Petrified {Book #2}

Conclusion

All my respect for him had disappeared.

"No," said Ron.

Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe.

"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron.

Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there--"

"Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart--"

I obeyed.

"He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand--"

Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers.

An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through my whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, we were flying upward through the pipe. I could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through my hair, and before I'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over - all four of us were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place.

The bathroom brought back such terrible memories.

Myrtle goggled at us.

"You're alive," she said blankly to Harry.

"There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses.

"Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver.

My face became hot and red.

"Urgh!" said Ron as we left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

I growled.

"Where now?" said Ron. Harry pointed.

Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. We strode after him, and moments later, found ourselves outside Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry knocked and pushed the door open.

Hermione POV

We were walking back from the Chamber when I saw Emma shuddering. I didn't say anything, but once we got to the Infirmary, I spoke up.

"Em, are you okay?" I questioned, sitting on the bed my body was on.

"What if they don't save us?" She whispered.

I reached out to her, "they will, don't you know Harry?"

She nodded and that was the last thing I remembered, when suddenly, I collapsed.

~~LATER~~

"Miss Granger?" I heard Madam Pomfrey say.

"Yes?" I muttered.

"Thank goodness! It worked!" She exclaimed. I just then had realized that I was awake.

"Emma!? Where is she?" I jumped up saying. Madam Pomfrey moved to the side and there was Emma, sitting on the bed in her Quidditch robes. I ran over and hugged her. I didn't think we'd wake up, but Harry came through.

"Let's surprise the boys" Emma said. I nodded. We sprinted over to the Great Hall and rushed open the doors. "Hermione! Emma!" Ron and Harry yelled.

Emma POV

We ran over and Hermione and I gave Harry a hug. I gave Ron a hug too, but Hermione didn't. "Evangeline!" I heard a voice yell. I turned and saw Fred running over. Suddenly he came to a stop before he ran into me. We both blushed and I gave him a hug too. Soon, we all sat down.

That was a good feast. Justin hurried over to us from the Hufflepuff table to wring Harry's hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting Harry. Hagrid turned up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle,I laughed at this. Ron and Harry's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running made everyone happy. Professor McGonagall stood up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat. "Oh, no!" said Hermione. Dumbledore announced that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news. I did as well.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences - Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again. I was glad that Hogwarts was everyone was back to normal.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, me, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. We made the most of the last few hours in which we were allowed to do magic before the holidays. We played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Fred and I had a lot of fun pranking the others.

We were almost at King's Cross when Harry said something.

"Ginny - what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well - Percy's got a girlfriend." Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head. I cracked up.

"What?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was - you know - attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early. I smirked at him and gave him a facial expression that said "Don't even think about it" He replied with puppy dog eyes.

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering. I smacked his arm, but I wanted to. see the end result.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron, Hermione and me.

"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in 3, and handing it to us. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer - he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to..."

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as we got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"

"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious..."

And together we walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world, laughing, and not able to wait for the next year.

-=•=-
That's the end of petrified! I hope you guys enjoyed and the 3rd book will be out soon!-JK and Dragonfly