Porcelain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry laid wide awake that night. After his quick visit to Dumbledore, he had returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone had already been in bed and Harry had to sneak quietly in to where his bed was. But he was stopped mid-way by a voice.
"Harry? Where have you've been?" Ron's voice. "You usually tell me when you are going to sneak out."
"I was at Dumbledore's." Harry answered quietly as he found his bed in the dark.
He could vaguely see Ron lean up on his elbow to peer at him through the dark. "Why? What did he want?"
"We are going to have a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix." Harry laid down and stared up at the ceiling. "Remember Dumbledore told me, you, and Hermione about that last year?"
"Yeah."
"Well we are going to meet them at the beginning of the week."
"Oh."
Silence.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"Hermione is really mad at me, isn't she?"
"I would sort of think so."
"But I'm mad at her as well!"
"Exactly whyfor? All she did was ask you to study."
"But it was the way she said it. Like I was impossible or something."
"Well you sort of are."
"Harry!"
"Sorry."
"What should I do?"
"Well I believe that you should sleep on it and talk to her in the morning."
"Good advice Harry." With that Harry heard Ron roll over and was soon breathing regularly.
Harry laid awake long after that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry was barely awake for breakfast the next morning. He was aware that Hermione and Ron were still not speaking to each other. But he was too tired to care. Mixing tired with a general sense of worry doesn't do well for one's morning breakfast. Harry glanced up in the direction of the teacher's table and looked for Snape.
But both Snape and Dumbledore weren't present.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through his tired thoughts. "Your napkin is not edible."
Harry jerked with the realization that he was chewing on his napkin instead of the pastry that was wrapped in it. "Wow," he comment. "I mist be out of it."
Hermione smiled and went back to her food but not before she shot Ron a undefinable look. Harry sighed and had a feeling that they would be fighting longer that he had hoped.
After spitting out the napkin and reaching for another pastry, he noticed an owl landing in front of his plate.
"Early for post?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded and reached for the parchment that the owl held. The note was small and precise.
"Harry,
Come and meet me and Professor Snape in my office immediately. The password is: Yellow Candied Wands. (That's a new product at Honeydukes)
Dumbledore."
Harry folded the note and stood quickly. "I'll see you guys in Charms, okay?"
Hermione and Ron looked at him, confused. "What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, what did the letter say?" Ron stared at him.
"I have to go see Dumbledore."
"Why?" Ron persisted.
"It doesn't say." That wasn't the whole truth. True it didn't say why, but Harry was pretty sure why. Malfoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco sat swinging his legs back and forth in one of Dumbledore's great chairs. He was all alone waiting for the Headmaster and Snape, and presumably Potter. He always managed to show up for interesting occasions.
Strange...his feet didn't reach the floor.
He stretched out one leg as far as it could go in an attempt to touch the floor. No avail. He was too short.
"Oh bugger..." he muttered under his breath. He dropped to a slouch and struck out with one of his legs again.
A toe sort of touched the floor.
"Still haven't received your growth spurt, Mr. Malfoy?" an oily voice spoke up.
"Professor Snape!" Draco cried, whipping his head to the sound of his Potion Master. Snape stood slightly behind Dumbledore as they made their way into the Headmaster's office.
"Young Malfoy," Dumbledore began. "It is a pleasure to see you finally again."
Draco silently nodded. "Where's my father?"
Snape exchanged looks with Dumbledore. "We do not know for sure. But the talking can wait. Mr. Potter is outside the door."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry laid wide awake that night. After his quick visit to Dumbledore, he had returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone had already been in bed and Harry had to sneak quietly in to where his bed was. But he was stopped mid-way by a voice.
"Harry? Where have you've been?" Ron's voice. "You usually tell me when you are going to sneak out."
"I was at Dumbledore's." Harry answered quietly as he found his bed in the dark.
He could vaguely see Ron lean up on his elbow to peer at him through the dark. "Why? What did he want?"
"We are going to have a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix." Harry laid down and stared up at the ceiling. "Remember Dumbledore told me, you, and Hermione about that last year?"
"Yeah."
"Well we are going to meet them at the beginning of the week."
"Oh."
Silence.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"Hermione is really mad at me, isn't she?"
"I would sort of think so."
"But I'm mad at her as well!"
"Exactly whyfor? All she did was ask you to study."
"But it was the way she said it. Like I was impossible or something."
"Well you sort of are."
"Harry!"
"Sorry."
"What should I do?"
"Well I believe that you should sleep on it and talk to her in the morning."
"Good advice Harry." With that Harry heard Ron roll over and was soon breathing regularly.
Harry laid awake long after that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry was barely awake for breakfast the next morning. He was aware that Hermione and Ron were still not speaking to each other. But he was too tired to care. Mixing tired with a general sense of worry doesn't do well for one's morning breakfast. Harry glanced up in the direction of the teacher's table and looked for Snape.
But both Snape and Dumbledore weren't present.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through his tired thoughts. "Your napkin is not edible."
Harry jerked with the realization that he was chewing on his napkin instead of the pastry that was wrapped in it. "Wow," he comment. "I mist be out of it."
Hermione smiled and went back to her food but not before she shot Ron a undefinable look. Harry sighed and had a feeling that they would be fighting longer that he had hoped.
After spitting out the napkin and reaching for another pastry, he noticed an owl landing in front of his plate.
"Early for post?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded and reached for the parchment that the owl held. The note was small and precise.
"Harry,
Come and meet me and Professor Snape in my office immediately. The password is: Yellow Candied Wands. (That's a new product at Honeydukes)
Dumbledore."
Harry folded the note and stood quickly. "I'll see you guys in Charms, okay?"
Hermione and Ron looked at him, confused. "What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, what did the letter say?" Ron stared at him.
"I have to go see Dumbledore."
"Why?" Ron persisted.
"It doesn't say." That wasn't the whole truth. True it didn't say why, but Harry was pretty sure why. Malfoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco sat swinging his legs back and forth in one of Dumbledore's great chairs. He was all alone waiting for the Headmaster and Snape, and presumably Potter. He always managed to show up for interesting occasions.
Strange...his feet didn't reach the floor.
He stretched out one leg as far as it could go in an attempt to touch the floor. No avail. He was too short.
"Oh bugger..." he muttered under his breath. He dropped to a slouch and struck out with one of his legs again.
A toe sort of touched the floor.
"Still haven't received your growth spurt, Mr. Malfoy?" an oily voice spoke up.
"Professor Snape!" Draco cried, whipping his head to the sound of his Potion Master. Snape stood slightly behind Dumbledore as they made their way into the Headmaster's office.
"Young Malfoy," Dumbledore began. "It is a pleasure to see you finally again."
Draco silently nodded. "Where's my father?"
Snape exchanged looks with Dumbledore. "We do not know for sure. But the talking can wait. Mr. Potter is outside the door."