"I have to admit; I thought I was gonna miss that last one." Ron chuckled to himself as he remembered what happened back at the Quidditch pitch. "I hope Cormac's not taking it too hard."

You glanced at Hermione as you approached your friends. Hermione smirked a bit before reading the newspaper once again. You saw what she did to Cormac McLaggen-muttering a spell without a wand so Cormac could miss a hit. Hermione begged for you to keep it a secret, and so you did.

You sat on the couch's armchair with your book in hand. "Would you forgive me, Ron, if I focused more on Ginny's amazing skills than yours?" You teased as you nudged his shoulder.

Ron dramatically gasped. "How dare you. You favor my little sister over me." Ron shook his head. "Quite disappointed, (Y/n). I thought I was your brother."

You cracked a smile before ruffling his ginger hair. "Of course I watched you too, idiot." You chuckled. "You did great out there."

Ron looked down at Hermione. "He's got a bit of a thing for you, Hermione. Cormac."

Hermione glanced at him. "He's vile.

Ron looked away and spotted Lavender waving at him before looking down at her book. Ron softly gulped as he turned away.

"Have you ever heard of this spell? Sectumsempra?" Harry asked, leaning towards Hermione to show her the book he was reading.

"Sectumsempra?" You questioned.

"No, I haven't." Hermione hissed, answering Harry's question. "And if you had a shred of self-respect, you'd hand that book in." She scolded.

"Not bloody likely," Ron said. "He's top of the class. He's even better than you, Hermione. Slughorn thinks he's a genius."

Hermione glared at Ron, who flinched in surprise. "What?" You looked back at Harry, who was reading again. "I'd like to know whose that book was."

"Let's have a look, shall we?" Hermione asked, facing Harry, reaching her hand out.

Harry shook his head. "No." He stood up, closing the book and clutching it in his hand.

Hermione stood up too in surprise while you remained seated and looked up at Harry. "Why not?" You asked.

Harry stepped back. "The binding is fragile."

"The binding is fragile?" Hermione asked incredulously, walking towards Harry.

"Yeah."

Hermione scoffed while Ginny rolled her eyes, and as soon as Harry was near her, she took the chance to snatch the book with one swift move.

Harry jumped a little and chased after Ginny, who opened the book to look for a name. "Ginny." Harry pleaded.

"Slow down there, Potter." Ginny chuckled before looking at a name. "Who's the Half-Blood Prince?"

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"That's what it says right here." Ginny shrugged. "This book is property of the Half-Blood Prince."

You stood up and stood beside Ginny, leaning your head to her shoulder. "Huh." You furrowed your eyebrows when you realized how familiar the handwriting was. "Well, that's odd."

"What's odd?" Ginny asked, looking at you.

"The handwriting." You told her. You shrugged. "Too familiar." You flipped a page to look for the spell Harry found. "Sectumpsempra. For Enemies."

Ginny stared at Harry, who was looking at her. She sighed and tossed him back the book. Harry caught it and went to his room without saying a word.

°•○●○•°

"For weeks, you carry around this book." You told Harry as the four of you headed to Hogsmeade.

"Practically sleep with it, and yet you have no desire to find out who the Half-Blood Prince is?" Hermione added, rolling her eyes.

Harry frowned. "I didn't say I wasn't curious, and I don't sleep with it." He defended.

"Well, it's true." Ron chuckled. "I like a nice chat before I go to bed. Now, all you do is read that bloody book. It's merely like being with Hermione and (Y/n)."

You gasped and slapped Ron's arm. "Oi! I don't just read books all the time!"

'Well, I was curious." Hermione spoke up. "So, I went to--"

"The library." You, Ron, and Harry said in unison. Hermione paused for a moment, looking at the three of you in bewilderment. "And?"

Hermione shook her head. "And nothing. I couldn't find a reference anywhere to a Half-Blood Prince."

Harry smiled. "There we go. That settles it, then."

The four of you stopped for a moment when all of you saw Flitwick and Slughorn. "Filius! Yeah, uh... I was hoping to find you in the Three Broomsticks!" Slughorn told Flitwick.

Flitwick shook his head. "Oh! Uh no, emergency choir practice, I'm afraid, Horace."

Once Flitwick passed by the four of you, you and Hermione glanced at Harry. "Does anyone fancy a butterbeer?" Harry asked.

"Thought you'd never ask." You smiled.

The four of you arrived at the Three Broomsticks and entered the place. You found a table, and Ron was about to sit beside Hermione, but Harry stopped him. "Ron, sit beside me."

Ron glanced at you and Hermione before shrugging and walking towards Harry. "Okay."

Harry started stripping his coat off and stopped when he completely took it off. You noticed him staring at something or someone behind you and Hermione.

You looked behind you and assumed it was Slughorn. Instead, it was Draco Malfoy. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted you and Harry. Draco looked away and left the room.

"Something to drink?" A waiter asked as the four of you sat down.

"Four Butterbeers and some ginger in mine, please," Hermione answered.

As you all waited for your orders, Ron spotted something in the distance. "Oh, bloody hell." Ron hissed, arranging his seat.

You, Hermione, and Harry looked where Ron looked and noticed Ginny and Dean holding hands and laughing together as they told each other stories. "Slick git." Ron scoffed.

"Honestly, Ronald, they're only holding hands," Hermione said, looking at Ron.

You and your friends watched as Dean and Ginny started kissing. You cracked a smile and chuckled. "And snogging." You added.

"I'd like to leave." Ron pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed.

"What?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"That happens to be my sister," Ron said, glancing at Ginny.

"So?" Hermione asked, scoffing at the end of her question. "What if she looked at me and saw you snogging me? Would you expect her to get up and leave?"

You let out a short snort while Hermione immediately drank her butterbeer. Ron looked down as he processed what Hermione said.

Harry's face lit up, and he waved at someone. "Hey, my boy!" You looked around and saw Slughorn.

"Hello, sir. Wonderful to see you." Harry stood up and shook hands with Slughorn.

"And you, and you," Slughorn replied with a smile.

"So, what brings you here?" Harry asked.

"Oh, the Three Broomsticks and I go way back further than I care to admit.
I can remember when it was One Broomstick." Slughorn laughed and accidentally spilled his drink on the table, spilling it on Hermione and some on you.

"Oh! All hands on deck, Granger and Stark." Slughorn glanced at Hermione and you. "Listen, my boy, in the old days. I used to throw together the occasional supper party for a select student or two. Would you be game?"

As you wiped your pants with tissues, you looked at Harry curiously, who nodded shyly. "I'd consider it an honor, sir."

Slughorn looked down at you and Hermione. "You two would be welcome too, Granger and Stark."

You smiled warmly at him while Hermione chuckled. "We'd be delighted, sir."

Slughorn's face lit up in delight. "Splendid! Look for my owl." He looked down at Ron and smiled. "Good to see you, Wallenby."

Ron blinked at him as Slughorn left while you chuckled a bit. Ron rolled his eyes at you with a smile before looking at Harry. "What are you playing at?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore's asked me to get to know him," Harry replied.

"Get to know him?" You asked, tilting your head to the side for a bit.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It must be important. If it weren't, Dumbledore wouldn't ask."

You and Ron exchanged looks before looking at Hermione. You smiled as you drank your butterbeer while Ron blinked at her. "You got a little bit..." Ron said as he pointed on top of his lips.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she realized what he was referring to. She blushed and immediately wiped the whipped cream off. You placed your butterbeer down and chuckled. "I think it's cute."

After a few more drinks, the four of you decided to head back to the castle. In front of you were Katie Bell and her friend. "Katie, you don't know what it could be." Katie's friend, Leanne, scolded her.

"I know what I'm doing." You heard Katie reply.

"Harry, what..." Ron whispered. "Did you hear what she said back at the pub about me and her snogging?"

"As if." Harry chuckled.

Hermione sighed and wrapped her arm around your shoulders; the two of you were in front of the boys. Suddenly, all of you stopped when the four of you heard a scream.

Leanne turned around as you spotted Kate lying on the ground. "I warned her! I warned her not to touch it!"

Katie started to move side to side and was lifted. She screamed. Leanne desperately tried to pull Katie down as tears streamed down her face. "Katie!"

You and your friends quickly rushed to Katie until the girl fell and hit the ground harshly. Her head was twitching, and her eyes were shot open. You inhaled sharply. "Don't get any closer!" You heard Hagrid yell. "Get back, all of you."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped back while you pulled Leanne away from Katie as Hagrid walked closer to the girl. He lifted her and shook his head. "Oh no, no, no."

Leanne cried on your shoulder, and you patted her back in comfort. Harry spotted an opal necklace on the ground. Harry took a step closer to the necklace to get it but was stopped again by Hagrid. "Do not touch that, except for the wrappings. Do you understand?"

°•○●○•°

"You're sure Katie did not have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?" McGonagall asked as she observed the necklace.

"It's like I said." Leanne sighed. "She left to go to the loo, and when she came back, she had the package. She said it was important that she deliver it." She explained.

"Did she say to whom?" McGonagall asked.

"To Professor Dumbledore," Leanne answered.

Your eyes widened in surprise while McGonagall nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Leanne. You may go." Leanne left the four of you in Professor McGonagall's office. McGonagall sighed as she looked at you and your friends. "Why is it when something happens, it is always you four?" She asked.

Ron sighed. "Believe me, professor, I've been asking myself the same question for six years."

"It's either we purposely go to danger, or the danger hunts us." You added as you looked down.

McGonagall shook her head before noticing someone entering her office. "Oh, Severus."

Snape stood next to McGonagall and lifted the necklace with his wand, not touching it. "What do you think?" McGonagall asked.

"I think Ms. Bell is lucky to be alive," Snape told her.

"She was cursed, wasn't she?" Harry asked. "I know Katie. Off the Quidditch Pitch, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was delivering that to Professor Dumbledore, she wasn't doing it knowingly."

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, she was cursed."

"It was Malfoy." Harry said bluntly.

You and Hermione instantly looked at Harry. You nudged him. "You're doing this now, really?" You questioned in a whisper.

McGonagall and Snape turned around to look at Harry. "That is a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall warned, looking at him in disbelief.

"Indeed," Snape said. "Your evidence?"

"I just know." Harry shrugged.

You sighed in defeat and rolled your eyes in annoyance.

"You just... know?" Snape asked. "Once again, you astonish with your gifts, Potter. Gifts mere mortals can only dream of possessing. How grand it must be to be the Chosen One."

McGonagall glanced at Snape. "I suggest you go back to your dormitories. All of you."

Once the four of you were outside and had a good distance away from the office, you stopped on your tracks and stood in front of Harry. "Really? You just know?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at you. "You don't believe me that Malfoy did this?"

"You don't even have any evidence!" You snapped.

"She's right, Harry," Hermione said, standing beside you. "We can't accuse Malfoy if we don't have any solid evidence."

"He's obviously a Death Eater now, (Y/n)!" Harry exclaimed. "And you saw him just now at the Three Broomsticks. Clearly, he could've cursed her."

"You're his friend, and you're just going to accuse him because he's a Death Eater that you're not even sure of!" You scolded.

"Then what do you want me to do? Ask him if he's a Death Eater? (Y/n), you know he won't tell us nor you. It'll be impossible to make him talk." He reasoned.

You scrunched your nose in annoyance before groaning in annoyance. You walked away and let out a scream of frustration and anger. Harry, Ron, and Hermione flinched as the castle's walls slightly shook from your small outburst. Students around were also alarmed. Ron glanced at Harry as you walked further away. "She's scary when she's angry."

°•○●○•°

You were reading at the Great Hall with your sister Megan. Megan was preparing for her upcoming tests while you were reading just for fun. Megan glanced at your book and frowned. "What is your obsession with star-crossed lovers?"

You looked up from your book to see your sister. "Huh?" You glanced at your book and shook your head. "I'm reading about King Arthur and--"

"And the Knights of the Round Table." Megan interrupted. "Yeah, I know. I can see the title of the book: Le Morte d'Arthur. But you do know, there's a love story about two star-crossed lovers there, right?"

You slowly shook your head. "No..."

"You can't be that stupid, (Y/n)."

"Oh, piss off." You slightly nudged Megan's side. "I had nothing else to do besides reading. So what if I'm reading books about star-crossed lovers?"

"Because last year you also read about Wuthering Heights, which also involves two lovers who didn't end up together."

"Hey, how did you--"

"Not to mention, you love Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo and Juliet is popular, MJ." You stared at her as you added a bookmark to a page you were reading and closed your book. "And I just find star-crossed lovers' story quite interesting, alright? Nothing more."

Megan crossed her arms as you looked away. "You're afraid that you and Draco are star-crossed lovers, aren't you?"

"You're talking nonsense, Megan."

"Oh, my God." Megan gasped. "You are!"

You turned to her and sighed. "Malfoy and I are not star-crossed lovers, Megan. We're not even in a relationship." You gathered your things and walked away. Megan watched you walk out. "Where are you going?"

"To the library. I need some peace." You answered before exiting the Great Hall. Not long enough, you arrived at the library and took your things and books out. You started reading again and were finally at peace.

"(Y/n)?" You looked up to see Daphne Greengrass standing just beside you, causing you to jolt up in surprise. Daphne winced and nervously chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

You shook your head. "No, no. It's alright. I just didn't expect one of Stacey's friends to come and talk to me so casually."

Daphne smiled. "Well, you'll be in relief that I am no longer associated with her. She's just getting on my nerves for the amount of harassment she's bringing to everyone since the second year."

"That's a surprise. I thought you and Stacey were close."

Daphne almost cackled. "Oh, no. We would always argue about her bullying. I didn't really mind when she was new here, but when I see how she's becoming crueler, I had to break away from her."

You tilted your head in curiosity. "What about Pansy?"

"What about her?"

"Is she still friends with Stacey?"

Daphne crossed her arms and looked away, slightly chewing her bottom lip. "We, uh... we're not really on speaking terms right now."

You leaned back in surprise. "Oh yeah?"

"She's been avoiding me since the start of classes. I don't know what came over her." You nodded in understanding until Daphne looked back at you. "But I need you to help her."

"Help who now?"

"Pansy."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're good at Potions," Daphne replied. "She's getting low marks, and something's bothering her. I don't know what it is, and even if I wanted to help her, she's avoiding me. And I don't want to ask Granger about it. We're not close."

You were about to ask her why she can't just teach Pansy herself, but you realized it was a stupid question since she just told you what happened to the both of them. You sighed. "What about... um... Malfoy?"

Daphne frowned. "I don't think I can. Malfoy's a bit distant lately." She explained. "He even rarely hangs out with us. I thought you would know that."

You looked down, looking away, and pressing your lips to form a thin line. "I know. I just didn't know he would be distant to his own Slytherin gang too."

"So, can you help me?"

"Why are you so eager to help her? Do you have feelings for her or something?" You teased. When you saw her expression didn't change, nor did she smile and chuckle, it clicked. Your eyes slowly widened, and you softly gasped. "Oh, my..."

"I don't expect you to understand." Daphne sighed. "You can hate me, but that won't change my feelings about her."

You vigorously shook your head. "Oh, I don't hate you at all, Daphne. I just realized how you two were so close that I kind of suspected there was something more. Especially of how protective you are of her."

Daphne looked down at her feet. "She doesn't see me the way I see her." She confessed. "But even if she doesn't like me back, the last thing I could do is to help her and protect her."

You thought for a moment. You knew she was sincere and had no intention of lying. It would be ridiculous if she was lying to talk to you. So you nodded and smiled. "I'll help her. You may at least try telling her to meet me at the library. Just don't say my name, or she'll refuse to go."

Daphne looked up to see you and cracked a smile. "Thank you so much, (Y/n)."