Harry Potter and the Test
Chapter Four
I was on en route to my first class of the day. It was already October. The air had altered itself, shifting from a fair, late summer breeze, to a chilly, biting autumn wind. With each passing day, heavier cloaks were needed to be worn during outside activities, with the exception of Quidditch of course; however, flying up above the action, taking a moment to breathe, it got cold and made you want to dive right back into the action.
Our team was perfect so far, two and zero. However, we had yet to take on Slytherin in a regular season match. That game was awaiting us, only four days out, taking place on a Friday. Since classes would be over for the week, it would be a game everyone would be sure to attend.
Little else had changed. Classes still were taxing my patience, but I managed to make do. Slowly, the workload was beginning to lessen. I had taken most of the tests needed to prove I had learned all the lessons I missed, those taught in the first- and second-year. Though some were way too close for comfort, I had managed to pass each of them and was now concentrating on more advanced lessons. On top of that, in three of my classes, I had the top marks.
Thankfully, Hermione had seemed to soften her image around me. We would talk in class sometimes about the lecture and spend nights studying in the Gryffindor common room, but outside of schoolwork, we did little else. It almost seemed as if she avoided me at times, which make me uneasy.
Luckily, I had a great group of friends. Harry, Ron and I were pretty much inseparable. We would always have something interesting to talk about, be it Quidditch, professors, the upcoming events or just the usual, pointless topics circulating through the school at the time. I had a true feeling of belonging, something I had desired for even when I was back home. For once, I had true friends and a place to call my own.
"Adam," Ron said to me, breaking my train of thought. I didn't even notice him approaching me in the hall.
"Yeah?" I asked, stopping in front to of him. We stood off to the side, allowing others to pass by.
"You off to the 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' class?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked, becoming curious. It was then that I noticed the perspiration on his forehead and neck.
"I would avoid going your usual way."
"And why is that?"
"I don't know how it started but it is pretty much one huge brawl."
"A brawl? You're serious?" I was shocked at the thought.
"Yeah. Some pretty nasty spells are being used."
"So, in other words, 'go and watch'? Is that what you're saying?" I asked, smiling wickedly.
"Hey, do what you want. I won't be held responsible, though, if a stray spell hits you and you're turned into a crouton." With that, Ron laughed and walked back to the Gryffindor tower.
I made two turns and went up a flight of stairs as usual. Even at this distance, I could hear the commotion already. Screams and shouts filled the hall I was in, even though they clearly weren't there. As I got closer to my class, I could hear it intensify in volume. Finally, rounding the final corner, I saw it.
Perhaps thirty kids were in a large circle which surrounded the action. I walked up calmly and tried to stand on my tiptoes, to get a look at what was going on. Two students had their wands pointed at each other and they were circling, never breaking eye contact with each other. Both of them had battle wounds: scratches covered their faces, and one had a bloody upper lip. They were silent for a while, and then:
"Conjunctiva!" one of them shouts. A brilliant light shot out of the wand, hitting his opponent between the eyes. The victim's head lashed backwards, almost as if it was physically hit. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, he fell to the floor, clutching his face.
Seeing this, we all gasped and stood stony-faced, watching on horror. Two or three of the spectators across from where I was standing tried to approach the apparent victor, but he turned his wand on them, and they slid back to their spots in the ring. The student continued to writhe on the floor. His moans nearly drowned out the sound of heavy footsteps which were approaching form behind.
"STOP!"
I turned around to see about five people running towards the scene. One of them was a prefect, followed by two nurses, Madam McGonagall and Dumbledore.
"Out of my way!" the nurses shouted. Slipping through an opening, they crouched over the injured boy, who was now laying on his stomach, moaning slightly, just enough to let us know he was alive.
The perpetrator, who stood, watching his victim be tended to, had changed drastically over the past few seconds. The eyes, recently filled with rage and hated, were now wide, and possessed a look of shock and terror. His mouth hung open, and his hands began to quiver. The wand slipped from his fingers.
Looking up, almost directly in my direction, his lips began to form words.
"What have I.done?"
It was Crabbe. It took me a moment to remember the worm's name, but I had no doubt that it was him.
"Mister Crabbe, I believe we should have a chat," Dumbledore said, calmly. Even in such a situation, he managed to remain the cool-headed one. With an expressionless face, Crabbe paced over to Dumbledore and followed him out of the ring.
"Everyone! Get to your classes!" Miss McGonagall chided. We all began to disperse, but not before catching one last glimpse of the lifeless body which occupied a good part of the hallway. As he was hoisted on to a stretcher, I looked into his face.
It was Goyle.
I sat in a high-backed chair, one of the pieces which rested before the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. I had quite a bit of homework to finish before I could even think about the amount I had received that day, but it was difficult to concentrate, with all the pandemonium which had played itself out only a few hours ago
Besides the crackling fire before me, the only other visitor in the room was Hermione. Sitting in the sofa next to my chair, she had a book on her lap, and then what appeared to be a notebook beside her. The light of the fire brought out the soft features of her face. Hermione's cheeks seemed to glow and a slight blush could be seen on them. Her brown eyes glistened softly as they shifted left to right. Resting on her right shoulder, her hair seemed to almost glint as a few loose strands managed to catch some of the fire's light.
Enraptured with what she was reading, I hesitated. I wanted to talk to someone about what had happened; she might know something about what was going on. I tried to start twice, but each time stopped myself; surrendering, I went back to the reading before me.
"What were you going to ask me?"
I turned to the left, to get a look at her.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I watched you. You were going to say something, but then gave up. What were you going to say?" She seemed genuine and even wore a grin. All her attention was being spent on me, so I took advantage of my position.
"You know where my Dark Arts Defense class is?"
"Um.yeah. I had a class in that room a year ago."
"Well, in that same hall, there was a huge fight today."
"A fight?" she asked. She immediately perked up. Her back straightened and she leaned in my direction, as if to try and make sure she was hearing me correctly.
"Yeah," I said, in a philosophical fashion. I rubbed my chin, wanting to stretch this conversation out, enjoying the fact that she finally noticed me.
"And." she prodded.
"Ron told me that they were casting spells at each other, but I got there in time only to see the final move, when one of them shouted 'Conjunctiva' and the other kid was hit in the face."
"Oh no! Conjunctiva affects the vision of the target! It can be very damaging, sometimes permanent!" She seemed to know her spells, so I took her word for it.
"Yeah, it looked serious."
"Did you see who it was?"
"That's the weird thing."
"What is?" Hermione asked me as she slid across the couch so that she was directly next to me.
I paused.
"It was Crabbe and Goyle." Confused as I was over the matter, I felt it showed in the look on my face.
"Crabbe and Goyle?!? Are you sure?"
"Positive, I wouldn't forget faces like that."
"That is really odd." At her stating this, I could see the wheels begin to turn in her head.
"I thought they were friends." At least, that was what I supposed they were since I hadn't ever seen them apart.
"They are; at least, they were."
"Good point," I conceded.
"Do you know what caused it?"
"No clue. After Crabbe hit the ground, and it appeared to be over, Goyle's personality pulled a one-eighty and he got all white and said, 'What have I done?' Pretty disturbing, really."
We both sat there, without speaking a word for a while. The last few rays of the sun trickled in through the windows and rolled over my left shoulder, landing on the floor just in front of the mantle. As the time passed, I could see the area that the light covered begin to shrink, and finally, disappear.
Every so often, I would shift my gaze in the direction on Hermione. She was looking into the fireplace, probably trying to figure out what was going on. Her head was resting in the palm of her right hand, her right elbow resting on the couch's arm. Looking content, I decided not to add anything else. Stacking my books, I rose and was about to walk off.
"Adam?" she called to me.
"Hmmm?" I spun around and gave her my attention.
"Care to sit down?" With a hand, she offered an empty space to the left of her. Without showing too much excitement, I walked over to her and sat in the spot she had designated. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I folded them as casually as possible, resting them in my lap.
"Adam, I believe I owe you an apology."
Still focused on what to do with my hands, I wasn't able to say anything that would have made sense. A little shocked at her words, I said nothing and waited for her to continue.
"It wasn't right of me to belittle you in class. What you said was correct; I just felt a need to be the one receiving the recognition."
"It's okay," was all I could muster.
"It's a fault of mine. I feel this need to always be right and have the last word."
"Really, Hermione," I said, carefully choosing my words, "it's not a fault at all. Yeah, I didn't really like it, mind you. However, it was a month ago, and since then, I've given it a lot of thought. You are a brilliant person." She seemed unprepared for my candidness, as I saw her eyes shift towards me, almost trying to dissect what I was saying.
"You are the smartest person I know, and when someone tries to come in and steal what you have worked so hard for, you begin to feel threatened; I think anyone would. What you did was natural," I finished. Turning to me, she smiled warmly.
"Thank you.for understanding."
Staring into her eyes, I could she a girl who wasn't often understood.
"No problem."
The moon light sifted through the window panes and splashed along the stone halls, and occasionally our feet as well. The rocks were extremely cold against our feet and goose bumps ran up the length of my spine, sending a chilling vein of iciness to every limb in my body.
Hermione was sticking close to me, and it was a good thing since the cloak barely covered us as it was. Harry had lent us his invisibility cloak; true, we woke him up to ask him and I'm not sure he knew what we were asking for, but we managed to get it. Slipping through the narrow halls toward the Slytherin tower, I was glad Hermione had thought to bring it.
"Why do you think they were fighting?" she whispered to me.
"I don't know."
"I don't like it. It doesn't add up."
After a moment of silence and thought, I replied: "Not everything that happens is required to add up." In response, she merely nodded slightly.
We continued on, unhindered. Besides the occasional whisper, we made not a single sound as we slipped along the corridor towards the 'snake' den. Even though we weren't in their tower yet, we could feel how much colder it was the closer we came to the door leading to their common room. Fewer and fewer pictures lined the walls, almost as if no one desired to be closely associated with the house. Lighting became even sparser and dankness filled the air, giving off a stench of death and decay.
"I love what they've done with the place," I said, trying to keep the mood light. I felt a playful elbow poke my ribs, letting me know she had heard my quip.
"What do you think we'll find?" I asked her, since it was her idea to come here in the first place.
"I have no clue, but for that kind of fighting to break out between two friends and then end in such a fashion is beyond odd. Either the Slytherin House is falling apart or.or."
I gulped.
"Vold--," I began, but I didn't need to continue. She understood and looked at me gravely.
'I may be in way over my head here,' I thought.
"Okay, we're here," she said a moment later. Before us was the small portal which would take us into the heart of our greatest rival's headquarters.
"How do we get in?"
"Oh crap, I forgot. You need a password."
"Hello? Who's there?" The picture hanging over the portal, a gatekeeper in a away, began to question us. Clearly, it was confused, probably from hearing a voice, but seeing nobody. We stood still, frozen, and didn't dare move a muscle. Thirty seconds into this stand-off, 'bad' became 'worse'.
Behind us, at the opposite end of the hall, we could hear footsteps. Pushing our luck, we turned around, to look down the hall and see who was approaching.
Two people, one quite taller than the other, both male.
They kept approaching, their target probably being the very door we were standing on front of. We needed to think up a way out, and fast. The hall was too narrow for us to merely stay put and wait it out, and even if we stood against the wall, there was a good chance our cloaks might brush against each other, giving our position away.
To our left and right, there were two doors. Giving Hermione a slight nudge, and a nod, we shifted silently to the left side of the hall. Testing the door latch, it didn't budge. Who ever was approaching was now just thirty feet from us, and closing in fast. Mouthing a silent prayer, we edge forward, closing the gap even further. Grasping the latch of the second door, it gave. Opening it swiftly, we snuck in and shut it quickly, with just moments to spare.
Pressing our ears against the door, the heard the two sets of footsteps stop just beyond where we were.
"Black Pincushions."
At hearing that, we both gasped. That voice.
"Malfoy," I mouthed to Hermione. Again, she only nodded, intent on catching every word.
"Mister Malfoy, if we need to get in contact with you again over this matter, we expect full." It was Dumbledore.
"I don't need your lecturing! I don't know anything now and I won't know anything tomorrow! Good bye!" With that, we heard Malfoy's footsteps trail off and echo, hinting at his departure through the portal, leaving his headmaster behind. Seconds passed, and then the Dumbledore's footsteps became audible as well, this time heading in the opposite way, leaving Slytherin tower behind. We were once again alone.
Forgetting that we still had the cloak on, I slipped it off and stood up. Crouching for that long is far from comfortable and my back ached when I began to stretch. The room we hid in was nearly pitch black, its air even more putrid than the hall's. I could hear the squeak of a rat and I stood paralyzed. My hair standing up on end, I felt something touch my foot.
"Ohhhhhh," I said, letting off a low moan. It was all I could do to prevent myself from screaming in terror.
"It was just the cloak," Hermione whispered to me. I looked down and through the dim light, I saw the hole in her body; though surprised, I realized that she was merely holding the blanket, resulting in the illusion.
"You okay?" she said, warmly. Placing a hand on my shoulder, she looked at me with concern. Touched, my tension disappeared and my pulse finally began to return to normal.
"I'm good. Thanks."
My eyes searched the room for the source of the light. Ahead, a few feet, the light began to grow more intense. Walking with the utmost care, we proceeded further into the room, not knowing exactly where it would lead.
Twenty feet in, the room opened up. The walls became rounded forming a circular space. The low ceiling vanished as well, leaving an arching, glass dome in its place. Through the dirty panes, minute bits of moonlight managed to slip through, providing the dim lighting that sparked our curiosity.
Standing in the middle of the room, I saw that the walls were barren; it was stone from the floor up to the panes, and nothing else.
"Where are we?"
"I have no clue. Gryffindor students usually avoid this hall."
"Really? It's kind of." I paused, searching for the right word, ".charming."
"Yeah, Adam, real charming." She laughed quietly and began to stroll around the room, staying close to the walls, in search of anything interesting.
"Hello.." I murmured to myself, slowly. Spotting what appeared to be a coat hung on the wall, I stepped closer to get a better look. Hermione noticed and joined me.
"It's covering something," Hermione deduced. Grabbing it with one hand, I prepared to remove the cloth.
"Think that's a good idea?" she asked, stopping me in mid-motion.
"Well, if we're this deep in the hole, might as well follow Alice all the way down." Still holding on, I stood off to the side, just as a precaution, something that Hermione mimicked. Mustering up all the courage I had, I gave the sheet a tug and it slid off.
Covered in cobwebs and grime, a full-length mirror stood before us. The reflective surface hidden under a layer of thick dust, and the once- golden rim chipped and cracked in some spots. Bruises aside, it was a remarkable piece of work and must have been a magnificent specimen at one time.
"The Mirror of Erised." Hermione whispered in awe.
"Erised?"
"Yes, 'desire' backwards."
"I see. Why 'desire'?"
"It reveals to you your innermost desires when you stand before it," she explained. "It helped us out a while ago, but to prevent trouble in the future, Dumbledore said that it would be destroyed."
"So much for that plan," I added walking around it, trying to view it from every angle. "This is just what I needed."
"'Just what you needed?' What would you need this for?" Hermione was admiring the mirror form a distance, almost as if she feared getting to close to it.
"Lately, I've had an...well..an unexplainable feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I only notice it when Harry is around. Forgive me if this sounds odd, but it's almost as if it's compelling me to watch over him." I turned to look at Hermione, to gauge her reaction to my words
"Like you're his keeper?"
"Something like that, although I'm actually a beater."
It took her a moment to get the joke, but I could see why. Midnight had come and gone hours ago and the strenuous past few minutes didn't help put our minds at rest either.
"However, I think this could help me figure out what's behind it, with any luck." Using the sleeve of my outer cloak, I started to brush away the dust. Starting at the bottom, the cleaned glass revealed what I surmised to be a pair of shoes, three pairs to be exact. Not surprisingly, legs were attached to these shoes, and soon torsos became visible as I continued to work away.
Halfway up, on the left side, I cleared away the dust to find myself, looking right back at me.
"My God," I said under my breath.
"What do you see, Adam?"
I said nothing. Clearing away more soot to get a better look, I found myself looking into the face of a two-year old Adam Barrowton. I couldn't help but smile at the discovery. I had no baby pictures of what I looked like at that age, so this was a rare treat to say the least. My appetite whet, I was determined to see what other treasures were hidden behind the grime.
Scrubbing with finesse, I managed to get the rest of the mirror cleaned off. Stepping back, I stood motionless, shocked at what I had uncovered. Hermione stood to the right of me.
"Oh wow..oh wow."
"What? What do you see Adam?"
"Don't you.see it..." I stammered, point with a trembling finger at the mirror.
"Only the person who seeks an answer can see it."
My mouth remained open, but I didn't speak; I couldn't have if I had wanted too.
I did manage to squeak out "Oh my.", but beyond this level of communication I was at a loss. Without knowing it, I took a few rigid steps back from the mirror. Every joint in my body seemed locked into place. Directly in the moon's rays, I took on a ghastly look, merely adding to my abnormal state.
"Adam!" Hermione pleaded, looking back and forth between me and the mirror. "Adam, please, what do you see?!?"
"We have to go," I said, ignoring her wishes. I began to side step away from the circular room and back towards the door which we entered through. Hermione unrolled the invisibility cloak quickly and hurried after me. I was already opening the door, not checking to see is anyone was in the hall. Without warning, Hermione threw my half of the cloak over my head and we hurried into the hall, running back to where we had started.
Chapter Four
I was on en route to my first class of the day. It was already October. The air had altered itself, shifting from a fair, late summer breeze, to a chilly, biting autumn wind. With each passing day, heavier cloaks were needed to be worn during outside activities, with the exception of Quidditch of course; however, flying up above the action, taking a moment to breathe, it got cold and made you want to dive right back into the action.
Our team was perfect so far, two and zero. However, we had yet to take on Slytherin in a regular season match. That game was awaiting us, only four days out, taking place on a Friday. Since classes would be over for the week, it would be a game everyone would be sure to attend.
Little else had changed. Classes still were taxing my patience, but I managed to make do. Slowly, the workload was beginning to lessen. I had taken most of the tests needed to prove I had learned all the lessons I missed, those taught in the first- and second-year. Though some were way too close for comfort, I had managed to pass each of them and was now concentrating on more advanced lessons. On top of that, in three of my classes, I had the top marks.
Thankfully, Hermione had seemed to soften her image around me. We would talk in class sometimes about the lecture and spend nights studying in the Gryffindor common room, but outside of schoolwork, we did little else. It almost seemed as if she avoided me at times, which make me uneasy.
Luckily, I had a great group of friends. Harry, Ron and I were pretty much inseparable. We would always have something interesting to talk about, be it Quidditch, professors, the upcoming events or just the usual, pointless topics circulating through the school at the time. I had a true feeling of belonging, something I had desired for even when I was back home. For once, I had true friends and a place to call my own.
"Adam," Ron said to me, breaking my train of thought. I didn't even notice him approaching me in the hall.
"Yeah?" I asked, stopping in front to of him. We stood off to the side, allowing others to pass by.
"You off to the 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' class?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked, becoming curious. It was then that I noticed the perspiration on his forehead and neck.
"I would avoid going your usual way."
"And why is that?"
"I don't know how it started but it is pretty much one huge brawl."
"A brawl? You're serious?" I was shocked at the thought.
"Yeah. Some pretty nasty spells are being used."
"So, in other words, 'go and watch'? Is that what you're saying?" I asked, smiling wickedly.
"Hey, do what you want. I won't be held responsible, though, if a stray spell hits you and you're turned into a crouton." With that, Ron laughed and walked back to the Gryffindor tower.
I made two turns and went up a flight of stairs as usual. Even at this distance, I could hear the commotion already. Screams and shouts filled the hall I was in, even though they clearly weren't there. As I got closer to my class, I could hear it intensify in volume. Finally, rounding the final corner, I saw it.
Perhaps thirty kids were in a large circle which surrounded the action. I walked up calmly and tried to stand on my tiptoes, to get a look at what was going on. Two students had their wands pointed at each other and they were circling, never breaking eye contact with each other. Both of them had battle wounds: scratches covered their faces, and one had a bloody upper lip. They were silent for a while, and then:
"Conjunctiva!" one of them shouts. A brilliant light shot out of the wand, hitting his opponent between the eyes. The victim's head lashed backwards, almost as if it was physically hit. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, he fell to the floor, clutching his face.
Seeing this, we all gasped and stood stony-faced, watching on horror. Two or three of the spectators across from where I was standing tried to approach the apparent victor, but he turned his wand on them, and they slid back to their spots in the ring. The student continued to writhe on the floor. His moans nearly drowned out the sound of heavy footsteps which were approaching form behind.
"STOP!"
I turned around to see about five people running towards the scene. One of them was a prefect, followed by two nurses, Madam McGonagall and Dumbledore.
"Out of my way!" the nurses shouted. Slipping through an opening, they crouched over the injured boy, who was now laying on his stomach, moaning slightly, just enough to let us know he was alive.
The perpetrator, who stood, watching his victim be tended to, had changed drastically over the past few seconds. The eyes, recently filled with rage and hated, were now wide, and possessed a look of shock and terror. His mouth hung open, and his hands began to quiver. The wand slipped from his fingers.
Looking up, almost directly in my direction, his lips began to form words.
"What have I.done?"
It was Crabbe. It took me a moment to remember the worm's name, but I had no doubt that it was him.
"Mister Crabbe, I believe we should have a chat," Dumbledore said, calmly. Even in such a situation, he managed to remain the cool-headed one. With an expressionless face, Crabbe paced over to Dumbledore and followed him out of the ring.
"Everyone! Get to your classes!" Miss McGonagall chided. We all began to disperse, but not before catching one last glimpse of the lifeless body which occupied a good part of the hallway. As he was hoisted on to a stretcher, I looked into his face.
It was Goyle.
I sat in a high-backed chair, one of the pieces which rested before the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. I had quite a bit of homework to finish before I could even think about the amount I had received that day, but it was difficult to concentrate, with all the pandemonium which had played itself out only a few hours ago
Besides the crackling fire before me, the only other visitor in the room was Hermione. Sitting in the sofa next to my chair, she had a book on her lap, and then what appeared to be a notebook beside her. The light of the fire brought out the soft features of her face. Hermione's cheeks seemed to glow and a slight blush could be seen on them. Her brown eyes glistened softly as they shifted left to right. Resting on her right shoulder, her hair seemed to almost glint as a few loose strands managed to catch some of the fire's light.
Enraptured with what she was reading, I hesitated. I wanted to talk to someone about what had happened; she might know something about what was going on. I tried to start twice, but each time stopped myself; surrendering, I went back to the reading before me.
"What were you going to ask me?"
I turned to the left, to get a look at her.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I watched you. You were going to say something, but then gave up. What were you going to say?" She seemed genuine and even wore a grin. All her attention was being spent on me, so I took advantage of my position.
"You know where my Dark Arts Defense class is?"
"Um.yeah. I had a class in that room a year ago."
"Well, in that same hall, there was a huge fight today."
"A fight?" she asked. She immediately perked up. Her back straightened and she leaned in my direction, as if to try and make sure she was hearing me correctly.
"Yeah," I said, in a philosophical fashion. I rubbed my chin, wanting to stretch this conversation out, enjoying the fact that she finally noticed me.
"And." she prodded.
"Ron told me that they were casting spells at each other, but I got there in time only to see the final move, when one of them shouted 'Conjunctiva' and the other kid was hit in the face."
"Oh no! Conjunctiva affects the vision of the target! It can be very damaging, sometimes permanent!" She seemed to know her spells, so I took her word for it.
"Yeah, it looked serious."
"Did you see who it was?"
"That's the weird thing."
"What is?" Hermione asked me as she slid across the couch so that she was directly next to me.
I paused.
"It was Crabbe and Goyle." Confused as I was over the matter, I felt it showed in the look on my face.
"Crabbe and Goyle?!? Are you sure?"
"Positive, I wouldn't forget faces like that."
"That is really odd." At her stating this, I could see the wheels begin to turn in her head.
"I thought they were friends." At least, that was what I supposed they were since I hadn't ever seen them apart.
"They are; at least, they were."
"Good point," I conceded.
"Do you know what caused it?"
"No clue. After Crabbe hit the ground, and it appeared to be over, Goyle's personality pulled a one-eighty and he got all white and said, 'What have I done?' Pretty disturbing, really."
We both sat there, without speaking a word for a while. The last few rays of the sun trickled in through the windows and rolled over my left shoulder, landing on the floor just in front of the mantle. As the time passed, I could see the area that the light covered begin to shrink, and finally, disappear.
Every so often, I would shift my gaze in the direction on Hermione. She was looking into the fireplace, probably trying to figure out what was going on. Her head was resting in the palm of her right hand, her right elbow resting on the couch's arm. Looking content, I decided not to add anything else. Stacking my books, I rose and was about to walk off.
"Adam?" she called to me.
"Hmmm?" I spun around and gave her my attention.
"Care to sit down?" With a hand, she offered an empty space to the left of her. Without showing too much excitement, I walked over to her and sat in the spot she had designated. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I folded them as casually as possible, resting them in my lap.
"Adam, I believe I owe you an apology."
Still focused on what to do with my hands, I wasn't able to say anything that would have made sense. A little shocked at her words, I said nothing and waited for her to continue.
"It wasn't right of me to belittle you in class. What you said was correct; I just felt a need to be the one receiving the recognition."
"It's okay," was all I could muster.
"It's a fault of mine. I feel this need to always be right and have the last word."
"Really, Hermione," I said, carefully choosing my words, "it's not a fault at all. Yeah, I didn't really like it, mind you. However, it was a month ago, and since then, I've given it a lot of thought. You are a brilliant person." She seemed unprepared for my candidness, as I saw her eyes shift towards me, almost trying to dissect what I was saying.
"You are the smartest person I know, and when someone tries to come in and steal what you have worked so hard for, you begin to feel threatened; I think anyone would. What you did was natural," I finished. Turning to me, she smiled warmly.
"Thank you.for understanding."
Staring into her eyes, I could she a girl who wasn't often understood.
"No problem."
The moon light sifted through the window panes and splashed along the stone halls, and occasionally our feet as well. The rocks were extremely cold against our feet and goose bumps ran up the length of my spine, sending a chilling vein of iciness to every limb in my body.
Hermione was sticking close to me, and it was a good thing since the cloak barely covered us as it was. Harry had lent us his invisibility cloak; true, we woke him up to ask him and I'm not sure he knew what we were asking for, but we managed to get it. Slipping through the narrow halls toward the Slytherin tower, I was glad Hermione had thought to bring it.
"Why do you think they were fighting?" she whispered to me.
"I don't know."
"I don't like it. It doesn't add up."
After a moment of silence and thought, I replied: "Not everything that happens is required to add up." In response, she merely nodded slightly.
We continued on, unhindered. Besides the occasional whisper, we made not a single sound as we slipped along the corridor towards the 'snake' den. Even though we weren't in their tower yet, we could feel how much colder it was the closer we came to the door leading to their common room. Fewer and fewer pictures lined the walls, almost as if no one desired to be closely associated with the house. Lighting became even sparser and dankness filled the air, giving off a stench of death and decay.
"I love what they've done with the place," I said, trying to keep the mood light. I felt a playful elbow poke my ribs, letting me know she had heard my quip.
"What do you think we'll find?" I asked her, since it was her idea to come here in the first place.
"I have no clue, but for that kind of fighting to break out between two friends and then end in such a fashion is beyond odd. Either the Slytherin House is falling apart or.or."
I gulped.
"Vold--," I began, but I didn't need to continue. She understood and looked at me gravely.
'I may be in way over my head here,' I thought.
"Okay, we're here," she said a moment later. Before us was the small portal which would take us into the heart of our greatest rival's headquarters.
"How do we get in?"
"Oh crap, I forgot. You need a password."
"Hello? Who's there?" The picture hanging over the portal, a gatekeeper in a away, began to question us. Clearly, it was confused, probably from hearing a voice, but seeing nobody. We stood still, frozen, and didn't dare move a muscle. Thirty seconds into this stand-off, 'bad' became 'worse'.
Behind us, at the opposite end of the hall, we could hear footsteps. Pushing our luck, we turned around, to look down the hall and see who was approaching.
Two people, one quite taller than the other, both male.
They kept approaching, their target probably being the very door we were standing on front of. We needed to think up a way out, and fast. The hall was too narrow for us to merely stay put and wait it out, and even if we stood against the wall, there was a good chance our cloaks might brush against each other, giving our position away.
To our left and right, there were two doors. Giving Hermione a slight nudge, and a nod, we shifted silently to the left side of the hall. Testing the door latch, it didn't budge. Who ever was approaching was now just thirty feet from us, and closing in fast. Mouthing a silent prayer, we edge forward, closing the gap even further. Grasping the latch of the second door, it gave. Opening it swiftly, we snuck in and shut it quickly, with just moments to spare.
Pressing our ears against the door, the heard the two sets of footsteps stop just beyond where we were.
"Black Pincushions."
At hearing that, we both gasped. That voice.
"Malfoy," I mouthed to Hermione. Again, she only nodded, intent on catching every word.
"Mister Malfoy, if we need to get in contact with you again over this matter, we expect full." It was Dumbledore.
"I don't need your lecturing! I don't know anything now and I won't know anything tomorrow! Good bye!" With that, we heard Malfoy's footsteps trail off and echo, hinting at his departure through the portal, leaving his headmaster behind. Seconds passed, and then the Dumbledore's footsteps became audible as well, this time heading in the opposite way, leaving Slytherin tower behind. We were once again alone.
Forgetting that we still had the cloak on, I slipped it off and stood up. Crouching for that long is far from comfortable and my back ached when I began to stretch. The room we hid in was nearly pitch black, its air even more putrid than the hall's. I could hear the squeak of a rat and I stood paralyzed. My hair standing up on end, I felt something touch my foot.
"Ohhhhhh," I said, letting off a low moan. It was all I could do to prevent myself from screaming in terror.
"It was just the cloak," Hermione whispered to me. I looked down and through the dim light, I saw the hole in her body; though surprised, I realized that she was merely holding the blanket, resulting in the illusion.
"You okay?" she said, warmly. Placing a hand on my shoulder, she looked at me with concern. Touched, my tension disappeared and my pulse finally began to return to normal.
"I'm good. Thanks."
My eyes searched the room for the source of the light. Ahead, a few feet, the light began to grow more intense. Walking with the utmost care, we proceeded further into the room, not knowing exactly where it would lead.
Twenty feet in, the room opened up. The walls became rounded forming a circular space. The low ceiling vanished as well, leaving an arching, glass dome in its place. Through the dirty panes, minute bits of moonlight managed to slip through, providing the dim lighting that sparked our curiosity.
Standing in the middle of the room, I saw that the walls were barren; it was stone from the floor up to the panes, and nothing else.
"Where are we?"
"I have no clue. Gryffindor students usually avoid this hall."
"Really? It's kind of." I paused, searching for the right word, ".charming."
"Yeah, Adam, real charming." She laughed quietly and began to stroll around the room, staying close to the walls, in search of anything interesting.
"Hello.." I murmured to myself, slowly. Spotting what appeared to be a coat hung on the wall, I stepped closer to get a better look. Hermione noticed and joined me.
"It's covering something," Hermione deduced. Grabbing it with one hand, I prepared to remove the cloth.
"Think that's a good idea?" she asked, stopping me in mid-motion.
"Well, if we're this deep in the hole, might as well follow Alice all the way down." Still holding on, I stood off to the side, just as a precaution, something that Hermione mimicked. Mustering up all the courage I had, I gave the sheet a tug and it slid off.
Covered in cobwebs and grime, a full-length mirror stood before us. The reflective surface hidden under a layer of thick dust, and the once- golden rim chipped and cracked in some spots. Bruises aside, it was a remarkable piece of work and must have been a magnificent specimen at one time.
"The Mirror of Erised." Hermione whispered in awe.
"Erised?"
"Yes, 'desire' backwards."
"I see. Why 'desire'?"
"It reveals to you your innermost desires when you stand before it," she explained. "It helped us out a while ago, but to prevent trouble in the future, Dumbledore said that it would be destroyed."
"So much for that plan," I added walking around it, trying to view it from every angle. "This is just what I needed."
"'Just what you needed?' What would you need this for?" Hermione was admiring the mirror form a distance, almost as if she feared getting to close to it.
"Lately, I've had an...well..an unexplainable feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I only notice it when Harry is around. Forgive me if this sounds odd, but it's almost as if it's compelling me to watch over him." I turned to look at Hermione, to gauge her reaction to my words
"Like you're his keeper?"
"Something like that, although I'm actually a beater."
It took her a moment to get the joke, but I could see why. Midnight had come and gone hours ago and the strenuous past few minutes didn't help put our minds at rest either.
"However, I think this could help me figure out what's behind it, with any luck." Using the sleeve of my outer cloak, I started to brush away the dust. Starting at the bottom, the cleaned glass revealed what I surmised to be a pair of shoes, three pairs to be exact. Not surprisingly, legs were attached to these shoes, and soon torsos became visible as I continued to work away.
Halfway up, on the left side, I cleared away the dust to find myself, looking right back at me.
"My God," I said under my breath.
"What do you see, Adam?"
I said nothing. Clearing away more soot to get a better look, I found myself looking into the face of a two-year old Adam Barrowton. I couldn't help but smile at the discovery. I had no baby pictures of what I looked like at that age, so this was a rare treat to say the least. My appetite whet, I was determined to see what other treasures were hidden behind the grime.
Scrubbing with finesse, I managed to get the rest of the mirror cleaned off. Stepping back, I stood motionless, shocked at what I had uncovered. Hermione stood to the right of me.
"Oh wow..oh wow."
"What? What do you see Adam?"
"Don't you.see it..." I stammered, point with a trembling finger at the mirror.
"Only the person who seeks an answer can see it."
My mouth remained open, but I didn't speak; I couldn't have if I had wanted too.
I did manage to squeak out "Oh my.", but beyond this level of communication I was at a loss. Without knowing it, I took a few rigid steps back from the mirror. Every joint in my body seemed locked into place. Directly in the moon's rays, I took on a ghastly look, merely adding to my abnormal state.
"Adam!" Hermione pleaded, looking back and forth between me and the mirror. "Adam, please, what do you see?!?"
"We have to go," I said, ignoring her wishes. I began to side step away from the circular room and back towards the door which we entered through. Hermione unrolled the invisibility cloak quickly and hurried after me. I was already opening the door, not checking to see is anyone was in the hall. Without warning, Hermione threw my half of the cloak over my head and we hurried into the hall, running back to where we had started.
