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

now?’
    ‘No,’ said Katie, shaking her head ruefully. ‘Everyone’s been asking me, but I haven’t got a clue. The last thing I remember was walking into the ladies’ in the Three Broomsticks.’
    ‘You definitely went into the bathroom, then?’ said Hermione.
    ‘Well, I know I pushed open the door,’ said Katie, ‘so I suppose whoever Imperiused me was standing just behind it. After that, my memory’s a blank until about two weeks ago in St Mungo’s. Listen, I’d better go, I wouldn’t put it past McGonagall to give me lines even if it is my first day back …’
    She caught up her bag and books and hurried after her friends, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione to sit down at a window table and ponder what she had told them.
    ‘So it must have been a girl or a woman who gave Katie the necklace,’ said Hermione, ‘to be in the ladies’ bathroom.’
    ‘Or someone who looked like a girl or a woman,’ said Harry. ‘Don’t forget, there was a cauldronful of Polyjuice Potion at Hogwarts. We know some of it got stolen …’
    In his mind’s eye he watched a parade of Crabbes and Goyles prance past, all transformed into girls.
    ‘I think I’m going to take another swig of Felix,’ said Harry, ‘and have a go at the Room of Requirement again.’
    ‘That would be a complete waste of potion,’ said Hermione flatly, putting down the copy of Spellman’s Syllabary she had just taken out of her bag. ‘Luck can only get you so far, Harry. The situation with Slughorn was different; you always had the ability to persuade him, you just needed to tweak the circumstances a bit. Luck isn’t enough to get you through a powerful enchantment, though. Don’t go wasting the rest of that potion! You’ll need all the luck you can get if Dumbledore takes you along with him …’ She dropped her voice to a whisper.
    ‘Couldn’t we make some more?’ Ron asked Harry, ignoring Hermione. ‘It’d be great to have a stock of it … have a look in the book …’
    Harry pulled his copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bag and looked up Felix Felicis.
    ‘Blimey, it’s seriously complicated,’ he said, running an eye down the list of ingredients. ‘And it takes six months … you’ve got to let it stew …’
    ‘Typical,’ said Ron.
    Harry was about to put his book away again when he noticed the corner of a page folded down; turning to it, he saw the Sectumsempra spell, captioned ‘For Enemies’, that he had marked a few weeks previously. He had still not found out what it did, mainly because he did not want to test it around Hermione, but he was considering trying it out on McLaggen next time he came up behind him unawares.
    The only person who was not particularly pleased to see Katie Bell back at school was Dean Thomas, because he would no longer be required to fill her place as Chaser. He took the blow stoically enough when Harry told him, merely grunting and shrugging, but Harry had the distinct feeling as he walked away that Dean and Seamus were muttering mutinously behind his back.
    The following fortnight saw the best Quidditch practices Harry had known as Captain. His team was so pleased to be rid of McLaggen, so glad to have Katie back at last, that they were flying extremely well.
    Ginny did not seem at all upset about the break-up with Dean; on the contrary, she was the life and soul of the team. Her imitations of Ron anxiously bobbing up and down in front of the goalposts as the Quaffle sped towards him, or of Harry bellowing orders at McLaggen before being knocked out cold, kept them all highly amused. Harry, laughing with the others, was glad to have an innocent reason to look at Ginny; he had received several more Bludger injuries during practice because he had not been keeping his eyes on the Snitch.
    The battle still raged inside his head: Ginny or Ron? Sometimes he thought that the post-Lavender Ron might not mind too much if he asked Ginny out, but then he remembered Ron’s expression when he had seen her kissing Dean, and was sure that Ron would consider it base treachery if Harry so much as held her hand …
    Yet Harry could not help himself talking to Ginny, laughing with her, walking back from practice with her; however much his conscience ached, he found himself wondering how best to get her on her own: it would have been ideal if Slughorn had given another of his little parties, for Ron would not be around – but unfortunately, Slughorn seemed to have given them up. Once or