Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

difficult topic of human transfiguration; working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the colour of their own eyebrows. Hermione laughed unkindly at Ron’s disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar moustache; Ron retaliated by doing a cruel but accurate impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, which Lavender and Parvati found deeply amusing and which reduced Hermione to the verge of tears again. She raced out of the classroom on the bell, leaving half her things behind; Harry, deciding that her need was greater than Ron’s just then, scooped up her remaining possessions and followed her.
    He finally tracked her down as she emerged from a girls’ bathroom on the floor below. She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back.
    ‘Oh, hello, Harry,’ said Luna. ‘Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?’
    ‘Hi, Luna. Hermione, you left your stuff …’
    He held out her books.
    ‘Oh, yes,’ said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. ‘Thank you, Harry. Well, I’d better get going …’
    And she hurried off, without giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any.
    ‘She’s a bit upset,’ said Luna. ‘I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley …’
    ‘Yeah, they’ve had a row,’ said Harry.
    ‘He says very funny things sometimes, doesn’t he?’ said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. ‘But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.’
    ‘I s’pose,’ said Harry. Luna was demonstrating her usual knack of speaking uncomfortable truths; he had never met anyone quite like her. ‘So have you had a good term?’
    ‘Oh, it’s been all right,’ said Luna. ‘A bit lonely without the DA. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me “Loony” the other day –’
    ‘How would you like to come to Slughorn’s party with me tonight?’
    The words were out of Harry’s mouth before he could stop them; he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.
    Luna turned her protuberant eyes upon him in surprise.
    ‘Slughorn’s party? With you?’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Harry. ‘We’re supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like … I mean …’ He was keen to make his intentions perfectly clear. ‘I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don’t want to …’
    He was already half-hoping that she didn’t want to.
    ‘Oh, no, I’d love to go with you as friends!’ said Luna, beaming as he had never seen her beam before. ‘Nobody’s ever asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that why you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I do mine, too?’
    ‘No,’ said Harry firmly, ‘that was a mistake, I’ll get Hermione to put it right for me. So, I’ll meet you in the Entrance Hall at eight o’clock, then.’
    ‘AHA!’ screamed a voice from overhead and both of them jumped; unnoticed by either of them, they had just passed right underneath Peeves, who was hanging upside-down from a chandelier and grinning maliciously at them.
    ‘Potty asked Loony to go to the party! Potty lurves Loony! Potty luuuuurves Looooooony!’
    And he zoomed away, cackling and shrieking, ‘Potty loves Loony!’
    ‘Nice to keep these things private,’ said Harry. And sure enough, in no time at all the whole school seemed to know that Harry Potter was taking Luna Lovegood to Slughorn’s party.
    ‘You could’ve taken anyone !’ said Ron in disbelief over dinner. ‘ Anyone! And you chose Loony Lovegood?’
    ‘Don’t call her that, Ron,’ snapped Ginny, pausing behind Harry on her way to join friends. ‘I’m really glad you’re taking her, Harry, she’s so excited.’
    And she moved on down the table to sit with Dean. Harry tried to feel pleased that Ginny was glad he was taking Luna to the party, but could not quite manage it. A long way along the table, Hermione was sitting alone, playing with her stew. Harry noticed Ron looking at her furtively.
    ‘You could say sorry,’ suggested Harry bluntly.
    ‘What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?’ muttered Ron.
    ‘What did you have to imitate her