Never Too Young To Die

Wishing For Rain As I Stand In The Desert

~HAZELINE~

Hermione and I had searched everywhere for Harry and Ron, but we couldn't find them. We gave up eventually and walked to the great hall for dinner.

As soon as we sat down Hermione said, "where have you two been? We looked everywhere."

"We?" Ron asked with a confused expression.

Hermione leant back, revealing me. Ron just went back to eating his pie with an angry-looking frown set on his face.

"I'm a seeker," Harry announced.

"Seeker?" Hermione asked. "But first years are never - you must the youngest house player in about-"

"- a century. Wood told me," Harry told her. "I start training next week. Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

I spotted two ginger-haired boys, who looked identical, walk over to Harry and slapped him on the back.

"Well done," one of them said in a low tone. "Wood told us. We're on the team too, beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win the Quidditch cup for sure this year," The other one said. "You must be good Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"Anyway we've got to go. Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

And with that they both left. The orange-haired twins had hardly left when Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle showed up, smirking.

"Having your last meal here, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "When are they sending you back to the muggles?"

Harry lives with muggles?

"You're a lot braver now that your back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you, Malfoy," Harry said coldy.

"I'd take you on anytime, on my own," Malfoy said cockily. "Tonight even. We'll have a duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter, Potter, never heard of a wizards duel?"

"Of course he has," Ron butted in. "In fact I'll be his second tonight. Who's yours?"

"Crabbe," Malfoy said quickly. "Midnight. By the way. Invite your little friend Hazel, she can watch, seeing she's the reason for all of this." He winked at me and then walked off.

Harry looked furious. "What's a second?" He said, changing the subject.

"Oh, it's just the person who stands in if you die," Ron said casually.

What does he mean 'die'!?

Catching the look on Harry's face, he quickly added, "but people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy will be able to do is send sparks at each other. You don't know magical damage anyway. I bet he thought you would refuse anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him," Ron suggested. "Hard."

"Excuse me?" Said Hermione.

"Can't a boy eat in peace around here?" Ron huffed, rolling his eyes.

Hermione ignored him and said to Harry, "I couldn't help but listen to the conversation. I am sitting right here, you know."

"But you don't have to sit there," Ron mumbled.

"And you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, you could lose so may points from Gryffindor if you're caught and you're bound to be. It's really selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business," Harry snapped.

"Goodbye," Ron added.

With that they walked back to the common room, probably, leaving Hermione and I alone.

Hermione looked at me and said, "they really are stupid."

I just nodded and finished my pie. Harry hadn't given me back my diary, he can't read it anyway, I charmed it. I ran from the great hall and back to the common room. When the painting swung open I ran up to my trunk and saw Victoria watching me, as I got changed out of my robes, into my pyjamas. I told Victoria to wake me when it was 11:30 and climbed into bed, falling asleep, soundlessly.

I felt something sharp on my face and immediately shot up. Victoria had been scratching my face, I realised, as the owl flew back into her cage. I slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and my white Converse. I pulled my hair into a high pony tail and checked the time, 11:47. I really didn't want to go to this, Harry was 100%, for sure, going to get injured, caught or expelled.

I was wishing for rain as I stood in the desert, because really that is what this situation was like. I grabbed my wand anyway and crept down the stairs, to the common room. I noticed that Harry and Ron were already there, sitting in the armchairs and whispering to each other. They hadn't caught me creeping up behind them and I caught Ron say to Harry, " I can't believe your going to do this."

A lamp flickered on, it was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink dressing gown and a hard frown.

"You!" Ron said furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother, Percy. He would put a stop to this," she snapped at him. "And you," she said to me. "I can't believe your going with them!"

Harry got up and motioned for me to follow him.

"C'mon," He said, pushing open the portrait of the fat lady and stepping out.

I could see what Hermione was getting mad. Why was I doing this? I was about to turn around and go back to bed, when Harry caught my arm and shook his head at me. I lowered my head and followed him. But clearly Hermione wasn't giving up that easily, she followed us like a dog.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor?" She hissed. "Do you only care about yourselves?"

"Go away."

"All right, but I warned you, just remember that when you're on the train home tomorrow. You're so-" she rambled on.

But before we could find out what we were, Harry grabbed both Ron and I and dragged us down the hall. We flitted down the moonlit walls, I expected to run into Filch or Mrs Norris with every corner, but we were lucky. We sped up the staircase, the third floor, when I heard footsteps behind us. I spun around to see, Hermione, still wearing her flowing pink dressing gown and her frown.

"What are you doing here?" Ron hissed.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away that easily, did you?" She whispered.

Out of the shadows I saw another figure and almost jumped out of my own skin. Neville stepped out of the shadows.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Ron said. "What is he doing here?"

"He forgot the password to the common room, the fat lady was gone and he didn't want to be left alone," she huffed.

"Fine you can all come then. But one noise from any of you and I'll have your heads!" Harry whisper-yelled.

Neville was glaring at me as we started walking and Harry hung back, blocking me from Neville's view. We tiptoed into the trophy room and waited. Malfoy and Crabbe weren't here yet. Harry kept his wand out and I nervously watched the door.

"He's late," Ron whispered. "Maybe he chickened out."

A noise came from the next room made us all jump. Harry had only just raised his wand, when I hear someone speak, it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs Norris.

We are so dead.