Reading the books- Marauders era

The Very Secret Diary

"The very secret diary," the voice announced.

"Diaries are meant to be a secret," Remus said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now that I said this, both Harry and Hermione don't have a diary." His eyes grew wide as he reached a conclusion. "Does that mean -"

" - that they are reading someone else's diary?" Frank finished with a shriek. Remus growled at him for interrupting him but Frank was lost in his discovery. "They're reading someone else's diary!? That's wrong! That's horrible! That's a complete invasion of someone's privacy! No one should read someone else's diary even if it's You-Know-Who's!"

Alice, James, Lily, Sirius, Marlene, Peter and Mary were looking at him with wide eyes and agape mouths. Slowly, Peter started clapping and others joined him in, making Frank blush.

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

Sirius snorted. This would never not be funny for him.

Harry, Ron and Cassiopeia went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework.

Cassiopeia, predictably, had laughed when Harry and Ron had brought Hermione in that day.

"Curse you all," Cassiopeia said, laughing, then moaning in pain. "Don't make me laugh."

"More pain," Andromeda moaned. "More blood." She cried.

Hermione had did the mature thing then; she had stuck out her tongue at her supposed best friend.

Harry and Ron had decided to tell both the girls about what they had discovered from Malfoy. Cassiopeia's gloating expression still lasted whenever she saw Malfoy.

"She really takes after Andromeda," Regulus rolled his eyes fondly.

"You're saying that because haven't seen him gloating," Andromeda said, pointing to her husband, whose chest swelled up in pride at being pointed out for something.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.

"It's a good thing that not all of us like you, Ronald!" A studious Hufflepuff exclaimed.

"Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.

"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.

"I was so sure it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time.

"I had told you all, Ron," Cassiopeia said, looking at him witheringly. "Malfoy is all talks."

"You still haven't told us where you got the Slytherin robes from," Ron said, turning an accused stare at the short girl.

"Thats a story I want to hear too," Ted said.

"You got them," Cassiopeia expertly ignored Ron's eyes. "That's what you have to know. It's not like I used Dark Magic or something to summon them."