Asteria and Snape weren't surprised to find the hospital room full of people. Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Ginny, Amelia and Hermione were standing in a circle around Ron's bed as Madam Pomfrey ministered to him.

The person they hadn't expected though.. was Professor Slughorn, sitting on a chair off to the side, looking rather stunned.

But then Harry recited the incident: of Ron eating love-potion-laced chocolates, of him receiving an antidote from Slughorn, of him drinking something Slughorn offered and then proceeding to fall to the ground, writhing.

"Quick thinking on your part, Harry." said Dumbledore after a long pause. "Using a Bezoar. You must be very proud of your student, eh, Horace?"

He seemed to snap out of his state slowly. "Hm? Oh, yes.. very proud."

McGonagall sighed then, a bit hurriedly. "I think we all agree that Mr. Potter's actions were heroic. But the question is.. Why were they necessary?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Why indeed." He took the half-empty bottle of mead from Slughorn's hand, which was still bearing a bit of gift wrap.

"This appears to be a gift, Horace. You don't by chance remember who gave you this bottle, do you— which by the way—" He took a sniff, "— possesses remarkably subtle hints of licorice and cherry, when not polluted with poison."

"Actually I had intended to give it as a gift myself."

"To whom might I ask?"

"You, Headmaster." Slughorn looked up at him.

Silence prevailed for a moment, but was broken when the door of the hospital wing burst open. Loud, rushed footsteps approached them.

"Where is he? Where's my Won-Won?!"

Hermione, who'd been standing beside Ria, gripped her hand.

"Has he been asking for me?" Lavender looked around at all their faces, but when her eyes fell on Hermione, they began glaring daggers.

"What's she doing here?" She asked, exasperated.

Hermione reluctantly let go of Ria's hand, stepping forward. "I might ask you the same."

"I happen to be his girlfriend." She answered arrogantly.

"Oh for fuck's sake, are we really doing this now?" Ria heard Amelia whisper under her breath.

"I happen to be his.." Hermione hesitated, glaring her up and down. "Friend."

Lavender scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. You haven't spoken in weeks. I suppose you want to make up with him now that he's suddenly all interesting."

Hermione squinted with disbelief, her mouth falling open. "Interesting? He's been poisoned, you daft dimbo! And for the record, I've always found him interesting."

Ron stirred, a strained voice emerging from him which made Lavender light up.

"Ha! See? He senses my presence." She walked to him, keeping her hand on his. "I'm here, Won-Won. I'm here.."

Ron groaned again. But this time he seemed to be stringing syllables together, and the whole room fell quiet to listen.

"Er.. My.. Nee.."

The smile on Lavender's face faded away.

"Er! My! Nee!"

A kettle-like cry erupted from Lavender, and she ran out of the room. While Hermione stalked forward now, taking Ron's hand as he fell silent again.

"Ah.. to be young, and feel love's keen sting." Dumbledore beamed. "Come, everyone. I think Mr. Weasley is well tended."

As he led the others out, Slughorn slowly stalked behind him, muttering something about how he'd always cherished his students.

"Come on.. cheer up now." Amelia rubbed Ginny's shoulder, leading her outside too. "He'll be fine. Besides, you wanted to talk about something..."

Ria slowly stalked to the other side of the bed, standing beside Harry, when he suddenly said: "Hey.. think leaving them alone would work? They did that often to us. What d'you say?"

Hermione looked up at them with a faint, but satisfied smile on her face. "Oh, shut up."

Ria chuckled then, catching Harry's wrist and basically catching him off guard before dragging him outside the room with her.

They stepped out into the corridor. "Merlin, it was about time." She sighed as soon as she leaned against the railing, looking out at the grounds of Hogwarts that had turned green again as spring had arrived.

Harry mimicked her actions, but couldn't for long. His eyes turned to her, the spring breeze in her hair, the curl of her lips.. he wondered if his pupils had turned into hearts.

"Don't you look happy for the two of them?" He said with a smile, his eyes searching for his front again when she turned to him.

"Of course! Haven't you seen how they've been, all this time?" She shook her head. "And maybe it felt good to Ron for some time.. being with Lavender. But he was so clearly miserable too."

Harry nodded then. "Yup. No doubt about that."

Asteria Edwards had changed.

Not long ago, she was in such a state he couldn't bear to see. But he wouldn't say she had reverted back to her happy self.. or her old self.

She had just.. changed. For good.

She herself had.. or because of something.. or because of someone. It didn't matter.

All that mattered was that he could see the azure in her eyes instead of a dimmed blue, and the fullness in her previously sunken cheeks that she used to hide behind her hair.

All that mattered was that when their eyes met, she didn't turn away, that when passing by in the hallway she'd greet him with a faint smile.

His joyous expression faltered. They hadn't talked beyond that though. And he had so many things to talk to her about.

"Hey.." he started with a clear of his throat. "Back during the Christmas holidays.. I was told by Padfoot that Ray had left me a letter."

He watched her expression carefully. It didn't change. "Oh.." she breathed out, staring off into the scenery. "What did it say?"

Harry didn't miss the uncertainty in her voice, but chose not to address it. "Well.. she wrote about—"

"She wrote?" asked Ria, her smile disappearing as she looked at him. But then she sighed. "I.. sorry about that. Go on. Actually— nevermind. Let it be. It was for you."

Right.. things hadn't gone back to how they were yet. She wasn't going to cry in his arms and have him tell her that he'd never leave.

"Alright.. if you say so." he continued as she turned her face again. "Well.. she didn't get to complete it though.."

He sighed. "Apparently she was writing the letter.. and halfway through, all of the Order was called to the Ministry."

She nodded. "Oh."

Harry gulped. "But reading that letter.." he wasn't sure about telling her, but he did anyway. "It was clear that she knew."

"Knew what?" asked Ria.

She had an idea.

"That she was running out of time." He answered.

She slowly nodded. Figured that much.

There was a brief silence before Harry spoke up again. "Did she.. write you any letter?"

And Ria took a pause before shaking her head. "Not that I know of."

He nodded at her response. "Anyway, speaking of letters.." It was better to move the conversation to something lighter. "You find out who stuffed those letters and roses in your locker?"

Ria scoffed, a corner of her lips curling. "They were all from different people. So yeah.. couldn't find out who did it specifically." She shrugged helplessly. "Can't bother to roam around and ask everyone individually."

"Hm.." Harry nodded in agreement. "And.. uh, well.. how'd you like my gift?"

She turned to him again, an expression of playful offence on her face. "I like what was inside.. but that note though." She hissed through her teeth. "You're so mistaken."

"Oh, am I?" He retorted, smirking. "We'll see about that."

"Yeah.. we will."

And they returned to the greens and the blues of the scenery again, staying in each other's presence for a little longer.

Harry hurried down through the deserted corridors; the whole school was outside probably, either already seated in the stadium or heading down toward it.

For the first time ever, he wasn't looking forward to the match. And the answer to that would be Cormac McLaggen.

Ron still wasn't out of the hospital wing. That meant he had to get McLaggen as a temporary Keeper.

Such a pain in the arse.

He looked out of the windows he passed, trying to gauge how much wind they were facing, when a noise ahead made him glance up and he saw Malfoy walking toward him, accompanied by two girls, both of whom looked sulky and resentful.

Malfoy stopped short at the sight of Harry, then gave a short, humorless laugh and continued walking.

"Where're you going?" Harry demanded.

"Yeah, I'm really going to tell you, because it's your business, Potter," sneered Malfoy. "You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for 'the Chosen Captain'— 'the Boy Who Scored'— whatever they call you these days."

One of the girls gave an unwilling giggle. Harry stared at her, and she blushed. Malfoy pushed past Harry, and she and her friend followed at a trot, turning the corner and vanishing from view.

Harry stood rooted on the spot and watched them disappear. This was infuriating; he was already cutting it fine to get to the match on time and yet there was Malfoy, skulking off while the rest of the school was absent.

It was his best chance yet of discovering what Malfoy was up to. The silent seconds trickled past, and he remained where he was, frozen, gazing at the place where Malfoy had vanished.

"What's taking them so long?" Hermione muttered, clicking her tongue with annoyance.

It has been around ten minutes since Hooch had called the team members for today's match outside.

The Hufflepuff team was already outside, waiting for the Gryffindor team to arrive. Ginny came on the field then, running towards Madam Hooch and telling her something.

"I guess they're here." said Ria, who'd been sitting beside Hermione, alone, while the rest of her team had joined some of their Hufflepuff friends.

It must've been a minute later that the team finally walked into the field, their Captains leading them.

"Ah.. it was Harry that was late." She said with realisation. "His hair is sticking out wild."

"When is it not?" Hermione commented.

Ria sighed tiredly. "It's sticking out more than usual. He probably came in a hurry."

"Captain, shake hands!" Madam Hooch's voice stood out in the sea of cheers and boos. "Now, mount your brooms in three.. two.. one!"

The whistle went off, and the players dispersed in the air.

"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it—"

Many Gryffindors around Ria laughed. "Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice. "

"Ehm.. Miss. Asteria?"

Ria looked to her side to find a rather scrawny frame looking at her. It was Colin Creevy. "Oh.. hey there, Colin. Don't be so formal. We were in the DA together, weren't we?"

Colin was taken by surprise at such friendliness, he might've turned a little red. "Ye— Yeah, right. I suppose.."

He then held out a folded piece of parchment that Ria took. "I was asked to give this to you.."

"Okay.. thank you." He disappeared into the crowd before she could complete.

Ria unfolded the note and skimmed her eyes over the text, when— "Oh, who is it from?" 

She snapped the note shut, and Hermione gave her a questioning look.

She chuckled forcefully. "It's nothing, really. It's just from Blaise." She answered. "He's an idiot.. Writes anything.. Probably wants me there, with the team." She got up from her seat. "I'll meet with you later!"

Watching her back constantly for a while, Ria left the Quidditch pitch, although she hated to leave in the midst of a match. She had grabbed a spare broomstick from the Slytherin changing rooms on the way out.

She mounted the broom and took off, remembering the only sentence she'd seen.

'I know this is sudden, but I need you to go to the castle.'

Once her feet touched the courtyard of the castle, she climbed off and opened the note. Harry's familiarly rushed handwriting greeted her again.

'I know this is sudden, but I need you to go to the castle. I've slid the Marauder's Map inside your dorm through the gap beneath Cassandra's portrait, and have told her to not let anyone inside unless you come to get it yourself.

I need you to tail Malfoy. I ran into him inside the castle, and I have a hunch he might be up to something.

I'd never ask for you to do something like this usually.. but it's urgent. I know you'd understand.'

Ria shook her head, hurrying towards her dorm. She was sure if it was anything other than Quidditch, he'd have ditched it and followed Malfoy himself.

Like he'd written in the note, she did find the Marauder's Map laying in her dorm, close to the entrance.

She placed the broomstick in the corner. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." The red ink spread out, and it was the first time that Ria was seeing the map so empty.

She searched every floor until she finally came across some familiar names. And no.. Malfoy wasn't anywhere on the Map, but Crabbe and Goyle just standing still in the middle of a random corridor didn't make sense either. So she rushed out of her dorm, following the direction to their footsteps.

As the corridor drew nearer, Ria realised that she had arrived near the entrance of the Room of Requirements. She hid around the turn, listening to their conversation.

"..I heard my father say that— yeah." said Goyle. "He went to the Manor a few days ago.. said that they'd brought in a girl that he'd never seen before."

"Really?" Crabbe wondered. "You think she could be a new recruit?"

"Could be." He shrugged. "There're many wizards now-a-days.. coming to join the Death eaters and—"

Ria folded the Marauder's Map and pocketed it before deciding to leave her hiding spot. She began walking.

Nothing to see here. Nothing going on. Just taking a walk—

"What do you think you're doing here, Edwards?"

She stopped, turning her head to see the two of them glaring at her quite defensively from their spot.

"Oh.. long time no see." She shrugged. "And me? I'm just roaming around. Quite boring they can get, weekends. You know how it is."

They raised their wands, then. "Yeah.. like we believe you'd be in the castle while there's a Quidditch match going on."

But Ria just raised her hands in defense. "Hey! What are getting all mad about? I'm just bored, alright? I'm in detention. I have to report in about 20 minutes, so obviously I can't go to the match."

But they didn't believe it one bit. "What do you think we are? Fools?"

"Yes." She chuckled. "Because no matter what you think, there's no way in hell you could actually beat me in a fight. And I'm not even trying to pick one here. I'm literally just passing by. Although you two—"

"You've been behaving weird." She said, watching them exchange a glance. "Don't tell me you've been doing questionable things again."

"What is it with you anyway, Edwards?"

Ria watched Malfoy walk in from the right. "Don't ask me. They're the ones getting all defensive." She scoffed.

He sneered. "You really do think of us as fools, don't you?" His stare was cold.

She tilted her head. "What do you say then, that I'm snooping around tailing you, as if you're up to something?"

Malfoy grimaced with anger. "Whether I'm up to something.. or not. You better stay out of my business, you filthy Azrael."

Ria raised her eyebrows, looking at the ground, muttering under her breath. "Someone's sensitive—"

But he had already strided closer to her, grabbing her forearm with such force she stumbled a step back. "Hey—"

"I meant what I said." He grumbled. "Stay out of my damn business. Or it'll be someone else that'll pay the price."

He sped across the corridor then, Crabbe and Goyle following behind, while Ria stayed there for a moment, wondering whether the fear in his voice was something she had only imagined.

When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a warm, comfortable bed, looking up at a lamp that was glowing golden above him. He raised his head awkwardly. There, on his left was a familiar-looking, freckly, red-haired person.

"Nice of you to drop in," said Ron, grinning.

Harry blinked and looked around. Of course: He was in the hospital wing. The sky outside was indigo streaked with crimson. The match must have finished hours ago. His head felt strangely heavy; he raised a hand and felt a stiff turban of bandages.

"What happened?"

"Cracked skull," said Madam Pomfrey, bustling up and pushing him back against his pillows.

The image of a Bludger zooming towards him came to his memory, and he flared his nostrils.

"Nothing to worry about, I mended it at once, but I'm keeping you in overnight. You shouldn't overexert yourself for a few hours."

"I don't want to stay here overnight," he said angrily, sitting up and throwing back his covers. "I want to find McLaggen and kill him."

"I'm afraid that would come under the heading of 'overexertion'," said Madam Pomfrey, pushing him firmly back onto the bed and raising her wand in a threatening manner. "You will stay here until I discharge you, Potter, or I shall call the headmaster."

She bustled back into her office, and he sank back into his pillows, fuming. "D'you know how much we lost by?" he asked Ron through clenched teeth.

"Well, yeah I do," said Ron apologetically. "Final score was 320 to 60—."

"Brilliant," said Harry savagely. "Really brilliant! When I get hold of McLaggen—"

"You don't want to get hold of him, he's the size of a troll," said Ron reasonably. "Personally, I think there's a lot to be said for hexing him with that toenail thing of the Prince's. Anyway, the rest of the team might've dealt with him before you get out of here, they're not happy.."

There was a hint of badly suppressed glee in Ron's voice; Harry could tell he was nothing short of thrilled that McLaggen had messed up so badly.

"I could hear the match commentary from here," He said, his voice now shaking with laughter. "I hope Luna always commentates from now on. Loser's Lurgy.."

But Harry was still too angry to see much humor in the situation, and after a while Ron's snorts subsided.

"If that helps you.. Ria came in to visit while you were unconscious," he said after a long pause.

And Harry couldn't help but dive into imagination, constructing a scene in which Ria is in tears, clutching onto Harry's hand and holding it close to her, desperately wishing he would wake up.. after which Ria would give up on her irrational fears and choose to be with him again.

Godric, I sound desperate even in my own imagination.

"Ginny was here too. She was worried, of course, but was also asking why you'd been so late to the match?"

"Oh.." said Harry as his imagination was put to a stop. "Yeah, well.. I saw Malfoy sneaking off with a couple of girls who didn't look like they wanted to be with him.. Looks pretty suspicious to me, if you ask." He sighed.

"..so you were contemplating whether you were gonna follow him or not?"

Harry shrugged, thinking over whether he should tell him about the note he'd given Ria. "I mean— the match didn't turn out pretty. I might as well would've missed it and followed him instead—"

"Missed the match?" He scoffed. "Harry, come on!"

"Hey— don't tell me it's all in my head, not after what I overheard between him and Snape—"

"I never said it was all in your head," said Ron, hoisting himself up on an elbow in turn and frowning at Harry, "but there's no rule saying only one person at a time can be plotting anything in this place! You're getting a bit obsessed with Malfoy, Harry. I mean, thinking about missing a match just to follow him.."

"I want to catch him at it!" said Harry in frustration. "I mean, where's he going when he disappears off the Map?"

"I dunno.. Hogsmeade?" suggested Ron, yawning.

"I've never seen him going along any of the secret passageways on the Map. I thought they were being watched now anyway?"

"Well then, I dunno," said Ron.

Silence fell between them. Harry stared up at the circle of lamplight above him, thinking only if he had the power the scale of the Minister or something, then he could keep an eye on that white-haired ferret and be able to find out what he was plotting.

There was a low, rumbling snore from Ron's bed. After a while Madam Pomfrey came out of her office, this time wearing a thick dressing gown.

It was easiest to feign sleep; Harry rolled over onto his side and listened to all the curtains closing themselves as she waved her wand. The lamps dimmed, and she returned to her office; he heard the door click behind her and knew that she was off to bed.

Harry laid there in silence, not a blink of sleep in his eyes as he thought about the events of today over and over again when—

"Harry!"

A whisper coming from thin air made him jump up in his bed. He looked around in the dark, trying to catch sight of someone when a figure emerged from thin air.

"Oh.. it's you.." He whispered with relief, watching as Ria bundled up the Invisibility Cloak.

"Yeah. Did I scare you?" She asked with a faint smile as she sat at the edge of his bed.

"No— not really." He shook his head. "Just.. didn't expect you."

"How are you, by the way?" She asked, eyeing the turban of bandages on his head.

"Better." He sighed. "Did you watch the match? After I.. you know?"

She nodded. "Yeah.. I came back to the pitch after you were hit. Scoring really slumped after that I suppose.. from what Blaise and Amelia told me. And the Hufflepuff Chasers.. I think they just got a confidence boost."

She could see the disappointment radiating off him. "If it helps.. since every team has had one win each, there'll be two more matches. The winners will face off in the finals."

"Really?"

She nodded, finding it hard not to smile when his face lit up. "Yeah. So.. next will be us against Hufflepuff. And you against Ravenclaw."

He leaned back on his bed with relief. "Oh, I thought we'd be goners after such a low score today!"

"I thought that too." said Ria with all honesty. "The other two are in their 600s.. we are in our 500s. They could've easily declared the final two teams, but spectators' demand. They want more matches."

Harry nodded, sitting back up. "Right. That's good."

"Speaking of.." Ria searched the pocket of her robes, and then let the Marauder's Map fall on his lap. "I did follow Malfoy."

For some reason, guilt captured Harry's heart. He had decided to not let her get caught into anything else but..

"I'm sorry.. I really— I didn't know who else I could ask—"

"It's okay." Ria shrugged it off. "I didn't mind. Now.. I tried to follow him on the Map." She opened it and circled Malfoy's name, which had been resting in his dorm room for hours now. "Like you said. But I couldn't find his name anywhere on it. So I followed Crabbe and Goyle instead—"

"Crabbe and Goyle?" He asked, looking a bit ridiculed. "No.. I.. I saw him with two girls."

Ria blinked with confusion. "I saw him with two girls while I was leaving the castle. That's why I was late— I wanted to follow him, but couldn't. Then I hid the Map in your dorm, and wrote that note." He clarified.

She thought for a moment, chewing on her lower lip. "Could they be on Polyjuice Potion?"

Ah, it made sense. "Could be." Harry was glad she was smarter than him. "Malfoy's alright at Potions, isn't he?"

She nodded. "He is, but we'll discuss that later. Now.. I went there, to see what was happening.. but those two were just standing.. there." She circled the corridor in the Map. "It took a me a while, but then I remembered—"

"It's where the entrance to the Room of Requirements is.." He trailed off.

"Yeah.. I realised a bit too late that I should've taken the Cloak with me, but.." She recited everything that had happened after she had confronted the two.

"So.. it's clear that the Room of Requirements doesn't show up on the Marauder's Map.. that's why he disappears, but putting Crabbe and Goyle on guard just makes it seem more suspicious."

Harry nodded, thinking hard for a moment. Then he looked up at her again. "Thank you. I.. really don't know what I would've done without you." He chuckled, closing the Map. "I'll take it from here, though."

Ria quipped her head in question. "Sure?"

"Yeah." He showed some assurance.

"Okay.." She shrugged. "Anything else? Did Dumbledore call you for any more lessons?"

He shook his head like it was the truth. "No. I'll tell you if he does. Don't work yourself up too much." He softly frowned. "Wait.. how did you get in?"

Ria chuckled softly. "I stole the key from Pomfrey's office as soon as she went to sleep." She stood up then. "But I'll have to place it back there as I go. I'll also need to lock the room. So, I'll leave now."

Harry nodded. "Right, okay."

"And take some good rest, yeah?" She said, somewhat instinctively reaching out for the bandages on his head and checking if they were tight. "Don't think too much about it. You can give yourself a headache after getting better."

He nodded again, looking up at her as if she'd grown some kind of halo. "I'll try not to. Good night."

"Good night."

Harry and Ron left the hospital wing first thing on Monday morning, restored to full health by Madam Pomfrey and now able to enjoy the benefits of having been knocked out and poisoned, the best of which was that Hermione was friends with Ron again.

Hermione even escorted them down to breakfast, bringing with her the news that Ginny had argued with Dean.

"Really? What did they row about?" asked Harry. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company through this year, as long as he could remember.

"Oh, Dean was laughing about McLaggen hitting that Bludger at you," said Hermione.

"It must've looked funny," said Ron reasonably.

"It didn't look funny at all!" said Hermione hotly. "It looked terrible, and if Coote and Peakes hadn't caught Harry he could have been very badly hurt!"

"Yeah, well, there was no need for Ginny and Dean to split up over it," he said. "I don't want another argument in the Quidditch team. We have our only chance left to go to the finals, you know?"

"They haven't split up, though." She answered. "Still together."

Harry was almost relieved. But just because they were together didn't mean there weren't disagreements between them. "D'you think you could talk to them?"

Before Hermione could answer though, a voice behind them called out.

"Harry!"

They all turned. "Oh, hi, Luna."

"I went to the hospital wing to find you," said Luna, rummaging in her bag. "But they said you'd left.."

She thrust what appeared to be a green onion, a large spotted toadstool, and a considerable amount of what looked like cat litter into Ron's hands, finally pulling out two small rolls of parchment. She handed one to Harry. "..I've been told to give you this."

Harry recognized at once that it was another invitation to a lesson with Dumbledore. "Tonight." He told Ron and Hermione once he had unrolled it. "Wait— who's that for?"

Luna looked at the second roll in her hand. "Oh, that's for Asteria."

He took it from her quickly, with an expression of strain on his face. "I'll give that to her. Don't you worry."

"Nice commentary last match!" said Ron to Luna as she took back the green onion, the toadstool, and the cat litter. She smiled vaguely.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" she said. "Everyone says I was dreadful."

"No, I'm serious!" said Ron earnestly. "I can't remember enjoying commentary more! What is this, by the way?" he added, holding the onion-like object up to eye level.

"Oh, it's a Gurdyroot," she said, stuffing the cat litter and the toadstool back into her bag. "You can keep it if you like, I've got a few of them. They're really excellent for warding off Gulping Plimpies."

And she walked away, leaving Ron chortling, still clutching the Gurdyroot. "You know, she's grown on me, Luna," he said, as they set off again for the Great Hall. "I know she's insane, but it's in a good—"

He stopped talking very suddenly. Lavender was standing at the foot of the marble staircase looking thunderous.

"Hi," said Ron nervously.

"C'mon," Harry muttered to Hermione, and they sped past.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting out today? And why was she with you?" They heard Lavender's fading voice.

Ron looked both sulky and annoyed when he appeared at breakfast half an hour later, and though he sat with Lavender, Harry 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 Harry 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's lesson.."

Harry hurried out through the portrait hole and off to the headmaster's office. The gargoyle leapt aside at the mention of toffee éclairs, and Harry took the spiral staircase two steps at a time, knocking on the door just as a clock within chimed eight.

"Enter," called Dumbledore, but as Harry put out a hand to push the door, it was wrenched open from inside. There stood Professor Trelawney.

"Aha!" she cried, pointing dramatically at Harry as she blinked at him through her magnifying spectacles. "So this is the reason I am to be thrown unceremoniously from your office, Dumbledore!"

"My dear Sybill," said Dumbledore in a slightly exasperated voice, "there is no question of throwing you unceremoniously from anywhere, but Harry does have an appointment, and I really don't think there is any more to be said—"

"Very well," said Professor Trelawney, in a deeply wounded voice. "If you will not banish the usurping nag, so be it.. Perhaps I shall find a school where my talents are better appreciated.."

She pushed past Harry and disappeared down the spiral staircase; they heard her stumble halfway down, and Harry guessed that she had tripped over one of her trailing shawls.

"Please close the door and sit down, Harry," said Dumbledore, sounding rather tired.

Harry obeyed, noticing as he took his usual seat in front of Dumbledore's desk that the Pensieve lay between them once more, as did two more tiny crystal bottles full of swirling memory.

"Professor Trelawney still isn't happy Firenze is teaching, then?" Harry asked.

"No," said Dumbledore, "Divination is turning out to be much more trouble than I could have foreseen, never having studied the subject myself. I cannot ask Firenze to return to the forest, where he is now an outcast, nor can I ask Sybill Trelawney to leave."

"Between ourselves, she has no idea of the danger she would be in outside the castle. She does not know— and I think it would be unwise to enlighten her— that she made the prophecy about you and Voldemort, you see."

Dumbledore heaved a deep sigh, then said, "But never mind my staffing problems. We have much more important matters to discuss. Firstly— have you managed the task I set you at the end of our previous lesson?"

"Ah," said Harry, brought up short. With Apparition lessons and Quidditch and Ron being poisoned and getting his skull cracked and his determination to find out what Draco Malfoy was up to, and all the other things, Harry had almost forgotten about the memory Dumbledore had asked him to extract from Professor Slughorn.

"Well, I asked Professor Slughorn about it at the end of Potions, sir, but, er, he wouldn't give it to me."

There was a little silence.

"I see," said Dumbledore eventually, peering at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles and giving Harry the usual sensation that he was being X-rayed.

"And you feel that you have exerted your very best efforts in this matter, do you? That you have exercised all of your considerable ingenuity? That you have left no depth of cunning unplumbed in your quest to retrieve the memory?"

"Well," Harry stalled, at a loss for what to say next. His single attempt to get hold of the memory suddenly seemed embarrassingly weak. "Well.. the day Ron swallowed love potion by mistake I took him to Professor Slughorn. I thought maybe if I got Professor Slughorn in a good enough mood—"

"And did that work?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, no, sir, because Ron got poisoned—"

"— which, naturally, made you forget all about trying to retrieve the memory; I would have expected nothing else, while your best friend was in danger. Once it became clear that Mr. Weasley was going to make a full recovery, however, I would have hoped that you returned to the task I set you. I thought I made it clear to you how very important that memory is. Indeed, I did my best to impress upon you that it is the most crucial memory of all and that we will be wasting our time without it."

A hot, prickly feeling of shame spread from the top of Harry's head all the way down his body. Dumbledore had not raised his voice, he did not even sound angry, but Harry would have preferred him to yell; this cold disappointment was worse than anything.

"Sir," he said, a little desperately, "it isn't that I wasn't bothered or anything, I've just had other— other things.."

"Other things on your mind," Dumbledore finished the sentence for him. "I see."

Silence fell between them again, the most uncomfortable silence Harry had ever experienced with Dumbledore; it seemed to go on and on, punctuated only by the little grunting snores of the portrait of old Headmaster Dippet over Dumbledore's head.

Harry felt strangely diminished, as though he had shrunk a little since he had entered the room. When he could stand it no longer he said, "Professor Dumbledore, I'm really sorry. I should have done more.. I should have realised you wouldn't have asked me to do it if it wasn't really important."

"Thank you for saying that, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "May I hope, then, that you will give this matter higher priority from now on? There will be little point in our meeting after tonight unless we have that memory."

"I'll do it, sir, I'll get it from him," he said earnestly.

"Then we shall say no more about it just now." Dumbledore sighed then. "I suppose we should continue with our story, given that Asteria has chosen to not show up—"

"Sir— I'm really sorry to bother you, but—" Harry couldn't tell if he was taken aback or not. "I don't want you to involve Asteria in this."

Dumbledore blinked. "I had invited her to today's lesson, knowing she would work hard and take on some of the burden I have put on your shoulders."

"I don't want that." He said rather hurriedly, and slid the second roll of parchment— meant for Ria, on the desk.

Dumbledore stared at the roll before looking back up at him. "So, you are willing to take on a responsibility on behalf of her?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded. "I will do better, this time."

Dumbledore nodded too. "I will hold you to that. Now.. to continue our story. Do you remember where we left off?"

And they dove into another part of Voldemort's life, of how he had worked as an assistant under an antiquities collector named Hepzibah Smith.. of how he had stolen two of her most prized possession; Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket.

Not only that.. Harry also came to know how Tom Riddle had been rejected as the Defence against the Dark Arts professor not once, but twice— first by Headmaster Dippet and then by Dumbledore. And that he was, in fact, the wizard who had jinxed the position.

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