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

watching you demonstrate the correct use of a – whoops-a-daisy.’
    ‘You made me do that!’ said Ron angrily, sucking his cut thumb. ‘You wait, when I’m seventeen –’
    ‘I’m sure you’ll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills,’ yawned Fred.
    ‘And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald,’ said George, ‘what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called – unless our information is faulty – Lavender Brown?’
    Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts.
    ‘Mind your own business.’
    ‘What a snappy retort,’ said Fred. ‘I really don’t know how you think of them. No, what we wanted to know was … how did it happen?’
    ‘What d’you mean?’
    ‘Did she have an accident or something?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!’
    Mrs Weasley entered the room just in time to see Ron throw the sprouts knife at Fred, who turned it into a paper aeroplane with one lazy flick of his wand.
    ‘Ron!’ she said furiously. ‘Don’t you ever let me see you throwing knives again!’
    ‘I won’t,’ said Ron, ‘let you see,’ he added under his breath, as he turned back to the sprout mountain.
    ‘Fred, George, I’m sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two!’
    ‘No problem,’ said George.
    ‘Then, as Charlie isn’t coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Fleur shares with Ginny –’
    ‘– that’ll make Ginny’s Christmas –’ muttered Fred.
    ‘– everyone should be comfortable. Well, they’ll have a bed, anyway,’ said Mrs Weasley, sounding slightly harassed.
    ‘Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?’ asked Fred.
    Mrs Weasley turned away before she answered.
    ‘No, he’s busy, I expect, at the Ministry.’
    ‘Or he’s the world’s biggest prat,’ said Fred, as Mrs Weasley left the kitchen. ‘One of the two. Well, let’s get going, then, George.’
    ‘What are you two up to?’ asked Ron. ‘Can’t you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wand and then we’ll be free, too!’
    ‘No, I don’t think we can do that,’ said Fred seriously. ‘It’s very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic, makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs –’
    ‘– and if you want people to help you, Ron,’ added George, throwing the paper aeroplane at him, ‘I wouldn’t chuck knives at them. Just a little hint. We’re off to the village, there’s a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvellous … almost like real magic …’
    ‘Gits,’ said Ron darkly, watching Fred and George setting off across the snowy yard. ‘Would’ve only taken them ten seconds and then we could’ve gone, too.’
    ‘I couldn’t,’ said Harry. ‘I promised Dumbledore I wouldn’t wander off while I’m staying here.’
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ said Ron. He peeled a few more sprouts and then said, ‘Are you going to tell Dumbledore what you heard Snape and Malfoy saying to each other?’
    ‘Yep,’ said Harry. ‘I’m going to tell anyone who can put a stop to it and Dumbledore’s top of the list. I might have another word with your dad, too.’
    ‘Pity you didn’t hear what Malfoy’s actually doing, though.’
    ‘I couldn’t have done, could I? That was the whole point, he was refusing to tell Snape.’
    There was silence for a moment or two, then Ron said, ‘Course, you know what they’ll all say? Dad and Dumbledore and all of them? They’ll say Snape isn’t really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy’s up to.’
    ‘They didn’t hear him,’ said Harry flatly. ‘No one’s that good an actor, not even Snape.’
    ‘Yeah … I’m just saying, though,’ said Ron.
    Harry turned to face him, frowning.
    ‘You think I’m right, though?’
    ‘Yeah, I do!’ said Ron hastily. ‘Seriously, I do! But they’re all convinced Snape’s in the Order, aren’t they?’
    Harry said nothing. It had already occurred to him that this would be the most likely objection to his new evidence; he could hear Hermione now:
    ‘Obviously, Harry, he was pretending to offer help so he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he’s doing …’
    This was pure imagination, however, as he had had no opportunity to tell Hermione what he had overheard.