Ron was sitting on his bed with his wand set on lumos.
"Did you kiss her?" he asked slowly, as Harry wandered in, alook of rapture
on his face which made it plain that it was a dumb question.
"Look, she's my sister, and if you hurt her and go off with someone else i'll- I don't know what i'd do, I mean, everyone knows you could have any girl in the school, ok, so if you mess up my little sister i'll-"
"Don't be daft Ron- anyway, I... I really love her."
Ron was a bit taken aback at this. "Anyway," said Harry with a grin, "she's not such an innocent little thing as you might think, she came back and kissed me. She's good too." he added, just to irritate Ron.
Ron was about to protest whe they heard a noise outside. Someone was talking softly outside the door, they could only hear it because everyone else was sleeping and they were the only ones talking. Harry and ron both got up simultaneously and walked through the door. There stood Professor McGonagall, seemingly oblivious to the fact that two students were out of bed, one fully clothed, at two o clock in the morning.
"Er, Professor McGonagall," said Ron tentatively.
Harry realised at once that it seemed to be thae same situation he had caught Professor McGonagall in last time. "She won't hear you. Let's go and get Hermione and Ginny, Hermione knows about stuff like this. It's mirror magic again."
Ron gaped at Proffessor Mc Gonagall. Harry grabbed his sleeve and dragged him to the girls dormitories. Ron seized Hemione's shoulders and hurriedly pulled her up.
"Hermione, come quickly, Proffessor McGonagall's practicing mirror magic again! Get up!" Hermione who was literally being pulled out of bed muttered sleepily "Wassat? Mmmm... Ron, want sleep. Goway, sleep..
Ron indicated for Harry to wake Ginny up. Harry gently shook Ginny's shoulder. She sat up, her eyes clothes and her hair dishevilled and placed her arms drowsily round Harry's neck to keep her body upright, murmuring "Harry what's going on? I'm all sleepy.."
Harry smiled broadly in the darkness. Ron frowned at him,"Look wake up you two, we've got to go."
So Harry and Ron half dragged half pushed the girls out of the room, Ron whispering "Shhhhh!" In an worried frenzy every so often. By the time they reached the outside corridor the girls were nearly awake, and if Hermione wasn't, the thought of being in front of Professor McGonagall in her nightshirt certainly did the trick. Professor McGonagall was still muttering into the mirror. They could see her back reflected in the window behind her. All four stared at her in horror. Suddenly Ginny had a thought.
"Look, when she snaps out of this it won't look good if we're standing in, spying on her." Ron agreed, "Yeah, we've all been in enough trouble already."
But Hermione looked aghast. "I looked up mirror magic in the library before getting ready for the ball, apparently it's been banned for 15 years now, you're not allowed to do it any more. She could get into so much trouble if anyone catches her doing this."
"We just have." observed Harry grimly. "What'll we do?"
For once, Hermione did not have any answers. "Look, she must be really desperate if she's breaking the law," said Hermione. "Hold on, something's happening in the mirror!" she said suddenly "It's going black!"
And sure enough, it was. They all edged closer to the mirror, now standing about half a foot away from Professor McGonagall. She still did not seem to notice them. She was talking in a low, soft tone, but it was just about possible to hear her.
"Please don't hide yourself, I need to see you, this is important, you can't ignore me forever I need you. I think I'm going mad and I need you now, you must believe me, it's imperative that I discuss this with you, I've been trying for days now and I know you're there. Unless you show me you can hear me I will have to keep trying and eventually someone will catch me and then what will you do. Even you require my life don't you?"
"Who do you think she's talking to?" Hermione whispered. Ron looked worried. "Harry, if the Professor's in trouble maybe you should speak to Dumbledore about it, he'll believe you, and god knows you've been in his office enough times to know him pretty well" said Ron, his eyebrow raised. "Thanks a bunch Ron, it's great the way you're so eager to spread around information about the many times i've got into trouble" said Harry crossly, looking away from Ginny in embarrassment. "Alright, break it up you two" said Ginny, poking Ron angrily, "We're just all a bit tired. I don't think we should tell anyone at the moment. I like Professor McGonagall and she wouldn't do anything illegal unless she was in serious trouble and there was a real problem. But we can't wait around, she might snap out of it any minute. Hermione, we'll go back to our dorms and we'll need you to tell us all you can about the mirror magic, tomorrow we can go to the library and see if we can find out more." Ron sighed. "Alright, sorry Harry," he muttered gruffly "let''s go." He reached out to hold Hermione's hand and all four made their way to the girls' dorms, and sat in a huddle in a corner.
They settled down, the two couples trying to sit as cuddled close to each other as was possible without gaining eye - contact. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, now murmering confidingly to each other and occasionally laghing softly - and grinned to himself. This time last year - hell, this time last week even - who would have thought that those two would be so romantic? He stole a glance in Ginny's direction. He liked her so much, but they didn't have the same feeling of ease around them that Ron and Hermione had. Their relationship was, however, just as nice he thought. Exciting - he was seeing sides to Ginny he had never noticed before - sides which he definitely liked. He couldn't help it, pushed on by the cosy warmth of the moment, he leant across and quickly kissed her, ignoring Ron and Hermione sitting directly opposite. This had the quick affect of dragging Ron's attention away from his Hermione, and he cleared his throat and said, "Alright then, Hermione, tell us all you know."
"Well, it's not much really. McGonagall's obviously reaching through the mirror to somebody, in most of the cases i've read about two people will be able to communicate through pretty much anything reflective. It's not easy though, the Professor must be even more powerful than I had imagined, i'm quite surprised." Harry sat up at this. For Hermione to say something like that was unusual, and she knew her stuff. He had never really thought about the professor as anything but very clever and strict, but powerful? Somehow that didn't fit with his mental file for his teacher.
"Anyway," Hermione carried on, "You can't just talk to anyone through mirror magic, you actually have to have a very strong emotional bond with them, usually witches and wizards who use this type of magic will be communicating to their identical twins."
"McGonagall has a twin?" laghed Ron incredulously, "So which one's the evil one?"
"Look, she's my sister, and if you hurt her and go off with someone else i'll- I don't know what i'd do, I mean, everyone knows you could have any girl in the school, ok, so if you mess up my little sister i'll-"
"Don't be daft Ron- anyway, I... I really love her."
Ron was a bit taken aback at this. "Anyway," said Harry with a grin, "she's not such an innocent little thing as you might think, she came back and kissed me. She's good too." he added, just to irritate Ron.
Ron was about to protest whe they heard a noise outside. Someone was talking softly outside the door, they could only hear it because everyone else was sleeping and they were the only ones talking. Harry and ron both got up simultaneously and walked through the door. There stood Professor McGonagall, seemingly oblivious to the fact that two students were out of bed, one fully clothed, at two o clock in the morning.
"Er, Professor McGonagall," said Ron tentatively.
Harry realised at once that it seemed to be thae same situation he had caught Professor McGonagall in last time. "She won't hear you. Let's go and get Hermione and Ginny, Hermione knows about stuff like this. It's mirror magic again."
Ron gaped at Proffessor Mc Gonagall. Harry grabbed his sleeve and dragged him to the girls dormitories. Ron seized Hemione's shoulders and hurriedly pulled her up.
"Hermione, come quickly, Proffessor McGonagall's practicing mirror magic again! Get up!" Hermione who was literally being pulled out of bed muttered sleepily "Wassat? Mmmm... Ron, want sleep. Goway, sleep..
Ron indicated for Harry to wake Ginny up. Harry gently shook Ginny's shoulder. She sat up, her eyes clothes and her hair dishevilled and placed her arms drowsily round Harry's neck to keep her body upright, murmuring "Harry what's going on? I'm all sleepy.."
Harry smiled broadly in the darkness. Ron frowned at him,"Look wake up you two, we've got to go."
So Harry and Ron half dragged half pushed the girls out of the room, Ron whispering "Shhhhh!" In an worried frenzy every so often. By the time they reached the outside corridor the girls were nearly awake, and if Hermione wasn't, the thought of being in front of Professor McGonagall in her nightshirt certainly did the trick. Professor McGonagall was still muttering into the mirror. They could see her back reflected in the window behind her. All four stared at her in horror. Suddenly Ginny had a thought.
"Look, when she snaps out of this it won't look good if we're standing in, spying on her." Ron agreed, "Yeah, we've all been in enough trouble already."
But Hermione looked aghast. "I looked up mirror magic in the library before getting ready for the ball, apparently it's been banned for 15 years now, you're not allowed to do it any more. She could get into so much trouble if anyone catches her doing this."
"We just have." observed Harry grimly. "What'll we do?"
For once, Hermione did not have any answers. "Look, she must be really desperate if she's breaking the law," said Hermione. "Hold on, something's happening in the mirror!" she said suddenly "It's going black!"
And sure enough, it was. They all edged closer to the mirror, now standing about half a foot away from Professor McGonagall. She still did not seem to notice them. She was talking in a low, soft tone, but it was just about possible to hear her.
"Please don't hide yourself, I need to see you, this is important, you can't ignore me forever I need you. I think I'm going mad and I need you now, you must believe me, it's imperative that I discuss this with you, I've been trying for days now and I know you're there. Unless you show me you can hear me I will have to keep trying and eventually someone will catch me and then what will you do. Even you require my life don't you?"
"Who do you think she's talking to?" Hermione whispered. Ron looked worried. "Harry, if the Professor's in trouble maybe you should speak to Dumbledore about it, he'll believe you, and god knows you've been in his office enough times to know him pretty well" said Ron, his eyebrow raised. "Thanks a bunch Ron, it's great the way you're so eager to spread around information about the many times i've got into trouble" said Harry crossly, looking away from Ginny in embarrassment. "Alright, break it up you two" said Ginny, poking Ron angrily, "We're just all a bit tired. I don't think we should tell anyone at the moment. I like Professor McGonagall and she wouldn't do anything illegal unless she was in serious trouble and there was a real problem. But we can't wait around, she might snap out of it any minute. Hermione, we'll go back to our dorms and we'll need you to tell us all you can about the mirror magic, tomorrow we can go to the library and see if we can find out more." Ron sighed. "Alright, sorry Harry," he muttered gruffly "let''s go." He reached out to hold Hermione's hand and all four made their way to the girls' dorms, and sat in a huddle in a corner.
They settled down, the two couples trying to sit as cuddled close to each other as was possible without gaining eye - contact. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, now murmering confidingly to each other and occasionally laghing softly - and grinned to himself. This time last year - hell, this time last week even - who would have thought that those two would be so romantic? He stole a glance in Ginny's direction. He liked her so much, but they didn't have the same feeling of ease around them that Ron and Hermione had. Their relationship was, however, just as nice he thought. Exciting - he was seeing sides to Ginny he had never noticed before - sides which he definitely liked. He couldn't help it, pushed on by the cosy warmth of the moment, he leant across and quickly kissed her, ignoring Ron and Hermione sitting directly opposite. This had the quick affect of dragging Ron's attention away from his Hermione, and he cleared his throat and said, "Alright then, Hermione, tell us all you know."
"Well, it's not much really. McGonagall's obviously reaching through the mirror to somebody, in most of the cases i've read about two people will be able to communicate through pretty much anything reflective. It's not easy though, the Professor must be even more powerful than I had imagined, i'm quite surprised." Harry sat up at this. For Hermione to say something like that was unusual, and she knew her stuff. He had never really thought about the professor as anything but very clever and strict, but powerful? Somehow that didn't fit with his mental file for his teacher.
"Anyway," Hermione carried on, "You can't just talk to anyone through mirror magic, you actually have to have a very strong emotional bond with them, usually witches and wizards who use this type of magic will be communicating to their identical twins."
"McGonagall has a twin?" laghed Ron incredulously, "So which one's the evil one?"