Forbidden [d.m.] || rewritten

chapter 22

It was at the end of our Herbology lesson on a Friday morning with Professor Sprout when I got pricked in the arm with one of the vines from the harmful plants we were growing. I was getting seriously tired of coming out of each lesson with scrapes and open wounds.

"D'you know when Slughorn's next party is, Hermione?" Harry asked in a hushed tone so that Professor Sprout wouldn't shout at us again.

"It's actually his Christmas party. Just for the Slug Club." She responded.

I peeked up from the pod between my fingers to see if Ron's facial expression had changed, and it had. He cringed anytime we mentioned the Slug Club. I felt sorry for Ron, not that it was our fault.

"You know, his dinners are actually starting to become more bearable if you two bothered to show up to any." Hermione said as she dropped her pod into a bowl.

"Alright." Ron set his pot down and sneered at the three of us. "You all enjoy your party. Maybe Hermione can even bring McLaggen as her date! That way they can hook up and everything will be right in the world."

"Fuck's sake." I muttered as I kept my attention on my pod. "That time of the month, Ron?"

Harry chuckled beside me and shook his head. He, too, was getting tired of Ron's constant attitude.

"Slughorn actually says we can bring guests." Hermione said in a defiant tone. "And er— I was going to ask you, but if you'd rather me go with Cormac..."

Harry and I glanced over at each other; he fake-vomited and rolled his eyes. I tried to ignore every bit of Hermione and Ron's conversation.

"No..." Ron spoke, his voice a lot less hostile now. "I'd rather you not."

The remainder of the lesson passed rather quickly. The three of us didn't dare to mention Slughorn's party again. Harry and I found ourselves away from Hermione and Ron in the corridor and I heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"Lord, they're insufferable, aren't they?" He groaned.

"They just need to cut the bullshit and admit their sexual feelings for one another." I flicked my hair behind my back.

"Sage, what if they can't last?" Harry's face was serious, full of genuine concern. "What if...they split up and we're shut out for good?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "They won't shut us out."

"If they split, you're gonna have to take Hermione's side. I'm gonna have to take Ron's. Things will never be the same. We're gonna have to avoid each other inconspicuously—"

"That's not gonna happen. No matter what, the four of us are always going to be friends." I assured him so that he wouldn't get too worked up.

I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Besides, you're always gonna be stuck with me. Whether you like it or not."

A grin finally transpired on his face. "You're such a pain in my arse."

"You love it." I said, scrunching my nose.

"Look, this isn't necessarily my favorite topic of conversation, Sage—" his tone became a bit more firm and I felt a lump form in my throat. "But if something is going on with you and Leo, I'd like to hear it from you."

Oh, thank God.

For a moment, I thought he was going to mention Malfoy. Word always spread around fast at Hogwarts, so he and I had to be extremely careful. Harry knew I kept the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, and unless he wanted them back, I was going to put them to use.