I do not own anything. I'm just translating. The characters belong to the great J.K. Rowling. The story belongs to the amazing Brigi. Her e-mail: tbwtpbe [et]

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IMPORTANT NEWS: I have a new beta-reader, Seerstella. She was king enough to offer me help with this. Thank you very much.

Beta-read by Seerstella.

THE BOY WITH THE PIERCING BLUE EYES

Chapter 31 – Running away (part 2)

Harry lazily entered the common room. It was quiet with nobody around. He believed everyone was already sleeping peacefully, tired out by the party last night. He climbed upstairs thinking about how fast he'd fall asleep once his head hits the pillow. To his surprise, there was a light coming out of the room. Peeking in, he called out,

"You're still awake?"

"Harry!"

"Harry! At last!"

"Where have you been?"

"Not with Cho, right?" Hermione demanded angrily.

Harry grimaced in surprise but didn't say no.

"I knew it!" the girl threw her jacked to the ground.

The boy looked at Ron questioningly, but he just shook his head.

"Never mind her. She's finished with protecting the rights of the house elves, now it's the girls."

Hermione looked like a crazy woman. Her eyes were red with anger with her hair flailing around her face.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Hermione?" Harry looked at her.

"You're a shameless bastard!"

"Huh?"

"How could you cheat on your girlfriend? You asshole! You're not my friend anymore!"

"It's not my fault! It's Ginny's!"

"What?!"

"She kissed me! I didn't even see it coming!" Harry continued, but when his eyes met Ginny's, they smiled at each other.

"What?" everyone asked in shock.

"Ginny, did you kiss Harry?" Ron turned to the blushing girl.

"Oh, come on! I didn't want to seduce him, or anything!"

"Who said anything about Ginny?" Hermione continued shouting, though she was also surprised about the incident. "What did you do with Cho?"

"Don't come with Cho!" Harry exclaimed. "We got into a big argument, if you want to know!"

The anger disappeared from Hermione's face, and curiosity took its place.

"What happened?" she asked with a calmer tone.

"What do you think happened?" Harry sighed. "She asked me to go to the park and started with her speech about how sorry she is and that we should give us one more chance. Then she brought up Marietta and I mentioned Cedric and she slapped me," he said on a monotonous voice, but couldn't admit being slapped without blushing.

"Oh man!" Seamus gasped.

"Then she pulled out a joint and fainted." Harry continued and shrugged. "I had to drag her to the common room."

"What? Oh Merlin!"

"Stupid bitch!" Harry shrugged again. "I didn't think she could do something like this. Shameless; and she was always a hypocrite. What shy and withdrawn…!"

He dropped onto the bed and fell back, letting his head rest in Hermione's lap.

"I miss Marie so much…"

"Um, speaking of which!" Ron said. "Hedwig's not back yet?"

"No…" Harry murmured. "Even though I spent the whole evening in the Owlery."

For a few moments everyone was silent.

"By the way, how was the party?"

"It was good!" Ron said while stretching.

"Everyone was jealous of Snape." Dean took over while trying to wash the paint off of his face. "Professor Dareling was very pretty and she danced with Snape almost all the time. It's a pity they left so early too…"

"Hm…" Harry smiled mysteriously.

"You know," Ginny sighed. "I don't really want to go to bed now."

"I'm not sleepy either," Hermione muttered.

"What time is it? Jeez, it's half past seven…"

"Soon, we can go to have breakfast."

The grumbling stomachs told everyone to have breakfast instead of sleeping.

"Ok, see you in the Great Hall."

Lamerin and Severus left their rooms at the same time and as they met, a smile appeared on the boy's tired face. Standing on tip-toes, he tried looking over his father's shoulder, as if expecting someone else to come out from the man's room. Severus was so surprised about this that he too looked back into his room.

"What?" he asked while closing the door.

"A-are you alone?"

"Yes, but I don't think I understand what you mean…"

"Well…" Lamerin looked disappointed. "Aren't you and Miss Dareling… together now?"

"We are." His father smiled.

"But… you're not going to lock her in, right?"

"No. She's not here anymore. She went back to her room earlier." The Potions Master answered with a grin as they stepped out to the Slytherin corridors. "She didn't want you to feel uncomfortable seeing her… in my room…"

"So the night went well, huh?" Lamerin surprised his father with a very suggestive question.

The professor, slowly getting used to his son's offensive questions, could only hum in embarrassment while thinking –unnecessarily – about where he went wrong with the boy's upbringing.

"And you? Where have you been?"

"Oh, here and there," the boy replied mysteriously. "You won't believe how many places I've gone to. I bit a few necks."

On the corridors, they met with very few students. After the party last night, they were probably sleeping in late. However, Professor Dareling was waiting for them by the door. Lamerin nodded with a smile and made his way to the Gryffindor table, leaving the two adults alone.

Rowena walked closer, and after the last student disappeared from the corridor, she hugged Severus. After a light peck on the lips they looked at each other with a barely concealed passion.

"You seem tired," Severus said.

I didn't sleep much last night." Rowena's eyes shined playfully. "You've been on my mind…" she said a bit more seriously. "Our relationship…"

For a while they looked at each other lovingly, and then the woman took his hand.

"Come on, let's eat something…"

Only after sitting down, they were able to notice how deserted the Great Hall was. Only a few students sat at the tables. Harry was leaning over his food, blowing it to cool it down. As soon as he noticed the Potions Master watching him, he looked up and waved at the man with a smile.

The others looked up too, to see who Harry was waving to, and Snape started to feel uncomfortable, so he started concentrating on his food instead.

"So, what are we doing today?" Lamerin asked, drinking up his pumpkin juice.

"Sleeping," the Gryffindors murmured.

"Harry, how about I make you a Divination homework for a History of Magic one?" Ron suggested.

"Nope." His friend grinned. "But here, you can copy mine." Harry took out his.

"What? You've already done yours? I don't know you anymore…" He turned away playfully, as if to leave him.

Hermione just smiled at them as she put away one of her essays. But her expression changed as she saw Harry gripping his shoulder and massaging it from time to time.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry… Does your shoulder still hurt?"

Because the other day Hermione was the boy's fencing partner, but the stage was fitted together clumsily, thus the girl stumbled and stabbed Harry with her sword. The fencing clothes had protected him, but Harry had a big purple bruise as a result. He claimed that it sometimes made him feel uncomfortable, when he had to write or move a lot, but he wasn't in a great deal of pain.

"No, Hermione, it's okay. You know what? Let's have dinner! It'll be easier to study after that."

After gathering their belongings, they joined the others as they made their way to the well-lit Great Hall. Harry missed the pumpkin lanterns, and the flickering golden light they made, but the floating candles were just as beautiful. The delicious-looking meat and dishes made everyone's mouth water.

The silverware's cluttering could be heard as the students began their dinner, but some of them looked up when the evening owls arrived. Surprisingly, many of them read the Evening Prophet, so a few students got their paper landing on the food. Harry watched the ceiling wistfully, hoping to see his beautiful bird with the much awaited answer.

In a weird, uncertainly flying feather ball, he could recognize his owl.

"Hedwig?" he muttered ominously.

When the bird began to fall towards the table, Harry jumped up in horror.

"Hedwig!"

At this time, thanks to Harry's loud voice, several people noticed the dazed owl. Harry, maneuvering between the plates and glasses, ran on the table with outstretched hands to catch the falling bird. His house-mates didn't appreciate this action, watching his shoes barely missing their plates, but the boy didn't care about anything or anyone at the moment. He managed to catch the bird and held it like a baby. Jumping off of the table, he looked at the poor animal.

Hedwig looked terrible. The feathers on her head were messy, and minor injuries could be seen on her beak. The skin around it was red and it looked like it was cracked.

"Oh, Hedwig! What happened to you?" he asked anxiously.

His friends ran over to him.

"What happened, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"She's hurt… someone hurt my owl!" the boy paled. "And there's no letter!"

The commotion got the teachers' attention too, and McGonagall approached them with a strict face.

"Potter! May I ask what this is abo…"

"Professor!" Harry pushed through the crowd. "My bird's injured!" he held out Hedwig.

His anxious expression seemed to soften the woman.

"Let me see…"

"Professor, do you think" he whispered. "…that something… happened to Marie? And that's why she's hurt…"

The woman just hummed as they hurried towards the teachers' table.

"Hagrid…"

"What if they hurt Marie?"

"Silence, Potter! Hagrid, can you take a look at this owl?"

The giant laid the feeble bird in his huge palm and examined it.

"Don't worry, Professor," he muttered. "A little herb solution," he looked at Professor Sprout, who nodded encouragingly. "…and she'll be fine. No need to worry, Harry."

"I think," Dumbledore rose from his seat "I should send an owl to the French colleagues."

He gracefully walked out of the Great Hall.

With his heart pounding, Harry followed Hagrid to the giant's hut, Ron and Hermione joining them.

The girl took everything from Hagrid's desk, so he can place the bird on it. Ron tentatively stroked Hedwig's wing, while Harry almost cried looking at the helpless bird. He felt just as powerless as last year, when Umbridge attacked Hedwig. He put his chin on the table and looked the animal in the eyes.

"Hedwig, are you okay?" he whispered as he stroked her small, feathered head. The owl only hooted once weakly. "Have… have you found Marie?"

However, the bird started flailing and hooting violently.

"It's like she wants to say something." Hermione said bitterly.

"It's okay, take it easy." Harry tried soothing her.

"Do you think this means that something happened to Marie?" Ron asked, as they made their way back to the castle.

However, Harry seemed to be in shock since he didn't say a word. He kept staring ahead grimly, sometimes muttering, but not really saying anything.

They climbed up to the Gryffindor tower, trying to avoid the others to go to the boy's room. But as soon as they sat down, Harry came up with a terrible idea.

"I'm going to see Marie."

"What?" Hermione yelled, almost falling off the bed.

"Sending another owl would take a week to get there! I don't have that much time! If she's in trouble, then I have to do something now!"

"You can't just go there!"

"Hermione's right, Harry! You can't run away from Hogwarts!"

"I have to see her, don't you understand? Or at least talk to her to know that she's okay!"

"Then… then call her! Maybe someone has a phone in Hogsmeade," the girl suggested.

"Come on, Hermione, have you ever seen an electric wire in the village?"

However, the idea stayed in Harry's mind.

"Hogsmeade, of course," he slapped his forehead. "I don't have to run away. We are allowed to go to the village the day after tomorrow! No one will notice that I'm gone! I'll leave early. As soon as possible. Then I'll just have to find an abandoned street and hail the Knight Bus and…"

"No!" Both his friend objected. "No way!"

"You can't go alone!" Ron insisted. "It'd be dangerous. You know that they are watching you! I'm coming with you!"

"Ron!" Hermione raised her voice. "What's wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?"

"Do you want him to go alone? You know that he can be attacked anytime! There has to be someone with him, so he won't be completely unprotected!"

"You'll both be expelled! I can't let you leave!"

"They won't even notice!" Harry insisted. "Or do you want to tell on us now? We'll deny it, no matter what you say!"

"Harry Potter!" the girl said in a dangerously low voice. "How dare you assume that I want you deliberately get into trouble?!"

"Then come with us!" the two boys suggested at the same time.

Hermione paled.

"Okay…" she finally said, making her friends grin. "But only to have someone to get you out of trouble."

"How are we going to deceive the Knight Bus?"

"Just change our appearances. We have to wear Muggle clothes to not stand out in London."

"London?"

"We're going there, so we have to look like Muggles. And we should change some of our features with spells."

"But we'll still look like children."

"Not if we drink a little age-altering potion." Hermione smiled mischievously.

The two boys looked at her blankly.

"We had to make this on Snape's class, Harry. Don't you remember?"

"Hermione, you're an angel!"