Harry Potter and the Dark Mark

Chapter Twenty Two

Five days had passed since the Dark Arts duel. The incident was still fresh in Harry's mind. Hermione had filled him in on what happened after he passed out. He had fallen backwards and Snape had actually caught him. Parvati had watched over him as Snape found out from everyone what had happened, and then he had escorted Harry, Ron and Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. Pansy, Neville, Hermione and Parvati had been made to accompany them while the rest of the class was sent to their respective common rooms.

Madam Pomfrey had clucked and fussed over Ron and Harry, and virtually ignored Malfoy. There was nothing much wrong with him except a bruised shin from falling over while being under the Full Body Bind. Harry had slept his exhaustion off. But it was five days later and Ron was still in bed in the Hospital Wing. Harry and Hermione were sitting by his side keeping their vigil.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again Potter, it's a good job you knew the counter curse, or your friend would be in a much sorrier state!" Madam Pomfrey called as she hurried past Ron's bed. Harry smiled tightly at Hermione. It was thanks to her Christmas present to him that he did.

"Are you ready to start the next chapter?" Hermione asked, pausing to squeeze Ron's hand.

"Yes," Harry and Ron chorused.

"Good. Chapter Fourteen - Shielding Charms," Hermione began. They had read the Dark Arts textbook from cover to cover. Not that Harry was paranoid or anything, but he felt safer knowing what to expect from Malfoy in the future. Now they were trawling through Mastering Self Defence: Security against the Dark Arts, by Hephaestus Mulciber.

"Contego," Harry said quickly.

"Yes, but yours was a bit weak. You need to learn the background before you can cast one properly. The one in the dungeon was a bit shaky," Hermione said gravely. Harry nodded good humouredly.

"Wish I'd seen it," Ron butted in.

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. "I wish I'd had no need to test it out," he said.

"All right, so, to cast an effective Shielding Charm, one must keep in mind at all times-"

"Sausages!" Ron suddenly announced.

"No... don't be silly!" Hermione said.

"No, I mean, I feel like some sausages!"

"You don't look like some sausages," Harry joked, wrinkling up his nose and pretending to examine Ron closely.

"Shurrup!" Ron moaned. "I'm hungry!"

This was good news. Only a few days ago Ron had been swearing he would never look at solid food again because of the pain it caused him to eat it and that he would have to live on porridge and soup forever.

"Wouldn't it hurt your gut?" Hermione asked nervously.

"No, I'm famished!" Ron paused as the doors opened. A slight, red headed figure entered. Harry felt his stomach do something odd.

"I think I'm hungry too," he said slowly.

"Excellent!" Hermione chirped brightly. "You can go fetch us some food then!" She shot a meaningful look at Harry and then flicked her eyes deftly to Ginny. A small smile told Harry she wanted some time alone with Ron.

"Come on Ginny," Harry said, walking up to meet her.

"What?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"We're going to fetch your brother and his girlfriend some sausages," he told her.

"Oh." Ginny risked a sideways glance at Harry and caught him admiring her hair. He looked away quickly and held open the door for her as they reached it.

"Thank you," she smiled with her eyes on the floor.

They walked down the corridor in silence. Harry didn't know what to say. The last proper conversation he had held with Ginny had been the morning after he'd found Hagrid and Maxime. That seemed do long ago. Immersed in his thoughts, he missed what she said.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, do you think Malfoy's punishment is for the rest of the year, or was it only for the one match?" she repeated.

"Oh! I hope it's for the rest of his school days," Harry said viciously. He smiled. Malfoy's punishment had been superb. Snape had taken one hundred points from Slytherin and banned Malfoy from being Seeker in the match against Hufflepuff later that day. He had also managed to take points from Gryffindor though - ten points because Neville cast the Full Body Bind on Malfoy, and ten points because Harry had interfered. His anger at this unfairness was only abated when Hufflepuff slaughtered Slytherin, winning the Quidditch Match one hundred and seventy points to forty.

"Me too," Ginny said fervently. "Harry, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving Ron," she said seriously.

"You don't need to thank me," Harry said in surprise.

"I do!" They had stopped at the top of the marble staircase that led down to the Entrance Hall. Ginny stared at him so earnestly that he felt uncomfortable.

"Sausages," he said weakly. Ginny nodded, seeming almost disappointed, and they carried on their way. They turned to the left at the bottom of the staircase, but Ginny stopped.

"There won't be any food! It's nine at night," she said, indicating the doors to the Great Hall. Harry shook his head and smiled mysteriously.

"This way," he said, and guided her further to the left to the door next to the staircase.

"Isn't the Hufflepuff Common Room somewhere down here?"

"Yes, and the kitchens." Ginny's eyes widened in understanding.

They approached the painting that Harry knew concealed the door to the kitchens. Feeling rather clever, Harry reached out his forefinger and tickled the massive pear on the painting of the bowl of fruit. It wriggled and giggled before turning into a green handle. With a furtive look over his shoulder to check no one could see, Harry swung the door open and held out his arm so that Ginny could enter first. When the door had closed behind them, Harry smiled broadly as a familiar voice began gabbling.

"Harry Potter sir! Harry Potter is here!" Dobby was squeaking. He jumped up and down beside Harry and Ginny. Ginny giggled.

"Hello, Dobby," Harry said. "This is Ginny Weasley. We've come to get some food for Ron because he's in the Hospital Wing. Ginny is his sister," Harry explained rapidly.

"Miss is Harry Potter's Wheezy's sister?" Dobby asked.

"Wheezy?" Ginny muttered to Harry as the House Elves crowded round and thrust plates of biscuits at her.

"He calls Ron my Wheezy," Harry shrugged.

From the clank of copper on brass and the hiss and smell of bacon frying, it seemed the House Elves were already at work cooking them sausages and other foods. Ginny and Harry accepted a few biscuits and munched on them as they waited.

"How is Harry Potter being?" Dobby asked.

"I'm very well thanks, and you?" Harry replied.

"Dobby is doing very well, Harry Potter, very well indeed. How is Miss Wheezy?" Dobby asked Ginny, turning his huge tennis ball eyes on her.

"I'm fine thanks Dobby. It's very sweet of you to go to all this trouble," she added as he waved some chocolate cake at her.

"It is no trouble, Miss Wheezy. We House Elves is pleased to help Harry Potter and his Wheezies. Harry Potter freed Dobby and is his bestest friend!" Dobby began to sniffle into his odd assortment of clothes.

"Here is the food, Miss," a House Elf with a high voice informed Ginny. She tugged on her sleeve and passed her a dish piled high with sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and other fried foods. Ginny smiled and thanked her before passing the dish to Harry.

"There there Dobby, don't cry!" She stooped and kissed Dobby on his long, pencil thin nose. Harry could have sworn Dobby blushed.

As they left the kitchens the Elves waved farewell and asked them to return soon. Ginny began giggling as they closed the door behind them. They climbed up the stairs carefully, Harry not wanting to drop any of the food in the dish. He thanked whoever placed the Hospital Wing on the first floor because he would not have liked to carry all the food up seven flights of stairs.

"What was that noise?" Ginny whispered in fright.

Harry listened. He could hear footsteps, and then a voice. "What have you heard, my sweet?"

"Filch!" Harry gasped.

"Run!" Ginny whispered back. They staggered up the stairs and shot across the Entrance Hall. Harry felt something drop off the dish and onto the floor, but he ignored it and sprinted after Ginny into the broom cupboard he and Ron had once locked Crabbe and Goyle in. They cowered in silence and tried to hold their breath.

Through a crack in the door, Harry watched as Filch lumbered into the Entrance Hall. Mrs Norris scampered ahead of him and pounced on something that lay on the floor. Filch stumped over to her and stared in bewilderment at the sausages Mrs Norris was eating.

"Sausages, my sweet? And I thought you had found us some naughty first years up to no good!" He watched his cat devour the food and then picked her up and disappeared down the stairs to the dungeons.

Shaking with suppressed mirth, Harry and Ginny ran up the stairs and down the corridor to the Hospital Wing. They burst in through the doors and dumped the food on Ron's bedside table before collapsing into fits of laughter. Ron and Hermione stared in amazement.

"What happened?" Ron demanded with his mouth already full of sausage.

"We dropped some sausages and Filch found them while we hid!" Ginny explained.

"You should have seen his face!" Harry gasped. The four of them laughed for a while longer and then tucked into their meal. Madam Pomfrey interrupted.

"Well, I came to tell your visitors to leave, Mr Weasley, but now I find you all eating food!" she huffed. Harry paused with a sausage halfway to his mouth. Ron hastily swallowed his mouthful and Hermione choked on a mushroom. Ginny hid behind Harry.

There was a long tense pause and then Madam Pomfrey's face crinkled into what Harry could only presume was a smile. "I'm glad you're feeling well enough to eat solids again, Mr Weasley. You will be able to leave tomorrow. Five minutes!" she warned the rest of them as she vanished into her office.

Harry and Ginny left first. They climbed the many staircases up to Gryffindor Tower and entered the Common Room wearily. They flopped into the settee opposite the blazing fire and let out huge content sighs.

Harry's eyes were closed and the heat of the fire beat against them. His stomach was pleasantly full and Ron was going to be out of the Hospital Wing tomorrow. Everything at the moment was perfect. He was dimly aware of Ginny leaning against him as he drifted off to sleep but as it felt nice rather than awkward he didn't do or say anything to dissuade her.

Neither of them heard Hermione tiptoe over to them or softly call their names. Neither of them heard Lee Jordan and the twins' comments or the sound of the logs popping as the fire burned low. They slumbered on in comfort and silence.