The Eye of the Storm

Drama

Harry and Ron left the hospital wing first thing on Monday morning, restored to full health by the ministrations of Madam Pomfrey. Hermione and Ron were finally "friends" again. I didn't question their relationship too much. All I cared about was that they weren't fighting anymore.

I was too young to take the Apparition test. However I had basically perfected it in class, so I didn't really care about the piece of paper. I could do it if I needed too and that's what matters. At the end of the week, Harry cornered my in the hall.

"I know you have been meeting Malfoy in the bathroom!" said Harry.

I sighed and turned around in the empty corridor.

"So what if I have?"

"He's a Death Eater," hissed Harry.

"So what!" I exclaimed angrily.

"What? What do you mean so what?"

"I'm not an idiot! I know his loyalty is to Voldemort! But he is still sixteen. It isn't like he killed anyone. It isn't like he is planning too. His parents made a choice and he stands by them."

"That doesn't make it right," seethed Harry.

"I know," I said in a quiet voice. "But sometimes I need him. Sometimes he needs me."

Harry gritted his teeth. "We are your friends. If you need help we can help you."

"You don't understand everything about me, Harry," I said.

"Does he?"

"He understands what he needs too," I replied. "Look I need to get to class, and so do you."

I walked off in a huff to Astronomy.

Potions class was awkward. It was only me, Harry, Draco and Ernie. I was currently not speaking to any of the people in the room. To make it even worse, Slughorn disappeared half way through class.

During next morning's Charms lesson (having first cast the Muffliato spell upon those nearest them), Harry told us about where he had been the night before. I was mpressed by the way he had wheedled the memory out of Slughorn and listened intently when he told them about Voldemort's Horcruxes and Dumbledore's promise to take Harry along, should he find another one.

"Do you need any help on the Horcrux mission?" I asked. I was a little hurt that I was an official Order member and wasn't asked to go along.

"Er— no it's fine."

I shrugged it off.

Ron was waving his wand very vaguely in the direction of the ceiling without paying the slightest bit of attention to what he was doing. "Wow. You're actually going to go with Dumbledore . . . and try and destroy . . . wow."

"Ron, you're making it snow," said Hermione patiently, grabbing his wrist and redirecting his wand away from the ceiling from which, sure enough, large white flakes had started to fall.

Lavender glared at Hermione from a neighboring table through very red eyes, and Hermione immediately let go of Ron's arm.

"Oh yeah," said Ron, looking down at his shoulders in vague surprise. "Sorry . . . looks like we've all got horrible dandruff now. . . ."

He brushed some of the fake snow off Hermione's shoulder. Lavender burst into tears. Ron looked immensely guilty and turned his back on her.

"We split up," he told us out of the corner of his mouth. "Last night. When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Obviously she couldn't see you, so she thought it had just been the two of us."