Magic? || Years 1-5

Skiving Snackboxes: Year 5

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked as she and Amisty rushed to catch up with Ron and Harry. "You look absolutely -- oh for heaven's sake."

She paused, glaring at the notice board. The twins had put up a sign.

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"They are the limit. We'll have to talk to them, Ron," Hermione scowled, unpinning the sign and crumpling it.

"Why?" Ron exclaimed, looking aghast.

"Because we're prefects! It's up to use to stop this kind of thing!" She replied indignantly as they climbed through the portrait hole.

Ron didn't reply, his blue eyes fixed determidly at the floor.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry? You look really angry about something," Hermione went on, either ignoring or not noticing Ron's reaction.

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," Ron explained when Harry's expression darkened but his mouth didn't open.

Hermione sighed, "Yes, Lavender thinks so too."

"You didn't tell me that!" Amisty hissed, glaring at her. "And to think I was perfectly civil to her this morning!"

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry accused bitterly.

Amisty stared at him, hurt.

"No," Hermione raised an eyebrow, her voice impeccably calm as she stepped in front of Amisty. "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down our throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

"Erm... yeah," Amisty mumbled, not looking at him as they continued down the steps.

"It's quite all right. Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?" Hermione went on.

There was a pause. Hermione sighed.

"About You-Know-Who. He said, 'His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust -- "

"How do you remember stuff like that?" Ron asked admiringly, his eyes wide as he gazed at her.

"I listen, Ron," Hermione replied.

"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what -- " He began.

"The point," She cut him off loudly, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same -- stand together, be united -- "

"And Harry said it last night, if that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance," His scowl quickly morphed into a smirk when he finished his sentence, though. "Unless you're Amisty River."