With a Girl Like You

Chapter 8 – Just Another Day

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The rest of the week proved uneventful [a/n: Halloween was on a Saturday]. On Thursday, the headmaster announced that there would be a Hogsmeade trip for third-year students and up that weekend. Ginny was ecstatic.

"Guess what?" she prompted excitedly at the dinner table.

"What?"

"I saved enough galleons from various birthdays and holidays, and I'm going to…" she paused for a dramatic effect.

Acacia grinned. "I think I know what you're going to use it for!"

However, Ron was frowning. Harry and Hermione knew what he was thinking. How could she? The Weasley children hardly ever had pocket money, and when they did, they turned it over to their parents.

"Ron, we're the last two at Hogwarts now," Ginny reminded her brother.

"Doesn't matter," he rebuked.

"Besides, I already told mum and she said I could."

"Come on already, what are you going to buy?" asked Hermione, impatient.

"I'm going to buy a new broom!" Ginny squealed.

Ron was furious. "YOU CAN'T!"

"Why not?"

He slammed his fork down onto the table, but didn't answer. There really wasn't a reason; he was just jealous.

"She can buy whatever she wants," Acacia put in cautiously.

Ron began muttering to himself. They're all against me…

Later that evening, Ron refused to speak with Ginny. That made Hermione mad, so she wouldn't talk to him. Harry tried to solve the problem but instead, Ron yelled at him and told him to mind his own business, and Hermione just snapped and ran off to the library. In the end, Harry disappeared through the portrait hole, and Ron went up to his dormitory room. This left Acacia in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, all alone.

Not too long after, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and a few other Gryffindors came in. Acacia thought nothing of this, and pretended to be hard at work so they wouldn't bother her. It worked. But then something happened. The group of boys were standing in the middle of the room, blocking her view of the portrait hole, but she heard the portrait open and close. When no one else came into sight, she took no chances.

"Aperio resero!" she murmured quietly. One of the boys heard something and turned around, but she closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping.

"Hey, I think Acacia fell asleep. Why don't we go up to the dormitory?" the boy suggested. Luckily, they agreed. Acacia opened her eyes a bit, and saw that Seamus was leading the way. Then she straightened and took a good look around the room. At first, she didn't see anyone. Then she noticed something shimmering in a corner.

"Harry?" she whispered. The shimmering shape stirred, and she saw his eyes.

She's looking directly at me, almost as if she can see me. How does she know I'm here?

Acacia moved her books onto the side table and stood up. Harry obviously thinks that I can't see him. Well… She started to walk towards the portrait hole.

She can't see me, right? So nothing to worry about…uh oh… Acacia had changed her course and was walking towards the stairs.

What is she doing? She seems to be…oh, no…don't tell me she's going to cover every corner of the room… No, she wasn't going to, because now she was walking directly at him. Have to move…have to move… Harry made a frantic leap for the portrait hole, but somehow, Acacia was able to cut him off. They crashed to the floor.

"Harry, I can see you," she commented, not making any effort to get up. She couldn't, anyway, because Harry was…well…yeah.

My invisibility cloak is still on. How can she possibly see me?

"You don't believe me, do you?"

He shook his head slightly, and rolled to the side so he could get up. Suddenly, he felt two hands on his head. Following them, he was face to face with Acacia.

"Harry, I can see you."

He had to believe her. How else was she able to find his head and look directly into his eyes? "How?" he asked, almost inaudibly.

At first, Acacia seemed reluctant to explain. "Well…I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you," she mused. "Maybe it'll come in handy someday." She released Harry's head, and stared off into space. "I used a revealing spell. It can only be used as a counter to invisibility spells, like the one on your cloak."

Harry didn't reply. He stood up, removed the cloak, and shrunk it before putting it in his pocket.

Acacia turned to look at him. For a moment, time seemed to stretch forever. Then they both heard voices at the portrait hole and ran for the chairs and books. Neither wanted to be caught just standing there, staring at each other.

The lack of conversation was awkward, so Acacia decided to start talking.

"Where were you?" Acacia asked, scribbling furiously on a parchment.

Harry seemed thoughtful. Should I tell her? I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. Besides, she asked the question. "I went see Professor Dumbledore."

She raised one eyebrow. "The headmaster? That's curious; I went to see him right before dinner." Not fair for me to ask him why he went if I don't tell him why I went…

I wonder how she'll take the news about Sirius. He was, after all, in Azkaban. "Sometimes I have to go see Dumbledore to keep in touch with my godfather," he finally said. Yeah, but I also went to talk to Dumbledore about my scar…

Godfather? He still talks to him? "Sirius Black?" she asked. Her hand stopped moving.

"Well, yes," Harry answered, surprised. How does she know? She knows so much more than she lets on…about everything. Quidditch, the cloak, spells, people…

Am I supposed to say anything? Dumbledore said not to. But Black is his godfather…maybe I should ask Dumbledore first… "I always thought he was a decent fellow. Actually, I went to see Dumbledore about…" she paused. What should I say? Truthfully, I went to ask him more about my "rescuer", but he refused to tell me anything more than I already know.

She never got to say why she went. At that moment, someone burst through the portrait hole. As luck would have it, the voices they had heard were the voices of their best friends. Unfortunately, however, they had been fighting, and the argument continued through the common room and up the stairs.

"I can't believe it! You're so INSENSITIVE!" Hermione screeched, running up the steps to the girls' dormitories.

"I'm NOT insensitive, you insufferable git!" Ron shot back, stomping up the steps to the boys' dormitories.

"No, you're worse! You're an immature prat, who doesn't care about anyone else!"

"Look who's talking!"

At about that point, they could no longer hear each other and the insults ceased.

"Those two will never learn," Harry muttered, looking down at Acacia's Charms textbook.

"Were they always like that?" Acacia asked.

Harry looked up. "Well…that's hard to say. But they do fight more often now than they did in our first few years at Hogwarts."

Like a married couple, Acacia thought. She sat there, musing her friends' behavior, when Harry suddenly stood up.

"Do you know an invisibility charm?"

"Y-yes…why?"

"Care to explore the building?" Harry was grinning now.

Acacia grinned with him. "Do you have any dungbombs?"

"Do I ever."

An hour later, Acacia and Harry found themselves standing in front of the Slytherin portrait hole.

"Do you want to set them off in the common room, or the dormitories?" Harry inquired, eyeing their selection of bombs and putty spray. A few had timed explosions, so those would be suitable for the dormitories.

"I suddenly have a bad premonition about all this," Acacia muttered to herself. Harry heard her, though.

"We don't have to, you know. Walking around is just as pleasant."

"But that would take away all the fun," Acacia protested, laughing a little.

Beautiful laugh…must make her do that more often… Harry thought. "Well…I'll slip through, and then--"

He didn't finish what he was saying. His hand flew up to his forehead and he fell to his knees. Acacia looked on with horror. The lightning-shaped scar was glowing. "Harry!" she shrieked silently. "Need…to…see…Dumble…dore…" "Here, I can help you walk. Do you think you'll make it?" Harry grimaced. "I think so." "But how do we get there?" "No prob--" "POTTER!" "Oh, no, it's Snape," Acacia muttered. They had taken the invisibility cloak off, and Acacia never liked to use the invisibility charm unless it was absolutely necessary. They figured that they would hear someone before it was too late, but now that Snape had already seen them... "Where do you think you're going?" Snape snarled, glaring at Acacia in particular. "Thirty points from Gryffindor!"

"Harry needs to see Professor Dumbledore," Acacia tried to explain.

"DON'T talk back, Miss ELCOMBE. I meant thirty points from each of you. Make that another twenty!"

Acacia was getting angry. "That's not fair! Harry, come on. You have to see Professor Dumbledore." She began to drag him away.

"ELCOMBE! Never insult me!" Snape growled. "Detention for both of you on Saturday. And thirty more points from Gryffindor!"

Harry groaned. Not only did they lose eighty points for Gryffindor, but now they were stuck in detention while everyone else had fun at Hogsmeade. What horrid luck. And all because of his stupid scar.

Another wave of pain washed over him, making him forget what he was thinking about. Each successive wave was stronger than the last. Instinctively, Harry gripped Acacia's arm a bit harder and took a few, wobbly steps. Acacia spoke—or rather, shrieked—and something excruciatingly painful tore through him. He noted rather dazedly that he was face-flat on the ground, his glasses rammed askew. Something exceedingly bright flashed before him. He kept picturing small clouds with black, hazel-eyed daisies growing on them. Then, all went blank.

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