Dean knew he shouldn't be wandering through the hallways by himself. Not after what happened a few days ago.
He told Harry that he wouldn't.
Ginny basically gave him a look not to.
And Seamus. Well, he was Seamus when it came to these things.
However, he just needed to get out of the tower for a little while. He still didn't want to deal with people's stares or their constant speeches of sympathy. There was only so much he could handle of both. And at such a late hour, no one was going to be around, unless they were breaking curfew. Dean ran into very few of those students, unless he was patrolling the wrong side of the castle.
He didn't want to jinx it, but what was the worse that could happen?
Dean followed the path before him, hands stuffed into his pockets as his thoughts lingered on his mum on and off. Ginny had helped him to deal, but it was going to take time. With his mind stuck on a particular thought, the sound of footsteps grew increasingly louder. The patter of feet became a run. It wasn't hard to notice when someone ran through the corridors, especially at night. Thinking it was someone that spotted him and tried to make a break for it, Dean quickened his pace, only to feel someone completely crash into him as he turned the corner.
The collision didn't falter his position, but noticed who the person was just as she collapsed on the floor. "Lia! What the hell happened?" he asked, unsure if she could explain in there state. There was blood all over her arms, and some seeping down from a gash on her cheek. She looked roughed up. No, she looked really bad. Dean already moved in close, temporarily forgetting what consumed his thoughts just seconds ago. A sense of panic filled him, but refused to show it. Not now. Not when a friend needed help. Instead, he did his best to calm her down a bit, obviously the urgency to rush her to the infirmary was high. "I'm here. I'm here now. Don't worry. Can you get up again or does it hurt to move?" So many questions ran through his mind, but it was a good place to start. Even so, it didn't take him long to add with a bit of anger seeping through, "Who the fuck did this to you?"