The Princess of Light

Chapter 5.33 (Grawp, the great unfriendly giant)

None of the staff but Filch seemed to be stirring themselves to help her. Indeed, a week after Fred and Georges departure Aurora witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves, who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier, and could have sworn she hear her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, "It unscrews the other way."

To cap matters, Montague had still not recovered from his sojourn in the toilet. He remained confused and disorientated and his parents were to be observed one Tuesday morning striding up the front drive, looking extremely angry.

"Should we say something?" Said Hermione in a worried voice, pressing her cheek against the Charms window so that she could see Mr. and Mrs. Montague marching inside. "About what happened to him? In case it helps Madam Pomfrey cure him?"

"He'll be fine." Said Aurora indifferently.

"Anyway, more trouble for Umbridge, isn't it?" Said Harry in a satisfied voice.

Aurora tapped her teacup. They were supposed to be charming them with their wands. Aurora's sprouted four sturdy little willow-patterned legs and started scurrying happily across her table. Aurora had to prevent it from walking right off it and breaking.

"Harry, when are you going to go back to Snape and ask for more Occlumency lessons?" Hermione asked, who like Aurora was trying to prevent her teacup from falling off the desk.

Harry's face fell. He had told Ron and Hermione about Sirius wanting Harry to continue Occlumency lessons.

"You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams." Hermione said now, "because Ron told me you were muttering in your sleep again last night."

Harry threw Ron a furious look. Ron had the grace to look ashamed of himself.

"You were only muttering a bit," he mumbled apologetically. "Something about 'just a bit further'."

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch." Harry lied brutally. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit further to grab the Quaffle."

Ron's ears went red. Harry's face showed a kind of vindictive pleasure. Aurora frowned at him.

"You are trying to block your mind, aren't you?" Said Hermone, looking beadily at Harry. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am." Said Harry, not quite meeting her eye.

"You know," said Ron, whose ears were still flaming red, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in with a chance of winning the Cup."

"Yeah, I s'pose so," said Harry, glad with the change of subject.

"I mean, we've won one, lost one - if Slytherin lose to Hufflepuff next Saturday-"

"Yeah, that's right." Said Harry absent-mindedly as he was once again concentrating on giving his teacup legs.

~~~~
The final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was to take place on the last weekend of May. Although Slytherin had been narrowly defeated by Hufflepufd in their last match, Gryffindor were not daring to hope for victory, due mainly (though of course nobody said it to him) to Ron's abysmal goal-keeping record. He, however, seemed to have found a new optimism.

"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" He told Aurora, Harry and Hermione grimly over breakfast on the morning of the match. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"

"You know," said Hermione, as she, Aurora and Harry walked down to the pitch a little later in the midst of a very excitedable crowd. "I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence."