments after seeing them, were full of dead terror.

It wasn't Remus, Dumbledore noted, the happy realization breaking through the sadness. He realized that after he informed the Patil and Granger families, he would have to let Mysticus know what happened. That it really wasn't Remus.

He closed the curtains again, and walked out of the room. He walked smoothly to the Great Hall, surprised to find a huge amount of students, including all the Gryffindors, already there in such a short amount of time. He nodded as Snape entered with more students, and Snape nodded back. He then directed to the students where to stay, and they all clustered together, not knowing what was going on.

"Oy!" Draco yelled to Harry, while walking across some frightened first year Gryffindors. "What's all the hullaballoo about?"

"Attack," Harry croaked.

"Oh? Who?"

"Parvati and Her--" he couldn't form the name.

But Draco didn't need anything more. His face drooped and eyes closed tightly, then he fell to the ground, holding his pale head.

"Hermione..." he softly whispered. Harry turned away, unable to watch another sad person mourn. Wanting desperately to find Lavender or Ron, Harry skimmed the crowds, only to find them in a corner, clearly crying together. Harry decided he did not want to disturb them, but rather, find another person.

She was alone. No one walked up to her, as she sat unemotionally on the conjured up sleeping bags. But then she suddenly had arms around her, and she turned to see a crying Harry snuggling up to her neck.

"Ginny, I--"

"Shh," she cooed, stroking his bed head. "She's fine..."

She maneuvered him so that his head was suddenly against her rising and falling chest. He closed his eyes and tried hard not to cry. But the tears forced themselves down his cheeks, and she allowed hers to fall into his messy hair.

They just cried.