Okay, I must say that I wrote a large part of this chapter to make fun about something that some people take a little too seriously on some Internet forums. And for info, Hannah Abbott in this fanfiction can probably be considered to be a Harmonian, for those who know what it means.
The second part of the chapter is more interesting for the development of the plot and the story in general.
Also, when the lyrics of the song appear, you can go to Youtube and search the video of You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins.
HANNAH IV
Her alarm clock rang loudly in her ears. Hannah put her hand on it to shut it up, and she turned on herself to bury her face into her pillow. There were only a few days left before the beginning of the school year, and she thought that she deserved the right to sleep a little more in the morning before she was forced to wake up early every day from September and for the rest of the year.
She removed her hair from her face, and closed her eyes, savoring the comfortable feeling of the mattress and pillow against her body. She just wanted some more time, just a little more time to enjoy her bed. The sound of her own, constant, slow breath was soothing, calming. The soft feeling of the silk against her skin, both from her bed and her pyjamas, made her feel like she was in paradise. The silence that surrounded her created the perfect atmosphere. Even the dim light coming through her windows and that she perceived through her closed eyelids filled her with contentment. She felt so good, and she wanted to stay like that forever.
Unfortunately, she heard the fateful footsteps much too early. She pressed her eyelids closed even further, waiting for the inevitable.
"Hannah, time to wake up." The reproachful voice of her father was unmistakable.
"Dad, please," she begged through her pillow. "Just a few more minutes." She tried to sound still sleepy.
"Sorry, little witch. I already gave you a few more minutes. Now, get up."
Making a large puff of air, refraining herself from groaning, Hannah got out of her bed. Her father left the room to allow her to change clothes. She took her time to dress, choosing her clothes carefully. Hannah wore witch clothes most of the year, when she was at Hogwarts, but at home, especially for days during which she expected to go outside, she put on Muggle clothes, like her mother did most of the time. So she put on a blue T-shirt and jeans for today.
Her father had already gone to work when she walked into the dining room. Waking her up was always the last thing he did before leaving. Her mother was finishing breakfast. She would have to leave soon as well.
"Hi, Hannah," she said as she walked in.
"Hi, Mother." Hannah put her hands on her forehead to bring her hair at her back. She didn't brush them yet. She would do it after breakfast.
"Anything special for today?"
"Not really. I'm going to see Parvati this morning. Then I don't know. Perhaps I'll go and make a walk in London." There was a nice boy selling hot-dogs down the street she would like to see again, before she went back to Hogwarts. "By the way, could I go and see Susan in the evening?"
"Of course. After dinner." Her mother had toasts leaving the toaster with her wand, and most landed in Hannah's plate. She then took one that was left behind. "Have a good day, Hannah. Your father and I will see you this evening."
On that, her mother left their apartment. Hannah was left alone to eat her breakfast. Once it was done, she went to the bathroom and brushed her hair until it was disentangled enough. She used to arrange her hair in pigtails, but truth be told Hannah found herself to be prettier with her hair falling free. She then went to see Parvati.
There were four families of wizards who lived in this tower who happened to have children that would start their third year in Hogwarts in September. Hannah's family was one of them, and along with hers were the Bones, the Potters and the Patils. The family of Parvati and her twin sister Padma was probably the one which Hannah knew the least. The Patils could be said to be the richest family in the tower. Parvati's mother sat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, and Hannah found Parvati and her sister too much pampered at times. Plus, the two girls were not really easy to talk with. Padma was working most of the time, and not very outgoing. As for Parvati, she was more social, and the interest she and Hannah shared in gossips made Hannah closer to her, but Parvati could also be insensitive from time to time, something that seemed to be a common problem among Gryffindors. They were courageous, but sometimes self-centered as well. Not all of them, of course, but some were, and Parvati fitted in that category. As a result, Hannah only spent time with her sporadically. It was nice talking to Parvati, but only from time to time. It wasn't for nothing that Susan was Hannah's best friend. Susan may be shy and not very talkative, she still accepted Hannah like she was, and when Hannah had a problem or wanted to discuss something, Susan was always there, ready to listen. Hannah had even come to moderate her discussions about gossips when she was alone with Susan, understanding after quite some time that these were not topics her best friend enjoyed or was comfortable discussing very much.
Hannah knocked on the door of Parvati's apartment. A girl of the same age as she was appeared on the doorsteps. She had very long black hair, brought in a ponytail behind her back, dark skin, brown eyes and was wearing witch robes. She smiled as soon as she opened the door.
"Hi, Hannah. Come in." Hannah walked through the doorsteps and let Parvati, unless it was Padma, close the door behind her. It was hard sometimes to differentiate the twins. Most of the time, it was their behavior that gave away who they were.
"Padma is in her chambers," Parvati said, confirming her own identity by the same occasion. "We won't be disturbed. Come. I've got something to show you."
Hannah followed Parvati. The Gryffindor girl looked quite excited. In fact, it was Parvati who invited Hannah for today. She said that she wanted to show her something. They went to the living room, a comfortable and large place, decorated with golden and silver furniture. The Patils were obviously not afraid to display their wealth.
"Here, look. I've been thinking about it for the past two weeks," Parvati said, pointing at something that stood on a large mahogany table. The thing in question was some kind of large board being held perpendicularly by a support, and which displayed names both on the left and right, with two columns of large empty rectangles in the middle, each rectangle being the same size as one name. Hannah noticed her name, and also the name of Susan on the right side of the white board.
"What is that?" Hannah asked, though by the disposition of the names, she had some idea about the purpose of this board, and she began to guess why Parvati told her to come.
"Well, you see, Hannah..." Parvati giggled a little. "We are about to begin our third year at Hogwarts. And the third year is the time when..." Parvati let her words hang up in the air for a time, as if she expected Hannah to answer, but Hannah decided to let her finish. Parvati finally did. "... when boys and girls start dating! So, I've discussed about it with Lavender by owl, and we thought it might be funny to try and guess who could end up with who. I put the names of everyone in our year on this board. Girls are on the right, boys are on the left. So we're going to try to bring everyone together, to make the most couples possible. I plan to try it with Lavender when we go back to Hogwarts, but I need someone to try it a first time."
Now Hannah understood why Parvati invited her. To be honest, she wasn't that impressed by her board. After all, Hannah and Megan already did something similar in their first year. Most of their forecasts didn't happen, or at least not yet. Hannah had it somewhere in her stuff. She and Megan swore they would look at it again at the end of their time at Hogwarts to see how right or wrong they were at the beginning. But she had to admit it could be pleasant to make this exercise again two years later.
"All right," Hannah said. She had to admit that she was somewhat excited about trying to fit everyone with someone. It would be a change from recent days, which had been a little gloomy. "I'm in. Let's try."
Parvati looked even more excited. "Okay. So, I already put the names of everybody. The boys, we have the Gryffindors, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Then we have the Hufflepuffs, Ernie Macmillan, Wayne Hopkins, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Roger Malone and Kevin Entwhistle. For Ravenclaw, we have Terry Boote, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Oliver Rivers and Stephen Cornfoot. Finally, the Slytherins." Parvati made a grimace. "Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini. As for the girls, we have myself, Lavander, Hermione Granger, Lily Moon and Sophie Roper for Gryffindor. We have you, Susan Bones, Sally-Anne Perks, Angela Runcorn and Megan Jones for Hufflepuff. We have Amanda Goldstein, Mandy Brocklehurst, Morag MacDougal, Sue Li, Lisa Turpin and my sister Padma in Ravenclaw. And finally, for Slytherin." One more grimace. "Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, Sally Smith and Daphne Greengrass."
Hannah checked the list. Yes, these were all the students of their year. No one was missing.
"Well, it's going to be a challenge to pair everybody," Hannah pointed out.
"That's what makes it funny," Parvati replied.
"Yes. But I wonder... What if someone ends up dating someone from another year? That's quite possible after all."
Parvati giggles. "I thought about that. But this is only my first draft. I'm going to make it far more elaborate once we are at Hogwarts, and I plan to include people from all other years."
That seemed like a good idea. Anyway, after all, Parvati was mostly doing it for fun, wasn't she? Just imagining someone with another person was exciting, thinking about all the possible pairings in their year. There was something that bothered Hannah, and from her reactions, it seemed to bother Parvati as well.
"But let's put aside the Slytherins for now, Parvati. Really, I don't think I'm going to enjoy trying to figure out who could date Draco Malfoy, or worse Crabbe or Goyle."
Parvati herself mimicked the act of throwing up. "I agree. Let's leave the Slytherins alone for now."
"So, how should we proceed?" Hannah asked. "In which order do we choose who's with who? We could start with the couples that look the most obvious to us, or go in alphabetical order, or simply pick at random. What's your preference?"
Parvati seemed to think very strong, but she had a wicked smile displayed so widely on her face that no one could have missed it. "I think... we should do it turn by turn. You choose a couple, then I choose one, then you choose another, then me again, and so on. What do you say?"
Hannah thought about it. But after all, it was mostly a game. She shrugged. "Okay, I'm fine with it."
"Good. Then in this case, you're going to start with me."
"What?"
"Put me with the boy you think is the most suited for me. Choose one who is cute. I'll choose one for you after."
Hannah was stunned for a moment. Parvati was asking Hannah to pair her with a boy, and then Parvati would choose herself who to pair Hannah with. She didn't want Parvati to put her with anybody, so she would be better to pick someone nice, or someone Parvati would find nice.
Parvati had already placed the tag with her name in the middle column. Another tag was waiting to be placed next to hers. Hannah looked at the names on the left, looking for someone to pair Parvati with. She never really wondered who the most appropriate boy for Parvati could be. Slytherin boys were out, so it made her job easier. Hannah thought about her own comrades in Hufflepuff, and she didn't see any of them going on a date with Parvati. Hannah knew that her own tendency to gossip made people, even her best friends, annoyed after a certain time, but Parvati was far worse. Hannah couldn't imagine a boy standing next to Parvati for hours, listening to all the existing pieces of gossips that went around Hogwarts. Nor could she imagine a boy doing the same for Lavender, who in some way Hannah found even worse than Parvati on that point. Too bad that Lavender was not a boy. The pairing would have been much easier in this case.
Hannah put aside all the boys from her own house, and decided after a moment to put aside boys from Ravenclaw as well. If she was going to pair Parvati with someone, better be someone from the same house as she was. That left with five choices. She had to choose someone Parvati would be pleased to have. After eliminating three of the boys because she didn't think Parvati would like to be paired with them, and eliminating another one for obvious reasons, Hannah uncertainly picked a tag and placed it next to Parvati's name.
She waited in apprehension for Parvati's reaction. The Indian girl looked at the name Hannah just placed next to her. She didn't react for quite some time, but she slowly turned to Hannah. She wasn't sure what to think of Parvati's reaction. It was so unclear whether she was surprised, silently outraged, slightly flattered, or anything else.
"Dean Thomas?" The name hung up in the air. "Dean Thomas." Hannah was afraid that she might have made a terrible mistake now. "You're pairing me with Dean Thomas?"
"Well... He's quite good-looking, and..."
"He's black?" Parvati said in a very thick voice that meant she didn't appreciate the inference she supposed Hannah was doing.
"No." Though, to be honest, it was true that it had probably helped Hannah make her decision after she seriously considered to choose Dean. "I mean... He's a pretty boy. He's handsome. I hear he's good at drawing. Wouldn't you want a boy painting a portrait of you?"
Parvati seemed taken aback by this comment. Hannah thought hopefully that she hit the right chord. Parvati looked at the board, looking thoughtful. "Yes. Yes, I suppose it makes sense. After all, there can be far worse boys to date."
Parvati giggled. She couldn't know how Hannah was reassured by this. "Okay, now, it's my turn to choose someone for you." Parvati seized Hannah's tag and positioned it in the middle, next to empty space. "Turn around. I don't want you to look as I decide who you're going to end up with."
Disappointed, Hannah turned her back to Parvati. She wondered who that girl was going to pair her with.
"This one... Not sure... Maybe this one would be better... Though, he's not cute enough... This one is cuter... But not in the same house."
Parvati kept doing comments in whispers, but Hannah clearly heard all of them. Was Parvati doing it on purpose? As minutes went on, Hannah wondered what was taking Parvati so much time to choose someone to pair her with. But the Gryffindor girl kept whispering in a way so Hannah could hear everything.
"I'm still not sure... Really... Perhaps... No, I think it's the one. Hannah, you can turn around. I found the perfect boy for you."
Hannah sighed in relief. She felt Parvati had taken an hour to choose. She stared right at the board, only for her heart to climb back into her throat when she found out the name right next to hers. She looked at it, totally dumbfounded for a very long time, then looked at Parvati, who seemed to enjoy her reaction very much.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"No, I'm not," Parvati said, but Hannah thought that she was trying hard not to giggle.
"Come on, Parvati. It's ridiculous. We're... We're not even in the same house. We barely know each other. We almost have nothing in common."
"You have classes together. And I saw you working with him more than a few times when it happens."
"It's only working together, because we need to work in teams in Herbology."
"And what about all the time this summer you went to his apartment?"
This time, there was no way Hannah could misinterpret Parvati's mischievous smile. She wanted to ask how she knew that, but she stopped herself, realizing how stupid the question was. Hannah used to watch people very closely to grab some piece of gossip she might share with everyone else. She did it less often now, but Parvati... Of course, Parvati was doing as well.
"Come on, Hannah. Don't tell me you're not pleased that I paired you with the most famous boy in Great Britain."
"Me... and Harry Potter?" Hannah asked, unbelieving. The mere possibility of it felt nonexistent.
Parvati shrugged. "Why not? I wouldn't have minded if you put my name next to his."
For a moment, Hannah didn't know what was the most unlikely, herself and Harry, or Parvati and Harry. "No. No, no, no. It doesn't work Parvati." Hannah was almost babbling as she approached the board. "No, if we must keep Harry on the board, there's only one girl we can put him with."
Hannah put aside her own name and placed another one next to Harry's. Immediately, Parvati laughed out loud. "Hermione Granger and Harry Potter? Really?" These were no giggles this time. Parvati was laughing so hard she seemed about to burst.
"What? They're always together. Even during summer. Harry went to her house for one week in July. They've been talking on the telephone ever since she went to vacation in France."
"What's a telephone?" Parvati asked, recovering from her uncontrollable burst of laughter. Hannah ignored her.
"He saved her from a troll during their first year. Ever since, they're inseparable. And you didn't see how she hugged him after she was de-Petrified. I thought she was going to kiss him."
"But she didn't. No. Come on, Hannah. Harry and Hermione are just friends. Lavender and I, we've wondered if they were together, but there's really nothing. They are just friends. Thinking of Harry and Hermione together is as sound as imagining Ronald Weasley with her."
That, indeed, Hannah couldn't imagine it. But for Harry and Hermione, on the other side... She continued to argue. "Even if they're just friends right now, what's telling you they won't end together? They're very close. She's always with him. And you should have seen him when we found her Petrified. Harry was really heartbroken."
"Okay. Okay. Look, I might give to you that, maybe, one day, they could go out together. But really, I don't imagine Hermione Granger accepting to date Harry Potter. She is far too serious. It would be like imagining my sister with Harry Potter. No, Hermione is not the girl for him. In fact, if I was to think about a girl who would jump on the occasion to date Harry, it would be Ginny Weasley."
On that, Hannah was stunned. "Ginny Weasley? Ronald's little sister?"
"Herself!" Parvati said on a very official tone, before giggling again. "Come on, Hannah! Don't be so surprised. The girl turns red like a tomato every time Harry is around, and I've seen her spilling more than her fair share of things when Harry was just asking whether she was fine on a normal day. Plus, there's how he went down in the Chamber of Secrets last year to save her. Can you imagine something more romantic?"
"No, Parvati. Really, I do think that Hermione is the girl for Harry. It was also for her that he went into the Chamber of Secrets. He was utterly destroyed after she was Petrified. For Ginny Weasley, he was trying to save his friend's sister, nothing more. He never showed any interest in the girl. They barely spend any time together, but Hermione... He's always with her, and I can't remember the number of times when they hugged. And Ginny Weasley is younger than she is."
"Don't tell me it's an obstacle. Don't tell me you never fancied Cedric Diggory even though he's three years older than you."
Hannah blushed. "It's totally different. Anyway, we can't pair Harry with Ginny Weasley, she's not on the board. We're trying to pair students of our year with each other."
"Okay, but Harry and Hermione, it's a no. I refuse," Parvati declared.
Hannah sighed. "Okay." Parvati immediately removed Hermione's tag. "But I defend you from putting back my name next to Harry's. Because he's clearly not the guy for me."
Parvati stopped in her movement, then looked at Hannah, and again a large appeared on her face. "Very well. Then, in this case, I'm sure you won't mind if I..."
Parvati removed Dean Thomas and put Harry in his place. "Oh no, Parvati! You've got to be joking! You and Harry?"
"Why not?" She took an offended look. "You don't want him? I'm going to take him."
"I already put you with Dean. You can't change like that. And you really think that you and Harry could work out well?"
"Of course. Why the resistance, Hannah? Are you jealous?"
Hannah wished she didn't turn red, for she definitely felt it happening, but Parvati made so many implied comments that she couldn't do otherwise. "I'm not jealous!"
"You certainly look so."
"I'm not! And I chose Dean for you. You said we were choosing for the other. You can't just take someone else like that."
"Well, you refused my choice. Why should I accept yours?"
On that, Hannah was without answer. Parvati looked triumphantly at her.
"Okay, Hannah. So, either you accept my choice and you stay with Harry, or your refuse and you break the rules, and I end up with Harry. What are you going to choose?"
Hannah clenched her fists for a second, then grumbled. She wasn't going to let Parvati turn down every decision she made. "Okay! Leave me with Harry. But you stay with Dean, I warn you."
Parvati had a triumphant smile as she put back the names at their right places. "Really, I don't understand you, Hannah. Don't tell me you never fancied about dating the most famous..."
"Oh, enough, Parvati! It's my turn now." Hannah went to the board and took two names, two friends from Hufflepuff, and put them next to each other.
"Wayne Hopkins and Megan Jones," Parvati said aloud, nodding. "Good choice. After all, they did make out in the Hogwarts Express before summer."
"What?" Hannah asked, totally bewildered.
"Yes. I surprised them in a corner of the train."
Hannah couldn't believe they didn't tell her. How could Wayne and Megan hide her something like that?
"Now, my turn," Parvati declared, as she seized the tags of Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger and put them side by side.
"What, Parvati? You're sure about that?"
Parvati shrugged. "I think Hermione could have pity of him."
Really, this wasn't at all representative of the reality. Very well, if Parvati wanted to play this game, Hannah would play along. She seized Lavender's name and put it with Ronald Weasley.
"Hey, you can't do that to my best friend," Parvati protested.
"Why not? She doesn't like redheads?"
"No, choose someone else for Lavender."
"No, that's my choice, and I stick to it."
Parvati sighed, but went on to choosing another pairing. She put Susan's name next to Ernie's. "I think they go well together."
Hannah thought about it. She never really noticed Susan taking an interest in anybody. Well, if she had to choose... She thought she would more likely select Justin to pair Susan with. "Maybe Justin would be a better choice."
"Or Ronald Weasley. After all, Susan is redheaded as well. But you already chose him for Lavender."
Hannah shook her head. "No. No, really not. I don't imagine Susan with him."
"No? Well, I thought they would fit together better than Ernie."
"Okay, let's say you give Justin to Susan, who would you want for Lavender?" Hannah asked her.
"Michael Corner," Parvati said after a moment. "The handsome black-haired boy from Ravenclaw."
Hannah had to agree on that, Michael was indeed handsome. She gave in, and so they rearranged the whole thing, sending Ernie and Ron back into the boys' column while they placed Michael Corner with Lavender and Susan with Justin. They continued like that, choosing, then negotiating changes, arguing all the time. When Hannah tried to take revenge on Parvati for placing her friend Sally-Anne with someone Hannah was not satisfied with, she placed her twin sister Padma with Ronald Weasley. Parvati didn't seem to like him very much. There were only a few choices left on each side by this time. Parvati did not even speak out against it, like she did when Hannah had tried to pair Lavender with Ronald.
When they were done, Hannah looked at the board, and just thought how many things were wrong in it. There were some pairings that made sense. For example, Dean Thomas with Parvati, or Susan with Justin, even Angela Runcorn with Ernie. But really, Neville with Hermione, or Ronald with Padma, worse, Hannah herself with Harry?
"We should change a few things," Hannah said. "Some pairings don't make any sense. How do you want Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom to end up together?"
"You see someone else who would like to end up with Neville?" Parvati asked.
To that, Hannah had to sadly admit she was right. Neville was very kind, but he was just... clumsy, and so shy. He was far shyer than Susan ever was. The only class where he had any success was in Herbology. Even Hannah couldn't take that from him. In fact, she had worked with him a few times in that class. It was probably the only times you could enjoy Neville Longbottom's company, because otherwise you couldn't expect to like being next to him, unless you wanted him to walk on your feet, always by accident. Sometimes, Hannah pitied him. He wasn't a bad person, only an unlucky one.
"What if Hermione and I changed places?" Hannah suggested out of nowhere.
Parvati stared at her with round eyes. "You mean... You would rather date Neville Longbottom than Harry Potter?"
"No!" She had answered too quickly, and she tried to catch it back. "No... I mean, that's not what I meant! What I mean is... Hermione and Harry, for me, that's clear, they're going to date one day."
Parvati laughed. "Hannah, we've been over this."
"I know... And... I know that they are not dating. Not right now. But... I don't see anyone else on this board who is a better fit for Harry. I'm not even sure if there would be a good fit if we were to remove Hermione. Parvati... You put me with Harry, but seriously... Do you really imagine myself dating Harry Potter?"
Hannah stared at Parvati, who looked back at her. Hannah felt that she was scrutinized by the Indian girl. Time went on, Parvati was looking all over Hannah, who just waited.
"Yes."
Hannah shouldn't be taken aback by the word. But she was. "Why?" she asked, incredulously.
Parvati sat down on a couch. "Because, my dear Hannah... Ever since you arrived here and I talked about the possibility of you and Harry together, you were on the defensive. You said that it was impossible that you would ever date Harry."
"Because it is impossible," Hannah scoffed.
"And why?"
"Because... Because I'm not in love with him, and he's not in love with me. We're not even interested in each other. Come on, Parvati. It's clear that there's nothing between us. We're barely friends."
"You do your homework together, and you spent a lot of time together this summer. I wouldn't say that you are barely friends."
"We were never alone, and we were only doing homework." Hannah sat down heavily in an armchair. "Okay, maybe we are friends, it's true, but there's nothing more to it."
The truth was, Hannah had felt terribly guilty for believing that Harry was Slytherin's heir last year. So when Susan told her she suggested to Harry that the three of them do their homework together, Hannah accepted immediately, hoping to somehow redeem herself. He did save Justin from that snake during the Duelling Club. She remembered his outburst when Ernie accused him. He said it was stupid to think that he was Slytherin's heir, that his own mother was Muggle-born, that You-Know-Who killed his father. He wanted nothing to do with Slytherin. In retrospective, yes, Hannah felt stupid for even considering that Harry might be Slytherin's heir, especially after they found Hermione, Petrified. Harry had fallen on his knees next to her when he arrived on the crime scene. That was why Hannah believed that, deep down, Harry was in love with Hermione, and that was why she found totally ridiculous that Parvati placed Hannah's name with Harry's.
"Hannah, Harry and Hermione are friends, aren't they?" Parvati asked.
"Yes, of course, they are." They were friends, but Hannah was quite sure that it could, and even would eventually turn into a romance. She didn't see how it couldn't happen.
"Just like you are with Harry," Parvati pointed out.
"It's not the same thing. I'm not as close to him as he is to Hermione."
"How much time did he spend with Hermione this summer?"
"A whole week! He went to her house, and they spent the whole week together, Parvati."
"And how much time did he spend with you this summer?"
Hannah wasn't sure. "Maybe a few hours per week, and only to do our homework, like I said."
"Yes, but Harry and Hermione are often seen doing their homework together, both in the library, and in our common room. I can tell you, because we see them. Lavender and I, we had a lot of discussions about it. So, ever since the summer began, Harry spent an entire week at Hermione's house, but you spent yourself hours each week in his company. I would say you and Hermione spent approximately the same amount of time in his company. And knowing Hermione, they certainly used this time to work in large part. So, you two spent mostly the same amount of time with Harry since July, and you were both doing about the same thing with him. What makes you so different from Hermione, and why should she be paired with Harry instead of you?"
Hannah was getting unnerved by Parvati's insinuations. "The difference is that... Hermione and Harry have been friends for a very long time, almost ever since they arrived at Hogwarts. They fought a troll together, they went down in the dungeons together, and I'm quite sure that if Hermione was not Petrified, she would have stood by Harry's side when he went down into the Chamber of Secrets. So, Parvati, tell me, do you really think that a girl like me, who Harry barely knew before this summer, would be the best fit for him, when compared to the girl who's been standing by his side for two years now, and for who he risked his life?"
She hoped that Parvati would see the evidence of her arguments. This board was meant to place everyone with their best fit, and really, anyone with eyes and ears would see that the best fit for Harry Potter on this board was Hermione Granger.
"Alright. I hear you, Hannah. But... to change something on the board, we must agree, and I will never agree with you on pairing Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."
Hannah sighed. "Okay. I give up. But really, Parvati, to me, it's not realistic to pair me with Harry. We've got to find someone else."
"Fine. Then who would you like?"
Hannah was about to answer, when she realized that she had no name in mind. The truth was, she never really wondered which boy she could date. She liked to think about possible matches, to discuss them with her friends, to learn about others' relationships. But as for her own personal life, she never really thought seriously about dating a boy, or who would be the most appropriate boy for her to date. Well, she fancied some older boys, like Cedric Diggory, like half the girls of Hogwarts, but the board was about creating the most realistic couples they could within their year. She tried to think hard about those she knew the best. Nothing came. No name came out of her internal questioning before Parvati intervened.
"If you want, I give you Dean Thomas, and you leave Harry to me."
"No!" The thought of Harry with Parvati just seemed so weird. Hannah could see it when they worked together. Harry was far more serious than she was. Another reason to put him with Hermione Granger. And although he listened to the gossips she reported, he didn't discuss much about them. So she didn't imagine him suffering Parvati.
"Then we have a problem. You're stuck with Harry Potter!" The Gryffindor girl told her with a cocky smile.
Hannah decided to give up. If she wanted to make a more realistic board, she would discuss with Megan again this fall. Still, she and Parvati argued over many other couples, but neither of them could manage to convince the other to change something to the board. So they ended up joking and arguing about who was the best for who. Padma came out of her bedroom to take a glass of water while they were talking about Sally-Anne and Stephen Cornfoot. She looked at the board, and looked surprised, but she went back to her bedroom without saying anything.
"Do you think that she noticed we paired her with Ronald Weasley?" Hannah asked.
Parvati shrugged. "Maybe. It doesn't matter. I'm not even sure if she cares who we would pair her with."
At some point, Hannah discussed Dean Thomas, and it was enjoyable to see Parvati being put on the defence like she previously did with Hannah. Parvati argued that, despite the fact that Dean was kind, she didn't see herself with him. When Hannah insisted, Parvati tried to bring the conversation back on Hannah and Harry, but Hannah maneuvered well enough to put Parvati in a position where she had to oppose the idea of herself being placed with people as various as Seamus Finnigan, who made everything he touched explode, Ronald Weasley, Harry's friend who was always unconscious when the battle would begin, Neville Longbottom, the clumsiest of students, and even with Ernie and finally Draco Malfoy, where Parvati definitely put a stop to it, saying she was going to vomit if they continued. Hannah left the Patils' apartment in very good spirits.
When Hannah went outside early in the afternoon, she was quite satisfied with herself. She laughed only by thinking at the face Parvati made when she suggested she could be paired with Neville Longbottom. A few passers-by in the streets looked at her strangely when they saw her laughing alone, but she didn't care. The range of expressions Parvati made would remain in her mind for a very long time. It was fun, in the end, quarreling with her about dates and relationships that would probably never happen.
Hannah went to the hot-dog mobile stand, but she wasn't lucky today. The handsome boy who usually worked there wasn't present. She still took a hot-dog with onions and ketchup and ate it for her lunch. Having a mother who grew up among Muggles had its advantages. Hannah was familiar with food from both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, and she could eat and appreciate meals from both worlds.
Hannah walked around the streets of London, eating her hot-dog in the process. Cars went all around, while pedestrians walked in hurry. It was a working day, and Hannah was probably one of the few people in the streets to not be working. She finally reached a park and dropped the paper that wrapped her lunch in a garbage can, then walked under the trees to protect herself from the sun. Not far away from her in the same park, children, both younger and older than she was, played baseball, football, ran, did skateboarding or even laid in the shadows of trees. Smaller children spent time in the playgrounds under the watchful eyes of their parents. At the same time, under trees, and sometimes half-hidden by bushes, Hannah could distinguish younger people, some being around her age, entwined in each other's arms, sometimes quite evidently kissing. Some didn't even try to hide. Parvati was right. They had indeed reached the age when people started dating, or at least began to take an interest in others.
Hannah thought about this board. She and Megan did it in their first years, only for fun. Hannah thought it would only be fun this time as well. And considering the unlikeliness of some couples they arranged this morning, Hannah didn't think this could be anything but for fun. Though, it wasn't only for fun. Wayne and Megan did date now. Hannah had indeed thought they were very close, and even thought they might someday start dating, but she guessed that she wasn't prepared for it becoming a reality.
Hannah wondered. She was thirteen. Should she start dating? She and other girls, especially Megan, and sometimes Parvati and Lavender, discussed between them which boys they would like to date from time to time. The boys in question could change from one week to another, even from one day to another. But Hannah, she had to concede, never really thought about who she would like to date. And this morning, when she actually tried to think about it, she failed miserably to come up with the name of a boy she would like to date.
Leaning against the grid of a football field, she started thinking about it. She started to think about it seriously. If she had to choose one boy at Hogwarts she would like to date, who would she choose? Not someone she fancied, but someone she would actually try to go on a date with. It didn't mean that she would actually date the boy. No, she asked herself, if she had the choice to decide the boy with who she would go on a date, without necessarily any long-term engagement, who would she choose?
Most boys of her age in Hufflepuff were nice. She was friends with most of them, especially with Ernie and Justin. However, she never really looked at them like love interests. They were her friends, after all. Ernie was perhaps a little too serious to her taste. He had the bad habit of making things look too much official, and was taking himself too seriously at times. He could become annoying when he wanted. She enjoyed Justin's company much more, and he was probably the boy from her year who enjoyed the most her gossip sprees. Wayne was already with Megan, so it was useless to consider him. As for Roger and Kevin, she didn't know or got along as well with them as much as with the others. Roger was probably the prettiest boy of their year in Hufflepuff, so maybe she could think about it. Then there were the boys from other houses. Michael Corner was quite handsome too, and so was Anthony Goldstein. Though, if she had to choose between the two, she would probably choose Anthony. Michael looked like he was brooding much too often, while Anthony was much more smiling and good-natured. As for the Gryffindors, well, she didn't think much about Ronald, Neville or Seamus. Well, Seamus was funny, when he wanted. Only, it was mostly when he made things explode, but these were always accidents. Hannah chuckled at the memory of him making a goblet of water explode after he tried to turn it into rum. Well, dating him would certainly not be a dull moment, for better or worse. As for Dean, well, he was quite handsome too. It wasn't for nothing that she paired him with Parvati. Maybe she could go out with him. And then, there was Harry. Harry Potter.
Hannah couldn't stop herself from laughing. She laughed at the absurdity of the pairing Parvati chose for her. Hannah Abbott dating Harry Potter? She knew well enough that it would never happen. No. Hannah knew, deep within her mind, and also deep within her heart, that only Hermione could potentially date Harry. Hannah knew what she saw when Harry discovered a Petrified Hermione, and the way Harry behaved afterwards was proof enough that there was more than friendship between those two. No, definitely, whoever placed Hannah's name next to Harry's on such a board when Hermione's name was available was either blind, or stupid, or both. No, if she had to choose someone to go on a date with this year, it would be... Hannah thought hard, and decided it would be better to not go on a date with someone who was too close a friend. She settled on either Anthony Goldstein or Dean Thomas. Looking down at the grass, she thought that if she was to make a choice for a date, it would be one of those two. Though it would probably never happen. Hannah wasn't in love with any of them. She wasn't in love with any boy. She would wait. There was a song, from a famous Muggle musician and singer, that her mother listened to very often, and Hannah perfectly remembered the lyrics.
I need love, love
Ooh to ease my mind
And I need to find time
Someone to call mine
My mama said, "you can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "love don't come easy
Well it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in the good time
No matter how long it takes
How many heartaches must I stand
Before I find the love to let me live again
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on
When I feel my strength, ooh, it's almost gone
I remember mama said, "you can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take"
How long must I wait
How much more must I take
Before loneliness
Will cause my heart, heart to break
No, I can't bear to live my life alone
I've grown impatient for a love to call my own
But when I feel that I, I can't go on
Well these precious words keep me hanging on
I remember mama said, "you can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait"
She said, "love don't come easy
Well it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in the good time
No matter how long it takes
Now break
Now love, love it don't come easy
But I keep on waiting
Anticipating for that soft voice
To talk to me at night
For some tender arms
Hold me tight
I keep waiting
Ooh, 'til that day
But it ain't easy (love don't come easy)
No, you know it ain't easy
My mama said you can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said "love don't come easy
Well it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said "love don't come easy
But it's a game of give and take"
You can't hurry love, no you'll just have to wait
The Weird Sisters might be fantastic, but if there was one domain in which Muggles had nothing to envy to wizards, it was in music. Hannah had taken Muggle Studies for this year, and one of the things she was the most excited to learn about were Muggle arts. She really liked this song. It was funny, rhythmed, and so true. Hannah liked to imagine all kinds of couples among her friends and people at Hogwarts. She and Megan even tried at some point to match each professor to another professor. She couldn't stop herself from laughing at the memory of the fun they had trying to find someone to match with Professor Snape. However, when it came to actually find love, Hannah wasn't about to just throw herself at the first stranger or pretty boy in front of her. She would wait. She would meet someone someday, fall in love, and then she would see. She wasn't going to rush things and date someone for the mere sake of dating someone.
She looked up. A team of football was practicing under the heat of the sun. Hannah knew that sport. Her mother brought her to watch a few games when she was younger. Hannah never really got interested, truth be told. She wasn't a big sports fan. Even Quidditch had limited interest in her eyes. Well, she liked Quidditch, of course, and she encouraged her team at every game, but this wasn't a passion for her. Her real passions, aside from gossiping, were more in the artistic domain. She and Susan even planned to join Hogwarts' choir this year. That was why she hoped to study Muggle arts this year, and also why she chose Dean Thomas for Parvati. A boy who was good at drawing seemed like someone nice to her.
The boys were circling orange cones with balls, then trying to score into the net. The keeper was trying to stop one shoot after the other, but he didn't manage to stop all, of course. They then practiced their passes, exchanging the ball between two of them all across the football field, moving from one net to another. Then they made some kind of match which wasn't one. If Hannah wasn't wrong, half the team played in the attack, trying to score a goal, while the other half played in defence, trying to stop the other half from scoring. The two halves switched sides regularly. The team on the attack cheered when they managed to score, and sometimes Hannah heard one of them shout something, but it was hard to make out what they were saying. She was a little far from them.
She didn't know for how long she stayed there, watching a football team training, but took off her eyes from them in the end and walked away. She wandered in the park a little while longer afterwards. She went around it, coming back to where she started to walk. The football team was still practicing, and it was nearly four o'clock. Hannah would have to head home very soon. She decided to stay and watch the rest of the training. They would probably be done soon.
"Come on, the wizard! Time to make your magic work!"
Hannah heard the words quite faintly from this distance, but she heard them nonetheless. For a moment, she didn't know what to think. Who just said that? She looked at the team training and saw a player score a goal at this moment. His teammates cheered up. But even from afar, now that she focused on this player in particular, unlike before, Hannah couldn't confuse the boy with someone else. The one who just scored was Harry Potter.
That shouldn't come as a shock. She knew that Harry played football during summer. After spending time with him these last few weeks, she knew quite a lot about him. Justin had even called him while they were doing their homework in Transfiguration one day to discuss the last game between two Muggle teams. She thought one came from Liverpool, and the other one from Manchester. And since they lived in exactly the same tower, she should have guessed it was possible to just run into him. It was strange, still. She must have watched this team practice for maybe an hour or two, and she never realized that Harry was among them. Well, if Parvati ever thought that Hannah and Harry could be a good match, now Hannah could present irrefutable proof of the contrary since she couldn't recognize Harry from a distance. She laughed shortly at the thought.
The team in question happened to end their practice a few minutes later. Boys began to leave the terrain. Hannah watched some of them heading in her direction. Harry was among them. This was no surprise since Hannah came from the building where they both lived, and Harry was certainly heading back to it. She smiled and walked towards him.
"Hi, Harry."
"Hi, Hannah," he said. He seemed surprised to cross her path. "What are you doing here?"
"Just enjoying summer while I still can. Next week, we will be back at Hogwarts."
"Yes, it's true. I have my last game tomorrow. Our coach was having us trained before." It was obvious from all the sweat on his face and the sports bag in his right hand.
"I saw. You're heading back home?"
"Yes."
"You mind if I tag along?"
"No." They both proceeded to walk through the park. "Have you seen Susan recently?"
"Yes. She's fine, but... You know her. She's not going out a lot. I'm going to visit her this evening."
"How is she, by the way? I haven't seen her since the trial."
"Oh, yes. Well... I think her parents were quite shaken by it. Susan is taking it better, I'd say... She told me about the photos of her family they showed in court." Hannah had been horrified when Susan told her about this. She couldn't imagine how she would have reacted if, out of nowhere, photos of dead family members were thrown at her face.
"Yes. That wasn't very tactful, from the Ministry." On that, they agreed.
"How are you feeling by the way, Harry? About the trial?"
He didn't answer immediately. They had made it out of the park and were following a boulevard. To anyone who might look at them, they were just a boy and a girl of thirteen who walked together in the streets of London. They didn't know the boy was a wizard, and the girl a witch.
"I'm just glad it's over. And that Pettigrew is behind bars. Good riddance."
"Yes, I guess." She didn't really know what to tell him. She knew Susan enough to comfort her when needed, but she didn't know Harry well enough for that kind of things. "Are you eager for our new year at Hogwarts?"
"Yes and no," he said after a moment. "It will be good to see Hermione and Ron again." He said Hermione's name first. Another good point against Parvati. "But... well... I guess I didn't have the holidays I hoped for. With this whole trial thing..."
She understood. "Well, it's behind you now. And now that he's in Azkaban, Pettigrew won't harm anyone else. There's no way he's going to escape this place."
"Not if what I heard of the place is true. And you, are you looking forward for the first term?"
"I must say... Yes, I am. It'll be good to see everyone again. I mean, I get to see you and Susan, and Parvati a little, but most of my friends are far away. It will be nice to be reunited."
"Yes, true. Hermione and I, we speak on the phone, but I miss her all the same. And I barely saw Ron this summer."
She nodded. "Was it really... his rat? I mean, Peter Pettigrew was really Ronald's rat?"
"Yes."
Hannah couldn't believe it. She was glad to never have been close to that animal. Thinking that Harry, who she walked next to as they took the last turn towards the tower where they lived, had been sleeping in the same dormitory as a man who sold his father to You-Know-Who and murdered twelve people in cold blood with a single spell... This just looked both surreal and horrifying. In some way, Hannah was lucky to be able to walk next to Harry today. This murderer could have killed him anytime during the last two years. He could have killed anyone in Hogwarts. Again, she was glad she never got close to this rat.
"I don't know how I would feel if Gavin turned out to be an Animagus," she muttered.
"Gavin?"
"My owl. I named him after a singer."
"Ah."
They soon arrived at the tower and walked through the magical barrier to arrive in the entrance hall. Their paths separated at this point. They had to take different stairs to get to their respective apartments.
"Have a good evening, Harry."
"You too, Hannah."
She climbed the stairs straight to her parents' apartments and sat in the living room. She opened the radio of the Wizarding Wireless Network. Celestina Warbeck was singing Beat Back Those Bludgers, Boys, and Chuck That Quaffle Here. Hannah quietly listened to the popular singer until her mother arrived. She had to close the wizarding music at this moment, her mother turning on Muggle networks when she arrived home every day. As a result, she ended up listening to the likes of Send Me an Angel from the Scorpions, Another Day in Paradise from Phil Collins, Losing My Religion from R.E.M., The Other Side of Life from the Moody Blues, and many others.
Dinner was a quiet affair, and Hannah quickly left after dessert to visit her best friend. She knocked at the door, and a woman with red hair welcomed her.
"Susan is waiting for you," she said shortly, without a smile, and let Hannah in without any other word.
Hannah walked to Susan's bedroom. She came here more often than enough to know the place in all its details. Her friend was waiting for her, reading, but she put aside her book as soon as Hannah walked in and smiled warmly.
"Hi, Hannah."
"Hi, Susan." Hannah noticed that Susan brought her hair into a single plait down her back today. Her friend alternated between two hairdressing styles ever since they arrived at Hogwarts, one day with a plait, another letting her hair fall free on both her shoulders and back, but so smooth it seemed like she spent hours brushing them.
"How are you today?" Hannah asked after closing the door behind her. She and Susan always spoke with the door closed when they could.
"I'm fine. Thank you. What about you?"
"Well, I can't complain. Guess with who I spent the morning with. Parvati Patil," Hannah said before Susan could try to answer.
"What have you done together?"
"Mostly, we spent the morning arguing about who should date who." Facing Susan's confused expression, Hannah explained the board Parvati created, and why she asked Hannah to test it with her.
"Much like what you and Megan did in our first year." Of course, Susan would remember it. She had a very good memory. "I still remember who you put me with back then."
"Sorry, Susan," Hannah said, still feeling a little ashamed about who she paired her best friend with back then.
Susan shrugged. "Don't worry. I didn't mind that much being paired with Ronald Weasley. In fact, it doesn't bother me more than to be paired with anybody else. Many people think lowly of Ron, but they shouldn't." Hannah and Megan only paired them because they both had red hair. Though anyway, as she just said, Susan didn't really care who she was paired with anyway. "Did it change this year?"
"Parvati and I paired with you Justin. After Parvati tried to place you with Ernie."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense." Susan talked about it, but she really didn't seem quite concerned by the choice they made. Hannah guessed this could explain why Susan always stood with Hermione when they had common classes with Gryffindor. "What about you, Hannah? Who did you end up with?"
Hannah felt herself blushing in spite of all common sense. "Well... it doesn't really matter," she said very quickly. "How's your mother?"
Susan frowned at her reaction, but her facial features quickly went back to normal after the question. Hannah somehow was glad that she didn't have to say aloud who she was paired with. She had paired herself with Michael Corner two years ago. She already found him cute back then, and Susan certainly knew that, but she would rather not discuss her new pairing.
"Fine enough," Susan answered. "I went to Diagon Alley with her this morning. She's getting better." Susan sighed. "It wasn't easy for her, and it's still not easy. I hear her crying sometimes, at night."
"But you? You're fine?" Hannah might have broached the subject of Susan's mother to divert her attention from another topic, but she was sincerely worried about her friend.
"Yes, of course. I'm fine. I mean... It was... It was hard to see those photos. But I never really got to know my uncle and his family, or my grandparents. All I have are photos and my parents' stories. I have no personal memory of them. I wish I got to know them, but... I mean, I wasn't there like my mother was." Susan sighed again. "I can't believe she was actually there. She never told me. She only revealed me the truth a few days before the trial, because she was going to testify. I guess that's why it's my father who often spoke about my uncle's family. My mother barely mentioned them at any time. Now I guess I know why."
Hannah slowly nodded in understanding. "I don't know what I would do, if I saw people who I love dying right in front of me."
"Me neither," Susan said. "By the way, I met Padma today."
"You did?"
"Yes, this afternoon. She asked me if I took Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes, and wanted to know which other students were in those classes."
"She's already preparing her return to Hogwarts?"
"In fact, I think she sounded a little... sad. Or hopeful. I'm not sure. I think she was wondering who would be in her classes."
"Well, there's you to begin with. And Hermione Granger, too, since she took all elective classes."
"Yes, I told her so. She also asked whether Ronald Weasley was in any of those courses. She seemed relieved when I said no. I wonder why."
Hannah laughed hard. "It must be because I paired her with Ronald Weasley on Parvati's board," Hannah explained, still giggling in front of Susan's puzzled face.
Susan looked surprised. Then she rolled her eyes. "She's really taking it seriously?"
"Maybe too much. Guess who I placed her sister with. Dean Thomas."
Susan shrugged again. "That's not a bad pairing." She looked away, then frowned again. "Just like that, who did Hermione end up with?"
"Neville Longbottom." Hannah laughed again. Even Susan snickered a little.
"Oh, by the way, did you know that Megan and Wayne were together?"
"On your board?"
"No, in the real life."
Susan seemed truly surprised this time. "Really? I didn't see it coming."
"I'll have a lot of questions to ask them when we meet in the Hogwarts Express."
"Leave them alone, Hannah. It's their private life. But apart from deciding who your friends should date, what else did you do with your day?"
Hannah told Susan what she did for the rest of the day, and her friend did the same. Hannah was just discussing the last song she heard at the radio before she came to Susan's home, The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennitt when someone knocked very loudly and abruptly at the door. It was so sudden and loud that it made Hannah jump. Whoever was pounding on the entrance door to the apartment was very insistent.
"What's that?" Hannah asked.
"I don't know." Susan stood up and opened the door to her bedroom to see what was going on. Hannah saw Susan's mother heading to the door, but her father beat her to it.
"What the hell is that?" Susan's father almost roared. He slammed the door open. "Can you explain...?" he began quite angrily, but he stopped almost right away. "Amelia?"
"I'm sorry, Aurelius," a loud female but grave voice said. They heard footsteps, then the door slammed close. "Is Rosa here? Very good, you're here. There's something I must tell you."
Susan jumped from her bed and rushed to the door. "Auntie."
Hannah followed Susan into the living room. There, three adults were standing. Hannah recognized Susan's parents, but she needed some time to remember the third person, a woman with blue eyes, short brown hair, a square jaw and a very serious expression on her face.
"Sorry, Susan, if I scared you. In fact, it's better if you're here," the woman said. She then looked to Hannah. She felt like this woman was piercing her with her eyes.
"It's Hannah, Auntie. You met before."
"Ah." She looked to Hannah for a little while longer. Then she pressed her lips until they formed a thin line, and turned back to Susan's parents. "Well, it doesn't matter who hears it. You'll all know by tomorrow."
"Know what?" Susan's mother asked. "What's going on Amelia."
"I'll be brief and straight to the fact. Peter Pettigrew is free. He managed to escape."
A sudden death silent fell upon the room. Hannah herself was stunned. This name had been on the front page of the Daily Prophet for weeks. For most of the month of August, he was the main topic of discussion. His trial had been heavily mediatized, covered by all medias, scrutinized to the loop, analyzed and commented by everyone. And here this woman, who Hannah knew was among the most powerful people in the Ministry of Magic, was telling them that after being convicted to a life sentence in Azkaban, he escaped.
"What?" Susan's mother weakly said.
"How is that possible?" her father asked.
"We don't know. After his trial, he was brought to Azkaban and imprisoned there, but this morning we realized he just disappeared. We don't know where he is, but he is clearly not on the island," explained the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"He... escaped..." Susan's mother fell in the armchair right behind her.
"Since Rosa testified against him at his trial, the Ministry is going to provide you with security. There's an Auror who will be stationed outside your apartment for the next few days, and then other measures will be put into place. I wanted to tell you before you read the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning. The whole world is going to learn that Pettigrew is on the run."
"How... How could you let him escape?" Susan's father almost roared.
"I don't know!" Amelia Bones had spoken very loudly, shutting her brother into silence. "Look, the whole Ministry is on high alert. All our available resources have been mobilized to find this man. And we're going to find him. You're not the only one who lost a brother that night, Aurelius, might I remind you." Susan's father seemed to calm down a little. Everyone was silent. Susan's aunt sighed. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. But I must go back to work. I've got a murderer to catch." She turned on her heels and headed towards the entrance door. Susan and Hannah were in the way. Amelia Bones placed a hand on her niece when she walked close to her. "Be careful, Susan." Then she walked out without a look for Hannah, as if she didn't exist.
For a long moment after the door opened and closed once more, no one dared to say a word. Susan's parents looked lost, their gazes empty. As for Susan herself, she had not moved since they left her chamber. Hannah was behind her, and her best friend was turning her back on her. Slowly, Hannah circled around until she was facing Susan. She would never forget the look in her best friend's eyes. Susan was terrified.
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