After seeing the ominous reflection of yellow eyes, things remained pitch black and cold. You couldn't open your eyelids even if you wanted to. You thought you fell unconscious, sometimes you almost believed you were dead. But suddenly, there was a distant echo of a voice calling your name. Several voices actually, and they sounded so familiar.
That was when you felt your fingers twitch. Your heart starts pumping wildly, blood rushing through every vein that made your skin tingle and warm. That feeling reaches your limbs until you were sure enough that your body was able to move. You open your eyes and inhaled sharply.
You barely had time to register the painful light stabbing through your eyes when a shadow overhead blocks them. Bushy hair is pushed into your face while arms trap you in a tight embrace. You recognized the person instantly.
"'Mione," you mutter. You're not able to move your arms all around her to return the hug, so you settle for just squeezing her upper arm. "What..."
Hermione lifts her head from your chest. "You got petrified. We got petrified," she explains with a bright smile. "But they did it! Ron and Harry solved it!"
It took your muddled brain a moment to process what she just said. The events beforehand come back to you like a tidal wave and Hermione's last words made you grin.
"They did it!" You exclaim and engulf her in another hug, giving her cheek a big kiss. "They did it! They did it!"
You and Hermione giggle to yourselves, mostly overjoyed that the two idiots (her words, not yours) managed to figure out what she managed to dig up in the library. So the eyes you saw belonged to a Basilisk, a gigantic snake that can petrify people through indirect eye contact. Those who stared straight at it, however, suffered instant death. You shudder when Hermione told you that. You were relieved that you only saw its reflection.
Thankfully, the Mandrake juice was finished in time. Everyone who got petrified was cured and was being checked by Madam Pomfrey to ensure that there weren't any lasting injuries. Even Sir Nicholas was floating jovially in the air, eventually phasing through the ceiling once he was allowed to go.
It wasn't long until after your small talk with Hermione that the curtains surrounding your bed were shifted aside, and a familiar plump woman brought you to her arms.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Cried Mrs. Weasley, cupping your face that you were able to see her pale complexion. "I almost fainted when I heard the news! Are you alright, dear? Do you need anything? How about a nice cup of hot chocolate?"
Behind her, Mr. Weasley was peering over her shoulder, shooting you a relieved smile that you returned with your own.
"That sounds lovely, Mrs. Weasley," you said, looking at her again, "but what are you doing here?"
"I was going to tell you," began Hermione, "that Ginny was taken by the Basilisk. But she's safe now!" She assures hurriedly at the look on your face. "Harry and Ron rescued her. They called Mr. and Mrs. Weasley because of that."
Like magic, Ginny appears at Mr. Weasley's side as if summoned at the mention of her name. She was nursing a mug of hot chocolate, the cocoa scent wafting in the air along with thin streams of smoke. She tenses and avoids your gaze when you wave at her.
"I better get you that hot chocolate," said Mrs. Weasley, patting your head. She stops to ask Hermione if she wanted one, but briskly went away when she declines.
Mr. Weasley nods, a fatherly smile on his face as he places a hand on your shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright. I almost sent a letter to your parents about what happened," he said with a small chuckle. "But, uh, it's best if you tell them yourself. Ease them into the conversation before mentioning it."
"You've been keeping in touch with them?"
"Oh, yes." Mr. Weasley's face lights up. "Ever since Molly sent that letter asking for their permission, I took the opportunity to ask them about the intricacies of a Muggle home life. Your father is quite the knowledgeable man."
So, they became pen pals? Wicked.
This conversation about Mr. Weasley and your father's blossoming friendship lasted until Mrs. Weasley came back with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. She places it on the nightstand and gives you one more hug when you thank her. She slaps Mr. Weasley and drags him away, saying that you and the girls needed rest. Ginny stays still for a moment before she made a move to leave until you stop her.
"Ginny, wait," you said, shifting around until you sat at the side of the bed facing her. "Are you feeling okay? It didn't hurt you while you were down there, right?"
Ginny shakes her head. The movement was so fast that her hot chocolate sloshed at the rim of her mug. She jumps when Hermione places a hand on her lower back. She pushes her gently until she wasn't outside the curtains anymore, allowing them to flutter shut.
Within a close distance, you just realized the small cuts on her face. Her hands were shaking and her eyes shone with unshed tears. It wasn't until Hermione took the mug from her hands did she finally break down and threw herself at you.
"I'm sorry!" She sobs, burying her face in the crook of your neck. "It was all my fault! I-I wanted to tell you about the diary during Valentine's Day when I saw you going outside but-but I lost my nerve. If I—" her voice cracks slightly. "If I hadn't opened it in the first place, none of this would have happened..."
You start rubbing her back to soothe her, the other hand caressing her hair. It was how your parents comforted you when you're sad. You can tell it was having a similar effect on Ginny as her crying was reduced to sniffles minutes later. You plant a kiss on her head.
"It wasn't your fault," you tell her. "And the Basilisk is gone now, right? It can't do anything to the whole school if it's dead."
Ginny takes a shaky breath. "I'm a bad friend," she whispers, but her grip on you remains strong. "I-I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore."
"Ginny," you said sternly, pushing on her shoulders so that both of you could see eye-to-eye. "This won't change anything. You're still my friend, okay?"
You stay like that, embracing and reassuring Ginny until she was back to her senses. Her face turns red upon realizing that your mugs of hot chocolate turned cold at how long she spent in your arms, but you both finish the drinks anyway, just in time before Professor McGonagall came in to announce that a feast was going to be held tonight.
"Let's go!" You jump up and down giddily, grabbing both Ginny and Hermione's hands to drag them out the hospital wing. "I can't wait to see Harry and Ron. And my roommates!" You let Colin Creevey and a Ravenclaw prefect exit the doors before following. "I wonder if they fed (O/n) while I was petrified."
He better not be fatter than he already was. That owl was spoiled enough by you and your father. Maybe you should have listened to your mother when she proposed to put him on a diet. You're too caught up in your thoughts about your owl that Ginny and Hermione had to drag you to the Great Hall the rest of the way.
△⃒⃘ ⌁☍ ❾¾
You've never seen the Great Hall this lively before. The candles were brighter and everyone was still in their pajamas. You barely get to admire the decorations before you were tackled to the floor by your roommates. One of them—Delilah—was crying and wouldn't let go of you until Fiona managed to pry her off.
Then, there was Oliver, who helped you up and spun you around until the Great Hall turned into an indecipherable blur of colors. You had to beg him to put you down (and stop pestering you about finally playing Quidditch next year 'in case your life gets threatened again'), but he doesn't let go until he gives you one final squeeze and a pat to the back. Your other Gryffindor friends come rushing in afterward.
You hugged Harry and Ron, kissing both their cheeks in thanks, making their face turn a nice shade of red. Dean tried lifting you the same way Oliver had but he wasn't nearly as strong as the Quidditch player, so he settles for just patting your head before pushing you towards Seamus, who sputtered and froze when you hugged him too. As soon as you broke apart, he's hitting Dean's shoulder repeatedly while Dean just laughed.
Lee Jordan was going to ask you about how it felt to be petrified when he was suddenly pushed aside by the Weasley twins, the two going down on their knees and begging for your forgiveness. Fred and George's overdramatic lines and gestures made you grimace, but it ultimately made you laugh anyway. Maybe it was the cheerful atmosphere, or the petrification events made you appreciate your friends more, but you forgave the twins, with a warning to never use creatures in a way that could harm them. You don't hug them, but their frowns contorted into grins when you crack an awful joke.
Neville stood behind them shyly, but he, too, was not excluded from your affections. His flustered expression would put the rest of the boys' faces to shame. Percy was the last person to welcome you back. He was smiling broadly, a sight that was uncommon unless he was extremely satisfied with something. He didn't expect you to embrace him as well, so he sort of just stood there awkwardly before giving your head a few pats.
You're soon dragged away over to the Hufflepuff table, passing the Slytherins in the process. Malfoy and his gang were sneering at you with glum faces. Not that they weren't already doing so the moment you entered the Great Hall.
At least someone enjoyed their time when you got petrified.
With adrenaline and excitement coursing through your whole body, you gain enough courage to stick your tongue out at Malfoy, making his nostrils flare in anger. On the other side of that table, you caught Adrian Pucey's gaze. You can't tell if he had been staring at you the entire time. With a casual look, he just flashes you a thumbs-up while he devours a whole slice of pie.
Cedric Diggory, surprisingly, stops you before you and your roommates could get to your seats. The same butterflies erupted in your stomach when he smiles at you, but this time the butterflies were mutated, and they were twisting your guts the longer you get to hear him talk. You're not quite sure what he was saying, but mental images of your letter and his muffled laughter were all the motivation you needed to say goodbye and run away.
You replace that irritating feeling in your stomach with food, instantly forgetting about him when you finish your plate. The feast lasted all night, and at around half past three Hagrid turned up after being sent to Azkaban for being suspected of releasing the Basilisk. He almost suffocated you with a big hug that you had to catch your breath afterward.
The only thing that dampened your mood a little was the fact Gryffindor won the House Cup again. Normally, the other houses would complain, but everyone was busy stuffing themselves into oblivion that they didn't seem to care. Professor McGonagall announced that the exams were canceled ('There were exams?' You asked Susan) and Dumbledore tells everyone that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year because he's suffering from some sort of memory charm.
Delilah and Susan were miserable over this, but you and Fiona continue to eat pudding. The food somehow tasted better after that last news.
△⃒⃘ ⌁☍ ❾¾
Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. You, Harry, Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Ginny got a compartment to yourselves. You made the most of the last few hours in which magic was still allowed before the holidays. Fred and George set off the last of their Filibuster fireworks, even showing off the magical tomato plant they grew during Herbology (it threw a large red tomato at Fred's face when he made a crude joke about leaves). You laughed in every round of Exploding Snap and watched in awe as Harry's skills at disarming charms seem to improve. The train was almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.
"Ginny, what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"
This piques your interest. You stop picking tomato guts out of Ron's hair (he retorted with a joke when the twins annoyed him to his breaking point) and turn to Ginny with a curious tilt of your head.
"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well, Percy's got a girlfriend."
"Oh," you mumble in understanding before turning back to Ron. No wonder Percy rarely came out of his room when you stayed with the Weasleys.
Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head. "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," Fred said with a look a brother could only have when thinking of tormenting his older brother.
"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.
The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped. When Harry gives Ron and Hermione his telephone number, you decided to give yours as well.
"This is called a telephone number," Harry told Ron, scribbling it
twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "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..."
You hand them your own slips of paper with your number. "I don't have many friends from where I live," you confess with a sheepish smile. "I only ever talk to my parents during the summer, so please call me when you can."
Ron was about to say something when George snatches the paper from his hands. "Will do," he said, grinning before he and Fred got out of the compartment as Ron chased after them.
"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione, looking at Harry as you three got off the train and joined the crowd. "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..."
You hide your displeased frown with a teasing look. "Maybe I should kidnap you, Harry," you said and elbowed his side. "Take you to my house. We have a spare room."
Harry shakes his head with an amused smile. "I don't want to be a bother. But thanks anyway."
Just like last year, his uncle, aunt, and cousin were there to meet him. The whole family looked disgruntled and fearful as always as they push him through the magical barrier. Hermione, along with her parents, already left before your parents found you with the Weasleys.
Your father exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Weasley, then started chattering excitedly about Muggle technology and magic like children during Christmas. Mrs. Weasley and your mother had to drag them apart to make them stop.
Once your family and the Weasleys separated, your father immediately dotes on you the moment you crossed the barrier. Your mother kisses your forehead before turning to your trunks, occasionally asking you about what you've been up to during school. Which reminds you that you'll have to tell them about the Basilisk one way or another.
"Gis wut hopped in at ogwarts?" You managed to say while your father squishes your face between his hands.
Your mother hums in question as she studies (O/n) perched in his cage. She lets out a disapproving grunt at his state. Your owl got impossibly fatter between the last few days at Hogwarts. Which was totally not your fault.
"What happened?" Your father questions.
You grin as he let go of you. "I got attacked by a giant snake!"
Your parents refused to take you home until you got an emergency check-up at the nearest hospital despite telling them you're fine. So much for 'easing' them into the conversation.
⚯͛ 9¾ ϟ
I can't believe this book reached 100k reads. Thank you so much for all your patience and support!
And for some reason, Wattpad doesn't notify me of all the comments this book receives, so sometimes I can't respond to them. I recently just saw a comment from a month ago questioning me about my update schedule when I reread old chapters.
If they're still reading, I do apologize, but to be honest, I don't have a fixed schedule, so I sort of just update whenever I finish a chapter. I'm sorry if I didn't reply to other questions.
Again, thank you for all the reads, votes, and comments! Hope everyone will have a good day or night.