mirrorball

chapter seventeen

"I won't," said Ron into his hands. "Or maybe I will . . . then she'll ditch me . . ." 

"Why don't you ditch her if you want to finish it?" askedHarry. 

"You haven't ever chucked anyone, have you?" said Ron. "You and Cho just —" 

"She dumped me." said Harry, his jaw tensing slightly. He wasn't the only one tensing with the mention of Cho, Clara's arms had crossed over each other, and her hand had slipped its way out of Harry's where it previously rested.  

"Wish that would happen with me and Lavender," said Ron gloomily, watching Hermione silently tapping each of his misspelled words with the end of her wand, so that they corrected themselves on the page. "But the more I hint I want to finish it, the tighter she holds on. It's like going out with the giant squid."  

"There," said Hermione, some twenty minutes later, handing back Ron's essay. At the same time, Harry was desperately reaching for Clara's hand back. Small shouts of 'Give me' and 'What did I do?' were forced at the Slytherin.

 "Thanks a million," said Ron. "Can I borrow your quill for the conclusion?" 

Clara had just allowed her hand back to a pleading Harry when —Crack. 

Hermione let out a little shriek; Ron spilled ink all over his freshly completed essay; Clara's hand sprang out of Harry's and to her heart, and Harry said, "Kreacher!" 

The house-elf bowed low and addressed his own gnarled toes. "Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing, so Kreacher has come to give —" Crack. 

Dobby appeared alongside Kreacher, his tea-cozy hat askew." Dobby has been helping too, Harry Potter!" he squeaked, casting Kreacher a resentful look. "And Kreacher ought to tell Dobby when he is coming to see Harry Potter so they can make their reports together!" 

"What is this?" asked Clara, still looking shocked by these sudden appearances. "What's going on, Harry?" 

Harry hesitated before answering, "Well . . . they've been following Malfoy for me," he said. 

"Night and day," croaked Kreacher. 

"Dobby has not slept for a week, Harry Potter!" said Dobby proudly, swaying where he stood. Hermione looked indignant. "You haven't slept, Dobby? But surely, Harry, you didn't tell him not to —"

 "No, of course I didn't," said Harry quickly. "Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But has either-"

"You asked them to spy on Draco?" shouted Clara. Footsteps echoed through the library, signaling the awakening of the librarian. Before another thought could enter her head, Clara began packing her school bag.

"Clara, listen, I just need to be sure that he's not-"

In an instant, she was gone. Her feet had already carried her halfway out of the library. She raised a middle finger to Harry before opening the doors and letting them slam behind her. Honestly, after everything they had gone through and everything she had told him about Draco, Clara had expected so much more from Harry. Why couldn't he trust him the way that she did?

Harry was in a state of great anticipation over breakfast the following morning. Hermione and Clara were both rather ostentatiously showing no interest in his whispered plans for forcing entry into the room, which irritated Harry. 

"Look," he said quietly, leaning forward and putting a hand on the Daily Prophet. "I haven't forgotten about Slughorn, but I haven't got a clue how to get that memory off him, and until I get a brain wave why shouldn't I find out what Malfoy's doing?"