Dark Come Soon

Ramona rubbed her eyes. She was finishing her homework at two in the morning. She should have finished it days ago, but she put it off thinking she could finish it in a single night. She could, but she didn’t know so much research was involved. She dipped the quill in the ink and then wrote her two final sentences. She went through it and she corrected any mistakes she made. She should be on top of things with what the demand of work she does, but she worked better at night and alone. The common room was empty, and she was in front of the warm fire. She finished her work, and then got her things and went to the room she shared.

In the morning, she woke up to the sound of her roommates talking. She grumbled, but she knew she had to get up too. She showered, dressed and got moving. She went to the Great Hall for a quick breakfast. Once glance at the teacher’s table told her, her grandfather wasn’t there. She sighed. He had been gone for days now, and she was worried about him. The least the old man could do was send her a letter to let her know he was all right.

With a fake smile she sat next to the golden trio. Alexandra wasn’t anywhere on the Ravenclaw table.

“You look like you barely slept,” Hermione pointed out.

“That’s because I barely slept,” Ramona said and then shoved a piece of waffle in her mouth. “I stayed up writing that essay for Transfiguration. I barely managed to get it done. I’m bloody happy it’s Friday.” Her eyes wondered down the table, and she watched as Seamus was trying to make the feather in front of him levitate without speaking the words. “God, I hate nonverbal spells.”

“You know how to do them!” Ron said with a mouth full of food. “Why are you complaining?”

“Oh that’s right,” Ramona grinned. “If you need help, all you have to do is ask, Ronald.”

“Don’t call me that Ramona,” he stuck his tongue out.

“How do you expect to get with Alex if you can’t treat her best mate properly?”

She laughed when Ron’s face reddened.

“Hag,” he muttered under his breath.

“I know,” she said.

“When did you learn them?” Hermione asked and placed the newspaper down.

“My granddad taught me over the summer, you know, when he wasn’t away for weeks at a time,” she said bitterly.

“Do you have any idea where he is going?” Harry asked.

“How should I know? Aren’t you his favorite?” she batted her eyelashes to him.

“You’re his granddaughter,” he reminded her, and then she remembered that she shouldn’t be bitter. Her grandfather was going to die. She said she could handle it, but now she wasn’t so sure anymore. It wasn’t like she was going to be alone if he died. She had the Weasley family. She’s known them all of her life, and they have become family, but they weren’t her blood like Dumbledore was.

The day dragged on. Defense Against the Dark Arts was filled with reading, so Ramona had a hard time keeping her head up. She fell asleep on her book two times, and by the third time she earned detention from Professor Snape. He said it would be on Saturday.

“But it’s the first trip to Hogsmeade!” she argued.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before falling asleep in my class,” his cold eyes on her. She narrowed and cursed him in her mind. She would never figure out why her granddad trusted him so much. He was clearly the bad guy.

Ramona went to her very own room. She did want to face her friends yet. She wasn’t upset about the detention. She really hoped to go out of the castle for a few hours, but now that wasn’t going to happen. She thought about taking out her guitar and play a few songs, but she just wasn’t feeling like it. She went through her trunk and she found the bottle of scotch. It was a muggle drink, but it did the trick. She had it really deep in her trunk. She just needed something to take the edge off.

She poured some in a cup, and then drank it. She lay on the bed on her back. Her day could not get worse. After her one drink, she must have dozed off because she found herself being nine years old again. She was in her grandfather’s office, and she was chasing a chocolate frog that got loose. It was going to the window and she wanted it to get it before it escaped. It did jump out the window.

“Suicidal candy,” young Ramona shook her head. She had a bob haircut.

“Mona?” her grandfather called.

“Coming!” she yelled and raced back to the center of the office.

“What are you doing, dear?” her grandfather had a bright smile.

“Chasing my candy. It jumped out the window again,” she went to him and then looked down and saw a letter. From what she caught, someone was giving a report on someone they were spaying. A name caught her by surprise. “Harry Potter?”

Before Ramona could dream more or remember, the knocks on her door woke her up. She groaned and realized the sun was down. The knocks didn’t stop and then her name was being called out. She went over to her door and opened it. Her friends were there with relieved looks.

“What?” she muttered and yawned.

“Where have you been?!” Alexandra demanded.

“Uh, here?” Ramona didn’t know why they all looked upset now. “What is it?”

“We thought Draco caught you snooping or something,” Harry narrowed his eyes.

“I’ve been here catching up on some sleep,” she said. “Did I miss dinner?”

Alexandra nodded her head. “It’s why we were worried. You never miss it. You love food. We couldn’t go to the dungeon and check the Slytherin, so we tried here instead.”

“I’m fine,” Ramona shrugged. “I should go to my house then. Hell, now I’m going to be hungry.”

“We can go to the kitchen together,” Alexandra offered.

“Yeah all right.”

**

The following morning, Ramona had to report herself in Snape’s office for detention. Alexandra was going to go with Ron, Harry and Hermione. It was a cold morning, and she knew it would be cold for the rest of the day. Mayebe a day in detention would be better for her. On her way to the office she was stopped by Professor Slughorn. She was polite, but she wasn’t too thrilled to have him as a professor. He invited her to one of his parties, but she made some excuse. It was the third time he invited her, but frankly she wasn’t interested. She saw the group that was going to Hogsmeade, and she was surprise that where the group of Slytherin was Draco was not there. She stood in her place and looked for him, but did not find him.

“Thinking about skipping detention, Ms. Dumbledore?” he asked slowly.

“And skip quality time with yours truly? Never!” she grinned.

“Get on. You have a lot of cleaning to do. Pots need cleaning,” he placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward.

For the next three hours, Ramona cleaned pots. Her fingers were wrinkly and they smelled horridly. It would take a good cream to take the smell away. Professor Snape was planning the next lesson. She looked up to him when she was on her twentieth pot.

“Why does my granddad trust you so much?” she spoke out loud.

He moved his black eyes towards her. “Clean,” he pointed to the pots.

“Honestly, you were a Death Eater. I know Harry’s dad and his friends were mean to you, but that’s no excuse.”

“Ms. Dumbledore, do as you’re told.”

“Where is my granddad going anyway? What is he looking for?”

“You’re gone for the day,” he said and then shooed her away with his hand. She smiled and shrugged. She dropped everything and left the office. She brought her hand to her nose and made a face. It would take a very strong cream to make it go away. She thought of going to Madam Pomfrey, but Alexandra’s dad would be better. She turned to make her way to the hospital wing.

She stopped when she heard screaming. Her blood froze. She turned around and saw Hagrid carrying someone in his arms. A girl, by the looks of her clothes, and she was screaming bloody murder. Hagrid didn’t even stop to say hello to her. The Hospital Wing was not too far. She followed him wanting to know what happened. Hagrid placed the girl on one of the cots and Ramona recognized her as Katie Bell from Gryffindor.

“What happened?” Andres appeared along with Madam Pomfrey.

“She’s been cursed,” Hagrid said with wide eyes.

“With what?” Andres questioned him.

“Not sure, a necklace of some sort,” Hagrid scratched the back of his head.

Katie would not stop screaming and thrashing around, so Hagrid held her lightly, but his strength was enough to keep her from moving too much. Ramona looked at Katie and felt sorry for her.

“Mona,” Andres placed his hands on her shoulders. “Did you see anything?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been in detention with Snape. I came…” she looked over him and saw Kati with the most excruciating expression, like she was in so much pain. “I…”

“She wasn’t there. It was… uh, Harry, Ron and Hermione found ‘er,” Hagrid said.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave, Mona,” Andres said sadly.

“All right,” she muttered and turned around. She knew exactly where to go to get her answers. She moved swiftly, and soon she was in front of the Fat Lady portrait. “Dilligrout,” she said the password.

“Child, you are not a Gryffindor.”

“Aw come on! Please it’s important, Madam.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she smiled and then opened the door. “Good thing you are not wearing your house’ robes.”

She was right. She caught Harry, Ron and Hermione in the common room. She walked over to them to talk about what happened to Katie. They explained what happened and quickly Harry spoke about his theory that it was Malfoy. Hermione quickly intervened that it was impossible because he had detention. Harry turned to Ramona.

“You’ve got to find something in his room,” he looked crazy now.

“And risk getting caught?” she hissed. “Again?!” She didn’t want to think about the last time it happened, well she did think about it. A part of her wanted it to happen again.

“You are the only one who can do this,” he argued.

“You made this argument last time,” she glared at him. “Fine! I’ll do it one more time, but it’s the last time. What you should be thinking of is getting into the room of requirements,” she gave him a pointed look. “Now, where is Alexandra?”

“She went back to her dorm,” Ron said quietly.

“Did she see it happen?” Ramona asked.

“Yeah,” Ron nodded his head.

“I’m going to check on her.”

“Why do the portraits let you in?” Ron crossed his arms across his chest.

“Because they’ve known me all my life,” she placed a hand on her chest. “See you around.”

“How was detention?” Harry asked, and then she shoved her hands up to his face, and he pushed them away. She laughed.

“Splendidly,” she said sarcastically.