Grindelwald's Burden (Books 1-7)

85. Christmas On The Closed Ward

Professor McGonagall was walking Y/n back to Gryffindor Tower. As they walked, Y/n quietly told her about what they had learned about Mr Weasley's condition. 

"It sounds as if St Mungo's is in for a serious amount of work of hard work." McGonagall said but Y/n could tell she was still frustrated on having to deal with Umbridge earlier. 

"Do you think Mr Weasley will pull through Professor?" Y/n dared to ask.

"I cannot say that I know Grindelwald." McGonagall told him. "The attack only just happened and we don't fully understand how it happened to begin with, Nor do we know the full severity of Mr Weasley's injuries." But like always she pulled herself together and remained resolute. "But dare I say Mr Weasley will not give up easily." 

Y/n just nodded as they came to the portrait of the Fat Lady who was feigning to be asleep. "I will be fine from here Professor." Y/n told McGonagall now.

"Are you certain Grindelwald?" McGonagall asked him. 

"Yes, after tonight I just want to go to bed." Y/n said sounding tired.

"Very well Grindelwald, do try to get some sleep." Professor McGonagall said understanding his exhaustion as she too was feeling tired from the night's events. She left Y/n now and he turned his attention to the Fat Lady saying the password to get back in.

"Does anyone intend to let me sleep tonight?" The Fat Lady asked annoyed by the interruption as the portrait to the common room opened. 

"Real people do not snore like that when they are asleep." Y/n told her indicating he could tell she had been faking being asleep to eavesdrop.   

Y/n entered the common room but having returned alone in the middle of the night he found it eerily quiet. As he looked around he could see the House Elves had already cleaned the room so he would have no chance of encountering one, they had also put the fire out for the night as the room lay only lit by moonlight that shone through Gryffindor towers many windows. 

Y/n turned his gaze to the stairs that led to his dormitory. He thought of the others in their dorm who might be curious as to what was going on after being woken up in such a way, but he couldn't tell them. Dumbledore had made it clear no one was to know how much they all knew. Except for Hermione, he could tell Hermione...but how? She would be fast asleep in her dorm right now and Y/n had no way of climbing the stairs to the girls' dorms without setting off the stairs like Ron had done before. During the day it had been amusing to everyone but If it went off at night...it could give the girls a severe fright as well as have dire consequences for Y/n being labeled as a creep. He was considering waiting till morning when an idea struck him, but would it work? He wasn't sure. 

He was debating if using his Animagus form of a cat would allow him to reach Hermione's dorm room. Dementors and Matgots had been tricked by Animagus forms in the past he reasoned as he looked to the Girl Dorms stairs and decided he would take the risk, with this plan he didn't have the risk of being immediately caught out. 

Closing his eyes he only had to wait a moment as his form changed and soon he had four paws on the common room floor completely as a cat. He carefully made his way to the Girl's dorm stairs giving them another look before he decided to be brave. Reaching a paw forward he stepped forward onto the first step and waited...but nothing happened. Not wanting to waste any time he started to ascend the stairs.  

Soon he reached the door he remembered Hermione describing as her dorm room in previous conversations. He sat down in front of it as he tried to think of a way he could get Hermione's attention from inside. The first idea was to change back and knock on the door, but that would only set the stairs off making his whole endeavor pointless. He was too small to reach the door's handle so entering the room was out of the question as well. Only one idea remained but Y/n didn't feel very dignified by it as he closed his eyes and started to scratch the door and let out timed meows.