Already Gone

Chapter 5

Students leaned into a bitter wind as they trudged through deep snow. "For weeks you carry around this book, practically sleep with it... and you have no desire to find out who The Half-Blood Prince is?"

"I didn't say I wasn't curious. And, by the way, I don't sleep with it." Harry told Ron as they walked through the thick snow.

"Yeah. Right." Ron said sarcastically making Harry glare at him."Well, it's true. I like a nice chat before I go to bed. Now you're always reading that bloody book. It's like being with Hermione." Hermione turned around and glared at him.

"Well, I was curious. So I went to-" Olivia walked over with a smirk.

"The library." Harry, Ron, and Olivia said together.

"And?" Harry asked as Olivia walked next to him. She had so many layers that it made her look pregnant. Harry looked over to her with a raised eyebrow.

"And... nothing. There's no reference to the Half-Blood Prince anywhere." Olivia looked over to Hermione.

"Good. That settles it then." Hermione started to object, but Hagrid walked over.

"Hey, you four!"

Hagrid emerged out of the trees, beard crusted in white. He looked like a crazed Father Christmas. Behind him deep in the woods were dark silhouettes. Hermione eyed them briefly before nodding to the pulsating burlap bag. Hagrid clutched it in his fist.

"What've you got there, Hagrid?" Olivia asked him as Draco looked over to her before the others. Olivia moved over to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Hagrid tipped open the bag and the four grimaced. Hagrid laughed at their faces. "Stinksap. Burn the whiskers right off yer chin. Trees 'ere are drippin' with it." Olivia sneezed and Draco wrapped another scarf around her neck.

Olivia glowered over to him and he shook his head. "Stinksap? You're not sick, are you?" Hermione asked as she looked over at the couple.

"It's not fer me. It's fer Aragog. Yeh remember Aragog, don' yeh?" Olivia, Ron, and Harry shared a look at each other.

"Spider? About six feet tall? Ten feet wide?" Ron asked and Hagrid nodded.

"Tha's the one. He's taken ill. I'm hopin' ter nurse 'im back. Keep yer fingers crossed." Hagrid crossed his fingers. Ron forced a grin and does the same. Once Hagrid disappeared back into the trees he shook his head.

"Barking. Does he not remember that raving arachnid tried to eat us? What?" Ron saw Hermione staring at the Aurors again. Draco looked down at Olivia and she bite her lip and looked away.

"The Aurors. I know they're here to protect us, but... somehow I don't feel any safer."

"Come on Dra I want some candy." Draco laughed as Olivia pulled him to Honeydukes.

"Somethings been different with Olivia." Harry told the two and they looked at him.

"Really?" Ron asked sarcastically and Harry shoved him. "She eats as much as I do now." Harry nodded and Hermione eyebrows scrunched.

"Draco's been really protective of her. Maybe he's coming into his inherency." Hermione told the others as they watched the two walk into Honeydukes.

"Don't those happen once you turn 17?" Harry asked Hermione as he's eyes look back to her.

Hermione shrugged. "Sometimes they start to show signs at 16." Harry spied Slughorn, heading down towards the Village, passing a weary Flitwick coming the other way.

"Filius! I was hoping to find you at the Three Broomsticks." The three spied on the two teachers.

"Emergency choir practice, I'm afraid, Horace." Harry watched Slughorn continue on toward the Village.