Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Fifty-eight: Valentine's Day

Chapter 58: Valentine's Day

"You asked the fifth year Gryffindor prefects to patrol the seventh floor halls right?" Hermione asked Ron. She tried the door to a classroom and it was locked, as she was expecting. They continued walking down the hall.

"Yes, of course. And I told the Slytherin sixth year prefects that they better actually patrol the dungeons including the Potions classrooms, or I'll be taking house points away," Ron said.

"Good. And the Great Hall?"

"It's all covered, don't worry. Everyone knows by now where their new patrols are for this half of the school year."

"Yes well... we need to make sure they're actually doing their patrols because there were stores missing from the Potions' cupboard, and Peeves... Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione stopped talking as she watched Ron pace back and forth three times. The door to the Room of Requirement appeared before them. Hermione glanced over her shoulder and down the halls to either side.

"Come on," Ron said, smiling and leading her in by her hand.

***

Harry watched Ron and Hermione's dots on the Marauder's Map disappear. He had been watching Draco and Ginny's dots as they skirted around the lake together when he'd accidentally caught sight of Hermione's name.

Harry realized then that he hated himself. He hated what he'd allowed himself to become. He'd had two whole bottles of Mead from the kitchens just while sitting here at his desk, pretending to read essays that his third years had handed in today while actually just watching Ginny and Draco on the Map.

"Mischief Managed," he muttered, tapping the Map. Refilling the same bottle of Mead for the third time before the last drops were gone and then stood, deciding he needed a walk. And maybe some fresh air.

Over the past month, Ginny looked worse and worse. She walked in a hunched form as though she was ready to pass out at any moment. Her hands shook constantly and more than once, teachers had scolded her for falling asleep during classes.

He was surprised that she was playing Quidditch better than ever. They'd won both of their matches so far. Though they still had to play Hufflepuff, Gryffindor would have to lose by more than six-hundred and seventy-five points to give a fighting chance to Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup. He supposed all the extra practice with Draco must have been paying off... This thought made Harry deliciously bitter. The jealousy he felt for Draco had practically become a comfort to him in a way that Harry certainly didn't understand.

Harry was trudging up the Astronomy tower steps. He was nearly to the top before he was wondering what he even wanted to do up there.

Once he was to the top, he was surprised to find himself alone. He figured there'd be at least one couple snogging up here. It was Valentine's Day, after all.

***

"Ginny, forgive me, but maybe we should go back inside so you can sit down," Draco said quietly. He was practically holding her up as they walked around the lake over snow-covered grounds. It made him nervous. It had crossed his mind multiple times that he could just stun her and go and get a teacher, but no matter how he looked at it, this would be impossible to explain. Either he or Ginny or both of them would end up in Azkaban for this once they figured out what was wrong with her. No question.

"I'm fine. The exercise is good for me. I need to keep my strength up for the fourth match in a couple of weeks."

"We need to get this taken care of. I can't believe you've been like this since Halloween."