Harry Potter and the Silent Siege

swishandflick

Story Summary:
Little Whinging fireman Henry Middleton never saw anything as strange as the day No. 4 Privet Drive burned down with everything else left standing; for Lord Voldemort, who has finally found a way to break Dumbledore's old magic, killing Harry was too easy, but did he really succeed? Why is Ginny Weasley having nightmares and why is Snape the acting headmaster? Broomstick chases, deadly dueling, and a Guy Fawkes ball are just some of the things facing our heroes in their sixth year at Hogwarts. Original A/U version with Sirius. R/H, H/G.

Chapter 09

Chapter Summary:
Little Whinging fireman Henry Middleton never saw anything as strange as the day No. 4 Privet Drive burned down with everything else left standing; for Lord Voldemort, who has finally found a way to break Dumbledore’s old magic, killing Harry was too easy, but did he really succeed? Why is Ginny Weasley having nightmares and why is Snape the acting headmaster? Broomstick chases, deadly dueling, and a Guy Fawkes ball are just some of the things facing our heroes in their sixth year at Hogwarts; a SHIPment of oranges awaits the patient. R/H, H/G. Chapter 9 - Ron considers his options, Harry and Hermione go shopping, and a Father's Day special - Lucius and Draco have a little chat.
Posted:
06/16/2003
Hits:
1,363
Author's Note:
Thanks to Kobe, Carissa, and Unga for your reviews! All the reviews really help me to think of more things and write a much better fic for you to read! Thanks!

Chapter 9

Dresses and Just Desserts

Harry cautiously pushed open the door to the boys' bathroom. "Ron?" he asked.

There was no response.

"Ron, are you in here?" asked Harry again.

Harry suddenly heard a loud retching sound coming from the third stall as Ron released the remains of his dinner into the toilet.

Harry was glad Ron could not see the expression on his face as he waited for the nauseating sound to subside.

"Ron," he asked again. "Are you all right?"

"What do you think?" came a feeble squeak from the toilet.

"Ron, let's go to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey can give you something for that stomach."

"I'm not going outside that door."

"Ron, you can't stay in here forever."

"Just until Hermione graduates."

Harry paused for a moment and then said. "Ron, why didn't you tell me?"

"How could I tell you? I - oh, Harry - I - I don't know what made me do it. All those people. Everyone saw me. I'll never be able to show my face out there again."

"No, Ron, stop it. This is ridiculous. You're being childish."

"Easy for you to say. Harry," Ron added, before Harry could respond. "You don't think, you don't suppose, that, well, Hermione's part Veela, do you?"

Harry was glad Ron couldn't see the smirk that was now covering his face. "I think we would have noticed it before now, don't you?"

Ron paused for a moment. "You're right. That's not really like her at all. I know," he said suddenly. "I'll bet she's cooked up some kind of spell or potion. Harry," he said, with a sudden note of alarm. "I think Hermione has put me under the Cruciatus curse."

Harry could not stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Harry, it's not funny. I'm serious. She's good with spells. I bet she's learned how to master it already. And - and - it's just like we learned in class. I feel like I'm not in control of myself at all, like she's got me on the end of a string. She could ask me to do anything she wanted and I would do it. It's definitely the Cruciatus curse. Maybe we should talk to Professor McGonagall."

"Ron," said Harry seriously. "I think maybe you're in love."

Ron didn't respond.

"Ron?"

"That was going to be my next suggestion," came a frightened squeak.

"Ron, you've got to come out now. I'll help you. You can do it." Harry walked over to the door to the stall where Ron was hiding. "Let's get you cleaned up and then you can come out and talk to Hermione."

"I've got a much better idea. Why don't we go visit Aragog? I bet he's getting lonely. You could even feed me to him for supper. It would be a quick, painless death."

"No, Ron." Harry felt his patience slipping away. "You are coming out to talk to Hermione. Now. She's waited long enough." He looked at his watch. It had been nearly an hour since Ron had asked Hermione to the ball.

"How is she taking it, anyway?" asked Ron.

"Well, er....." Harry hesitated for a moment as he clearly recalled the events that had taken place in the common room after Ron had disappeared into the bathroom.

For the first half hour, Hermione had sat dead still in her chair, an expression of alarm and surprise plastered to her face. Harry had not dared to say anything and, in any case, he suspected he had much the same look on his own face as well. He vaguely recalled seeing Neville out of his peripheral vision walk over with some type of S.P.E.W. document but on seeing the look on Hermione's face, had thought better of it and left. Indeed, the whole common room had seemed to be avoiding Hermione and Harry as if they carried some horrible infectious disease. A frightened looking first-year had tried to use the bathroom but had been waved away by Dean, who seemed to be treating the whole area surrounding Harry and Hermione's table and the bathroom as some kind of crime scene.

Then, very suddenly, Hermione had stood up and begun pacing around the common room. The empty spaces were quickly cleared so she could have free reign without having to interact with any of her fellow Gryffindors. She had continued pacing for a few minutes. At first, the Gryffindors whose seats she had passed had looked up at her nervously but after a while, they had begun to return to their work, merely assuming that she had finally flipped. It had been just as sudden - at least to Harry - when Hermione had finally broken into speech.

"There's been a change of plan," she declared in a strident and very unnatural voice, as if she was practicing a public speech or performing on the stage. It had taken everyone a moment to realize she had been talking to Colin, Neville, and Arabella who were cowering near the fireplace.

"I - I don't think we should go ahead with the action," Hermione had declared, her voice cracking. "After all, the house elves don't really want to do it and - and I'm not sure it would generate the right sort of publicity after all."

Colin, Neville, and Arabella had nodded in unison even though Hermione was still walking up and down, staring into space and not looking directly at them.

"And so, I think we should concentrate our efforts - "

"Hermione."

Harry had stopped breathing. Neville had walked up to Hermione and put his hand gently on her forearm. Harry had not been sure how Hermione would react to this but she had just stopped and stared at Neville.

"If you want to go to the ball with Ron, we understand," he had said.

Harry and Hermione had both seen that Colin and Arabella, still standing next to the fireplace, were nodding their agreement.

Hermione's expression had suddenly softened. Even Harry had felt a smile start to come to his face. Neville had certainly grown up a great deal from the boy who had been hexed into petrification by the very same witch his first year.

"Thank you, Neville," she had said in a more normal tone of voice.

"A - actually," Neville had continued. "Now, that we're not doing the action, there - there's someone I'd - I'd like to ask to the ball."

"Oh, Neville," Hermione had said, touching his forearm in reciprocation. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I - I didn't want to disappoint you, Hermione."

"No, Neville. Go along and ask her now." Hermione's voice had started to take on an authoritative tone again.

Neville had nodded and turned away.

Hermione had started to smile after him but then had let out a small gasp. For reasons Harry had not understood, her eyes had widened as she watched Neville walk toward the table where Ginny, Catherine, and Amanda were sitting like a small child watching her errant ball move nearer and nearer the neighbor's window. The three fifth-year girls had all covered their heads with the large spell books they were reading in a vain attempt to conceal their presence.

But Neville had passed right by them. He had nervously mounted the staircase to the girls' dormitories and stopped in front of the sixth-year girls' room, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked on the door. The door had opened and he had disappeared inside.

Hermione had then sighed and sat back down again.

Harry had quickly returned to his own seat. "I - I didn't know, Hermione, I swear. He didn't tell me anything."

"I know, Harry. I believe you," Hermione had quietly replied. She had then looked up at the door to the bathroom. "Is he going to stay in there all night?" she had wondered.

"I'd better go in and take a look," Harry had replied.

And so he had found himself in the bathroom talking to his best friend who had just asked his other best friend to the Guy Fawkes ball, a request that had gone straight to his stomach.

Harry managed to give a somewhat abbreviated account of Hermione's reaction. He tried to make Hermione's behavior sound somewhat normal but Ron still said:

"S - so she didn't actually say yes?"

"Well, not in so many words, Ron, but I don't think she would have canceled the action if she didn't really want to go with you. Obviously, she's waiting to talk you. You did the hard part. You asked her. Now she has to say something to you."

Ron's only reply was a low mumbled whimper.

There was another long pause. Finally, Ron said:

"OK, I'll go out, but on one condition."

"Yes?"

"I'm wearing the invisibility cloak."

***

Hermione watched Harry disappear into the boys' bathroom. After a few moments, she was aware of another red-headed Weasley sliding into the vacant seat next to her with two mugs in her hand.

"I thought you might like some tea." Ginny slid a mug in her direction.

Hermione suddenly felt warm even though she hadn't yet touched the tea. "Thanks," she took the tea and sipped it. It was wonderful.

The two girls sat in silence for a moment. Then Ginny suddenly started to giggle.

"What?" asked Hermione.

Ginny giggled again.

"What's so funny?" Hermione sounded annoyed.

"'Stubborn, stupid prat.'"

"What?" Hermione was confused.

"What I said about Ron the day we talked in the Potions room. And you agreed. And look where we are now."

"Oh," said Hermione, a little non-plussed.

Ginny started giggling furiously again.

"Is it really that funny?" Hermione demanded.

"Well, it is a little. I mean, here you are, coaching me and this comes up in hits you right in the eye. And the look on your face. You really had no idea." Ginny started giggling again and had to put down her tea for fear that she wouldn't be able to swallow it.

Hermione frowned for a moment and then started to smirk. And before long she had collapsed into giggles herself.

"It's true," she admitted, feeling herself start to unwind. "I spend so much time with boys, I'm just as thick as they are."

The girls kept giggling for a moment and were studiously avoided by the remainder of the Gryffindors who assumed that this was a further sign of madness. Then Ginny said:

"Anyhow, obviously, he likes you and you like him, so you should be happy."

Hermione frowned at Ginny. "Do I like him?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Ginny, without a trace of doubt.

"What makes you think I like him?"

"The way you looked down and started fidgeting when we were talking that day in the Potions room. It's exactly what I do when...." Ginny didn't finish her sentence. She suddenly went quiet and looked down at her tea.

"Nothing much escapes you, does it?"

Ginny swallowed a sip of tea. "Survival in a large family."

"Ginny," said Hermione seriously. "But this has got to be a little strange for you. I mean, he's your brother."

Ginny shook her head. "I have a lot of brothers. It's not the first time. I think it'd be a lot worse for Ron if I dated Harry," she finished quietly, with a tone that suggested such a thing was about as likely as the ground suddenly splitting open under their feet.

Hermione suddenly realized that with she hadn't asked Ginny how things had gone with Harry that afternoon.

"Did he - did you - " she started to ask.

Ginny shook her head. "He's going with Cho," she said quietly.

"Oh, Ginny, I'm really sorry. But there'll be other chances."

"Yeah," said Ginny vacantly. "Maybe."

At that moment, the door to the boys' bathroom opened and Harry walked out.

Ginny and Hermione stared up at him, immediately rigid to attention.

"Well?" demanded Hermione.

Harry looked anxiously at her. "He - he wants the invisibility cloak."

Hermione slammed her palms down on the table making Ginny jump.

"Oh, honestly, this is so stupid!"

"I know, I know." Harry tried to pacify his friend. "I have an idea. Just - just wait a little while longer, OK?"

Hermione groaned.

Harry went up his dormitory and returned a few minutes later with the cloak, then disappeared back into the bathroom, smiling weakly at an anxious looking Hermione. A good ten minutes then passed which seemed to Hermione like ten hours. Finally, Harry opened the door again, apparently alone, but he kept nudging his head in the direction of an empty space to his right. Harry noticed uncomfortably that the common room was staring in their direction once again to watch the conclusion of the drama.

There was a sudden sound of movement. Harry immediately grabbed the thing on his right which had been moving away. The cloak pulled away in his hand to reveal a frightened and disheveled looking Ron trying to disappear up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

He turned back and stared at Harry, a look of deep betrayal on his face.

"I'm sorry," said Harry flatly, "but it's for your own good."

Ron looked around nervously and saw the whole common room pretending not to look at him. His eyes then rested on Hermione and suddenly she was the only person in the room.

He watched her hazel eyes looking directly back at him. They looked as deep and soft as the night's sky. He saw her once again the way she had looked the night they had sat together in Dumbledore's office. It seemed like all of Hermione's hopes and fears were open to Ron. He realized then and there that the Hermione he had fallen for that night had always been there, just beneath the surface, waiting for him to release.

The look in Hermione's eyes did not change as she got up from the table and walked over toward Ron. Slowly, as if touching the surface of an alien planet for the first time, she rested a single finger on the top of his left knuckle. Ron suddenly felt a hot surge of energy was running through his body from that one point.

Hermione looked up at his face. "Ron, you look awful," she said in a very soft voice.

Ron suddenly didn't feel awful at all.

"I - I - I've been thinking," said Hermione, still very softly, looking down at where her finger was still touching Ron's hand. "I don't think I'll be doing anything with S.P.E.W. after all, so - um - well, I'd really like to go to the dance with you. That is, if you're still asking me." She looked up hopefully into his eyes.

Ron opened his mouth but no sound came out. He managed to nod.

"Good." Hermione's face broke into a full smile. Ron suddenly felt as if he was going to pass out.

Hermione took her finger away from Ron's hand. "Um, I - I've still got to do finish some of my Arithmancy. I - is that OK? We can study together?" she suggested as if that wasn't what they did all of the time.

Ron nodded. That was OK. Anything was OK.

And so Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down again and began to study. Ginny retreated almost imperceptibly to the chair next to her friends where all of her work was still sprawled out. Harry retrieved his quill only to find it had streaked all over the bottom part of his parchment. He thought he would have to re-copy the last section but Hermione quickly rectified the problem with a flick of her wand. After Harry had finally finished, he invited Ron to a game of wizard chess. To his slight surprise, Ron eagerly agreed and Hermione packed up her work, too, and soon was sitting beside them. It was as if nothing had happened the whole night.

But things soon proved too much for Ron (he even nearly lost a game) and he went back to the dormitory, complaining of fatigue. He exchanged a shy good night with Hermione who soon made her own way up to bed. But Harry suddenly didn't feel so tired. He looked thoughtfully at the wizard chess pieces for a time before flicking his wand and making them all disappear underneath the round table again. By the time he had made it to bed, he could hear the now uncommon sound of Ron snoring. Harry pulled the covers over his head and it wasn't long until he, too, fell asleep.

But he woke up after a while, bothered with another nightmare. In this dream, Professor Nevins had placed the class into two rows again. He asked them all to find partners. Hermione eagerly paired up with Ron; Justin, who now seemed to be taking the class with them, took Cho. Soon everyone had a partner except for Harry. Professor Nevins looked down at him with a look of deep disappointment in his eyes. He told Harry with a slight note of sadness that if Harry couldn't find a partner for the exercise, then he could do nothing to help him. Harry would have to leave Hogwarts and face Voldemort all by himself.

***

History of Magic was cancelled the next morning as Binns went to greet Henrietta Handsdowne who had just floated in. Seamus had made everyone groan at breakfast that morning when he suggested that Binns had wanted some time alone with her before the dance. Still feeling a little uncomfortable after his nightmare, Harry was pleased when Seamus, who was now on the Quidditch team as a keeper, had agreed to practice his defense from the Wittleheim maneuver, which Slytherin were rumored to be practicing, where one chaser would lure the keeper out of his goal while the other circled around, took the pass, and scored into the open hoop. Of course, Harry was only one player, but they started the practice with Seamus out of the net already, then Harry would pretend to be the second chaser.

It was a beautifully clear, if windy and cool, autumn day. Harry enjoyed the challenge of playing a different position and he and Seamus soon forgot that they were practicing a strategy, and just enjoyed the competition, the rush of adrenalin, and the feeling of freedom that came from cutting and diving through the air like birds.

Harry was just about to suggest that he and Seamus trade places for a while so Seamus could understand things from the chaser's point of view when he became aware of a loud amplified voice shouting at them from the pitch. He looked down to see Hermione waving her arms at him with her wand placed to her mouth.

He and Seamus reluctantly landed back on the ground. At a slight glance from Hermione, Seamus backed away and let Harry talk to her alone.

"I'm sorry to stop your practice, Harry," she said, "but I really need your help."

There was an anxious and pleading look in Hermione's eyes that Harry had not often seen. The bossy confidence with which Hermione usually carried herself seemed absent from her body language. She shifted about from foot to foot, seeming as unsure how to stand as what to say.

"I need to buy a dress for the ball," Hermione explained. "I never got one because I didn't think I would be going and now the dance is tonight."

"You want to borrow the invisibility cloak?"

"No, Harry. I want to borrow you."

"Me?"

"I want to get a dress that Ron will really like. I - I - " Hermione hesitated for a moment. "You're his best friend. You'll know what he wants better than anyone else."

"But - but," Harry stammered. "I don't know anything about dresses. It's not the sort of thing Ron and I usually discuss. C - can't you go with your roommates? This is more the sort of thing that girls are good at, surely?"

Hermione put her hands to her hips and seemed to regain some of her usual attitude. "Please, Harry. I'd sooner go shopping with an army of mountain trolls. At least they wouldn't stand there and giggle all the time and try to read the future in my hem lines."

"Well - well Ginny, then. I'm sure she'd go with you."

Hermione stood thoughtfully for a moment, thinking about her conversation with Ginny the night before but then she finally shook her head. "It's her brother, remember? It's just, well, it's a little weird."

Harry opened his mouth to protest again but Hermione said:

"Please, it's really important."

Harry knew that his friend really needed him and he would not say no. He turned around to make his apologies to Seamus and then the three of them walked back up to the castle.

***

Not long afterwards, Harry and Hermione were walking down to Hogsmeade very awkwardly and slowly, the invisibility cloak huddled over their heads.

"Remember, Harry," Hermione was saying as if going to Hogsmeade had been his idea. "We still want to stay where there are large crowds, just in case."

"I don't think Voldemort will plan anything today. He doesn't even know we were going out."

"Still."

They walked for a few minutes longer in silence, then Harry said:

"Hermione."

"Yes?"

"Well - " Harry hesitated. He was not at all sure how to put this. Then Hermione said:

"Harry, we're friends. If you want to ask me about Ron, you can."

That made it easier. Harry said:

"Well, it's just, I couldn't help wondering. I mean, last night, he said you were 'the girl he liked.' And I really haven't talked to him since then, well, except for in the toilet and then I was just trying to get him to come out. And I know you want to go to the dance with him, but, I was just wondering - "

"Whether I like him, too?" Hermione finished.

Harry nodded.

"Oh, Harry. Of course I like him. Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really, Hermione." Harry suddenly felt a little annoyed. "You've been at each other's throats the whole term. I feel like I'm a referee."

"Harry, I'm really sorry," said Hermione and sounded it, too. "It's just - oh, don't you see? The closer we get, the more nervous I am. And then, well, it's just easier to get into a row. Then I can convince myself I hate him and I feel much more comfortable."

This did not make any sense at all to Harry. He wondered whether Ron would find it equally as confusing or, whether, on this point, he and Hermione would strangely agree. Harry wanted to ask how long this had been going on when Hermione said, as if reading his mind:

"If only he hadn't tried to cast that stupid spell."

"Sorry?" Harry was starting to wonder what else it was he didn't know.

"The spell on his rat," repeated Hermione, as if it would make everything obvious. "In the train? Our first year? He was so stupid... and so cute," Hermione finished, going red.

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to this. It sounded like Hermione was telling him she had fostered a crush on Ron the day they first met. But could it really be? All these years they had run around together? All the rows? Were they all just the expressions of some kind of latent affection between the two? And what was he, then? Harry suddenly felt horribly queasy.

Hermione ploughed on. "I didn't really want to admit it, of course, to myself I mean. We - we were all friends."

So friendship counted for something. Harry felt a little better.

"And then, of course, I didn't always like him. Sometimes, I hated him. And sometimes I just wanted to be his friend. But then this year, the first night, the night we thought, well - "

"The night you thought I was dead," finished Harry.

"Yes, that night. I nearly said something really stupid to him. I just got carried away. And then I spent the rest of the term trying to cover it up. And then, of course, I really started to stay stupid things, things I didn't mean. Oh, Harry, I've been so horrible to him all term. I feel awful. I have to make it up him. I have to buy a really good dress."

Hermione then moved ahead faster and Harry had struggle to keep up with her pace and make sure the invisibility cloak did not slip off his back. He had no time to untangle - or question - her logic.

After what had seemed like a never-ending march to Hogsmeade inside the cloak, Harry and Hermione finally found their way into Trans-figuration. They emerged out of cloak right next to the dress section, causing a few murmurs. An elderly witch, who had been browsing through a display of hats on offer narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she saw their Hogwarts robes. Hermione glared back at her and she returned to the hats.

"Now," said Hermione, smiling. "I think I'll try this one." She pointed to a dress, "and this one." She pointed to another one. "And maybe this one." She picked up a fourth dress. "What do you think?" she asked, holding up a long peach-colored silk dress with a large pink stripe running down the center.

Harry shrugged. "It looks - fine."

Hermione looked back at the dress doubtfully and then went to look at several more.

Harry found himself yawning. His legs started to feel like led and his back began to ache. Standing in the clothing store suddenly seemed much more demanding than a long game of Quidditch. There seemed to be an endless supply of dresses and Hermione did not tire of looking at them. Finally, when Harry felt he could stand it no longer, Hermione announced that she was ready, and disappeared into the invisibility room in the center of the store to try them on.

After what seemed to Harry like an interminable wait, Hermione emerged wearing a long turquoise dress with a white lace collar. She twirled around and smiled at Harry expectantly.

"Well?"

"It looks - nice."

Hermione frowned with deep disapproval. "Nice? What will Ron think?"

"Well, Hermione, I - I suppose he'll think it's nice, too."

Hermione groaned and disappeared back into the invisibility room. Harry could hear the mirror inside say "Oh, that suits you perfectly, dear." Hermione emerged a few minutes later wearing a long frilly lime green dress with bright purple stars, green and yellow striped socks and a matching green and purple striped hat.

"What do you think?" she asked Harry. "It's very fashionable but...."

Harry shrugged.

"Yes, I thought so, too." Hermione frowned. "I'm afraid I'm still too influenced by Muggle tastes."

Hermione disappeared again and then emerged in a plain royal blue cotton dress. She looked quizzically at Harry.

"That's very nice, Hermione," said Harry, eager to leave the shop. "It really suits you," he added, echoing the words of the mirror.

His smile faded slightly as he was met with a questioning stare.

"Does Ron like blue?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I, er, I suppose."

Hermione held up her finger. "Or there's this one."

Harry groaned inwardly as Hermione disappeared once again before emerging again in a red cotton dress.

Hermione smiled. "Well?"

"Also very nice." Harry smiled weakly.

Hermione's smile faded. "Well, which is better, the blue one or the red one?"

"Well." Harry thought for a moment. "The collar of the red one is a little higher, I suppose, and then - "

"Harry." Hermione folded her arms. "It's the same dress. It's just a different color. Now, what does Ron like better - red or blue?"

"Honestly, Hermione, I don't think Ron will mind what color the dress is at all."

Hermione groaned.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I told you I wasn't very good at this."

Hermione sighed. "OK. Just one more."

Harry cursed his fate as Hermione disappeared into the invisibility room again and emerged in another royal blue dress. But even Harry did not fail to notice that this dress was very different from the first. It was made of some kind of silk-like fabric that glistened so brightly Harry was sure it was enchanted. More noticeably, this dress left Hermione's shoulders bare, hugged her body tightly, and ended just above her knees.

"Well?" said Hermione after a moment's pause.

Harry suddenly realized he had been staring at her.

"I - I - I, er, I definitely think Ron will like this one."

"Really?" Hermione seemed less sure. "It's all right, I suppose, but it's really a summer dress. I can't very well wear a summer dress in the autumn."

Harry shook his head with genuine certainty. "I definitely don't think Ron will care about that."

Hermione hesitated for a moment and then looked searchingly at Harry. "So Ron does prefer blue?"

Harry felt the top of his ears go pink. "Well, not really, Hermione, you see - "

Exactly what it was Harry had seen, he was never able to say for Hermione let out a sudden gasp, grabbed the invisibility cloak and wrapped herself and Harry inside it.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Look!" Hermione pointed out of the shop window.

Harry's eyes widened as he followed Hermione's gaze and saw Draco Malfoy wandering up the high street outside. He paused for a moment and looked through the windows of Trans-figuration with mild curiosity. He then looked furtively about the street for a moment before disappearing to the other side.

"What's he doing here?" Harry wanted to know.

"I don't know," replied Hermione. "We'd better not let him see us."

Harry watched as Malfoy stood right across from Trans-figuration. He glanced several times at his watch and tapped his foot impatiently on the cobblestone street.

"He's up to something," said Harry. "And I don't think it's buying robes for the ball."

Malfoy glanced at his watch again. A few more moments passed then he strode up the street back in the direction of Hogwarts.

"I think we should go after him," said Harry.

"Oh, but Harry, I'm still wearing this dress."

"Well, no one will notice, will they? I mean, we're under the invisibility cloak. You can come back and pay for it later."

Harry did not wait for a response. He moved forward, forcing Hermione to follow him. They moved awkwardly out of the shop, narrowing dodging a heavy-set witch who was barreling through the door, oblivious to their presence. They reached the street and Harry looked up and down. Then he spotted Malfoy, now quite some way ahead of them, heading back up the road toward the school.

"Oh, Harry. He's just going back," Hermione protested.

"I don't think so." Harry pushed forward. He and Hermione trotted up the main street, but they were slowed by trying to dodge all of the people and horse-less carriages who didn't see them there and trying to remain hidden underneath the cloak. At least Hermione's relatively short dress made her more mobile but Harry couldn't stop feeling that he was standing much closer to her now than he had on the way down.

They soon reached the end of town. Malfoy was still some way in front of them but he was much easier to spot now that there were fewer people around. At first, it seemed that Hermione had been right but then Malfoy looked around nervously again. Harry let out a small cry of vindication as he took a sharp left and trudged up the hill toward the Shrieking Shack.

Harry pulled a reluctant Hermione up the side of the hill in order to cut across ground and narrow the gap between them and Malfoy. Malfoy himself now moved ahead with much larger and more determined strides. It was soon clear that he was heading directly for the shack.

"Harry!"

Harry felt Hermione tug on his sleeve.

"No, Harry. We can't go in there! It's dangerous."

"We have to find out what he's doing."

Hermione could tell Harry was not going to be satisfied until he had followed Malfoy into the shack. Even though she was not looking directly at Harry, she could imagine the eager, almost hungry look in his eyes as he saw an opportunity to finally take charge of a situation that had been in the hands of others since the beginning of the year. But Hermione also had no illusions about whom Malfoy was now working for.

"Harry, this could be a trap!"

"No, Hermione. He doesn't even know we're here."

"Maybe he does. This isn't just Malfoy we're talking about now. Or have you forgotten about your little Quidditch practice in the forest?"

"Of course not, Hermione. Otherwise I wouldn't bother."

Hermione groaned as Harry tugged them both relentlessly toward the shack. With one last look around, Malfoy disappeared inside.

Moments later, Harry and Hermione reached the door. Malfoy had closed it behind him. Harry tried the door. It was locked. He took out his wand.

"Alohomora."

With a very slight click, the door glided open. Harry gingerly pushed it further, wincing as a slight creak pierced the air. He waited for a moment to see if there was any reaction from Malfoy but the air seemed thick with silence. He and Hermione crept forward slowly down the empty hallway of the shack. Harry felt his pulse race as he remembered when he last been in the shack, when he and Hermione had followed Ron as he had been dragged under the Whomping Willow on the school grounds down an underground passageway that had eventually led to the shack where Sirius had been hiding, at a time when Harry still believed Sirius had betrayed his parents to Voldemort. He remembered the creeping fear that had overcome him when Sirius had closed the door to the upstairs room behind him and stared at them with that dark, haunting look in his eyes. He wondered what waited for them now.

But there was no sound from the upstairs room this time. Hermione and Harry reached the end of the hallway and stood outside the room near the bottom of the stairs. Harry could see that the door was half open. He licked his dry lips nervously as he looked around. He looked at Hermione. He could see that she knew as he did that they could not take a chance on opening the door. Slowly, so as not to alert anyone who might be inside the room, they maneuvered themselves into a crouching position behind the door.

Through the small opening, they could see Malfoy standing alone in the room. He stood there for several minutes, continuing to glance at his watch. Then he began to pace around the room. Harry wasn't sure he had ever seen the normally composed Slytherin look so anxious. Every now and then Malfoy would venture closer to the door and he and Hermione would start to shuffle back. Harry felt sweat start to trickle down the front of his face. He knew that he and Hermione were tremendously vulnerable, sitting there. If Malfoy made a sudden movement to leave, he doubted that they could get out in time to avoid being noticed but it would be impossible to leave now. Looking at Hermione, he could see that she was no longer making any move to exit but continued to watch mesmerized as Malfoy paced up and down the room. With a sudden rush of fear, Harry wondered what they would do if someone else came in through the shack to meet Malfoy. He tore his glance away to look at the door from which they had just entered, ready to move back further into the corridor should it open.

Suddenly, Hermione let out a small gasp and tugged Harry's elbow.

Harry looked back into the shack to see that Draco Malfoy was no longer alone. Another wizard had apparated into the room.

The new wizard sniffed the moldy air disagreeably. "Not the best of spots but it will do."

It was Lucius Malfoy.

***

Sirius stood behind a tall oak tree near the north edge of the Forbidden Forest, grateful that its thick trunk masked his presence. Of all the spots to choose, he reflected ruefully. He risked a nervous glance to his side.

Five very nasty looking goblins now stood around a much smaller, older-looking goblin with half-moon spectacles. The older goblin carried a small bag of gold which he looked at mournfully. One of the larger looking goblins, obviously the leader, thought Sirius, moved in front of the others. He held out his hands and smiled a wicked smile. The four other goblins started to shove the smaller goblin roughly. With one last sad look at the bag of gold, the older goblin gave it over to the leader who snatched it greedily.

There was a sudden, unearthly howling sound from somewhere deep in the forest. The goblins looked up in fright. Then the leader and his four henchmen darted away from the small clearing in which they had been standing. The older goblin, now short his bag of gold, looked around nervously in all directions, before finally running as fast as his crooked legs could carry him toward a dark gap between two trees. Sirius listened as the goblin disappeared further into the forest and then made his way cautiously out into the clearing.

He did not appear to show any surprise when, a few moments later, the trees parted and a dark-cloaked figure moved into the clearing to join him.

"Good morning, Black," said Snape coolly.

Sirius did not answer.

Snape sat down almost gracefully on the grassy ground of the clearing, conjured a large cauldron out of thin air, took a small bag of what appeared to be some form of crushed herbs from his pocket and emptied them inside.

He looked up at Sirius again.

"I am, of course, not interested in civilities. But I was led to understand that we were here to make a potion. You have the ingredients?"

Sirius looked back coldly at Snape, then reached in his pocket and took out several asphodel roots. He glanced at them for a moment, thinking of the hardships he had endured these past two months just to find them. Then, almost reluctantly, he threw them into the cauldron.

"Did you know this is the meeting place for some kind of goblin extortion ring?" Sirius finally asked.

Snape returned Sirius' question with an icy smile. "It was important to find a place where others would be reluctant to bother us. Besides, goblins frighten quite easily."

Sirius frowned and then sat down to join Snape.

"Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Busy," replied Snape, his lips curling up thoughtfully as if relishing some private knowledge. "But he'll be along soon."

A few minutes of awkward silence then passed. Finally, there was another soft rush of a cloak as Dumbledore apparated and walked toward Snape and Sirius.

Sirius stood up and they shook hands.

"It is good to see you again, Sirius," said Dumbledore. "I understand, of course, that it has not been easy."

Sirius nodded. Dumbledore frowned slightly as he saw that haunted look in Sirius' eyes again.

"Severus." He nodded to Snape who nodded back to him in reply.

"And now." Dumbledore turned around to both of them. He took out a small bag from his robes, not very much different from the one used by Snape. He, too, emptied the contents into the cauldron. "I believe we can get started."

***

Lucius began to pace the room in the same way his son had only moments before. His jaw hardened, also in very much the same way, as he looked down at Draco.

The younger Malfoy was the first to speak. "You have further instructions for me, father?"

"I am only here to confirm that you have received the instructions we have sent to this point and that you appreciate the importance of the role you will play in our plan for tonight."

"I have, of course."

Lucius looked down his nose at his son like he was a rotting piece of cheese. "You say 'of course' but I doubt you realize how much more privileged your position would be if you had taken care to follow instructions in the past."

Draco stared back at his father defiantly.

"Shooting the dark mark into the sky. Twirling Potter around on his broomstick. You could have hardly drawn any more attention to yourself if you'd tried. Potter knows all about you. And Dumbledore. No one is fooled."

Draco moved himself closer to Lucius and looked him directly in the eye. "Do you have a point to make, father?"

Lucius held his ground. "Only that if you are to be of any use to us at all tonight, you'd better be extremely cautious. I doubt the Dark Lord will have any further use for you if you do not."

Draco was still not prepared to be intimidated. Perhaps once, when he was younger, but not anymore. "And what of your own position? You think you are the only one who tells me things?" Draco's mouth curled up in a shrewd smile. "I heard that the Dark Lord was a little displeased with you. In fact," he drawled on. "It seems to me like you've come down quite a bit in the world since he returned."

Lucius' mouth twisted into a savage-looking sneer. Blood rushed to his face as he moved forward and slapped Draco hard across the face.

"Damn your insolence!"

Draco stared back coldly at Lucius as he nursed his cheek, feeling more the pain of wounded pride than the sting of his father's blow.

"You are far too young to appreciate what things were like before the Dark Lord's rise to power," Lucius continued savagely, walking about the room. "If it weren't for him, our family would never have commanded the respect and fear it did even in the darkest days of his demise. And the Muggle-loving policies of fools like Dumbledore would have rid the world of the last remains of any pure blooded wizards by now."

"But he isn't a pure blood wizard, is he?" Draco stared coldly at his father.

For a moment, Harry thought that Lucius would strike his son again. But the elder Malfoy just stared at Draco and Harry saw all the color fade away from his face.

"If you go around saying things like that," Lucius hissed, "then you are very, very foolish indeed."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I'm saying it to you."

Neither Malfoy spoke a moment. They simply continued to stare at one another. Then Lucius said:

"Your contact - she is still in place?"

Draco smiled and nodded.

"And our other contact has been in touch with you?"

Draco nodded as his eyes widened. Unfortunately for Harry and Hermione, he said nothing more, but in his mind he remembered how Snape had grabbed hold of his hand the night he had been serving "detention" and taken him away from the potions room, and what he had shown him.

"Pray tell me that you have not told the one about the other."

Draco shook his head.

And for the first time, Lucius smiled.

"That may be the least foolhardy thing you have done all year. Mind you continue to keep that information to yourself. Divulge it to anyone and you become expendable." Lucius sneered again. "If you want to gain an advantage, you do not do so by babbling inflammatory remarks. A true Slytherin never strikes until he holds every advantage and his opponent can only surrender."

And the two Malfoys smiled at each other in a way that only two Slytherins could.

"Since you have no further questions," finished Lucius, "I have a governors' meeting to attend." His smiled ironically, readjusted his cloak, and disapparated.

Draco did not wait a single moment before making his way toward the exit. Harry and Hermione quickly shuffled away from the door. Fortunately for them, the noise they made was masked by the loud sound of Draco's angry footsteps on the creaking wood floor. He walked right past them and out of the front entrance to the shack.

Harry and Hermione waited for a moment before making their way cautiously toward the shack's entrance. They quietly opened the door and peeked out to see Malfoy disappearing down the hill. They watched him reach the road and make a sharp turn back to the school. They waited until he was completely out of sight before opening the door more fully and stepping outside themselves.

Neither said anything until they reached the bottom of the hill and Harry made a sharp right turn back to Trans-figuration.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione finally said, before they would pass in earshot of Lord Ravenhurst. "This is awful. They're planning something tonight. We've got to get you out of here! We've got to have the ball cancelled. It must - "

Harry stopped walking and turned around to face Hermione.

"No."

"What?"

"No, we're not going to have anything cancelled. You are going to the ball with Ron."

"Oh, but Harry, be reasonable! Think about what we've just learned. Voldemort's planning something for tonight. It must be an attack! And - and the way Lucius and Malfoy went on it sounded like Hogwarts is crawling with his spies!"

"So what?" Harry replied, his lips set in a stubborn thin line. "I've known that since the beginning of the year. Dumbledore told me in his office. He also said that Voldemort always used fear to divide people, that he played on the fact that no one ever knew who they could trust. And how are we supposed to protect against this plan anyway? We don't even know what it is! I have to stick with what Dumbledore and Sirius told me. I have to stay in the castle and beyond that, I have to live my life and my friends theirs. Wasn't it you who told me that, Hermione?"

"But - but this is different! At least tell Snape," Hermione added quickly, before Harry could respond.

"No."

"Harry!"

"I don't trust him."

"Oh, Harry, I know he's been rotten to you, to all of us, but - but remember what Dumbledore said! We're all on the same side now!"

"No. I'm sorry. I don't trust him. And I never will. Do you really trust him, Hermione? After all he's done?"

Hermione didn't reply. She just bit her lip.

"I'll send an owl to Sirius. That's what he told me to do. Then if he thinks we need to cancel the ball and send every student and teacher out to guard the castle, I won't say otherwise."

Hermione didn't say she'd agreed but she kept walking with Harry into Trans-figuration. Harry found himself breathing a small sigh of relief when she changed back into her familiar robes. With great reluctance, Hermione purchased the dress and the two Gryffindors went back under the invisibility cloak and returned to school.

Lunch had already started when they arrived. Ron was a little edgy when he hadn't been able to find them. Harry exchanged brief greetings with his friend and left quickly for the owlery, leaving Hermione to explain. Ron still seemed a little uncomfortable about being left alone with Hermione for lunch but his thoughts of their relationship were quickly put to the side as the entire conversation focused on Hermione's account of what she and Harry had heard that morning.

Finally, Harry returned to join them, ate quickly and then the three of them made their way to Herbology.

***

Dumbledore, Sirius and Snape sat around a full cauldron. They watched as the cocktail inside simmered and wisps of smoke curled off the top like the morning mist from a lake. Every few minutes, Dumbledore gently stirred the mixture with a long wooden pole.

The procedure was tedious yet Dumbledore had been certain that the time could have passed most pleasantly with a little conversation. Neither of his companions had seemed inclined to say very much to one another, however. They merely stared at the cauldron, occasionally looking up to glance sternly at the other. So much hatred, Dumbledore sighed to himself, so much resentment, even after all these years.

The monotony was unexpectedly broken when Hedwig flew gracefully into the circle with an envelope in her beak. She landed in front of Sirius, bowed politely, and dropped the letter in his lap.

The three wizards shared cautious glances as Sirius opened the envelope and read it to himself, raising an occasional eyebrow and sighing as he finished it. He began to take some owl treats out of his pocket and feed them to Hedwig.

"Do you intend to keep us in suspense?" asked Snape icily. "Or is this perhaps a private letter?"

Sirius responded by handing the letter to Snape. Snape read the letter and sneered, then handed it to Dumbledore.

"Is there something funny?" Sirius asked coldly.

Snape looked from Sirius to Dumbledore. "I told you it would be impossible to keep anything from Potter and his friends. It will be nothing short of a miracle if they do not now try to start their own investigation. Interesting that he didn't tell me. I suppose he still doesn't trust me."

Sirius returned Snape's remark with a menacing glare. "Imagine that," he said slowly.

Dumbledore finished reading the letter and sighed wearily.

"Sirius," he said. "Draft a reply. Tell Harry that we have everything under control. He and his friends should go about doing whatever it was they had planned before their unfortunate encounter with Mr. Malfoy."

With some reluctance, Sirius took up a pen and scribbled a reply on the back of the letter. He gave it to Hedwig who flew away with a squawk.

Sirius watched her go for a moment before his attention was diverted by Snape who stood up and muttered:

"And now if you'll both excuse me, I have business elsewhere. A headmaster has many engagements." He looked meaningfully at Dumbledore who nodded.

Sirius' reply was a derisive snort.

Snape looked at him for a moment as if to respond then abruptly disapparated.

***

Nothing much was accomplished in either Herbology or Potions that afternoon. Professor Sprout fretted a great deal about the decision to hold the ball in mid-week, even if it was the fifth of November. Professor Dibble had tried to join into the spirit of the occasion by teaching the class a potion that would burst into a bright purple flame after a spell was cast. This time, the spell worked very well when Professor Dibble demonstrated it, earning appreciative exclamations from the students, but then she accidentally substituted the wrong ingredient for the students' own concoctions and their potions had evaporated instead.

Dinner was held earlier that evening so that the Great Hall could be converted into a concert hall and dance floor for the ball. Having already exhausted the topic of Harry and Hermione's encounter with the Malfoys earlier in the day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in an awkward silence during much of the meal. Harry noticed that Ron was just picking at his food.

As they were finishing, Ron looked around nervously. Teams of house elves were already dismantling vacant tables. Another group of house elves were using magic to maneuver several large risers into position.

"What are those for?" Ron wondered. "I thought this was going to be a dance." He looked back hopefully at Harry and Hermione.

"It is a dance," replied Hermione. "For fourth years and up. The first through third years will be sitting in the risers. Professor Binns thought it would be educational."

Ron suddenly looked horrified. "You mean a bunch of little kids are going to watch us dance?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The whole show will be in darkness except for small aisle lanterns where the audience will sit. No one will be able to see the dance floor. The orchestra will glow in the dark, of course."

"You seem very well informed," noted Harry.

"Well, I had to be, didn't I?" Hermione suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "Of course, that's all different now," she added quietly and slowly moved her chair back. "If you'll both excuse me, I have to go and change." She studiously avoided making eye contact with Ron as she left the table and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

Ron looked at his watch, then gulped. Hermione had left just as early as she had during the Yule Ball two years before. But this time her date was not the famous Viktor Krum. It was him.

"H - Harry," he said, suddenly looking green again. "Maybe Hermione's right. I - I don't think it's safe for us to have the ball. M - maybe both of us should just go and hide with you somewhere... for a very long time."

"No, Ron," said Harry steadily. "You are going to the ball with Hermione and you are going to enjoy it. Just promise me one thing," he added.

Ron nodded.

Harry leaned in closer to his friend. "I spent all morning with her picking out that bloody dress. Please don't forget to say how nice she looks as soon as you see her in it. I for one do not want to have to live with the consequences for the rest of the year if you don't."

Ron gulped again.

Both Harry and Ron got up from their chairs. Ron watched nervously as a team of house elves moved in quickly to disassemble their table.

So absorbed were they in what was to come that neither noticed a steady stream of small spiders entering the castle from a nearby window.

***

Deep in the Forbidden Forest, the ground was full of the sounds of eight-legged arachnids running away in fear from the dark cloaked figure that now sat near the center of their domain.

Lord Voldemort was bending over a cauldron, slowly stirring a mixture that seemed very similar to the one Dumbledore and Sirius had nurtured all day in another part of the woods. He took very little notice of the spiders' frantic exodus. He was by now used to the effect that he had on animals. It was fortunate that humans were rarely as intelligent.

He did not look up as he heard the soft measured footsteps of his most faithful servant approach.

"You have news?" he finally asked.

"Everything seems in place at the school."

"The girl?"

Snape paused for a moment. "I admit that at the moment she eludes me. But she can't have left the school."

Voldemort let out an almost inaudible sound that was very similar to a cat's purring. "Ensure that she has not."

"Very well."

"Dumbledore and Black?"

Snape smiled chillingly. "Their counter-potion will not be effective. Unbeknownst to them, it is missing a very important ingredient."

Voldemort looked up at Snape and his face widened into a hideous grin. He chuckled softly. Then his chuckle grew louder and soon the forest was filled with the hideous sound of Voldemort's high-pitched laughter reaching its cruel crescendo. It was, Snape reflected, very much like the sound of a snake swallowing its victim whole.

***

Harry finished adjusting Ron's tie.

"What if I slip and fall on the dance floor? What if I spill Butterbeer all down the front of her dress?"

Harry sighed. These were just the two most recent of the nightmare scenarios Ron had offered ever since Hermione had left to change for the ball.

"No, Ron," he replied for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Nothing like that will happen. Everything will be just fine." He motioned toward the door that led from their dormitory to the common room.

Ron swallowed nervously and walked toward the exit like an errant sailor striding the plank to his murky doom.

He turned back about halfway. "I don't think my tie is really straight after all. I think we'd better - "

Harry responded by shoving Ron back out in the direction of the door.

Following several more attempts by Ron to remain inside their room, he and Harry finally reached the common room only to hear from Lavender that Hermione was still getting herself ready.

"What on in the name of the goddess is she doing? Honestly, I - "

Ron broke off as he suddenly noticed that Harry was staring at the foot of the stairs to the girls' dormitories, his jaw dropped in astonishment. He followed Harry's gaze. At first, all he could see was Parvati, dressed in a simple but elegant yellow dress, standing at the bottom of the steps. But then he saw the impossible. Neville, wearing a surprisingly well-pressed white shirt, black robes and bow tie not unlike Ron's had taken hold of her arm. Ron was very surprised at how good Neville looked. If he hadn't known Neville for five years, he doubted he would have found it the slightest bit strange that he was accompanying one of the most beautiful girls in their class.

Of course, Neville still looked as if he was about to faint from fright. Parvati seemed to do most of the steering as they moved down through the common room and out toward the portrait. Parvati smiled at Ron and Harry as they passed.

"Well," she half-shrugged. "I decided that flattery was the best response."

As Parvati led him toward the exit, Neville looked almost pleadingly over his shoulder at Ron and Harry who tried to smile encouragingly. Ron suddenly felt better knowing that someone was even more nervous than he was.


So engrossed were Ron and Harry in following Neville and Parvati's progress to the portrait, that they had to be brought back to attention by the sound of a throat being cleared. They turned around to see Hermione standing at the top of the steps outside the girls' dormitories. Her hair was twirled back into a bun like the worn she had worn to the Yule Ball two years before. A few errant curls cascaded down her bare shoulders, ending just above the dress she had bought with Harry that morning. A pair of matching blue tights covered her ankles.

Ron's mouth widened into a broad grin as soon as he saw her. "Harry." He turned to his friend. "Nice choice."

But Harry did not return his smile. Instead, he pointed an anxious thumb in Hermione's direction.

"Oh, right." Ron quickly looked back up at Hermione. "You look beautiful, Hermione."

"Thanks." Hermione replied with unusual shyness. She reached the bottom of the stairs and rested her hand briefly on Ron's shoulder. "You look very nice, too, Ron."

Ron looked down at his own black dress robes.

"Thanks." Ron shrugged apologetically. "It was Percy's."

Harry rolled his eyes.

But Hermione still kept smiling. "It looks new," she said, feeling the fabric. Their eyes seemed to lock for just a brief moment but then Hermione turned to Harry and frowned.

"But, Harry, why haven't you changed?"

"I'm not going."

Hermione seemed very surprised. "But - but I thought - I didn't know - I thought you were going with Cho."

Harry's cheeks suddenly flushed a deep red. He looked a little offended as he said to Hermione:

"No. Who told you that?"

Hermione was suddenly aware that both Harry and Ron were looking at her curiously, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh, well, no one, I just - " Several implications suddenly dawned on Hermione at once. Her eyes widened. "Oh, but, Harry, that means you'll be up here all by yourself?"

"I expect so."

"No!" Hermione tried to bounce up and down on her high heels. "It's so dangerous. You're all alone up here. Voldemort could just come in and - "

"No, Hermione. Read this." He reached into his pocket and took out Sirius' reply which Hedwig had delivered to him that afternoon.

Hermione read the letter, her brow furrowed in concentration. Ron looked over her shoulder.

Hermione still looked anxious. "I don't know, Harry."

"What if they're wrong this time, mate?" Ron added.

"They weren't wrong before."

"At least come with us," suggested Ron.

"I'd get in the way. You both know that."

"No, Harry, really you wouldn't," protested Hermione.

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione like they part of a vast conspiracy against him. His breathing suddenly became heavier and Hermione distinctly started to notice several veins bulge on his neck.

Both Ron and Hermione took a step backwards.

But Harry did not shout. He merely said, with a quiet conviction that surprised even him.

"You don't know what it's like. He taken everything I've ever had. My parents. My friend. My aunt and uncle. And now he's not going to take away my best friends' first date. It all stops here."

There was a long silence as the trio of friends stared at each other. Finally, Harry said:

"And now you, Ron, take Hermione's hand. And both of you go to the ball."

Ron reluctantly did as he was told and was surprised at the eagerness with which Hermione reciprocated. They turned around and went out of the portrait together. They did not look back.

Harry suddenly found himself panting for breath as he watched them go. He then watched as Lavender's Hufflepuff date arrived and they, too, left. Finally, Harry was alone. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat down exhausted on one of the common room chairs. He thought about doing some school work. He hadn't really finished a parchment that was due for Transfiguration the next day. But he was afraid he would start to feel sorry for himself. He decided a little broomstick maintenance was in order. Not that his new Firebolt really needed the work but he knew that it would calm him down.

He returned to his dormitory and retrieved his Broomstick Servicing Kit and his Firebolt. He came back down to the common room, planning to sprawl his equipment over one of the large tables, but he was surprised to find that the room was no longer empty. At the table where he and Ron normally played wizard chess sat a short witch. The witch was bent down over a book so that Harry could only see her hair. But those curled crimson locks were unmistakable.

It was Ginny.