chap11pg2

�Hey Ron,� he asked, �Did you know that you still have that mark from the Quidditch game on your forehead?� Ron went slightly pink.
�You noticed it?� he asked. Hermione peered at Ron�s forehead, obviously making him a little embarrassed.
�Wow,� she said, �I thought you said that mark was going to fade!�
�Well,� he said, shifting in his seat, �I guess it wasn�t treated quickly enough to prevent the scar.�
�Hey, I guess that makes you and Harry twins now!� laughed Hermione. Both boys shifted uneasily. Hermione laughed again. �Oh, I was just joking, guys, calm down!�
But Hermione had hit an untouched nerve. Harry knew that Ron had always been jealous of Harry�s fame. He remembered the time last year when Harry and Ron had a fight, and Harry had thrown a �Potter Really Stinks� badge at him. It had hit Ron in the forehead, and Harry had said �You might even have a scar now, if you�re lucky�. That�s what you want, isn�t it?� Harry still felt horrible about saying that, but now that Ron actually had a scar on his forehead, he felt even worse.
He looked at Ron, who was smoothing his hair over his forehead. Ron had obviously remembered the incident. Hermione hadn�t seen the fight, so she didn�t understand why the boys were so uncomfortable, but she decided to change the subject quickly.
�Did you get your Invisibility Cloak out of the trunk yet, Harry?� Hermione asked hastily. Harry stood up. Ron looked at the floor.
�No, I�ll get it now,� he said dryly. He walked upstairs to his room. He opened his trunk, and pulled out the flowing, silver cloak. He shook out the wrinkles, and brought it downstairs. Hermione and Ron were sitting silently on the couch. Ron avoided eye contact with him as he sat back down. They all stared silently at each other at a loss for words. Hermione struggled to make conversation.
�Well, we only have forty-five minutes left,� she assured them. �When you go, Harry, try to remember everything that Snape writes. Maybe you should bring something to write things down with.�
�I think I�ll be fine,� Harry said curtly. Hermione looked hurt. She obviously knew she had caused a problem, although she didn�t know why. She stood up hurriedly, with a troubled look on her face.
�Well, I don�t know what�s wrong with you two,� she said, �But you�d better sort it out. I�m going upstairs.� She turned on her heel and walked upstairs, peeking back at them once to see if there had been any improvement. They hadn�t moved, so she continued upstairs.Harry looked at Ron. He was staring at the floor blankly. He opened his mouth to talk, but he didn�t know what to say. Ron broke the silence.
�I know what you�re thinking,� he said, �And I just wanted to let you know that I�m not mad at you. It was a long time ago, and you were stressed about the tournament.� He finally looked at Harry with a dismal look on his face.
�No Ron,� Harry said, �You have every right to be angry with me. That was quite possibly the stupidest thing I�ve ever said. I�m really, really sorry.� He still didn�t know why he�d ever said that, but there was no changing the past, and he had to acknowledge his mistake.
�Don�t worry about it,� Ron said. �Listen, it�s 11:15, perhaps we should call for Hermione.�
�Alright,� he agreed. He walked up to the foot of the stairs. �Hermione!� he yelled. He heard footsteps above him as she hurried down the stairs.
�What is it?� she asked anxiously.
�I�m leaving now,� he said, as he gathered up the cloak and put it on. Only his head was visible as he walked up to the door.
�I�m still getting used to that,� Ron mumbled to Hermione.
�Ok, so I�ll be back within an hour,� Harry confirmed with his friends. He pulled his hood over his head, and pushed open the portrait of the fat lady. He stepped outside into the dark hallway.
�Good luck,� Hermione whispered. Harry hurried off through the dim corridors. He walked quietly, peering around every corner warily, just to check to see if anyone was there. He was tiptoeing towards Snape�s office when he heard voices in the hall. He quickly pressed himself to the wall, breathing quietly. He heard footsteps coming, and he nervously squeezed tightly into a corner. Suddenly, he saw two men walk in front of him. They were talking to each other, and their voices seemed strangely familiar.
�Quickly now, we don�t want to be late,� one said.
�I know, but we mustn�t be seen,� the other said, �I don�t know how someone would react if they saw me in the hallway.� Harry knew he had heard these voices before. He quietly followed them, trying to see where they were going.
�Maybe you should change,� the first man said.
�No, we�re almost there, I think we�re safe now,� the second man said. They stopped at an ugly stone gargoyle. Harry recognized this as Dumbledore�s office.
�Fizzing Whizbees,� said one of the men. The gargoyle jumped aside, and the wall opened to reveal a moving spiral staircase. They stepped on it, and Harry followed them silently. The staircase twisted upwards, and Harry became slightly dizzy. It stopped at a large oak door. The men knocked on the door, and it swung open. They walked into Dumbledore�s lighted room, and Harry saw the back of their heads. Dumbledore stood up at his desk as Harry slinked around to the other side of the room to get a better look at the men. His mouth fell open when he saw who they were.