𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 | ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟚 𝕠𝕗 ' 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕙𝕖 ' HIATUS

xl

Harry recounted his dream to Eurielle, Ron, and Hermione and like usual the two girls put two and two together for the boys.

There was something hidden in the department of mysteries and Voldemort was one more step closer to getting his hands on it.

Eurielle felt like her mind was about to break over the amount of strain. She had D.A meetings, O.W.L's, she couldn't contact her father, and Umbridge had sacked Trelawney and Dumbledore replaced her with a centaur.

This pleased her greatly as it got under Umbridge's skin, but it soon turned sour in her stomach when she sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast the next day.

" I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" asked Parvati, smirking while curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon.

"Not really," said Hermione indifferently, who was reading the Daily Prophet. "I've never really liked horses." She turned a page of the newspaper, scanning its columns.

"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" said Lavender, sounding shocked.

"A gorgeous centaur . . ." sighed Parvati

Eurielle pursed her lips, " The two of you furries now?" she asked with a disturbed look, " I'm not really surprised now that I think about it," she said as an afterthought looking over Hermione's shoulder to read the Prophet.

The two girls scowled, " Why are you always over at our table, Black?" asked Lavender, " Don't have any friends in your own house?"

Eurielle looked thoughtful, " Eh, only one, most either hate me or we're simply acquaintances," she said boredly, running her eyes over an article.

The Ravenclaw looked up to see Ron, " Oh yes," she dug in her satchel and pulled out a small pouch, " Your birthday is sometime soon, is it not," she said handing him the bag.

The redhead took it from her and frowned but his jaw dropped when he opened it, " W-What?" he gasped, plunging his hand into it pulling out a fistful of galleons, " H-H-How-,"

" Happy Birthday," she said before standing up and heading up the table, grabbing Fred's hand and then leaving the Hall.

Ron's eyes were still wide as he counted the money, " Blimey! Twenty-five galleons!" he said in disbelief, " Is she mad?!"

Hermione looked up, " Don't try and give it back to her, " she sighed, " She gave me the same thing for my birthday,"

Ron looked back at the bag in disbelief, " Where does she-,"

" She's a Black," sneered a voice from behind Harry. The trio looked up to see the revolted look of Draco Malfoy, " I see Black's having to throw around the money to keep friends, huh?"

" Disgusting how that half-blood whore is the heir to Black fortune," he said haughtily before looking down at them, " Tell me, Potter, you have money, how's she kept you around? "

Harry bristled, knowing fully what he meant, " Shove off, Malfoy," he spat.

-

The teachers and Hermione persisted in reminding them, the O.W.L.s were drawing ever nearer. All the fifth years were suffering from stress to some degree, but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tears during Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school now.

If it had not been for the D.A. lessons, Harry thought he would have been extremely unhappy. He sometimes felt that he was living for the hours he spent in the Room of Requirement, working hard but thoroughly enjoying himself at the same time, swelling with pride as he looked around at his fellow D.A. members and saw how far they had come.