Chapter 8: Snacks & Surprises

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I wouldn't be writing fanfiction now would I?

 When Harry finally walked into Ron's room he was surprised to see three people sitting on the floor with a few bowls of snacks and a pitcher of some sort of punch.

 "We thought you could use a bit of cheering up," said Hermione as she passed him a bowl of popcorn, "I thought I could try out some of the new charms I've been studying.It does taste alright doesn't it?"

 The buttery popcorn melted in his mouth.

"Don't worry, Hermione. It's perfect" he replied, which earned him a big grin.

 Soon the food was being passed around and they were all chattering happily. Not really about anything important, but Harry supposed that was the beauty of it. Everyone needed a breather sometimes. At least he did right now. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so carefree. There definitely hadn't been any relaxation for him in over a year. Especially with the tournament. He shook himself physically to rid the thoughts. Now was not the time to think about the tournament or anything related to it- namely Cedric. Luckily no one noticed the abnormal movement. They continued, discussing Quidditch prospects. Ron was still adamant that the Chudley Cannons had a chance. Ginny merely snorted whenever he mentioned this.

 "Ron, you know the Winthrop Ravens have beaten them everytime, along with every other team they've faced."

 "Have not! They beat Sycamore last week!"

 "Only because the other team was playing with almost all substitutes! And without a keeper for half the game! They had chasers trying to score and defend the goal! Winthrop is set for the cup this year!"

 Harry sat grinning and enjoyed the playful argument. It seemed to be some ancient sibling rivalry between them. Somehow the topic had led to childhood stories and Ginny's strange habit of stealing her brother's clothing.

 Eventually however, Hermione managed to drag the topic back to school.

 "Who do you think we'll be having for DA?" she asked curiously.

 "I'm not sure," Ron managed to say through a mouthful of food, "Dad said it'd be a good surprise though."

 Then he noticed the twinkling in Ginny's eyes.

 "You know don't you!" he said accusingly, "Of course we should have known Dad would tell you."

 "It's one of the few advantages of being the only daughter," she replied mischievously, with a grin to rival that of the Cheshire Cat.

 "Who is it?" asked Harry, puzzled at who they knew who might be teaching, certainly not Professor Lupin. He'd already been driven from the school once.

 "Yes, Ginny," said Hermione, "Who has Dumbledore chosen?"

 Ginny  continued to grin but remained silent.

 "Come on now Ginny," Ron threatened, "If you don't tell me soon  I'll have to tickle you." Then he lunged at her.

 "No," squealed Ginny, "Stop, Stop I'll tell you okay."

 Ron backed off and allowed her to catch her breath for a minute before prompting her again.

  "Well Ron," said Ginny, "You know as well as I do that back when Voldemort was high in power Mum was a top strategist in the aurors' division..."