Chapter 26
The first thing Remus noticed when he entered the Great Hall that morning was the ceiling. He quickly decided that it was one of the most disconcerting things he had ever seen in his life. The gross black clouds swirled sickeningly around the dark imitation, blurred by the heavy rain that was pouring down and stopping about twenty feet above him. He ducked instinctively as a flash of lightning pierced through air and flickered downwards towards him, fading away softly as it neared closer. Remus felt like a fool for a second before he realized that Sirius and several others had done the same, including Professor Flitwick, who squeeked and had to grab someone's arm to keep from falling over.
Remus lifted his chin up and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, thinking that it would be seriously wrong to have that sight above their heads as they tried to eat breakfast. It felt odd to be safe and sound when his senses told him otherwise. The atmosphere was too cold and stifling... too prickly, too dense, too wrong, he decided, but he pushed the thoughts aside.
As soon as they got over the awe from the magnificant ceiling, Sirius quickly scanned the length of the Gryffindor table for a certain redhead and spotted her down towards the middle chatting with her brunette friend. The lightning seemed not to phase them, although Sirius was glad the the ceiling did not convey sounds for that bright flash of lightning would have produced an incredibly loud rumble of thunder, which he had just discovered that Lily was afraid of.
"There's the pickle," he muttered fervently to Remus as he began marching towards the table. A few girls called 'good morning' to him as he went by, but he ignored them for once and headed resolutely towards his goal. Lily looked up at the sound of his name and her eyes widened as he came closer and closer, his face becoming more unreadable with every step. Alice soon caught Lily's gaze and turned around, her face hardening at the sight of Sirius. A few steps later, he stood in front of her, glowering down at her through his nostrils as she stared up at him open-mouthed. Remus stood hesistantly off to the side as he waited and Peter hovered behind them.
"What?" Alice asked brazenly, meeting Sirius's gaze evenly. He did not answer her; instead, he pulled his eyes away from Alice and turned to Lily, taking a step closer towards her. He leaned over and put his elbows on the hard surface of the table, trying hard to ignore the scent of the belgian waffles right below his nose as he glared straight into her dark eyes.
Smiling sarcastically for a few seconds, he finally spat out, "Thank you, Lily Evans, for killing my best friend," before he pulled his legs over the bench and plunked himself down beside Alice. He leaned closer to her and stared, making her glance at Alice nervously and fidget around with the napkin in her hand.
"What?" she asked breathily, looking up at Remus for an answer. He shrugged and then looked away. Peter sat down on the other side of Alice and helped himself to some toast while he watched the scene play before him, leaving Remus to situate himself grumpily beside Sirius. He wasn't sure of what was going to happen, and he wasn't sure if he wanted whatever was going to happen to happen, even if he didn't know what that was yet. He quickly poked Sirius in the side to get his attention and figure out just what the mongrel had in mind.
Sirius turned and glared at him. "What?" he asked impatiently.
Remus quickly glanced at the confused Lily and then put his elbow up on the table and leaned closer to Sirius. "What are you going to say?" he whispered anxiously.
"I'm not sure yet," Sirius answered truthfully, shrugging his shoulders and giving Remus a wry smile. Farther down by the Ravenclaw table, Remus watched as a small flash of lightning scared a small group of first years who were trying to look brave and eat their breakfast at the same time.
"Well." Remus fumbled around for something to say. Lily eyed him pleadingly from her seat, probably wanting him to get her out of this mess. Why was he always the nice guy? A little bubble of anger swelled up in him at the sight of her face. It was the exact same expression that James worn just a couple hours ago in the common room- the same helpless, trapped look. And had she relented? No.
"Just don't do anything stupid," Remus said finally, realizing that he had probably just condemned her to an intense interrogation that would probably last the whole morning. Perhaps it was needed.
Sirius flashed a quick grin. "Me? Stupid? Never," he said cheerily before he turned away.
This is going to be interesting, Remus thought warily as he waited.
-
James Potter rolled over in bed for the hundredth time that morning, cursing softly as he heard his pillow flop over the edge and land somewhere on the floor. He was nice and warm in his dark, little pocket underneath all his blankets, and he didn't want to risk letting even a bit of cold air seep through if he attempted to retrieve the lost pillow. He stayed curled up in his bed, deeming the pillow unnecessary to his comfort and he continued to let his thoughts roam. He wondered briefly what time it was and if Sirius or Remus would be coming up anytime soon. He hoped not; he just wanted to be alone.
No I don't, James thought darkly. No one wants to be alone, but unfortunately I will be. He blinked a couple of times as he stared into the darkness underneath his blankets. He took a deep breath and then began to bite his lip. In a couple of seconds, an image of a smiling face with brilliant green eyes framed by red hair crept slyly into his mind. He shook his head vigorously. Suddenly, the pocket of air underneath his blankets seemed too hot, too stifling. His muscles were cramped from being imobile for so long; he needed to get out. He couldn't just stay there.
He rolled over again and slithered out the side of his bed, landing on his forgotten pillow. The chilly air tickled the back of his neck, but he barely felt it. The room was still dim, just as it had been that morning, and he slipped his cold but socked feet into the shoes by the side of his bed. A quick glance at the window showed him that the storm was still raging, though perhaps not as wildly as before. He hadn't heard any loud thunder in at least half an hour, and the low rumbling that sounded from the clouds overhead was almost soothing to him. Much more soothing than the eerily silent room he stood in. The rain pattered rythmically against the window, pattering out a tune that reached his ears and beckoned to him. Large drops exploded upon impact and slid down the glass, landing somewhere on the stone sill outside only to be replaced by others that followed, never missing a beat.
James stared, entranced by the scene. He wanted to feel the rain pound against his skin, to feel the wind whip around him as he danced with Mother Nature's wrath...
Somewhere down the hall a door slammed, jolting him back to his senses. He half turned to look, but on his way there his eyes fell upon a soft, silvery substance that was poking precariously out of his trunk. Everything clicked into place in his mind and he started for the invisibility cloak.
It was cool to the touch, as it always was, but not cold. The soft, light fabric caressed his fingers and he spread open the cloak and slipped silently into it. A second later he was gone, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he ran lightlessly by.
-
"Now, Miss Evans. Let's begin." Sirius started placidly as he grabbed a roll to eat and began firing away. Lily slid down in her seat and tipped her head up in defeat as Alice began nudging Sirius angrily. The ceiling flashed overhead but no one in Great Hall seemed to notice and the low murmuring did not falter.
"Stop," Sirius commanded distractedly as he formulated his line of attack in his head; Remus could see the wheels creaking into motion. Alice stopped grudgingly and gave Lily an apologetic look.
"Okay." Sirius said abruptly, reaching across the table for the butter knife. "First off, I would just like to know how you can be so cold- hearted." He began to spread the creamy butter thickly onto his roll, dividing his eye contact evenly between his breakfast and his victim.
When he received no response, he shifted his eyes up to Lily and said, "You know, you really have no choice. You have to talk. Unless you want me stalking you everywhere." He chuckled quietly to himself, making Remus roll his eyes.
"I'm thinking," Lily replied sullenly, her bottom lip hanging.
"So you admit that you're cold-hearted," Sirius said sharply as he waved his buttered roll in the air. Peter eyed the knife in his other hand warily.
"What?... No," Lily stammered confusedly, pushing away her unfinished breakfast. She straightened up and looked at him. "I am most certainly not cold-hearted."
"She isn't," piped up Alice quickly, leaning closer to Sirius.
"You be quiet," Sirius said, wagging his finger at the girl next to him without actually looking at her. "This isn't your fight."
"Since when is this a fight?" Lily interjected coldly.
"It's not," Sirius answered lightly. "But you seem to be making it one."
Lily blanched, her mouth forming a thin line. "I am not." She crossed her arms and stared hardly at him as he chewed on his roll thoughtfully.
"And why are you so stubborn?" Sirius continued incredulously.
"Stubborn?" Lily repeated, raising her eyebrows.
"You heard me."
"I'm not stubborn."
"Evans, for chrissake, you're being stubborn about being stubborn."
"I am not!"
Remus watched as a red blush slowly spread across Lily's cheeks and he decided it would be better for all of them if he stepped in to prevent disaster from occuring. He quickly began poking Sirius in the side. Sirius turned to face him, blowing the tips of his hair out of his eyes. Remus propped his elbow up on the table again and ducked his head as he huddled down.
"What now?" Sirius asked tiredly.
"I don't like where this is going," Remus explained quietly. "It looks as if she's starting to get annoyed."
"Well, what should I do?" Sirius bit his lip. "I'm just trying to help James."
"I know... let me talk." Remus decided firmly, risking a glance at Lily. She was making odd facial expressions at Alice, who seemed to be understanding her. Sirius's raised his eyebrows for a second and then dropped them.
"Alright," he conceded surprisingly quickly, nodding his head. "Be smooth, Moony."
"Me? Smooth? Always." Remus said with a grin on his face that turned upside down as soon as he realized what he had gotten himself into. He groaned inwardly and then turned towards Lily. Sirius was waiting for him expectantly while Alice glared at all of them from her seat.
"Er. Hi, Lily. How are you?" Remus started hesitantly, fingering the bottom of the table cloth nervously.
"Is this all necessary? What do you want?" Lily began quickly, seemingly ignoring him. Her green eyes flashed brightly as she scowled at him; her red hair looked darker than usual as it hung limply around her pale face. She looked tired... almost defeated; Remus felt oddly satisfied.
"Not much for small talk, are we?" Sirius commented airily as she barreled on.
Remus smacked Sirius sideways in the stomach.
"Lily... we just want to know how you feel," he stated, realizing a second later how silly that sentence had just sounded. He felt his cheeks getting warm, despite the coldness of the room. He had practically forgotten about the storm. He glanced up and saw that it was still raining silently out of the murky sky.
"I mean, it seems like we've been quite mean to you these past couple years... And we were wondering how you felt," Remus said hopefully, attempting to clear up the mess. He thought he heard a snort come from somewhere on the other side of Sirius as Lily stared at him doubtfully, but perhaps it was just his imagination.
"So, we would appreciate if you just acted civil with us... and maybe after this we won't ever bother you again?" A small streak of lightning forked its way towards their table.
"Okay, hold on," Alice interrupted loudly, putting her hands in the air. "Let me understand. If she answers your questions, you leave us alone?"
"What... Can't stand for me to leave you alone, Garrison?" Sirius said cheekily, moving closer to her.
"Where's Frank?" she said suddenly looking around the Great Hall. Sirius backed away quickly, putting his arms on the table.
"Er.. yeah. Pretty much," Remus continued, hoping he would hear her.
Alice leaned forward and stared at him, then at Lily, who shrugged incomprehensibly.
"Sure," Lily murmured, not looking at any of them.
Alice stared at Lily for a few seconds and then said, "Okay... But only if you answer some of my questions later. Deal?"
"Deal." Remus nodded.
-
The pounding of the icy rain felt exquisite as the wind danced in wild circles around his body. Panting, he ran even faster across the Hogwarts grounds as the sky grumbled dissaprovingly above him. He didn't care; he was free, and no one could stop him. There was no Lily Evans out here.
Rain water trickled in waves down his body, soaking his clothes, shoes, cloak and everything else. His dark hair lay flat and plastered to his head and he shook it up with his hand, sending drops spraying in every direction. Beneath him, the ground sloshed muddily with every step, but he plodded on vigorously, unsure of where he was going. Lightning flashed overhead and illuminated the scene.
He kept running... he was running towards the lake now. Through the blurriness, he could see the normally smooth surface of the lake bristling with little splashes as each heavy raindrop hit the water. The wind whistled in his ears as he barreled on, only pausing to dislodge his foot from the hungry mud.
He reached the edge of the lake and stood still atop the pebbly shore, looking out across the dark water. The rain kept pouring down, seeping into his skin and making him shiver for the first time since he had gone outside. He sniffled and wrapped his arms around his body, rivulets of water running down his face and neck as he shook unsteadily in his spot. His fingers were frozen now, as well as his nose, which wouldn't stop running. He wanted to go inside but he couldn't bring himself to move. So he just stood there, letting the rain wash him away.
-
Reubus Hagrid, Hogwarts Gamekeeper, glanced out of his hut as he slipped his large feet into an even larger pair of boots. He pulled the hood of his raincoat over his head and then quickly opened his front door and stepped outside, breaking into a run for the castle. He had just about reached the front steps of the main entrance to Hogwarts when he caught sight of a figure to his left standing across the lawn in front of the churning lake. He squinted his eyes and took a step closer. He could not discern who it was but he knew the person had to be crazy to be out in a storm like this. For a fleeting second he wondered if the person could be a student from the castle, but he thought that to be ridiculous. He quickly made up his mind and sprinted towards the figure; his main goal was to get whoever it was inside and warm.
As he neared closer, he saw that the person seemed to be shuddering uncontrollably, its cloak flapping around its body in the wind. Hagrid reached a hand out to the figure's shoulder and the person whipped around and gave him a stunned look before collapsing onto the ground.
"James Potter!" Hagrid roared and then bent down to lift up the unconcious boy.
The first thing Remus noticed when he entered the Great Hall that morning was the ceiling. He quickly decided that it was one of the most disconcerting things he had ever seen in his life. The gross black clouds swirled sickeningly around the dark imitation, blurred by the heavy rain that was pouring down and stopping about twenty feet above him. He ducked instinctively as a flash of lightning pierced through air and flickered downwards towards him, fading away softly as it neared closer. Remus felt like a fool for a second before he realized that Sirius and several others had done the same, including Professor Flitwick, who squeeked and had to grab someone's arm to keep from falling over.
Remus lifted his chin up and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, thinking that it would be seriously wrong to have that sight above their heads as they tried to eat breakfast. It felt odd to be safe and sound when his senses told him otherwise. The atmosphere was too cold and stifling... too prickly, too dense, too wrong, he decided, but he pushed the thoughts aside.
As soon as they got over the awe from the magnificant ceiling, Sirius quickly scanned the length of the Gryffindor table for a certain redhead and spotted her down towards the middle chatting with her brunette friend. The lightning seemed not to phase them, although Sirius was glad the the ceiling did not convey sounds for that bright flash of lightning would have produced an incredibly loud rumble of thunder, which he had just discovered that Lily was afraid of.
"There's the pickle," he muttered fervently to Remus as he began marching towards the table. A few girls called 'good morning' to him as he went by, but he ignored them for once and headed resolutely towards his goal. Lily looked up at the sound of his name and her eyes widened as he came closer and closer, his face becoming more unreadable with every step. Alice soon caught Lily's gaze and turned around, her face hardening at the sight of Sirius. A few steps later, he stood in front of her, glowering down at her through his nostrils as she stared up at him open-mouthed. Remus stood hesistantly off to the side as he waited and Peter hovered behind them.
"What?" Alice asked brazenly, meeting Sirius's gaze evenly. He did not answer her; instead, he pulled his eyes away from Alice and turned to Lily, taking a step closer towards her. He leaned over and put his elbows on the hard surface of the table, trying hard to ignore the scent of the belgian waffles right below his nose as he glared straight into her dark eyes.
Smiling sarcastically for a few seconds, he finally spat out, "Thank you, Lily Evans, for killing my best friend," before he pulled his legs over the bench and plunked himself down beside Alice. He leaned closer to her and stared, making her glance at Alice nervously and fidget around with the napkin in her hand.
"What?" she asked breathily, looking up at Remus for an answer. He shrugged and then looked away. Peter sat down on the other side of Alice and helped himself to some toast while he watched the scene play before him, leaving Remus to situate himself grumpily beside Sirius. He wasn't sure of what was going to happen, and he wasn't sure if he wanted whatever was going to happen to happen, even if he didn't know what that was yet. He quickly poked Sirius in the side to get his attention and figure out just what the mongrel had in mind.
Sirius turned and glared at him. "What?" he asked impatiently.
Remus quickly glanced at the confused Lily and then put his elbow up on the table and leaned closer to Sirius. "What are you going to say?" he whispered anxiously.
"I'm not sure yet," Sirius answered truthfully, shrugging his shoulders and giving Remus a wry smile. Farther down by the Ravenclaw table, Remus watched as a small flash of lightning scared a small group of first years who were trying to look brave and eat their breakfast at the same time.
"Well." Remus fumbled around for something to say. Lily eyed him pleadingly from her seat, probably wanting him to get her out of this mess. Why was he always the nice guy? A little bubble of anger swelled up in him at the sight of her face. It was the exact same expression that James worn just a couple hours ago in the common room- the same helpless, trapped look. And had she relented? No.
"Just don't do anything stupid," Remus said finally, realizing that he had probably just condemned her to an intense interrogation that would probably last the whole morning. Perhaps it was needed.
Sirius flashed a quick grin. "Me? Stupid? Never," he said cheerily before he turned away.
This is going to be interesting, Remus thought warily as he waited.
-
James Potter rolled over in bed for the hundredth time that morning, cursing softly as he heard his pillow flop over the edge and land somewhere on the floor. He was nice and warm in his dark, little pocket underneath all his blankets, and he didn't want to risk letting even a bit of cold air seep through if he attempted to retrieve the lost pillow. He stayed curled up in his bed, deeming the pillow unnecessary to his comfort and he continued to let his thoughts roam. He wondered briefly what time it was and if Sirius or Remus would be coming up anytime soon. He hoped not; he just wanted to be alone.
No I don't, James thought darkly. No one wants to be alone, but unfortunately I will be. He blinked a couple of times as he stared into the darkness underneath his blankets. He took a deep breath and then began to bite his lip. In a couple of seconds, an image of a smiling face with brilliant green eyes framed by red hair crept slyly into his mind. He shook his head vigorously. Suddenly, the pocket of air underneath his blankets seemed too hot, too stifling. His muscles were cramped from being imobile for so long; he needed to get out. He couldn't just stay there.
He rolled over again and slithered out the side of his bed, landing on his forgotten pillow. The chilly air tickled the back of his neck, but he barely felt it. The room was still dim, just as it had been that morning, and he slipped his cold but socked feet into the shoes by the side of his bed. A quick glance at the window showed him that the storm was still raging, though perhaps not as wildly as before. He hadn't heard any loud thunder in at least half an hour, and the low rumbling that sounded from the clouds overhead was almost soothing to him. Much more soothing than the eerily silent room he stood in. The rain pattered rythmically against the window, pattering out a tune that reached his ears and beckoned to him. Large drops exploded upon impact and slid down the glass, landing somewhere on the stone sill outside only to be replaced by others that followed, never missing a beat.
James stared, entranced by the scene. He wanted to feel the rain pound against his skin, to feel the wind whip around him as he danced with Mother Nature's wrath...
Somewhere down the hall a door slammed, jolting him back to his senses. He half turned to look, but on his way there his eyes fell upon a soft, silvery substance that was poking precariously out of his trunk. Everything clicked into place in his mind and he started for the invisibility cloak.
It was cool to the touch, as it always was, but not cold. The soft, light fabric caressed his fingers and he spread open the cloak and slipped silently into it. A second later he was gone, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he ran lightlessly by.
-
"Now, Miss Evans. Let's begin." Sirius started placidly as he grabbed a roll to eat and began firing away. Lily slid down in her seat and tipped her head up in defeat as Alice began nudging Sirius angrily. The ceiling flashed overhead but no one in Great Hall seemed to notice and the low murmuring did not falter.
"Stop," Sirius commanded distractedly as he formulated his line of attack in his head; Remus could see the wheels creaking into motion. Alice stopped grudgingly and gave Lily an apologetic look.
"Okay." Sirius said abruptly, reaching across the table for the butter knife. "First off, I would just like to know how you can be so cold- hearted." He began to spread the creamy butter thickly onto his roll, dividing his eye contact evenly between his breakfast and his victim.
When he received no response, he shifted his eyes up to Lily and said, "You know, you really have no choice. You have to talk. Unless you want me stalking you everywhere." He chuckled quietly to himself, making Remus roll his eyes.
"I'm thinking," Lily replied sullenly, her bottom lip hanging.
"So you admit that you're cold-hearted," Sirius said sharply as he waved his buttered roll in the air. Peter eyed the knife in his other hand warily.
"What?... No," Lily stammered confusedly, pushing away her unfinished breakfast. She straightened up and looked at him. "I am most certainly not cold-hearted."
"She isn't," piped up Alice quickly, leaning closer to Sirius.
"You be quiet," Sirius said, wagging his finger at the girl next to him without actually looking at her. "This isn't your fight."
"Since when is this a fight?" Lily interjected coldly.
"It's not," Sirius answered lightly. "But you seem to be making it one."
Lily blanched, her mouth forming a thin line. "I am not." She crossed her arms and stared hardly at him as he chewed on his roll thoughtfully.
"And why are you so stubborn?" Sirius continued incredulously.
"Stubborn?" Lily repeated, raising her eyebrows.
"You heard me."
"I'm not stubborn."
"Evans, for chrissake, you're being stubborn about being stubborn."
"I am not!"
Remus watched as a red blush slowly spread across Lily's cheeks and he decided it would be better for all of them if he stepped in to prevent disaster from occuring. He quickly began poking Sirius in the side. Sirius turned to face him, blowing the tips of his hair out of his eyes. Remus propped his elbow up on the table again and ducked his head as he huddled down.
"What now?" Sirius asked tiredly.
"I don't like where this is going," Remus explained quietly. "It looks as if she's starting to get annoyed."
"Well, what should I do?" Sirius bit his lip. "I'm just trying to help James."
"I know... let me talk." Remus decided firmly, risking a glance at Lily. She was making odd facial expressions at Alice, who seemed to be understanding her. Sirius's raised his eyebrows for a second and then dropped them.
"Alright," he conceded surprisingly quickly, nodding his head. "Be smooth, Moony."
"Me? Smooth? Always." Remus said with a grin on his face that turned upside down as soon as he realized what he had gotten himself into. He groaned inwardly and then turned towards Lily. Sirius was waiting for him expectantly while Alice glared at all of them from her seat.
"Er. Hi, Lily. How are you?" Remus started hesitantly, fingering the bottom of the table cloth nervously.
"Is this all necessary? What do you want?" Lily began quickly, seemingly ignoring him. Her green eyes flashed brightly as she scowled at him; her red hair looked darker than usual as it hung limply around her pale face. She looked tired... almost defeated; Remus felt oddly satisfied.
"Not much for small talk, are we?" Sirius commented airily as she barreled on.
Remus smacked Sirius sideways in the stomach.
"Lily... we just want to know how you feel," he stated, realizing a second later how silly that sentence had just sounded. He felt his cheeks getting warm, despite the coldness of the room. He had practically forgotten about the storm. He glanced up and saw that it was still raining silently out of the murky sky.
"I mean, it seems like we've been quite mean to you these past couple years... And we were wondering how you felt," Remus said hopefully, attempting to clear up the mess. He thought he heard a snort come from somewhere on the other side of Sirius as Lily stared at him doubtfully, but perhaps it was just his imagination.
"So, we would appreciate if you just acted civil with us... and maybe after this we won't ever bother you again?" A small streak of lightning forked its way towards their table.
"Okay, hold on," Alice interrupted loudly, putting her hands in the air. "Let me understand. If she answers your questions, you leave us alone?"
"What... Can't stand for me to leave you alone, Garrison?" Sirius said cheekily, moving closer to her.
"Where's Frank?" she said suddenly looking around the Great Hall. Sirius backed away quickly, putting his arms on the table.
"Er.. yeah. Pretty much," Remus continued, hoping he would hear her.
Alice leaned forward and stared at him, then at Lily, who shrugged incomprehensibly.
"Sure," Lily murmured, not looking at any of them.
Alice stared at Lily for a few seconds and then said, "Okay... But only if you answer some of my questions later. Deal?"
"Deal." Remus nodded.
-
The pounding of the icy rain felt exquisite as the wind danced in wild circles around his body. Panting, he ran even faster across the Hogwarts grounds as the sky grumbled dissaprovingly above him. He didn't care; he was free, and no one could stop him. There was no Lily Evans out here.
Rain water trickled in waves down his body, soaking his clothes, shoes, cloak and everything else. His dark hair lay flat and plastered to his head and he shook it up with his hand, sending drops spraying in every direction. Beneath him, the ground sloshed muddily with every step, but he plodded on vigorously, unsure of where he was going. Lightning flashed overhead and illuminated the scene.
He kept running... he was running towards the lake now. Through the blurriness, he could see the normally smooth surface of the lake bristling with little splashes as each heavy raindrop hit the water. The wind whistled in his ears as he barreled on, only pausing to dislodge his foot from the hungry mud.
He reached the edge of the lake and stood still atop the pebbly shore, looking out across the dark water. The rain kept pouring down, seeping into his skin and making him shiver for the first time since he had gone outside. He sniffled and wrapped his arms around his body, rivulets of water running down his face and neck as he shook unsteadily in his spot. His fingers were frozen now, as well as his nose, which wouldn't stop running. He wanted to go inside but he couldn't bring himself to move. So he just stood there, letting the rain wash him away.
-
Reubus Hagrid, Hogwarts Gamekeeper, glanced out of his hut as he slipped his large feet into an even larger pair of boots. He pulled the hood of his raincoat over his head and then quickly opened his front door and stepped outside, breaking into a run for the castle. He had just about reached the front steps of the main entrance to Hogwarts when he caught sight of a figure to his left standing across the lawn in front of the churning lake. He squinted his eyes and took a step closer. He could not discern who it was but he knew the person had to be crazy to be out in a storm like this. For a fleeting second he wondered if the person could be a student from the castle, but he thought that to be ridiculous. He quickly made up his mind and sprinted towards the figure; his main goal was to get whoever it was inside and warm.
As he neared closer, he saw that the person seemed to be shuddering uncontrollably, its cloak flapping around its body in the wind. Hagrid reached a hand out to the figure's shoulder and the person whipped around and gave him a stunned look before collapsing onto the ground.
"James Potter!" Hagrid roared and then bent down to lift up the unconcious boy.