Chapter 62: More Misfortune
The first Friday back from Easter Break, fifth years and above were allowed a heavily guarded visit to Hogsmeade. Harry didn’t really feel like going, he’d rather stroll around the grounds, peacefully brooding away to his heart’s content. All his friends had pleaded with him, and he had given them one excuse after another why he wouldn’t go, and his plan had almost worked…
“You know Harry, I’m still really upset that you didn’t take me to Hogsmeade on Valentine’s Day…” Katie said to him Thursday evening.
“Katie,” Harry sighed. “Didn’t we talk about that?”
“Yes “ it’s just… well, it feels like time lost. If you’d just come into Hogsmeade with us on Friday, I’d let you off the hook,” she said innocently.
“Is that what this was about?” Harry said. “Katie, I just don’t feel like being surrounded by a lot of people, we can just stay here and hang out…”
“C’mon, we’ll hang with everyone at the Three Broomsticks, and then we can just take a nice romantic stroll along the storefronts…just the two of us. It’ll be good for you.”
“I’d rather not…”
Katie raised her eyebrow at him.
“You took Cho to Hogsmeade last Valentine’s…”
---
And so Harry found himself at Hogsmeade the next day with Katie, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and Susan. He had to admit, he had a pretty good time “ better than he would have walking around the grounds alone thinking about Sirius.
“You know, I’m glad you got me to come…” Harry told Katie after they left the group to walk alone. “It helps to get my mind off things…”
“You’re welcome,” Katie said. “But, if you don’t mind my asking, how are you doing?”
“Alright. I’m still having that same nightmare again…” Harry said, feeling horribly cold inside at the mere thought of it.
“Maybe we can fix that,” Katie said.
“Oh yeah, how?” Harry said, skeptically.
“Just replace your nightmares with sweet dreams…” Katie said smiling. She kissed him playfully on the lips. Harry smiled back at her.
“I definitely wouldn’t mind dreaming about that…” he told her.
They walked quietly for another minute, passing several shops. They came to Madam Puddifoot’s, and Katie stopped.
“Do you want to go in and get a cup of coffee?” she asked. Harry grimaced.
“No thanks “ that’s where I had my date with Cho, didn’t like it much…”
“Ah well, it is a bit frilly for me anyways,” Katie said.
Just as they were about to walk away, Harry heard the sound of music coming softly from inside the café.
“Hey…” he said to Katie. “Do you want to dance?”
“What? Here?” she asked.
“Yes, right here…”
“You’re mad!”
“Humor me…”
She looked him as though she were trying to figure out if he was joking or not.
“Alright then,” she said after a moment.
They stood there, dancing slowly on the spot to the barely audible music from inside the coffee shop, earning a few odd glances from passersby. Neither of them really cared.
“So, does this make up for Valentine’s Day?” Harry asked.
“Definitely…”
---
The good feelings did not last all day, later that night Harry was sitting in an armchair, just gazing at the fire, when Katie entered the common room furiously. Her face was flushed, and she looked as though she were about to cry.
“Katie, what’s wrong…”
“I’ve just been to see Snape…Pettigrew “ whatever!”
“What’s wrong?”
Katie thrust the two scrolls of parchment she had in her hands to him, and threw herself into an armchair. Harry unrolled each scroll, finding two neatly written essays, each with a large, spiky ‘D’ scrawled across the top.
“Why’s he giving you ‘D’s on your essays?” Harry asked.
“I don’t know “ either I’m awful or he’s evil…”
“I think I’ll place my bets on the second one,” Harry said darkly. “Well, why does it matter? You usually get E’s and O’s on everything, and as long as you pass you’re N.E.W.T’s, you’ll be fine…”
“Yes, if I pass my N.E.W.T’s I’ll be perfectly fine “ but I have to take them first…”
“What “”
“He told me that my work in class has been ‘abysmal’ and that he’s going to withdraw me from his class. I won’t be allowed to take my N.E.W.T’s, Harry… And they’re in a couple of weeks.”
“But he can’t do that!” Harry said.
“He’s the Potions Professor, Harry “ he’ll do whatever he likes…”
“Not if Dumbledore has anything to do with it,” Harry said, grabbing her hand and pulling her from her seat. “We’re going to his office. Now.”
“Harry, don’t you think it’s a bit late to be strolling down to Dumbledore’s office?”
“No, this is urgent… I don’t know what Pettigrew thinks he’s playing at, but this is personal… I know it.”
They set off for Dumbledore’s office, meeting Professor McGonagall on the way.
“Mr. Potter, Ms. Bell “ where do you think you’re going. Curfew is in five minutes, and you don’t seem to be heading towards your dormitories…”
“We want to speak to Professor Dumbledore,” Harry told her, not bothering to stop walking. “It’s about Professor Snape.”
Harry cast Professor McGonagall a significant look at Snape’s name, she nodded to show her understanding.
“Is it possible I can save you the trouble of the trip, Mr. Potter? Perhaps you can tell me what has happened?” she asked.
“Actually yeah…” Harry told her. “Snape gave Katie a ‘D’ on her last two essays. And now he’s threatening to have her removed from his class, and she’ll be unable to take her N.E.W.T’s.”
“Ms. Bell “ you’re work is usually quite exemplary in my class, I’m assuming that it is the same for Potions…”
“I usually score high…” Katie said timidly. “Actually, I have the essays if you’d like to see them…” she handed McGonagall the two scrolls.
“Very well, Professor Dumbledore and I will look over the essays. If we find, as I’m sure we will, that this is not ‘D’ work, we shall contact Professor Snape and make sure that Ms. Bell is able to take her N.E.W.T’s…”
“Thank you, Professor…” Katie said.
“See,” Harry told her as Professor McGonagall left the two of them, and they headed back fro Gryffindor Tower. “All cleared up, nothing to worry about.”
“Except his reasons, Harry,” Katie said. “I doubt he’s just playing with my mind for fun…”
---
“You tell him…”
“Are you mad? Tell him yourself…”
“Well, maybe he doesn’t have to know…”
“Of course he has to know…”
“Alright then, if it’s so important “ you tell him!”
“I can hear you, you know…”
Hermione and Ron stopped bickering and looked nervously at Harry, who was sitting a largely-round, flat topped stone. He had taken to sitting outside in the grounds a lot to eat and study; it was much more peaceful than being inside with the constant chatter of the other students.
“So what is it you have to tell me?” he asked politely.
“Well, the Daily Prophet just arrived…” Ron said.
“What is it now?” Harry asked.
“Bellatrix. She escaped.”
“AGAIN?” Harry snapped, causing Ron and Hermione to jump back about a foot. “How can they let her escape, again?”
“Well…” Hermione said apprehensively. “A Ministry official said it’s quite difficult to keep Death Eaters captive since they know a lot of Dark Magic, and have so many outside connections. And that it’s really difficult without the dementors…”
“This is absolutely ridiculous, as if I don’t have enough to worry about. Nothing can go right, can it? It always has to be something!”
“How about a game of Quidditch, Harry?” Ron asked, wearing a falsely hopeful grin.
“You want to play Quidditch?! At a time like this?”
“What else are we going to do… sit around and complain, or worry? Thought you told us we had to act like normal teenagers…”
Harry sat back down on his rock. Ron was right, of course it seemed like so long ago he had said that, so much had happened since.
“Come on “ a game of Quidditch will get your mind off things, cheer you up a bit…” Ron said.
“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Harry,” Hermione agreed.
“Okay, we’ll have a game of Quidditch, I haven’t flown in months… might be nice.”
“There we go,” Ron said happily. “Come on, we’ll go upstairs and get our brooms, try and gather up some more people…”
“I’ve got to go to the library and work on my Arithmancy essay,” Hermione told them as the three of them strode back towards the castle. “But the two of you have a good time “ and Harry, do try not to worry…”
“I’ll try…” Harry sighed.
They left Hermione at the library and continued to the common room, where they found Ginny and Katie, both surrounded by books and notes.
“The two of you up for a game of Quidditch?” Ron asked.
“Does it look like we’re up for a game of Quidditch?” Ginny asked.
“I don’t know, if I was in your position, it would definitely be welcome…”
“Well, I have to study for my O.W.L.’s, so sorry…” Ginny told him
“N.E.W.T’s…” Katie muttered.
“Oh, come on “ have some fun. An hour won’t hurt either of you. Besides, it’s for a good cause, we’re trying to cheer Harry up.”
“What’s wrong?” Katie asked Harry.
“Bellatrix escaped again…” Harry said, trying to bite back his anger.
Katie didn’t respond, but Harry saw her jaw clench tightly.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind a bit of stress relief myself…” she said stiffly. She stood up and stretched. “You’re on, but only for an hour…”
“Brilliant!” said Ron. “Ginny?”
“Oh, fine. If it’s for Harry, I suppose. But only for an hour “ and you can’t tell Hermione.”
“Why not?” Harry asked. “Oh, no…don’t tell me she has the two of you on study schedules…”
“Fine, I won’t tell you,” Ginny said. “But it may count as a lie of omission.”
Harry and Ron couldn’t help but laugh as they traveled up the staircase to their dormitory for their brooms. Harry threw his book bag on his bed, he then bent down to get his Firebolt “ but it wasn’t under his bed.
“Ron, where’d you put my Firebolt when you finished with it?” he asked.
“What are you talking about, mate?” Ron said, coming over with his own Cleansweep.
“On Tuesday, about a half-an-hour after Transfiguration, you asked if you could borrow it and I said yeah, and told you it was under my bed…”
“Harry “ I was with Hermione in the Room of Requirement after Transfiguration… ask her…”
“But it was you! Ron, stop joking “ where is it?” Harry said, growing panicky now.
“Harry, mate “ I honestly haven’t a clue what you’re on about…” Ron said nervously.
Harry stopped to think. Ron was telling the truth, he knew it.
But then, who… Harry thought, and suddenly it clicked.
“It was Pettigrew! That bloody git disguised himself as you and stole my Firebolt!”