Fire and Ice

Missing Sisters

"Hey, Harry, have you seen Ginny?"

In the deserted Great Hall, Harry looked up from his messy notes, into the watery blue eyes of Ronald Weasley.

"Huh?" Harry replied, blinking. It was past midnight, and he had been awake for over thirteen hours. Shaking his messy hair, Harry took off his glasses to clean them with the edge of his pale yellow tee shirt.

"Ginny," Ron repeated, as he sat opposite his best friend. "I've not seen her since she came out of the hospital this morning. Mate, you need to sleep," he said suddenly.

Harry shook his head miserably. "I can't," he muttured, gesturing towards his scribbles laid out in front of him. Ron glanced down at them, and burst out laughing.

"Homework!?" He said incredulously. "Mate, you were on Dumbledore's mission. I'm sure the professors would let you off a couple parchments."

Harry shook his head blearily. "You'd think that, but somehow, it's not the case."

"Sorry, mate," Ron said sympathetically, leaning across to slap Harry on the shoulder. "Just come to bed. I know you've been having trouble sleeping, I've heard you tossing and turning. Pomphrey might be able to give you a sleeping potion, you-"

"Leave it, Ron, I'm fine. I'll come up in a few, okay? I just need to finish off this piece."

"Alright, alright, it's for your own good though. Bloody hell, I sound like Hermione."

Shaking his head disbelievingly, Ron stood and turned away, heading for the Great Hall exit.

"Ron!" Harry called suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"The Ginny thing... Have you asked Hermione if she'd seen her? She was the last person I saw talk to Gin."

Frowning slightly, Ron sat back down and itched his head, wrinkling his freckly nose.

"I did ask her, actually. She was... evasive, to be honest. Kept saying 'Why would I know, Ron... I haven't seen her...', I dunno. But what would Hermione know?"

"Yeah, she's probably just annoyed that she doesn't have an answer."

The two Gryffindors laughed.

"Anyway, I'm just worried," Ron said quietly. "After the whole... Quidditch thing, and the Mal- Lucius thing, I just worry."

Harry grew quiet, as he thought of the Quidditch fiasco. He close his eyes as he imagined Draco Malfoy swooping down and catching Ginny, as Harry watched, motionless and in shock.

Harry's mouth dropped open.

Quickly gathering his books and parchment, Harry said, "I'm nearly done, I'll meet you in our dorm."

Bemused at the fact that Harry didn't want to walk with him, Ron nodded and waved. He turned and left.

Slinging his bag over his left shoulder, Harry's right hand tightened over his wand as he left the hall, in the opposite direction.

Towards the abandoned classrooms corridor.