The next morning, Ron and Hermione seemed to flirt endlessly over breakfast, boldened by their knowledge that the other liked them. Amanda was exchanging knowing looks with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who were giggling over their flasks of pumpkin juice. They were flirting so much in fact, when an owl bringing the Daily Prophet pecked Hermione on the shoulder, Hermione didn't even notice. Amanda took it and paid him, figuring it was the least she could do for one of her best friends, and then gasped.
Harry leaned over and whispered urgently, "What?"
"Harry--this is horrible! The dementors have let the prisoners out of Azkaban! Again!"
Hermione and Ron finally stopped flirting and looked over at Amanda with horrified faces. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was actually looking paler than usual, even though a bunch of Slytherins were laughing and coming over to congratulate him on his father's behalf.
Ron snorted and spewed out his pumpkin juice (much to Dean's dismay, for it landed on his lap) when he saw where Harry was looking.
"Figures. Bet he's so happy that his dear old dad's out of prison." Ron guffawed.
Amanda looked around at Malfoy, and whispered to Ginny, "He doesn't look too happy."
"You're right." Ginny whispered back, "He almost looks sad."
They went back to eating, and Ron and Hermione went right back to their previous flirting. Harry smiled at Amanda, who smiled back and Harry went to reach for her hand, feeling very nervous. His stomach seemed to be doing back-flips. She didn't notice, because she was talking to Ginny again, and Harry lost his nerve. Nice, Harry chided himself, You can fight Lord Voldemort, but you can't even get the courage to hold her hand!
They went out of the Great Hall shortly after, and then went out for their Care for Magical Creatures class.
They plodded down the snowy lawn, and saw Hagrid standing there waiting for them. He smiled at them all and Amanda said hello. She looked rather uncomfortable around him, probably because she didn't know him well. Harry gave her a comforting nudge and her face softened and looked a little happier.
After a fascinating lesson about Kneazles (in which they all realized that Crookshanks was probably the spawn of both a kneazle and a cat), they made their way back down the long, winding trail in the Forbidden Forest (with the girls rather quieter than usual-they hardly felt that they were there) they came out of the Forest, where they met Ginny, who had been waiting for them, and started heading to the castle. It was only until Ron turned around when he heard a whooshing sound behind him when they realized something monumental had happened. The girls were gone. Three broomsticks carrying black cloaked figures swooped into the grey sky. A glimpse of Ginny's flaming red hair flying behind her told Harry and Ron that was where the girls had gone.
Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda struggled on their seperate broomsticks against the holds of the men who had swooped out of the sky and taken them. They had the Silencing Charm put on them, and were wrapped in tight black coils. The men behind them were wearing long, black cloaks, their faces shadowed by their hoods. It was a long journey, in which Ginny's ropes were tied tighter because she had managed to almost unseat the man behind her from her incessant wriggling.
Finally, they were flying lower, downwards toward a beach. The chilly wind whipped against their faces. The Death-Eaters untied the girls' legs so they could walk, and knocked on the birch door of a large mansion. Lucius Malfoy answered it, his wand raised and a cold sneer on his face.
"Ah, you've brought the girls Harry Potter cares about most, haven't you? Good..." Mr. Malfoy smirked. "Ah, Miss Weasley, the daughter of that Muggle-lover...shame we couldn't get her brother as well...and Miss Granger, the Mudblood friend of the famous Harry Potter..." His cold grey eyes landed on Amanda. She struggled against her bonds, her brown eyes full of mingled hatred and fear. "And who is this?" He asked, turning to his fellow Death-Eaters, his voice icy.
A man in a cloak answered. "We don't know, but Harry Potter seemed to care for her, so we took her as well."
"Good job, Macnair." Mr. Malfoy praised. "Our Lord should be happy with us now...now that our plan to lure Harry Potter is complete. Now we just have to wait."
All three girls' eyes widened in horror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron was the first to speak. "Ginny...Hermione...Amanda..." His voice cracked and he closed his eyes.
"No." Harry whispered, then his voice grew louder, "NO! We've got to rescue them!"
"Harry, I agree--but what if it's a trick like last year?" Ron said urgently, shaking his head. "We'll go to McGonagall or Dumbledore first. Come on." Harry agreed grudgingly.
Ron grabbed Harry's arm and they ran up to the castle, struggling against the wind and deep, unaltered snow.
They ran through the halls, painfully aware that the girls could be being tortured at that very moment. They went to Professor McGonagall's office first, where she was busy talking to Draco Malfoy about something, their voices low.
After they finished talking (because she had yelled at them angrily when they tried to interrupt--apparently their conversation was important) Harry and Ron swept into the room, too worried to even kick Malfoy out.
"Professor! Someone's kidnapped Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda!" Harry said urgently, "We've got to save them."
McGonagall's eyes widened in alarm and she stood up from her chair. "What? Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, explain."
"We were in the Forbidden Forest with Professor Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures and when class was over they had disappeared. We looked around and saw some brooms flying away!" Ron said quickly, not pausing to take a breath.
"Come along." She swept along the corridors. They forgot that Draco Malfoy had been listening to the whole thing. He hastened to the Slytherin common room, and emerged with a broom, his face set.
Harry leaned over and whispered urgently, "What?"
"Harry--this is horrible! The dementors have let the prisoners out of Azkaban! Again!"
Hermione and Ron finally stopped flirting and looked over at Amanda with horrified faces. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was actually looking paler than usual, even though a bunch of Slytherins were laughing and coming over to congratulate him on his father's behalf.
Ron snorted and spewed out his pumpkin juice (much to Dean's dismay, for it landed on his lap) when he saw where Harry was looking.
"Figures. Bet he's so happy that his dear old dad's out of prison." Ron guffawed.
Amanda looked around at Malfoy, and whispered to Ginny, "He doesn't look too happy."
"You're right." Ginny whispered back, "He almost looks sad."
They went back to eating, and Ron and Hermione went right back to their previous flirting. Harry smiled at Amanda, who smiled back and Harry went to reach for her hand, feeling very nervous. His stomach seemed to be doing back-flips. She didn't notice, because she was talking to Ginny again, and Harry lost his nerve. Nice, Harry chided himself, You can fight Lord Voldemort, but you can't even get the courage to hold her hand!
They went out of the Great Hall shortly after, and then went out for their Care for Magical Creatures class.
They plodded down the snowy lawn, and saw Hagrid standing there waiting for them. He smiled at them all and Amanda said hello. She looked rather uncomfortable around him, probably because she didn't know him well. Harry gave her a comforting nudge and her face softened and looked a little happier.
After a fascinating lesson about Kneazles (in which they all realized that Crookshanks was probably the spawn of both a kneazle and a cat), they made their way back down the long, winding trail in the Forbidden Forest (with the girls rather quieter than usual-they hardly felt that they were there) they came out of the Forest, where they met Ginny, who had been waiting for them, and started heading to the castle. It was only until Ron turned around when he heard a whooshing sound behind him when they realized something monumental had happened. The girls were gone. Three broomsticks carrying black cloaked figures swooped into the grey sky. A glimpse of Ginny's flaming red hair flying behind her told Harry and Ron that was where the girls had gone.
Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda struggled on their seperate broomsticks against the holds of the men who had swooped out of the sky and taken them. They had the Silencing Charm put on them, and were wrapped in tight black coils. The men behind them were wearing long, black cloaks, their faces shadowed by their hoods. It was a long journey, in which Ginny's ropes were tied tighter because she had managed to almost unseat the man behind her from her incessant wriggling.
Finally, they were flying lower, downwards toward a beach. The chilly wind whipped against their faces. The Death-Eaters untied the girls' legs so they could walk, and knocked on the birch door of a large mansion. Lucius Malfoy answered it, his wand raised and a cold sneer on his face.
"Ah, you've brought the girls Harry Potter cares about most, haven't you? Good..." Mr. Malfoy smirked. "Ah, Miss Weasley, the daughter of that Muggle-lover...shame we couldn't get her brother as well...and Miss Granger, the Mudblood friend of the famous Harry Potter..." His cold grey eyes landed on Amanda. She struggled against her bonds, her brown eyes full of mingled hatred and fear. "And who is this?" He asked, turning to his fellow Death-Eaters, his voice icy.
A man in a cloak answered. "We don't know, but Harry Potter seemed to care for her, so we took her as well."
"Good job, Macnair." Mr. Malfoy praised. "Our Lord should be happy with us now...now that our plan to lure Harry Potter is complete. Now we just have to wait."
All three girls' eyes widened in horror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron was the first to speak. "Ginny...Hermione...Amanda..." His voice cracked and he closed his eyes.
"No." Harry whispered, then his voice grew louder, "NO! We've got to rescue them!"
"Harry, I agree--but what if it's a trick like last year?" Ron said urgently, shaking his head. "We'll go to McGonagall or Dumbledore first. Come on." Harry agreed grudgingly.
Ron grabbed Harry's arm and they ran up to the castle, struggling against the wind and deep, unaltered snow.
They ran through the halls, painfully aware that the girls could be being tortured at that very moment. They went to Professor McGonagall's office first, where she was busy talking to Draco Malfoy about something, their voices low.
After they finished talking (because she had yelled at them angrily when they tried to interrupt--apparently their conversation was important) Harry and Ron swept into the room, too worried to even kick Malfoy out.
"Professor! Someone's kidnapped Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda!" Harry said urgently, "We've got to save them."
McGonagall's eyes widened in alarm and she stood up from her chair. "What? Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, explain."
"We were in the Forbidden Forest with Professor Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures and when class was over they had disappeared. We looked around and saw some brooms flying away!" Ron said quickly, not pausing to take a breath.
"Come along." She swept along the corridors. They forgot that Draco Malfoy had been listening to the whole thing. He hastened to the Slytherin common room, and emerged with a broom, his face set.