𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 •°𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴

[66]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Wow," said Ron, when Harry had finally finished telling them everything; 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. "

Harry told them about the way he had obtained the memory from Slughorn, his little trip to Hagrid's and Aragog's funeral, and what the Horcruxes were.

Sara cringed when Harry told them what they were; objects where someone could keep a piece of his soul by murdering someone.

In turn, Nico put a hand on her lower back, drawing comforting circles until her breathing evened.

"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 Brown, Sara noticed, 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 Harry 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. "

Nico and Sara exchanged amused glances; they knew too well what happened the other night.

"Ah," said Harry. "Well--you don't mind it's over, do you?"

"No," Ron admitted. "It was pretty bad while she was yelling, but at least I didn't have to finish it. "

"Coward," said Hermione, though she looked amused. "Well, it was a bad night for romance all around. Ginny and Dean split up too, Harry. "

Sara looked at Harry knowingly; she had known for a while that her brother was interested in the redhead.

"How come?"

"Oh, something really silly...she said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn't climb in herself....but they've been a bit rocky for ages. "

"Flitwick," said Ron in a warning tone.

The tiny little Charms master was bobbing his way toward them; Sara, Nico and Hermione were the only ones who had managed to turn vinegar into wine; their glass flasks were full of deep crimson liquid, whereas the contents of Harry's and Ron's were still murky brown.

"Now, now, boys," squeaked Professor Flitwick reproachfully. "A little less talk, a little more action...Let me see you try..."

Together they raised their wands, concentrating with all their might, and pointed them at their flasks. Harry's vinegar turned to ice; Ron's flask exploded.

"Yes...for homework," said Professor Flitwick, reemerging from under the table and pulling shards of glass out of the top of his hat, "practice."

Sara muffled a smile behind her palm, but Nico's chuckle wasn't that quiet.

They had one of their rare joint free periods after Charms and walked back to the common room together.

"Sara!" Dean exclaimed, approaching her and Nico.

"What's up?" she answered, making sure Nico knew not to jump on Dean and beat him up. He had been a protective bastard ever since Ginny and him broke up.