Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione the next day. He barely talked to her through Herbology, and in the end, he and Harry and Gwen and Hermione had to split off into two separate pairs when they were working on the Puffapod.
'How's Scabbers?' Hermione asked timidly, glancing across at Ron as they stripped the fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into the wooden pail.
'Hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking,' said Ron angrily, knocking his pail over and scattering beans over the Greenhouse floor.
'Careful, Weasley, careful!' cried professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes.
Hermione looked to Gwen, who shrugged helplessly. Both Gwen and Harry felt completely stuck in the middle, unsure how to play mediator.
After Herbology, they had Transfigurations, and Harry told them that he would ask Professor McGonagall about Hogsmeade.
When they joined the queue outside the classroom, Ron and Gwen helping Harry on how to argue his case while Hermione looked on disapprovingly, they realised that something was happening at the front of the line.
Lavender Brown was crying. Parvati had her arm around her, speaking to Clara, Seamus and Dean in a very serious tone.
'What's wrong, Lavender?' Gwen asked as she, Harry, Ron and Hermione went to join the group.
'She got a letter from home this morning,' Parvati whispered. 'It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox.'
'Oh, I'm sorry, Lavender,' Hermione said.
'I should have known!' Lavender wailed tragically. 'You know what day it is?'
'Er--'
'The sixteenth of October! "That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October"! Remember? She was right, she was right!'
The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Gwen reached out, squeezing Lavender's hand comfortingly. Hermione hesitated, then she said, 'You-- you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?'
'Well, not necessarily a fox,' Lavender said, looking up at Hermione with puffy eyes, 'but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn't I?'
'Oh,' said Hermione. She paused again, then-- 'Was Binky an old rabbit?'
'N-no!' sobbed Lavender. 'He- He was only a baby!'
Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders.
'But then why would you dread him dying?'
Parvati glared at Hermione. Gwen bit her lip, thinking that this was not the time for Hermione to start being, well, Hermione.
'Well, look at it logically,' said Hermione, turning to the rest of the group. 'I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he, Lavender just got the news today--' Lavender wailed loudly, '--and she can't have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock--'
'Not the time, Hermione,' Gwen whispered, giving Hermione a desperate look.
'Don't mind her, Lavender,' Ron said loudly. 'Hermione doesn't think other people's pets matter much.'
Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky; Hermione and Ron were glaring daggers at each other, and Gwen and Harry exchanged an exasperated look. When they got into the class, Ron and Hermione seated themselves either side of Gwen and Harry and didn't speak for the entire lesson.
When the bell rang at the end of the class, McGonagall was the one who brought up the subject of Hogsmeade.
'One moment, please!' she called as the class made to leave. 'As you are all in my house, you should hand your Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Hallowe'en. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!'
Neville put his hand up.
'Please, Professor, I-- I think I've lost--'
'Your grandmother sent me yours directly, Longbottom,' said Professor McGonagall. 'She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave.'
'Ask her now,' Ron hissed at Harry.
'Oh, but--' Hermione began.
'Go for it, Harry,' Gwen said.
Gwen, Ron and Hermione waited outside the classroom for Harry in silence. Gwen felt exceptionally awkward, feeling the tension between Hermione and Ron so thickly, she felt she'd need a butcher's knife to cut it. When Harry finally emerged, he looked dejected.
'Oh, I'm sorry, Harry,' Gwen said, reaching out to put her arm around him.
'She didn't say no?' said Ron.
'Oh, Harry,' said Hermione. 'It's for the best, just until Black is caught.'
Harry turned away. 'Let's go.'
• • •
There was nothing more to be done. In the lead up to Hallowe'en, Ron called McGonagall several nasty names, which neither Hermione nor Gwen appreciated. Hermione took on an 'all-for-the-best' expression, which made Ron even angrier, while Gwen did everything she could to try and cheer Harry up.
'There's still the feast!' she said brightly. 'You know, the Hallowe'en feast?'
'Yeah,' said Harry gloomily. 'Great.'
But, much like his permission slip, there was nothing to be done to cheer Harry up. Gwen, Ron and Hermione did all they could to make him feel better but there was no achievement. He was miserable in the days leading up to Hallowe'en. Dean Thomas, who had a talent with a quill and parchment, offered to forge Uncle Vernon's signature, but Harry said that he'd already told McGonagall he hadn't had his permission slip signed, which would not work. Ron suggested leaving it for a few weeks and then getting Dean to sign it, but Hermione had stiffly refused to let that happen. Percy Weasley, however, was probably the worst at trying to make Harry feel better.
He was sitting nearby them in the common room the night before the trip, and, clearly unable to read the room, he said, 'They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, Harry, but I can assure you it's not all it's cracked up to be. All right, the sweetshop's rather good, but Zonko's Joke Shop's frankly dangerous, and yes, the Shrieking Shack's always worth a visit, but really, Harry, apart from that, you're not missing anything.'
• • •
On Hallowe'en morning, Gwen and Hermione went down to the common room where they met Ron and Harry, the latter of whom was still miserable. They ate breakfast in the Great Hall as usual, where Harry barely touched his food.
'I'll stay with you, Harry,' Gwen said. She'd finished her bacon sandwich and Harry still hadn't even begun his boiled egg.
'No, you can't stay behind because of me.'
'I want to,' she said, which was a partial lie. He looked at her, and she smiled.
He shook his head. 'Go,' he said. 'You've been looking forward to it.'
'But--'
'I'll be fine,' he said, finally, smiling at her.
So, somewhat reluctantly, Gwen joined Ron and Hermione to the courtyard where Harry saw them and the rest of the third years. Filch the caretaker was staring suspiciously at them all, peering into their faces as though he expected one of them to suddenly transform.
'We'll bring you back loads of sweets from Honeydukes,' Ron said, looking sad for him.
'Yeah, lots,' said Hermione, looking desperately sorry.
'And something from Zonko's. Maybe some fireworks?' Gwen added.
Harry forced a smile. 'Don't worry about me,' he said. 'I'll see you at the feast.'
Gwen, Ron and Hermione followed the crowd of chattering students to the carriages outside the castle gates, now roofless, once again being pulled by those skeletal horses. Gwen found herself staring as she climbed into an empty one, staring at the back of the horse as it set off down the mud track toward Hogsmeade.
'What are they?' she asked, turning to Ron and Hermione.
'What are what?' said Hermione.
Gwen pointed at it. 'Those things, pulling the carriage.'
Ron and Hermione glanced at the front of the coach, then back at Gwen.
'What d'you mean?' said Ron.
'It's pulling itself,' said Hermione. 'Like always.'
'No it's not,' Gwen said. 'It's right there.'
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look.
'Are you feeling alright, Gwen?' said Hermione gently.
Gwen stared at them. How could they not see the creatures? They were huge, and quite scary to look at, with giant leathery wings tucked in at their sides. At that moment, the creature huffed, as though tired of pulling the carriage.
'How--' Gwen started, then stopped herself. She was painfully aware of the worried looks Hermione and Ron were giving her, and she didn't want to give them a reason to fear for her. After last year and her behaviour, she wondered if maybe they were thinking that she was not right again. She was fine, perfectly fine, except for the fact that she could see these skeleton horses that apparently nobody else could. That unwelcome, familiar feeling of solitude overtook her again, just as it had done all of last year. She tried to distract herself, looking around at the beautiful landscape as they left the castle, but then she clocked the Dementors, and she could no longer think of anything else.
Hogsmeade, she repeated to herself. You're going to Hogsmeade, it's going to be a good day.
But then she remembered Harry, alone in the common room save the first and second years, and she felt even worse.
The journey seemed to drag on for hours, the awkward silence that fell between her, Ron and Hermione being so thick she wished she'd just stayed at the castle.
And then Hogsmeade came into view, and all those sour thoughts lifted instantly from her mind.