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

werewolves and Snape, Stan Shunpike and the Half-Blood Prince, and finally falling into an uneasy sleep full of creeping shadows and the cries of bitten children …
    ‘She’s got to be joking …’
    Harry woke with a start to find a bulging stocking lying over the end of his bed. He put on his glasses and looked around; the tiny window was almost completely obscured with snow and in front of it Ron was sitting bolt upright in bed and examining what appeared to be a thick gold chain.
    ‘What’s that?’ asked Harry.
    ‘It’s from Lavender,’ said Ron, sounding revolted. ‘She can’t honestly think I’d wear …’
    Harry looked more closely and let out a shout of laughter. Dangling from the chain in large gold letters were the words ‘My Sweetheart’.
    ‘Nice,’ he said. ‘Classy. You should definitely wear it in front of Fred and George.’
    ‘If you tell them,’ said Ron, shoving the necklace out of sight under his pillow, ‘I – I – I’ll –’
    ‘Stutter at me?’ said Harry, grinning. ‘Come on, would I?’
    ‘How could she think I’d like something like that, though?’ Ron demanded of thin air, looking rather shocked.
    ‘Well, think back,’ said Harry. ‘Have you ever let it slip that you’d like to go out in public with the words “My Sweetheart” round your neck?’
    ‘Well … we don’t really talk much,’ said Ron. ‘It’s mainly …’
    ‘Snogging,’ said Harry.
    ‘Well, yeah,’ said Ron. He hesitated a moment, then said, ‘Is Hermione really going out with McLaggen?’
    ‘I dunno,’ said Harry. ‘They were at Slughorn’s party together, but I don’t think it went that well.’
    Ron looked slightly more cheerful as he delved deeper into his stocking.
    Harry’s presents included a sweater with a large Golden Snitch worked on to the front, hand-knitted by Mrs Weasley, a large box of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes products from the twins and a slightly damp, mouldy-smelling package which came with a label reading: ‘To Master, from Kreacher’.
    Harry stared at it. ‘D’you reckon this is safe to open?’ he asked.
    ‘Can’t be anything dangerous, all our mail’s still being searched at the Ministry,’ replied Ron, though he was eyeing the parcel suspiciously.
    ‘I didn’t think of giving Kreacher anything! Do people usually give their house-elves Christmas presents?’ asked Harry, prodding the parcel cautiously.
    ‘Hermione would,’ said Ron. ‘But let’s wait and see what it is before you start feeling guilty.’
    A moment later, Harry had given a loud yell and leapt out of his camp bed; the package contained a large number of maggots.
    ‘Nice,’ said Ron, roaring with laughter. ‘Very thoughtful.’
    ‘I’d rather have them than that necklace,’ said Harry, which sobered Ron up at once.
    Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur (on whom, it appeared, Mrs Weasley had not wanted to waste one) and Mrs Weasley herself, who was sporting a brand new midnight-blue witch’s hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.
    ‘Fred and George gave them to me! Aren’t they beautiful?’
    ‘Well, we find we appreciate you more and more, Mum, now we’re washing our own socks,’ said George, waving an airy hand. ‘Parsnips, Remus?’
    ‘Harry, you’ve got a maggot in your hair,’ said Ginny cheerfully, leaning across the table to pick it out; Harry felt goosebumps erupt up his neck that had nothing to do with the maggot.
    ‘’Ow ’orrible,’ said Fleur, with an affected little shudder.
    ‘Yes, isn’t it?’ said Ron. ‘Gravy, Fleur?’
    In his eagerness to help her, he knocked the gravy boat flying; Bill waved his wand and the gravy soared up in the air and returned meekly to the boat.
    ‘You are as bad as zat Tonks,’ said Fleur to Ron, when she had finished kissing Bill in thanks. ‘She is always knocking –’
    ‘I invited dear Tonks to come along today,’ said Mrs Weasley, setting down the carrots with unnecessary force and glaring at Fleur. ‘But she wouldn’t come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?’
    ‘No, I haven’t been in contact with anybody very much,’ said Lupin. ‘But Tonks has got her own family to go to, hasn’t she?’
    ‘Hmmm,’ said Mrs Weasley. ‘Maybe. I got the impression she was planning to spend Christmas alone, actually.’
    She gave Lupin an annoyed look, as though it was all his fault