Healed & Broken (HP) {Book 4 of the Wild & Free Series}

7. The Cursed Delivery

Where was Dumbledore, and what was he doing?

I caught sight of the headmaster only twice over the next few weeks. He rarely appeared at meals anymore, and I was sure Hermione was right in thinking that he was leaving the school for days at a time. Had Dumbledore forgotten the lessons he was supposed to be giving Harry and me? Dumbledore had said that the lessons were leading to something to do with the prophecy; I had felt bolstered, comforted, and now I felt slightly abandoned.

Halfway through October came our first trip of the term to Hogsmeade. I had wondered whether these trips would still be allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures around the school, but was pleased to know that they were going ahead; it was always good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours.

On the morning of the trip to Hogsmeade, Hermione and I were already down in the Great Hall for breakfast when Harry, Ron and Rowan joined us, all laughing cheerfully.

They sat down and Ron gave Hermione and me a detailed description of Harry using a spell called 'Levicorpus' on him very early in the morning, causing him and everyone else to wake up.

"...and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grinned, helping himself to sausages.

Hermione and I had not cracked a smile during this anecdote, and now turned an expression of wintry disapproval upon Harry.

"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?" I asked.
Harry frowned at me.

"Always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"

"Was it?" Hermione asked.

"Well... yeah, it was, but so what?"

"So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation and see what would happen?" I said accusingly.

"Why does it matter if it's handwritten?" said Harry, avoiding the rest of the question.

"Because it's probably not Ministry of Magic-approved," said Hermione, backing me up. "And also," she added, as Harry, Rowan and Ron rolled their eyes, "because I'm starting to think this Prince character was a bit dodgy."

Harry, Rowan and Ron shouted her down at once.

"It was a laugh!" said Ron, upending a ketchup bottle over his sausages. "Just a laugh, Hermione and Liana, that's all!"

"Dangling people upside down by the ankle?" I said. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"

"Fred and George," said Ron, shrugging, "it's their kind of thing. And, er —"

"Our dad," said Harry.

"What?" said Ron, Rowan, Hermione and I together.

"Our dad used this spell," said Harry. "I — Lupin told me."

"Maybe your dad did use it, Harry," said Hermione, "but he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it, in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless."

I nodded in agreement. Harry stared at her and me. Rowan came to his aid.

"That was different," he said robustly. "They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione and Liana," he added, pointing a sausage at her sternly, "because he's better than you two at Potions —"

"It's got nothing to do with that!" I said, my cheeks reddening and I saw Hermione turning pink.

"I just think it's very irresponsible to start performing spells when you don't even know what they're for, and stop talking about 'the Prince' as if it's his title, I bet it's just a stupid nickname, and it doesn't seem as though he was a very nice person to me!" Hermione said.