"So," Harry said, sighing. "Turns out Ron couldn't go, because he's late on
all his summer homework and Hermione's letting him cheat only this once,
and with Hermione, you've got to seize that kind of opportunity."
Mandee laughed. "That's funny." She said. "Hermione seems so tenderhearted."
"She is," Harry said. "Most of the time that is."
They both walked into Butterbear's and sat down at a table, ordering two glasses of Pumpkin Juice and some cookies. Mandee thought she could contain not telling Harry about the letter, but she was dying to. Before she could do anything stupid, she wrenched the letter from her purse and threw it onto the table.
"It dropped out of my purse," She said. "I didn't want to disturb you while you were talking to Ron and Hermione so I just. let it go on hold. I haven't even read it yet."
"Well, let's read it then," Harry said opening it up and reading quietly aloud:
"The last letter was just a poem, I'm not that good. I really want us to get together but I don't know if it's a good idea, and if I found out you didn't love me back it'd break my heart. Leave a note back to me and leave it behind the statue of the gargoyle in the entrance hall, tonight. Yours truly, your secret admirer."
"Wow," She said, her eyebrows rising. "He wants me to write back. well, how can I, when I don't even know the guy?!"
"I have an idea," Harry said. "You could write back and leave it behind the gargoyle and Ron and I can use our Invisibility Cloak to see who the guy is."
"Why am I not surprised you have one of those?" She asked, laughing. "So, we could find out who's sending me these letters by finding the guy who comes to the statue to pick it up?"
"That's right," Harry said. "So tonight we'll find out who's sending you these letters."
"Alright," She nodded. "I'm all for it.
"Okay," Harry said, grinning. "Hey, do you want me to show you a place I haven't showed anyone before?"
"Uh," Mandee hesitated. "That sounds major wrong."
Harry laughed. "No, I'm talking about a place where I go for solitude. Come with me."
They escaped all the Hogsmeade shops and noises, into this bare area and over to the shrieking shack. The rooms were as stony as graveyards, and ice- cold. She shivered and followed Harry upstairs into what she supposed was, or used to be, the bedroom. Harry pushed the canopy aside, and under it was a small door.
"Come here," He said, lifting it open. Looking down into it was amazing, it was a tunnel, filled with grass and flowers and sunlight was seeping through both ends.
Harry lowered himself in, and then motioned for Mandee to come, as well.
"Come on," Harry said.
"It's far down," Mandee hesitated, peaking down from inside the bedroom.
"Here," Harry offered, moving under the hole in which the door covered. "You jump, I'll catch you."
Though surprised, she nodded and closed her eyes. "It's only a few feet." She whispered to herself and let herself fall into Harry's arms.
"You okay?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure," She said, feeling like a baby for being scared about the fall.
"We're almost there," Harry said beginning to walk again. As soon as the tunnel led them outside into the sunlight, Mandee realized they were a great distance from the castle, and over near the end of the lake. The fog actually made it more interesting, as Harry led her over to a large rock which overlooked the whole lake.
"You'll have to climb it," Harry said. "It's only about ten steps though."
So they began climbing the rock.. Harry got up first, obviously being the strongest. He helped her up, and stood back to watch.
"Look at the view," He said, pointing in into the distance.
Mandee turned her eyes in the direction of which he was pointing, and it was almost the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The little bit of sun that was now left was glittering onto the silver lake, which stretched for miles. A little to the left was Hogwarts, gleaming and sparkling madly as the sun crept up its stone walls. She was so star-struck, she gasped.
"This is so beautiful," Mandee said, awed.
"Yeah, I go here a lot," Harry replied, sitting down. "..to get away from Ron and Hermione when they're being real jerks or just annoying me."
"So why'd you tell me about it?" Mandee asked, sitting down, too.
"Because." Harry began. "You don't annoy me, and I. just think you deserved to see it. I haven't showed anyone before."
"Well, it's beautiful." She replied, still awed. "I love it."
"Mandee, I have to tell you something," Harry said, beginning to blush, but his eyes shifted from her to behind her. "Oh no.." he whispered.
She looked behind her, and to her utter amazement she saw a dementor stalking through the grass and over to them. Behind it, more followed.
"Climb down," Harry shouted, whipping out his wand. "Hurry."
She did so, going as fast as she could, but the dementors were already drawing nearer to her. "Run!" Harry called from above.
"I'm not letting you just stay here!" She called back up.
"I can take care of myself," Harry said, trying to rethink the patronus spell. "I know a spell to get rid of them."
Mandee nodded and ran off towards the tunnel, but unfortunately she was no match to the dementors, who soon caught onto her trail and were gaining steps. She hesitated as she walked into the tunnel, not knowing how to get back up. The dementors entered the cave after her, surrounding her as she screamed for help, forgetting her wand in the Gryffindor Common Room.
But the dementor was doing something funny.. it took his long skinny hand and lowered his hood. She knew what it was doing; it was going to perform a dementor's kiss.
The dementor walked closer to her, leaning over to perform the kiss, just as a blinding light flashed all around. The dementor's screeched with terror and fled out of the other side of the tunnel. Mandee, growing tired from what she supposed was the dementor's sucking her happiness away, only saw one thing before she fainted, and that was Harry.
Mandee laughed. "That's funny." She said. "Hermione seems so tenderhearted."
"She is," Harry said. "Most of the time that is."
They both walked into Butterbear's and sat down at a table, ordering two glasses of Pumpkin Juice and some cookies. Mandee thought she could contain not telling Harry about the letter, but she was dying to. Before she could do anything stupid, she wrenched the letter from her purse and threw it onto the table.
"It dropped out of my purse," She said. "I didn't want to disturb you while you were talking to Ron and Hermione so I just. let it go on hold. I haven't even read it yet."
"Well, let's read it then," Harry said opening it up and reading quietly aloud:
"The last letter was just a poem, I'm not that good. I really want us to get together but I don't know if it's a good idea, and if I found out you didn't love me back it'd break my heart. Leave a note back to me and leave it behind the statue of the gargoyle in the entrance hall, tonight. Yours truly, your secret admirer."
"Wow," She said, her eyebrows rising. "He wants me to write back. well, how can I, when I don't even know the guy?!"
"I have an idea," Harry said. "You could write back and leave it behind the gargoyle and Ron and I can use our Invisibility Cloak to see who the guy is."
"Why am I not surprised you have one of those?" She asked, laughing. "So, we could find out who's sending me these letters by finding the guy who comes to the statue to pick it up?"
"That's right," Harry said. "So tonight we'll find out who's sending you these letters."
"Alright," She nodded. "I'm all for it.
"Okay," Harry said, grinning. "Hey, do you want me to show you a place I haven't showed anyone before?"
"Uh," Mandee hesitated. "That sounds major wrong."
Harry laughed. "No, I'm talking about a place where I go for solitude. Come with me."
They escaped all the Hogsmeade shops and noises, into this bare area and over to the shrieking shack. The rooms were as stony as graveyards, and ice- cold. She shivered and followed Harry upstairs into what she supposed was, or used to be, the bedroom. Harry pushed the canopy aside, and under it was a small door.
"Come here," He said, lifting it open. Looking down into it was amazing, it was a tunnel, filled with grass and flowers and sunlight was seeping through both ends.
Harry lowered himself in, and then motioned for Mandee to come, as well.
"Come on," Harry said.
"It's far down," Mandee hesitated, peaking down from inside the bedroom.
"Here," Harry offered, moving under the hole in which the door covered. "You jump, I'll catch you."
Though surprised, she nodded and closed her eyes. "It's only a few feet." She whispered to herself and let herself fall into Harry's arms.
"You okay?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure," She said, feeling like a baby for being scared about the fall.
"We're almost there," Harry said beginning to walk again. As soon as the tunnel led them outside into the sunlight, Mandee realized they were a great distance from the castle, and over near the end of the lake. The fog actually made it more interesting, as Harry led her over to a large rock which overlooked the whole lake.
"You'll have to climb it," Harry said. "It's only about ten steps though."
So they began climbing the rock.. Harry got up first, obviously being the strongest. He helped her up, and stood back to watch.
"Look at the view," He said, pointing in into the distance.
Mandee turned her eyes in the direction of which he was pointing, and it was almost the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The little bit of sun that was now left was glittering onto the silver lake, which stretched for miles. A little to the left was Hogwarts, gleaming and sparkling madly as the sun crept up its stone walls. She was so star-struck, she gasped.
"This is so beautiful," Mandee said, awed.
"Yeah, I go here a lot," Harry replied, sitting down. "..to get away from Ron and Hermione when they're being real jerks or just annoying me."
"So why'd you tell me about it?" Mandee asked, sitting down, too.
"Because." Harry began. "You don't annoy me, and I. just think you deserved to see it. I haven't showed anyone before."
"Well, it's beautiful." She replied, still awed. "I love it."
"Mandee, I have to tell you something," Harry said, beginning to blush, but his eyes shifted from her to behind her. "Oh no.." he whispered.
She looked behind her, and to her utter amazement she saw a dementor stalking through the grass and over to them. Behind it, more followed.
"Climb down," Harry shouted, whipping out his wand. "Hurry."
She did so, going as fast as she could, but the dementors were already drawing nearer to her. "Run!" Harry called from above.
"I'm not letting you just stay here!" She called back up.
"I can take care of myself," Harry said, trying to rethink the patronus spell. "I know a spell to get rid of them."
Mandee nodded and ran off towards the tunnel, but unfortunately she was no match to the dementors, who soon caught onto her trail and were gaining steps. She hesitated as she walked into the tunnel, not knowing how to get back up. The dementors entered the cave after her, surrounding her as she screamed for help, forgetting her wand in the Gryffindor Common Room.
But the dementor was doing something funny.. it took his long skinny hand and lowered his hood. She knew what it was doing; it was going to perform a dementor's kiss.
The dementor walked closer to her, leaning over to perform the kiss, just as a blinding light flashed all around. The dementor's screeched with terror and fled out of the other side of the tunnel. Mandee, growing tired from what she supposed was the dementor's sucking her happiness away, only saw one thing before she fainted, and that was Harry.
