another love; harry potter

fifty

\ wherein life goes on /

THE FOUR TURNED AROUND and saw a black-haired girl with a Ravenclaw tie around her neck.

"Hi, Cho," said Pheobe politely.

"Oh hello, Pheobe, I didn't see you... how are you?"

"Good, thanks, and you?"

"I'm alright..." Cho trailed, lifting her gaze back to Harry for a few uncomfortable seconds before he cleared his throat.

"Is there something you needed, Cho?"

"Yes, well, I was hoping I could speak to you alone for a moment?"

"Er, sure," Harry said awkwardly, shooting a doubtful glance at Pheobe before walking to a more secluded area of the courtyard with Cho.

"What does she want?" asked Pheobe as they left suspiciously.

"Oh, she probably just wanted to ask about the next defense meeting," said Ron nonchalantly, "besides, you know if he did anything, the twins would murder him- after you did already, of course."

"Oh, class is starting soon," said Hermione anxiously. "Come on, we don't want to be late to class, do we?"

"But- but Harry-"

"He can take care of himself, Pheobe," Hermione sighed, "maybe trust him every once in a while."

"With the most gorgeous and perfect girl in all of Hogwarts? Tough luck." Pheobe muttered under her breath as Hermione dragged her towards the Transfiguration classroom.

.✫ * ﾟ ･ ﾟ ｡. ★. *｡ ･ ﾟ ✫ *.

Pheobe, Ron, and Hermione were working on Umbridge's most recent stream of homework in the library, surrounded by other fifth-years at lamp-lit tables with their quills scratching feverishly while the sky outside the mullioned windows grew steadily blacker, when Harry walked in and sat down in the chair beside Pheobe. The girl looked up indignantly to snap something at him before she realized his face was pale and the scar on his forehead seemed to be showing up more clearly than usual. Pheobe frowned and looked down at her wrist, having felt it sting a few times in the last hour but thought nothing of it, until now...

"How did it go?" she whispered, "the occlumency with Snape- was it really that bad?" Harry looked shivery and impatient before suddenly wincing at the exact same time Pheobe did.

"What's going on?" Hermione muttered, looking concerned, "is it your scars?"

"I don't- it just suddenly started stinging for like, the fifth time this hour- Harry, what happened?"

"Look, I've just- I've just realized something...listen. In Occlumency with the git, he was looking into my- into my brain, into my memories. He saw...things," he determinedly avoided Phoebe's gaze as he said this, "and...never mind, the point is, while he was looking into my head, I saw that door. The- the Department of Ministries. So I asked him what he knew about it and- something- he was acting like there was something there that I wasn't supposed to know about."

"When you say he saw things-" Pheobe began suspiciously.

"The point is," Harry interrupted quietly as Madam Pince swept past them, her shoes squeaking slightly, "I think the thing Voldemort's after is in there. The Department of Mysteries. It's got to be. I saw that door when Mr. Weasley took me down to the courtrooms-"

"Wait, that was the one he was guarding when the snake bit him," Pheobe muttered suddenly, "that black door at the end of the column. Whatever that weapon is- it's definitely in there."