Black and Potter | H. Potter

58 ⋆*⋆:⋆ the attack.

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| THE ATTACK |
song: half light by banners.

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ARA'S BRAIN WAS FUZZY AND HER STOMACH WAS LURCHING AS IF IT WANTED TO SPILL EVERYTHING INSIDE OF HER BUT SHE TRIED NOT TO LET IT SHOW AS HARRY adjusted his grip on her, she felt him physically slumped in relief at the fact that McGonagall was taking them seriously. Her body was fighting an internal battle, Ara wanted to simultaneously get away from him and get closer to him. It wasn't good for her to be this pressed up against him after she'd accepted the feelings she'd been trying to ignore but seeing as she could barely stand on her own, she put aside her discomfort and let him wrap his arms around her.

"Weasley, you ought to come too," said Professor McGonagall. "Granger, you stay here."

Hermione nodded and she gave Ara one last gentle shoulder squeeze, whispering, "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Venus—" Ara croaked out. She hadn't forgotten about the pale grey cat that had been peacefully snoozing at the end of her bed.

"I'll give her food if you don't come back in time, don't worry," Hermione assured.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the common room, through the portrait hole, and off along the Fat Lady's moonlight corridor. Ara didn't have the energy to ask Harry what he'd seen, to get him to explain, but the look on his face, so haunted, terrified and pale, was enough to have her panicking. His hands were shaking around her frame but they were still firmly and tightly holding her up. In spite of her weakness—which she hated—she managed to raise her fingers and touch his, which were on her shoulder.

She heard him exhale a ragged breath as she tried to give him the little comfort she had to offer at the moment.

She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her face as she stumbled slightly, her eyes fluttering, and not a second later, she felt Ron on her other side as he offered her support as well, both boys practically carrying her entire weight by now. They passed Mrs. Norris, who turned her lamp-like eyes upon them and hissed faintly, but Professor McGonagall said, "Shoo!" Mrs. Norris slunk away into the shadows, and in a few minutes, they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumvledore's office.

"Are you okay? Ara?" Harry whispered frantically when Ara's legs almost gave up on her.

She nodded, whipping her nose with her sleeve, giving it a disgusted look after.

"Fizzing Whizbee," said Professor McGonagall.

The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside; the wall behind it split in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continuously upward like a spiral escalator. The four of them stepped onto the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud, and they moved upward in tight circles until they reached the highly polished oak door with the brass knocker shaped like a griffin.

Though it was now well past midnight, there were voices coming from inside the room, a positive babble of them. It sounded as though Dumbledore was entertaining at least a dozen people.

Professor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker, and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched the mall off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Ara, Harry and Ron inside.

The room was in half darkness; the strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did. The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames. Behind the door, a magnificent red and gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing.