THE MOST FAITHFUL

VANISHED POTION

"Harry, what have you got?" Hermione asked the next morning as they descended a large flight of stairs to the Great Hall.

"Seamus thinks Harry is lying about You-Know-Who," explained Ron, putting the old sling over his right shoulder. Hermione sighed. "Yes, Lavender thinks so too."

"Did you have a good chat, did you discuss if I'm a lying idiot trying to get attention?" Harry snapped.

"No," said Hermione quietly. "I told her to shut up, really. And it would be nice if you stop beating us, Harry, because, in case you haven't noticed, Ron and I are on your side." There was a short pause.

"Sorry," Harry murmured.

"Non problem." said Hermione then she shook her head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end of year banquet?" Both Harry and Ron looked at her with a bewildered look and Hermione sighed again. "About You-Know-Who. He said that his ability to sow discord and enmity is very great. We can only fight her by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust." "How do you remember such a thing?" Ron asked, looking at her in admiration.

"Listen, Ron," said Hermione, with a hint of harshness. "I listen too, but I can't tell you what..."

"The point is ..." Hermione went on. "Which is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You Know Who came back just two months ago and we have already started arguing among ourselves. And the warning from the Sorting Hat is the same: stay close, stay together."

"If it means we have to make friends with Slytherin ... we don't really talk about it." Ron said with conviction. "Well I think it's a shame not to try to achieve some unity between the Houses." Hermione concluded sternly. They had reached the foot of the marble staircase.

Harry thought about it, Ron was right, they would never get along with the Slytherins and yet ... Byron was a Slytherin and from what he had told him he was friends with his mother, he seemed like a cool guy ... but he was was a Death Eater, like Snape. He hadn't had time to ask him if the Boggart had been telling the truth that night before he left. He froze abruptly, almost bumping into a row of fourth-year Ravenclaws crossing the Entrance Hall. They followed the crowd to the Great Hall and as they entered they all instinctively looked towards the teachers' table. Professor Caporal was chatting with Professor Sinistra, the astronomy teacher, and Hagrid was once again noticeable only by her absence. Between rustling and flapping of wings, hundreds of owls glided from the windows above, carrying letters and packages to the recipients and sprinkling the boys sitting at breakfast with a shower of water droplets; evidently it was raining hard outside. Professor McGonagall walked across the table, distributing the schedules.

"Look today!" Ron groaned. "History of Magic, two hours of Potions, Divination and two hours of Defense Against the Dark Arts ... Rüf, Snape, Cooman and that Umbridge all in one day! I hope Fred and George stand out and perfect those Marinate Snacks .. . " "Are my ears deceiving me?" Fred asked, coming up with George and huddling on the bench next to Harry.

"Hogwarts prefects certainly don't want to skip classes, do they?"

"Look what we have today," said Ron grumpily, sticking the time under Fred's nose. "It's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"You're right, little brother," said Fred, scrolling down the column. "You can have some Bloody Nougat at a good price if you want."

"Why is it cheap?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Because you keep getting nosebleeds until you dry up; we haven't found an antidote yet," George replied, helping himself to a smoked herring.

"Thanks a lot but no." Ron muttered, shoving the time into his pocket badly.

"Come on, at least with Snape, Byron will be there too, who knows that doesn't cheer up the environment a bit." George said, putting a cereal in his mouth.