Lost Memories

li. apparation

After spending two weeks, alone, it was finally time for my friends to come back from Christmas holiday. I had asked Professor McGonagall if I could wait in her office for Harry, Ron, and Ginny to come through her fireplace and she allowed me. Around three o'clock, I had been waiting for two hours, Harry popped out of the fireplace with a cough.

"Harry!" I stood up and tackled him in a hug.

"Evening, Potter. Try not to get too much ash on the carpet."

Ron came spinning into view with Ginny in tow. I moved away from Harry and gave Ginny a hug. The four of us walked out of McGonagall's office and off towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Baubles," said Ron confidently, when we reached the Fat Lady, who was looking rather paler than usual and winced at his loud voice.

"No," she said.

"What d'you mean, 'no'?"

"There is a new password," she said. "And please don't shout."

"Sorry, ma'am, I didn't tell them. Abstinence."

"Precisely," said the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung forward to reveal the portrait hole.

"Harry! Ginny! Lottie!"

Hermione was hurrying towards us, very pink-faced and wearing a cloak, hat, and gloves.

"I got back a couple of hours ago, I've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buck — I mean Witherwings," she said breathlessly. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," said Ron at once, "pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim —"

"Lotts, give Harry his letter," Hermione cut Ron off.

"Oh, er— here you go," I handed Harry the scroll Dumbledore had given me for him.

"Great," said Harry, unrolling it at once to discover that his next lesson with Dumbledore was scheduled for the following night. "I've got loads to tell him — and you. Let's sit down —"

But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender Brown came hurtling out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. Thankfully enough, Lavender hadn't stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays so I didn't have to deal with her complaining about missing Ron; she only did that when she got back a half-hour before I escaped to McGonagall's office.

Hermione gave a tinkling laugh and said, "There's a table over here. Ginny, Lottie, coming?"

"No, thanks, I said I'd meet Dean," said Ginny. Ginny walked over to Dean while Harry and I sat down with Hermione.

"So how was your Christmas, Lottie?" Harry asked.

"Boring, really... full of nothing and wandering," I sighed.

"Hermione, you?

"Oh, fine," she shrugged. "Nothing special. How was it at Won-Won's?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," said Harry. "Look, Hermione, can't you—?"

"No, I can't," she said flatly. "So don't even ask."

Dropping the subject of Ron, Harry recounted all that he had overheard between Draco and Snape, with me interjecting ever so often. When we had finished, Hermione sat in thought for a moment and then said, "Don't you think — ?"

"— he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?"

"Well, yes," said Hermione.

"Ron's dad thinks so," Harry said grudgingly. "But this definitely proves Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that."

"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!"