Charmolypi

Chapter 74

The scene changed, showing the second years in the Herbology greenhouse, working on Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Thea was standing beside Neville, working on their project when she saw Ernie Macmillan coming closer to Harry.

Ernie tapped Harry on the shoulder and when the Potter boy turned around, the Hufflepuff took a deep breath and said, very formally:

"I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —" He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it. Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron. "That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."

"He doesn't learn, does he?"

"Thea is probably going to kill him."

"That's clever of you," Thea snapped, seemingly not as forgiving of Ernie as Harry.

"Forgiveness is a virtue," some Hufflepuff said, but was quickly silenced by a cushion that was thrown his way.

"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.

"No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared.

"Don't you ever stop?" Thea said firmly. "You went from blaming Harry, to blaming Malfoy? Are you really that pathetic?" Ernie looked flustered and angry, not knowing what to say to the Potter girl who had gone back to her work, not giving the boy another minute of her time.

"She can't be bothered, that's bloody amazing..." Marlene said in absolute awe.

A second later, Harry spotted something. Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. Harry hit Ron over the hand with his pruning shears.

"Ouch! What're you —" Ron instantly shut up when he noticed what Harry was pointing at. "Oh, yeah," said Ron, trying, and failing, to look pleased. "But we can't follow them now —"

Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously. Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up.

"These two can't seem to mind their business," Sirius said, annoyed.

"Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest..." And Ron looked even unhappier about that.

At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry and Ron lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot.

"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told Ron. "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help."

"Right," said Ron, who was twirling his wand nervously in his fingers. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" he added as they took their usual places at the back of Lockhart's classroom.

"Doesn't he know that most werewolves only turn on full moons?"

"What do you mean most? Shouldn't it be all?" a younger student asked.

"Some werewolves decide to assume a form between human and wolf," Remus answered, but suddenly shied away when he received suspicious looks.

"There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns . . ." Thea said, startling the two boys. "There's no way that you're going in there without me."