The Knights Of Walpurgis

Chapter Eight: The Wisdom Of Weasleys

Whatever the funny feeling Harry had had about Hermione and Ron, neither seemed to be acting as though there was anything strange going on. They still bickered constantly, but there was nothing very strange about that. Harry had been annoyed at them for their arguing the year before, but now he found himself almost enjoying their arguments.

If nothing else, it made a change from doing homework.

Every year, Harry felt sure that the teachers couldn't assign any more homework and every year they seemed to set out to prove him wrong. Even though he was only taking six classes, each seemed to come with double the amount of work that he'd been doing for his OWLs.

"At least we haven't got exams this year," Ron grunted late one night.

"Of course we do," Hermione said, looking up at him.

"What? No we don't. Fred and George didn't say anything about exams," Ron sounded panicked.

"Yes, well, your brothers didn't worry too much about academic achievements, did they?" Hermione said, turning back to her parchment.

"No, guess not," Ron said, looking down at his meager Potions essay with defeat evident on his face.

*

"Right, that's the counter charm for the Blizzard Hex," Bill announced, as he successfully recovered a chilled looking Hannah Abbott from an eight foot snowdrift. With a wave of his wand her robes dried out, but she shivered her way back to her desk. The bell rang, and he grinned. "I guess we'll have to save practising until next lesson. Harry, can you stay behind for a moment please. The rest of you, see you on Monday!"

When the classroom was empty, Harry approached Bill's desk.

"You wanted to speak to me, Professor?"

"Yeah, Harry, take a seat."

Harry sat down.

"Don't look so worried," Bill grinned. "It's nothing serious. I just had a message to pass on."

"From who?"

"Remus. He said he was wondering if you could meet him in Hogsmeade when you go down there next weekend."

"Sure," Harry said. "It'll be good to see him."

"Good. I'll let him know. He did say to apologise for his not sending any owls, but he's out and about quite a bit now. He's going to be in Hogsmeade that weekend, so he's hoping to catch you."

"Where does he want to meet?"

"The Three Broomsticks at midday, he said."

"Tell him I'll be there," Harry said, shifting in his seat. Bill was looking at him in a very strange manner.

"I will," Bill said absently. "Right, see you Monday, I guess."

"Yeah, see you," Harry got up to leave, but there was a whisper of air as something passed his ear and the door to the classroom slammed shut. Harry stopped, but didn't go for his wand.

"Harry, what the hell is wrong with you?" Bill asked.

Harry turned in place and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Hogsmeade weekend, for heaven's sake."

"So?" Harry asked.

"Why in Circe's name are you making plans to meet Remus? Don't get me wrong, he's a great bloke and I know you're fond of him, but for heaven's sake, Harry, you're sixteen years old!"

"Er..."

Bill grinned. "Look, I'll let it go this time, but Harry, I bet that Remus wouldn't mind if you wanted to see a girl rather than him."

Harry frowned. "What girl?"

"Any girl! Hermione, or Ginny, or whoever it is you've got your eye on."

"I don't... I'm not interested in Hermione. Or Ginny."

"Well, good," Bill grinned. "Because we'd have had to have a different talk if you were chasing after my sister, Harry. Now, the point is, you need a girlfriend, Harry. Or several."

"Er..."

"No, don't talk, you'll only spoil it. I gave this talk to Percy, one upon a time."

"What did he do?"

"Punched me, as I recall." Bill looked wistful. "It was a good fight, that." He turned back to Harry. "Right. Point is, Ron says you don't have a girlfriend-"

"Ron! At least I-" Harry stopped talking, but Bill was already laughing.

"Yeah, Ginny mentioned that. Harry, look, Ron says she was pretty, but she kept on crying. Now, looks are important, but when your girlfriend is weeping all over you, you might want to change your approach a little."

"Professor, Bill, I-"

"Harry, be serious, wouldn't you rather be trying to sneak away from Hermione for a clandestine meeting with your girlfriend than throwing yourself into your work."

"I'm busy," Harry protested, feeling though he'd been ambushed.

"Harry, if, or when, Voldemort kills you, or some other prat gets lucky, and you end up in heaven with your folks and Sirius, do you really think they're going to care if you haven't been working hard? I worked with Sirius on Order business for nearly a year, and I tell you now that the last thing that he wanted was to think that this war would get in the way of you having fun. He told me a few stories, and I'm sure you heard some of them too. The first Voldemort war carried on for a long time, Harry, and Sirius and your father were here at Hogwarts almost the entire time. It didn't stop them having fun."

"I know," Harry said. "Sirius left me a letter, saying that I should try not to let Voldemort and the war and everything get on top of me."

Bill looked panicked for a second, as though he'd just walked into one of the traps he'd been exhibiting. When Harry didn't say or do anything more, he puffed out a breath and continued.

"Well, good. Harry, how old do you think I am?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Thirty? Thirty-two?"

Bill looked pained for a moment, and then shook his head. "Harry, I'm twenty-five. I remember what it's like to be your age. What do you think I nearly got expelled from school for?"

"Er..."

"I'm in a dangerous line of work," Bill said, leaning against his desk. He was grinning, despite his funereal tone of voice. "Even more so since I joined the Order. I'm living on borrowed time, and I know it. The longer this war goes on, the greater the chance I'm going to make a mistake and end up cold and dead. The one thing I can do about that is to make sure I have as much fun as I can, because the only way we'll really lose this war is if we let those idiots stop us living our lives properly."

"I guess you're right," Harry said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Look, Harry, I'm not saying you have to ask out the first girl you see in the corridor," Bill said. "And I'm probably crossing my boundaries here by saying this anyway, but just think about it, okay? Don't shut yourself off to the idea. Promise me that?"

"Yeah, okay," Harry said.

"Good," Bill grinned. "Now get lost. I'm late for my next class."

*

Harry spent that Friday night struggling with a Charms essay on Exploding Hexes. He stared at the fire in the common room, trying to visualize the wand movement that gave the hex its greatest potency, but couldn't recall how to do it. All he knew was that he'd shattered Flitwick's desk with the spell on his first attempt, and that Terry Boot had shuffled a little further away from him along the bench.

"Harry?"

He looked away from the fire and met Hermione's gaze.

"Sorry?"

"What on earth were you thinking about? I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes."

"Oh, right," he said. "Er, sorry."

"It doesn't matter," she said, magnanimously. "I wanted to ask you if you'd had any strange dreams recently."

"Er, like what?"

Hermione looked at him as though unsure whether he was joking.

"Like any dreams sent by Voldemort?" she said. "And what about that dream of that hill you told us about?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I dreamed about that one again. It's not serious, though."

"Harry, don't you think you should talk to Dumbledore about it? Wasn't he worried it might be Voldemort trying to trick you again?"

Harry's anger flared at Hermione's suggestion, but he bit back the remark he was tempted to make.

"He didn't think that it was," he replied. "He thinks it's probably just an old memory or something. But," he said, holding up a hand to forestall any comment, "I'll speak to him about it."

"When?" Hermione asked, peering at him shrewdly.

But Harry didn't answer, instead turning back to his roll of parchment and focusing on the elusive wand movement he needed for his essay.

*

Harry wondered if it was his imagination, but for the rest of the weekend Hermione seemed determined to avoid him. She barely replied when he spoke to her, and it seemed that he had to no sooner enter a room then she was leaving it. While her claims that she would be studying in the library seemed plausible on the surface, by Sunday night Harry wasn't sure that she was being entirely truthful.

By Monday evening, Harry was certain that Hermione was doing her best to stay out of his way. She'd paired off with Susan Bones during Defence class, and Susan had given him a rather sympathetic look halfway through the lesson when he'd glanced over at Hermione for the dozenth time.

After a trying Transfiguration lesson in which Hermione had only responded to Ron's requests for assistance and not Harry's, he felt himself growing angry with his friend. He wanted to find her and talk some sense into her, explain that whatever problem she had, he didn't feel that it was fair for her to take it out on him when he hadn't done anything to her.

But after three days of avoiding Harry, it seemed that Hermione had developed a definite knack for it. The only time Harry saw any sign of her was when he glimpsed her disappearing up the stairs to the girl's dormitory at the end of the evening.

Harry suffered through a painful Care of Magical Creatures class the next day. Hagrid automatically looked to Hermione for answers whenever he asked a question about the cage of Doxies he was showing to the class, and when Hermione kept her hands down and her gaze fixed squarely on the ground, Hagrid seemed to lose the thread of his lesson. A number of the other pupils grumbled about the dull class on the way to lunch, and for once Harry didn't have the energy to defend Hagrid.

He slumped into the seat beside Ginny at lunch and picked unenthusiastically at the roast dinner Ron had placed in front of him.

"Okay, Harry, what's up?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione," Harry replied, without preamble. "She's in a bad mood. With me, I think."

"Pay up," Ron said, holding out a hand to Ginny. She scowled mutinously and then dug into the pocket of her robes for a golden Galleon, which she handed her brother reluctantly.

"What?" Harry asked, looking from the grinning Ron to the irritated Ginny.

"We had a bet on how long it'd take you to work out you'd hacked Hermione off," Ron said. "I reckoned you'd work it out by tonight. Ginny thought it'd take you longer."

Harry stared at the two of them in resignation.

"Do you want to tell me how I did it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ron asked.

"If it was, I wouldn't be asking," Harry shot back.

"Harry," Ginny said quickly. "Think about what you said to us at Snuffle's house. About what you were going to do this year."

Harry sat in silence for a moment, fiddling with a fork as he thought back to his talk with Hermione and Ron. He'd spoken to Ginny about it as well, really almost quoting the conversation verbatim.

"Hermione... Does she think that I wasn't serious? That I didn't mean it when I said I would be asking people for their help and advice?"

"Well, you haven't made a very good start, mate," Ron said, shrugging sympathetically. "Hermione's right. If you're having the same dream over and over, Dumbledore needs to know about it."

Ginny nodded in agreement.

"You're right," Harry said. "I should talk to Dumbledore. I've just been busy. He did say that it was probably just an old memory, but it can't hurt to check.

"Maybe you can speak to him about Occlumency as well," Ginny said, staring pointedly at him.

Harry looked sourly at her.

"Harry, it's important," Ron added. "You know it is. Hermione's been really worried about you, about how you haven't started your lessons yet."

Once again, Harry found himself biting back a cutting remark. Letting his eyes flutter closed, he thought of Sirius, and the fiery anger inside him cooled to nothing.

"You're right," he said at last. "It is important. I'll see him this evening."

*

Harry passed the library on his way to Dumbledore's office that evening. It was considerably out of the way, but he felt the need to find Hermione. She hadn't appeared at dinner, and Parvati had reported that she had been in the library since the end of their last lesson. Harry felt sure that she was still avoiding him, and set out to find her and let her know that he was taking her advice.

It wasn't hard to find Hermione. She was sitting by the door, facing it so that she could see anyone coming in. As soon as Harry walked through the door, it was clear why she'd chosen that spot. She immediately began to snap shut her books and pack her things away. Harry hurried over to her and put one hand on her bag, stopping her from putting her books in it.

"Harry, let go," she hissed, glaring at him.

"No, I won't," he said. "Not until you listen to me."

"Why should I? You don't listen to me."

"I said that I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, Harry. You said that. But you haven't done it. I shouldn't be surprised. You didn't listen to me about the Firebolt in third year, or the Egg in fourth year, or-"

"I'm going to now!" Harry interrupted quickly. "I'm on my way to Dumbledore's now, but I wanted to speak to you first."

She sat back in her chair, and looked at him suspiciously.

"Why have you changed your mind?"

Harry relaxed, glad that she seemed to be listening to him.

"Well, I was talking to Ron and Ginny, and they said-"

But Hermione didn't hear what Ron and Ginny had said. Hermione had stalked out of the library, leaving Harry alone once more.

*

Harry stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office, trying to think of what Dumbledore's password might be.

"Cockroach Clusters? Er, Blood-Flavoured Lollipops? Bouncing Bananas? Flammable Cranberries? Gooseberry Gaggles? Er..."

"It's 'Sugar Quills'," announced a voice behind him. The gargoyle leapt aside and the wall behind it split in two. Behind the wall a spiral staircase began to revolve upwards from the floor.

"So, yeh wanted to see Dumbledore, Harry?" Hagrid asked, stepping forward.

"Er, yeah," Harry said. "You too?"

"Yeah. Got some, er, big news for him," Hagrid said, tapping his nose conspiratorially. Harry grinned, guessing that Hagrid had heard more from the giants he'd been to see the previous summer. "Won't say no more."

"No, 'course," Harry said, as they took their places on the moving staircase. It climbed swiftly upwards, depositing them outside Dumbledore's door.

"Right, who's first?" Hagrid asked.

"Er, you go in," Harry said. "I need to talk to Dumbledore about, well, You-Know-Who and all that."

"Right," Hagrid said, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder in an uncharacteristically gentle manner. "Listen, Harry, if you ever need to talk..."

"I know, Hagrid. How about if I bring the others down for tea on Sunday? If Dumbledore says so, you can tell us all your big news."

"Yeah, yeah. That'd be good. I'll ask Dumbledore now."

Hagrid knocked on Dumbledore's door and went into the office. A few minutes later he came back out and, with a smile and a nod to Harry, went back down the staircase.

Harry took a deep breath and seized the griffin-shaped knocker. Raising it slowly, he knocked twice on the door.

"Come in, Harry," Dumbledore announced.

Swallowing, Harry opened the door and stepped into Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Harry. I'm delighted to see you."

Dumbledore smiled benignly from behind his desk. Fawkes was perched on the arm of his chair, and Dumbledore was stroking the bird's beautiful plumage. Fawkes turned to Harry and seemed to nod at him before uttering a single, chiming note. Harry shivered as the sound seemed to travel through his entire body, and the sense of anxiety that had been mounting within him since setting foot on the spiral staircase dissipated immediately.

Dumbledore rose and set Fawkes back on his perch. Turning to face Harry, he waved a hand at the chair in front of his desk.

"Please, Harry, sit down," he said, sinking into his own chair with a smile. "Tell me, what brings you up here this evening?"

Harry stared at Dumbledore's desk. With a deep breath, he raised his gaze to meet Dumbledore's. For the first time in what felt like years, he held the gaze, feeling slightly giddy as he forced himself to look his headmaster directly in the eye.

"Professor," he said. "I had the dream again. I was on the hill, and there was something happening in the distance. I wanted to go and see what it was, but I couldn't. Something stopped me. I don't know what it was, but I turned back and just stood there. I was like I was waiting for something. And then I woke up."

At last, he blinked. Dumbledore nodded once, slowly, and smiled.

"Harry, I think that it's time we begin Occlumency lessons, do you agree?"

He nodded.

"Good. I would also like to offer you the opportunity to use my Pensieve, should you feel the need. You can review your dreams and your memories at any time. You may find it useful in finding the emotional calm needed in becoming a skilled Occlumens."

"I can try," Harry said. "Some things..." His gaze fell away as he returned to the Department of Mysteries, the sinking feeling as Lupin's voice rasped in his ear. Knowing Sirius was gone, feeling hope die with him.

"I understand, Harry. Truly, I do," Dumbledore said. "You can start with happier memories. I hope that you have some of those."

"A few," Harry said, with a small smile.

"Good," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. "Now, I suggest that we set a regular time for your new classes, for that is what they will be. Far be it for me to interfere with the Defence Association, however, or your practises with your house Quidditch team. I would suggest Tuesday and Thursday, after your final lessons of the day?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. I shall see you here, tomorrow afternoon, at about half-past two then. Feel free to practise in the meantime."

*

Harry entered the common room amid a greater level of uproar then was generally the case. Everyone seemed excited, and it wasn't until Harry saw the official parchment pinned to the notice board that he understood. It gave the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend as the coming Saturday, and all around him, Harry now realised, were people arranging dates and meeting places.

He made his way past the Creevey brothers, who were chatting excitedly with a pretty pair of fourth year twins, and took a seat opposite Ron. Looking closer at his friend, he realised that Ron did not share the general enthusiasm that seemed to have affected the rest of their house.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Ron grunted, staring blankly at the tabletop.

"So?"

"So..." He looked up. "I'm going with Luna, aren't I?"

"Oh..." Harry said. "Well, er... She's really nice."

"Yeah?" Ron didn't look convinced.

"Yeah. Er, well, in her own way."

Ron didn't look impressed by Harry's reply. He turned his attention back to the tabletop. Harry looked around for someone to help him out, and spied Ginny chatting with Dean. As Dean walked away grinning, Harry hurried over to her.

"Hi Harry," she said. "Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "You?"

"Yes, Dean and I are going," she said.

"Good, er..." Harry glanced back at Ron. "Listen, you're friends with Luna, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Ron's going with her, remember?"

Ginny's mouth curved into an 'O' of understanding. "My git of a brother is trying to find a way to back out, is he?"

"No, I don't think so," Harry said. He looked back at Ron. "Erm, well, maybe. But Luna's really nice. I bet if he gets to know her, he'll really like her."

Ginny looked at him curiously.

"Do you think Ron should be going with someone he doesn't want to go with, then?" she asked. "Shouldn't he go with someone he wants to spend time with?"

"Er, is there someone he wants to spend time with?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know he usually goes with me and Hermione, but if she'd going to spend the whole time ignoring me, then it's not going to be much fun, is it? Anyway, weren't you all in favour of Ron going with Luna? You thought it was really funny when she asked him."

Once again, Harry found himself on the end of an appraising stare from Ginny. He felt a little irritated, as though halfway through any conversation he had with her, she had to size him up and decide whether he was worth her spending her time on.

"Wait here," she said eventually. She strode over to where Ron was sitting and, before he could say or do anything, took a seat and began talking to him. Harry watched as the two Weasleys discussed Ron's impending date, and winced as Ron slammed his hand on the table before standing abruptly and stalking off through the common room and up the stairs towards the boys' dormitory.

Ginny returned calmly to her seat beside Harry.

"He's going," she said.

*

"Ah, Harry. Come in."

Harry looked about him in curiosity as he entered Dumbledore's office. The lights were dimmer than usual, and dozens of tiny candles hung in the air, gently bobbing and swaying in the cool breeze that came gently through the open window.

"I thought that this would be a more relaxing atmosphere for you, Harry," Dumbledore said, pausing as he drew something large in the air with his wand. "I believe it important that if you are to master Occlumency that, at least in the beginning, you are comfortable in your environment."

Dumbledore's drawing faded into reality and landed with a heavy thump on the flagstones of the floor. It was a large chaise lounge, resplendent in red and gold velvet.

"Lie back, Harry," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the couch. "We won't, at first, attempt Occlumency. At first I think that it's important for you to learn to relax and clear your mind, so we shall be trying meditation."

Harry sat on the chaise lounge, and then looked up at Dumbledore. "Why didn't Snape teach me this way?"

"Professor Snape, Harry, has a tremendous gift for Occlumency. Most wizards spend years learning the skill, whereas he was able to master it in a comparatively short time. Like many people for whom something comes naturally, however, he is not able to teach the subject as well as he was able to learn it."

"Is that why he's such a bad teacher?" Harry said, only realising as the words left his mouth exactly what it was he'd said. "Er, I mean-"

"Harry," Dumbledore held up a hand. "Professor Snape is an excellent teacher and, although he has his faults, many students in his class achieve superb scores. Now, he is not your biggest fan, nor you his, and this affects the way he treats you. I do not agree with this, but I give my teachers a great deal of latitude in the way they teach their classes, and I always have done. If you truly wished to excel in Potions, whatever treatment you receive from Professor Snape would not be able to stop you. You will meet many people in this world, Harry. Many of them will be unfair to you, many will resent you for your fame, or your undoubted talents. If you learn nothing else in his class, you will begin to learn how to cope with such people in the wider world."

Dumbledore appeared to be smiling as he peered down his long nose at Harry, but it was hard to tell for sure in the gloom. Above the headmaster's head, one of his predecessors had placed a handkerchief over his face and was snoring gently.

"Now, I think that it may be time to open all of your mind, and not just that part that pertains to Professor Snape," he smiled. "Lie back, Harry. Meditation, comparatively, is simple. All you need to do is relax."

Harry settled back on the couch and closed his eyes as Dumbledore passed around the room, lighting incense sticks. The smell reminded Harry of Professor Trelawney's Divination class, but with the window open the room was a lot less stuffy. The flickering light from the dozens of tiny floating candles reminded Harry of the night sky as he peered through his telescope in Astronomy class, and it wasn't long before he felt himself becoming drowsy.

He had time, as Dumbledore lit the last of the incense, to think that he would have to get some for himself for when he had trouble sleeping. As he began to drift away, he smiled slightly at the thought of Ron's reaction the first time he would use it.

*

Harry's second Occlumency session with Dumbledore was different to the first. He didn't fall asleep, but neither did he manage to achieve the calm state of mind that Dumbledore had set as his target. Instead, to Harry's horror, the longer the session lasted, the more his scar ached. By the end of the session, he had a dull, throbbing headache. Dumbledore looked at him with sympathy.

"I wish that I could make this easy for you, Harry," he said. "But you are linked to Voldemort, and he will be aware, on some level, of any attempt to alter that link. He may not even know that you are trying to close him out, but the link between you allows him to affect you almost subconsciously."

Harry nodded carefully, trying to prevent any sudden movements that would amplify his headache.

"How am I supposed to learn this if I can't keep him out?"

"It is my hope that as you learn, you will be able to keep him out," Dumbledore replied. "This is what Occlumency is all about, after all."

"It's hard to learn when you know someone else is in your mind," Harry said.

"I imagine that it is," Dumbledore said. "But you must try."

*

Harry and Ron sat in the common room, watching the hands on the clock tick slowly towards ten o'clock. Harry waved to Dean and Ginny as they walked past, but Ron could only scowl slightly as his sister was helped through the portrait hole by their roommate.

Hermione was next to leave, accompanying Parvati, Lavender and Seamus out of the common room with barely a glance in Harry and Ron's direction.

Ron looked over at Harry.

"If Neville doesn't hurry, we're going to be late," he said, the hope evident in his voice. His expression turned sour, however, when Neville came through the door from the boys' dormitory, carrying a large and rather misshapen package under one arm.

"Are we ready to go, then?" Neville asked, throwing a scarf awkwardly around his neck with his free hand. "I need to get this off to Gran this morning if it's going to get to her for her birthday tomorrow."

"Yeah, right," Ron said. "Well, come on then."

Together, the three friends left the common room and made their way down towards the entrance hall. As they automatically hopped over a trick vanishing stair, Harry asked Neville what it was he was giving his Gran.

"It's a Sneakoscope," Neville said. "She's wanted one since, well, the summer. Anyway, I found it in Diagon Alley just before term started, and it's a good one, too. It really works."

"Yeah, how do you know?" Harry asked.

"Well, remember last night, when Dean and Seamus were talking about Parvati?"

"Yeah."

"Remember when Seamus said that he didn't fancy her?"

*

Luna was waiting for them in the Entrance Hall. Harry, in the middle of the three of them, had to hold back a laugh as Ron and Neville both almost stumbled on the same stair.

"Stupid staircase," Neville grumbled.

"Staircase, yeah," Ron agreed absently.

Luna was dressed, for her, in a very unusual outfit. She had a long, woolen overcoat over a pair of blue jeans and a brown jumper. Ron gave her a searching look as they approached, but Harry could tell that Ron had no grounds for comment. Luna wasn't wearing one of her unique pairs of earrings, nor a necklace made from butterbeer corks.

Neville, who had stopped a little way behind Ron and Harry, seemed to have forgotten exactly why the four of them were in the Entrance Hall.

"You coming, Neville?" Harry asked. Neville blinked several times, and hurried over to them.

"Hi Luna," Harry said.

"Hello Harry, hello Neville," Luna said, looking at Ron. "Hello Ronald."

"Er, hi Luna," Ron said. "Right, shall we go? I said we'd walk down to Hogsmeade with Harry and Neville. Hope that's okay."

Harry wasn't sure what Ron would have done if Luna had said no - although he thought Ron might possibly have run away - but Luna simply nodded and, before Ron could react, linked her arms with his. Luna walked off, and Ron had to go with her. Harry hung behind with Neville as they walked past Hannah Abbott, who was fidgeting and checking her watch, and a scowling Mr. Filch, who was carefully checking permission slips.

"You alright?"

"What? Yes, of course," Neville said, looking away from the back of Ron and Luna's heads. "Er, I didn't know that Luna and Ron were going together."

"Er, yeah. She asked him a few weeks ago," Harry said, immediately wishing that he hadn't. He didn't want to hurt Neville's feelings anymore, if he did fancy Luna.

"Oh, right. She didn't say," Neville said. He looked back at his two friends and slowed down to put some space between them.

The foursome grew quiet, although Ron and Luna exchanged the occasional comment as they passed the lake and left the Hogwarts grounds. Harry occasionally strayed a half-pace behind Neville throughout the walk to Hogsmeade, and although Neville seemed to regain a little enthusiasm as they discussed what they were going to buy in Honeydukes and Zonko's, Harry could tell from the looks he was throwing in the direction of Ron and Luna that his friend's mind was on something else. He half expected Neville to drop his Sneakoscope and confront Ron, but as they approached Hogsmeade he decided that Neville was unlikely to vent his apparent frustration in such a way.

So quiet and suspenseful had Harry's walk been, though, that when Pansy Parkinson and a group of other Slytherin girls stepped out from behind a clump of bushes on the outskirts of the village, he almost felt relieved.

"Look at this, girls," Pansy announced, as her group fell into place behind her, forming a ring behind their leader that Harry felt sure could turn into a proficient firing squad, if they'd trained for it. "The noble Gryffindors are slumming it with a Ravenclaw. Did you get a taste for them last year, Potter? And why is there three of you, and only one girl? I know that Gryffindors are generous, but some things shouldn't be shared."

"Shut up, Pansy," Harry said, coming forward to stand beside Ron. On the other side, Neville had taken up position beside Luna. Harry could feel where his wand was pressing against his ribs, but made no move to draw. Trading words with Pansy Parkinson was no reason to get into a magical duel, no matter how much he may have wanted to draw on her and hex her pack of sneering friends.

"Such wit and style," Pansy laughed. "Can't you think of a real reply, Potter? Or is that why you like to have a pet walking around with you? Last year there was Cho Chang, very tactful, Potter. Making a play for a dead person's girlfriend. You normally have that Granger chipmunk hanging around you, don't you? I notice she's not here with you. Did she not like having any competition? And what competition... Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

Pansy had walked forward, and was looking Luna up and down. Harry glanced at the others. Luna was staring blankly back at Pansy. Ron's ears had gone very red, and the hand that hung down by his side was half-balled into a fist. Neville, on the other side of Luna, looked a little nervous, but Harry noticed that his free hand was inside his jacket pocket, and remembered seeing Neville put his wand in there earlier.

He opened his mouth to say something, but it was Ron who spoke first.

"Parkinson, you're a worthless piece, aren't you? I suppose none of you has a date today, so you're just going to stand around in the cold and try and spoil other people's fun? Well, a word to the wise, no one here gives a hippogriff's droppings what you think about anything, so either take your worthless hide out of our way or we'll be using something stronger than words to get past you."

"You wouldn't dare," Pansy said, her eyes widening in what Harry felt sure was mostly feigned surprise. "You'd attack unarmed girls? I would have thought your parents would have brought you up better than that, Weasley, or couldn't they afford morals in that dump you call home?"

Harry and Neville had stepped in front of Ron before he could move, and Harry stepped hard on Ron's foot to warn him against reacting.

"Ron's parents brought him up properly, Pansy. He wouldn't attack an unarmed girl."

Everyone's attention was resting on Neville as he stood undaunted beside Luna. Pansy was looking at him as though she couldn't believe he'd dare speak to her.

"Me and Harry, though, we don't have parents," Neville said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "No-one taught me if it was right or wrong to hex unarmed girls. And Luna, well, she is a girl. I'm sure she knows if it's right or wrong."

"Neville, they're not worth it," Harry said, holding Pansy in his gaze. He tried to make it sound like he was worried that Neville would attack. Risking a closer look at his friend, he didn't have to try very hard. "Imagine how many points we'd lose." He looked at Pansy. "Ever since the summer, Neville's been itching for another fight. You're not Death Eaters, but I suppose I can see how he thinks that it'd keep us in practise."

Pansy's gaze faltered. "You wouldn't dare," she repeated.

"Try them and see."

Susan Bones stepped around Harry and stood toe to toe with Pansy. "Gryffindors aren't the only ones who are sick of you, Parkinson," she announced. Hannah Abbott had taken up position directly behind her friend, providing cover in case anything happened. Harry smiled faintly as he recognised their position as a basic one taught to Aurors, that he in turn had taught the HA.

"Who do you think the staff would believe, Pansy? A group of Slytherins, or students from three different houses? Get out of our way, Pansy. You're a worthless cow, and you always have been. I don't see any reason why we should have to put up with you when we're trying to enjoy ourselves."

This last seemed to break the resolve of the Slytherin girls, if not Pansy herself. Their formation broke, and the girls began to shuffle away from Pansy. She glanced behind her with a scowl as the other girls milled about and, in one or two cases, began to walk hurriedly in the direction of Hogsmeade.

"All alone, Pansy?" Harry asked. "Don't you even have Malfoy to keep you company."

"Draco has other things on his mind these days," Pansy snapped back. "Besides, you're not any better, Potter. Where's your date?"

"Are you blind as well as ugly?" Susan asked, taking position beside Harry and easily lacing her fingers through his. Harry blinked at the cool touch of her palm, but kept his face impassive as he awaited her next move. On the other side of Ron and Luna, Hannah looked hesitant, but taking her cue from her friend, took Neville's hand as well. Neville's eyes widened in surprise, and his cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

"I imagine that you thought confronting Harry and the others would impress everyone. I suggest that you go away, and think about what you should have done." Susan's voice was calm and commanding. Harry was reminded very much of her aunt Amelia, head of Magical Law Enforcement, and a very formidable woman.

"You were right about one thing, Parkinson," Susan added, as Pansy backed away, glaring daggers at the Hufflepuff girl. "I don't think that Harry, or Ron, or Neville would have hexed an unarmed girl. But I would have done, and so would a lot of people. Don't go around trying to get people in trouble. You might just find that they're better at handling it then you might think."

With that, Pansy was gone. Hurrying after the last stragglers from her pack of friends.

"Nice one," Ron said.

Susan laughed.

"Oh, I've been wanting to say something to her for years," she said. "I never thought that I'd get the chance to embarrass her like that. I can't believe she still enjoys making fun of people like that. As if it matters whether you have a date on a Hogsmeade weekend or not."

"It doesn't," Luna agreed, speaking for the first time since Pansy had stepped in front of them. "But I think she was jealous of Ronald and I being together. She must be very lonely, now that the Slytherins are so excited about joining the HA."

Everyone turned to look at Luna.

"What?" Ron asked. "Slytherins? In the HA? When'd that happen?"

He turned to look accusingly at Harry, but Harry just shrugged.

"I don't think anyone has joined yet. Of course, they may have been using Polyjuice Potion," Luna said. "I shall have to bring a Sneakoscope to the next meeting. Maybe your grandmother will lend me hers, Neville?"

Harry glanced at Neville, and noticed that Hannah and he were still holding hands. He looked at Ron, and noticed that he and Luna were holding hands. This drew his attention to his own hand, which was still linked comfortably with Susan's. It had seemed natural enough to carry on the pretense of being on a date together while Pansy was still in view, but he found himself wondering exactly which one of them was now holding whose hand.

Susan, it seemed, realised this at the same point, for she let go of Harry's hand without saying anything. Harry returned his attention to the discussion of Slytherins joining the HA as the group began to make its way into Hogsmeade.

"I don't see how we could trust them," Ron was saying as they entered the village. "I mean, who's to say they won't just turn around and use whatever spells we teach them in a fight someday?"

"What do you think, Harry?" Hannah asked. "Would you let Slytherins into the HA?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Probably."

"Really?" Ron asked. "Why?

"Well, it's like Susan said. We had students from three houses back there, ganging up against the Slytherins. That was good, but suppose if we could get some of the Slytherins on our side as well? Besides, not all of them are going to be as bad as Pansy."

"Or Malfoy," Ron shrugged.

"Have you had any problems with him this year?" Susan asked. "Normally he's giving every girl the eye whenever we cross his path, but he doesn't seem to be interested this year."

"He has been quiet," Harry admitted. "Worried about his dad being in jail, I guess."

"Best place for him," Ron snorted. "Him and the rest of his Death Eater cronies."

"It can't be easy for Draco, though," Neville said. "Growing up with a dad like that. He never had much of a chance, did he?"

The group fell quiet for a while as they made their way along the main street. As they approached the Three Broomsticks, Hannah and Susan came to a halt.

"We're meeting a couple of the other girls in Gladrags," Hannah said. "You're welcome to come with us." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she made the offer, and Harry and Neville were quick to decline.

"Thanks for giving us the chance to show up Pansy," Susan said. Harry smiled and then, to his surprise, felt the brush of Susan's lips against his cheek as she leant in quickly to kiss him. Before Harry could react, she was gone, her and Hannah already halfway to Gladrags and receding in the distance.

Harry turned to look at Neville, Ron and Luna. His roommates were watching him with equally surprised looks on their faces. Luna was staring serenely in the direction of the Three Broomsticks. Her arm linked through Ron's again, she gave him a gentle tug in the direction of the pub.

"Er, right," Ron said. "Speak to you two later. Er, yeah."

He let himself be led off by Luna. Holding the door open for her, he took the opportunity to look back at Harry. Harry shrugged helplessly, at a loss to explain what had just happened.

"Harry! Neville! Just the people we were looking for."

Harry turned around, any hope he had of working out why Susan had just kissed him abandoned, at least while Fred and George were regarding Neville with expressions of glee that Harry couldn't help but find rather worrying.

*

"So, who was that girl Ron was running off with?" Fred asked as he and Harry picked their way through Zonko's premium selection. "Oh, would you look at this? I swear, someone's just pinching all our ideas. We had this on the shelves three weeks ago."

Fred brandished an innocent looking plastic toy frog at Harry, who stared at it curiously. Suddenly, it leapt forward and plunged down Harry's throat. He choked on the plastic, and then began to croak. The croaks turned to ribbits, and he glared at Fred as he uttered a stream of frog sounds.

"Easy, Harry. It dissolves after a few minutes. Frog In Your Throat, we call it. Twenty percent cheaper in our shop, too."

"-bbit. Git," Harry said, blinking as he realised that his voice had returned.

"Huh. Guess they're cheap with their potions, too," Fred said. "That would have only been the start on one of our frogs. Have you started using your purchases yet, Harry?"

Harry broke off from prodding his throat gingerly, and then shook his head. "No, I haven't. There hasn't been time, really."

Fred pulled a face. "Harry, you have to make time. It's sixth year, mate. Time to mess about before you have to worry about NEWTs and all that rubbish."

"Like you?"

"Exactly."

"I need to work this year," Harry said. "I've upset Hermione."

"Ah. You can't pinch her notes anymore?"

Harry grinned despite himself.

"What'd you do?" Fred asked.

"Ignored her advice. Then took it anyway when Ginny and Ron said I should."

"Oh dear," Fred said. "I can see that going down a bundle with Hermione. Well, wish I could help, but I've never been much good at making up with girls. I always used to get George to do it for me. Handy, having a twin sometimes.

"Actually," Fred held up one finger. "Maybe George can help you."

"How?" Harry asked. "No-one's going to mistake him for me. Especially not Hermione."

"Well, no, but I bet he can give you some advice. Should be good stuff, too. Not the sort of rubbish you'd get if you asked for my help."

"Well, it can't hurt," Harry said, cautiously. Having known the twins for more than five years, he felt a natural wariness about taking any advice they gave him, regardless of how useful it might seem.

"Forge, over here," Fred called out.

"Gred!" George appeared delighted to be summoned by his twin. "I was just about to call you over. Neville here needs some of that help you excel at."

"Is that a fact?" Fred looked every bit as delighted as his brother. "Young Harry here is in a spot of bother, and I thought to myself 'I know just the man for the job.'"

"Splendid!"

"Wonderful!"

"Superb!"

"Marvelous!"

Harry found himself being led into one corner of the shop - George pouring scorn on their competitor's attempts at reproducing Extendable Ears along the way - while Fred and Neville made their way to the opposite corner.

"So, what'd you do to upset Hermione?" George asked.

"What? How'd you know that-"

"Harry, how many female friends do you have?" George asked, crooking one eyebrow slightly as he stared at him.

"Well..."

"Exactly. What'd you do?"

Harry retold the entire story. George stayed silent, except for an occasional sympathetic shake of his head, and one short laugh as Harry mentioned finding Hermione in the library.

"Well, where else? Okay, here's what you're going to do..."

Harry listened, and though at first he was dubious, he had to admit that as George continued, he found himself liking the idea more and more. In fact, he conceded, the idea had the potential to be absolutely brilliant.

To be continued...