The Other Black Book 6

Chapter 10 - Felix Felicis

Katie was removed to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries the following day, by which time the news that she had been cursed had spread all over the school, though the details were confused and nobody other than Harry, Ron, Hermione, Aurora, Leanne, and Aurora's Bekker Street friends seemed to know that Katie herself had not been the intended target.

"Oh, and Malfoy knows, of course," said Harry to Ron and Hermione, who continued their new policy of feigning deafness whenever Harry mentioned his Draco-Is-a-DeathEater theory.

Normally Aurora would have sided with Hermione and Ron. She may not think much of her cousin, but she did not see him as Death Eater material unless it was somehow a punishment (once more, this stray reasoning made no sense as to why she would think it). However this Monday morning, she was far more tired. She did everything she could to pay attention, but she had a few lazier spells in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. She couldn't even be surprised that Snape didn't question her struggle with a new spell nor assign her extra homework (however Harry certainly had something to say after class). She had stopped taking Divination in hopes that she would no longer have the dreams that kept her restless. That plan, while worked for the large part, did not work out the night after the Hogsmeade trip.

She had woken after having two very strange dreams. One of them involved a white ferret wearing a silver necklace, bearing a collection of bottles to a room. A large slug came by and took these bottles from the ferret, and shared them with a party consisting of a goat, a weasel, a pot, and a jackrabbit. She had woken after that, quite confused and quite startled. The other dream was one of her rare ones involving actual people. This particular one was Harry holding a crown. One side was covered in a dark red liquid Aurora had taken to be blood, and the other side entirely untarnished. He appeared to be holding it out towards a puddle on a wall. Aurora could not tell what the puddle was, although she thought it may have been grease.

Aurora did not want to leave Slughorn's party, for that would mean she had to sleep. She did not want to sleep, in fear of having another dream. She dawdled at the party, but eventually Hermione pulled Aurora away. She tried to ask why Aurora stayed, but Aurora did not want to answer.

Aurora had Herbology first thing the following morning. Harry had been unable to tell Ron, Aurora, and Hermione about his lesson with Dumbledore over breakfast for fear of being overheard, but he filled them in as they walked across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. The weekend's brutal wind had died out at last; the weird mist had returned and it took them a little longer than usual to find the correct greenhouse.

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Ron quietly, as they took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this term's project, and began pulling on their protective gloves. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," said Harry, inserting a gum shield. "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."

"I think it's fascinating," said Hermione earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"

"So how was Slughorn's latest party?" Harry asked her thickly through the gum shield.

"Oh, it was quite fun, really," said Hermione, now putting on protective goggles. "I mean, he drones on about famous ex-pupils a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggen because he's so well-connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones."

"Gwenog Jones?" said Ron, his eyes widening under his own goggles. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"That's right," said Hermione. "Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but —"