Dawn Rivera

Christmas on the Closed Ward

Hermione and I hammer hard on the door.

"We know you're in there," says Hermione. "Will you please come out? We want to talk to you."

"What are you doing here?" Danny asks us, pulling open the door as Buckbeak resumes his scratching at the straw-strewn floor for any fragments of rat he may have dropped. "I thought you were both skiing with Hermione's mum and dad?"

"Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing," I say. "So, we've come here for Christmas." There is now in my hair and my face is pink with cold. "But don't tell Ron. We told him skiing's really good because he kept laughing so much. Hermione's mum and dad were a bit disappointed, but we've told them that everyone who is serious about the exams are staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand. Anyway," she says briskly, "let's go to your bedroom, Ron's mum has lit a fire and she's sent up sandwiches."

Harry and Danny follow us back to the seventh floor. When we enter the bedroom, I see that Harry and Danny look rather surprised to see Ron, Ginny and Misty waiting for us, sitting on Ron's bed.

"We came on the Knight Bus ," says Hermione airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry or Danny have time to speak. "Dumbledore told us what happened first thing this morning, but we had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr Weasley was in St Mungo's and he'd given you all permission to visit. So..."

We sit down next to Ginny and Misty, and the four of us and Ron look up at Harry and Danny.

"How're you feeling?" I ask.

"Fine," says Harry stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," Hermione says impatiently. "Ron, Ginny and Misty say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" says Danny, glaring at Ron, Ginny and Misty. Ron looks down at his feet, but Ginny and Misty seem quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" Ginny says. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" says Harry angrily.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other," I say, the corners of my mouth twitching.

"Very funny," Danny snaps, turning away.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," says Hermione sharply. "Look, the others have told us what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears -"

"Yeah?" growls Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watches the snow falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it."

"We wanted to talk to you, Harry," says Misty, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back -"

"He didn't want anyone to talk to him," says Danny, who is looking more and more nettled.

"Well, that was stupid of him," says Ginny angrily, "seeing as you don't know anyone but Misty and I who've been possessed by You-Know-Who, and we can tell you how it feels."

Harry and Danny remain quite still as the impact of these words hit them. Then they wheel around.

"I forgot," says Harry.

"Lucky you," says Misty coolly.

"We're sorry," Danny says, and he sounds like he means it. "So...so, do you think he's being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asks. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"

Harry seems to rack his brains.