CHAPTER 4:
EYES
Harry continued to scream as the giant red eyes stared back at him when he felt someone grab his shoulder. Spinning around, he turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley staring back at him, the tips of their wands aglow.
"Harry! Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was exclaiming. "Calm down! What's wrong?!"
"Th-there...there's something out there!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the window.
Hermione and Ginny walked into the room as Mr. Weasley poked his head out the window.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing, sweetie," Mrs. Weasley reassured her. "Why don't you two go back to bed?"
Mr. Weasley closed the window. "I don't see anything out there."
"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "How could you not see it? I think those big red eyes would be kind of hard to miss in the dark!" He looked out the window himself and saw that the creature really had disappeared.
"Big red eyes?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, looking slightly alarmed, but then she said, "Oh, Harry, you must have only been dreaming."
"I was not dreaming!" Harry replied.
"You might have just seen some sort of animal, then," Mr. Weasley suggested.
"I don't know any animal that has eyes like that!" Harry retorted.
"Well, whatever it was," Mr. Weasley began. "It's gone, now."
"But Mr. Weasley, what if that thing comes back? What if it gets inside the house?!"
"Stop worrying, Harry," Mr. Weasley said. "That's not going to happen. Molly and I won't let that happen. All right?"
Harry wanted to protest, but knew that it would do no good. So, he just nodded instead.
"All right. Why don't you get back in bed."
"Okay," Harry replied.
"Goodnight," said Mrs. Weasley.
"Night."
And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny left the room, and Ron fell back to sleep.
Harry, however, stayed awake in his bed for the rest of the night.
***
"You don't look so good, Harry," Hermione told him at the kitchen table next morning.
"I know," he replied. "I didn't fall asleep again after that incident last night." But, then again, who could blame him?
"What exactly did you see?" Ron asked.
"I've already told you. I saw a pair of large, red eyes the size of quaffles and as bright as fire. At first, they were just staring up at me from the lawn, but then they somehow came right up to my window."
"Ashwinders have eyes like that," Ron suggested.
"But their eyes aren't the size of quaffles," Hermione pointed out. "And that's not a very likely place to find an ashwinder. They're created when a magical fire has been left burning for too long. And besides, they can't just rise up to a window that high like that.
"It could have been a thestral," said Ginny. "You said their eyes glow, Harry. And one could fly up to your window."
"No," Harry replied. "A thestral's eyes aren't nearly as large or bright as these eyes. Besides, their eyes are white, not red."
"Wait a moment," said Ron, a look of terror was upon his face. "Y-you don't think it was a basilisk, do you?!"
"Of course not!" Hermione replied.
"Why not?! It wouldn't exactly be hard for a fifty-foot snake to rise up to a window that high up!"
"Ron, a basilisk's eyes are yellow. And besides, if a basilisk looked Harry right dead in the eye, I don't think he'd be here right now to talk about it, do you?"
"No, I guess not."
Harry was about to take another bite of his toast when Hermione said, "Harry...your...your eyes!"
"What about them?" he asked, confused.
"They're...they're...well...look at them!"
Harry got up from the table and looked into a mirror on the wall.
"Whoa! What did you do to your eyes, boy?" the mirror said to him.
Harry looked at his reflection's eyes and gasped. The whites of his eyes, surrounding his green pupils, were now bright red, as if they had been sprayed with mace. Even the skin surrounding his eyes had been burned red, so that he now looked like some sort of giant, red-eyed insect.
TO BE CONTINUED
EYES
Harry continued to scream as the giant red eyes stared back at him when he felt someone grab his shoulder. Spinning around, he turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley staring back at him, the tips of their wands aglow.
"Harry! Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was exclaiming. "Calm down! What's wrong?!"
"Th-there...there's something out there!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the window.
Hermione and Ginny walked into the room as Mr. Weasley poked his head out the window.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing, sweetie," Mrs. Weasley reassured her. "Why don't you two go back to bed?"
Mr. Weasley closed the window. "I don't see anything out there."
"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "How could you not see it? I think those big red eyes would be kind of hard to miss in the dark!" He looked out the window himself and saw that the creature really had disappeared.
"Big red eyes?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, looking slightly alarmed, but then she said, "Oh, Harry, you must have only been dreaming."
"I was not dreaming!" Harry replied.
"You might have just seen some sort of animal, then," Mr. Weasley suggested.
"I don't know any animal that has eyes like that!" Harry retorted.
"Well, whatever it was," Mr. Weasley began. "It's gone, now."
"But Mr. Weasley, what if that thing comes back? What if it gets inside the house?!"
"Stop worrying, Harry," Mr. Weasley said. "That's not going to happen. Molly and I won't let that happen. All right?"
Harry wanted to protest, but knew that it would do no good. So, he just nodded instead.
"All right. Why don't you get back in bed."
"Okay," Harry replied.
"Goodnight," said Mrs. Weasley.
"Night."
And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny left the room, and Ron fell back to sleep.
Harry, however, stayed awake in his bed for the rest of the night.
***
"You don't look so good, Harry," Hermione told him at the kitchen table next morning.
"I know," he replied. "I didn't fall asleep again after that incident last night." But, then again, who could blame him?
"What exactly did you see?" Ron asked.
"I've already told you. I saw a pair of large, red eyes the size of quaffles and as bright as fire. At first, they were just staring up at me from the lawn, but then they somehow came right up to my window."
"Ashwinders have eyes like that," Ron suggested.
"But their eyes aren't the size of quaffles," Hermione pointed out. "And that's not a very likely place to find an ashwinder. They're created when a magical fire has been left burning for too long. And besides, they can't just rise up to a window that high like that.
"It could have been a thestral," said Ginny. "You said their eyes glow, Harry. And one could fly up to your window."
"No," Harry replied. "A thestral's eyes aren't nearly as large or bright as these eyes. Besides, their eyes are white, not red."
"Wait a moment," said Ron, a look of terror was upon his face. "Y-you don't think it was a basilisk, do you?!"
"Of course not!" Hermione replied.
"Why not?! It wouldn't exactly be hard for a fifty-foot snake to rise up to a window that high up!"
"Ron, a basilisk's eyes are yellow. And besides, if a basilisk looked Harry right dead in the eye, I don't think he'd be here right now to talk about it, do you?"
"No, I guess not."
Harry was about to take another bite of his toast when Hermione said, "Harry...your...your eyes!"
"What about them?" he asked, confused.
"They're...they're...well...look at them!"
Harry got up from the table and looked into a mirror on the wall.
"Whoa! What did you do to your eyes, boy?" the mirror said to him.
Harry looked at his reflection's eyes and gasped. The whites of his eyes, surrounding his green pupils, were now bright red, as if they had been sprayed with mace. Even the skin surrounding his eyes had been burned red, so that he now looked like some sort of giant, red-eyed insect.
TO BE CONTINUED