human again / hp.

Chapter 91

I woke up to whispers.

Not the usual soft murmur of sleepy students trying to avoid the impending wrath of morning, but hushed, urgent voices that made it clear something big was happening. My head was still swimming with sleep, the familiar fog not yet lifted, but the sounds creeping through the room pulled me out of it: the shuffle of feet, blankets rustling, and the occasional gasp. It was more than just normal dorm chatter.

Groaning, I turned over in my four-poster bed, desperate to ignore whatever was going on. It was way too early for this.

"—so then McGonagall came—"

"—he was, like, green, I swear—"

"—the Weasleys all left in the middle of the night—"

I cracked one eye open, just enough to see Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil crouched near the window, their Christmas pajamas still on, eyes wide and brimming with excitement. It didn't take long to notice that the rest of the Gryffindor girls were all awake too, either whispering or leaning in to listen, captivated by whatever they were hearing.

Still groggy, I propped myself up on one elbow, rubbing my eyes in a desperate attempt to wake up. "What's going on?" I muttered, my voice raspy from sleep.

Lavender whipped around instantly, practically vibrating with the thrill of whatever juicy tidbit she was about to spill. "Harry had a vision last night," she said, her voice a little too loud for the early hour, but it didn't seem to matter. "He woke up looking absolutely dreadful—throwing up and everything—and then he told everyone that he saw Arthur Weasley getting attacked by this huge snake—"

I blinked, eyes fully opening now. "Wait—what?"

Lavender nodded eagerly, her eyes wide as saucers. "That's what I said! It was insane! But he was totally shaken up about it. Like, beyond freaked out. And then McGonagall showed up, and she took him straight to Dumbledore."

My stomach did a little flip. "Do we know what happened after that?" I asked, already feeling the familiar coil of worry tightening in my chest.

Parvati shook her head, her expression grim. "Not much, except that the entire Weasley family left the castle in the middle of the night. No one knows where they went, but it's gotta be something serious. It was all hush-hush."

I leaned back against the headboard, my mind racing. So Harry had seen this attack... happening. In real-time? That wasn't normal—not even for him. And the Weasleys leaving... it was all too much for my brain to process at once.

"Well, this is just great," I muttered under my breath, tossing the covers aside and grabbing my robes. "I'm going to breakfast. I need to think, and food seems like a good place to start."

The Great Hall was quieter than usual—probably because half the students were still tucked in bed, recovering from the heavy holiday feast the night before. The enchanted ceiling above us was a dull gray, thick clouds hanging low, matching the mood. There was a faint scent of cinnamon and nutmeg in the air, a leftover reminder of the holiday cheer that had been so much more enjoyable last night.

I made my way to the Slytherin table and sat down beside Daphne Greengrass, who was already halfway through a croissant, casually flipping through a book but not looking particularly engaged with either the food or the pages.

"Morning," I grumbled, snagging a piece of toast from the basket.

Daphne didn't even glance at me. Instead, she took a slow sip of her tea and gave me a half-hearted hum. "You look like you got run over by the Knight Bus."