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CLAWS
OF A RAVEN
by Tyde
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Chapter Eighteen
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"You'll want to put some ice on that jaw, dear" the Pink Lady said kindly as Neville pushed past her portrait and entered the Gryffindor common room. A few dried tears were stuck to his cheeks but there was no blood. If Crabbe and Goyle were skilled in one thing it was how to beat someone good and proper and not leave obvious marks. However several red splotches around his jaw and eyes told of bruises that would develop in the coming days.
The common room was jostling with people as Fred and George were throwing a Welcome Back to the Living party for Lee Jordan and others. There were a few kegs of pumpkin juice in the corner (everyone seemed to be studiously avoiding Butterbeer) with students clustered around them and an array of sweets and cakes obtained from the kitchens on the large table by the fireplace. It was noisy and it was jolly and Neville didn't feel like being either at that moment. He weaved his way through the crowd and headed up to the dormitories that housed the fifth year boys. He was looking at his feet as he took the steps painfully one at a time. He didn't see Ginny and she didn't see him and they crashed right into each other. Her elbow glanced off his nose and a small drop of blood dripped onto the stone floor.
"Oh sorry Neville. Wasn't looking where I was going" she offered a small smile and then saw the trickle of blood coming from his nose. "Oh no, did I do that?" she fumbled for a handkerchief and started dabbing his upper lip with it.
"Ow" He pulled back as she pressed his tender flesh. Goyle had given his nose a good thumping and it took just a slight knock from Ginny to start it bleeding.
"I'm sorry Neville. I didn't realise I hit you so hard. I'll get Hermione to fix you up. Come on" she grabbed his hand and began to lead him down the stairs carefully.
"Gin, no" He twisted his hand out of her grip.
"It'll only take a jiffy, come on. It's nothing really" She moved closer and as the candlelight hit his swollen reddish jaw she realised why he didn't want to be seen by Hermione.
"Oh Neville. What happened? Who did this to you?"
"It was nobody" he mumbled. "I...um, forgot about that trick step. You know how I'm always doing that" He tried to laugh it off but she wasn't falling for it. "Stopped my fall with my face though. Hands forgot what they were supposed to do"
Ginny looked him over carefully. He was obviously lying and she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him so she went along with the charade. "I hope you told the stairs off after that"
His eyes rose to look at hers in gratitude and smiled through the pain. "Yeah. Good and proper. Thanks Gin"
"I'll come up and tuck you in, okay?" She put her hand in his again and they ascended the stairs together. Later when Neville was snoring softly and sleeping peacefully a cloak-draped Hermione snuck in with Ginny and healed his bruises. Harry and Ron conducted a whispered meeting within the confines of Harry's bed curtains.
"I don't think the attack on the school is finished. Neville knows something and he's been hushed up"
"I don't think we need three guesses to figure out whom" Even in the darkness you could hear Ron balling up his fists in anger.
"If Malfoy is terrorising the students this means something big is about to happen. Voldemort is planning to strike and you'd bet Malfoy would know about it, his father being a Death Eater and all"
"Well we don't know when or how or who – what can we do?"
"We can talk to Snuffles. I haven't had a letter from him in ages which means he and Moony are busy. And that means something is afoot. If we can organise to meet him somewhere outside of Hogwarts he might be able to shed some light on what's going on"
"How are we going to get out of the castle?"
"With a Marauders' Map and an Invisibility Cloak"
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As Harry rose his wand, exposing it from under the Invisibility Cloak to tap the hump of the old crone statue a sword came swishing down in front of him so that he had to pull his wand back in a hurry to prevent it from being sliced in half.
"You shall not pass, shadow creature" said a tinny voice that would have commanded more authority had it not sounded just a bit drunk. The three looked up to see a suit of armour leaning on the wall the heavy sword in it's hand however seemed a lot more menacing that it's voice.
"Let us pass and we shall trouble you no further sir" said Ron in the deepest voice he could muster.
"Ron" hissed Hermione, "What are you doing?"
"Ssshh. It might work"
"By the order of Professor Dumbledore and Argus Filch I protect this entrance. Any who shall attempt to pass will feel the wrath of both"
"You know, maybe this wasn't such a good idea" gulped Ron.
"You think?" shot back Harry who was trying to figure if he could disarm the suit of armour without creating a ruckus and calling attention to themselves. Hermione was fishing her wand out of her robe pocket with the exact same idea and as they raised them at the same time in full view, the suit of armour suddenly starting yelling.
"Mister Filch, Mrs Norris! Intruders in the First Floor corridor, come quickly!"
The trio looked at each other with panic in their eyes and starting pelting down the hallway to avoid Filch and Mrs Norris who were coming from the opposite end. As they squeezed through a door and into an empty classroom they tried to catch their breath. "That knight was worse than bloody Peeves" panted Ron.
"Well it looks like Filch knows about that entrance now, Harry"
"Yeah, it was the only one he didn't know about, that was useable anyway"
"What about that one on the fourth floor?"
"Fred and George said it was caved in a couple of winters ago. Can't get through there"
"Maybe we'll be able to tunnel through it, or something. It's worth a try"
"You're right Hermione. We said to Snuffles that we'd meet him in Hogsmeade and if we don't turn up he'll get worried and chance coming to the castle. We have to try everything that we can"
"If all else fails we'll just have to send Pig or Hedwig with a note to explain what's happened"
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Author's note: I saw the Ned Kelly film last night. So I'm all filled with the need to damn the authorities and conquer over mistreatment...and grow a beard hehe. You might get two chapters this week, it tickled my inspiration muscle.
Colleen (recently crowned Neville's Official Big Sister) - I felt bad when I did that to Neville. At least Hermione eased his pain a bit. When he woke in the morning he couldn't figure out what happened. He thought maybe it was all a dream but when he passed Malfoy in a hallway he knew it was all true. The poor boy.
I actually wrote it after I'd written a bit in a future chapter in which he has a cool scene so it balances out. Oh and there will be more Snape, definitely. Chapters (tentatively numbered) 22, 23 and 24 are concerning him.
Kaelli Karali – Thanks for that. Four reviews all at once! Bloody hell. I'm guessing you don't like Voldemort hehee. Lucius will get his comeuppance. They all will. I don't expect people to keep reviewing every chapter! Some people do which is lovely so you know that people are still reading, but it's not necessary. Just so you know – I wouldn't stop writing, I couldn't do that. I hate to leave things unfinished. This will get an ending...it'll just take a while.
