"Someone took Hermione then?" Harry asked, wide eyed. Jessica nodded
sadly. Amanda put her hands over her face.
"That's the girl I saw them bringing in," she said in to her hands. Her words were discernible only by Jessica, who had heard the story the previous night.
"What?" Ron asked, pulling her hands down.
Amanda stared down at her knees, repeating the entire story.
"—and I saw them bringing in a girl…it must have been Hermione," she finished.
There was a long silence.
"We've got to do something," Harry said fiercely, "We need help."
"But who's going to help us?" Jessica asked, "The teachers are too busy worrying about saving the school, and all of the students are too preoccupied with finding dates…"
They all groaned simultaneously, realizing that they still had to find dates.
"Well, on a lighter note," Ron said, "Mum sent me my suit. And she sent you one too, Harry," he added looking at Harry
"Really?" Amanda asked, sounding genuinely interested, "What's it like?"
"Well, its sort of…er…" he said, trying to find the words, "Well, here, I'll show you."
He raced up the stairs to his dormitory and returned a minute later, clutching what looked like a black dish rag.
"What is that?" Jessica asked incredulously
"It's my suit," he replied, opening it up to show them, "My dad wore it to a costume party a few years ago. I think he went as something called a 'businessman'."
Harry smiled, but was secretly nervous. If this was Ron's suit, he couldn't wait to see what his would look like.
Jessica almost wrinkled her nose, but caught herself just in time. The suit was a faded black, starting to fray in several places, and had clearly seen its share of wear and tear.
"It's...er…nice," she managed to say with a small smile.
"Nice?" Amanda exclaimed, "It's fantastic!"
Ron blushed a deep red.
Jessica rolled her eyes and turned back to Harry.
"So," she said pointedly, "Where are we gong to get help?"
"We'll have to go out and find our own help," Harry said, apparently thinking hard. "Jessica, didn't you say that you saw Snape with the Aurors?"
Jessica nodded, unsure of what he was getting at.
"Then I think I've got a plan!" he announced.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Ron yawned.
Harry tried to nod in reply, but instead his head dropped on to Jessica's shoulder and he began to snore.
Jessica sighed and pushed him to the other side of the couch, glancing at her watch.
"Not long now," she said, trying not to sound tired, when in actuality she was ready to drop from exhaustion.
Amanda glared at them.
"I haven't known Hermione half as long as you two have," she said to Harry and Ron, "And it seems like I'm much more concerned than you!"
"No no," Ron said sleepily, "We're plenty concerned…"
"You are not," Amanda said, crossing her arms.
Harry sighed and sat back up, rubbing his eyes.
"Alright, alright, we're awake…we're awake," he said groggily.
"Why did you even suggest this if you were going to fall asleep?" Jessica demanded.
"I wasn't…" he began. Jessica stopped listening, and turned instead to look out the window. The grounds were black and there were few stars in the sky tonight. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving very fast across the grounds. She squinted, trying to discern a definite shape. As she watched, a cloud shifted and moonlight illuminated the grounds.
Realizing quickly that this is what they had been waiting for, she stood up.
"Hurry!" she whispered, racing toward the door.
Tired as they may have been, Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. Jessica and Amanda stood in front of the portrait hole, fumbling with the invisibility cloak.
"Come on!" Amanda whispered urgently.
The four of them squeezed under the cloak and left the Common Room. This task proved to be very difficult, as they had never had four people under the cloak at one time before.
"Ouch!"
"Get off me, will you?!"
"Who's hand is that?"
"Is this my leg?"
"Will you all shut up!" Jessica hissed.
"Who's there?" demanded a disgruntled Fat Lady.
They all fell silent.
After they had gone for another three corridors, Jessica decided they were safe.
"We're going to have to move a bit quicker," she whispered.
They began to go as fast as they could without actually running, and in a few minutes, they found themselves standing on the front lawn, a slight breeze rippling the cloak.
"Hold on a minute," Harry said quietly. Slowly, he slid the cloak off his head, squinting through the dark night. There was a long pause. "There he is!" he said suddenly, "He's about to go in to the forest."
Ron groaned.
"Stop whining," Jessica snapped, "Come on."
The four of them continued to amble their way across the lawn, until finally they could all see him. Professor Snape was standing right outside the entrance to the Forbidden Forest, consulting a large map.
"This is it," Harry whispered, causing several knots to form themselves in Jessica's stomach.
They crept slowly closer, trying not to make a sound. After what felt like an eternity, Snape rolled up the map, lighted his wand, and started off in to the forest.
Amanda gulped, Harry took a deep breath, and Jessica closed her eyes and crossed her fingers. Ron, however, made no move as they entered the forest. Jessica suspected he was trying his hardest not to run. The moment they stepped in to the shadows cast by the large trees, Jessica could tell this was not somewhere she wanted to be. They hesitated for a minute.
"You know," Ron said suddenly, "I'm sure there's another way to do this. I mean, this is just too dangerous. Following Snape in to the Forbidden Forest without our wands lighted? It's just crazy!"
Jessica froze. He was right. They were in over their heads here. They should just turn around and head straight up to Dumbledore's office.
She swallowed. "You're right, Ron. Let's go back."
She turned to go, but felt a hand grip her arm.
"No, Jess," Amanda said quietly, "We can't go back now. We just can't. You know that."
"Well listen," Harry cut in, "Whatever we're going to do, we'd better decide fast."
Jessica looked up. The faint light coming from Snape's wand was getting further away by the second. Without it, they wouldn't stand a chance of making it to the Aurors alive.
She took a deep breath.
"If we don't go now, we'll lose the chance to go at all. So what do you think. Do we leave…or do we follow?"
"I vote that we continue following Snape," Amanda said.
"I want to head back to the castle," Ron said immediately.
Jessica glanced at Harry.
"You're choice," she said quietly.
He paused for a moment. Then, finally he said firmly, "We've come too far to turn back now."
"Then let's go," Jessica whispered, starting forward.
(A/N) This would have been up sooner, but I was bitten by the laziness bug. Oh, and I fired my muse. It just wasn't gonna work that way. Ok, so, next chapter soon, and I think I'm gonna stop this before I get to 40 chapters…that just seems a touch excessive, ya know? Ok well im out, please review! I love you guys!!!!
"That's the girl I saw them bringing in," she said in to her hands. Her words were discernible only by Jessica, who had heard the story the previous night.
"What?" Ron asked, pulling her hands down.
Amanda stared down at her knees, repeating the entire story.
"—and I saw them bringing in a girl…it must have been Hermione," she finished.
There was a long silence.
"We've got to do something," Harry said fiercely, "We need help."
"But who's going to help us?" Jessica asked, "The teachers are too busy worrying about saving the school, and all of the students are too preoccupied with finding dates…"
They all groaned simultaneously, realizing that they still had to find dates.
"Well, on a lighter note," Ron said, "Mum sent me my suit. And she sent you one too, Harry," he added looking at Harry
"Really?" Amanda asked, sounding genuinely interested, "What's it like?"
"Well, its sort of…er…" he said, trying to find the words, "Well, here, I'll show you."
He raced up the stairs to his dormitory and returned a minute later, clutching what looked like a black dish rag.
"What is that?" Jessica asked incredulously
"It's my suit," he replied, opening it up to show them, "My dad wore it to a costume party a few years ago. I think he went as something called a 'businessman'."
Harry smiled, but was secretly nervous. If this was Ron's suit, he couldn't wait to see what his would look like.
Jessica almost wrinkled her nose, but caught herself just in time. The suit was a faded black, starting to fray in several places, and had clearly seen its share of wear and tear.
"It's...er…nice," she managed to say with a small smile.
"Nice?" Amanda exclaimed, "It's fantastic!"
Ron blushed a deep red.
Jessica rolled her eyes and turned back to Harry.
"So," she said pointedly, "Where are we gong to get help?"
"We'll have to go out and find our own help," Harry said, apparently thinking hard. "Jessica, didn't you say that you saw Snape with the Aurors?"
Jessica nodded, unsure of what he was getting at.
"Then I think I've got a plan!" he announced.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Ron yawned.
Harry tried to nod in reply, but instead his head dropped on to Jessica's shoulder and he began to snore.
Jessica sighed and pushed him to the other side of the couch, glancing at her watch.
"Not long now," she said, trying not to sound tired, when in actuality she was ready to drop from exhaustion.
Amanda glared at them.
"I haven't known Hermione half as long as you two have," she said to Harry and Ron, "And it seems like I'm much more concerned than you!"
"No no," Ron said sleepily, "We're plenty concerned…"
"You are not," Amanda said, crossing her arms.
Harry sighed and sat back up, rubbing his eyes.
"Alright, alright, we're awake…we're awake," he said groggily.
"Why did you even suggest this if you were going to fall asleep?" Jessica demanded.
"I wasn't…" he began. Jessica stopped listening, and turned instead to look out the window. The grounds were black and there were few stars in the sky tonight. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving very fast across the grounds. She squinted, trying to discern a definite shape. As she watched, a cloud shifted and moonlight illuminated the grounds.
Realizing quickly that this is what they had been waiting for, she stood up.
"Hurry!" she whispered, racing toward the door.
Tired as they may have been, Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. Jessica and Amanda stood in front of the portrait hole, fumbling with the invisibility cloak.
"Come on!" Amanda whispered urgently.
The four of them squeezed under the cloak and left the Common Room. This task proved to be very difficult, as they had never had four people under the cloak at one time before.
"Ouch!"
"Get off me, will you?!"
"Who's hand is that?"
"Is this my leg?"
"Will you all shut up!" Jessica hissed.
"Who's there?" demanded a disgruntled Fat Lady.
They all fell silent.
After they had gone for another three corridors, Jessica decided they were safe.
"We're going to have to move a bit quicker," she whispered.
They began to go as fast as they could without actually running, and in a few minutes, they found themselves standing on the front lawn, a slight breeze rippling the cloak.
"Hold on a minute," Harry said quietly. Slowly, he slid the cloak off his head, squinting through the dark night. There was a long pause. "There he is!" he said suddenly, "He's about to go in to the forest."
Ron groaned.
"Stop whining," Jessica snapped, "Come on."
The four of them continued to amble their way across the lawn, until finally they could all see him. Professor Snape was standing right outside the entrance to the Forbidden Forest, consulting a large map.
"This is it," Harry whispered, causing several knots to form themselves in Jessica's stomach.
They crept slowly closer, trying not to make a sound. After what felt like an eternity, Snape rolled up the map, lighted his wand, and started off in to the forest.
Amanda gulped, Harry took a deep breath, and Jessica closed her eyes and crossed her fingers. Ron, however, made no move as they entered the forest. Jessica suspected he was trying his hardest not to run. The moment they stepped in to the shadows cast by the large trees, Jessica could tell this was not somewhere she wanted to be. They hesitated for a minute.
"You know," Ron said suddenly, "I'm sure there's another way to do this. I mean, this is just too dangerous. Following Snape in to the Forbidden Forest without our wands lighted? It's just crazy!"
Jessica froze. He was right. They were in over their heads here. They should just turn around and head straight up to Dumbledore's office.
She swallowed. "You're right, Ron. Let's go back."
She turned to go, but felt a hand grip her arm.
"No, Jess," Amanda said quietly, "We can't go back now. We just can't. You know that."
"Well listen," Harry cut in, "Whatever we're going to do, we'd better decide fast."
Jessica looked up. The faint light coming from Snape's wand was getting further away by the second. Without it, they wouldn't stand a chance of making it to the Aurors alive.
She took a deep breath.
"If we don't go now, we'll lose the chance to go at all. So what do you think. Do we leave…or do we follow?"
"I vote that we continue following Snape," Amanda said.
"I want to head back to the castle," Ron said immediately.
Jessica glanced at Harry.
"You're choice," she said quietly.
He paused for a moment. Then, finally he said firmly, "We've come too far to turn back now."
"Then let's go," Jessica whispered, starting forward.
(A/N) This would have been up sooner, but I was bitten by the laziness bug. Oh, and I fired my muse. It just wasn't gonna work that way. Ok, so, next chapter soon, and I think I'm gonna stop this before I get to 40 chapters…that just seems a touch excessive, ya know? Ok well im out, please review! I love you guys!!!!