Dark Come Soon

Ramona was waiting for Alexandra to show up for the Quidditch practice. She was sitting on the benches with Hermione who was reading a book. Harry tried to delay the beginning as much as he could before he had to start because Slytherin would get their turn after Gryffindor. All she could keep thinking about was Draco. He was getting under her skin in a new way. She was so used to just ignoring his comments, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Are you okay?” Hermione’s voice brought Ramona back.

She blinked and looked at her friend. “I’m fine,” she said and then quickly changed the subject. “Alexandra is still not here.”

“Maybe she got lost,” Hermione offered.

“Hmm, maybe,” she thought, but she had given Alexandra a full tour of the castle, but those stairs did have the mean habit of changing. Maybe she had to take the long way.

“Alexandra isn’t used to being around people, is she?” Hermione said quietly making sure none of the other students around heard them.

“I couldn’t say,” Ramona could, but she didn’t want to out Alexandra about her visions. “It was a challenge to get to know her, but you just have to be patient. It took me days--weeks to get to know her well, or at least as much as she’ll let me.”

“Ron won’t stop talking about her,” Hermione giggled. “He definitely likes her. What does Alexandra think of him?”

“I can’t say,” Ramona chuckled. “We haven’t really talked about boys yet. I don’t think she’s interested in dating though.”

An hour later, Ramona figured Alexandra changed her mind about coming out. It was when a first year ran up to them. He was from Ravenclaw. She recognized him because he was a bit of a klutz. He nearly fell on his way to them, but he caught himself. Ramona stifled a laugh and then just asked if he was okay.

“I’m fine,” he grinned and panted. “But… Alexandra is in the hospital wing.”

Ramona became alert.

“What?” Ron’s voice came. Ramona looked over and saw that Harry and Ron had joined them with their broomsticks in their hands and sweaty foreheads.

“Yeah, I was dismissed when she was brought in,” he told them.

“Is it serious?” Ramona asked the boy.

He shrugged. “She was unconscious.”

“We have to go,” Ramona told the Golden Trio and they all nodded in agreement. They rushed back to the castle and went to the hospital wing. She hoped whatever happened wasn’t something too serious. When they arrived at the hospital there was her father, mother , the nurse and her grandfather. They were all huddled together. “Is she all right?” she asked and their heads turned to look at her.

“She’s fine,” Madame Pomfrey said. “Only family members, go on out,” she shooed them.

“Ramona can stay,” Andres said. “I know they’re close friends.”

Ramona was happy Andres allowed her to stay. She turned over to her friends and told them she would let them know everything once she checked out things herself. Ron looked like he wanted to stay, but he followed Harry and Hermione out.

Ramona approached the bed and saw Alexandra on the bed with her eyes closed and breathing evenly. Her wrist was bandaged and there was a gaze on her forehead. She hit her head.

“What happened?” she asked them. “Did she fall?”

“She was having a vision and she fell down the stairs,” her grandfather answered. “I was passing by when I saw her.”

Her eyes widened. “She had a vision? Of what?”

“It was more like a prophecy,” Dumbledore corrected himself.

“What was it?” she urged.

“I didn’t catch it,” he said, but she didn’t believe him. He didn’t look at her when he answered her.

She wanted to protest, but she didn’t. She knew better than that. She looked down to her friend. She was happy nothing serious had happened. She was becoming attached to her. Alexandra understood her in ways none of her other friends did. They clicked well. It was a great friendship.

“We’re waiting for her to wake up, so we can give her this potion so she can heal faster,” Madame Pomfrey told Ramona. “I have some things to attend. Please give her the potion when she wakes up,” she told Andres.

Andres nodded his head and took the potion. He looked distraught. Sybill held his hand tightly. Ramona smiled lightly. It was tragic Alexandra had to get hurt to see them together like that, but it was process.

“She’ll stay overnight,” Andres told Ramona. “You can stay as long as you’d like.”

She smiled. “I’ll stay until dinner,” she told him. “If she wakes up when I leave, please let me know, okay?”

He smiled. “Sure thing.”

“I’m glad she’ll be fine. I have some work to attend,” Dumbledore said and gave Sybill and Andres a handshake and a quick hug and then hugged his granddaughter.

She hugged him tightly and she inhaled his scent. He smelled like peppermint. He placed a kiss at the top of her head and told her he loved her. She said it back and let him go. She stayed beside Alexandra and her parents.

Andres told Sybill childhood stories of Alexandra. How she had been a bright child from the very start. Always got into trouble, but she had a big heart. Ramona laughed at the funny parts and couldn’t believe just how much Sybill missed.

Ramona could see the sadness and joy in Sybill’s eyes. It must have been hard to let go of your child because you were a danger to them. She couldn’t imagine the pain Sybill went through. Alexandra didn’t wake up for dinner, so Ramona told Andres and Sybill she would be back to check after dinner. She headed out of the hospital wing.

She reached the Great Hall and spotted her friends at the Gryffindor table. She sat between Hermione and Harry and right in front of Ron. The ginger quickly asked her about Alexandra.

“She’s fine. She just… fell down the stairs,” she said. She hadn’t discussed what she was supposed to tell the others with Alexandra’s parents. “She’s fine though. She just needs to wake up so she can drink the potion to help her. I am so starving,” she filled her plate with food.

They seemed to buy her lie.

She didn’t eat much. When she was worried, she couldn’t eat. She played with her food for a while and heard her friends talk. She joined in only when she had something to say.

“Mona,” Harry whispered to her.

She turned to her green eyed friend. “Yeah, Harry?”

“Have you been following Draco’s footsteps?”

She winced. “Sorry, mate, I haven’t. I can’t really get close to him. He annoys the fuck out of me.”

“I know, but I seriously think he’s a death eater,” he whispered even more lowly. His eyes were fierce with determination.

Ramona softened her look. “You’re absolutely sure?”

“I need proof,” he muttered. “You’re in Slytherin. We have the advantage.”

She sighed deeply. “You want me to dig in his room?” she meant it as a joke, but then Harry’s eyes lit up. She scoffed. “No way.”

“You know how to get to the boys’ dormitories. You’ve gone into the Gryffindor one,” he argued.

“That… was a special occasion,” she told him. “You won the first round of the Triwizard tournament. We had to celebrate.”

“Please,” he urged. “I know he’s doing something. Follow him.”

“I’ll get caught. I’m not exactly good at stalking people, but I’ll do it because it’s important to you. I.. uh… owe you one because of what happened,” she said. He had saved her ass at the Ministry when they had gone to their “adventure of the year”.

He grinned. “Thanks, Mona.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure whatever. I’m gonna go check on Alexandra.”

“Do you think I can come?” Ron asked.

She nodded her head. “Yeah, I’ll tell her dad you’re good.”

They got up from the table and headed back to the hospital wing. When they got there, Alexandra was already awake. Ramona grinned from ear to ear and hugged her friend. Alexandra groaned and then she let go.

“Oops, I forgot you’re hurt,” she laughed.

“I was just about to get you,” Andres smiled. “She just woke up ten minutes ago. She drank the potion.”

“Then in no time you’ll be up and running,” Ramona grinned. “Ron here wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Alexandra winced a bit. “Sorry I missed the practice.”

He blushed. “It’s all right. Next time.”

She smiled at him and Ramona thought Ron would faint. She looked over to the entrance and saw Draco walk by in a rush. She only recognized him because of his hair. She remembered what Harry asked of her and then she excused herself. She hurried out of the hospital wing and went in the direction Draco had gone.

She caught up with him, but she stayed a good distance away. She didn’t want to be caught. She wouldn’t have an excuse, well an excuse she could tell him.

She continued to follow him until she recognized where he was going. The requirement room. He stood in front of the wall and then a door appeared. She knew how it worked.

“Not good,” she muttered. The door disappeared before she could even get to it. At least she had juicy details to tell Harry.