Rheanna: I GET TO KEEP MY ACCOUNT!! GOT A NEW ONE FOR FF.N!! WHOOPIE!! And I'm sorry this is so short!
Ron: *scowls* You made me sound like a prat.
Rheanna: Ron, I love you, and I hate to say it, but sometimes you *are* a prat.
Hermione: Hey!
Rheanna: He's being mean to you. Remember?
Sirius: When do we see more of me?
Rheanna: *smiles fondly* We will. Don't worry. You show up a lot the sixth and seventh years.
Sirius: You didn't even MENTION me in the last chapter!
Rheanna: I did so!
Sirius: But no one's read your James Potter and the Grudge of Drothl before! They don't know you meant me!
Remus: *rolls eyes* Well, I think you just gave it away. The readers know now.
Rheanna: Right. And thank you, Remus.
Sirius: You're kissing up to her, aren't you, Moony?
Remus: *suddenly on dignity* Of course not.
Susan: How come I sound like a prat?
Rheanna: Cause, as you might remember, I'm writing a Christmas story featuring you, but you won't cooperate, so it probably won't come out until June.
Sirius: Remus is in that, too, and I'm not!
Rheanna: Sorry, Padfoot. Susan thinks you're an insane murderer.
Hermione: Let me guess. Is there any romance between Nicole Skylark and Remus Lupin?
Rheanna: *annoyed* You know, I have several stories with Remus in them, and you're *always* better off not looking for Remus's lover in every woman he sees. You'll be greatly disappointed if you don't. No, Remus is not marrying Nicole. No. Oh, speaking of which... er... uh... um. Let's just say that in one of these three stories, I kill off a certain character. Um... he's, um... let's see... dare I say... well, mild. Controlled... brown hair... mostly brown... and he, uh, taught Defence Against the Dark Arts at one point. *ducks as several frantics catch her hints and chuck things at her*
Ginny: No, listen. Let us offer an explanation. Author Rheanna won't usually ask reviewers for their opinion on big-plot things, but in the seventh year, she has two endings written out, and she likes both equally well. In one, Professor Lupin dies. In the other, he doesn't. So she wants to see how many flames she'll get to help factor her decision.
Rheanna: *smiles gratefully* Exactly. Ginny, you just became my favourite character.
Ginny: *beams* Can the seventh-year be told through my diary? You said the sixth is probably from Sara's.
Rheanna: The readers can tell me if they like that idea when they leave a review. I think I like the idea of Hermione -- 5th, Sara -- 6th, and Ginny -- 7th, only that makes it sound like I don't like writing through boys, and I do. I'm in the middle of a Severus Snape story, aren't I?
Severus: *scowls* Indeed you are.
Rheanna: *looks worried* Anyway, you've waited long enough for this chapter. Thank you all for your support and patience. Please tell me what you think of the above issues, and any suggestions are welcome. I listen and reply to them all, even if I don't always use them, and I love feedback. Also, you should check out Voltora's "The Greatest Gift", involving Padfoot and Moony, as well as Alphia's "Through the Eyes of the Werewolf". (I especially like the latest chapter. In Filch's office, indeed!)
Thanks again! You guys RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note to previous readers: The beginning of this, you probably recognize. Starting with "31 October", however, the new chapter (for you) starts.
27 October
Oh no oh no oh no oh no.
I hate the Dursleys - I really hate them. Uncaring gits. Yes, the Dursleys. Because of them, all problems with Bobby and Ron have faded far, far into the background.
Harry's in the hospital wing with Nathan's Flu.
Why's that the Dursleys' fault, when Nathan's Flu is known to the magical community only? Because the vaccination to smallpox is also a vaccination to Nathan's Flu; they're so similar.
You guessed it. The Dursleys never bothered to get their nephew the vaccination for smallpox!
!!!
They are horrible, horrible guardians. You don't know how badly I hope Sirius's name is cleared soon. So he might have made a few not-so-clever decisions. But trust me, Sirius would take care of Harry and no doubt about it. In fact, next to the Potters, Sirius is the best guardian Harry could ask for.
I mean, Harry would have been vaccinated for smallpox, of all things. Or at least Nathan's Flu.
And now there's a not-so-slight problem. Since nearly every child in the world is vaccinated for Nathan's Flu and no civilized person has gotten it in, oh, a couple centuries, Madam Pomfrey doesn't really have an instant cure for it. Pepperup Potions do nothing. She gave him a dose of something that guarantees he's not contagious - sort of stupid; we are all vaccinated! - but the side effect is that most of the time he's knocked out. He's way too weak to even think of moving out of that bed in the hospital wing. In fact, he has trouble opening his eyes when Ron and I visit.
But, of course, he can find the strength to ask about the Quidditch game.
Madam Pomfrey won't let him out for at least a week, and, frankly, he simply can't get up for at least a week.
Gryffindor has no reverse Seeker.
I mean, that pales in contrast to the fact that if it wasn't for Madam Pomfrey's genius, Harry would be dead, but now that we're assured he won't die… Gryffindor has no reverse Seeker.
29 October
Harry's no worse, no better… although when it comes to Quidditch, he can carry on an intelligent conversation. (When homework comes up… he's too tired, of course.)
Harry and Charlie are legendary as Seekers. No one in all of Gryffindor wants to try and fill in those shoes. They'd rather forfeit to Slytherin, with their Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. I want to yell at them to stop being babies, and then I realized that I haven't exactly volunteered, either. Alicia is worried sick over Harry and worried sick over the Seeker opening.
Oh, there's another small thing. I can't concentrate on Quidditch; I just dropped the news on Ron that I'm going to the Fling with him.
He paled. "You… what?"
"I'm going to the Fling with you."
"What about Renshaw?"
"I canceled my date with him."
Ron was dumbstruck for a moment before he found his voice. "Er, Hermione… I'm going with Diana Newman… that dark-haired Hufflepuff in our year. I asked her two days ago."
Uh-oh. First I was as dumbstruck as he was. "Ron… what am I going to do? I told Bobby I wasn't going with him!"
Then Ron got a bit nasty. "Well, that's your problem. I can't just wait around for you."
My own temper rose in my momentary panic. "And what does that mean?"
"The world doesn't revolve around you - I couldn't just wait around, could I?"
"Well…"
Then we got into a full-blown argument. I'm not quite sure if I remember what I said and I'm not quite sure I want to remember.
And, by the way, I've a headache.
And I'm dateless. Too bad Harry's in the hospital wing. It's screwing up a lot of things, isn't it?
Blasted Dursleys.
(Yes, I sweared. So sue me.)
30 October
As if I needed added stress. Today McGonagall told me that some of the senior members of the CC hadn't liked our rough draft letter. I sighed in annoyance and exasperation.
"Wait," she ordered. "Now, between you and me, Miss Granger, the two people are Misters Page and Bell and Ms. Platt. That's three; the rest of us can easily overrule them. But it's Fleur Delacour's decision - you are in charge of the Chain now, and she's your overseer. Will she overrule Mr. Page is the question."
Major headache in the works.
"Can I put it off until after the Gryffindor/Slytherin match?" I pleaded… whined, actually. I hadn't felt this stressed out in a long time.
I never felt so awful in my life… okay, I probably did, but it was pretty bad… when I said that, and McGonagall just looked at me for a moment. "It's your decision, Miss Granger. Just remember that each day lost is a day the Dark Lord gets ahead and 'learns' a little more."
So, in other words, I went to go talk with Fleur about overruling Mr. Page. The problem is, they're really very friendly. I'm not getting into gory details. In the end, Fleur replied that she'd get back to me tomorrow.
"Each day lost is a day the Dark Lord gets a little ahead," I muttered.
"What?" Fleur asked.
I -
Wait… okay, he's gone. Fred keeps on peeking over. I don't want him to see my diary… especially the stuff about Ron.
Like a coward, I replied: "Nothing." But then -
Had to stop again. But after I said "nothing", I felt like a coward. I mean, if I had just said it louder, the message might have got home to her. What if someone's life hangs in the balance of that one day? It'll be my fault then -
Hold on, hold on. Since I think Fred wants to talk, I'll oblige.
30 October, later
Well, we have a taker for the Seeker position.
You might have heard of her. Her name is Sara Blustovadk.
She's probably going to make a fool of herself, and if it wasn't for the fact that I don't want to see any Gryffindor shamed in front of Slytherin I would be happy about it. As it is, Fred wants me to tell Harry about it and find out if there's any pointers the star Seeker might want to give the fill-in. I'm going now, I suppose.
Blustovadk. Of all people.
30 October, even later
Harry took it fairly well, even though he was torn between relief that a Seeker had been found, doubt of the abilities of Sara, and the instinct to fall asleep. He repeated a few things I'm to tell Sara. I suggested I could tell Ginny who could tell Sara, but he protested something might get lost in the translation, and he had a point, I guess.
"Well, we might at least have a Seeker - and let's hope Katie and Alicia and Candy are very, very good - but get well soon, Harry," I told him.
He grinned weakly. "I'm trying." He sounded bleak. "This is awful though. Of all the times it had to be ill, it had to be right before the first game… I haven't played a match since we won the Cup, a real match, anyway, and it seems like an eternity. And I feel as if I let the team down. Again."
I said gently: "Don't blame yourself. You can't help it, and you've never 'let the team down'. Think of how many games they might not of won if it hadn't been for you!"
He shrugged. "Yeah. Anyway, at least I get to miss the Fling."
"There's a plus," I said dryly.
I didn't have nearly as much fun talking to Sara. She was in our dormitory and quickly hid something when I came in.
"Hello to you too," I said.
She flushed. "Sorry."
"So you're going to be Seeker?"
She nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. "Yeah. I figured I was no worse than no Seeker at all, and no one else volunteered, and Alicia kept asking me, so -"
"You're blabbing," I pointed out, giving her the list of notes I had gotten from Harry.
"Say, thanks," she said, flipping through them before looking up at me and saying: "Thank you."
"No problem. I want to see Gryffindor do well. I'm a true Gryffindor, after all."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara asked coolly.
"I don't have any of this transfering and re-Sorting bit."
"Blame Hufflepuff's nephew. That's his brainchild. If you truly believe I enjoy sharing a dormitory with you, you're wrong," she shot back.
Suddenly, I felt a spark of almost... empathy for her. I turned thoughtfully for the door.
That ended really quickly. When my hand was on the knob, I suddenly heard a loud bang! Suddenly sparks were all over my hair. I turned to Blustovadk furiously, and she grinned. "Need a comb, Hermione?"
"That could have been dangerous!"
"I didn't throw it at you. I knew it would explode before it reached you. I only wanted you to get a quick shower."
"I could have been burned!"
She shrugged and met my glare casually. "That's what the star student -- that's you, by the way -- is a witch for. Burns aren't as bad as some things." She grinned. "You're hair doesn't look any worse."
I'm still seeing red! I've wondered before if I was a bit harsh on her, but now it's all over. Throwing a Firecracker at me!
31 October
Despite all, I think Harry in the hospital wing is having a better time than I am right now at the Fling, and I'm seriously tempted to go and visit him.
Well, Ron "jilted" Diana. His words - "Wait up a moment. I jilted Diana. I'm going with you."
I'm serious! It was when he met me in the common room. I was dressed and ready, but I hadn't really got very dressed up, and Ron comes down glowering from the boys' dormitories, walks over to me, and mutters the above. Then, scowling, he walks me down to the Great Hall.
All I could think of were several curses in my head. In one way, I was furious with him! Yes, I'm grateful - sort of - that he ended up going with me - but in another, I'm very angry that he's acting that way. He was sulking as he escorted me to our first Friday Night Fling. Sulking; yes, sulking. Moping. Glowering. You might have thought that walking into the Hall with Hermione Granger was causing him pain!
"Why?" was all I managed as we walked down the stairs.
He shrugged curtly. "I'm not sure."
Well, did we ever cause some whispers as we walked in, especially from the Gryffindors, who heard our recent fight in the common room a few days ago and probably remember the one after the Yule Ball last year. Head turned with raised eyebrows.
"Take a picture; it'll last longer," Ron retorted.
"That's, er, a Muggle phrase," I reminded him.
"So?"
Of course, being ickle fifth-years at a Fling is like being first-years in the halls. We were regulated to the outskirts for the time being, neither of us saying much. I noted that we had three Weasley twins (now, that sounds funny) but that one of them was sneaking outside with a girl in clear view of Drothl. A shaky, but decent solution to the problem. The two left (whom I think are the real Fred and George) are with their dates, catcalling to the Obliviators and Nicole Skylark.
"How's Harry?" I asked, for lack of a better start of conversation.
"He's doing all right," Ron shrugged. He didn't sound as moody, but he wasn't sounding especially thrilled, either. "Well, okay, a little worse, but Pomfrey said he's in no danger."
There was another long silence as the informal gathering - very unlike the Yule Ball - got more and more into the mood of the night.
"Want to meet Ms. Skylark before she has to start?" I suggested.
He shrugged again. "All right."
We pushed our way through the crowd to the stage, where Susan, Jerome, Rachel, and a girl I didn't recognize were setting up. She was introduced as Mary Henley - "no relation, sorry!", the group's back up singer and flutist. She was on the heavy side but nice enough. Ms. Skylark recognized me instantly.
"Why, Miss Granger, nice to see you again. I think I might have forgotten to tell you thanks for your help in putting away my 'luggage' after the concert. And who's the young man?"
I smiled - hesitantly, for now Ron was brought back in. "This is Ron Weasley, my friend."
I thought Ms. Skylark very wise in not referring to the zillions of other Weasleys out there and concentrating on Ron himself. That probably earned her several points in his book. "Hello, Mr. Weasley. Pleasure to meet you as well. You're in the same year as Miss Granger?"
Luckily, Ron got slightly more sociable while talking with Ms. Skylark
You should have seen Susan and Jerome. I have never seen them so passionate about anything. They're your ideal Hufflepuffs, friendly and caring and considerate, hard studiers and more intent on schoolwork than what else might go on in the school if the homework isn't completed, and obviously being more complex than they show outwardly. But for once you saw just how intent and eager they were; with them, it's usually a concealed sort of thing! If I had thought that Ms. Skylark had talked with a vast knowledge and eagerness to share it about music, they were even worse - worse because they blabbed a bit, and worse because they didn't know nearly as much as Ms. Skylark. But it was a contagious sort of happiness.
And no doubt they were good. They were excellent; I was impressed. They were the same age as myself and played music like I wished I could. That's my summer project - I'm going to play an instrument. Only I'm not sure which; but it's only Halloween, so I think I have time.
"Want to dance?" I asked hesitantly at last, during "Don't Need A Love Potion".
Ron actually didn't scowl. (Can you believe?) He looked thoughtful, and then hesitant. "Er, well, I'm not too sure how well I dance, actually."
"That's okay. I'm not great at informal dancing, either." The Yule Ball worked out okay, because it was slightly more formal. I was a bit lost here. But, I figured we could continue being fools together. We had already done a good job of that lately.
Well, we continued to do our job and do it well. We were snickered at heartlessly for a while. The Ron I had once been friends at would have been a little angry but probably would have at least grinned at it at one point with me.
He didn't here, though. He was still aloof and monosyllabic.
Frankly, I got irritated.
So, naturally, in the complex and intriguing process of irritation between a male and female teenager, we turned to bickering.
Original idea, was it not?
I think we provided more entertainment than even The Obiliviators and Nicole Skylark.
"Ron," - through gritted teeth - "you're on my foot."
"It's a new step that's all the rage," he retorted with his trademark sarcasm. I actually giggled; he glanced up at me in surprise. We broke eye contact quickly. Shortly afterward, Ron tripped and I barely caught him. The whole hall tittered and The Obiliviators skipped a note in their song while they held back laughter. And so on. And so on. The whole hour was an embarrassing, pride-degrading display.
Then Beatrice Madison of Hufflepuff cut in on us. I sort of glowered at her and she looked surprise - I guess she thought she was doing me a favour. (As a side note, I'm worried - she's Diana Newman's best friend and Ron jilted her, remember?…)
Fred - or, hopefully it's Fred - is going slightly wild. (After all his talk about how he could never possibly be "untrue" to Angelina, I think she told him to shut up, get a date, and enjoy himself.) His dancing is getting plain… wacky. And George has joined in the fun; he's dancing with six girls at once, before he suddenly cuts them all off, goes and sulks for a while for some reason I can't fathom, and then comes back to the floor and the whole routine starts again.
Jason Leffler is bored. Oh, it's amusing. His listening to Parvati with one ear and gazing around the room uncomfortably. I don't think he's adjusting kindly to fame.
I'm bored, too. Ron is done with Beatrice but now he's with Lisa's roommate Mandy. Where'd he get so popular? Perhaps something about that red hair, great smile, and wit is getting to some people. The fishes. I should go visit Harry. It doesn't matter how much Madam Pomfrey tells me he's not in mortal danger… I'm worried! Now would be a good time; the band's in the middle of a big long instrumental.
31 October
Er, disregard that. This is another piece of a developing soap opera, and it includes Nicole Skylark this time -
(Soap opera. That pretty much describes the past four years.)
It was while she was taking a short break that she and Dumbledore sort of gravitated. In fact, I think Dumbledore was looking for her. They edged nearly out of the Great Hall. I never heard Dumbledore like this before… at first he was polite and friendly, but it seems like he was just leading up to the point where he got harsher.
I was there, too… hidden behind a tall set-up stand for a magical sound magnifier.
"I'm terribly sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you sooner, Nicole," Dumbledore began politely.
I sensed that Ms. Skylark had stiffened. "That's quite all right, Albus. Most employers don't mingle with the lowly entertainment, you know."
"I don't always follow the mold."
"That you don't, sir. But I thank you for the invitation."
I should have sensed something right there. She was getting so stiffly polite… she was always loose and friendly when I had seen her before. Ginny mentioned that she had a verbal battle with Snape himself and got away unscathed. Yet Dumbledore's the greatest wizard in the world, and the biggest supporter of the Light Side. Is Ms. Skylark on the Dark, perhaps?
"I was happy too… we didn't have much of a choice, in any case… when I heard you were in Hogsmeade I considered asking you, but name recognition, you understand."
"Not something that's on my side, of course." Ms. Skylark was a little icy.
"I'm afraid not. A shame for such a lovely singer."
"Very flattering. Not entirely true."
"Nicole, I'm afraid you're losing your self-confidence."
"I do wonder why. No, forget that. I'm sorry. Go on."
I tried to figure out what she was apologizing for.
"With what, my dear?"
"Oh, you were saying… oh…" Now she was flustered. "So why did you invite the unknown amateur to perform the first Friday Night Fling of the year?"
Now Dumbledore's tone dropped by degrees: "I was hoping you'd ask that."
Ms. Skylark was silent, waiting for elaboration.
"The members of our Hogwarts branch of the CC loved your performance. You are to be congratulated."
"No, I'm not. Animal magnetism."
"I see you can still deflect a compliment gracefully. I seem to remember how you and Remus Lupin used to make a career out of deflecting insults just as well, even if it was only in fun."
"I remember."
"Interesting, that. Apparently all of the student population thinks you are dating."
"What?"
You know, Ms. Skylark didn't sound enormously surprised. Not "What?!" She was just very mild, even, and nondescript. Just: "What?"
"Yes, indeed. I believe they were just joking and exaggerating the truth greatly, however, something must have happened to have even put the idea in their minds."
Ms. Skylark sighed. "At the Muggle Fair I had to pick a volunteer and Ahemd didn't show up. Apparently he had an ailing mother. I saw Rem and knew he was the one person I could count on. I drugged him before we started and I used my Appearance-Alternating charms. He didn't recognize me. What else could I do?"
"You could have put the war ahead of your living and simply have brushed off tradition for once in your life."
"It was a split-second decision - while I was trying to play the chords to 'Act Naturally' on a keyboard at the same time. I'm sorry; my frame of mind might not have been that structured."
"Fine. Certainly. I understand the intense pressure." Yes, I think Dumbledore was being somewhat sarcastic. "However, from now on, remember my warning."
"Could be worse," she muttered. "Horror. What if I had talked to Sirius?
"That's the only thing I can think of that might have been worse," Dumbledore retorted. "For right now, keep your distance. The last thing I need right now is for two of my agents to have their normally controlled temperaments thrown completely out of whack unnecessarily."
"I remember you said something like that once," Ms. Skylark said coldly, but I could hear hurt in her tone. "Harry Potter spent ten years in the clutches of Petunia Evans and Vernon Dursley."
There was another pause. I didn't dare peek to see their expressions. "That," Dumbledore said at last, " was necessary. This is not. Stay away from Lupin, Ms. Skylark. You've had thirteen years."
"I won't see another thirteen," Ms. Skylark said quietly. "So I suppose you're right. As usual."
Dumbledore turned to leave and I was afraid I might be spotted, but then Ms. Skylark said suddenly: "Albus!"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
Yet another pause. "Don't be," he replied at last. "Enjoy tonight."
I think Harry and I will be having an interesting conversation.
31 October, later
"Why aren't you at the Fling?" Madam Pomfrey demanded sourly when I asked to visit Harry. "It's ten o'clock, the boy is sleeping -"
"No, I'm not!" Harry's weak protest came. "I'm awake! Please, Madam Pomfrey, I'm dying of boredom!"
I hid a grin. She sighed and surrendered, muttering something about how they were "all alike". I teased Harry about his aversion to the hospital wing stays.
He sighed melodramatically "Yes…" He sniffed. "I should get a hospital wing survival bag."
"Christmas is coming," I hinted, thrilled to have an idea for his present.
He suddenly jerked to a conclusion. You know how it is when you're ill - sometimes your mind isn't working at the correct speed. "You and Ron!" he said suddenly. "What's going on?"
"Took you long enough," I rolled my eyes. "For your information, Ron was in the company of a pretty Ravenclaw when I last saw him." I saw him colour and try to hide it. "Her name is Mandy. In any case, I decided not to interrupt."
"But I thought -" He cut off sharply.
I glared. "You knew Ron would cut off his date with Diana."
He flushed slightly. "Yeah."
"Great. I'm really glad to hear that; destroyed the last shred of pride I have!"
Harry blinked. "Why? How?" he asked cluelessly.
Honestly. Boys! They don't understand anything, do they?
I calmed down enough to talk coherently. "So I decided to visit you. I'm really sorry you couldn't come."
"I'm upset about the match, not the stupid Fling," he assured me.
"Yeah, but you don't seem to be happy here, either. Who knows? You might have had fun at the Fling. May I remind you that you're the most famous person in the whole school?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know."
"Well, think about it. If you hadn't been so keyed up last year with Cho, you might have realized that an abnormal number of people have a crush on an awkward skinny kid with crazy hair."
He squinted. "That's because of my… my fame? Not cause I was champion?"
"Being champion didn't hurt…" I allowed. "But it's more the other thing. And," I added hastily, for Harry began to scowl, "some, like Ginny, probably like you because you're… you. Just for your personality." Especially Ginny.
"Go on. So what's going on there? How was that group of Hufflepuffs?"
"Excellent, actually. I enjoyed them."
"Cool."
"Yes. And it's all very interesting, actually. You would have had fun. Honestly, Harry, do you remember your father was a social butterfly?"
He winced. "Some comparison. 'Butterfly'?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Social… figure. That better?"
"Much."
"In any case, don't have such an aversion to crowds… it's not all bad."
"Did you come here to lecture, Professor Granger?"
I scowled slightly. "No. I was looking out for your well-being."
"Yeah… and you were bored," grinned Harry.
"Right."
"And abandoned by my best friend."
"Right."
"And ready to go to bed, but can't without Parvati and Lavender asking about your state of mind."
"Right. Three points to Gryffindor."
"Are we out of the negatives Snape put us in yet?"
Madam Pomfrey glanced at us sharply as we giggled helplessly.
"That won't happen for a while. Can I just confide my deepest troubles to you?"
Harry closed his eyes and yawned, half in fun and whole in earnest, which is something Ginny and Sara like to say lately - "half in fun and whole in earnest". "Me? Right now? At your own risk and no refunds. What's up?"
I sighed helplessly. "That's just it. Aloud, it sounds like nothing."
"So what's 'nothing'?"
"Nothing is the CC, Ron, Sara Blustovadk, the Weasley triplets, the war, Snape, and Nicole Skylark."
"That sounds like more than nothing."
"I don't know…" I mumbled. "It's just so much at once. I'm going to kill Fleur Delacour. She's… she's… petty. We can't afford to be petty right now. Along with the rest of the CC. Well, not the whole rest. Just most of it. Why can't Dumbledore just get rid of Mr. Bell? What sort of purpose is he serving? And those three nurses are airheads. We need more people like Snuffles and Marlana Payne."
Harry chuckled hollowly. "You know how contradictory that sounded?" Miss Payne has a personal mission to capture Sirius.
"Yeah. But the point is, she can't be blamed for that, and otherwise… she's awesome. And Mrs. Gondola and Mrs. Turpin are doing all right, and Lupin is doing well, but most of the rest I want to strangle."
"Including Fleur," Harry continued with a hint of amusement.
"Including her… as she's the problem at hand, especially her. And then there's Sara Blustovadk. Harry, I don't know why I don't like her… I just don't. Her marks are better than mine in Charms!"
He made a heroic attempt not to snicker outright.
"And Ms. Skylark…" I repeated the conversation to Harry. He was a bit to out of it to make any more sense of it than I had. "I felt as if I can trust her. But it seems you can't trust anyone now…"
"If she might have hurt us, Dumbledore wouldn't let her in," Harry said confidently, but continued soberly: "I remember when I first met Hagrid, he was talking about when Voldemort first rose. Said… said you didn't dare get friendly with strangers… didn't know who to trust."
I nodded. "That's how I feel." And then I told him what Ms. Skylark had said as I slipped by her to get to the hospital wing. I tried to talk with her, but she just looked at me and said while it was a pleasure meeting me to not expect to see her again. Ever.
"Sounds like she's committing suicide or something," Harry mused.
I shuddered. Harry yawned for real. "Sorry. Tired, I guess. Don't tell the jailer."
I supposed he was referring to Madam Pomfrey, the person who has repeatedly saved his life.
"Sorry. I'll leave, if you want."
"I'm afraid you'll commit murder. Hermione, Ron's my friend. Please don't. And Sara - wait 'til after the match. Gryffindor needs a Seeker."
I rolled my eyes again. "All right. Oh, and one last thing. You're right; it's Ron. Harry, I won't kill him, as you're best friend… but…Ron… oh, for heavens' sakes. He drives me insane."
"I noticed," Harry replied dryly.
Short chapter, but stay tuned for the Gryffindor/Slytherin match... and when will Drothl discover the Weasley triplet ruse? (Of course she will. That's a stupid question.) Will Fleur come to her senses, is Nicole Skylark evil, will Hermione and Ron ever talk again, when will Voldemort strike, and, most pressing... can we kill off the people who keep cutting in on Hermione and Ron? *grin*
Also, the future chapters will be shorter, but I can't stand the document file style I used during the last two chapters is YUCK!! I like the txt one, like this, better. But hopefully that means they'll be up faster! -- Rheanna
