𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 {𝐡.𝐣.𝐩}

XVII- The Unspeakable Room

"Hi," said Ron nervously.

"C'mon," Harry muttered to Evergreen and Hermione, and they sped past, though not before they had heard Lavender say, "Why didn't you tell me you were getting out today? And why was she with you?"

Ron looked both sulky and annoyed when he appeared at breakfast half an hour later, and though he sat with Lavender, Evergreen did not see them exchange a word all the time they were together. Hermione was acting as though she was quite oblivious to all of this, but once or twice Evergreen saw an inexplicable smirk cross her face.

All that day she seemed to be in a particularly good mood, and that evening in the common room she even consented to look over (in other words, finish writing) Harry's Herbology essay, something she had been resolutely refusing to do up to this point, because she had known that Harry would then let Ron copy his work.

"Thanks a lot, Hermione," said Harry, giving her a hasty pat on the back as he checked his watch and saw that it was nearly eight o'clock. "Listen, I've got to hurry or I'll be late for Dumbledore..."

She did not answer, but merely crossed out a few of his feebler sentences in a weary sort of way.

"Bye," Evergreen said, waving a hand at him.

Grinning, Harry pressed a quick kiss to her lips and hurried out through the portrait hole, off to the headmaster's office.

Evergreen turned to Hermione, feeling rather give out.

"Could you do my Transfiguration homework, Mione? I don't feel like it,"

Hermione rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Alright, set it on the table..."

Evergreen grinned, rummaging through her bag and sliding the parchment onto the coffee table.

"Thanks,"

Hermione hummed in response.

"Your hairs' looking good," she commented. "Growing fast, isn't it?"

Evergreen couldn't deny the girl; her curls had already begun to brush her elbows.

She shrugged.

"It grows fast, I guess,"

Hermione let out a small 'hmph' and began scribbling on Evergreen's essay.

Evergreen pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a flick of her finger.

"I haven't seen you do that in a while,"

"I haven't had the need to do it in a while,"

"Is it because you and Harry are always arguing nowadays?"

"We don't always argue,"

"You kinda do, Evergreen..."

"Not as much as you and Ron."

That shut Hermione right up.

______________

Evergreen wracked her brain over the next week to try and come up with a way to help Harry persuade Slughorn to hand over the true memory, but nothing in the nature of a brain wave occurred. Again, to Evergreen's disappointment, Harry was reduced to doing what he did increasingly these days when at a loss: poring over his Potions book, hoping that the Prince would have scribbled something useful in a margin, as he had done so many times before.

"You won't find anything in there," said Hermione firmly, late on Sunday evening.

"Don't start, Hermione," said Harry. "If it hadn't been for the Prince, Ron wouldn't be sitting here now."