Chapter 11

110 9 0
                                    

Rebecca had originally planned on going to bed without the draught, certain that she was tired enough that it was unnecessary.  Hermione, out of an abundance of caution, argued differently.

"Please, please just drink it."  Hermione grasped for reasons as to why Rebecca would be wary.  "Is it because you're worried you won't be able to wake up?  I'll make sure you're awake!"

Rebecca made a face and took out her cup and the draught.  "Get out of my head."

Hermione threw her pillow at Rebecca, catching Ginny's attention.  "We're throwing things?!"  Ginny scrambled to her top drawer, pulling out a dusty white ball.  Rebecca ignored it while Hermione hid behind a pillow.

"No, we're not!"  Hermione shouted out, laughing.

Rebecca enchanted the water to be warmed and made the tea, adding in the drops of concentrate as Madam Pomfrey instructed her too.  Sipping from the drink, Rebecca narrowed her eyes at Ginny's weapon of choice.  "What even is that?"

Ginny tossed it up and down a few times before putting it back gently in her drawer.  "A snowball."

"A...snowball?"  Hermione's jaw dropped.  "From when?"

Ginny refused to answer when the snowball was from, but did look to Rebecca with a grin.  "You should pass that on: Never-melting snowballs."

"Pass to whom?"  Hermione asked as she pulled her blankets up over her, thinking Ginny was talking to her.

"Not you."  Ginny said sassily.  "Becs and the prank-makers."

"That sounds like a wicked band."  Rebecca said, continuing to rearrange her pile of blankets until it was the perfect level of messy.

"I know I've asked before," Hermione started.  "But why can't you make your bed like a normal person?"

Rebecca drank more from her tea, already feeling the exhaustion creep up on her.  "What?  What's not normal about this?"

Hermione pointed to the different blankets and how not a one was actually laid out but how they were piled on and about without a single semblance of order.  "There's absolutely nothing normal about any of that."

Rebecca reached down and tidied the corner of one blanket, making it so her foot that had been uncovered was covered.  "There.  Happy?  Nice and orderly."

Hermione shook her head in utter disbelief of the oddities of her roommates and turned her lamp off.

"And you'll make sure I'm up?"  Rebecca asked only a moment after the room was dark.

"Yes!"


*******************************************


Ron was awake when Harry sat up in his bed the next morning--the morning of the event.  Through barely-opened eyes, Ron watched conflicted after Seamus' actions the day before.

"Seamus crossed a line."  Ron thought.

Harry got up and put his glasses on, eying the bag at the on his trunk resignedly.  Harry took a cursory glance around the room to see that the others were all sleeping and tore the paper quietly.

Ron watched, silently observing how Harry held the red and gold uniform in his hands to sit on his bed.  Minutes passed, Harry not moving until he had steeled himself inside.  Pulling the kit on and taking only the slightest glance at the POTTER across his back, Harry left the room.

Ron was more conflicted than when he had first opened his eyes.


*******************************************

Found AIAOY 4Where stories live. Discover now