Ignorance

Is no excuse

For stupidity

Viktor and Scarlett left a few hours later, leaving a very tense Harry, Ron and I in their wake.

As soon as they disappeared into the fire, we rushed into the dining room, firmly closing the door behind us and casting the muffliato spell, so as not to be over-heard (we trusted Kreacher, but we were worried someone would enter the house without our knowledge and hear what we were talking about).

As soon as Harry had cast the spell, I said, "When did we get so stupid?"

Harry and Ron looked at me in confusion

"What do you mean?"

"Well, half the stuff Scarlett said, we could've worked out for ourselves! I mean, it's totally obvious, now, that the animals are actually people, but four hours ago we thought they were pets! How in the hell we managed to find those Horcruxes, when we are as dim as this, is beyond me!"

Harry and Ron looked ashamed.

"We are older though…" Ron tried.

"Oh yes, twenty-three is just ancient! You're such a pleb Ron-"

"OKAAAY!" said Harry quickly, standing between me and Ron. "Let's not get side-tracked. Hermione, you sit there…" he pointed at one side of the table, "…and Ron, you sit there," he pointed at the other side.

Ron and I both glared at each other as we sat down in our assigned seats.

He's such an idiot. I don't know why I even like him.

I mean, did like him. I totally don't like him now.

Uh hum.

Harry took the seat next to me and firmly cast a shield spell between me and Ron.

"Just in case," he said, in answer to our affronted looks.

Pursing my lips, I leant back in my chair and crossed my arms, making it perfectly clear that I was annoyed.

"Now, to quote you, Hermione, "we mustn't fight". If you two can't be civil to one another, for whatever the reason is this time, then I'll refuse to let you two be on this investigation anymore. Do you understand?"

Oh, I hate it when Harry pulls rank on us.

Grudgingly, we both answered, "Yes."

Ron looked as though he'd swallowed a lemon. Whole.

"Good," said Harry, dragging his chair closer to the table. "Now let's get on to what Scarlett said…"

He paused.

"What did she say, Hermione?"

Sighing audibly, I placed the parchment I'd taken notes on onto the table and then resumed my previous position.

Harry looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I said roughly, looking daggers at him.

"Could you read it out to us, please, Hermione," he responded, his voice irritatingly authoritative.

Muttering under my breath, I grabbed the paper back off of the table and said, as patronisingly as I could, "Well, small children who are apparently incapable of reading for themselves, Scarlett told the big lady that she thought that the horrid man's references to animals were actually code-names for people. She also told the lady that she thought that the man may have been talking about the year 1978, not the number one-nine-seven-eight, and that Hogwarts may be the place where the answers to the questions that the big lady and the small children asked the horrid man lie and that 3am or 3pm may be a good time to find out. Good enough for you, Harry?"

Harry inclined his head slightly.

"It'll do. So, any ideas on what it could all mean, Hermione? You're normally good at this kind of thing."

I didn't answer immediately. There was something in Snape's ramblings that kept coming to my attention but for the life of me, I couldn't quite work out what it was.

Deciding that I wouldn't be able to concentrate with Harry and Ron crowding me and breathing down my neck, I stood up and said, "Not yet. I'm going to go to my room and see if I can do better there. I'll call you, if I find anything."

"Ok, then," nodded Harry, taking down the shield-charm as I left.

I decided to walk round to my house, instead of apparating.

Feeling strangely free, I stepped out into the evening air and breathed it in, marvelling at how bright the moon was.

If there were any werewolves around, they couldn't ask for a nicer night to transform in.

Although, to be fair, I doubt the niceness of the night is the first thing on their minds, but never mind.

Searching in my pocket for my keys, I found them, along, for some strange reason, with Ron's deluminator.

Slightly confused but not really bothered, I put it back in my pocket and opened the front door.

With a wave of my wand the lights switched on and I picked up the small pile of letters that had been dropped onto the doormat, through our newly installed owl-box (no mess – no stress).

"Bill, bill," I muttered, flipping through them, "Another bill, post-card, bill, ooh and my pay-slip!"

Dumping the bills and post-card on the kitchen table, I tore open my pay-slip and grinned at how much I'd been paid: 500 galleons – not bad for not doing a lot. Plus, after Ron and I had split all the bills, I'd get to spend the rest of it all on myself!

I'm not selfish at all!

Filing away my pay-slip, I picked up the post-card and burst out laughing when I saw the picture on the front of it.

Luna, her blonde-hair whipping around her face, was posing with what can only be described as a lamb, with the body of a hedgehog and the legs and tale of a pig, standing on the edge of a very high-up ledge.

Flipping the post-card over, I read what she had to say about her rather odd-looking friend:

Greetings, friends who dwell in wetter climates (i.e. England),

I am saddened to have to inform you that I have abandoned my search for the Crumple-Horned-Snorkack, as I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't, in fact, exist (you were right, Hermione!). I have, however, happened upon the delightful creature that is the Hogambig (I am pictured with it on the front of the post-card). I discovered it in Australia, when I accidentally apparated into a rather large cavern. I find it a most enchanting creature and, I am told, it is said to have many magical properties. I am now arranging for the little fellow to accompany me back to England, along with a friend I have also made. He is a rather dashing man, it has to be said, and I am quite certain that, with all these Aphrodisium pixies in the air, we shall soon become an item. It's all quite exciting really. Anyway, I must dash – I can hear the Bearwhale's call and I really can't afford to miss such a fantastic sight that is the Bearwhale's mating dance. I'm looking forward to hearing from you and Ron soon, and hope that perhaps you will find time in your very busy schedules to come and visit me when I return.

Happy Saturday,

Lots of love,

Luna xxxx

Shaking my head, but grinning all the same, I took the post-card and pinned it onto the cork-board that was hanging on the wall. I watched Luna's image, care-free and confident, for a moment, then went into the fridge and poured myself some smoothie.

Taking a sip, I headed upstairs to my room, and was repulsed by the pungent odour I encountered when I entered.

Breathing through my mouth, I quickly searched for the source of the smell and found a rather dead-looking mouse on my bed.

Scrunching my nose up, I levitated the mouse into the waste-paper bin and, after tying a knot in the bag that lined it, I hastily levitated the bag out of my open window into the wheelie bin that was just to the right of the house.

After muttering a number of cleaning spells, I went into the bathroom to wash my hands, just in case some essence of dead-mouse had contaminated them.

Admittedly, I didn't actually touch the mouse, but you can never be too careful!

As I returned to my room, I noticed Crookshanks slinking down the stairs.

"Don't think I don't know who left that disgusting mess on my bed," I called after him. "I'd watch my tail, if I were you, mister!"

He just ignored me.

Feeling slightly unloved, I sat down at my desk and pulled (for what felt like the thousandth time that day) the piece of parchment I'd written Snape's ramblings down on out of my pocket.

Setting it down on the desk, I grabbed a quill and, after dipping it in some ink, poised it above the parchment, ready to scribble away.

Unfortunately, I was having a rather large case of analysis-block, and so the only exciting thing that happened was the ink on the end of the quill dripping and making a rather impressive splatter on the middle of the page, obscuring half of what I'd written on it.

After siphoning off the unwanted ink, I sat for over an hour and a half, pondering and writing, refilling my glass at alternate intervals, and occasionally – only occasionally – think of Ron and about the argument we'd had earlier.

By ten to midnight I'd moved on to coffee, and it was whilst I was refilling my second cup that I noticed it, perched on the end of my bookshelf – a photograph of the New Order of the Phoenix.

Getting up off of my computer-chair, I walked over to the bookshelf and picked it up.

Ignoring how close Ron and I were standing, my eyes settled on Sirius, who was alternately switching from human form to animagus form and back again, and suddenly, I knew what Snape was talking about.