I shot up in my bed, getting tangled in the sheets and rolling off. I stand up quickly and shove the blankets off me, looking over at Hermione. Her face is pale and slack, like she saw a ghost.
"That's Ron!" She says, bolting from the room. I'm right behind her, and as we enter the common room I swear I saw a black dog run out the portrait hole. My brows crease in confusion, but I just blame it on lack of sleep.
"Ron! What happened?" Hermione asks as we near him and Potter. Percy comes marching down the stairs, his prefect badge crooked but gleaming as ever.
"Back to bed! Now! Ron, you're fine-" He says, and the portrait bursts open, revealing a fuming McGonagall.
"Okay, I'm happy we won the game, too, but this is ridiculous! Back to bed, all of you!"
"Right you are, Professor. Sorry about that, Ronald just had a bad dream." Percy says.
"It wasn't a dream! I saw him!"
"Saw who?" Hermione asks.
"Sirius Black! He slashed my curtains open! He was probably trying to kill Harry!" He yells frantically.
I can feel my stomach drop into my shoes.
"Oh, that's impossible, Ronald. How would he get passed the portrait?" I ask, sure my face is even whiter than Harry's. Which is saying something.
McGonagall huffed and walked out, and then walked back in a few minutes later looking furious and horrified.
"Who… Was incompetent enough, to lose a whole weeks worth of passwords?" She demanded, looking around at everyone. Neville steps forward, shaking like a leaf.
"It was me…" He mumbles, and I wince. Poor Neville…
"Wait, Professor. Are you saying that…"
"That Sirius Black was really in the Gryffindor tower? Yes, unfortunately." She said.
"I feel sick." I mutter, and Hermione looks over at me.
"Maybe you should sit down…" she says, and I can see her mouth forming more words but I can't hear anything over the buzzing in my head. And then everything around me starts getting dark, and I fall to the ground, blacking out.
"-Sure?"
"Of course."
"How long"
"Any minute now, Mr. Weasley." I groan and my eyes flutter open, allowing the sunlight to come streaming in.
"Rita! You're up!" Fred says excitedly, or is it George?
"What happened?" I ask, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head. I look around and see Madam Pomfrey and Hermione, so I must be in the hospital wing. The numerous beds on either side of me prove my theory correct.
"You passed out when McGonagall confirmed that Black had actually been in the tower." Hermione says softly.
"Oh." I say, frowning.
"Can she leave now?" Fred asks Pomfrey, and she purses her lips before nodding and walking away.
"Great! Let's go. Up you go, Black." Fred says, helping me up and onto my feet. I roll my eyes.
"I passed out, I didn't twist my ankle, Fred." I say, laughing at his pink tinged face.
"Let's go to the library, Rita. I can help you on that essay for Charms." Hermione says, grabbing my hand and whisking me off.
"Blimey 'Mione! Slow down." I say, laughing at her.
She just throws me a smile over her shoulder and continues on.
When we get to the library she leads me over to an empty table in the far back corner and props up a couple books so as to hide our faces. I raise an eyebrow at her in questioning but she just pulls me down into the chair next to me.
"What?" I ask. She smiles again, that knowing smile she always has.
"I think he likes you!" She giggles. I look around the library and then back at my crazy friend.
"Er, who?" She rolls her eyes at me.
"Fred, of course!" SHe says, giggling again.
"What! No, he doesn't! Hermione, did you take some weird muggle drugs?" I ask her.
She scoffs and whacks me on the arm. I frown and rub where she hit me, glaring at her.
"No of course I didn't, who do you think I am? Anyways, I'm not joking. I think He really fancies you!"
I sigh and shake my head, "You did take something!" I say, earning another whack.
"No, really Rita! Be logical here. When have I ever been wrong?" She asks. I frown at her.
"Hermione, he's not a textbook." I point out.
"No, but he's as easy to read as one. At least, when he's around you…" She says, smirking at me.
"Fine. Let's say he does like me. How would you even know?" I say, crossing my eyes and raising a brow at her.
"Because he's always looking at you. And when you walk into the room he's in or vice versa, he always looks at you first." She says.
"So? Maybe I just have weird hair." I say, shrugging.
"Rita!" She groans, "I mean, how could you not have noticed? He always smiles at you, even if you're just sitting there working on an essay or reading. And he always laughs at everything you joke about- and, let's be honest- your jokes really aren't funny.
"Hey!" I protest, hitting her this time instead of the other way around.
"I'm just saying."
"I still don't think he likes me…" I say, looking around the room.
"Fine. Don't believe me. Just pay more attention and you'll see what I mean." She says, before getting up and leaving me to drown in my confusion.
"Bloody hell, Hermione."