Portrait Between the Pages (Harry Potter fanfic)

That Unscratchable Itch

"What do you think he meant by that?" Ginny asked in the morning as they headed downstairs to breakfast with Hermione. Gone was the lighthearted side Ginny had used the night before, possibly in hopes of not alerting Lavender to what was really going on or perhaps to make getting a night's sleep easier for herself. Hermione wasn't sure which, or if both.

"You mean the thing he doesn't want us mentioning?" Hermione asked.

"He said," Ginny started to say before looking around and lowering her voice. "He said something about him making more than one."

"I know," Hermione said. "I've been thinking I should speak to Dumbledore, but I also don't want to worry Harry about what I've found."

"But Harry will want to know," Ginny said.

"Let's eat," Hermione said. "And try to occupy our minds with other things." She heard Ginny sigh, knowing full well Ginny's past with Tom Riddle's diary—Tom Riddle being Lord Voldemort's younger self—was getting to the younger teen. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks," Ginny said. "I know."

They sat down and started eating, and yet Hermione's mind remained occupied by what she'd learned from Regulus, along with the need to tell Dumbledore what she learned, although she also felt that she was betraying Regulus. Which was odd, given Regulus wasn't the real Regulus, simply a portrait and a portrait of a known Death Eater. Yet—

"He didn't like finding out Voldemort had created a second Horcrux," Hermione thought.

"So, Ginny?" Ron said, clearing his voice and making Hermione glance at him before turning to Ron's younger sister. Their older twin brothers also looked up, slowly chewing their food.

"Yes."

"I want to say I'm sorry. For yesterday," Ron said.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, though, am I?" Ginny said, continuing to eat while remaining cold. Fred and George looked at each other, eyebrows lifting as they wondered what was happening with the youngest Weasley siblings.

"Excuse me?" Ron said, his voice cracking. "Who? Hermione and Harry? Already apologized. Right?"

Harry nodded, and Ginny looked up before saying, "We're not the ones you threatened to throw on the fire, are we?"

Ron stared, his mouth opened wide. "You want me to apologize to...."

Harry quickly elbowed Ron in the ribs, indicating he shouldn't say anything more, particularly since Umbridge had taken notice of their conversation and headed over, likely hoping to catch something she could report back to Fudge with, given the Ministry of Magic's educational decree that placed her in the position of High Inquisitor. And she stared, making everyone look at their plates but Fred and George, who looked right at each other.

And then, their hands shot up.

"Yes?"

"Do you ever eat?" Fred said.

"You should eat," George said.

"Not healthy to do so."

"Our mum would skin us alive if we didn't eat properly."

Umbridge stared, obviously taken aback by what they had just said. "None of your worries, but I'll simply have one of the House Elves bring me something later."

"House Elves," Hermione muttered. Her mouth opened to say something about Umbridge abusing her position to make the House Elves do extra work so that she could snoop on the students when she felt a light kick under the table. Harry shook his head, indicating she should say nothing, but then he'd already had more than one detention with Umbridge, and her tactic of making students write lines with a blood quill was far from delightful.