Ron was staring at the fire, dozing off at times. Hermione was reading,
occasionally kicking Ron in the shin to keep him awake. Ron got up and
poked the coals in the fire. Turning around, he asked Hermione what time
it was. "It's about 45 minutes after midnight. I wonder what's taking
Harry. He's been out a while. Reckon we go look for him?" Ron propped
himself back on the plush cushions of his armchair.
"We should wait a bit more. I know he would get mad if we thought he couldn't handle Malfoy by himself," Ron explained to Hermione.
"But what if he's hurt, don't you ever worry about him?"
"Of course, I do Hermione, but you have to learn to understand Harry." Ron replied. Hermione gave him a harsh look, but didn't say anything and returned to the book she was reading. The fire crackled, releasing a burst of heat into Ron's face. Ron sighed and looked at Hermione, who obviously looked annoyed.
"Alright, alright. Let me go fetch Harry's invisibility cloak." Hermione looked up at Ron and smiled.
"I knew you would cave in." Ron looked back at her and gave her the same annoyed look she had given him previously. He crept up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, careful not to wake anyone. He brought a candle with him so he could see where all of Harry's possessions were. Moving items around, Ron finally pulled out the long cloak. Ron tiptoed back down the stairs, clutching the cloak in his hands.
"I found it Hermione," Ron stated looking up at her. Hermione nodded and slipped on her shoes. Ron kneeled down and put his own shoes on. When they were both ready to leave, Ron wrapped the cloak around Hermione and himself. They gently moved the Fat Lady out of the way, trying not to wake her.
Hermione whispered, "Where do you think he would be, Ron?"
"Blimely, how should I know? Let's try outside." Ron and Hermione skulked through corridors and down a various amount of stairs. "Damn, we should have brought the map with us. We might run into a teacher." Hermione didn't seem too concerned with what Ron was saying. She was looking directly in front of her. They had walked right into Peeve, literally.
Peeves looked queasy. "Who's here?! I may not be able to see you, but I swear I felt something pass through me! If you don't identify yourself, I will scream!" Hermione and Ron looked at each other. They immediately ran down the end of the hall, turning at the corner. "You asked for it!" Peeves yelled at the top of his lungs, "There are students out of bed! Filch there are students out of bed! Get them before they escape!"
Filch came jogging down the hallway giving Peeves a nasty look. "It's about time you got here! Something passed through me. Students are out of bed!" With that Filch started his search.
Hermione and Ron were both breathing hard. Their faces were blank. Ron pulled on Hermione's robes, asking her to slow down. They stopped to catch their breath, but hurried along, hoping Filch wouldn't find Harry.
In the meantime, the pain in Harry's chest, side, and head was unbearable. He huddled over in a corner, attempting to regain some strength. He clutched his wound; it was still bleeding, leaving a small puddle of blood where he sat. His head was throbbing. He couldn't hold onto himself anymore. He closed his eyes, to shield out the pain, but soon passed out.
Ron and Hermione finally reached where Harry was. "Harry! What's wrong?! Harry are you hurt? Harry talk to me!" Hermione's voiced was shaky. She pulled off the cloak and rushed over to Harry's side, with Ron following her. "Harry?!"
"We should wait a bit more. I know he would get mad if we thought he couldn't handle Malfoy by himself," Ron explained to Hermione.
"But what if he's hurt, don't you ever worry about him?"
"Of course, I do Hermione, but you have to learn to understand Harry." Ron replied. Hermione gave him a harsh look, but didn't say anything and returned to the book she was reading. The fire crackled, releasing a burst of heat into Ron's face. Ron sighed and looked at Hermione, who obviously looked annoyed.
"Alright, alright. Let me go fetch Harry's invisibility cloak." Hermione looked up at Ron and smiled.
"I knew you would cave in." Ron looked back at her and gave her the same annoyed look she had given him previously. He crept up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, careful not to wake anyone. He brought a candle with him so he could see where all of Harry's possessions were. Moving items around, Ron finally pulled out the long cloak. Ron tiptoed back down the stairs, clutching the cloak in his hands.
"I found it Hermione," Ron stated looking up at her. Hermione nodded and slipped on her shoes. Ron kneeled down and put his own shoes on. When they were both ready to leave, Ron wrapped the cloak around Hermione and himself. They gently moved the Fat Lady out of the way, trying not to wake her.
Hermione whispered, "Where do you think he would be, Ron?"
"Blimely, how should I know? Let's try outside." Ron and Hermione skulked through corridors and down a various amount of stairs. "Damn, we should have brought the map with us. We might run into a teacher." Hermione didn't seem too concerned with what Ron was saying. She was looking directly in front of her. They had walked right into Peeve, literally.
Peeves looked queasy. "Who's here?! I may not be able to see you, but I swear I felt something pass through me! If you don't identify yourself, I will scream!" Hermione and Ron looked at each other. They immediately ran down the end of the hall, turning at the corner. "You asked for it!" Peeves yelled at the top of his lungs, "There are students out of bed! Filch there are students out of bed! Get them before they escape!"
Filch came jogging down the hallway giving Peeves a nasty look. "It's about time you got here! Something passed through me. Students are out of bed!" With that Filch started his search.
Hermione and Ron were both breathing hard. Their faces were blank. Ron pulled on Hermione's robes, asking her to slow down. They stopped to catch their breath, but hurried along, hoping Filch wouldn't find Harry.
In the meantime, the pain in Harry's chest, side, and head was unbearable. He huddled over in a corner, attempting to regain some strength. He clutched his wound; it was still bleeding, leaving a small puddle of blood where he sat. His head was throbbing. He couldn't hold onto himself anymore. He closed his eyes, to shield out the pain, but soon passed out.
Ron and Hermione finally reached where Harry was. "Harry! What's wrong?! Harry are you hurt? Harry talk to me!" Hermione's voiced was shaky. She pulled off the cloak and rushed over to Harry's side, with Ron following her. "Harry?!"