What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?
Few things frighten me. In fact, I can't remember the last time that I was scared.
Well, that's not quite true.
There was an incident not too long ago during the Tri-Wizarding Competition that I arranged with my old mentor, Barty Crouch. My brother Ron was imprisoned by the mer-people in the Lake and Harry Potter was to rescue him. Intellectually, I knew that Ron was safe; after all, I arranged the competition myself, didn't I, with Barty Crouch? I most certainly would never let any harm befall anyone in my family, and I knew that Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Crouch wouldn't let the students be injured, and yet… Harry took so bloody long to save Ron that I got quite into a panic that something had gone wrong and that Harry hadn't saved Ron at all! It was so very strange. Even though I was watching the competition with everyone else, it was as if I couldn't see or hear anything around me. All I could "see" was the image of my poor, helpless brother trapped and drowning and I was struck through with terror that he was dying down there all alone while I just sat by doing nothing! And… well, I am embarrassed to admit this now, but the next thing I knew I was running out into the Lake myself, determined to save him. As it turned out, Ron was not only fine, he yelled at me for trying to help him. That was enough to make my terror on his behalf vanish.
Well, that's not quite true.
There was an incident not too long ago during the Tri-Wizarding Competition that I arranged with my old mentor, Barty Crouch. My brother Ron was imprisoned by the mer-people in the Lake and Harry Potter was to rescue him. Intellectually, I knew that Ron was safe; after all, I arranged the competition myself, didn't I, with Barty Crouch? I most certainly would never let any harm befall anyone in my family, and I knew that Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Crouch wouldn't let the students be injured, and yet… Harry took so bloody long to save Ron that I got quite into a panic that something had gone wrong and that Harry hadn't saved Ron at all! It was so very strange. Even though I was watching the competition with everyone else, it was as if I couldn't see or hear anything around me. All I could "see" was the image of my poor, helpless brother trapped and drowning and I was struck through with terror that he was dying down there all alone while I just sat by doing nothing! And… well, I am embarrassed to admit this now, but the next thing I knew I was running out into the Lake myself, determined to save him. As it turned out, Ron was not only fine, he yelled at me for trying to help him. That was enough to make my terror on his behalf vanish.