A few weeks later, the four friends are walking to Hogsmeade through the snow - all of them sticking close to Bloom as she glows a dim orange and shares her warmth with them - and they pass Hagrid heading back to the school with a pulsating sack over one shoulder - he looks like a crazed Santa, covered in snow and with a burlap sack over his shoulders that could carry enough stuff for every kid in the school.
When he shows them what's inside, they all look in and then cringe and back away.
Hagrid chuckles, and says "Stinksap, trees are dripping with it. Burn the whiskers right off your chin though."
Bloom asks "You're not sick, are you?"
"No, this isn't for me. This is for Aragog, you all remember Aragog don't you?"
Ron asks "Giant spider, about six foot by ten? Tried to eat us in the woods?"
"That's the one, he's taken ill. Hoping to nurse him back to health. Keep your fingers crossed."
Bloom smiles nervously, and says "I'd offer to help, but I don't want to get eaten. I'll cross all my fingers though."
She does so at once, making all four onlookers laugh when she hooks her thumbs together and shows five pairs of crossed fingers.
Harry puts an arm around her shoulders and says "Never change Bloom, I mean it."
Hermione is wiping tears of laughter off her face, and says "Good point, nobody can do something like that so easily."
As Hagrid leaves, Bloom spots a group of Aurors behind the treeline and sighs.
Harry asks "What is it?"
"The Aurors. I know they're here to protect us, but…"
"But?"
Hermione says "But somehow it doesn't feel any safer. More like we're the ones being watched."
Bloom nods grimly, and whispers "Haven't gone flying once in case they somehow know I'm there and blast me. Dumbledore said we were the Dark Forces' greatest weapon, maybe the Aurors think that to."
Harry spots Slughorn pass Professor Flitwick as he heads to the Three Broomsticks, and Harry gets an idea.
"Anyone up for a Butterbeer?"
When they enter, Bloom catches on to what Harry is playing at and sighs before looking around for Slughorn.
They find him sitting at a stool - and then Harry leads them over to a table well in his sight.
Bloom waves her hand, after making sure nobody's watching, and the stuff on the table disappears.
Hermione asks "What's going on?"
Bloom mutters "Believe me, you don't want to know. We have to suck up to Slughorn, get him to collect us - gods, I really wish we didn't."
A kid in an apron appears, and says "What'll we have?"
Hermione says "Four Butterbeers, two with a splash of ginger."
He nods, and then leaves - just as Harry notices Draco leaving the pub.
They lock eyes for a minute, then he's gone.
Harry has a bad feeling about that, but Ron interrupts, saying "Oh, bloody hell…"
When the four friends look over, they see Ginny and Dean Thomas sitting in a corner booth.
Hermione says "Honestly Ron, they're just holding hands…and snogging…"
She trails off, and Ron turns back around to see Dean and Ginny kissing passionately.
"Ok, I'm leaving." Harry says "Ron, you can't be serious."
"That's my sister over there, in case you didn't notice."
Hermione says "So? If she looked over and saw the two of us snogging, would you expect her to leave?"
Ron is stunned speechless, then they hear Slughorn's voice say "Harry, Bloom!"
Harry rises, and Bloom does as well after a minute.
Harry says "Wonderful to see you, sir."
Hermione and Ron look at Bloom questioningly, and she makes a face in return.
She then puts her act on, and asks "What brings you out here?"
"Oh, the Three Broomsticks and I go way back, further than I'd care to admit. Why, I remember when it was just One Broomstick!"
He laughs loudly at this, and Bloom and Harry join in - Bloom less so, it wasn't really that funny.
Slughorn's belly trembles next to Hermione's head, and he spills some of his drink on the table.
"Oops, all hands on deck, Granger!"
They hear a whistle, and a filthy rag comes flying over and cleans up the mess.
Hermione smiles thinly, just as the kid from before comes back with their Butterbeers.
Slughorn smiles, and says "Listen, m'kids. In the old days, I used to throw together the occasional supper and invite a select student or two. Would you two be game?"
Harry says "It would be an honor, sir."
Slughorn smiles, and says "Granger, your welcome to."
"Be delighted, sir."
He smiles again, and says "Fabulous, expect my owl in three days."
He turns to exit, then says "Good seeing you, Wallenby."
Ron glares, then takes a long drink from his Butterbeer.
Bloom and Harry sit back down, and Bloom takes a very long drink from her mug as Hermione asks "What was that about? What are you two playing at?"
Harry says "Professor Dumbledore asked us to get to know him."
Ron asks "Get to know him?"
Bloom shrugs, then slams her empty mug on the table and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Must've been important, or else he wouldn't have asked. I am not enjoying it, however. Don't be jealous, I think he's more than a little creepy - the way he 'collects' people like little figurines or cards or something."
Ron looks over and sees Hermione's drained his mug as well, and says
"You've got a little…" He gestures to lip upper lip, where she's got a mustache from the drinks.
She flicks out her tongue and licks it up, and then they leave.
Bloom and Hermione are several yards behind Ron and Harry, both girls having some fun in the snow.
Ron and Harry are talking, and Ron says "Bit worried about her. Her and I snogging, ha, as if…"
They all pause when they hear "Katie, you don't know what that could be!"
Katie Bell and her friend Leanne are standing in the snow and arguing. Hermione and Bloom go up to them, and Bloom asks "What's wrong?"
Suddenly, Katie's body starts floating up in the air, and she starts screaming.
Bloom yanks her by the ankles and she crashes into the snow - her slender parcel falling to the ground.
Katie's thrashing and screaming in the snow, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head.
Bloom's trying to snap her out of whatever this is, talking to her steadily while Leanne explains how Katie walked out of the loo with the mysterious package she dropped in hand - she said it was important to get it back to Hogwarts immediately.
Hagrid comes tearing through the forest, and says "Outta the way!"
He's so forceful that everyone, even Bloom, instantly obeys.
He effortlessly scoops Katie up, and calms her down enough for the intense pain to fade and her to slip into unconsciousness.
Harry wraps the necklace sticking out of the torn package in his scarf carefully, making sure none of it sticks out.
They all rush back to Hogwarts while Hagrid takes Katie.
Professor McGonagall eyes the necklace, as Leanne explains what happened again.
When Leanne leaves, Harry says "Professor, I know Katie. Off the Quidditch field, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was delivering that necklace and had any clue it was dangerous, then she wasn't doing it willingly."
Professor McGonagall asks "Why is it always you four? Whenever something happens, you four are there."
Bloom says "Believe me professor, I wish we weren't. been asking myself this question for years now."
Snape comes in and eyes the necklace, asking "Is this it?"
McGonagall nods, and Snape floats the necklace up.
"What do you think Professor?"
"I think Miss Bell is lucky to be alive. There's a powerful curse on this necklace - one that will kill a person as soon as they touch it."
Bloom asks "Katie was cursed, wasn't she?"
McGonagall agrees, and says "That must be why she was delivering it. She is not the type to simply take a necklace to Hogwarts from a total stranger."
Harry thinks it was Draco who cursed Katie, but he doesn't say as much out loud - he's got no real proof other than the fact that he was in the pub at the same time as Katie, and that isn't proof other than circumstantial.
AN: Yes, everyone, Bloom's dealing with the fact of how powerful the Dragon Flame is fairly well given the circumstances. It's not hard for someone with different magic than that of the Wizarding world to be more powerful when you don't actually need a wand to do magic - so the thought of all the power inside her was somewhat pushed to the back of her mind with schoolwork and life-and-death situations every year. Now it's been brought to the front very suddenly - and everyone was shocked - but Bloom's dealing with it fairly well, I'd say.