Teotihuacan
Chapter Three-The Fire
Katie and Ron grew closer over the past few weeks as did Harry and I.
Katie's confidence grew as well. She was no longer the shy person. In fact, she's told Malfoy off a few times during the week for calling her names.
I couldn't believe that the deceased could speak to her. I've never heard of a witch or wizard with that kind of 'power' I guess you could say. It was simply amazing and I thought it was a great gift. She could really help people find out what happened to their loved ones even when people couldn't find out what happened.
Our first class that day was Care of Magical Creatures outside.
The Gryffindor's and Slytherin's headed outside onto the grounds.
Hagrid was standing in front of a paddock. Ron hesitated.
"I hope do dear God he's not showing us those Blast Ended Skrewts again," Ron said, slowly.
"I don't think so," Harry said, as he stood on his toes to peer over the paddock railing.
"Can you see what they are?" Katie asked.
"Hmm…just the top of them…they look purple," Harry said.
"Purple?" Ron asked, tilting his head.
"Well, why don't we go over and get a closer look?" I suggested trying not to roll my eyes.
"What a good idea!" Harry said, mockingly.
This time I did roll my eyes and we walked over to the paddock. Hagrid beamed when he spied us.
"'Arry! 'Ermione! Ron! And this is the new lass?" Hagrid asked pleasantly.
Katie nodded and blushed.
"Yes…Hagrid? This is Katie O'Malley," Harry said, brightly.
"Hello Katie. So, what do yeh think of 'Ogwarts?" Hagrid asked.
"It's wonderful!" Katie gushed.
Hagrid smiled.
"I'm glad yeh like it here. These three are the best friends anyone could ask for,"
Katie just beamed.
"What are we learning about today, Hagrid?" Ron asked, warily peering over the top railing of the paddock.
"Gorgrenad's," Hagrid said brightly.
Gorgrenad's were about the size of cats with purple fur and bright white eyes. One scratch from them though can cause the person to be disoriented for about 1 hour. They resembled cats but had that color fur and eyes.
That's why you don't really get them annoyed at you or they'll swipe at you.
"Are they friendly?" Katie asked, peering over the railing next to Ron.
"Oh, yeh! Definitely…just don' get 'em mad," Hagrid replied.
Katie reached into the paddock and held her hand out. One of the Gorgrenad's came over and rubbed her hand with its head. Katie broke out into a grin. Malfoy then leaned over the railing. The Gorgrenad just looked at him and arched its back.
"Eh, Malfoy? I think yeh'd best back away," Hagrid said, warily as his eyes were locked on the Gorgrenad.
"Why? He isn't going to attack me or anything…he's just arching his back," Malfoy protested sneering.
"He might. That usually means that the Gorgrenad is mad," Katie replied.
"Shut up, oinker," Malfoy said.
Ron glared at Malfoy.
"Don't call her an 'oinker' you self-indulged prat!" Ron snarled.
Malfoy pulled out his wand and aimed it at Ron. Ron pulled his wand out also and aimed it at Malfoy. Harry and I stood beside Ron with ours out as well.
"You're going to stand up for this pig?" Malfoy asked, looking at Katie with disgust.
"She's not a pig," Harry spat.
"You're something else, Potter. You love Mudbloods and Pigs," Malfoy said, sneering.
Crabbe and Goyle snickered beside Malfoy.
The rest of the Gryffindor's were watching intently.
"Malfoy, I think yeh'd best be quiet," Hagrid said, quietly.
Malfoy ignored him.
"Why don't I teach you a lesson?" Malfoy said as he moved the wand onto Harry. "Brealort!"
A thin jet of white shot out from the tip of Malfoy's wand.
"NO!" Katie cried.
She jumped in front of Harry. The spell hit her right in the chest and she fell backwards. She was lying on her back with her wrists lying near her ears and her head was turned to the left. She wasn't moving.
"You bastard!" Ron growled as he went to curse Malfoy, but Harry had beaten him to it.
"Forenser!"
Malfoy dodged the jet of purple and the spell kept going into the Forbidden Forest.
"ENOUGH!" Hagrid bellowed.
Everyone jumped.
"Malfoy, I'm talking to Professor Snape. You started this! Harry, Ron and Hermione? You take Katie up to the hospital wing," Hagrid snapped.
I tucked my wand back into my robe and crouched down beside Katie. Harry did the same. With his help, we managed to carry Katie and we walked back toward the castle. Ron kept throwing Malfoy violent glared and he was seething.
"I can't believe he did that!" Ron snarled.
"I know…right now we've got to get Katie back to her old self," I replied.
We reached the hospital wing and laid Katie down on one of the cots. Madam Pomfrey came over.
"What's wrong?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"She was hit with a Brealort spell," I replied.
"She'll be okay…won't she?" Ron squeaked.
"Of course. It'll wear off in about a half an hour," Madam Pomfrey said.
Ron, Harry and I breathed a sigh of relief.
KATIE.
I moaned and opened my eyes. I felt like I had hit the water belly first. My vision was a little blurry, but then it cleared.
I saw Ron, Harry and Hermione sitting beside me on the bed.
"Hey, what happened?" I asked.
My voice came out watery and strained.
Ron's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Hermione and Harry were beaming.
"Hey! How do you feel?" Harry asked, gently.
"Like I did a belly flop in the water," I moaned.
"That's the effect of a Brealort spell," Hermione said.
"Who hit me with that?"
"Malfoy,"
"Why?"
"Because you corrected him," Ron muttered bitterly. "Stupid prat."
"But don't worry. We're going to get back at him," Harry added viciously.
"No, we're not. He'll get his if Hagrid speaks to Snape," Hermione scolded glaring at him.
"It's not enough. I'm tired of Malfoy treating Katie and us like garbage," Ron replied.
"I know…trust me…I know," Hermione said, exhaling loudly. "But doing something rash won't help anything…it will just make it worse."
Ron muttered something.
"Huh?" Hermione asked, cupping her hand behind her ear to hear him better.
"Never mind," Ron muttered.
Hermione shrugged and turned her eyes onto me.
"How do you feel now?"
"A little better. When can I leave?"
Just then, Madam Pomfrey entered the hospital wing again. She had stepped out for a moment.
"Madam Pomfrey? When can Katie leave?" Ron asked.
Madam Pomfrey checked me over.
"Well, it' been a half an hour. If she feels okay she can leave now," Madam Pomfrey said.
"I feel okay," I said, smiling.
"Okay then…off you go,"
Ron and Harry helped me off the cot and back to the Gryffindor common room.
A fire had been lit and it crackled gently.
"Ugh…I'm glad that's over with. I hope Malfoy gets probed," Ron said, sighing.
Harry burst out laughing.
"Right…and who would you get to do that? Yourself?"
Ron shivered and shook his head.
"God no! I'd rather go blind!"
We laughed.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Hermione replied as she stood up and stretched.
"Me too. Night boys," I said.
"Night," they said in unison.
We left the common room and headed into the girls' dorms.
Around midnight, I smelt something burning in the girl's dorm. I woke abruptly and looked around.
There was nothing unusual. All the girl's were asleep. I could hear someone snoring across from me.
Then, when I looked under the door to the girl's dorm, I saw thick gray smoke snaking its way under the door.
"Get up! Everyone! Hurry!" I screamed tossing the cover off of me.
Everyone woke up abruptly.
"What? What's going on?"
"Is this a joke?"
"I was in the middle of a good dream!"
"Katie? What's wrong?"
That was Hermione. She came over to me and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Look under the door!" I cried pointing.
The girl's looked.
"What is that?"
"It smells awful!"
"It's smoke!" I cried. "Which means there's a fire!"
The girls began screaming.
I rushed over to the door and felt it using the back of my hand. It wasn't hot.
I grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door. We hurried out and made our way to the common room.
A wall of fire blocked the entrance into the common room. The flames were hot and licking the ceiling.
The girl's began screaming more. The boys finally burst out of their dorm.
"Whoa!" Ron cried, throwing his arm up to cover his face from the searing heat.
"We're trapped!" Hermione cried.
Harry went over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Ron came over to me and did the same. The rest of the Gryffindor's were huddled toward the back of the common room.
Thick gray smoke began rising to the ceiling. We had to drop to our hands and knees to keep getting some of the fresh oxygen left in the room.
Everyone began coughing.
"There...(cough)…has to be…(cough)…a way out," Ron said, coughing.
"This is the only entrance," Hermione said, as she began coughing herself.
I stayed close to Ron and I began coughing from the thickness of the smoke.
"Hermione…(cough cough cough)…do you…(cough) know a spell…(cough) to put out the fire?" I asked coughing.
"There's a freezing (cough cough cough cough) charm," Hermione said.
She pulled out her wand and aimed it at the flames.
"Iciclie!" she said, but it didn't come out right because of the coughing.
All she did was lay forward on her stomach with her arm stretched out holding the wand. She continued to cough.
The smoke was getting heavier and heavier. Some of the Gryffindor's were passing out from the smoke.
The only ones that were still conscious enough were Ron, Harry and I. Hermione passed out. Harry kept close to her. We were covered in soot from the smoke.
The fire got worse. The flames were now inching toward us and it was running the ceiling of the common room.
The heat was starting to get unbearable. We began sweating and choking at the same time. After a few moments, Harry was out. He just laid next to Hermione with his arm draped over her. Ron and I were left.
The fire crept closer…and the heat was intense. Ron closed his eyes and passed out.
For the few moments I was conscious, the fire got closer and closer. Then, blackness swallowed me up.
*______________________***************_________________________*
Professor Dumbledore was woken up around a quarter after midnight by Professor Snape.
"There's a fire in Gryffindor tower!" Professor Snape said urgently.
Professor Dumbledore threw off the covers of his bed and grabbed his robe. He pulled it around him as he and Professor Snape rushed out into the corridor. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout were already awake and standing in the corridor.
"What's going on?" Professor Sprout asked.
"There's a fire in Gryffindor tower!" Professor Dumbledore said.
They urgently rushed to the tower. As they passed windows, they looked out. The flames were shooting out of the tower's windows as well. A thick gray smoke lingered around the roof.
"Get the Ravenclaw's, Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's down into the Great Hall!" Professor Dumbledore instructed.
Professor Sprout and Professor Snape rushed to the other three towers.
"The students! They must be trapped!" Professor McGonagall cried.
They rushed down the corridor where the entrance to the Gryffindor common room was. There was thick gray smoke filtering out from behind the Fat Lady's portrait as well as a few flames. The Fat Lady wasn't in her portrait.
"Where is she?" Professor McGonagall cried.
"I don't know! But right now we've got to try and get those kids out!" Professor Dumbledore cried.
He went to open the portrait but it wouldn't budge and bits of the painting background were melting.
Professor Dumbledore put his arm up to shield his face from the smoke and flame.
"How are we going to get them out?" Professor McGonagall cried raising a hand to her mouth.
"I don't know! They're trapped in there! There's no way out except the portrait entrance!"
Professor McGonagall began sobbing quietly.
Professor Snape and Professor Sprout came jogging down the corridor.
"The Ravenclaw's, Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's are outside on the grounds with Hagrid," Professor Snape said.
"Okay," Professor Dumbledore said.
"What are we going to do?" Professor Sprout said, covering her mouth with a hand.
Professor Dumbledore looked grave and sick.
"There's nothing we can do…we can't get them out,"
Professor Snape put a hand on Professor Sprout's shoulder.
Just then, there was a groaning and the next thing they knew, Gryffindor tower…collapsed.