The Potter Twins and the Half-Blood Prince {6}

9. Secrets and Opals

"Know that I've seen better days, turned and looked the other way, but with you I can't see past the crystal ball" ~ State Champs, Crystal Ball 

Where is Dumbledore and what is he doing? I catch sight of him only two times over the next couple of weeks. He rarely appears at meals anymore, and I'm beginning to believe Riley's theory that he's leaving the school. Worst of all, he's seemed to forget the lessons he's supposed to be giving us, that seemed to be leading to more information about our prophecies. Even Dad and Sirius seem confused and somewhat betrayed, though not as much as Harry and I. 

Halfway through October comes out first Hogsmeade trip. I had wondered if these trips would still be allowed given everything that's going on, though I'm nevertheless thrilled that they're going ahead. 

I wake on the morning of the trip, which is proving stormy and cold. By the time I'm dressed in multiple layers of Mrs Weasley's woollen sweaters it's time for breakfast; thank god, as I don't think I have the patience to sit around and wait. The others are already there when I arrive, the boys in hysterics over something. I soon discover that Harry had accidentally woken Ron by somehow throwing him into the air and hanging him upside down. 

  ". . . and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grins, helping himself to sausages.

I laugh alongside them, but Hermione has not cracked a smile during this anecdote, and now turns an expression of wintry disapproval upon Harry.

"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that potion book of yours?" she asks.

Harry frowns at her.

"Always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"

"Was it?"

"Well. . . yeah, it was, but so what?"

"So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation and see what would happen?"

"Why does it matter if it's handwritten?" says Harry. 

"Because it's probably not Ministry of Magic approved," says Hermione. "And also," she adds, as we all roll our eyes, "because I'm starting to think this Prince character was a bit dodgy. "

Both Harry, Ron, and Riley shout her down at once.

"It was a laugh!" says Ron, upending a ketchup bottle over his sausages. "Just a laugh, Hermione, that's all!"

"Dangling people upside down by the ankle?" says Hermione. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"

"Fred and George," says Ron, shrugging, "it's their kind of thing. And, er--"

"Our Dad," says Harry. It takes a moment, but soon enough I too remember. 

"What?" 

"Our Dad used this spell," says Harry. "He - he told us."

This last part is not true; in fact, Harry and I had seen Dad use the spell on Snape, but we have never told Ron, Riley, and Hermione about that particular excursion into the Pensieve. Now, however, a wonderful possibility occurs to me. Could the Half-Blood Prince possibly be--?

"Maybe your dad did use it," saiysHermione, "but he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it, in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless. "

I stare at her. With a sinking feeling, I too remember the behavior of the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup. Ron comes to Harry's aid. 

"That was different," he says robustly. "They were abusing it. Harry and James were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione," he adds, pointing a sausage at her sternly, "because he's better than you at Potions --"

"It's got nothing to do with that!" says Hermione, her cheeks reddening. "I just think it's very irresponsible to start performing spells when you don't even know what they're for and stop talking about 'the Prince' as if it's his title, I bet it's just a stupid nickname, and it doesn't seem as though he was a very nice person to me!"

"I don't see where you get that from," says Harry heatedly. "If he'd been a budding Death Eater he wouldn't have been boasting about being 'half-blood,' would he?"

As Harry says this, I remember that Dad is a Pure Blood, but I push the thought out of mind; I'll worry about that later.