Harry. Get up. Breakfast."
Harry was barely awake but he still felt the thud of a pillow hitting the back of his head, presumably thrown by Ron. He groaned and forced himself to sit up, pushing the rogue pillow away and groping for his glasses.
"What time is it?" he asked groggily, pushing his glasses onto his face.
"Five minutes before we're leaving for breakfast," Ron told him and Harry groaned again, falling backwards onto his pillows.
"Great."
"What's up with you?" Ron's voice asked curiously from across the room. Harry could hear voices and movement around the dormitory, and presumed that everyone else was already up and getting ready, "You're normally first up out of everyone. Did Malfoy keep you up last night?"
Harry heard Seamus mutter something, and Ron and Dean both laughed in response. He immediately sat up, irritably disentangling his feet from the duvet and clambering out of bed. "If that was a gay joke I'm going to hex you."
"Course not," Seamus grinned at him and Harry flipped him two fingers in reply. Seamus winked and sauntered off towards the bathroom, leaving Harry torn between laughing and throwing something at the back of his head.
"No dreams then?" Ron asked as he did his tie up, glancing over his shoulder to check none of the others were listening.
Harry paused, his hand stilling on his stomach as he scratched his bellybutton. He frowned. "No, actually."
Ron frowned right back. "He's stopped taking the dreamless sleep, right?"
"That's what he said," Harry shrugged, shaking his head slowly from side to side. He paused. "Something feels different."
"Maybe you did both dream but you can't remember it?" Ron suggested as Harry tried to focus and locate some clean clothes. "Are you sure you're alright? You don't look with it."
"I dunno," Harry said slowly. "It feels…" he trailed off, unable to properly explain it. His head felt strange – more specifically, the bit in his head concerned with the link felt strange. It felt sluggish and heavy, like it was still fast asleep. Maybe Malfoy was still asleep? No, that couldn't be it. He knew when Malfoy was asleep because he'd felt it before, and it didn't feel like this, like his brain was trying to wade through treacle.
"I think someone's stunned Malfoy, or knocked him out," Harry said distractedly. "The link feels weird."
"Really?" Ron asked, sounding intrigued. "Weird in what way?"
"All slow and heavy," Harry said, trying to focus and struggling. "God, this is strange."
Ron checked his watch. "Need to go to the hospital wing? Or McGonagall?"
Harry thought for a moment. "No. We'll go to breakfast and ask Hermione."
Ron clicked his fingers and nodded. "That'd work. She's been reading more into this link than you have, I don't know where she finds the time."
Harry nodded but didn't reply; he was too busy trying to get his brain to function so he could get dressed, and thinking about what could have happened for the link to feel like this. He was worried; after all, Neville wasn't a Legilimency pro by any standards, and McGonagall had always said they'd been lucky to avoid any nasty side-effects. Maybe this was it? Or maybe Malfoy was sick, and that's what the feeling was. Or maybe his earlier joke to Ron had been accurate, and someone had stunned Malfoy. Irrationally his mind jumped to Ginny – he could easily imagine her sending a surreptitious stunner Malfoy's way if the opportunity presented itself.
