"What are they doing in there? None of them have come out yet." Ron gestured to the door where the gold panel was still engraved with words from another language.
"I don't know," I replied sharply, "But we're about to find out." I positioned Harry and Ron behind me, a few feet away from the wall, and told them to keep their wands pointed at the door. When I confirmed we were ready, I rushed at the door, ready to slam it open with my shoulder. It went wrong quickly.
A foot before the door, an invisible force pushed me backwards. I flew through the air and landed on top of Harry. Ron was wheezing.
"What the bloody hell," he croaked, "made you think that was going to work?" he sneered. My face went red.
"Oh, shut up. You sound like Malfoy." I got up and ran at the door again, but flew backward for the second time. Harry, who was inspecting his glasses for damage, looked up at the last second and ducked just in time for me to miss him by a centimeter. I crashed into a red loveseat near the Gryffindor fire this time. The back of it broke and white stuffing poked out of the huge hole I had just created.
Ron was laughing like a madman.
"Blimey, Hermione..." he rasped, "I am taking back all the comments I made over the years about you being smart."
"You should realize that was quite a lot." I snapped back. I walked back and forth. Ron, finally seeming to have gotten over his laughter, timidly asked,
"It's past midnight, Hermione, shouldn't we-"
"No!" I retaliated. Then I caught myself- I sounded like Harry. I glanced at the person in question, who was also pacing irritatedly. "Maybe..." I gave in.
Harry, of course, wanted to stay up. After a huge argument, he let me and Ron sleep on the couches in the common room while he would keep watch, and wake us up if something happened. But just as we were heading to our couches-
"BOOM!" a huge explosion left a smoking hole in the wall right next to me. I yelped. All of the exchange students in the room behind the wall were glaring at me. The boy known as Nico stalked up to the hole.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Me?" I retaliated. "You're the one that just blew a bloody hole in the wall when I was just about to go to sleep!"
"Why were you outside our room this whole time?" Percy stepped in front of Nico. "Were you spying on us?"
"The audacity!" Thalia fumed. All of them looked at a beautiful girl with brown hair; Piper, I think she was called. She spoke, and her voice was compelling- like a lullaby, soft and sweet.
"Go to sleep." Piper's voice echoed through the room. I started to doze off and just before my eyes closed I glimpsed Hazel shoot Piper a warning look.
"Wait- wake up." Piper reflected. I felt as energetic as ever- how long had I been out? "You are tired. Go to your dorms. Fall asleep on your beds." I felt tired again, and as if in a trance, I walked toward my dorm. Harry and Ron replicated. I shut the door behind me as quietly as I could and fell asleep on my soft bed without even pulling the covers up. It had been a long day, and I was tired.