A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, but here it is:
Chapter 26: The Eerie and Sinister CastleThe light blue glow coming from Hermione's necklace kept filling the room with an eerie glow. Nora sat back down in her seat and stared at the Amulet, tears blurring her vision. Different colors of blue were swirling around, yet they never mixed.
"Well, it seems we have found what Voldemort is looking for. This means we have a large advantage," Dumbledore said, completely ignoring the fight that had occurred between Nora and Draco. Draco sat down, too, and watched his headmaster. He wanted to hold Nora's hand and hug her real close, but he'd blown his chance at that. Draco mentally beat himself up. He had always thought he'd never be able to have her, and now that he did, he ruined his chance. To his painful regret, he realized that it was definitely over; she'd never have him back. He'd broken her heart now, too. Draco heard slight gasps and he looked up to find the room in an even brighter shade of blue.
"The last few months will be spent training in this castle for the final fight. It is unplotable, so no one will be able to find us. You will also sleep and eat here. Now some more information: It is rumored that Voldemort will plan an attack soon and since you five are the only ones that can defeat him, I want you to be fully trained so none will get hurt. Training will start tomorrow at eleven o'clock sharp. I will leave you to explore the castle now," Dumbledore finished, with a twinkle in his eyes. He smiled at the five students as they immediately got up and left the room, talking excitedly, except Nora and Draco.
They all went separate ways and Hermione and Nora walked through a door and found themselves in a brightly lit corridor.
"What do you think this is?" Hermione asked. Nora looked up from the ground.
"As long as it's not some creepy dungeon where the corpses of tortured people lay, I'm happy," she replied. Of course this wasn't true. She could not remember any other time when she had felt more miserable and lost, except for when Dean had been murdered. Hermione glanced sideways at her best friend but said nothing. Instead she walked forward and opened a door on the right, walking inside after a short glance. Nora guessed that if her friend had entered it, it was safe, so she walked through the doorway, too, but couldn't see Hermione. In fact, she couldn't see at all.
"Hermione?" She called out, but she couldn't hear her voice or anything else. Nora began to panic. What was going on? Why wasn't she able to see and hear? Nora carefully took a step forward. She stuck her arms out and tried to feel her way around the room, hoping not to feel anything hairy or slimy along the way. She walked forward very slowly but felt nothing. No wall, no furniture and no monsters. Her heart was racing and she was very close to bursting into tears. She had just gone through a horrible fight, now hating the one she had begun to love, and she was stuck in a never-ending room, for no matter how far she walked, no walls were felt. Nora began feeling so alone, scared and desperate that she turned around and started running, hoping to find the exit, her arms stretched out in front of her. She didn't care if she fell, all she wanted was to get out of this room.
Nora was panicking so much that she tripped and fell to the floor, her hands breaking her fall a bit. Tears slid down her face as she determinedly got up again, running to find the exit once more. It seemed ages until she finally felt her hands touch solid wall. She moved to the right, feeling for an opening. The exit came quickly and she ran out of the creepy room. She stopped and collapsed on the floor, breathing hard. Nora felt an arm around her and quickly looked up, only to find Hermione kneel beside her and pull her into a hug. She burst into tears and sobbed for what felt like hours, her best friend just sitting beside her and comforting her, rocking her back and forth.
Hermione had gotten out of the room a while ago, using all of her knowledge, and had waited outside in the hall, hoping Nora would come out soon. And she knew that Nora's crying wasn't about the uncanny room anymore. This was about Draco.
When Nora had stopped sobbing the two girls got up and walked back into the beautiful hall they had landed in before their meeting with Dumbledore. Hermione walked up the large staircase that stood there and they found themselves in another splendid hall. Hermione opened the first door, which was on the left, and walked into the room with Nora. It turned out to be a bedroom. There was a king-size bed with a beautiful closet and a wonderful rug lay on the floor at the foot of the bed.
"Wonder who this belongs to?" Hermione asked. Nora just shrugged, tears shining on her face. She walked past Hermione, who was inspecting the curtains, and out onto the balcony. She looked around and saw a large Quidditch pitch surrounded by an even larger meadow, though there was a large forest to the right. She looked down and guessed they were about three stories up. The large urge to jump was forming inside her. Looking back up and shoving her suicidal feelings aside Nora noticed dots flying around in the Quidditch pitch. There were three of them and because one was making a spectacular dive to the ground, she guessed they were Harry, Ron and Draco. Nora closed her eyes, heaved a great, shuddering sigh and walked quickly back inside, not wanting to cry again. Instead, she wanted to take a walk in the forest.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked as Nora rushed past her.
"The forest."
"Want me to go with you? Incase you get lost?" Hermione quickly added. That wasn't the only reason she wanted to go with Nora. She didn't really want to leave her best friend alone now that she was in a most vulnerable state. Nora shrugged.
"I guess," she replied, and then walked out of the room, Hermione following her. The two girls went down a few flights of stairs and finally stood outside in the meadow. It was a beautiful first day of March and a warm breeze ruffled their hair as Nora led both of them to the right side and into the forest.
As they wandered in between the trees they went deeper and deeper into the forest where less sunlight was able to make its way through the thick packet of flora. Nora would rather have it that Hermione wasn't there, but on the other hand she felt a lot safer with her.
Hermione wandered alongside Nora into the forest. Her mind was going through all of the past events. They had the Amulet of Era's, so they were in the lead. Voldemort would just attempt to retrieve Amulet from Hogwarts. On the other hand, Voldemort had ruined their lives. He had caused mayhem and destruction and Hermione knew things would never be the same again. At least not for a long while. She hated to see her best friend like this. And for the second time, too. Hermione sighed. Nora was going to go through the second mourning process in less than half a year, something that could definitely not be good for a teenager. Hermione looked up. She heard water. A waterfall? In the middle of a forest? She saw Nora standing still behind a large bush. Hermione walked over to her and the sound of running water grew louder and louder.
"Wow," Hermione whispered as she stood next to Nora. In front of them was a large water pool with climbing rocks and a beautiful waterfall. "Let's go swim," she said, smiling. Nora looked at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Let's go swim," Hermione repeated.
"I don't have any swim clothes with me."
"Neither do I, but I have a spell for that." Hermione waved her wand and suddenly they were both standing there in swimsuits. "I'll race you," Hermione said and she ran off towards the water. Nora ran after her, laughing through her tears, and nearly bumped into her best friend, who had suddenly stood still by the edge of the water.
"What?" Nora asked, standing beside Hermione.
"Do you think it's cold?" Hermione asked. Nora rolled her eyes and laughed again. Hermione always had a way of cheering her up in the most desolate times.
"No," she answered and then pushed her friend in the water, jumping in right after. The two girls swum around laughing and splashing water at each other, before Nora got out of the water and started climbing the rocks. Once she stood high above Hermione, she walked over to the edge.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, looking frightened.
"I'm going to jump in. What does it look like I'm doing?" Nora replied. She jumped in the air, did two back flips before going into a diving position and entering the water. Hermione watched her friend in aw and decided to do the same thing. She ran out of the water and climbed the rocks eagerly. Nora watched and suddenly remembered why she was feeling so hollow inside. She considered drowning herself but it reminded her of the encounter with Draco a long time ago in the bathroom.
---- Flashback ----
She walked over to the large pool-like bathtub and turned on the hot water and a few of the foam tabs, she especially loved the tap whose jet bounced off the surface of the water. When the pool was entirely filled she took off her clothes, got into the pool and swam a couple of laps. After swimming she dove to the bottom of the pool and tried to stay there as long as she could before needing to swim to the surface and breathe again. After about thirty seconds, though, she already had to resurface for air, while wiping her long, straight, and currently wet, brown hair out of her face.
"Trying to drown yourself, Glassyd?" Came Malfoy's drawl, as he looked in the mirror and ran a comb through his gelled-up platinum blonde hair.
"What?" Nora asked looking around confused, "MALFOY! What the hell are you doing in here? Can't you see I'm trying to take a bath!" Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how Malfoy had gotten into the bathroom, since she always looked the door behind her, even if she was at home and the only person in the house… but maybe she had forgotten? "And drowning myself isn't a bad idea now that you're here," she added heatedly looking down to make sure she was covered all the way by bath foam.
"I can't see anything, thank Merlin, if that's what you're checking for," he said, combing his hair again to make sure every single one was in it's right place.
"Oh, shut up and leave so I can get dressed," Nora snapped, hating him more than ever.
"What if I'd rather stay here, and annoy you?"
---- End ----
Nora shook her head, not wanting to think of Draco, and instead focused on Hermione. Her friend jumped into the air, too, but didn't do any back flips. Instead, she landed in the water with an amazingly large splash and came back up laughing.
"That was fun," she said. Nora nodded, to choked up to speak. She could barely smile. "Let's go back to the castle," Hermione said. "I'm hungry," she added. Nora just nodded and the two girls got out of the water. Hermione performed a drying spell and then a spell that switched them back into their jeans and tank tops.
The two walked back out of the forest and into the castle in silence. Both caught up in their thoughts. Hermione was busy with the Amulet and what their first training session would be like tomorrow and Nora was busy cursing everyone and blaming them for nothing. Her hatred was nothing but pure and she definitely didn't like it.
They entered the castle and turned left, not knowing where the kitchen was. Hermione led them through all sorts of halls and corridors until they reached a dead end. In front of them was just a bare wall with only a door. Hermione looked at Nora, who shrugged. She opened the door and walked inside, Nora right behind her. The two girls looked around the empty room. A sudden bang made them both spin around, only to find that the door had swung shut. Hermione walked forward and tried to open it.
"Yup, it's locked," she stated, feeling as if she were in a cheap movie. Nora tried to help Hermione and get the door to open, but nothing worked. They turned around again and noticed that the room was slowly transforming. The two girls walked to the middle and watched silently, wondering what kind of creepy castle this was.
What used to be a bare gray space was now turning into a cozy room with a large red rug in the middle, a fireplace on the right side and a large comfy couch in front of it. In front of them was a large bookcase and to the left was a door.
"What do we do?" Nora asked while looking around the room.
"Well, we can't go back through this door, so I suggest we go see what's behind that one," Hermione replied. Nora gave a nod, walked across the room and opened the door.
"It's a staircase," she said, walking into the other room. Hermione followed and saw that it was in fact a small room with a staircase leading upwards.
"Let's go, then," she said, trembling a little. Nora slowly walked up the stairs, Hermione right behind her. The staircase was made of wood and creaked horribly whenever they took a step. When they were nearly at the top there was an awfully loud creak and Nora could only say: "Uh-oh" before there was an even louder crack and she fell through the moldy, rotten wood. She grabbed hold of whatever she could and held on for dear life. Hermione in the mean time was already panicking and didn't know what to do. She grabbed Nora's hands, which were clinging to the step she was on, and tried to pull her up. She was too weak though. Hermione let go again and tried to think of something else.
"Don't you have a spell for this kind of situation?" Nora yelled. She was hanging in creepy darkness and could only guess this is where the hairy, slimy monsters were. A large, fat spider crawled over her hand and she gave a high-pitched scream causing Hermione to jump up in fright. When she landed, though, it was too much for the stairs to take and it shattered, causing both girls to fall on a cold hard floor with a loud crash, wood splinters landing on top of them.
"Ouch," Hermione groaned. She shoved some wood off of her and then helped Nora. They both stood up and looked around. They seemed to be in some kind of dungeon.
"Just the place I wanted to land in," Nora said sarcastically; things could not get worse. She started walking down the small creepy hall with Hermione right beside her.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.
"I have no idea, as long as it's upward and out of this freakish dungeon," Nora replied. Her life had gone from almost perfect to complete catastrophe. She had lost Draco, she was furious with Harry and Ron and she was stuck in this sinister castle that would probably be her death if any more eerie rooms were entered or bone crushing falls were made. Nora stomped her way around the dark gloomy corridors, Hermione trailing behind, carefully watching her step, unlike her best friend who was blinded against the dangers by her hatred. Nora cursed the whole world for making her feel like this and for ruining her life.
"Finally! A staircase!" Hermione shouted and she ran forward and up the steps, Nora right behind her. The staircase circled upwards and when it finally ended the two girls found themselves in the splendid entrance hall.
"Now what?" Nora asked looking around. Her stomach gave a loud rumble.
"Exactly my thoughts," Hermione replied, also taking a good look. "Let's try those two doors, over there," she said pointing to the left.
"You think it might contain the dining room?"
"It better," Hermione said and she walked forward determinedly. She opened the two doors and gave a sigh of relief. "We've found it!" She yelled happily. Nora ran over to investigate and, indeed, there was a large oak dining table with a gold and diamond chandelier hanging above it from an 8-meter high ceiling. There was a large fire roaring in a splendid fireplace to the right of the room and to the left was a large fern, giving the room a pleasantly comfortable look.
"Where's the food?" Nora asked. "Or the kitchen?"
"Erm… I don't know. Maybe it's in another room. There's no door here, so we'll have to check the others in the hall," Hermione replied, exiting the room. Nora followed and they found themselves in the large marble hall once again.
"Which door?" she asked. Hermione looked around.
"Let's try that one. It's closest to the dining room," she replied. Nora opened the door but immediately snapped it shut. She leaned against it, trembling.
"What?" Hermione asked, looking at her friend with worry.
"E-ever w-wonder what happened to F-F-Fluffy?" Nora asked, shaking.
"Erm… yes, actually. But that was a long time ago and it was driven out of my mind by other things. But wha- Ooooooh. In there?" Hermione exclaimed terrified. Nora nodded. "This place just gets creepier and creepier," Hermione whispered. The two girls slumped to the floor, too exhausted and frightened to move. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours until Dumbledore finally entered the hall through some secret passageway in the wall.
"Ah. I see you've had your share of exploring?" He asked happily. Hermione and Nora nodded. "Good. Let's eat, shall we?" The two girls nodded again and got up. They entered the Dining Room behind Dumbledore and took seats beside each other at the large oak dining table. Dumbledore smiled merrily and asked how their day had been.
"Horrible," Hermione replied pretty simply.
"Oh, really? Why?" he asked, still smiling.
"This castle is just too uncanny," she said. "So far the only good thing we've found is that water pool in the forest and this dining room."
"And the weird room that transformed into some kind of living room when you entered," Nora added, playing with her fork.
"Ah yes. That room certainly is a mystery. Sounds like you had fun, then," Dumbledore said merrily.
"No we did not," Nora replied, looking at her headmaster. "We found a sinister room that made you go blind and deaf, we fell through a staircase and landed painfully in some kind of dungeon and we still have not eaten!" she said, her voice rising. Nora quickly regained control. "Sorry," she muttered and looked at her empty plate.
"No need to apologize. I realize that hunger can make us lose control sometimes," Dumbledore replied, smiling at the two girls, but both of them could hear the emphasis put on the word 'hunger'. Just then the two doors opened again and a house elf entered, Harry, Ron and Draco following behind, Quidditch brooms in their hands.
"How nice of you to join us," Dumbledore told them happily. "Please, take a seat." Dumbledore himself was sitting at the end of the table, Hermione on his right. Ron took a seat across from her and on Dumbledore's left. Harry sat next to Ron and across from Nora who was sitting next to Hermione. Draco sat on Harry's other side. "I assume you have had a nice day as well?" Dumbledore asked the three boys. They nodded.
"We played Quidditch the entire day," Ron replied excitedly.
"Good. Good. Now I have just a few more things to say before we eat. First of all, your other group members will be going on with the trip by themselves. I told them the truth and that you five were in need of training in order to defeat Voldemort later on. They took it fairly well. Second of all, training will begin tomorrow at eleven o'clock and I expect you to be in the Entrance Hall at quarter to eleven sharp." His voice was stern, as was his look when he eyed them all. "Now, let us eat," he finished, in a happier tone. Suddenly food appeared on the table, as it always did at Hogwarts.
The food was delicious and they all talked happily during dinner. Except for Nora. She was lost in thought: would it all have ended differently if Dean had not been killed? Would she have been saved from this excruciating pain if he were still alive? 'No.' The annoying voice replied, speaking up once again. 'And why not?' Nora thought, bitterly, not bothering to ignore it anymore. 'Because Dean said so himself. You and Draco were meant to be together.' The voice replied. 'Yes, in one of my dreams. And if I believed everything I dreamed, then it'd be true when that Unicorn had said I was sea lion.'
"Nora? Are you listening to me at all?" Harry asked. Nora was rudely pulled out of her thoughts and she glared at him in painful hatred.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you yelling at me again?" she asked in a cold, bitter and sarcastic voice, for she was still furious with him about the argument they had had concerning her dating Draco. Of course, Harry was probably very delighted, now that they had broken up.
"What? I was just asking for the gravy," he said, a little unsure of what had just happened. Nora gasped.
"Ooh, something different for once," she told him, while picking up the gravy bowl and shoving it in his hands, still using her cold and bitter voice. And she wasn't planning on using anything else. Harry looked at her expressionlessly, still a bit flabbergasted, but then took the gravy bowl and poured some of the liquid on his mashed potatoes. Nora glared at him before continuing to eat. Slowly the talk at the table went up again.
Draco kept glancing at Nora, in the hope of catching her eye at one point, but Nora kept her head down and only stared at her food. He knew that he had hurt her, terribly, and couldn't think of anything that would make her feel better. He knew she'd never have him back and this made the situation even more hopeless. Draco could feel the tension between the both of them and it was nearly killing him.
Nora could also feel it: the tension, the ache, the disgrace. It all added up to her pain and misery. She knew Draco was trying to catch her attention, but she wanted nothing else to do with him... she hated him.
Draco could hardly eat his food, but he forced himself so as not to draw attention. He just wanted to be alone. In his whole life he had never felt this dismal, but his life had made such a drastic turn that he just wanted to be alone and weep. He wanted his mother. Narcissa had always had special gift to make him feel better whenever his father had tortured him, she would probably have been able to make him feel better right now. But he was stuck in an unknown castle with people he hardly knew and had spent hating for most his life. Why couldn't he have lied and said that he didn't mind if Nora joined him in battle against Voldemort. Then she'd still be his. Then he wouldn't have felt the need to cry.
Nora thought back to the days at Hogwarts. She thought about how Draco had suddenly changed and wasn't the mean, snobbish Slytherin. Her mind wondered to the time in potions class when they had to make the truth potions. That was when she had found out that Draco liked her. She cursed that day. She wanted to be ignorant again.
---- Flashback ----
"You will all have finished your potions by now," drawled Snape as he walked along the desks and inspected the cauldrons. "Drink it one at a time and be prepared for your partner to know your darkest secrets. Ask away," he said bored.
"You try first," Malfoy told Nora with a smirk on his face. Nora looked at him in hatred, but drank the potion reluctantly, wondering if he'd poisoned it. A few seconds later she felt herself become calm inside and feel at ease. Malfoy thought hard about the questions he should ask and she watched him anxiously and impatiently, or she would've, if the concoction hadn't made her feel so comfortable and relaxed.
"All right, what's your favorite color?" Malfoy asked.
"Blue."
"Right. Favorite pet?"
"Dog."
"I see, now is either Potty or Weasel your sweet little boyfriend?" He looked at her with interest.
"No." 'That's what he's asking me? Why on earth would he care if I was going out with Harry or Ron?' Nora wondered vaguely. 'Just as long as he doesn't mention Saturday morning. Please, do not let him mention Saturday morning!'
"So… did you like it when I touched you?" Malfoy asked her quietly, looking so very smug with himself. 'Oh my god!' Nora tried her very best not to answer, but as Snape had said before, she soon felt herself becoming worn out by the strength it took. Of course, she didn't want Malfoy, her enemy, to know that deep dark secret, but she was forced to tell the truth.
"No… and Yes." 'Well,' she sighed inwardly. 'It's half of what I wanted. The bloody git.' Malfoy looked absolutely ecstatic. Then he leaned forward and whispered:
"Do you like me?"
"No." Nora came out of her calm trance and looked at him in fury. How she wished she could pummel him right then and there! 'Urgh. Thank Merlin it's over. And I hope he doesn't mention Saturday ever, ever again! I hate Snape; it's all an evil conspiracy. Though notice that I said 'no' so I don't like him, at least one good thing,' she thought, feeling relieved. But there was that little annoying voice again that never left her alone: 'Oh no, you do like him, only you don't know it yet, so it's not a lie to say "no".' Her own thoughts were completely confusing her, so she ignored them.
"So, you liked it, huh?" Malfoy said with a smirk. Nora closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh, trying to calm herself down so she wouldn't feel like attacking him so much.
"Oh, shut up and drink the bloody potion," she said when she'd opened her eyes again. He shrugged and obeyed, gulping the liquid down in one go. A serene look passed over his face, replacing the smirk. Nora sighed again.
"Ok. What's your favorite color?" she asked bored.
"Yellow."
"Oh, very manly," she told him. "Your favorite animal?"
"Wolf." Nora thought that over, being fascinated by wolves herself, and then a thought, a stupid thought, entered her head: 'Ask him! Ask him! Ask him why he did it!'
"Ok, so, why'd you do… what you did on Saturday?" she asked seriously, very aware that the entire classroom was filled with students who would be able to hear, if, luckily, they weren't so busy with the asking-and-telling themselves.
"I like you."
"What?" she blurted horrified, backing away.
"I like you."
"Oh Merlin's Beard, why?" she thought out loud, not realizing that that counted as a question. This was the evil Slytherin who had tortured her and her friends since their first year! How could this be? How could he like her: the 'stupid mudblood'? She couldn't believe it and looked at him as if he'd sprouted two other heads.
"Because you're very beautiful," he answered. Nora was now staring ahead of her, her head in both hands. When Malfoy came out of his trance he nearly fell out of his chair in shock; he hadn't thought she would've asked questions about it too! And now she knew! Oh this was terrible. Just awful… would people notice if he jabbed himself in the heart with his wand?
---- End ----
When dinner was done Dumbledore spoke again.
"Now, I said training would start tomorrow, but actually your wandering around the castle and grounds was already part of it. It was to see how you would react to a new environment. I do not know this castle as I know Hogwarts, but I think that most of it is safe. Also, I cannot say for sure, but I don't think there are any dangerous monsters hidden here and that most rooms are safe to enter," Dumbledore told the five students.
"Oh, really?" Nora asked, speaking up. "What about Fluffy?"
"Fluffy?" Dumbledore asked bewildered.
"Yes. Fluffy is in the room nearest to this one. I was nearly ripped apart," she said. The three boys looked at her in shock. Hermione nodded. Dumbledore took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and finger. After a few second he put his spectacles back on and said:
"True. Fluffy is in this castle to protect the Amulet of Era's from Voldemort. After we found it, though, I thought it would be safer for Hermione to wear it."
"Why?" Hermione asked. This meant that she was in the most danger.
"Because no one, except for us, knows what it looks like and no one will suspect your necklace to be the most powerful gem in the whole world," Dumbledore explained.
"Wait. My necklace?" Hermione questioned.
"Yes. You found it so you may keep it," The headmaster replied, nodding. Hermione smiled a little. She owned the most powerful jewel in the world. "All right. Now the last part of today's training is for you to find your bedrooms. The door to your bedroom will have your name on it. Sleep well." Dumbledore stood up and the rest followed his example. The two doors opened and the five students walked into the hall. Ron and Draco walked up the marble staircase and Nora was about to follow when Harry grabbed her wrist.
"What?" she snapped, spinning around furiously.
"What was that, back in there?" Harry demanded, looking angry. Nora let out a laugh in pity at his stupidity and ignorance.
"You don't know?" she questioned, almost in disbelief, mocking laughter on her face. Harry shook his head. "You haven't figured it out?" Harry shook his head again. "Fine. Let me help you," Nora said in her, usual, cold bitter tone. "Erm… now, let's see… what about our 'little' argument before the first meeting," she told Harry sarcastically, as if explaining something so very simple to a grown-up who had forgotten for the hundredth time.
"What about it?"
"Oh please! You always gripe about everything I do! Nothing's ever good enough for you, is it?" Nora asked him, close to exploding. Hermione backed a way a little. Ron and Draco were nowhere in sight.
"That is not true!" Harry yelled back, offended. "I was only saying that I didn't think it was right for you to be dating Draco! And I was right, wasn't I?" Nora's eyes widened in outrage, for it was really cheap of him to have mentioned that.
"Well, you must be really fucking happy, then!" she yelled, eyes burning with fresh tears. "I'll just leave you alone so you can triumph about it!" Then she stormed up the marble staircase, tears streaming down her face. Hermione gave Harry a glare and then followed her friend. Nora stormed into the first hall she could find and luckily it was the one that held the rooms. She searched for hers and quickly entered it, falling onto her bed and sobbing in the blankets. A minute later Hermione entered and sat beside Nora, putting her arms around the vulnerable girl.
An hour later Hermione covered her best friend with the blankets, turned off the lights and slowly shut the door, for Nora had finally fallen asleep. Hermione searched for her room and found that it was right beside Nora's. She entered it and let herself fall on the covers. It had been such an exhausting day that she just fell asleep right then and there.
Harry watched Nora storm off up the marble staircase. He saw Hermione give him a glare and then head upstairs, too. He didn't know what he had done wrong; he was just watching over his friend, protecting her. 'She doesn't need protection,' a little voice in his head said. Harry shook his head. He knew it was true. His friends didn't need protection. He longed for the days when they had been ignorant and had nothing to worry about. Harry slowly made his way up the stairs, too. He wanted to go to bed, when he realized that he had no idea where his bed was. He groaned and decided to just look in every room. Surely he'd find it then.
Harry walked into a gloomy corridor and opened the first door in sight. He peered inside and saw a large table on an elevation at one side of the room. In front of the table were rows of chairs. 'Must be some kind of court room.' He thought and he closed the door again. As he walked on his mind was going through all of the memories he had of Hogwarts, his home. He thought of all of those days when he and his friends would be sitting outside in the sun and talk, or when they would have fun in class. He knew life at Hogwarts would never be the same since the attack.
Another door came into sight and Harry slowly opened it. He peered inside and out of nowhere a whole swarm of bees came. It made it's way to Harry, who quickly slammed the door shut. 'All right, let's try a different corridor,' he thought as he ran back to the marble staircase.
It seemed to take forever until he finally reached a decent looking hall. To his relief the first door contained Ron's name. Across from it was a door that had his name on it. He quickly went inside and lay down on his bed. Harry gave a sigh of relief and then dozed off, hoping that one day he, Ron, Hermione and Nora would be that same group of friends they had been.
A/N: All right I hope you liked this chapter, once again; sorry it took so long to write. R&R, please.