Kriss didn't answer, she was still trying to see who it was, but all she could see were little flashes from the blinding effect.
"Hello? What are you doing in here?...with my broom! Well if you wanted to borrow it you only had to ask!"
She tried to match the voice a face. The figure was starting to approach her and she flinched back, knocking into a pile of brooms. The neatly stacked brooms fell on top of kriss, making her squeal with fright
"Look it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." The voice of the figure had softened considerably.
"Who are you!" Kriss shouted out, feeling comforted a little by the softer tone. She at least knew it wasn't Filch or a teacher. Trying to get her footing in between the fallen brooms she said, "Would you mind lowering your wand, it's blinding me!"
"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" the lighted wand was lowered to give a much softer effect.
Kriss could now see who it was "Harry Potter!"
"The very same!" He said "Now perhaps you could tell me what you are doing here and why you're trying to steal my broom" He was silent for a moment then "Ha! I know its sabotage, isn't it! Caecius put you up to it didn't he! The slime, picking a time when he thought no one would be around to notice. What he doesn't know is that I practice every morning without fail. So that scuppered his little plan didn't it!"
"No, it was nothing to do with him. I was just borrowing it. I would have brought it back eventually, I just.. needed to get away somewhere, anywhere." Kriss said miserably, feeling tears coming again.
"Why? Has that gitbag done something to you? I knew I'd probably gone too far last night, he was fuming. It was really funny though" He sniggered, as he helped Kriss out of the shed, over the brooms. "Look, I usually go over to Hagrid's hut for a cup of tea after practice, would you like to come?" He asked kindly.
"I don't know.." Kriss started but then she shivered, in her distressed state, she had forgotten how cold it was. Her hands and feet had begun to go numb.
"Come on, we have to get you somewhere warm straight away" Harry said firmly "Why on earth did you come out in the snow in those for anyway?" he went on looking at her strappy, high heeled sandals.
"I was in a hurry?" Kriss said shakily, feeling suddenly lightheaded. As well as all the stress she had been through, she had hardly eaten since yesterday dinnertime. She stumbled forward her head starting to spin and her tummy lurching painfully.
"Woah! I think we'd better get you there and fast" said Harry. He took the broom from Kriss's unresisting hand, balanced her up in front of him and sped over to Hagrid's hut.
Once there he climbed off the broom and still with his arms around her, gently helped Kriss off. She suddenly stumbled forward onto the ground when he let go for a moment; cold snow seeped through the cloak, leaving it soaking wet.
Kriss was now feeling worse than ever and as she attempted to get up she felt Harry's hands around her helping her. He carried her the rest of the way to the door.
Harry knocked the door "Hagrid it's me!"
"Comin' 'arry" replied a voice from inside. The door opened and the huge man gasped in surprise. "Who's this?"
Harry didn't answer at first, but pushed past, walking over to the other side of the room and laying Kriss down on Hagrid's huge bed. Hagrid followed him.
"I don't know her name, Hagrid, all I know is that she's a Slytheryn and woah!.." The cloak Kriss was wearing had come open when he laid her down, revealing her body through the sheer dress. Harry coughed and turned his head away embarrassed. "Erm, what happened to your dress? I'm sure it had a bit more to it last night!"
Now she was lying down in the warm room, Kriss felt a little less faint. She pulled the cloak around herself modestly.
"Urgh! It's wet" she exclaimed and grimaced at the sodden material, pulling herself up on her elbows.
"I can soon sort that out for you" Harry said as he pulled his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans and pointed it at Kriss. "Arefacio!" He said and the cloak dried instantly.
Meanwhile Hagrid had gone over to the fire to busy himself making the tea.
Kriss leant against the pillows on the bed, wrapping the now, dry cloak around her tightly. She looked around curiously, in all her time at Hogwarts she had never been in Hagrids hut before. She took in the oversized chairs, table, cups and plates around the room.
"Erm, so what were you doing in the broom shed, at five in the morning?" Harry said and after a pause he added "half naked!"
"I.. I told you I wanted to borrow a broom." Kriss said not meeting his eyes.
"But, what happened to you to make you want to run away?" said Harry persistently.
"Look it..it's none of your business!" She snapped, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't tell him the truth.
"Okay! Look if you want to protect that slimeball, it's entirely up to you, I suppose!" said Harry meaning Caecius
"It wasn't Caecius! I never saw him after..after" she stumbled over the words stopping herself saying 'after I left the ball' as it would have revealed too much.
"Well who was it then? Someone's got to you haven't they, you don't just up and decide to run off, half naked on a freezing cold day like this, for no reason!" Harry continued, obviously determined to find out.
But Kriss had started to cry again, collapsing into the pillows with great, racking sobs. She heard Harry walk away from the bed, over to Hagrid.
"Better leave her to it, she'll tell you if she wants to" Kriss heard Hagrid say to him
"Look, I'll look after her. You'd better go 'an tell someone she's 'ere 'fore they misses 'er" The big man continued
Kriss suddenly whipped her head round in panic "No, please! Don't tell anyone that I'm here. Look I'm sure that no one will have missed me yet. I know there was something going on in the Slytheryn common rooms until quite late, so I bet that nobody noticed I wasn't there in all the chaos." She paused realising that she had revealed too much
"What do you mean, wasn't there?" Harry piped up curiously "You mean you didn't spend the night in your dorm?"
Kriss bit her lip and looked down, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping the cloak around them.
"Harry, sometimes there's ..shenanigans goes on after a ball..you know..'aint no 'arm in it, just well, it's just nature init? Sometimes older girls and boys want to spend the night in.. in a bed..that's not their own, with someone else" Hagrid said awkwardly, blushing
Harry looked witheringly at Hagrid "Look I know what sort of thing goes on after a ball, crikes I heard a lot of it last night in my dorm. I was just surprised she wasn't with someone in her own dorm that's all. The teachers patrol the school, picking up stragglers and making sure they get to where they belong. They always seem to find people, even in the room of requirement or the prefects bathroom!"
"The prefects bathroom eh! I remember that ooh, I could tell you a story or two..." Hagrid started to say before he was interrupted
"Look I think I'd better take her back, like she says, before anyone misses her. I can fly her right to the door" Harry said hurriedly "I've got to get back myself, it'll be breakfast time soon" Harry walked over to the bed again
"Can you stand alright now, erm, I still don't know your name?" He said prompting an answer
"Kriss" she said
"Err, well are you okay to go Kriss?"
"Yes, I think so" she said, trying to walk on rather shaky legs, but Harry was soon by her side supporting her with his arm.
After saying goodbye to Hagrid they remounted the broom and set off back to the school.
Once inside the doors Harry took Kriss aside and spoke in hushed tones. "Kriss, I think I've just worked out where you were last night, but don't worry I won't tell anyone. No one would believe me anyway!"
"What are you talking about?" Kriss said slightly worried
"Well, here's the evidence. After my, err, altercation with Caecius, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the doors open and close. I didn't think anything of it at the time. But I didn't see you after that and those girls you'd been with asked me if I had seen you as well. I'd also noticed Professor Snape leave not long before you did too." Harry paused, looking at her and smiling
Kriss was really worried now. "What did he know, surely not the whole story" she thought
"Then you let slip that you didn't spend the night in your dorm and like I said if you had been anywhere else in the school they would have found you. Believe me I know all the hiding places in this school, so it must have been somewhere they wouldn't think to look, like maybe - Snapes room? Then the last piece of evidence: You, with the dress you had on last night, wearing his cloak, I'd know it anywhere." Harry smiled a triumphant smile at Kriss now
"Look you're wrong, I..I never saw Professor Snape until later. After what Caecius did to me at the ball I was really upset, so yes I did leave. I just wandered around for a bit, then I decided to go to my dorm. I saw professor Snape wandering around too, he noticed I was cold so lent me his cloak"
Harry made a disbelieving noise in his throat "Whatever. So what happened to the other half of your dress then?" He said raising his eyebrows and looking down at her
Kriss instinctively pulled the cloak around herself as he said this. She couldn't think of an answer to this question, so merely looked down
"Look it doesn't bother me, so long as he's not hurting you. He didn't did he, you were in a right state when I caught you" He said more seriously now
"No, he didn't hurt me. I.." she felt it was now pointless trying to hide anything from him "I just found out something that upset me that's all"
"Well, well, well" he said almost to himself "Whatever you did or didn't do, I just hope it puts a smile on his miserable face, he could do with lightening up a bit"
Kriss grabbed hold of each of his arms, with a pleading look in her eyes and said "Please don't tell anyone, where you think I was. No one must know, if anyone asks just say, you have no idea, please!"
"Okay, I was just guessing. But it seems pretty obvious now after your reaction, that I was right. Woah, this is big, this is huge. I could get some serious revenge with this. So Snapey's been a naughty boy then, has he? Well I can't say I blame him" he said looking at her rakishly "I just didn't think he had it in him!" Harry said smiling again
"Look, please don't say anything. I couldn't bear anyone knowing, not now anyway" She looked directly into his bright green eyes pleadingly
"Look I was just joking, it would be much more fun just letting him know that I knew anyway" he smirked
"No! I'll do anything! Just don't say anything, please!" Kriss was desperate now
"Anything?" he said looking her up and down his eyebrows raised.
Kriss shrank back a little from this look then stiffened up, raising her chin and scowling slightly.
"Sorry! I couldn't resist!" he said laughingly "I promise, I won't say anything, not to anyone. I don't think I really want to let the girlfriend know I spent the morning with you anyway, she gets a bit jealous. Huh! I'm surprised you didn't have a bad back this morning!"
"Why?" Kriss asked, thinking he was being cheeky again
"All the daggers she was sending you! With her eyes at least, anyway! I'm afraid I was a little bit distracted by you last night!" he said looking down a little and running his fingers through his hair.
Kriss smiled at this admission and said "It's okay, the dress was a little bit, well, revealing I suppose. It's not normally something I'd wear, it just seemed like a good idea at the time" she looked down then up again "Look I never thanked you properly, for last night. You didn't have to do that and for looking after me this morning. I don't understand why, but thanks anyway" with these words she put her hands on each side of his face and planted a kiss on his lips.
Harry blushed and said awkwardly "It..it was nothing, just like to help out where I can. I don't care what house you're in, a bully is still a bully"
"Thankyou, you know your girlfriend is a very lucky to have such a sweet guy for a boyfriend" she said standing close to him and putting her hand to his cheek
"Careful!" he warned jokingly "people will be starting to get up soon, we wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea would we? Anyway, you'd better get back now"
Kriss smiled then kissed him again before she left, just because she thought how cute it was that it made him blush. Then bolted down the corridor, trying to think of an excuse she could give for her absence last night.
She made her way down to the Slytheryn common room and after giving the password climbed in through the portrait hole. She saw nothing out of place and wondered what had happened last night in here, briefly, before making her way upstairs.
When she got to her dorm she noticed that only one bed was occupied- Claudette's. "The other two must have spent the night with their boyfriends" thought Kriss. Claudette was sleeping like a log; she must have been tired, as her curtains were still open. Kriss took off her shoes and tiptoed to her bed slipping off her dress and sliding gratefully under the covers. Hungry though she was, very soon she had gone to sleep.
"Hello? What are you doing in here?...with my broom! Well if you wanted to borrow it you only had to ask!"
She tried to match the voice a face. The figure was starting to approach her and she flinched back, knocking into a pile of brooms. The neatly stacked brooms fell on top of kriss, making her squeal with fright
"Look it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." The voice of the figure had softened considerably.
"Who are you!" Kriss shouted out, feeling comforted a little by the softer tone. She at least knew it wasn't Filch or a teacher. Trying to get her footing in between the fallen brooms she said, "Would you mind lowering your wand, it's blinding me!"
"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" the lighted wand was lowered to give a much softer effect.
Kriss could now see who it was "Harry Potter!"
"The very same!" He said "Now perhaps you could tell me what you are doing here and why you're trying to steal my broom" He was silent for a moment then "Ha! I know its sabotage, isn't it! Caecius put you up to it didn't he! The slime, picking a time when he thought no one would be around to notice. What he doesn't know is that I practice every morning without fail. So that scuppered his little plan didn't it!"
"No, it was nothing to do with him. I was just borrowing it. I would have brought it back eventually, I just.. needed to get away somewhere, anywhere." Kriss said miserably, feeling tears coming again.
"Why? Has that gitbag done something to you? I knew I'd probably gone too far last night, he was fuming. It was really funny though" He sniggered, as he helped Kriss out of the shed, over the brooms. "Look, I usually go over to Hagrid's hut for a cup of tea after practice, would you like to come?" He asked kindly.
"I don't know.." Kriss started but then she shivered, in her distressed state, she had forgotten how cold it was. Her hands and feet had begun to go numb.
"Come on, we have to get you somewhere warm straight away" Harry said firmly "Why on earth did you come out in the snow in those for anyway?" he went on looking at her strappy, high heeled sandals.
"I was in a hurry?" Kriss said shakily, feeling suddenly lightheaded. As well as all the stress she had been through, she had hardly eaten since yesterday dinnertime. She stumbled forward her head starting to spin and her tummy lurching painfully.
"Woah! I think we'd better get you there and fast" said Harry. He took the broom from Kriss's unresisting hand, balanced her up in front of him and sped over to Hagrid's hut.
Once there he climbed off the broom and still with his arms around her, gently helped Kriss off. She suddenly stumbled forward onto the ground when he let go for a moment; cold snow seeped through the cloak, leaving it soaking wet.
Kriss was now feeling worse than ever and as she attempted to get up she felt Harry's hands around her helping her. He carried her the rest of the way to the door.
Harry knocked the door "Hagrid it's me!"
"Comin' 'arry" replied a voice from inside. The door opened and the huge man gasped in surprise. "Who's this?"
Harry didn't answer at first, but pushed past, walking over to the other side of the room and laying Kriss down on Hagrid's huge bed. Hagrid followed him.
"I don't know her name, Hagrid, all I know is that she's a Slytheryn and woah!.." The cloak Kriss was wearing had come open when he laid her down, revealing her body through the sheer dress. Harry coughed and turned his head away embarrassed. "Erm, what happened to your dress? I'm sure it had a bit more to it last night!"
Now she was lying down in the warm room, Kriss felt a little less faint. She pulled the cloak around herself modestly.
"Urgh! It's wet" she exclaimed and grimaced at the sodden material, pulling herself up on her elbows.
"I can soon sort that out for you" Harry said as he pulled his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans and pointed it at Kriss. "Arefacio!" He said and the cloak dried instantly.
Meanwhile Hagrid had gone over to the fire to busy himself making the tea.
Kriss leant against the pillows on the bed, wrapping the now, dry cloak around her tightly. She looked around curiously, in all her time at Hogwarts she had never been in Hagrids hut before. She took in the oversized chairs, table, cups and plates around the room.
"Erm, so what were you doing in the broom shed, at five in the morning?" Harry said and after a pause he added "half naked!"
"I.. I told you I wanted to borrow a broom." Kriss said not meeting his eyes.
"But, what happened to you to make you want to run away?" said Harry persistently.
"Look it..it's none of your business!" She snapped, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't tell him the truth.
"Okay! Look if you want to protect that slimeball, it's entirely up to you, I suppose!" said Harry meaning Caecius
"It wasn't Caecius! I never saw him after..after" she stumbled over the words stopping herself saying 'after I left the ball' as it would have revealed too much.
"Well who was it then? Someone's got to you haven't they, you don't just up and decide to run off, half naked on a freezing cold day like this, for no reason!" Harry continued, obviously determined to find out.
But Kriss had started to cry again, collapsing into the pillows with great, racking sobs. She heard Harry walk away from the bed, over to Hagrid.
"Better leave her to it, she'll tell you if she wants to" Kriss heard Hagrid say to him
"Look, I'll look after her. You'd better go 'an tell someone she's 'ere 'fore they misses 'er" The big man continued
Kriss suddenly whipped her head round in panic "No, please! Don't tell anyone that I'm here. Look I'm sure that no one will have missed me yet. I know there was something going on in the Slytheryn common rooms until quite late, so I bet that nobody noticed I wasn't there in all the chaos." She paused realising that she had revealed too much
"What do you mean, wasn't there?" Harry piped up curiously "You mean you didn't spend the night in your dorm?"
Kriss bit her lip and looked down, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping the cloak around them.
"Harry, sometimes there's ..shenanigans goes on after a ball..you know..'aint no 'arm in it, just well, it's just nature init? Sometimes older girls and boys want to spend the night in.. in a bed..that's not their own, with someone else" Hagrid said awkwardly, blushing
Harry looked witheringly at Hagrid "Look I know what sort of thing goes on after a ball, crikes I heard a lot of it last night in my dorm. I was just surprised she wasn't with someone in her own dorm that's all. The teachers patrol the school, picking up stragglers and making sure they get to where they belong. They always seem to find people, even in the room of requirement or the prefects bathroom!"
"The prefects bathroom eh! I remember that ooh, I could tell you a story or two..." Hagrid started to say before he was interrupted
"Look I think I'd better take her back, like she says, before anyone misses her. I can fly her right to the door" Harry said hurriedly "I've got to get back myself, it'll be breakfast time soon" Harry walked over to the bed again
"Can you stand alright now, erm, I still don't know your name?" He said prompting an answer
"Kriss" she said
"Err, well are you okay to go Kriss?"
"Yes, I think so" she said, trying to walk on rather shaky legs, but Harry was soon by her side supporting her with his arm.
After saying goodbye to Hagrid they remounted the broom and set off back to the school.
Once inside the doors Harry took Kriss aside and spoke in hushed tones. "Kriss, I think I've just worked out where you were last night, but don't worry I won't tell anyone. No one would believe me anyway!"
"What are you talking about?" Kriss said slightly worried
"Well, here's the evidence. After my, err, altercation with Caecius, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the doors open and close. I didn't think anything of it at the time. But I didn't see you after that and those girls you'd been with asked me if I had seen you as well. I'd also noticed Professor Snape leave not long before you did too." Harry paused, looking at her and smiling
Kriss was really worried now. "What did he know, surely not the whole story" she thought
"Then you let slip that you didn't spend the night in your dorm and like I said if you had been anywhere else in the school they would have found you. Believe me I know all the hiding places in this school, so it must have been somewhere they wouldn't think to look, like maybe - Snapes room? Then the last piece of evidence: You, with the dress you had on last night, wearing his cloak, I'd know it anywhere." Harry smiled a triumphant smile at Kriss now
"Look you're wrong, I..I never saw Professor Snape until later. After what Caecius did to me at the ball I was really upset, so yes I did leave. I just wandered around for a bit, then I decided to go to my dorm. I saw professor Snape wandering around too, he noticed I was cold so lent me his cloak"
Harry made a disbelieving noise in his throat "Whatever. So what happened to the other half of your dress then?" He said raising his eyebrows and looking down at her
Kriss instinctively pulled the cloak around herself as he said this. She couldn't think of an answer to this question, so merely looked down
"Look it doesn't bother me, so long as he's not hurting you. He didn't did he, you were in a right state when I caught you" He said more seriously now
"No, he didn't hurt me. I.." she felt it was now pointless trying to hide anything from him "I just found out something that upset me that's all"
"Well, well, well" he said almost to himself "Whatever you did or didn't do, I just hope it puts a smile on his miserable face, he could do with lightening up a bit"
Kriss grabbed hold of each of his arms, with a pleading look in her eyes and said "Please don't tell anyone, where you think I was. No one must know, if anyone asks just say, you have no idea, please!"
"Okay, I was just guessing. But it seems pretty obvious now after your reaction, that I was right. Woah, this is big, this is huge. I could get some serious revenge with this. So Snapey's been a naughty boy then, has he? Well I can't say I blame him" he said looking at her rakishly "I just didn't think he had it in him!" Harry said smiling again
"Look, please don't say anything. I couldn't bear anyone knowing, not now anyway" She looked directly into his bright green eyes pleadingly
"Look I was just joking, it would be much more fun just letting him know that I knew anyway" he smirked
"No! I'll do anything! Just don't say anything, please!" Kriss was desperate now
"Anything?" he said looking her up and down his eyebrows raised.
Kriss shrank back a little from this look then stiffened up, raising her chin and scowling slightly.
"Sorry! I couldn't resist!" he said laughingly "I promise, I won't say anything, not to anyone. I don't think I really want to let the girlfriend know I spent the morning with you anyway, she gets a bit jealous. Huh! I'm surprised you didn't have a bad back this morning!"
"Why?" Kriss asked, thinking he was being cheeky again
"All the daggers she was sending you! With her eyes at least, anyway! I'm afraid I was a little bit distracted by you last night!" he said looking down a little and running his fingers through his hair.
Kriss smiled at this admission and said "It's okay, the dress was a little bit, well, revealing I suppose. It's not normally something I'd wear, it just seemed like a good idea at the time" she looked down then up again "Look I never thanked you properly, for last night. You didn't have to do that and for looking after me this morning. I don't understand why, but thanks anyway" with these words she put her hands on each side of his face and planted a kiss on his lips.
Harry blushed and said awkwardly "It..it was nothing, just like to help out where I can. I don't care what house you're in, a bully is still a bully"
"Thankyou, you know your girlfriend is a very lucky to have such a sweet guy for a boyfriend" she said standing close to him and putting her hand to his cheek
"Careful!" he warned jokingly "people will be starting to get up soon, we wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea would we? Anyway, you'd better get back now"
Kriss smiled then kissed him again before she left, just because she thought how cute it was that it made him blush. Then bolted down the corridor, trying to think of an excuse she could give for her absence last night.
She made her way down to the Slytheryn common room and after giving the password climbed in through the portrait hole. She saw nothing out of place and wondered what had happened last night in here, briefly, before making her way upstairs.
When she got to her dorm she noticed that only one bed was occupied- Claudette's. "The other two must have spent the night with their boyfriends" thought Kriss. Claudette was sleeping like a log; she must have been tired, as her curtains were still open. Kriss took off her shoes and tiptoed to her bed slipping off her dress and sliding gratefully under the covers. Hungry though she was, very soon she had gone to sleep.