𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐇𝐁𝐏 𝟖

One bright morning in the Great Hall, sunlight streaming through the tall windows and illuminating the long tables, Hermione, Emily, Harry, and Ron sat together, breakfast spread out before them. The chatter and clatter of other students filled the air, but at their table, an easy warmth had settled over the group.

Hermione couldn't help but notice how close Emily and Harry had been lately—laughing softly, leaning in toward one another, their usual nervous energy replaced by a lightness she hadn't seen in them before. They seemed... happy. Truly happy.

"What's got you two so giddy?" Hermione asked, a teasing lilt in her voice as she leaned forward, her elbows on the table.

Ron let out a loud snort, smirking. "I know."

Harry's hand shot under the table, giving Ron a sharp kick. He shook his head, eyes pleading silently for him to keep quiet.

"What?" Ron shouted, completely ignoring the warning. "Emily's probably already told her!"

"What? Told me wha—" Hermione's words cut off mid-sentence as the realization hit her. Her spoon slipped from her fingers, the few cornflakes clattering onto the table, and she let out a dramatic gasp.

Emily and Harry froze, their faces turning a brilliant shade of red, like ripe tomatoes caught in the sun. Their eyes darted around helplessly as Hermione's laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. Ron doubled over beside her, unable to contain his amusement.

"It's not funny!" Emily shouted, burying her face in her hands, heat rising in her cheeks. "Stop!"

But Hermione and Ron only laughed harder, the sound ringing through the Great Hall, leaving Harry groaning softly into his hands while Emily tried—and failed—to escape their teasing glances.

For a moment, even amidst the embarrassment, Emily felt a warm flicker of joy—small and fleeting—but it reminded her that laughter, even at her own expense, could still exist in their chaotic world.

As Hermione had predicted, the sixth years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vast amount of homework they were being set.

Not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before.

To Emily's suprise, her grades had slowly turned back to normal and she was five steps ahead of the class again, although the lessons were increasingly getting harder and she had to ask McGonagall to repeat the instructions once or twins.

Incredibly, and to Hermione's and Emily's increasing resentment, Harry's best subject had suddenly become Potions, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince.

Nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too.

Emily frequently looked over at her classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on U-No-Poo; but she knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud.

It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.

One result of their enormous workload and the frantic hours of practicing nonverbal spells was that Emily, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had so far been unable to find time to go and visit Hagrid.

He had stopped coming to meals at the staff table, an ominous sign, and on the few occasions when they had passed him in the corridors or out in the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice them or hear their greetings.