Dysfunctional

35 - Fake Kisses and All-Weather Friends

Friday, November 8

Harry arrived at Hogwarts the next evening, Tonks having Side-Along Apparated with him. After a short goodbye, he had walked up to the castle and taken the stairs straight to his common room outside which Ron was already waiting.

"Harry! Your trunk just appeared in our dorm, so I knew you were coming. What happened? McGonagall didn't say..."

And Harry told him what had happened as he followed Ron trudging downstairs again to the Great Hall for dinner.

Ron was saying, "McGonagall said he was hurt during Order business, but Neville got a letter from his grandmother. That's how we knew Sirius was there at the Longbottoms. Mum wrote to me and Ginny too, so we-"

He was cut off as Hermione looked up, surprised. "Harry! Is Sirius okay? We didn't-"

"Yes, everyone's fine! Blimey, Hermione, keep it down!" hissed Ron as they took seats at the table next to Hermione and Ginny. Predictably, people had turned to watch and eavesdrop, so Harry switched immediately to talk about homework and missed classes, which Hermione dutifully filled in for him.

After dinner and feeling comfortably full, Harry and Ron retired to the common room along with Hermione. Harry was just revelling in the fact that both his friends were on good terms again, when Lavender appeared out of nowhere and pulled Ron away to a deserted corner of the common room. Hermione seemed unaffected as she left for her dorm with a muttered 'goodnight', and Harry resisted the urge to curse himself for jinxing it. Parvati came up to him, seeming embarrassed and bored of her friend's antics just as much as Harry was frustrated with his.

"Hi, Harry. I heard about your godfather. Is he alright?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking," said Harry, noticing Romilda and her bunch of friends were watching him and batting their eyelashes. He took Parvati by the arm and pulled her to a corner, feeling compelled to ask, "Tell me if I'm wrong, but have you not told anyone that we're going to Slughorn's Christmas party together?"

Parvati scoffed, pointing a thumb behind her. "And find myself the target of those harpies? No thank you."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Not even Lavender knows?"

"Of course, she does!" exclaimed Parvati indignantly. "What do you take me for? She's my best friend and she can keep a secret. Admittedly, she's been too busy with your friend to even care..." trailed off Parvati.

"Spare me the details," muttered Harry, before adding desperately, "Come on, help me out a little here! If they know we're going together, they'll leave me alone."

"But we're not going together," said Parvati matter-of-factly. "We're going as friends."

"Yes, but at least they'll know they don't have a chance anymore," pointed out Harry.

"Why should I be the one to let everyone know?" said Parvati, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Because, I'd probably look like a prat if I went around saying I'm taking you out just as a friend," said Harry. He could already imagine the teasing that would take place in his dorm, especially from Seamus and Dean.

"So I won't look like one when I tell the same?" said Parvati furiously, her tone rising.

Harry backtracked immediately, not wanting to bring her ire upon himself. "That's not what I meant! This is girls' stuff and all I really want out of this is for those girls-" He looked askance at Romilda. "-to leave me alone. Hermione says she heard them planning to slip a love potion into my drink," he added with a grimace, hoping to gain her sympathy.