𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐏 𝟏𝟎

Seamus dressed at top speed next morning and left the dormitory before Harry had even put on his socks.

"Does he think he'll turn into a nutter if he stays in a room with me too long?" asked Harry loudly, as the hem of Seamus's robes whipped out of sight.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Dean muttered, hoisting his schoolbag onto his shoulder. "He's just . . ." But apparently he was unable to say exactly what Seamus was, and after a slightly awkward pause followed him out of the room.

Neville and Ron both gave Harry it's his-problem not yours looks, but Harry was not much consoled. How much more of this was he going to have to take? How much more was Emily going to have to take?

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione five minutes later, catching up with Harry and Ron halfway across the common room as they all headed toward breakfast. "You look absolutely ,oh for heaven's sake."
She was staring at the common room notice board, where a large new sign had been put up.

Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings? Like to earn a little extra gold?
Contact Ethan Lupin-Black, Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room,
for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs
(WE REGRET THAT ALL WORK IS UNDERTAKEN AT APPLICANT'S OWN RISK)

"They are the limit," said Hermione grimly, taking down the sign, which Ethan, Fred and George had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend in October. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."
Ron looked positively alarmed.
"Why?"
"Because we're prefects!" said Hermione, as they climbed out
through the portrait hole. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!" Ron said nothing; Harry could tell from his glum expression that the prospect of stopping Ethan, Fred and George doing exactly what they liked was not one that he found inviting.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Hermione continued, as they walked
down a flight of stairs lined with portraits of old witches and wizards, all of whom ignored them, being engrossed in their own conversation. "You look really angry about something."

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," said Ron succinctly, when Harry did not respond.
Hermione, whom Harry had expected to react angrily on his behalf, sighed.
"Yes, Lavender thinks so too," she said gloomily.
"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you? Talking about Emily n all?" Harry said loudly.
"No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

There was a short pause.

"Sorry," said Harry in a low voice.
"That's quite all right," said Hermione with dignity. Then she
shook her head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?"

Harry and Ron both looked at her blankly, and Hermione sighed again.
"About You-Know-Who. He said, 'His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust"

"How do you remember stuff like that?" asked Ron, looking at her in admiration.
"I listen, Ron," said Hermione with a touch of asperity.
"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what-"

"The point," Hermione pressed on loudly, "is that this sort of thing
is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same, stand together, be united"

"And Harry said it last night," retorted Ron, "if that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"Well, I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of interHouse unity," said Hermione crossly.