Never Is Our Always

Tea Leaves 3

(Minnie pov)

While we sat in the Great Hall eating breakfast, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in. I glance in their direction before seeing Draco do a dramatic swooning fit.

"Hey, Potter!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked, she was a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The Dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!"

Harry dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George.

"New third-year course schedules," George said, passing then, over. "What's up with you, Harry?"

"Malfoy," Ron said, sitting down by Fred's side and glaring over at the Slytherin table.

George and I looked up in time to see Draco pretending to faint with terror again.

"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself," Fred said, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.

"I wasn't too happy myself," George mumbled. "They're horrible things, those Dementors..."

"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" Fred said as he then wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" Harry said in a low voice.

"Forget it, Harry," George said bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking... They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," Fred grins. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

Harry was silent for a moment before he helped himself to sausages and fried tomatoes.

Hermione was examining her new schedule.

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," she said happily.

"Hermione," Ron said, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your timetable. Look, they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," Ron said, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And-" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "look, underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," Hermione said shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then-"

"Pass the marmalade," Hermione said.

"But-"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."