A Young Wizard's Journey - Order of The Phoenix

A Giant Debriefing

Harry sprang to his feet at once and sprinted up to the boys' dormitory to fetch the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from his trunk just as Y/N began disillusioning himself.

'You using the cloak or want me to get you as well?' he asked Hermione, as his body faded from view.

'It'll be awkward with all three of us under the cloak I reckon,' she said, 'plus if I'm disillusioned, I can hold your hand,' she added in a whisper. Y/N laughed and disillusioned her too, just as Harry returned.

'We'll go first,' said Y/N, 'put distance between us and that cloak, you two have the map so you'll know where we are.'

'See you down there,' said Harry as Ron moved over to him and both vanished under the Invisibility Cloak.

Y/N moved towards the portrait hole, dragging Hermione along by her hand as he did so, but she didn't seem to mind.

They crept through the portrait hole and then, moving slowly and cautiously, they proceeded down the many staircases, pausing or dodging at intervals to allow the other potential inhabitants of the castle to move by. But they were lucky; they saw nobody but Nearly Headless Nick, who was gliding along absentmindedly humming something that sounded horribly like "Weasley Is Our King."

The two of them crept across the entrance hall and then out into the silent, snowy grounds.

'Any idea on where the other two are?' asked Hermione.

'Top of the stairs,' said Y/N, rubbing his temple with his free hand. No matter how much his sense seemed to advance, that cloak got no easier. The only thing that still affected him that badly was whenever Dumbledore cast magic, and even then, that was only a ripple. The cloak was constant.

The two of them began hurrying forward through the snow, trying to keep distance between themselves and the cloak, but not too far so that Y/N lost the feeling of where they were. As they finally approached the door, both moved to the side and waited. Y/N gritting his teeth.

'You two here?' whispered Harry's voice as the cloak stopped in front of Hagrid's door.

'Yep,' said Hermione, 'knock on so you can put the cloak away for Y/N.'

Harry did as she asked and knocked three times on the large wooden front door and Fang started barking frantically inside.

'Hagrid, it's us!' Harry called.

'Shoulda known!' said a gruff voice.

Y/N felt Hermione squeeze his hand and he couldn't help but smile himself, despite the ever growing headache; they could tell that Hagrid's voice was pleased.

'Bin home three seconds... Out the way, Fang, Out the way, yeh dozy dog.'

The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open, and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap.

Hermione screamed.

'Merlin's beard, keep it down!' said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. 'Under that cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!'

'I'm sorry!' Hermione gasped, as the cloak vanished into the hut and then Hermione and Y/N squeezed past Hagrid into the house, Y/N tapping Hagrid's shoulder to assure him that was all of them. Harry pulled off the cloak and folded it away under his robes. 'I just- oh, Hagrid!'

'It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!' said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror, and the reason why was obvious.

Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, a sight all too familiar to Y/N. He'd had to walk the same way after his run in with the troll.