| Chapter 21 -Alcoves and Altercations Continued |
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| �Make it stop, Hermione!� he heard himself yelling out loud. He grasped his head so tightly it felt as if it were about to cave in. He put his forehead on the floor, not knowing how much longer he�d be able to stand the pain. Suddenly, after what seemed forever to Harry, it was over. His head was clear, and he no longer felt any pain. He lifted his head back up and looked at Hermione, who was crying. �Oh m-my God, Harry, I�m s-so sorry!� she cried, tears streaming down her face. �I d-don�t know what I d-did to you, that wasn�t s-supposed to happen!� Harry reached up and felt his forehead. There was still dried blood, but the wound had healed. �It�s alright, Hermione, it worked,� he said, trying to calm her down. �The wound healed, so the spell did what it was supposed to do. You didn�t know that it was going to hurt so much.� Hermione looked at where the gash once was. �I � I know, b-but you d-don�t understand,� she stuttered, trying to regain her composure. She took a deep, strained breath before she continued. �It looked like you were d-dying or s-something�� �I practically was,� said Harry, �That was really painful�� Hermione threw herself onto Harry and started hugging him extremely tightly. Harry thought she was trying to strangle him. �I�m so sorry,� she repeated, pressing her face against his chest. She started crying again. Wow, thought Harry, that must have looked really freaky. He imagined what Hermione must thought, seeing him kneeling on the floor, grasping his head. He stroked the back of her head with his hand. �Listen, Hermione,� he said calmly, �Don�t worry about it. It was an accident, ok? I know you didn�t mean for it to happen like that, but its over now. I�m fine.� �Are you sure?� she asked apologetically. �Positive,� he said. He looked at his watch again. �Anyway, it�s already 12:50, we really should go to bed.� �Oh wow, its that late already?� Hermione gasped. �Alright then, we can talk about this more tomorrow.� She reached up and pecked him on the cheek. �See you in the morning,� she said, as she walked quietly back up to the Girl�s Dormitory. Harry walked back over to the couch where Ron was sleeping. His mouth was wide open, and his head was lying back against the pillow. Harry chuckled to himself. I guess I have to tell Ron to keep his mouth closed while he sleeps, he thought, or else spiders might crawl in. He laughed at this thought, and then proceeded up the stairs to the Boy�s dormitory. Weary from the exhausting and painful night, he collapsed on his bed, falling asleep instantly. * * * * * * The next day, Harry awoke later than usual. He sat up and rubbed his eyes groggily. After putting on his glasses, he arose quickly. The Dormitory was empty, which meant he was late for breakfast. Getting dressed as quickly as he could, he hurried downstairs. Ron was no longer on the couch. Checking his watch, Harry saw that it was 9:24, which meant breakfast was almost over. He dashed out of the room and started jogging towards the Great Hall. When he arrived there, he saw that Ron and Hermione were just finishing their breakfast. He sat down next to them, and took a plate. He began cramming food in his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was miss breakfast. �Good morning to you too,� Hermione said sarcastically. �Hermione told me what happened last night, Harry,� Ron said. �I sure would have liked to see that secret room.� Harry nodded in reply. �You�d better hurry up,� Hermione said, �We have to go to Potions in two minutes�� Harry jammed the food in his mouth even faster. �What fun�. Potions with Slytherin first thing in the morning,� Ron groaned. After shoving a last piece of toast in his mouth, Harry threw down his fork. �Alright, lets go now. I don�t want to be late,� he said, standing up quickly. He started off towards the class, Hermione and Ron following him closely. They entered the class as the bell rang. They took their seats quickly, relieved to see that Snape had not yet entered the room. Harry sat in his seat patiently, waiting for Snape to arrive and start the lesson. However, although he sat there for several minutes, there was no sign of the professor. Harry tried to talk to Hermione, but, being the obedient student she was, she quickly shushed him. The students began to become restless. Soon, after at least three paper airplanes had been thrown over Harry�s head, he stood up and walked over to where Ron was sitting. |