Chapter 24: Something Wicked This Way Comes
I facepalmed and groaned as Harry and Hermione explained how they left the cloak at the top of the astronomy tower AND lost tons of points while getting detention.
"Why do ya'll never take me sneaking with you? I never get caught and I wouldn't have forgotten the cloak!" I started ranting.
"But-" Hermione started.
"No. I. Never. Get. Bleeding. Caught! I'm the one out of us who goes pranking with our very own masters of mayhem, Fred and George. But do either of you ever think to take me with you? No! 'Kayla's too loud!', 'Kayla is too excitable!', 'Kayla can't be trusted!'" I was panting at this point and I'm certain that my face is a violent shade of red.
My friends looked stricken. Good. Serves them right for leaving me behind.
I stormed up to my dorm and slammed the curtains shut around my bed.
~oOo~
When Ron (who had just gotten out of the Hospital Wing) and I saw how the rest of the school were treating Harry and Hermione, we immediately rushed over to them.
"Just don't do that to me again." I stated, sighing at the dejected pair.
Seeing Darren and the other Slytherins laughing at Malfoy, I waved him over.
When he got within speaking range, I called out, "What did you do? We could use a laugh."
As he explained, a crowd of the other Gryffindors and some Hufflepuffs moved in to listen; eyes alight with unholy glee.
"….and so this morning he only took five minutes in the bathroom, but that only made things worse for him." Darren finished and the group roared with laughter.
I was laughing so hard that my eyes watered, Ron was hiccupping, Harry and Hermione had fallen out of their seats, and the elder twins had matching Cheshire grins.
"Today's going to be brilliant." I gasped.
~oOo~
Every time I spotted Malfoy the entire month after the 'juice' incident, I would look him up and down with the most disgusted expression I could muster. His embarrassment was priceless.
Some good news was all the paperwork had finally been filed and Darren and I could finally post fliers for auditions for our yet to be named band. We scheduled them to be during the weekend after exams finished so that it wouldn't interfere with people's studying. We had experienced enough vicious, study-mode Hermione to know that to do otherwise would be suicidal.
~oOo~
When Harry and Hermione finally got their detention, Ron and I decided to stay up to wait for them. As we waited, we wondered if all detentions could possibly take this long. It was almost ten when we fell asleep.
A few hours later, we were shaken awake by a very pale Hermione. Harry was pacing and shaking.
"What happened?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in concern.
As Harry explained that Voldemort was eating unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, I was so in shock that I started giggling hysterically.
"What's so funny?!" Harry demanded, still in a frenzy.
"It's not really, just… you are what you eat." I stated smally, trying to lighten up this devastating revelation.
Harry raised an eyebrow at me, Ron snickered, and Hermione shook her head.
"Anyway, now we know why Snape wants the stone." Harry stated firmly.
I slammed my face on the coffee table.
~oOo~
After that, Harry's scar seemed to start troubling him more and more. On top of that, exams were finally here. The written ones were tough, but manageable. The practical ones were just silly, though. Making a pineapple tap dance? Remembering how to make a forgetfulness potion? Classic.
When the exams were finished, all of us were hanging outside. Darren and I were deciding on our expectations for our potential drummer.
"Well, they definitely need to mesh with our playing style." I stated.
"And our skill level" Darren nodded.
"And not be an arse." I finished.
Harry made a small noise and grabbed his scar.
"D'you need to go to Pomfrey?" I asked, concerned for my friend.
"No, I think this means that something bad is coming. Also, I know there's something I'm forgetting." Harry grumbled, staring out at Hagrid resting on a chair on his porch.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he jumped up and started sprinting towards the gamekeeper's hut. Hermione, Ron, and I followed.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants most in the world is a dragon and that a stranger in a pub just so happens to offer him one as a prize?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"Shit. Oh, fucking shit." I swore.
We sped up.
Once we confirmed that Hagrid had told a stranger (and us) how to get past Fluffy, we ran to go try and find Dumbledore's office.
Snape hampered us and then McGonagall told us that Dumbledore isn't even here. We then split up to try and prevent anyone from getting Voldy the stone of wonders, were hampered again, and then Harry lost it after Hermione mentioned us possibly getting expelled for saving the stone.
"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight an dnothing you three say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" (HPSS pg. 270)
"You're right." Hermione said.
"I'll use my cloak." Harry stated, plotting.
That kook thought we'd let him go alone? I bopped him on the head and asked, "But will it cover all four of us?"
"All- all four of-" Harry started.
"You didn't think we'd let you go alone, did you?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Of course not." Hermione said briskly.
~oOo~