Emma Potter; Going to War

82: Friend or Foe?

The fact that Harry Potter was going out with GinnyWeasley seemed to interest a great number of people, mostof them girls, yet Harry found himself newly and happily impervious to gossip over the next few weeks.

 After all, it made a very nicechange to be talked about because of something that was makinghim happier than I could remember being for a very long time,rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of DarkMagic. 

Did I tell Harry about me and Draco getting together? No. Did I tell him that Draco had indeed been branded with the Dark Mark? No. Did I tell him I nearly lost my virginity with him?

Hell no.

"You'd think people had better things to gossip about," saidGinny, as she sat on the library's floor, leaning againstHarry's legs and reading the Daily Prophet. "Three dementor attacks in a week, and all Romilda Vane does is ask me if it's trueyou've got a hippogriff tattooed across your chest."

 Me, Ron and Hermione roared with laughter. Harry ignored us.

"What did you tell her?"

 "I told her it's a Hungarian Horntail," said Ginny, turning apage of the newspaper idly. "Much more macho." 

"Thanks," said Harry, grinning. "And what did you tell herRon's got?" 

"A Pygmy Puff, but I didn't say where." 

Ron scowled as Hermione and I rolled around laughing. 

"Watch it," he said, pointing warningly at Harry and Ginny."Just because I've given my permission doesn't mean I can't withdraw it —"

 " 'Your permission,' " scoffed Ginny. "Since when did you give mepermission to do anything? Anyway, you said yourself you'd ratherit was Harry than Michael or Dean." 

"Yeah, I would," said Ron grudgingly. "And just as long as youdon't start snogging each other in public —" 

"You filthy hypocrite! What about you and Lavender, thrashingaround like a pair of eels all over the place?" demanded Ginny. 

But Ron's tolerance was not to be tested much as we movedinto June, for Harry and Ginny's time together was becoming increasingly restricted. Ginny's O.W.L.s were approaching and shewas therefore forced to study for hours into the night. 

On one suchevening, when Ginny had retired to the common room, and Harry was sitting beside the window in the library, supposedly finishinghis Herbology homework. 

Hermione dropped into the seat between him and me withan unpleasantly purposeful look on her face.

 "I want to talk to you, Harry." 

"What about?" said Harry suspiciously.

 Only the previous day, Hermione had told him off for distracting Ginny when she oughtto be working hard for her examinations.

 "The so-called Half-Blood Prince." 

"Oh, not again," he groaned. "Will you please drop it?" 

He had not dared to return to the Room of Requirement to retrieve his book, and his performance in Potions was suffering accordingly (though Slughorn, who approved of Ginny, had jocularlyattributed this to Harry being lovesick). 

But I was sure thatSnape had not yet given up hope of laying hands on the Prince'sbook, and Harry was determined to leave it where it was while Snape remained on the lookout. 

"I'm not dropping it," said Hermione firmly, "until you've heardme out. Now, I've been trying to find out a bit about who mightmake a hobby of inventing Dark spells —"