Supported & Torn (HP) {Book 3 of the Wild & Free Series}

24. The Twins' Departure

"But why haven't you got Occlumency lessons anymore?" said Hermione, frowning.

"I've told you," Harry muttered. "Snape reckons we can carry on by ourselves now we've got the basics..."

That wasn't entirelly true. Harry had told me that he stumbled upon Professor Snape's pensieve and accidentally saw some of his memories; many of them involving Sirius and our father bullying him, only stopping if our mother told them too.

"Our father is just as arrogant as Snape always tells us," Harry had said, sounding very gloomy.

"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" said Hermione skeptically, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Pretty much," said Harry, not looking at her.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" said Hermione indignantly. "Harry, Liana, I think you should go back to him and ask —"

"No," said Harry forcefully. "Just drop it, Hermione, okay?"

It was the first day of the Easter holidays and Hermione, as was her custom, had spent a large part of the day drawing up study schedules for the five of us. Harry, Rowan, Ron and I had let her do it — it was easier than arguing with her and, in any case, they might come in useful.

Rowan and Ron had been startled to discover that there were only six weeks left until our exams.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione demanded, as she tapped each little square on Rowan's schedule with her wand so that it flashed a different colour according to its subject.

"I dunno..." said Rowan, "there's been a lot going on..."

"Well, there you are," she said, handing him his schedule, "if you follow that you should do fine."

Ron looked down at his own schedule gloomily, but then brightened. "You've given me an evening off every week!"

lThat's for Quidditch practice," said Hermione.

The smile faded from Ron's face.

"What's the point?" he said. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic..."

Hermione said nothing. She was looking at Harry, who was staring blankly at the opposite wall of the common room while Crookshanks pawed at his hand, trying to get his ears scratched.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"What?" he said quickly. "Nothing..."

He seized his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and pretended to be looking something up in the index. Crookshanks gave him up as a bad job and slunk away under Hermione's chair.

"I saw Cho earlier," said Hermione tentatively, "and she looked really miserable too... Have you two had a row again?"

"Wha — oh yeah, we have," said Harry.

"What about?" I asked, remembering I had left them in the dungeon when Cho had gone to fetch me for Umbridge.

"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta," said Harry.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" said Ron angrily, setting down his study schedule. "If it hadn't been for her..."

And Ron went into a rant about Marietta Edgecombe.

As though to underline the importance of our upcoming examinations, a batch of pamphlets, leaflets, and notices concerning various Wizarding careers appeared on the tables in Gryffindor Tower shortly before the end of the holidays, along with yet another notice on the board, which read: