ᴀ ᴅ ʀ ɪ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ᴇ [1]

21. in the firelight

chapter twenty-one

IN THE FIRELIGHT

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HARRY JERKED AWAKE, HIS EARS RINGING with the ghost of a scream.

"Whazzat?" Ron mumbled, also awake.

"Someone screamed!" Neville whimpered, confirming the obvious.

"What?" Seamus and Dean asked in union.

"NO! Get away!" came another scream, and Harry sat up, worried at the panicked tone. "Don't look at me!"

Harry jumped out of bed and ran to the door, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean right behind him. He bolted down the staircase and into the common room, Parvati, Hermione and Lavender racing from their stairwell at the same time.

"What's happening?" Harry asked, worried.

"I heard a scream!" squealed Lavender.

"What the bloody hell's going on?" mumbled Ron, still half asleep.

Harry looked around the common room, searching for the screamer, only to find Sas, sobbing, cowering behind a couch, and Ada, standing next to the fire, blinking and looking at her hands, very confused.

"Ada," Harry sighed, "what did you do?"

Ada looked up from her hands, pissed.

"I didn't bloody well do anything!" she said, outraged. "Why do people always assume it's me? It's not always my fault! I haven't done anything, and I have absolutely no idea why Saskia has just burst into dramatic hysterics and hidden behind the sofa, crying her eyes out!"

"Her eyes!" Sas burst out, standing and pointing at Ada, tears tracing down her smooth, soft cheeks. "They - they were - like - like blood, only - they were on - on fire, and when - when I looked in them, I - Isaw-"

Sas began to sob again, throwing herself on Harry and crying into his shoulder. Harry stiffened and awkwardly patted her shoulder, not really knowing what to do with hysterical girls crying on him. Ada never does this, he thought as he struggled to breathe; Sas's arms were very tight around his neck. But then again, Ada isn't really a normal eleven-year-old - she doesn't sleep and apparently her eyes go red.

"What did you see?" Hermione asked, coming up beside Harry and laying a bracing hand on Sas's shaking back. Harry continued patting her shoulder stiffly as everyone except Ada crowded around.

Sas shook her head, hair brushing against Harry's neck and generally just making him feel weird. Everyone continued staring expectantly at her, so Harry said, "She shook her head. I don't think she wants to say."

Harry and the rest of the first years turned to Ada again, who was holding up a gold vase and frowning at her reflection, making a few weird expressions.

"Well?" asked Parvati. "Is it true? Did your eyes go red?"

Ada looked up, and quickly put the vase down, taking the ridiculously wide-eyed expression off her face.

"Umm. . ." she said awkwardly. "I - I don't know. My eyes aren't red, but, y'know, they're not really what you'd call regular eyes and. . . it's possible. Either way, they're back their normal blue or silver at the moment, so, yeah."

"Is it possible,though?" asked Neville. "I mean, is it possible for your eyes to go red?"

Ron palmed his forehead.