Harry heard voices whispering. "Ssh! Be quiet or you'll wake him."
"So? He's been asleep 18 hours, shouldn't he wake soon?"
"If you wake him, Ronald Weasley, I will have to hurt you!" whispered Hermione.
"It's still weird you're in here," said Seamus's voice, a little uncomfortably.
"Well, tough luck. I can't rely on you lot to take proper care of him."
"Yeah, but why does she have to be here too?" asked Dean.
"I'm here because you can't expect Hermione to have to do everything on her own."
Harry hadn't opened his eyes yet. At first, on hearing the whispering he thought he must be in the hospital, but now it didn't sound like it. He opened his eyes and realized he was still in his own bed.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"2 in the afternoon. You've been asleep since about 8 last night."
Harry looked around to see who was in the room with him. Dean, Neville, Seamus, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. It suddenly occurred to Harry that this was the boys' dormitory. What were the girls doing here?
Hermione sensed his unasked question. "I thought you were acting oddly so I sent Ron up to check on you as soon as he got in from Quiditch practice."
"You were pale and shivering. Lying half off your bed. Thought you might fall. Couldn't wake you at all. We tried everything. Reviving spells. A wake up potion. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake until Luna came and woke you with a kiss."
"She didn't, did she?" He was horrified at the thought of him being up here, unable to wake up, and having Luna come up here and kiss him awake. That would be embarrassing.
"No." Ron snickered.
"So what happened?" asked Harry, realizing that Ron must be telling the truth because Harry couldn't see any sign of Luna anywhere.
"Well when Ron came back down and told me how you were, we had to help. So we came here and did what we could to help."
"We?" asked Harry.
"Ginny and I," said Hermione.
"We're not exactly thrilled to have them here, Harry," said Seamus.
"But they won't leave until you're better."
"I'm awake. That's better, isn't it?"
"But we don't know what caused you to fall asleep in the first place."
"I'll leave you boys alone," Hermione said. "I'm going to do some research and see what I can find out." Hermione started for the door.
"Take IherI with you!" said Dean, giving Ginny a shove in Hermione's direction.
Ginny sniffed angrily and stalked out after Hermione.
Harry asked, "Er, what are people going to think when they see the two of them come out of the boys' dormitories?"
Seamus shrugged. "A lot of them saw them run up here yelling at us that we don't know how to take care of sick people."
"But what did make you tired, Harry?" asked Neville. "18 hours is a long time."
"I don't know. I was just leaving Delano's classroom, she had me there making up charms work, and I felt exhausted."
"Harry, are you feeling well enough to leave? We don't want to the girls to come back in here."
"Sure." Harry put some fresh clothes on and went down to the common room with Ron.
"Where'd Hermione go?"
Ron responded, "Knowing her? I'd say the library."
They went in search of her and found several large piles of books on one of the tables in the library. So large that they completely obscured the view of the person sitting behind them.
"Hermione, is that you back there?" asked Ron, pushing apart two piles of books.
"Oh, good! You're here. Help with this research." She shoved a pile toward each of them and they sat down.
"What exactly are you researching?" asked Harry, looking at the books. "Things book seem to cover everything from Slowstone to Hypnosis."
"I'm trying to find out what caused your problem last night. Who was there?"
"Just Luna and Delano. And Dumbledore."
"Well, what were you talking about?"
Harry relayed the conversation as accurately as he could and finished by saying, "And that was it. She was bugging me about my destiny and what I had to do and Dumbledore just told her 'Not yet'. Then he asked if I wanted to go up to Quiditch practice. That's when I got tired and went to the common room."
"Do you think Dumbledore might have done something to make sure you got a good night's rest? Cast a charm or something?" asked Hermione.
"If it was a spell, it probably went wrong. I can't see him trying to put me to sleep for 18 hours. Then again, I can't see him messing up a spell either."
"Maybe it was an allergic reaction to something. A potions ingredient from earlier in the day mixed with maybe a perfume Delano was wearing?"
"She wasn't wearing anything that I could smell," said Harry.
"Maybe he hypnotized you," said Ron eagerly.
"I don't think so."
"How would you know? Have you ever been hypnotized before?"
"No," said Harry.
"Then how do you know you weren't?"
"Er . . ." said Harry. They stayed in the library researching until dinnertime. After dinner Ron and Harry went to Quiditch practice and Hermione returned to the books. By the time the boys got back from practice, she was still no closer to an answer.
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She was sitting on McGonagall's desk as usual, but her legs weren't swinging carefree as the usually did and her face was sad. Harry could rarely recall seeing her sad or upset. Normally her face was an unreadable mask; though sometimes he saw a glimmer of emotion, usually happiness. Now he was concerned and confused. He walked toward her and repeated, "What's wrong?"
"So? He's been asleep 18 hours, shouldn't he wake soon?"
"If you wake him, Ronald Weasley, I will have to hurt you!" whispered Hermione.
"It's still weird you're in here," said Seamus's voice, a little uncomfortably.
"Well, tough luck. I can't rely on you lot to take proper care of him."
"Yeah, but why does she have to be here too?" asked Dean.
"I'm here because you can't expect Hermione to have to do everything on her own."
Harry hadn't opened his eyes yet. At first, on hearing the whispering he thought he must be in the hospital, but now it didn't sound like it. He opened his eyes and realized he was still in his own bed.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"2 in the afternoon. You've been asleep since about 8 last night."
Harry looked around to see who was in the room with him. Dean, Neville, Seamus, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. It suddenly occurred to Harry that this was the boys' dormitory. What were the girls doing here?
Hermione sensed his unasked question. "I thought you were acting oddly so I sent Ron up to check on you as soon as he got in from Quiditch practice."
"You were pale and shivering. Lying half off your bed. Thought you might fall. Couldn't wake you at all. We tried everything. Reviving spells. A wake up potion. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake until Luna came and woke you with a kiss."
"She didn't, did she?" He was horrified at the thought of him being up here, unable to wake up, and having Luna come up here and kiss him awake. That would be embarrassing.
"No." Ron snickered.
"So what happened?" asked Harry, realizing that Ron must be telling the truth because Harry couldn't see any sign of Luna anywhere.
"Well when Ron came back down and told me how you were, we had to help. So we came here and did what we could to help."
"We?" asked Harry.
"Ginny and I," said Hermione.
"We're not exactly thrilled to have them here, Harry," said Seamus.
"But they won't leave until you're better."
"I'm awake. That's better, isn't it?"
"But we don't know what caused you to fall asleep in the first place."
"I'll leave you boys alone," Hermione said. "I'm going to do some research and see what I can find out." Hermione started for the door.
"Take IherI with you!" said Dean, giving Ginny a shove in Hermione's direction.
Ginny sniffed angrily and stalked out after Hermione.
Harry asked, "Er, what are people going to think when they see the two of them come out of the boys' dormitories?"
Seamus shrugged. "A lot of them saw them run up here yelling at us that we don't know how to take care of sick people."
"But what did make you tired, Harry?" asked Neville. "18 hours is a long time."
"I don't know. I was just leaving Delano's classroom, she had me there making up charms work, and I felt exhausted."
"Harry, are you feeling well enough to leave? We don't want to the girls to come back in here."
"Sure." Harry put some fresh clothes on and went down to the common room with Ron.
"Where'd Hermione go?"
Ron responded, "Knowing her? I'd say the library."
They went in search of her and found several large piles of books on one of the tables in the library. So large that they completely obscured the view of the person sitting behind them.
"Hermione, is that you back there?" asked Ron, pushing apart two piles of books.
"Oh, good! You're here. Help with this research." She shoved a pile toward each of them and they sat down.
"What exactly are you researching?" asked Harry, looking at the books. "Things book seem to cover everything from Slowstone to Hypnosis."
"I'm trying to find out what caused your problem last night. Who was there?"
"Just Luna and Delano. And Dumbledore."
"Well, what were you talking about?"
Harry relayed the conversation as accurately as he could and finished by saying, "And that was it. She was bugging me about my destiny and what I had to do and Dumbledore just told her 'Not yet'. Then he asked if I wanted to go up to Quiditch practice. That's when I got tired and went to the common room."
"Do you think Dumbledore might have done something to make sure you got a good night's rest? Cast a charm or something?" asked Hermione.
"If it was a spell, it probably went wrong. I can't see him trying to put me to sleep for 18 hours. Then again, I can't see him messing up a spell either."
"Maybe it was an allergic reaction to something. A potions ingredient from earlier in the day mixed with maybe a perfume Delano was wearing?"
"She wasn't wearing anything that I could smell," said Harry.
"Maybe he hypnotized you," said Ron eagerly.
"I don't think so."
"How would you know? Have you ever been hypnotized before?"
"No," said Harry.
"Then how do you know you weren't?"
"Er . . ." said Harry. They stayed in the library researching until dinnertime. After dinner Ron and Harry went to Quiditch practice and Hermione returned to the books. By the time the boys got back from practice, she was still no closer to an answer.
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She was sitting on McGonagall's desk as usual, but her legs weren't swinging carefree as the usually did and her face was sad. Harry could rarely recall seeing her sad or upset. Normally her face was an unreadable mask; though sometimes he saw a glimmer of emotion, usually happiness. Now he was concerned and confused. He walked toward her and repeated, "What's wrong?"