Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
Authors note: This story will be updated fairly regularly, mainly due to the fact that I have already handwritten this story and am only now getting around to typing it up. The more reviews I get, the more I post. Chapters are getting longer, because 1) fewer cliffhangers right now and 2) I'm trying to get to the action. Sorry, some R/H fluff sneaked in around the real story. I hate romance. Not my fault, my muse gnawed the bars off her cage and got loose. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. Enjoy.
Chapter 4
The members of the Order of the Phoenix Apparated into Hogsmeade and walked up to Hogwarts, where they gathered in a secret chamber adjacent to Dumbledore's office. Sirius, Remus, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Molly Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, and a few more people from the Ministry all took their seats around a large white marble table etched with a carving of a phoenix in flight. They impatiently waited for the remaining two seats to be filled as they chatted quietly. Soon Dumbledore himself entered, took a seat and began without preamble.
"We're here to inform all of you on the details of tonight's attack. Unfortunately, out information is not complete as Severus has not returned yet. He was part of the Death Eaters that entered the house and managed to abduct Harry Potter."
At this Sirius and Remus jumped up simultaneously and bellowed "WHAT?!?!" Dumbledore glanced askance over at McGonagall. "You didn't tell them?" She shook her head, clearly indicating she thought he needed to. She sighed and turned back to the two distraught Marauders.
"Tonight, about 3 hours ago a force of Death Eaters managed to collapse most of the protective barriers around Privet Drive and entered, killing Vernon Dursley and torturing Petunia and her son Dudley. They stunned Harry, while more Death Eaters held off the Ministry as the perimeter of the last ward. Voldemort himself was there supervising. We saw him Apparate out with several Death Eaters, one who was carrying Harry."
Dumbledore paused, took a deep breath and continued, describing the general state of the house and what Petunia had confessed. When he had finished, the two remaining Marauders were pale. Remus had tears in his eyes, carefully hidden, while Sirius glared murderously at the wall, a deadly rage glinting in his eyes.
Abruptly the door to the chamber burst open, startling everyone there. Snape stood slumped in the doorway, gasping, still dressed in his black Death Eater robes. Sirius growled ferally and jumped up, ready to rush over and throttle the life out of him, but Remus managed to secure a grip on his robes and hold him back. Dumbledore got up and helped Snape collapse in his chair, then asked, "What happened?"
Snape drew in a shuddering breath and replied, "Voldemort ordered us for a surprise attack this afternoon, I had no chance to alert anybody. He'd felt the barriers weaken and decided to take advantage of that, so all but one fell when we tested it. After we entered, I was supposed to watch for our reinforcements. The others tortured the Muggles while Avery and Lucius went upstairs to fetch the boy." He paused, gulping, and said, "The others arrived and I heard several crashes and yells from upstairs. I followed Wormtail, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and two new recruits up the stairs."
Snape stopped again, disbelief on his face and coloring his voice. "I couldn't believe my eyes. Potter had stunned both of them, and was dodging our curses and casting a few of his own. The child could barely stand up, he was such a mess. Someone had tried bandaging him up a bit, but at least one hand, an ankle, several ribs, and his collarbone all appeared broken, and he was covered in blood. Potter stunned Crabbe, Goyle, and a new kid before Pettigrew could stun him. The rat carried him out, where Voldemort met us to inspect his prize. We felt the last barrier fall, so we Apparated back to the fortress."
Sirius barged in, "Where is it? Where's he hiding Harry? Is he okay? What does that miserable bastard have planned this time?" He growled these questions out. His face betrayed a fierce desire to storm the castle and rescue his godson, and hopefully extracting some vengeance on the son of a bitch who dared attack him.
Snape only glared at his rival before snapping "The Dark Lord doesn't have him."
Echoing cries of "WHAT?!" erupted from the entire Order at this pronouncement. Snape grinned mirthlessly. "When I arrived at the fortress, Pettigrew was holding empty air and this. You'll enjoy this," he added with a smirk, pulled out a wadded up parchment and tossed it to Sirius. Perplexed, everyone stared as Sirius slowly unfolded it, stared at it disbelievingly, then threw back his head and laughed heartily. Remus took it and placed it on the table so everyone was treated to the artwork of the hand flipping them off. The message was quite clear, and soon they were all stifling nervous giggles.
Snape shook his greasy head. "Potter disappeared into thin air, I don't know how. The Dark Lord was infuriated. I've never seen him that mad. He started torturing everyone within reach, ranting about some prophecy, the founders and Merlin." He shuddered. "I've never spent that long under the Cruciatus before." It was only then the Dumbledore noticed the Potion Master's hands were shaking uncontrollably. He summoned a potion from his office and ordered Snape to drink it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, calling their attention away from the conversations and debates that had sprung up. "With this new information, it seems like the Ministry came off better on this one than we thought. We captured a dozen Death Eaters and suffered relatively light casualties. The only person killed was Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle. And that may not be so bad, since by all accounts he had abused Petunia and Harry mercilessly. Petunia and Dudley, incidentally will be staying here at Hogwarts for their protection until we can move them to a suitable place."
The meeting wrapped up shortly after, and everyone left with mixed emotions. The good news was that Voldemort did not have Harry, and had no idea where he was now. The bad new: neither did anyone else. But they all hoped that wherever he was, Harry Potter was alive and safe. ************************************************************************
Harry Potter collapsed on his bed, not even bothering to change clothes, he was so exhausted and sore. Every muscle in his body ached and his mind felt drained and wrung out, then hung to dry. Still, he considered ruefully, if he hadn't started his own martial arts training earlier he would be dead by now. The extra studying for the TriWizard Tournament last year helped too.
The training was even more exhaustive and demanding than Eva had made it sound. He was up early every morning for a 10 mile run, then an hour in the weight room followed by breakfast. The rest of the morning was occupied by various sessions of gymnastics, dueling, weapons training, and hand-to-hand combat lessons. Eva was an expert in all of these, and while strict and demanding, was also a very good teacher.
After a late lunch, the mage training began, where Harry learned wandless magic and how to control the Elemental abilities he possessed. A bare week into training they discovered he was a magical Animagus, able to transform into any animal he wished at a thought. His favorite was a phoenix, for he adored flying.
Eva and Harry swam together in the ocean before heading back to dinner and a couple hours of study in the extensive library. Harry finished his summer homework quickly and was now alternating between studying ahead for his fifth year and researching his ancestors and their powers. Just for fun he also looked up new and creative curses to use on the Slytherins, and had created several of his own. These he tested on Eva. The result was a week- long prank war, in which weird and disgusting pranks were invented and tested, and Eva demonstrated her mastery of the art of pranking by thoroughly kicking his butt in retribution. Finally a truce was called and she taught Harry how to improvise new pranks. His father would have been proud.
Afterwards, Eva had insisted on giving him dance lessons every night. At first Harry was hesitant, but she was persuasive and a good teacher, so he picked up on it quickly. They tried all styles of dance, from formal ballroom to Latin to swing. He enjoyed it immensely, but it was very tiring especially after a full day of training.
By his best estimate, Harry had already spent close to three full months here. Due to a weird trick of his emerging abilities, his hair now grew as fast as weeds, so he decided to let it alone. It now hung down past his shoulders, and he kept it pulled back in a ponytail, or sometimes warrior braids. He had finally hit a growth spurt and stood just over six feet tall. He'd built muscle on his frame and acquired a tan from the endless outdoor sparring. The deep purple bags that perpetually darkened his eyes from the nightmare had faded with full nights of dreamless sleep.
Life was good.
********************************************************************
*Life sucks* Ron Weasley decided. After the attacks, Dumbledore had allowed Hermione to stay at the Burrow for safety, but she spent the time either crying or worrying over Harry, or studying incessantly. Ron desperately wanted to talk to her, but could never bring himself to approach her about it. Last year he started to realize his feelings toward her were changing, and he thought maybe it was just a crush. But the month of summer separated from her made him realize that it was much deeper than that.
Ron knew that he loved Hermione, and he wanted to tell her exactly that. But now, with their best friend missing and the house constantly occupied by various Aurors and Ministry workers who came and went, it wasn't the best time. Also, Ron was slightly scared that she might still like Viktor Krum and not reciprocate his feelings. Better to wait and see.
Since Harry's disappearance, Death Eater attacks had increased ten fold. Ron figured You-Know-Who was so frustrated at losing Harry that he lashed out any way he could. However, this meant increased security everywhere. Diagon Alley was patrolled by Aurors regularly and a curfew was strictly enforced there. Various rumors about new precautions at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade circulated frequently.
At the Burrow Mrs. Weasley imposed her own curfew, which no one dared to break. She also carried a pocket watch version of her family clock. Hoping for some miracle, she had added Harry to it, but all the arrow did was spin around and around endlessly, without pause.
It was August 31st. The next day they would board the Hogwarts Express to start their fifth year. It seemed unreal without Harry there. Who would hold Ron back when he tried to attack Malfoy for insulting his family? Who would he share Chocolate Frogs and Quidditch talk with while playing Exploding Snap? Who would he share summer stories with and plot ways to expel Malfoy and the majority of the Slytherins? Who would Ron tease for blushing when first years stared openly at them? Harry had become such an integral part of his life at Hogwarts, his other best friend. He hoped he would return safe and sound.
And soon.
*********************************************************************
Albus Dumbledore stood and considered all the students gazing back at him at the Welcoming Feast. Most knew what had occurred over the summer, and the Gryffindor table in particular was near silent and somber. Even the Weasley twins were not in their usual form but then again they were good friends and teammates of Harry's.
He sighed and began. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I must begin with a few notices. First, the Dark Forest is forbidden to all students. No magic is allowed in the corridors, and Mr. Filch's list of banned items had increased again, see him for a complete list. Now as many of you are aware, over the summer Lord Voldemort returned."
At this, nearly every student flinched and paled, and some cried out in alarm. "With his resurrection, we have already lost two fine students: Cedric Diggory, who was murdered by Voldemort, and Harry Potter, who was attacked and kidnapped by the Dark Lord before escaping from his grasp. We all hope for his safe return. To protect all of you, we have new security measures here at Hogwarts. Every student must be in their common room by 8 sharp. Anyone caught wandering the halls after curfew will be dealt with harshly. We will be playing host to a group of Aurors assigned to protect the castle, and they will be patrolling the corridors after dark. I'm sorry to say Hogsmeade weekends will be cancelled until further notice. Quidditch practices and matches will be closely supervised.
"On a lighter note, I would like to welcome back a teacher into our ranks. Professor Lupin has agreed to return as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He has brought his dog Snuffles, who will be allowed to wander freely. Also, for the fourth years and above we have added a Dueling Club, taught by Professor Arabella Figg." A woman seated to the left of Lupin stood and waved. She appeared about late thirties, with long brown hair and blue eyes, and nothing like the old cat lady she had been disguised as to be Harry's neighbor and protector for years.
"Now let the feast begin!" With a little wave, all the tables filled with tons of food on golden platters. As the students ate, the normal chatter was unusually subdued and most of the teachers ate in silence, lost in dark thoughts.
************************************************************************
Eva was in her own room, monitoring the Hogwarts feast through her dimensional portal, which looked suspiciously like a Muggle flatscreen TV. She sighed at the dreary attitude exuded by the collective body, then grinned evilly when a new prank idea presented itself to her consciousness. Glancing around briefly to make sure the door was closed and locked, she touched the screen and quietly directed her spell onto all the tables.
***********************************************************************
(A/N: possible cliffhanger, but decided to finish this section. *shrugs in defeat*
Near the end of the feast, a muted rumble was felt in all the tables, and everyone froze, wide-eyed. Suddenly all the pitchers and goblets of pumpkin juice shot the liquid into the air, squirting streams in the shape of lightning bolts towards the ceiling. The orange liquid converged and formed a shape in the air.
The Hogwarts crest, topped by the stars of Merlin, flowed above the tables like a possessed aquarium. The house animals in the crest were animated, moving and calling, filling the Great Hall with cacophonous sounds of a zoo gone mad. As they all stared up, dumbstruck at the image, fireworks exploded in the air, sending multicolor sparks and stars to cover every inch of the tables.
Finally the crest itself exploded, silencing the noise but drenching everyone with pumpkin juice. For just a second there was utter silence, then someone chuckled, and soon most of the students started laughing and cheering, though some looked disgusted at their soaked robes. Ron laughed especially hard at the sight of Malfoy's pale blond hair stained bright orange.
Dumbledore dismissed them all with a wave and a final snicker, unsuccessfully suppressed behind his moustache. The prefects lead everyone up to the house common rooms. Ron and Hermione had both been appointed as Gryffindor's prefects, and after showing the first years up to bed, they met back in the common room.
For a second they simply stared at each other, and then surprisingly Hermione made her move. She launched herself into Ron's arms, hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. She muttered "'Night, Ron," and fled up the stairs to the 5th year girls dorm. Ron stood there, stunned; touched his flaming cheek where she'd kissed him, then grinned goofily and went to bed, still smiling.
Authors note: This story will be updated fairly regularly, mainly due to the fact that I have already handwritten this story and am only now getting around to typing it up. The more reviews I get, the more I post. Chapters are getting longer, because 1) fewer cliffhangers right now and 2) I'm trying to get to the action. Sorry, some R/H fluff sneaked in around the real story. I hate romance. Not my fault, my muse gnawed the bars off her cage and got loose. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. Enjoy.
Chapter 4
The members of the Order of the Phoenix Apparated into Hogsmeade and walked up to Hogwarts, where they gathered in a secret chamber adjacent to Dumbledore's office. Sirius, Remus, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Molly Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, and a few more people from the Ministry all took their seats around a large white marble table etched with a carving of a phoenix in flight. They impatiently waited for the remaining two seats to be filled as they chatted quietly. Soon Dumbledore himself entered, took a seat and began without preamble.
"We're here to inform all of you on the details of tonight's attack. Unfortunately, out information is not complete as Severus has not returned yet. He was part of the Death Eaters that entered the house and managed to abduct Harry Potter."
At this Sirius and Remus jumped up simultaneously and bellowed "WHAT?!?!" Dumbledore glanced askance over at McGonagall. "You didn't tell them?" She shook her head, clearly indicating she thought he needed to. She sighed and turned back to the two distraught Marauders.
"Tonight, about 3 hours ago a force of Death Eaters managed to collapse most of the protective barriers around Privet Drive and entered, killing Vernon Dursley and torturing Petunia and her son Dudley. They stunned Harry, while more Death Eaters held off the Ministry as the perimeter of the last ward. Voldemort himself was there supervising. We saw him Apparate out with several Death Eaters, one who was carrying Harry."
Dumbledore paused, took a deep breath and continued, describing the general state of the house and what Petunia had confessed. When he had finished, the two remaining Marauders were pale. Remus had tears in his eyes, carefully hidden, while Sirius glared murderously at the wall, a deadly rage glinting in his eyes.
Abruptly the door to the chamber burst open, startling everyone there. Snape stood slumped in the doorway, gasping, still dressed in his black Death Eater robes. Sirius growled ferally and jumped up, ready to rush over and throttle the life out of him, but Remus managed to secure a grip on his robes and hold him back. Dumbledore got up and helped Snape collapse in his chair, then asked, "What happened?"
Snape drew in a shuddering breath and replied, "Voldemort ordered us for a surprise attack this afternoon, I had no chance to alert anybody. He'd felt the barriers weaken and decided to take advantage of that, so all but one fell when we tested it. After we entered, I was supposed to watch for our reinforcements. The others tortured the Muggles while Avery and Lucius went upstairs to fetch the boy." He paused, gulping, and said, "The others arrived and I heard several crashes and yells from upstairs. I followed Wormtail, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and two new recruits up the stairs."
Snape stopped again, disbelief on his face and coloring his voice. "I couldn't believe my eyes. Potter had stunned both of them, and was dodging our curses and casting a few of his own. The child could barely stand up, he was such a mess. Someone had tried bandaging him up a bit, but at least one hand, an ankle, several ribs, and his collarbone all appeared broken, and he was covered in blood. Potter stunned Crabbe, Goyle, and a new kid before Pettigrew could stun him. The rat carried him out, where Voldemort met us to inspect his prize. We felt the last barrier fall, so we Apparated back to the fortress."
Sirius barged in, "Where is it? Where's he hiding Harry? Is he okay? What does that miserable bastard have planned this time?" He growled these questions out. His face betrayed a fierce desire to storm the castle and rescue his godson, and hopefully extracting some vengeance on the son of a bitch who dared attack him.
Snape only glared at his rival before snapping "The Dark Lord doesn't have him."
Echoing cries of "WHAT?!" erupted from the entire Order at this pronouncement. Snape grinned mirthlessly. "When I arrived at the fortress, Pettigrew was holding empty air and this. You'll enjoy this," he added with a smirk, pulled out a wadded up parchment and tossed it to Sirius. Perplexed, everyone stared as Sirius slowly unfolded it, stared at it disbelievingly, then threw back his head and laughed heartily. Remus took it and placed it on the table so everyone was treated to the artwork of the hand flipping them off. The message was quite clear, and soon they were all stifling nervous giggles.
Snape shook his greasy head. "Potter disappeared into thin air, I don't know how. The Dark Lord was infuriated. I've never seen him that mad. He started torturing everyone within reach, ranting about some prophecy, the founders and Merlin." He shuddered. "I've never spent that long under the Cruciatus before." It was only then the Dumbledore noticed the Potion Master's hands were shaking uncontrollably. He summoned a potion from his office and ordered Snape to drink it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, calling their attention away from the conversations and debates that had sprung up. "With this new information, it seems like the Ministry came off better on this one than we thought. We captured a dozen Death Eaters and suffered relatively light casualties. The only person killed was Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle. And that may not be so bad, since by all accounts he had abused Petunia and Harry mercilessly. Petunia and Dudley, incidentally will be staying here at Hogwarts for their protection until we can move them to a suitable place."
The meeting wrapped up shortly after, and everyone left with mixed emotions. The good news was that Voldemort did not have Harry, and had no idea where he was now. The bad new: neither did anyone else. But they all hoped that wherever he was, Harry Potter was alive and safe. ************************************************************************
Harry Potter collapsed on his bed, not even bothering to change clothes, he was so exhausted and sore. Every muscle in his body ached and his mind felt drained and wrung out, then hung to dry. Still, he considered ruefully, if he hadn't started his own martial arts training earlier he would be dead by now. The extra studying for the TriWizard Tournament last year helped too.
The training was even more exhaustive and demanding than Eva had made it sound. He was up early every morning for a 10 mile run, then an hour in the weight room followed by breakfast. The rest of the morning was occupied by various sessions of gymnastics, dueling, weapons training, and hand-to-hand combat lessons. Eva was an expert in all of these, and while strict and demanding, was also a very good teacher.
After a late lunch, the mage training began, where Harry learned wandless magic and how to control the Elemental abilities he possessed. A bare week into training they discovered he was a magical Animagus, able to transform into any animal he wished at a thought. His favorite was a phoenix, for he adored flying.
Eva and Harry swam together in the ocean before heading back to dinner and a couple hours of study in the extensive library. Harry finished his summer homework quickly and was now alternating between studying ahead for his fifth year and researching his ancestors and their powers. Just for fun he also looked up new and creative curses to use on the Slytherins, and had created several of his own. These he tested on Eva. The result was a week- long prank war, in which weird and disgusting pranks were invented and tested, and Eva demonstrated her mastery of the art of pranking by thoroughly kicking his butt in retribution. Finally a truce was called and she taught Harry how to improvise new pranks. His father would have been proud.
Afterwards, Eva had insisted on giving him dance lessons every night. At first Harry was hesitant, but she was persuasive and a good teacher, so he picked up on it quickly. They tried all styles of dance, from formal ballroom to Latin to swing. He enjoyed it immensely, but it was very tiring especially after a full day of training.
By his best estimate, Harry had already spent close to three full months here. Due to a weird trick of his emerging abilities, his hair now grew as fast as weeds, so he decided to let it alone. It now hung down past his shoulders, and he kept it pulled back in a ponytail, or sometimes warrior braids. He had finally hit a growth spurt and stood just over six feet tall. He'd built muscle on his frame and acquired a tan from the endless outdoor sparring. The deep purple bags that perpetually darkened his eyes from the nightmare had faded with full nights of dreamless sleep.
Life was good.
********************************************************************
*Life sucks* Ron Weasley decided. After the attacks, Dumbledore had allowed Hermione to stay at the Burrow for safety, but she spent the time either crying or worrying over Harry, or studying incessantly. Ron desperately wanted to talk to her, but could never bring himself to approach her about it. Last year he started to realize his feelings toward her were changing, and he thought maybe it was just a crush. But the month of summer separated from her made him realize that it was much deeper than that.
Ron knew that he loved Hermione, and he wanted to tell her exactly that. But now, with their best friend missing and the house constantly occupied by various Aurors and Ministry workers who came and went, it wasn't the best time. Also, Ron was slightly scared that she might still like Viktor Krum and not reciprocate his feelings. Better to wait and see.
Since Harry's disappearance, Death Eater attacks had increased ten fold. Ron figured You-Know-Who was so frustrated at losing Harry that he lashed out any way he could. However, this meant increased security everywhere. Diagon Alley was patrolled by Aurors regularly and a curfew was strictly enforced there. Various rumors about new precautions at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade circulated frequently.
At the Burrow Mrs. Weasley imposed her own curfew, which no one dared to break. She also carried a pocket watch version of her family clock. Hoping for some miracle, she had added Harry to it, but all the arrow did was spin around and around endlessly, without pause.
It was August 31st. The next day they would board the Hogwarts Express to start their fifth year. It seemed unreal without Harry there. Who would hold Ron back when he tried to attack Malfoy for insulting his family? Who would he share Chocolate Frogs and Quidditch talk with while playing Exploding Snap? Who would he share summer stories with and plot ways to expel Malfoy and the majority of the Slytherins? Who would Ron tease for blushing when first years stared openly at them? Harry had become such an integral part of his life at Hogwarts, his other best friend. He hoped he would return safe and sound.
And soon.
*********************************************************************
Albus Dumbledore stood and considered all the students gazing back at him at the Welcoming Feast. Most knew what had occurred over the summer, and the Gryffindor table in particular was near silent and somber. Even the Weasley twins were not in their usual form but then again they were good friends and teammates of Harry's.
He sighed and began. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I must begin with a few notices. First, the Dark Forest is forbidden to all students. No magic is allowed in the corridors, and Mr. Filch's list of banned items had increased again, see him for a complete list. Now as many of you are aware, over the summer Lord Voldemort returned."
At this, nearly every student flinched and paled, and some cried out in alarm. "With his resurrection, we have already lost two fine students: Cedric Diggory, who was murdered by Voldemort, and Harry Potter, who was attacked and kidnapped by the Dark Lord before escaping from his grasp. We all hope for his safe return. To protect all of you, we have new security measures here at Hogwarts. Every student must be in their common room by 8 sharp. Anyone caught wandering the halls after curfew will be dealt with harshly. We will be playing host to a group of Aurors assigned to protect the castle, and they will be patrolling the corridors after dark. I'm sorry to say Hogsmeade weekends will be cancelled until further notice. Quidditch practices and matches will be closely supervised.
"On a lighter note, I would like to welcome back a teacher into our ranks. Professor Lupin has agreed to return as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He has brought his dog Snuffles, who will be allowed to wander freely. Also, for the fourth years and above we have added a Dueling Club, taught by Professor Arabella Figg." A woman seated to the left of Lupin stood and waved. She appeared about late thirties, with long brown hair and blue eyes, and nothing like the old cat lady she had been disguised as to be Harry's neighbor and protector for years.
"Now let the feast begin!" With a little wave, all the tables filled with tons of food on golden platters. As the students ate, the normal chatter was unusually subdued and most of the teachers ate in silence, lost in dark thoughts.
************************************************************************
Eva was in her own room, monitoring the Hogwarts feast through her dimensional portal, which looked suspiciously like a Muggle flatscreen TV. She sighed at the dreary attitude exuded by the collective body, then grinned evilly when a new prank idea presented itself to her consciousness. Glancing around briefly to make sure the door was closed and locked, she touched the screen and quietly directed her spell onto all the tables.
***********************************************************************
(A/N: possible cliffhanger, but decided to finish this section. *shrugs in defeat*
Near the end of the feast, a muted rumble was felt in all the tables, and everyone froze, wide-eyed. Suddenly all the pitchers and goblets of pumpkin juice shot the liquid into the air, squirting streams in the shape of lightning bolts towards the ceiling. The orange liquid converged and formed a shape in the air.
The Hogwarts crest, topped by the stars of Merlin, flowed above the tables like a possessed aquarium. The house animals in the crest were animated, moving and calling, filling the Great Hall with cacophonous sounds of a zoo gone mad. As they all stared up, dumbstruck at the image, fireworks exploded in the air, sending multicolor sparks and stars to cover every inch of the tables.
Finally the crest itself exploded, silencing the noise but drenching everyone with pumpkin juice. For just a second there was utter silence, then someone chuckled, and soon most of the students started laughing and cheering, though some looked disgusted at their soaked robes. Ron laughed especially hard at the sight of Malfoy's pale blond hair stained bright orange.
Dumbledore dismissed them all with a wave and a final snicker, unsuccessfully suppressed behind his moustache. The prefects lead everyone up to the house common rooms. Ron and Hermione had both been appointed as Gryffindor's prefects, and after showing the first years up to bed, they met back in the common room.
For a second they simply stared at each other, and then surprisingly Hermione made her move. She launched herself into Ron's arms, hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. She muttered "'Night, Ron," and fled up the stairs to the 5th year girls dorm. Ron stood there, stunned; touched his flaming cheek where she'd kissed him, then grinned goofily and went to bed, still smiling.