Harry Potter and The Mirror's Gift

Chapter 11

Harry woke up the next morning still feeling tired. He couldn't concentrate on lessons at all that day; he was in a stupor all throughout History of Magic, and later during Potions he hardly even heard Snape's sarcastic comments when his solution turned bright purple instead of blue.

"What's up, Harry?" asked Ron, looking worried. "You've been looking half asleep all morning."

"I'm all right," Harry muttered. "Just couldn't sleep last night."

He tried to study that afternoon in the Gryffindor common room, but his thoughts kept wandering.

"Just go and get it over with," he said to himself.

He looked at Ron and Hermione. Hermione was correcting Ron's history essay, and Ron was arguing with her.

Harry left them arguing and went out of the portrait hole. He made straight for Jeanne's room, but wasn't surprised when no one answered the door. He stood for a while outside the room, then made up his mind, and started off toward Professor Lupin's room.

Once he was standing outside the room, though, he suddenly changed his mind. Perhaps this wasn't a good time to come. He reached out a hand to knock on the door, then drew it back. After a moment's hesitation, he turned, and slowly made his way back down the corridor.

He was saved by Madam Pomfrey, who was coming from the opposite direction carrying a box. She looked like she was in a hurry.

"Ah, Harry," she said, looking pleased to see him. "Could you give this to Jeanne? She's in Professor Lupin's room. I have to rush off somewhere."

She gave him a warm smile, and then turned and rapidly disappeared down the corridor.

Harry looked in the box. There was an empty goblet there, together with what looked like a lot of herbs. He started off back toward Lupin's room.

Jeanne opened the door when he knocked. She looked surprised to see him.

"Madam Pomfrey asked me to give this to you," he said quickly.

She took the box from him, then stood there, looking at him.

"Jeanne," said Harry hurriedly, "About last night –"

"Hush," she said, holding a finger to her lips.

She glanced quickly back into the room, then turned to face him again.

"Come to my room tomorrow night," she whispered, leaning forward slightly. "I'll talk to you then." And then she turned and shut the door.

Harry felt slightly nervous as he made his way to Jeanne's room the following evening. She opened the door at once when he knocked, and invited him in.

He hadn't really seen the inside of Jeanne's room before. On the night of the Christmas Ball, he had been much too interested in watching Professors McGonagall and Lupin dressing Jeanne up to notice anything else. He now looked around. The room didn't look like the rest of the castle. Instead of stone, the walls and flooring consisted of pine strips. One entire wall had been replaced by floor to ceiling windows, so that, although the room was small, it did not feel enclosed. Jeanne had obviously tried to make the room feel as little like Deorg's cave as possible.

She smiled. "Do you like my room?"

Harry was almost too surprised to speak.

"Yes," he said, and looked at the floor to ceiling windows. "But how come –"