A Trio of Serpents

54: Fernando is Our King

Summary: Logan's looking a little blue; Hogsmeade trip; Harry is bad at remembering names

Me making some of these titles and summaries: I swear it'll make sense in a moment.

Regardless whether Harry would tell Dumbledore of Ron's heightened abilities, he didn't get a chance. The headmaster was rarely present at mealtimes, which was about the only time Harry saw him even on a normal term.

"What do you reckon he's doing?" Ron wondered.

Harry shrugged. "Searching for something? More memories about Voldemort or something?"

They passed Logan with a few of his friends from Gryffindor in the corridor. Logan's hair, they saw, had a bluish tinge to it.

"Maybe you should have a word with them," one boy was saying. "Tell them that blue really does not look good on you."

"It's not that I'm worried about," Logan protested, "I just look like a fool."

"Look, if anyone asks, just say you were trying to match Sage's eyes," a girl said.

"Hail, no, that's a horrible idea..."

Harry and Ron waited until they were out of earshot before dissolving into a fit of snickers.

"You're lucky," Harry said, trying to pull himself together. "You got to see it fully in your vision."

"Yeah, I suppose I should embrace the good part about them," Ron agreed, wiping his eye.

"And what are you two giggling about?" Hermione had just appeared, having been in the library's Restricted Section for some of her "light reading."

"Logan's hair," Harry replied, letting out another snort.

Hermione turned her head to the side, but they both caught the mirth in her eyes. But all she said was, "I hope he gets his blond hair back."

"Probably for the best," said Ron, trying and failing to maintain a serious expression. "We wouldn't want anyone feeling blue."

The first Hogsmeade trip of the term took place halfway through October. The trio headed out that morning, although they almost immediately regretted it. It was freezing cold outside.

"Tracey had the right idea," Hermione said, shivering. "She and Padma were going to hang out in the library."

A gust of wind swept over them, bringing a fresh wave of coldness. Harry rubbed his frozen nose. "Honeydukes is open. Let's go." Anything to get out of the chill.

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn greeted them. He was holding a bag of crystallized pineapple. "That's three of my little suppers you've missed now! It won't do, m'boy, I'm determined to have you! Your friends here love them, don't you?"

"Yeah, they're cool," Ron muttered, rubbing his arms unconsciously. Thanks to the Half-Blood Prince, he had caught Slughorn's attention and been invited with Hermione and Harry to attend the parties. Ron had gone out of curiosity and did enjoy them with Hermione there, but it was odd not having Harry by their side. Still, he never insisted he went beyond a sentence or two.

"So why don't you come along, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Homework." This was a lie; he did it quickly enough to spare him some down time in the evenings. But Slughorn didn't need to know that.

"Understandable," Slughorn said with a sympathetic face. "But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you might be able to squeeze in a few hours, take a break from schoolwork..."