There was nothing different enough about the trip to the dungeons to make the hairs on Gabriel's arms stand up. Nothing out of place or out of the ordinary. If there happened to be something amiss, it was mostly the fact that they were all locked inside the castle now. Fresh air had to come from open windows. There weren't any of those in the dungeon, but it was cool and a little damp in places. Typical of the castle, or so he'd learned over the years. Hufflepuff wasn't deep into the bowels of the place, but Gabe hadn't ever minded being in its lower levels. Maybe because he'd visited Andy there so often, but who knew? In any case, he was all too happy to fetch the things Pomfrey needed. It gave him an excuse to get some exercise and go on feeling useful in the process. There were awful people outside the castle as well as in it. Staying busy kept his mind off the things they could do. Would do, if allowed. Had already done.
He shook his head as he reached for the jar in back. Then, it seemed the world exploded around him in a shower of glass. Thank God he had his mouth shut, but he couldn't close his eyes in time or lift his bare forearms to shield them. Shards flew in every direction, leaving dozens of cuts of varying depths from hairline to ankles. His clothes were done in. Though none of the wounds were life-threatening, they brought Gabe to his knees, his hands bloody and shaking.
His eyes! Fuck! There was glass in his eyes! He'd closed them as soon as the synapses fired, but it was too late. The pieces were tiny, though he wondered how far they were embedded. He could feel them and desperately tried not to blink. Were his eyes bleeding? The lids, maybe. He made a sound a lot like a whimper, curling in on himself in the midst of the chaos. Had someone followed him into the storeroom? Were they behind him now, ready to finish what they'd started? Slick fingers scrabbled for his wand. He drew it without any idea where to aim, waiting, his breathing thunderous in his own ears. His injuries stung, making any and all movement undesirable.
"Hom - homenum revelio," he groaned. Nothing. No one. He needed help. Immediate medical attention, before his eyes were permanently damaged. His first thought was Benjy.
It took him three tries, during which a cold sweat broke out on his skin thanks to the drain on his energy, to cast a patronus charm that would lead his best friend back to him.