Chapter 23
"Um. Professor? Can I ask you something?" Nellie asked Professor McGonagall as they headed towards the Gryffindor tower. "How come you didn't say anything when I mentioned Harry was my brother? You knew, didn't you?" McGonagall was silent.
"Yes. Professor Midrigge told all the teachers. Except for Severus. There were… conditions, that allowed us to keep this information forbidden from him. But… I guess you already knew that." Nellie looked down at the floor again.
"Now. I want you to be a good girl and stay. out. of. trouble." McGonagall said firmly. They were at the portrait of the fat lady now. There was a very pregnant pause (ha ha! It's from the 2nd book, but oh well! It seemed kind of funny to put it there).
"Thank you." Nellie said, flinging her arms around her Transfiguration teacher, nearly sobbing into her shoulder.
"There there, dear. It will be over soon. Ophielus will see to that." McGonagall patted Nellie's shoulder. Nellie sniffed and gave the fat lady the password. She then dashed through the common room and to her dorm.
"Harry gave you James' invisibility cloak?" Lupin said aghast. "This is very bad, Ron. You knew how much he treasured it." Lupin's voice trailed off as he gazed at the rusty brown cloak (it was supposed to be silver! But nooooooo. It was rusty brown in the movie. So it has to be rusty brown. :P).
Leila put her hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Let's not talk about this to him. If the subject is ever brought up, it should be by him." Everyone in the cabin agreed.
"Hey hon, you want to go see In-.. I mean, take a walk?" Leila whispered to Ron.
"Sure." He hissed back. They wrapped themselves up and headed towards their handmade paddock. When they got to the clearing, they were greeted by several of the Centaurs who nodded at them. Ron went over to the Unicorn, now 2 heads taller than the fence.
"Hey Innocence." Ron said. Leila rummaged in her coat pockets for the carrots she brought.
"Leila." Ron said.
"Hmmm?"
"Innocence was black. Pure black, when he was born. Right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"He's gray." Ron said. Leila's head snapped up. Sure enough. Now that they were close enough and the mist that magically wafted from the valley was dying down in the bright winter sun, Innocence was a light slate gray.
"He's dirty! Probably because SOMEONE was to brush him everyday!" Leila snapped.
"I DO." Ron shot back. "Look." He parted the winter coat on Innocence's back to the skin. The Unicorn shivered and nudged Ron with his nose. A small bump was forming on his head, where his horn was to grow.
"See? It's gray to the skin." Ron said. Leila peered close.
"Do you know what this means?" Ron excitedly asked.
"What?"
"He's returning! Like you said! He was born a black Unicorn. Black Unicorn's are evil. But now that he's been taken in and cared for goodly, he's beginning to be normal!" Ron clasped Leila's mittened hands in his.
"But how? So fast!"
"I've told you this a thousand times before! It's because of You-Know- Who and his damn moon! It's making time go faster in the wizarding world! So that's why he's almost full grown, and his contact with goodness has worked faster and like a charm on him!" Leila gave a squeal when Ron finished and hugged him.
"Do you think he could go back?" Leila questioned.
"No." Ron shook his head. "Not until he's pure." Ron took Leila's hands again.
"Hey. Leila?" Ron said, going slightly red.
"Yes?" Leila gazed up at him, her green eye glittering more than the blue.
"Do you think… you would like to come to dinner at the school?"
"Dinner? At the school?" Leila looked down. "I don't know. Ron-"
"Come on. I can get Thor to let us bring some potion. Or else I know someone else who could make it for us." Leila looked slightly confused. She hesitated.
"You can sleep with me." Ron said, smiling devishly.
"All right. I'll go to `dinner'." They began to laugh, heading back to the cabin on the hill.
Hermione was so stunned. She had gotten a nice letter from home and some more spending money. But the thing that troubled her most was that her parents were going away on Easter Break to visit her father's parents. The trip was too expensive. She liked her grandparents very much and was disappointed she couldn't go along. She brushed her hair out of her eyes.
`I guess I can find something else to do. I'd rather not stay. But I guess I don't have a choice.' She thought. Her mother had bought her some more clothes. She smoothed them out in her trunk, ignoring the look Crookshanks gave her when she moved him off the top. There were still Harry's presents. She didn't want to open them alone. So instead, she dressed fully and fixed her hair. She then headed down for the small Christmas Brunch. And as she walked in the great hall, it was Valentine's day with Lockhart, though reversed. And not with Lockhart. The hall was decked in Red and Green. The first thing that came to her mind was Gryffindor and Slytherin, but there was a gold table in the middle of the hall where the teachers and staff sat.
"Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!" Professor Snape said, rushing over to her in an elf costume, handing her a box of wizard crackers.
"Gee. Thanks." Hermione said, fighting the urge to start laughing and banging the ground with her fists it was so funny. Snape skipped off with his curly toed shoes and sat back down, grinning. Hermione quickly sat down next to Harry. They stared at each other then smiled. Harry stuck a piece of green crepe paper on his fork and made it dance around her plate.
"Look at me! I'm Proffessor Snape, the happy Christmas elf!" Harry said softly in a high pitched imitation. Hermione hit his knee gently under the table. Harry hit her back. She smiled. Nellie and Neville were sitting across from them.
"Where's Mister Weasley? I still have one more Wizard Cracker left!" Snape said.
"He's…. Still sleeping." Harry quickly answered.
"Dear, dear me. He can pick it later. But my office is too full of tiding and good cheer that I don't know where I could put it! Maybe he can get it from one of our offices later." Professor Snape gestured around at the teachers.
`As long as it's not mine.' Professor Midrigge thought.
"Um. Neville." Nellie whispered to Neville.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Can you… can you talk to your aunt after brunch?" She timidly asked.
"Uh…. Okay…." He said. They didn't speak for the remainder of brunch.
"Did you open all your presents?" Harry asked Hermione.
"No." She answered.
"Why not?" Harry said frowning.
"I… wanted to open them… with you. If… that's okay." Hermione said, looking down at her plate.
"All right." Harry said. "You can open them with me." He took her hand and squeezed it gently.
When Harry and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor Common room, they weren't expecting to find Ron and his girlfriend having a war of tongues on the couch.
"Uh… Hi guys!" Ron said.
"Ew." Said Hermione
"Ron! What are you doing here?"
"Well. We're going to have dinner with you guys!"
"No! No you can't!" Harry said. "How can you! With you…"
"I have it all figured out. Follow me." Ron beckoned Harry and Hermione back out of the portrait hole. Leila was dressed in her Hogwart's robe. Though there were hardly any students at Hogwarts over this school break, it was best to be safe.
"Oh no. Ron. I know where you're taking us. No! They won't like it at all! Not one bit! Let's go back!" Hermione whined to Ron.
"Hush up, Hermione. No they won't." Ron tickled the pear in the portrait where they had stopped at. The pear giggled and the frame swung open. The smell of dinner still cooking hit them full in the face.
"Oh okay." Hermione said, walking in the kitchens. Several brightly dressed house elves were running around. One of them spotted Harry.
"Good sir! You have finally come to visit!" Several elves ran over and talked all at once wanting to know what they could do for them.
"Well. Uh… I was wondering if…" Ron started.
"You could have some tea?"
"Scones?"
"I have hot chocolate on the way!"
"No! If… me and my friend could have dinner. Here in the kitchens." The house elves looked at each other, puzzled.
"Don't you want to eat up in the Great Hall, sir?" one asked.
"Well. Not really."
"He has a newly developed a fear of the Great Hall." Leila immediately said.
"Ooooooooooooooh." Said the elves (like those green aliens in Toy Story). They nodded in agreement. Ron and Leila could eat in the kitchens for dinner.
"Care to join us?" Ron asked Harry and Hermione.
"Uh. We can let you guys have your time. We're not afraid of the Great Hall." Hermione said, poking Ron in the ribs.
"Suit yourself." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well. We need to find Professor Midrigge. See you!" Ron and Leila took off down the hall.
"NELLIE'S WHAT?" Neville screamed at his aunt when she told him the news about Nellie. "But we didn't DO anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Uh, Professor?" Came a voice from the other side of the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
"Just a minute Ron!" she called. She turned to Neville. "It's not your fault. I refuse to tell you how. And so will Nellie. You will need to wait until the time is correct. Meanwhile, I'm fixing the situation." Professor Midrigge said to her nephew. Neville's lower lip trembled.
"Off you go." She said to him. Neville sulked out of the classroom. Ron and a blonde haired girl rushed into the room, glad that Neville didn't notice them that much.
"Professor…"
"I have the potion brewing in my office Ron." Midrigge said. "Hello Leila. How are you?"
"Good…." Leila said slowly.
"Follow me." Ophielus looked quickly at her watch. She didn't have much time.
`Take the potion and go' she thought.
"You can take these goblets and this cauldron to the Kitchens. There's a charm on it so you don't have to take a fireplace away from the house elves. It will stay hot." She handed the warm cauldron to Ron.
"Thanks Professor." Ron said hurriedly. They quickly made their way back to the Kitchens. The smells of the food was so great. They didn't mind. They took bits of the potion early and sat back, enjoying each other's presence.
Harry and Hermione went back up to the Gryffindor Common room. Hermione had brought down all the presents from Harry.
"Open the small one first." Harry said to Hermione. Hermione picked up the smallest package. Underneath the shiny red paper was a white box. She opened the lid. On top of cotton padding was a set of earrings, sterling silver with a small gold heart in the middle of them.
"Harry! They're so beautiful!" Hermione gasped as she held them up. "Where did you get them?"
"In… Dorset."
"Harry! You shouldn't!"
"I had to. It wouldn't have been Christmas without presents. And without Hogsmeade, gifts from me wouldn't be as magical." Harry smiled at Hermione. "Open the next one." Hermione opened the big package, which revealed a velvet silk cloak with a red ribbon lining.
"Harry." Hermione kept whispering over and over as she trailed her fingers over the soft material of the cloak.
"Don't say anything." Harry murmured, running a hand through her hair.
"Now. For the last one." He said.
"But that was it." Hermione said. "Unless." Harry took a small black (bet I know what you're thinking…) box out of his robe pocket.
"Oh no. Harry…." Hermione bit her finger to keep herself from crying.
"Hermione." Harry said, staring deep into her brown eyes (almost there….). "I wanted…"
"Harry……" Hermione said, holding a finger to his lips to stop him.
"Hermione. Listen." He took away her hand and held it tightly. "I want to know….. (just about…)" Hermione squeezed her eyes shut.
"You need to look at me." Harry said gently. Hermione choked down a sob. She opened her eyes.
"Hermione." Harry said firmly. "Will you---" And all of the sudden, time stopped all around Hogwarts. It was like hell had froze over. But hell was coming into Ophielus Midrigge's office.
DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: Ha ha! It came! When I left you all falling off your seats because you were on the edge of them!!!!!!! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ahem!!!! *cough* Well. Stay tuned for, CHAPTER 24!!!!
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