Chapter Eleven - Certain Truths

Slytherin House gathered at the lakeshore to mourn the loss of one of their own. It had started as a small gathering of friends, but eventually the whole house had been invited. They had toyed with the idea of opening it up to the other houses, but ultimately decided it was a family affair. Harry couldn't help but notice how their decision was the same one her parents had made. He felt a little less hurt by their rejection afterward. They'd had their reasons.

The weather cooperated, which was nice. A few wispy white clouds were in the sky. There was a slight breeze, and the sun felt warm on Harry's skin. The birds sang happily to each other. Even the giant squid put in an appearance, sunning its tentacles on the beach.

The seventh year prefects stood at the front. Dozens of sturdy wooden chairs, painted white and fitted with green cushions had been set out for them. A table draped in white cloth was set up at the front with dozens of pictures of Laine, candles, and flowers. The orchids had always been her favourite.

Harry's heart leapt into his throat when he saw the first picture, and for a moment he couldn't breathe. It was a scene from the last year, sitting in the common room with Harry. They were curled into each other, cuddled with such content. Every detail of that day flashed into his mind's eye, and the hurt of her loss pierced him again.

Ginny noticed his reaction, and she guided him to a seat at the front next to Lucas. She sat down next to him, and Draco next to her. Tracy was right behind Harry, her hand on his shoulder. Ginny held his hand and Draco's.

Lucas might as well have been a stone statue for all the emotion he showed. Harry knew he was trying to hold it together.

Harry realized that Ginny's hand felt small and cold. He was suddenly conscious of how clammy his own hand was. He wondered if he should wipe it off and decided not to call any attention to it.

The seventh year prefects were standing behind the table, and when the house had gathered, they started the memorial.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," David Palce said. "House is like family. That's what Professor McGonagall told us before we were Sorted. House is like family. Slytherin House is our family, and we are all brothers and sisters. For those of us who are only children, it is a chance to experience having siblings. We gather today to mourn our sister Laine Slater, who should be a fifth year. For those who haven't heard the gossip yet, Laine was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Department of Mysteries back in June."

Samantha Warrington nodded. "One of our sisters has fallen in battle. That so many have gathered to mourn her is a powerful thing. It fills me with hope. We must continue to stand against the Darkness that claimed her. We are stronger together than we are apart. Our grief can forge us, give us clarity of purpose. Let us always remember Laine and the cause she stood for."

David leaned forward again. "Anyone who wants to speak may do so, but let's try to keep it to remembering Laine and not about the war, please."

Harry didn't trust himself to speak, so he was going to let others do the talking. Today he was going to listen and learn as much about Laine as he could from other people.

There was a long moment where no one stood up. Finally Ginny gave Harry's hand a squeeze and got up and went to the table. She picked up one of the framed pictures and looked at it intently for a few moments. She put it down with a sigh and turned around.

"I grew up with six brothers. I never had a girl to be friends with. I mean, Luna Lovegood lived nearby, but she always wanted to hunt for imaginary creatures. That gets tiresome after awhile, and I stopped going over to her house to play. That left me with just my brothers, since Mum didn't want me to play with the Muggle girls in the village. My brothers, for the most part, tried to leave me out of things. I was closest with Percy and Bill, but I wasn't allowed to play Quidditch with them. I never had my own broom. I was really a loner until age eleven, and I hoped when I got to Hogwarts I could make some friends."

She paused for a moment, thinking of the awfulness of her first year and how her hope had been shattered.

"Unfortunately, I did not make friends. I came into contact with a Dark artefact, and I wasn't myself that year. After I was cured, none of the Gryffindors wanted anything to do with me. Harry Potter, who is nothing if not noble and true, was nice enough to let me hang around so I'd have someone to eat meals with. Then I met Laine, and she became my best friend."

Ginny looked at the pictures again.

"You don't need me to tell you that Laine was warm, bubbly, and extremely outgoing. She more or less adopted me into Slytherin by sheer force of personality. Because of her, I feel at home here in a way I never did in Gryffindor. They didn't try to be my friends because they didn't understand me, or rather the way I appeared to be. She acknowledged that she didn't understand me and was my friend despite it. How many of you ever heard her sigh dramatically and say I was a hopeless Gryffindor? Most, I bet. We shared a lot over these past four years. She helped me find myself again. She was my friend, and I miss her."

Ginny sat down and took Harry's and Draco's hands again. She squeezed Harry's tightly, and he was grateful she was there.

Now that the ice was broken, other people stepped forward to speak. Her yearmates Sarrah and Shawna stepped forward together, holding each other up.

Sarrah wore a green and silver prefect badge. She spoke first. "Laine was always willing to help us improve our fashions. We could ask her for any sort of advice. She knew so many patented Hair Charms. She even taught me one for the Yule Ball! She was a really good friend."

"She was really bad at Herbology. She was always borrowing my notes." Shawna sounded wistful. "I caught her trying to copy off Michelle once in second year. She denied it, of course, but I used that to get her to owe me a favour. Now I'll never be able to collect. I'd only ask for her to come back." She turned to the pictures. "I miss you, Lainey. It's going to be really bloody strange without you this year. I thought we were going to go bonkers over the OWLs together. I loved studying Charms and Transfiguration with you. You always managed to make it understandable. I'm going to have to lead the study group now, since none of the others could herd a chicken in a round pen." She turned away from the table and buried her face in Sarrah's shoulder.

Professor Vector went forward and escorted the pair back to their seat. She conjured handkerchiefs and hot cups of soothing tea for the sobbing witches. She went back up to the front and contemplated the pictures as Astoria got up to speak.

She fiddled with her blonde hair as she spoke.

"Laine was a year ahead of me. She was the best. We all know how much fun she was. She was always smiling, always laughing. She was the nicest person. Not a mean bone in her body. She'd talk to anyone. One of the first nights in my first year, she came into the dorm to tell us a bunch of things she'd learned about the castle during her first year. We must have kept her there for hours. She answered hundreds of questions. She was so easy to talk to. She offered to let us copy her old notes for her good subjects, said she had copies of better notes for the others. We six girls really looked up to her. Some nights she'd even come sleep over in our dorm and we'd do all kinds of girly things. I didn't even know there were so many Hair Charms. She was like a big sister for us. She told us all about boys. She warned us away from broom cupboards. 'What's so romantic about cleaning products?', she always said. She recommended somewhere on the grounds or in unused classrooms. 'Let the Gryffindors have the Astronomy Tower', was another of her favourites. Merlin, she was something else."

Astoria let out a great sigh. "Goodbye, Laine. I miss you."

Professor Vector put her hand on Astoria's shoulder. "Laine studied under me for two years. She was an above average student, and her grasp of number theory was commendable. I looked forward to seeing her in my class. She always sat in the front row. Every single lesson, she was there with an eager smile, ready to learn. She sat up and leaned forward. She dared me to teach her. I urge you all to make her an example in your lives."

Jeremiah Goodwinter, a boy in Laine's form, spoke as well. He was from an old family, and Theo and Draco had spoken of the Goodwinters with respect. They had invited him to lift weights with them, but he had declined.

As Jeremiah stepped to the front, Lucas muttered, "What's he doing?"

"You know he had the biggest crush on her," Ginny whispered back. "This should be painful."

Jeremiah cleared his throat nervously. "I knew Laine not well. She did not much mingle with the boys. She and the girls largely kept to themselves, which was very annoying once we finally wanted to spend time with them."

That comment got a bit of a chuckle. Lucas scowled and Ginny frowned.

"She was always polite, at least to me. I saw her get mad a few times, but never without cause. I believe she would have been the prefect this year, and I am sad that I won't get to work with her on the council. No offense, Sarrah."

"None taken."

"I also have no idea what it's going to be like this year without seeing her. It helps to know that so many of you feel the same way. I think together we can get through this." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he instead walked back to his seat.

Daphne stood up. She had been crying, but as she looked at the pictures on the table and lit a candle, her voice was steady.

"It feels very strange to be standing up here. Six of us went to the Ministry that night. Five of us came back."

She paused to let that sink in. The candle wick caught and began to burn on its own. The flame flickered briefly before settling down as the wax started to melt.

"It could very easily have been me hit by that curse and knocked through that veil. As it was, I caught a curse that the Healers at Saint Mungo's have never seen before. I almost didn't make it."

Daphne paused again, taking a moment to consider her own death.

"I knew her, but not well, a fact that makes me sad. She was usually bubbly, always witty. I saw firsthand how good she was for Harry. We all did. We all have a piece of us missing now. Let's remember to cherish one another. Let's remember to be thankful for all we have."

Jamie Davis had taken a break from her duties in the hospital wing to be with her old housemates during this sad time. She sat next to Tracy, and there was no mistaking they were sisters. She stood up, brushing back blonde hair that had grown quite long since he'd first known her. She folded her hands inside the sleeves of her brown robes.

"Many of you don't know me. I'm Jamie Davis, and I was a sixth year prefect when Laine was only a firstie. By our house traditions, I was her mentor. I got to see Laine grow from a shy, squeaky girl into a poised and confident young woman. She loved Hogwarts. She loved magic. She loved people, and nothing made her happier than chatting away several hours." Jamie broke off with a bitter smile. "She came to me in tears one time about a lost piece of homework. I helped her find it just in the nick of time to hand it in to old McGona- I mean, Professor McGonagall. I wish I'd kept in touch with her after I finished school. I'll miss her."

Harry cried but managed to do it quietly. It was hard to hear people talk about Laine. Eventually everyone spoke who wished to speak. The sun was just starting to set over the water, setting the sky ablaze with red, purple and orange.

Professor Snape had been lurking at the back, leaning against a tree. He finally stepped to the front. His black robes fell smoothly into place. His hands were at his sides, odd for a man who often had his arms folded imposingly or his hands busy at brewing.

"I had the privilege of watching Laine grow into a vivacious young woman, one who was determined to seize the world by the horns and make it give her what she wanted. I will remember her as an adequate Potions student, but also a leader and a bright mind. Laine will live on forever in our hearts and memories. We will never forget her."

"Never," Harry said, as fresh tears leaked from the corners of his eyes and traced salty paths down his cheeks. Ginny squeezed his hand again, and Tracy rubbed his back.

"I spoke to Mister Filch and advised him that all Slytherins would be coming back late, so he should not hassle you. Nevertheless, if you run into trouble, send for me. Good night."

"Good night, sir," the crowd said.

Lucas bolted. He obviously didn't want anyone talking to him. As the crowd dispersed, Harry stayed in his seat. He wanted to walk back alone.

"Let's go, Gin," Draco said.

Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, are you coming?"

He shook his head. "In a minute."

She looked concerned. "Sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Draco put his arm around Ginny as they walked back up to the castle.

Harry stayed, watching the sun sink down. As Duelling Captain as well as prefect, he was exempt from curfew. When dusk was truly upon him, he stood and looked at the pictures, now bathed only in candlelight, one last time. The pain was still sharp, but he didn't feel paralysed by it anymore. He turned to leave and found Tracy was waiting for him.

She smiled gently at him. "How are you doing?"

He resisted the urge to sigh. "How am I supposed to be doing?"

"How do you think you're supposed to be doing?"

"I'm getting a headache already," he complained. "I don't know how I'm doing. I don't know how to put words to how I feel. I don't have the vocabulary to describe what I am experiencing right now." He smoothed back his hair with both hands. "It's so frustrating. And everyone keeps wondering how I'm doing. Next person to ask me that is getting hexed."

"I'll try to remember that," she said lightly.

Harry sighed. "Sorry, Tracy. I just don't know about anything anymore."

She nodded. "That's reasonable. It's going to take time, Harry. No one expects it to happen overnight. We just want to make sure you're okay despite everything you're going through. Inherently the question is, 'How are you, despite your girlfriend being killed by Death Eaters?' That's just too long and too rude to say all the time."

When you put it like that, you do have a point. "I guess."

"I hope today helped a bit to say goodbye to her. You need closure to deal with her loss and move on."

He smiled slightly. "I think it did. Hearing all those stories helped fix her a little more fully into my memory."

She smiled back. "Good. Now let's get in before Filch catches us."

"We have immunity from Snape," Harry pointed out, "and I'm a prefect and the Duelling Captain."

"Well, look at you," she said dryly. "Laine liked more than the titles. She liked you."

"I hope so."

"I know so," she assured him.

Harry grew silent, and Tracy didn't push him to talk. The light slowly faded now that the sun had set. The afterglow had deepened to a purple shadow. They walked slowly, falling into step. She brushed her hand against his, inviting him to take it, and he did.

They went back to the common room and sat on the corner couch. The wireless played, and Harry felt himself start to choke up again. Tracy embraced him, tucking his head to her shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut, hot tears leaking. Suddenly he felt someone sit down on his other side. Another set of arms encircled him. Though his vision was blurry, there was no mistaking that red hair. They were acting entirely like Hufflepuffs, but grief excused a lot of aberrant behaviour. They stayed there for some time, shifting slightly every now and again. Finally Harry shook his head clear of dark thoughts.

"We've got work to do tonight."

The Order of the Basilisk was gathering after curfew to test the Veritaserum. The Chamber of Secrets was closer than the Room of Requirement. Harry used the Marauder's Map to make sure Filch was far away.

Harry had brought several couches down into the Chamber, shrunken and stored in his pocket. He restored them now, making sure everyone had a place to sit. If they were going to be up to no good, they might as well be comfortable.

Draco conjured up a pitcher of water. He used a blue-tinted glass to designate the special solution. Everyone else got a plain glass of water in case they got thirsty.

Arcen grabbed the special glass and took a sip.

"Arcen, what are you doing?" Tracy said.

"Nothing," he replied. "Hey! I did it! I'm lying under Truth Serum!"

"That's because I haven't added it yet, dummy," Draco said scornfully.

"Damn!"

"Language!" Millie said, swatting him in the back of the head.

"Ow!"

Draco carefully measured one drop into the glass. He swirled it gently. "We should let that diffuse for a bit."

"Sounds good," Harry said. "In the meantime, think of some questions to ask. Remember that a person has to answer what they believe is true. If I disguised myself as Professor Snape, came in and gave Arcen detention, then left, and then you asked him if Professor Snape gave him detention, he would say yes."

"Good to keep in mind. That should be long enough. Pass it around."

Harry took a sip from the glass and passed it to his left. Everyone drank from the vessel of truth, and Draco drained the last of it.

"I'll go first," Harry said. "Theo, did you take a second helping of everything tonight?"

"Yes." His face twisted. "I also took a third helping of mashers."

"You go next."

"Draco, do you like lifting Muggle weights?"

"Not really." Draco grinned. "It's more that I recognize the need for it. Millie, do you want to marry Krum?"

"Yes." She hid her face in her hands. "Shut up, all of you."

"We didn't say anything."

Millie shook her head. "You didn't have to. Arcen, did you ever peek on me in the bath?"

"Eew, no!" He gagged at the very idea.

"Thank Merlin!"

Arcen swallowed his gorge. "Daphne, would you ever date a younger man?"

The snarky blonde girl nodded. "Yes. Eew! Millie, your little brother is hitting on me."

Millie glared at him. "Arcen, what are you doing?"

"I like Daphne. Bugger!" Even a rhetorical question had to be answered.

"My turn," Daphne said. "Arcen, how much of what you talk is bollocks?"

"Most of it," he replied candidly. He began to turn red. "That's not fair."

"Your turn," Daphne said sweetly.

Arcen groaned. "Millie, why do you humiliate me so much?"

She couldn't stop herself. "Because I don't want you to realize how much I love you."

Arcen stopped. So did the rest of the room. "You love me?"

She nodded. "From the day you were born. Mum and Dad explained to me why she was getting bigger, and I couldn't wait to meet you. Then you were a boy. I still loved you, but I knew it would be different than a baby sister."

Arcen nodded. "I've always known. Nice to hear it once in awhile, you know."

"Complain, complain, complain. That's all you do," Millie said. "Enough sentiment. Pansy, how much do you weigh?"

Pansy clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle the reply. "Millie! How could you?"

"Yeah, Pansy," Theo said maliciously. "How much do you weigh?" She kept her hands over her mouth. "Someone Sticky Charm her hands down."

"I will ruin whoever even thinks about doing that." No one dared. "Tracy, was your first kiss spontaneous or planned?"

"Planned." Tracy looked at Harry, her heart in her eyes. Harry knew that the truth often needed context. They'd been kids and very excited about the opposite sex. "Draco, have you ever cast an Unforgivable Curse?"

"No. Crabbe, what girl do you want to snog?"

"Su Li. Theo, have you ever cheated on a test?"

"Never."

They continued asking questions, and nobody was able to speak anything other than the absolute truth. There seemed a compulsion upon them to volunteer information, even beyond what was asked. It was a very strange feeling, and Harry didn't care for it at all. It was similar to the Imperius Curse, but insidiously different. He tried to fight it, but was unsuccessful - for now.

While they were already in the Chamber, Harry decided that it would be the perfect time to look through the hidden library some more.

The books were all carefully preserved. Theo was practically drooling at the prospect of hidden knowledge, but he quickly grew vocal as he read. Theo was the sort to argue with his books if he didn't agree with the author.

"That was disproven six hundred years ago!"

"You should be disproven!" Pansy called out.

"Shut up, Cici!"

"You shut up!"

"Both of you knock it off," Harry said. "These books are at least a thousand years old. They were placed here by Headmaster Slytherin himself. I'm sure it was the best they knew at the time."

Theo looked around with a vague expression of despair. "Is it all like this? Didn't Voldemort update it?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think he ever came in."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Theo's bad feeling was soon proven correct. After a thorough investigation, they found nothing of very much use.

Harry did know of one thing that could be useful. He had, last year, found a journal detailing Slytherin's private research. He had developed a spell to give pain, by triggering a nerve response. Harry went to Professor Snape's office the next day to follow up on it.

"Professor, what have you been able to make of the Founder's writings?"

"They truly are priceless. The notes on his creation of the Cruciatus are interesting, but the content is not unique. It is no treasure trove of hidden knowledge, but it does hold strong historical and cultural significance."

In Muggle school, Harry had learned that the body had three kinds of nerves. One set was to inform the brain of pain, like when he stubbed his toe or had his finger shut in a door by Dudley. Another set was to tell the brain when he was cold, like being thrown into a snowbank by Dudley. The third set was to let the brain recognize when he touched something hot, like the time Dudley had forced his hand on to the burner.

Was it possible to construct a similar spell that would flood the victim's hot nerves or cold nerves? What would something like that do to someone? Would it be legal?

"Sir, I was giving a lot of thought to the mechanism of the spell's effects. It triggers all the pain receptors in the body at once, right? Pain is only one of the sensations we can feel in our skin. There is also hot and cold, wet, slimy, and so on. If one wanted to, one could probably develop a spell to make someone feel as though they were submerged in a vat of gelatin. I believe a more useful adaptation would be to trigger the receptors for heat and cold. Those could incapacitate."

"Magic is all in the intent. Focus your thoughts and choose your words."

"Would you help me, sir?" Harry requested. "Could we call it a special project for Defence class?"

"I suppose we could indeed, if you feel you have the time for it. Let us talk further after the prefect meeting."

Snape's choice of words brought him up short. Harry was exempted from those meetings because he was supposedly too busy. "Sir, you are correct. I should not overextend myself. I should wait until the term settles down a bit before I decide what else I can handle."

"You have learned patience," Snape observed.

"Had to learn it, more like," Harry said wryly.

"When you decide you are ready to work on your new spells, I will be waiting."

The first of what Harry would come to call the Slug Club dinners took place a week later on a Saturday mid-way through September. It was strictly invite only. Harry wore a nice shirt under his robe and wore it open in the front. There were five people coming from Slytherin. In addition to Harry himself there was Ginny, Zabini, and a pair of twin girls in fourth year.

Harry didn't really know the Carrow girls, and he was busy enough not to be overly bothered by that fact. They hadn't been in the group that met on the train. They had worn identical emerald green dresses, though they'd tied the sash on opposite sides to help other people tell them apart. They'd curled their hair and had a touch or two of makeup on.

Ginny had changed into a blue dress robe and tied her hair in a fairly intricate way. Magic had to have been involved. Her smile, though, was entirely natural, and she was dazzling.

Zabini stepped smoothly towards her. "Ginevra, my dear," he said reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. With his head bowed, he couldn't see Ginny roll her eyes.

Harry suppressed a snicker. This should be entertaining.

Zabini continued, oblivious. "Would you allow me to escort you to tonight's soirée? I am a most charming dinner companion."

"In your dreams, Zabini," Ginny scoffed. "Put a hand on me, and I'll remove it."

He always seemed perplexed when they didn't want to banter with him. "Why the threats immediately?"

Ginny pointed commandingly. "Go away, Zabini."

Zabini bowed to the Carrow girls. "Ladies, may I offer you an escort?"

They tried not to smile, but they glanced at each other and instantly began laughing. They hurried down the corridor, hands clutched and giggling.

Zabini looked downright irritated.

"Three throws and naught through the hoops, Zabini," Ginny said with a wide smirk. She followed after the girls and latched onto Harry's arm as she passed, leaving Zabini sputtering.

Harry lurched into motion, stumbling a bit at first. "Hi."

"Hi. This is shaping up to be a fun night already."

When they got to Professor Slughorn's office, most of the people from the train were already there. Neville and Cormac McLaggen from the Quidditch team had come from Gryffindor. Melinda Bobbin was a seventh year from Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was unrepresented. Marcus Belby had not been invited to return, Harry noted curiously.

"Ah, good!" Slughorn said with delight, coming over to greet them. "Everyone is here at last. Good."

The dinner table was a wide rectangle. Professor Slughorn sat at the head. Harry sat at his right. On his other side was Melinda, and beyond her was McLaggen. At the foot of the table sat Zabini and Ginny. On her right and continuing up the table back to Professor Slughorn were the Carrow twins, and finally Neville.

"Dinner is served!"

The meal was superb. Harry had eaten some very fine meals in his lifetime. This was a step above. Not only was the food delicious, but it was also presented with great artistry. He only wished the portions could be a little larger.

Melinda was a delightful person. Her family ran a string of apothecaries. Harry kept up a conversation with her all through the meal.

"We're having trouble keeping some things in stock. Others things we've been ordered by the Ministry not to sell anymore. It's the war, you see. Certain components have a high potential for mischief. By restricting and tracking people who try to buy them, hopefully we'll find some Death Eaters or their sympathizers."

Harry already knew about the Ministry efforts. It had been Mister Malfoy and Professor Snape's idea to try to limit the damage Voldemort could do.

Across from him, Neville was chatting up Flora Carrow. She seemed very interested in him as well, Harry thought, if he was any judge of girls' behaviour. He was also quite impressed with Neville's forwardness. He was a far cry from the teary lad who'd lost his toad.

Ginny was completely focused on Hestia Carrow, trying as hard as she was to ignore Zabini. If he tried much harder to talk to her, Draco was likely going to have words with him. In between getting shot down, Zabini was laughing it up with McLaggen. They were getting along famously, loudly and often found entertainment in things the rest of the table only half-understood, but Professor Slughorn was smiling hugely.

During lulls in the conversation, Professor Slughorn talked a great deal about famous and/or important people he knew.

"Gwenog Jones sat in that very seat, my boy," he said to McLaggen. "That very seat! I'll have to make sure to introduce you to her at some point. Perhaps you too, Harry."

"That would be nice, Professor, but I don't play Quidditch anymore. Ginny would, though."

"Oh yes," Ginny said with fervor. "She's one of my heroes."

"Done, then. I'll be in touch."

After the meal came the salad, and the leafy greens covered with seasonings and oil was simply delightful to cleanse his palate. Then came dessert, which fulfilled several dreams Harry had had since childhood. The dish of ice cream probably could double as a bathtub, but the other guests would no doubt object if he were to dive into it. There were a dozen flavours of ice cream, with chocolate, caramel, fudge, and every other topping imaginable.

Professor Slughorn eschewed the ice cream and ate a great quantity of crystallized pineapple. "My favourite, you see."

Finally the clock struck curfew. Professor Slughorn handed out notes in the event of Filch.

The Carrow girls had gone on ahead. Zabini followed, still trying to chat them up. Harry and Ginny were left to walk back to the common room together.

"Quite the evening," he commented.

"I'll say," she agreed. "I don't think Zabini stopped leering at me all night. I should have worn a more modest dress."

"That one's not very revealing," Harry noted.

"I know. It should be less so. Full cover. Know what I mean?"

He laughed lightly. "I do. Yeah, he's an odd one."

"So how are you doing?" she said curiously. "I haven't really had a chance to talk to you since the memorial."

Harry resisted the urge to scream at the question. "I'm doing okay, I think. I haven't cracked, if that's what you mean."

She gave him a small smile. "That's a good start."

He nodded. "I just try to take it one day at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow, because today is enough to deal with."

"And that works?" she asked skeptically

"So far."

Ginny's gaze was far away. "I just keep thinking about what will happen to me without her. The other girls and I aren't particularly close."

Harry frowned. "You think they might want to kick you out?"

She paused. "Yeah."

"That won't happen," Harry said firmly. "Even if they try to, Pansy will set them straight."

"I'd rather just move in with the sixth years."

"We'll hold it as an option."

She looked relieved. "Oh good."

"What was that?" Harry said suddenly. Ginny fell silent. He cast a non-verbal Hearing Amplification Charm, a Silencing Charm on both of their feet, and followed the sounds to find Arcen and Michelle together. She had him pressed up against the wall outside the common room and looked to be cleaning his teeth with her tongue. They were doing it completely wrong, but he didn't seem to mind. His hands were busy grabbing her bum. They were both oblivious to their audience.

Harry let it go on for about a minute before he cleared his throat. The pair sprang apart guiltily. Both of their faces were flaming red.

"I'd like to get into the common room, please," Harry said casually.

"Of course," Arcen said quickly. "Sorry."

"Not the best place, you two," Ginny added.

"Where did you two go then?" Michelle asked, her tone a trifle too pointed for Harry's liking.

"We've been at Professor Slughorn's office for a little dinner party."

Michelle's expression turned sour. "Ah, the Slug Club. I might have known you'd be in it."

"Let's go, Michelle," Arcen said, trying to lead her further into the dungeons.

"It's after curfew," Harry said. "Don't get caught by anyone you'll get in trouble with."

"We won't," he called back.

Harry shook his head.

"That's new," Ginny observed.

"Nah, they've been sneaking around for awhile."

"How do you know that?"

"Astoria told me."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "When did you two get so close?"

Harry frowned. That is a really good question. I don't remember.