Chapter 122

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Crookshanks stared at Harry from where she stood by the dorm's door, her heartbeat picking up. She had no idea how this was even possible, and whether Harry had really seen Arthur or not. But she suddenly was feeling sick with worry.

"What do you mean, you saw it happen?" said Professor McGonagall, her dark eyebrows contracting.

"I don't know... I was asleep and then I was there..." Harry said with uncertainty.

"You mean you dreamed this?"

"No!" said Harry angrily. "I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid... and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is..."

Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing.

"I'm not lying, and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I'm telling you, I saw it happen!"

"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "Put on your shoes — we're going to see the Headmaster. Weasley, you ought to come too,"

Harry obeyed without thinking twice about it. With sweat still dripping down his forehead, he got up and followed Professor McGonagall out of the dormitory along with Ron.

They followed Professor McGonagall past the silent figures of Neville, Dean, and Seamus, out of the dormitory, down the spiral stairs into the common room, through the portrait hole, and off along the Fat Lady's moonlit corridor.

     Without being noticed, Crookshanks followed them outside the common room, staying behind so she wouldn't be seen by them. She couldn't understand how Arthur could've been attacked, and ever more importantly, how on earth had Harry seen it in the first place.

Jenna had already been told by Professor Dumbledore about how Harry's mind had become connected to Voldemort's — which was the reason she couldn't reveal herself to him just yet — but this was too unexpected.

They passed Mrs. Norris, who turned her lamplike eyes upon them and hissed faintly, but Professor McGonagall said, "Shoo!" Mrs. Norris slunk away into the shadows, and in a few minutes they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Fizzing Whizbee," said Professor McGonagall.

The gargoyle sprang to life on cue and leapt aside. By that, the wall behind it split in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continuously upward like a spiral escalator. The three of them stepped onto the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud.

Although Jenna couldn't go any further and had to stay in the dim corridor, waiting impatiently to find out what was going on. She just watched them disappear from sight as she had hidden herself behind a wall nearby, still in her cat form.

     Jenna stayed behind, somewhere near the office, pacing the corridor up and down in her cat form. Her mind was racing and her heart was beating so loudly as if it were trying to break her ribcage and run off.

Jenna waited for long minutes, though it felt as though several hours had passed. She was growing more and more impatient with each passing second, to the point that she couldn't take it any longer.

It felt as if an eternity had passed when Jenna finally jumped out of her skin the moment the stone wall started to open up again behind the gargoyle statue. She then saw McGonagall rushed down the spiral staircase from Dumbledore's office, looking sick with worry, as pale as a ghost. She seemed to be in a hurry, but Jenna couldn't wait any longer.

Looking around to make sure no one else was there, Jenna transformed back to her human form and called out after McGonagall before she could leave the corridor.

"What on earth is going on!?" Jenna cried out, walking toward Professor McGonagall urgently, who had stopped in her tracks at Jenna's voice.

"Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed, looking startled. "What do you think you're doing!? You could be seen —!"

"That's the least of my worries right now, believe me," Jenna said impatiently. "Tell me what's going on. How's Harry? What's happened to Arthur?"

McGonagall hesitated at first, but finally started to explain in a quiet tone. "Harry had a vision that Arthur was being attacked at the Ministry by a snake, while he was patrolling outside the door of you-know-what. Albus sent one of the portraits in his office to the Ministry and one to St Mungo's. Harry was right. Arthur has been injured."

"I saw Lexi Hooper leaving the common room as well," said Jenna. "Did she know —?"

"Yes." McGonagall nodded briskly. "She had gone to Albus's office earlier than us to warn him about it. And we are lucky she did. They saved Arthur just in time. If it weren't for her, his injuries would've been way worse. It would've nearly killed him."

"Does Molly know?" Jenna questioned.

"No, but Dumbledore will let her know soon. First, he wants me to go and fetch the other Weasley children. They have to leave Hogwarts and go to Sirius's place along with Harry and Lexi as soon as possible, before Umbridge can get the chance to interfere. They're probably going to use a Portkey to get there."

"All right," Jenna muttered weakly, still in a state of shock. "What can I do to help?"

"Sirius will look after the kids," said McGonagall. "Get yourself to St Mungo's without being recognized. I'm sure Molly will need the support."

"Of course." Jenna nodded firmly.

And then, without saying another word, Jenna transformed into her cat form and ran out of the corridor, leaving the castle as fast as she could.

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