Chapter Twenty-Five

The Boys' Bathroom

Because Katie was back again, it meant that Demelza Robins no longer needed to be chaser. Amara was sad to see her go, but she was glad to have Katie back again. Demelza took it quite well - she looked as though she knew it was coming when Harry cornered her in the common room. She had smiled and nodded, for Harry was keeping her as a reserve, and walked off.

The practises they had once Katie had returned were the best they'd ever had. Even Ron was doing well, though it was probably because of McLaggen not being there. He'd only just gotten out of the Hospital Wing and though he glared at them all, he didn't dare speak to them again. Amara was definitely pleased about this, because she knew they could all do a lot worse if they had too.

Amara had been slightly surprised to find Ginny not at all upset that she'd broken it off with Dean. In fact, she kept them all amused by doing accurate but exaggerated impressions of them all playing Quidditch. Though he was trying to hide it, Amara could see Harry staring at Ginny much longer than anyone else did. He laughed a little too loudly at her jokes, but Amara was the only one to notice, as well as him getting hit by the Bludgers a little too often, and leaving the Beaters confused to why he hadn't dodged.

Ron was forever oblivious to the fact that his best friend was pining over his younger sister, and stopping himself from asking her out because of it (this was what Amara had guessed, because otherwise Harry was just stupid). It irritated Amara and Hermione quite a lot that Harry had not made a move, and they spend a lot of time talking about it in their dormitory. Amara had even written to Fred explaining her annoyance, and her warning that he didn't have to talk to Harry or tell Ginny she couldn't go out with him. He was mainly confused about how she wasn't going out with Dean anymore but listened to her annoyance, but then commented that he had been going through the same thing, but there had been no brother in the way.

What was annoying Amara more was that many boys would soon be asking Ginny out, because of how popular she was, and she would probably accept, for she had decided Harry wouldn't ever go out with her a long time ago. Amara had already heard that Aaron Gilford, a Gryffindor in Ginny's year, was planning to.

Every time Amara found herself with Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Ron she'd conveniently distract Ron so that Ginny and Harry were by themselves, but it never seemed to work out, much to Amara's chagrin. So instead she decided to stop meddling and let Harry be as stupid as he wanted to be.

Anyway, the upcoming match against Ravenclaw, which was also the last match of the year and decide who was going to win the Championship, was more prominent in Amara's mind than anything else. She had not wanted the Cup so badly before, for it was her first year of actually playing for the team, and she did not want to mess it up. For them to be first place, they needed to be up by at least one hundred points due to their defeat with Hufflepuff, otherwise they'd lose and become second. Anymore points less and they had the threat of becoming third – or worse – last place. Harry always had a painful look on his face when he was telling them this. Ron was constantly talking tactics to Harry, because he seemed very agitated, for the last game of the season was the most important.

Ron wasn't the only one agitated – players on the opposing team were seen looking rather pale in the corridors, for rival Houses yelled intimidating words out to the entire team or individual players as they walked past. There were horrible chants which made some players run to the bathroom to be sick, whilst others swaggered about as if they owned the place. Amara ignored all the chants, and Harry was good at doing it too. Ron, as always, was less good and was always hurrying to different bathrooms to stop himself throwing up.

On the Wednesday before the match against Ravenclaw, Amara and Harry were walking down a corridor by themselves, because Hermione had run off to Professor Vector about some essay mistake, whilst Ron was throwing up in a nearby bathroom. They made their usual detour down the seventh-floor corridor, not speaking much and into their own minds, when Harry took out the Marauder's Map and checked it, as per usual, for Malfoy's whereabouts. He seemed to stop for a second, seemingly not being able to find him, before resuming his walk. He then walked into a suit of armour.

"Harry, what the hell?" Amara asked, but Harry pointed at the Marauder's Map, already hurrying off the other way again. Amara saw that Draco Malfoy was in the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle. Confused as to why this would interest Harry so much, considering he avoided both Malfoy and the ghost as much as possible, she followed his footsteps down to the floor below and to the boys' bathroom. He pressed his ear to the door, one finger to his lips for Amara's sake and pushed the door open slowly. Unable to help herself, Amara peered around the doorframe too.

Malfoy was standing with his back against the door with his head bowed over the sink. For a second, Amara thought he was going to be sick.

"Don't," crooned Moaning Myrtle's voice from one of the cubicles. "Don't . . . tell me what's wrong . . . I can help you. . ."

"No one can help me," said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. "I can't do it . . . I can't . . . It won't work . . . and unless I do it soon . . . he says he'll kill me . . ."

Malfoy was crying. Amara was so shocked that she nearly spoke aloud, but she remained silent as she stared at Malfoy, tears streaming down his face as he shuddered and gulped. Suddenly, before Amara and Harry could react, he had looked into the mirror and saw Harry and Amara staring at him.

Malfoy wheeled around, drawing his wand. Harry pulled out his own whilst Amara moved backwards quickly. Malfoy's hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him; Harry threw himself sideways as Amara tried not to yell out, and shot a spell at the Slytherin. Malfoy deflected it and pointed his wand at the doorway where Amara was. With a BANG, the door shattered and Amara screamed as she dived out the way.

"No! No! Stop it!" squealed Moaning Myrtle, her voice echoing loudly around the tiled room. "Stop! STOP!"

There was a loud bang and the bin behind Harry exploded too; he then attempted a different spell that backfired off the wall behind Malfoy's ear and smashed the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly. Amara watched, horrified, as water poured everywhere – onto her robes and onto the floor, and Harry slipped as Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, "Cruci —"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly.

Amara and Moaning Myrtle screamed as blood spurted out of Malfoy's face and chest. It was as though someone had drawn a knife across him. He collapsed onto the flooded floor, his wand falling limply onto the ground.

"No —" gasped Harry.

Harry walked towards Malfoy as Amara staggered backwards, trying not to throw up.

"No — I didn't —"

Amara turned and hurried out of the bathroom – she needed to get help, and quick. As she left she heard a deafening scream of: "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

Amara slammed into Snape as they were both running opposite ways. Snape took one glance at her soaked robes.

"Where?" he said grimly and Amara pointed silently to the bathroom. He swept passed her, looking livid, and Amara followed hastily, not daring to believe what had happened. Snape was pushing Harry out of the way and kneeling beside Malfoy, drawing his wand. Amara swayed slightly on the spot as he healed his wounds. Where had Harry learned that spell? Harry was looking at her, wide-eyed and terrified, and Amara stared back at him, exactly the same. Why is it that we get into trouble at every corner?

Finally, Snape stopped using the counter-curse on Malfoy and got to his feet. He helped a slightly groaning Malfoy to his feet. He looked awful – his skin was much paler than usual and his shirt and robes were covered in blood. Tear tracks were also visible on his cheeks.

"You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that. . . Come . . . Miss Matthews, support his other side, now."

Snape supported Malfoy across the bathroom, turning at the door to say in a voice of cold fury, "And you, Potter . . . You wait here for me." Amara hurried over and gingerly helped Malfoy's other side and walked fearfully out of the bathroom with Snape. She was nearly shaking by the time she got to the hospital wing, five minutes later. Malfoy had not even commented that he didn't want a Mudblood's help. Snape was still angry and Malfoy was pale and his wounds still looked painful.

Once Snape had forced her to stay outside, had taken Malfoy in (Madam Pomfrey had given a little horrified scream) and returned, he seemed no less angry than he had been. His nostrils flared as he looked down at her. She felt a weird sensation and saw the bathroom again in her mind's eye. She blinked forcefully and tried to get the picture out of her head. It vanished and she stood blinking. Snape raised his eyebrows, but his face was still a mask of anger.

"Did you help?"

"Wh –what?" Amara said, startled by his sudden speech.

"Did you help curse Mr Malfoy?"

"No," said Amara hesitantly.

"Did you aid Potter in any way?"

"No," said Amara.

Snape regarded her coolly. "Go back to your common room. I'm dealing with Potter."

"But –"

"Now."

He left her standing there, shocked and still soaking wet, by the Hospital Wing. Coming out of her shock she hastened towards the common room, desperate to find Ron and Hermione before Snape could do much damage to Harry. She would have gone back to the bathroom, but she felt Snape would punish her if she did.

When she got to the stairs (many people had looked questioning at her wet appearance) she was relieved to see Ron walking up them.

"Amara – what?"

"It's Harry," she said fearfully. She recounted her story quickly and Ron looked horrified at the brief explanation.

"Where's he now?"

"Still with Snape," Amara said. Ron looked over her shoulder and gawped. Turning, Amara saw Harry running towards them, still covered in blood.

"Is that blood?"

"I need your help," Harry panted to them.

"Okay," Amara said immediately.

"I need to hide my Potions book – can I borrow one of yours?"

"Yeah," said Ron. He gave him his book. Harry took off again without another word.

"He found the spell in the Prince's book," guessed Amara as he disappeared from sight.

"But why does Snape want to see it?" said Ron. They trooped off shakily to the common room, both rather pale and Amara still soaking wet, and sat down anxiously on one of the sofas.

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny and Hermione joined them, both looking worried.

"Have you heard?" Hermione said, looking pale. "Moaning Myrtle's been popping up everywhere to say that Harry nearly murdered Malfoy in the boys' bathroom."

"Yeah," said Amara weakly.

"Amara was with him," said Ron.

Ginny and Hermione sat down.

"What happened?" Ginny asked urgently.

Amara told them, rather shakily what had happened up until the point where Snape had ordered her to go back to the common room. Ginny and Hermione seemed to be in shock by the end of it, and Amara was thankful she left out the part about the Half-Blood Prince's book, for she probably would have given them all a lecture.

They waited impatiently for Harry to return. Many people came back from dinner, muttering about what Moaning Myrtle had said. When he did arrive he was white faced and still covered in blood. He swept passed wordlessly and went upstairs to change out of his robes. When he came down, he was ordered to go outside to see Professor McGonagall. He did not return until fifteen minutes later.

"I won't say 'I told you so,'" said Hermione, after Harry had come back and had told them his punishment of having Detention with Snape every Saturday until the end of term, meaning he would miss the match against Ravenclaw that weekend.

"Leave it, Hermione," said Ron angrily.

"I told you there was something wrong with that Prince person," Hermione said, evidently unable to stop herself. "And I was right, wasn't I?"

"No, I don't think you were," said Harry stubbornly.

"Shut up, Hermione," Amara advised, rather irritated, because it was not a good time for Hermione to be proud of herself or giving Harry a lecture. Demelza was taking Ginny's place as Chaser whilst Ginny herself was taking Harry's Seeker position. Amara felt it a blow to not have Ginny working with her on the final match, as they were a very good team. Many Gryffindors were looking rather dull around them, because everyone had heard Moaning Myrtle's story and Pansy Parkinson's, who had visited Draco in the Hospital Wing. Nobody, however, looked more bummed out than Harry, who was not catching anyone's eyes and staring resolutely at the floor.

"Harry," said Hermione, "how can you still stick up for that book when that spell —"

"Will you stop harping on about the book!" snapped Harry. "The Prince only copied it out! It's not like he was advising anyone to use it! For all we know, he was making a note of something that had been used against him!"

"I don't believe this," said Hermione. "You're actually defending —"

"I'm not defending what I did!" said Harry quickly. "I wish I hadn't done it, and not just because I've got about a dozen detentions. You know I wouldn't've used a spell like that, not even on Malfoy, but you can't blame the Prince, he hadn't written 'try this out, it's really good' — he was just making notes for himself, wasn't he, not for anyone else . . ."

"Are you telling me," said Hermione, sounding outraged, "that you're going to go back — ?"

"And get the book? Yeah, I am," said Harry forcefully. "Listen, without the Prince I'd never have won the Felix Felicis. I'd never have known how to save Ron from poisoning, I'd never have —"

"— got a reputation for Potions brilliance you don't deserve," said Hermione nastily and Amara groaned.

"Give it a rest, Hermione!" said Ginny thankfully and Amara mentally thanked the younger girl for snapping out. "By the sound of it, Malfoy was trying to use an Unforgivable Curse, you should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve!"

"Well, of course I'm glad Harry wasn't cursed!" said Hermione, clearly stung. "But you can't call that Sectumsempra spell good, Ginny, look where it's landed him! And I'd have thought, seeing what this has done to your chances in the match —"

"Oh, don't start acting as though you understand Quidditch," snapped Ginny, "you'll only embarrass yourself."

Amara, Harry and Ron stared: Hermione and Ginny, who had always got on together very well, though not as good as Amara, were now sitting with their arms folded, glaring in opposite directions. Ron looked nervously at Amara and Harry, then snatched up a book at random and hid behind it. Amara stared at both girls before getting out some parchment and writing a very long letter to Tally.