The blazing firelight caught Harry and Ron's attention.
Harry glanced nervously back at the Castle, unsure whether the professors inside would notice anything unusual out here.
Ron was consumed by worry. The firelight on the horizon dimmed the stars, and the darkness at the edge of the sky had turned orange-red, like pigment spreading through water. Mr. Riddle still hadn't returned.
After everything they had been through, Ron's legs felt as though they had floated away, turning into wisps of smoke, while his head felt terribly heavy. Yet at that moment, he seemed to have forgotten the horrors of the Forbidden Forest and his fear of spiders.
"No, Harry, I have to find her!" Ron said resolutely.
He didn't care about Mr. Riddle, but Ginny-she was his sister!
"Let's go!" Ignoring his exhaustion and the fact that he had narrowly escaped death only a few hours earlier, Harry stood up with Ron without hesitation. He took a deep breath and set off toward the Forbidden Forest once more, determination written all over his face.
Before they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, however, they saw a small figure emerge from the trees.
"Ginny!" Ron's heart gave a violent leap, as though it had suddenly come back to life. Only then did he truly feel as though he was standing on solid ground again.
He rushed toward the figure, tripped over his own feet in his haste, and rolled through the mud. But that didn't stop him. Scrambling forward on his hands and knees, he threw himself at Cyrus's feet.
"What... are you doing?" Cyrus hadn't expected Ron to greet him with such a grand gesture of respect. He looked down at him in surprise.
"Are you all right, Ginny?"
"Not a hair out of place." Cyrus didn't correct Ron's