Moira | Harry Potter

Chapter Thirteen

Story: Moira
Chapter Thirteen: One Petal

The next day was bright. It wasn't completely eventful but it was a slow paced day. Having forgotten about the letter, Harry did not rush things as he usually did. His mind was filled with confusion. One question kept popping up in his energetic seat of intelligence. Did he fancy Ginny Weasley?

"Love is a waste of time, Harry."

"Love is the most powerful and truest feeling, Harry!"

The voices of his Master and Ginny Weasley kept resonating in his mind. He tried concentrating on learning some ancient and difficult runes but he could not, for the life of him, forget Ginny's face and her voice.

At one point he got irritable and when Ron offered him a chicken wing, he snapped, causing the former to look down guiltily. Harry left the hall ever since and found some quiet after meditating under the oak tree which contained his parents' names.

Draco, however, was in a mood totally opposite of Harry's. He looked like a love struck puppy, always following an uncomfortable looking Astoria behind. Astoria had accepted his invitation as his date to the ball but it did not necessarily mean that she liked him following her everywhere. She was in a dilemma. She couldn't tell him off either so she just let him follow her around.

Astoria was two years younger than Draco but was a good friend of Ginny's and Luna's despite being a Slytherin who were having tough ties with Gryffindor, Ginny's house. Having helped Luna stand up for her beliefs of Nargles on a former occasion, the three girls had a tight friendship.

On Ginny's insistence, Harry agreed to dine with them in the Gryffindor table during the lunch. Luna and Neville were off on a picnic date on the Hogwarts grounds and Astoria was in the library so as to finish her homework. Being the love struck puppy he was, Draco followed her to the chamber of books. This left only Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione to dine together.

"Hermione, cheer up. The ball is weeks away!" Ginny said reassuringly to the older girl causing Harry and Ron to look up from their plates.

"Whazzabloblem?" Ron asked in gibberish, his mouth filled with food of sorts.

"Ron! Don't talk while eating! It's. . . disgusting," Hermione reprimanded. Ron shrugged.

"Lorry." He quickly gobbled up the contents and repeated his question clearly. "What's the problem?"

"Hermione here," Ginny said, pointing to the bushy haired girl who frowned. "is afraid no one would ask her to the ball."

"Oh?" Harry half asked as Ginny winked at him. He wasn't sure to which action he replied.

"Thengowizme," Ron's muffled voice came and Hermione instantly looked up.

"Really?"

"Yez if yu vant to." Ron's mouth was stuffed with some huge sandwich. Harry met Ginny's eye and immediately looked away to avoid laughing.

"Mr Black," a cold voice said behind Harry and Ron's back. They turned around to see the potions professor of Hogwarts, Severus Snape. He had black greasy hair which seemed like they hadn't been washed for years and he wore an expression of disgust. "What.are.you.doing?"

"Thandwich, sir," Ron replied as he started making another one by adding anything and everything available on the table.

"Hasn't the mutt taught you table manners?"

"Who?"

"The senior Black."

"Dad? Nah, he's a dog and I take after him," Ron replied proudly, clearly having swallowed the previous sandwich. Snape frowned and for a second, caught Harry's eye before looking away. Harry glared at the potions master. "Sir, I have a doubt."