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

… wow.’
    ‘Ron, you’re making it snow,’ said Hermione patiently, grabbing his wrist and redirecting his wand away from the ceiling from which, sure enough, large white flakes had started to fall. Lavender Brown, Harry noticed, glared at Hermione from a neighbouring table through very red eyes and Hermione immediately let go of Ron’s arm.
    ‘Oh yeah,’ said Ron, looking down at his shoulders in vague surprise. ‘Sorry … looks like we’ve all got horrible dandruff now …’
    He brushed some of the fake snow off Hermione’s shoulder. Lavender burst into tears. Ron looked immensely guilty and turned his back on her.
    ‘We split up,’ he told Harry out of the corner of his mouth. ‘Last night. When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Obviously she couldn’t see you, so she thought it had just been the two of us.’
    ‘Ah,’ said Harry. ‘Well – you don’t mind it’s over, do you?’
    ‘No,’ Ron admitted. ‘It was pretty bad while she was yelling, but at least I didn’t have to finish it.’
    ‘Coward,’ said Hermione, though she looked amused. ‘Well, it was a bad night for romance all round. Ginny and Dean split up too, Harry.’
    Harry thought there was a rather knowing look in her eye as she told him that, but she could not possibly know that his insides were suddenly dancing the conga: keeping his face as immobile and his voice as indifferent as he could, he asked, ‘How come?’
    ‘Oh, something really silly … she said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn’t climb in herself … but they’ve been a bit rocky for ages.’
    Harry glanced over at Dean on the other side of the classroom. He certainly looked unhappy.
    ‘Of course, this puts you in a bit of a dilemma, doesn’t it?’ said Hermione.
    ‘What d’you mean?’ said Harry quickly.
    ‘The Quidditch team,’ said Hermione. ‘If Ginny and Dean aren’t speaking …’
    ‘Oh – oh yeah,’ said Harry.
    ‘Flitwick,’ said Ron in a warning tone. The tiny little Charms master was bobbing his way towards them and Hermione was the only one who had managed to turn vinegar into wine; her glass flask was full of deep crimson liquid, whereas the contents of Harry’s and Ron’s were still murky brown.
    ‘Now, now, boys,’ squeaked Professor Flitwick reproachfully. ‘A little less talk, a little more action … let me see you try …’
    Together they raised their wands, concentrating with all their might, and pointed them at their flasks. Harry’s vinegar turned to ice; Ron’s flask exploded.
    ‘Yes … for homework …’ said Professor Flitwick, re-emerging from under the table and pulling shards of glass out of the top of his hat, ‘ practise .’
    They had one of their rare joint free periods after Charms and walked back to the common room together. Ron seemed to be positively light-hearted about the end of his relationship with Lavender and Hermione seemed cheery, too, though when asked what she was grinning about she simply said, ‘It’s a nice day.’ Neither of them seemed to have noticed that a fierce battle was raging inside Harry’s brain:
    She’s Ron’s sister.
    But she’s ditched Dean!
    She’s still Ron’s sister.
    I’m his best mate!
    That’ll make it worse.
    If I talked to him first –
    He’d hit you.
    What if I don’t care?
    He’s your best mate!
    Harry barely noticed that they were climbing through the portrait hole into the sunny common room, and only vaguely registered the small group of seventh-years clustered together there, until Hermione cried, ‘Katie! You’re back! Are you OK?’
    Harry stared: it was indeed Katie Bell, looking completely healthy and surrounded by her jubilant friends.
    ‘I’m really well!’ she said happily. ‘They let me out of St Mungo’s on Monday, I had a couple of days at home with Mum and Dad and then came back here this morning. Leanne was just telling me about McLaggen and the last match, Harry …’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Harry, ‘well, now you’re back and Ron’s fit, we’ll have a decent chance of thrashing Ravenclaw, which means we could still be in the running for the Cup. Listen, Katie …’
    He had to put the question to her at once; his curiosity even drove Ginny temporarily from his brain. He dropped his voice as Katie’s friends started gathering up their things; apparently they were late for Transfiguration.
    ‘… that necklace … can you remember who gave it to you