Courage

-84-

Book: Courage
Chapter 84
Word Count: 5371

Layla was sat in the common room on Saturday evening with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry and Ron were talking about the potions book that was apparently the property of 'The Half-Blood Prince', Hermione was doing homework, and Layla was fiddling with her Exploding Snap cards.

"Here and there are directions of spells, and I think the Prince created the spells himself," Harry said to Ron, showing him the book.

"Or herself," said Hermione irritably, overhearing the boys' conversation. "It might have been a girl. I think the handwriting looks more like a girl's than a boy's."

"The Half-Blood Prince, he was called," Harry said. "How many girls have been Princes?"

"Sexist," Layla joked, shuffling the cards in her hand.

Hermione merely scowled and twitched her essay on The Principles of Rematerialization away from Ron, who was trying to read it upside down.

"It's five to eight, I'd better go," said Harry, stuffing the amazing potions back into his bag, "I'll be late for Dumbledore."

"Ooooh!" gasped Hermione, looking up at once. "Good luck! We'll wait up, we want to hear what he teaches you!"

"Hope it goes okay," said Layla, and the three of them watched Harry leave through the portrait hole.

"So, now that he's gone," said Hermione, turning to Layla and Ron, "what do you really think of the Half-Blood Prince's book?"

"Leave it alone, Hermione," Ron rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous because Harry is finally doing better than you in Potions."

"That's not what this is about," Hermione snapped, though her cheeks flushed slightly as if she had been caught out. "That book could be jinxed for all we know. I'm just looking out for Harry."

"And I'm sure he appreciates it, 'Mione," said Layla, "but this is Harry we're talking about. The more that you tell him your worries about the book, it's only going to make him want to learn more about it. I'd say just leave him be."

"Exactly," Ron agreed, lounging on the couch. "Harry is not your property, Hermione. Let him do what he wants. That book seems really awesome."

Hermione frowned and huffed, collecting all of her things and walking off to the girls' dorms without another word.

"Now look what you've done," Layla said to Ron, a little amused.

"It's true, though," Ron shrugged. "I mean, it's just a book. A really good book. Don't you agree, Lay?"

"I guess," Layla said quietly. "Anyway, want to play a game of Exploding Snap with me?"

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. Layla barely understood half of what Professor McGonagall said to them these days; even Hermione had had to ask her to repeat instructions once or twice.

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