Dawn Rivera

A Sluggish Memory

"Harry! Danny! Ginny! Misty!" Hermione calls.

She and I are hurrying towards them, very pink-faced and wearing cloaks, hats and gloves.

"We got back a couple of hours ago, we've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck- I mean, Witherwings," I say breathlessly. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," says Ron at once, "pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim - "

"We've got something for you, Harry," says Hermione, neither looking at Ron not giving any sign that she heard him. "Oh, hang on - password. Abstinence."

"Precisely," says the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swings forwards to reveal the portrait hole.

"What's up with her?" asks Danny.

"Overindulged over Christmas, apparently," I say, rolling my eyes as I lead the way into the packed common room. "She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. Anyway..."

I rummage in my pocket for a moment, then pull out a scroll of parchment with Dumbledore's writing on it.

"Great," says Harry, unrolling it at once. "I've got loads to tell him - and you. Let's sit down - "

But at that moment there is a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown comes hurtling out of nowhere and flings herself into Ron's arms. Several onlookers snigger; Hermione gives a tinkling laugh and says, "There's a table over here...coming, Ginny and Misty?"

"No, thanks, we'd better meet Dean and Michael," says Misty, though I can not help noticing that she does not sound very enthusiastic. Leaving Ron and Lavender locked in a kind of vertical wrestling match, Harry and Danny lead Hermiome and I over to the spare table.

"So how was your Christmas?" Danny says.

"Oh, fine," Hermione shrugs. "Nothing special. How was it at Won-Won's?"

"We'll tell you in a minute," says Harry. "Look, Hermione, Dawn, can't you - ?"

"No, we can't," I say flatly. "So don't even ask."

"We thought maybe, you know, over Christmas - " says Danny.

"It was the Fat a Lady who drank a vat of five-hundred-year-old wine, Harry and Danny, not us," says Hermione. "So what was this important news you wanted to tell us?"

We are too fierce to argue with at the moment, so Harry and Danny drop the subject of Ron and recount all that they overheard between Draco and Snape.

When they have finished, I sit in thought for a moment and then say, "Don't you think - ?"

" - he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?" Harry says.

"Well, yes," says Hermione.

"Ron's dad and Lupin think so," Danny says grudgingly. "But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that."

"No, we can't," I answer slowly.

"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like we said!" Harry says.

"Hmm...did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?" Hermione says.

Harry and Danny frown, trying to remember.

"I'm not sure...Snape definitely said 'your master', and who else would that be?" Danny says.

"I don't know," I say, biting my lip. "Maybe his father?"

Hermione stares across the room, apparently lost in thought, not even noticing Lavender tickling Ron. "How's Lupin?"