Obliviate My Rebellion {Book 3}

12. Joint breakdowns

We 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 Cp;e, looking at her in admiration. 

 “I listen, Cole,” 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 already started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hats warning was the same: stand together, be united —” 

 “And Harry got it right 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 inter-house unity,” said Hermione crossly. 

 “Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like that,” said Harry sarcastically, as some fourth year Ravenclaws promptly ran from us. 

As we entered the hall, the enchanted ceiling above them echoed my mood; it was a miserable rain-cloud grey. 

 “Dumbledore didn’t even mention how long that Grubbly-Plank woman’s staying,” Harry said, as they made their way across to the Gryffindor table. 

 “Maybe…” said Hermione thoughtfully. 

 “What?” said both Harry and Ron together. 

 “Well… maybe he didn’t want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here.” 

 “What d’you mean, draw attention to it?” said Ron, half-laughing. “How could we not notice?”  

Gennie sat down, and then promptly banged her hands loudly on the table. A lot of people looked at her. "Right, Gryffindors." she said in a determined voice. "I'm quidditch captain now, and we need a new keeper now Oliver has left. Tryouts are friday, five o'clock, and everybody has to be there."

 A lot of people nodded and started talking about Gennie being captain and trying out for keeper.

“I’d forgotten Wood had left,” I said, sitting next to Cole and pulling plate of toast towards me. “I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?” 

 “I s’pose,” said Harry, taking the bench opposite. “He was a good Keeper…”  

“Still, it won’t hurt to have some new blood, will it?” said Ron. With a whoosh and a clatter, hundreds of owls came soaring in through the upper windows. They descended all over the Hall, bringing letters and packages to their owners and showering the breakfasters with droplets of water.

Hermione, had to move her orange juice aside quickly to make way for a large damp barn owl bearing a sodden Daily Prophet in its beak. 

 “What are you still getting that for?” said Harry irritably, as Hermione placed a Knut in the leather pouch on the owl’s leg and it took off again. “I’m not bothering… load of rubbish.” 

 “It’s best to know what the enemy is saying,” said Hermione darkly, and she unfurled the newspaper and disappeared behind it, not emerging until Harry and Ron had finished eating. “Nothing,” she said simply, rolling up the newspaper and laying it down by her plate. “Nothing about you two or Dumbledore or anything.”