A.J RYAN IN THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 19 - Snake Attack

Later that night, A.J had crept back into an empty, silent common room, and extinguished fire.

She awoke in the chair as hurried steps sounded from the boy's dormitory. Neville burst through the door.

"Neville?" She jumped to her feet anxiously.

"Harry . . . dreams . . . he vomited." Neville said in a scared voice. "Going to get Professor McGonagall."

A.J nodded, then turned and ran up the spiral staircase to Harry's room.

She entered the fifth-year dorm room to see Harry in a layer of sweat, his sheets wrapped around him, and three of his roommates standing at the end of his bed looking alarmed.

"No! It wasn't a dream...not an ordinary dream ...not an ordinary dream...I was there, I saw it...I did it..."

Seamus and Dean were muttering, and Ron was rather calm. Harry was shivering and retched over the side of the bed again.

A.J walked forwards and waved her wand over the mess and Harry's face. It was easy to ignore the churning in her stomach as she focused on Harry.

"There's nothing wrong with me, it's your dad you've got to worry about – we need to find where he is – he's bleeding like mad – I was – it was a huge snake."

Harry explained the situation again when Professor McGonagall arrived. She gazed at him horrified.

"I believe you Potter. Put on your dressing gown – we're going to see the Headmaster." She ordered curtly.

Harry jumped out of bed, relieved that she believed him.

"Weasley, you ought to come too." She said

She gave a glance to A.J. Can you help him calm down? She thought.

A.J nodded and waited until Harry had finished putting on his dressing gown. She placed her hands on either side on Harry's shoulders. "Can you look at me for a moment?" She said quietly.

Harry felt a calmness wash over him, he had stopped shivering and was now only focused on the urgency of saving Mr Weasley. A.J removed her hands and stepped aside as Professor McGonagall, Harry and Ron rushed out of the room. A.J turned to look at the silent figures of Neville, Dean and Seamus; "Are you lot okay?" She asked kindly.

They stared at her still in shock. "Okay, fair enough. Sit down." She placed all three of them beside each other on Harry's bed and looked all three of them in the eyes until each of them was calm enough for her to speak. "It is very important that you do not repeat any of what has just happened, do you understand?"

All three of them nodded at her eagerly.

"Okay, you can return to bed now." A.J turned to leave to room.

"What did you do to us?" Dean asked tentatively.

She turned back from the doorway; "Calming charm."

A.J arrived in the common room to find Professor McGonagall had gone to wake Ginny.

A.J headed once more up the boy's spiral stairs this time to the seventh-year dorm.

She cast charms around what appeared to be the twin's beds and shook them awake.

They groaned. "Professor McGonagall needs you now. It's urgent." When they didn't move fast enough, she upturned their mattresses tossing them on to the floor, with a flick of her wand.

They glared at her in the dark, unable to focus their eyes.

"Dressing gowns, downstairs now." She said urgently, turning to leave the dorm room.