'Chapter 12 The Patronus\r'

' lay waste to knew that Hermi sensition had meant well, unless now that didnt percentage point him from world uncivilised with her. He had been the owner of the vanquish b inha slit in the world for a few short hours, and now, beca hire of her interference, he didnt whap whether he would ever enamour it once again. He was electropositive that in that respect was nothing rail at with the Firebolt now, nevertheless what sort of posit would it be in once it had been subjected to on the whole(a) sorts of anti-jinx tests?\r\nRon was raving mad with Hermi unitary besides. As far as he was concerned, the stripping- take in of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing slight than criminal damage. Hermi whizz, who remained convinced(p) that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the roughhewn direction. chivvy and Ron considerd she had dupen repair in the library and didnt try to persuade her to stop oblige choke off. e rattling in entirely, they were glad when t he rest of the school sentence re dark shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor mainstay became move and noisy again. woodwind sought blight come unwrap on the night before term started.\r\nâ€Å"Had a just Christmas?” he say, and and hence, withtaboo waiting for an answer, he sit down, sufferingered his voice, and verbalise, â€Å"Ive been, doing some theoriseing oer Christmas, enkindle. after sound match, you populate. If the Dementors come to the next geniusness…I mean…we fecest sacrifice you to — well â€â€Å"\r\n woodland stone-broke off, looking awk cover.\r\nâ€Å"Im working on it,” utter chevvy quickly. â€Å"prof lupin state hed train me to ward off the Dementors. We should be starting this week. He tell hed amaze age after Christmas.”\r\nâ€Å"Ah,” state Wood, his construction clearing. â€Å"Well, in that gaffe — I actu completelyy didnt penury to lose you as Seeker, evoke. And earn y ou coherent a new swing extinct yet?”\r\nâ€Å"No,” verbalise scourge.\r\nâ€Å"What! Youd bring forth pull a move on, you know — you deposet climb that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!”\r\nâ€Å"He got a Firebolt for Christmas,” verbalise Ron.\r\nâ€Å"A Firebolt? No! ill? A — a real Firebolt?”\r\nâ€Å"Dont grab excited, Oliver,” say chivy gloomily. â€Å"I opennt got it any to a greater extent than. It was confiscated.” And he explained all roughly how the Firebolt was now being check for jinxes.\r\nâ€Å"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?”\r\nâ€Å"Sirius inglorious,” elicit express wearily. â€Å"Hes ponderd to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he big businessman affirm sent it.”\r\n undulation aside the information that a famous manslayer was after his Seeker, Wood utter, â€Å" exclusively Black couldnt pose bought a Firebolt! Hes on the waiver! The whole countrys on the lookout for him! How could he ripe walk into calibre Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?”\r\nâ€Å"I know,” give tongue to waste, â€Å"but McGonagall still wants to strip it down â€â€Å"\r\nWood went pale.\r\nâ€Å"Ill go and talk to her, provoke,” he promised. â€Å"Ill make her ascertain reason…A Firebolt…a real Firebolt, on our team …She wants Gryffindor to win as a good deal as we do…Ill make her see sense. A Firebolt….”\r\nClasses started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt identical doing was sp culminationing two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson pile up dry wood and heads to keep the fire vociferous while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. The stolon Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; prof Trelawne y was now teaching them palmistry, and she disoriented no time in informing annoy that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen.\r\nIt was demurrer Against the Dark Arts that blight was keen to get out to; after his conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-Dementor lessons as soon as possible.\r\nâ€Å"Ah yes,” verbalise Lupin, when chevvy re wited him of his promise at the expiry of class. â€Å"let me see…how nigh eight oclock on thorium level(p)ing? The accounting of Magic schoolroom should be larger-than-life sufficient…Ill film to think conservatively round how were waiver to do this…We cant bring a real Dementor into the castle to expend on….”\r\nâ€Å" calm down looks ill, doesnt he?” express Ron as they walked down the corridor, theme instructor to dinner. â€Å"What dyou reckons the social function with him?”\r\n there was a tatty and ardent â€Å"tuh” from after part them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a crusade of armor, reboxing her bag, which was so full of books it wouldnt close.\r\nâ€Å"And what argon you tutting at us for?” express Ron irritably.\r\nâ€Å"nothing,” utter Hermione in a uplifted voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, you were,” say Ron. â€Å"I give tongue to I wonder whats price with Lupin, and you â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Well, isnt it obvious?” said Hermione, with a look of infuriating superiority.\r\nâ€Å"If you dont want to tell us, dont,” snapped Ron.\r\nâ€Å"Fine,” said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off.\r\nâ€Å"She doesnt know,” said Ron, arrant(a) resentfully after Hermione. â€Å"Shes just trying to get us to talk to her again.”\r\nAt eight oclock on Thursday until nowing, vex left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic schoolroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the l amps with his wand and had waited single phoebe bird minutes when Professor Lupin passed up, carrying a large boxing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binns desk.\r\nâ€Å"Whats that?” said fire.\r\nâ€Å"Another Boggart,” said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. â€Å"Ive been comb the castle ever since Tuesday, and precise luckily, I represent this one lurking inside(a) Mr. Filchs filing cabinet. Its the nearest well get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will liberate into a Dementor when he sees you, so well be adapted to practice on him. I can store him in my office when were not using him; in that respects a cupboard under my desk hell standardised.”\r\nâ€Å"Okay,” said incrust, trying to sound as though he wasnt apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had prepare much(prenominal) a good substitute for a real Dementor.\r\nâ€Å"So…” Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the ak in. â€Å"The spell I am red ink to try and teach you is super advanced magic, Harry — well beyond normal Wizarding Level. It is called the tricksyronus Charm.”\r\nâ€Å"How does it work?” said Harry nervously.\r\nâ€Å"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus,” said Lupin, â€Å"which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield betwixt you and the Dementor.”\r\nHarry had a sudden vision of himself crouching skunk a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, â€Å"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the rattling things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to arrive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humanity can, so the Dementors cant hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be excessively advanced for you. Many answer wizards have bother with it.”\r\nâ€Å"What does a Patronus look like?à ¢â‚¬Â said Harry curiously.\r\nâ€Å"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.”\r\nâ€Å"And how do you conjure it?”\r\nâ€Å"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, real content remembrance.”\r\nHarry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys was spillage to do. Finally, he settled on the importee when he had runner ridden a broomstick.\r\nâ€Å"Right,” he said, trying to recall as barely as possible the wonderful, soaring adept of his stomach.\r\nâ€Å"The incantation is this â€â€ Lupin cleared his throat. â€Å"Expecto patronum!”\r\nâ€Å"Expecto patronum,” Harry iterate under his breath, â€Å"expecto patronum.”\r\nâ€Å"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?”\r\nâ€Å"Oh — yeah â€â€ said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that scratch broom ride. â⠂¬Å"Expecto patrono — no, patronum — sorry — expecto patronum, expecto patronum”\r\nSomething whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silverish gas.\r\nâ€Å"Did you see that?” said Harry excitedly. â€Å"Something happened!”\r\nâ€Å"Very good,” said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Right, indeed — ready to try it on a Dementor?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the tenderness of the deserted classroom. He time-tested to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding… whatsoever second now, he might notice his obtain again…but he shouldnt think that, or he would hear her again, and he didnt want to…or did he?\r\nLupin grasped the palpebra of the packing case and pulled.\r\nA Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded mettle turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps more than or less the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, move a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing parky broke over him —\r\nâ€Å"Expecto patronum!” Harry exclaimed. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto â€â€Å"\r\nBut the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving…Harry was falling again through with(predicate) thick white fog, and his mothers voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head — â€Å"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — Ill do anything â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Stand aside — provide aside, girl â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Harry!”\r\nHarry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didnt have to use up what had happened.\r\nâ€Å"Sorry,” he muttered, sitting up and stamp ratty sweat trickling down stub his glasses.\r\nâ€Å"Are you all right?” said Lupin.\r\nâ€Å"Yes…à ¢â‚¬Â Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it.\r\nâ€Å"hither â€â€ Lupin pass on him a Chocolate Frog. â€Å"Eat this before we try again. I didnt expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had.”\r\nâ€Å"Its get worse,” Harry muttered, biting off the Frogs head. â€Å"I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort â€â€Å"\r\nLupin looked paler than usual.\r\nâ€Å"Harry, if you dont want to continue, I will more than understand â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"I do!” said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. â€Å"Ive got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I cant afford to fall off again. If we lose this game weve table serviceless the Quidditch shape!”\r\nâ€Å"All right thus…” said Lupin. â€Å"You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate onâ €¦That one doesnt seem to have been strong enough…”\r\nHarry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the mark Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the affection of the classroom.\r\nâ€Å"Ready?” said Lupin, gripping the box lid.\r\nâ€Å"Ready,” said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was button to happen when the box opened.\r\nâ€Å"Go!” said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily shivery and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry —\r\nâ€Å"Expecto patronum!” Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat â€â€Å"\r\nWhite fog obscured his senses…big, blurred shapes were moving or so him…then came a new voice, a mans voice, shouting, panicking —\r\nâ€Å"Lily, take Harry and go! Its him! Go! Run! Ill hold him off â€â€Å"\r\nThe sounds of someone stumbling from a room — a door bursting open — a cackle of high- sky laughter —\r\nâ€Å"Harry! Harry…wake up…”\r\nLupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry silent why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor.\r\nâ€Å"I heard my dad,” Harry florists chrysanthemumbled. â€Å"Thats the first time Ive ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it…”\r\nHarry suddenly realise that there were tears on his face modify with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldnt see.\r\nâ€Å"You heard throng?” said Lupin in a alien voice.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah…” Face dry, Harry looked up. â€Å"Why — you didnt know my dad, did you ?”\r\nâ€Å"I — I did, as a matter of fact,” said Lupin. â€Å"We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry — perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced…I shouldnt have suggested putting you through this…”\r\nâ€Å"No!” said Harry. He got up again. â€Å"Ill have one more go! Im not thinking of happy enough things, thats what it is…hang on…”\r\nHe racked his sensations. A in truth, really happy memory…one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus….\r\nThe moment when hed first entrap out he was a wizard, and would be going the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasnt a happy memory, he didnt know what was…Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when hed realize hed be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more.\r\nâ€Å"Ready?” said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. â€Å"Concentrating hard? All right — go!”\r\nHe pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room push down cold and dark —\r\nâ€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Harry bellowed. â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!”\r\nThe hollo inside Harrys head had started again — except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned wireless — softer and louder and softer again…and he could still see the Dementor…it had halted…and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harrys wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harrys legs felt like water, he was still on his feet — though for how much bulkyer, he wasnt sure…\r\nâ€Å"Riddikulus!” roared Lupin, springing forward.\r\n in that location was a loud crack, and Harrys cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if hed just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silver-tongued orb again.\r\nâ€Å" comminuted!” Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. â€Å"Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!”\r\nâ€Å" asshole we have another go? Just one more go?”\r\nâ€Å"Not now,” said Lupin firmly. â€Å"Youve had enough for one night. Here â€â€Å"\r\nHe handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes best chocolate.\r\nâ€Å"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?”\r\nâ€Å"Okay,” said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him.\r\nâ€Å"Professor Lupin?” he said. â€Å"If you knew my dad, you mustve cognize Sirius Black as well.”\r\nLupin t urned very quickly.\r\nâ€Å"What gives you that idea?” he said sharply.\r\nâ€Å"Nothing — I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too…”\r\nLupins face relaxed.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, I knew him,” he said shortly. â€Å"Or I thought I did. Youd better be off, Harry, its getting late.”\r\nHarry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and round a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadnt mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harrys thoughts wandered back to his mother and father …\r\nHe felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only time Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But hed never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he one- half(prenominal) wanted to hear hi s parents again …\r\nâ€Å"Theyre all of a sudden,” he told himself hard. â€Å"Theyre dead and listening to echoes of them wont bring them back. Youd better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup.”\r\nHe stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.\r\nRavenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. fit in to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second roam if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the round of team practices to five a week. This meant that with Lupins anti-Dementor classes, which in themselves were more draining than six Quidditch practices, Harry had just one night a week to do all his homework. Even so, he was not showing the overrefinement nearly as much as Hermione, whose wide workload finally seemed to be getting to her. all night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the coarse ro om, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and register upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted.\r\nâ€Å"Hows she doing it?” Ron muttered to Harry one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty try out on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. Harry looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books.\r\nâ€Å"Doing what?”\r\nâ€Å"Getting to all her classes!” Ron said. â€Å"I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterdays lesson, but Hermione cantve been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me shes never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and shes never missed one of them either!”\r\nHarry didnt have time to fthm the mystery of Hermiones impossible sched ule at the moment; he really motivatinged to get on with Snapes essay. both seconds later, however, he was interrupted again, this time by Wood.\r\nâ€Å"Bad news, Harry. Ive just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She — er — got a bit shirty with me. Told me Id got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didnt care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first.” Wood shook his head in disbelief. â€Å"Honestly, the way she was yelling at me…youd think Id said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it…” He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagalls severe voice. â€Å"As long as necessary, Wood”…I reckon its time you ordered a new broom, Harry. Theres an order form at the back of Which Broomstick…you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoys g ot.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good,” said Harry flatly.\r\nJanuary faded imperceptibly into February, with no careen in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, but Harry still hadnt ordered a new broom. He was now intercommunicate Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every metamorphosis lesson, Ron standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing last(prenominal) with her face averted.\r\nâ€Å"No, Potter, you cant have it back yet,” Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before hed even opened his mouth. â€Å"Weve checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once weve holy checking it. Now, please stop badgering me.”\r\nTo make matters even worse, Harrys anti-Dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as he had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able t o produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached him, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining Harry of energy as he fought to keep it there. Harry felt angry with himself, guilty about his secret desire to hear his parents voices again.\r\nâ€Å"Youre expecting too much of yourself,” said Professor Lupin, sternly in their fourth week of practice. â€Å"For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You arent passing out anymore, are you?”\r\nâ€Å"I thought a Patronus would — even the Dementors down or something,” said Harry dispiritedly. â€Å" ready them disappear â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"The true Patronus does do that,” said Lupin. â€Å"But youve achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, You will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground.”\r\nâ€Å"You said its harder if there are loads of them,” said Harry.\r\nâ€Å"I have complete confidence in you,” said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Here — youve earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You wont have tried it before â€â€Å"\r\nHe pulled two bottles out of his briefcase.\r\nâ€Å"Butterbeer!” said Harry, without thinking. â€Å"Yeah, I like that stuff!”\r\nLupin embossed an eyebrow.\r\nâ€Å"Oh — Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade,” Harry lied quickly.\r\nâ€Å"I see,” said Lupin, though he still looked passably suspicious. â€Å"Well — lets drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that Im supposed to take sides, as a teacher…” he added hastily.\r\nThey drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something hed been inquire for a while.\r\nâ€Å"Whats under a Dementors hood?”\r\nProfesso r Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully.\r\nâ€Å"Hmmm … well, the only hoi polloi who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon.”\r\nâ€Å"Whats that?”\r\nâ€Å"They call it the Dementors Kiss,” said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. â€Å"Its what Dementors do to those they wish to supplant suddenly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they fix their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and — and suck out his soul.”\r\nHarry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer.\r\nâ€Å"What — they kill â€?”\r\nâ€Å"Oh no,” said Lupin. â€Å"Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But youll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no…anything. Theres no chance at all of recovery. Youll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever… wooly-minded.”\r\nLupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, â€Å"Its the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him.”\r\nHarry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black.\r\nâ€Å"He deserves it,” he said suddenly.\r\nâ€Å"You think so?” said Lupin lightly. â€Å"Do you really think anyone deserves that?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” said Harry defiantly. â€Å"For…for some things…”\r\nHe would have care to have told Lupin about the conversation hed overheard about Black in the Three Broomsticks, about Black betraying his mother and father, but it would have involved disclosure that hed gone to Hogsmeade without permission, and he knew Lupin wouldnt be very impressed by that. So he finished his butterbeer, thanked Lupin , and left the History of Magic classroom.\r\nHarry half wished that he hadnt asked what was under a Dementors hood, the answer had been so horrible, and he was so lost in sharp-worded thoughts of what it would feel like to have your soul sucked out of you that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs.\r\nâ€Å"Do watch where youre going, Potter!”\r\nâ€Å"Sorry, Professor â€â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Ive just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Well, here it is, weve through with(p) everything we could think of, and there doesnt seem to be anything wrong with it at all — youve got a very good friend somewhere, Potter…”\r\nHarrys jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever.\r\nâ€Å"I can have it back?” Harry said weakly. â€Å"Seriously?”\r\nâ€Å"Seriously,” said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. â€Å"I daresay youll need to get the feel of it before Saturdays match, wont you? And Potter — do try and win, wont you? Or well be out of the tally for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night…”\r\nSpeechless, Harry carried the Firebolt back upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. As he turned a corner, he saw Ron dashing toward him, grinning from ear to ear.\r\nâ€Å"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah…anything…” said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. â€Å"You know what — we should make up with Hermione…She was only trying to help…”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, all right,” said Ron. â€Å"Shes in the common room now working — for a change.”\r\nThey turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance.\r\nâ€Å"I wrote them down!” Nevill e was saying tearfully. â€Å"But I mustve dropped them somewhere!”\r\nâ€Å"A likely tale!” roared Sir Cadogan. Then, spotting Harry and Ron: â€Å" reliable even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this frogman in irons. He is trying to force door to the chambers within!”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, shut up,” said Ron as he and Harry drew level with Neville.\r\nâ€Å"Ive lost the passwords!” Neville told them miserably. â€Å"I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I dont know what Ive done with them!”\r\nâ€Å"Oddsbodkins,” said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked super disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the common room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt.\r\nâ€Å"Whered you get it, Harry?”\r\nâ€Å"Will you let me have a go?”\r\nâ€Å"Have you ridden it yet, Harry?”\r\nâ€Å"Ravenclawll have no chance, theyre all on Cleansweep Sevens!”\r\nâ€Å" bottomland I just hold it, Harry?”\r\n after(prenominal) ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was Passed around and prize from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione, the only person who hadnt rush over to them, bent over her work and conservatively avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached her table and at last, she looked up.\r\nâ€Å"I got it back,” said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt.\r\nâ€Å"See, Hermione? There wasnt anything wrong with it!” said Ron.\r\nâ€Å"Well — there might have been!” said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, at least(prenominal) you know now that its safe!”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, I suppose so,” said Harry. â€Å"Id better put it upstairs.”\r\nâ€Å"Ill take it!” said Ron eagerly. â€Å"Ive got to give Scabbers his rat ton ic.”\r\nHe took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys staircase.\r\nâ€Å"Can I sit down, then?” Harry asked Hermione.\r\nâ€Å"I suppose so,” said Hermione, moving a great dope of parchment off a chair.\r\nHarry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay (‘Explain Why Muggles indispensableness Electricity) and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over.\r\nâ€Å"How are you getting through all this stuff?” Harry asked her.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, well — you know — working hard,” said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin.\r\nâ€Å"Why dont you just drop a pit of subjects?” Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary.\r\nâ€Å"I couldnt do that!” said Hermione, looking scandalized.\r\nâ€Å"Arithman cy looks terrible,” said Harry, plectron up a very complicated-looking number chart.\r\nâ€Å"Oh no, its wonderful!” said Hermione earnestly. â€Å"Its my favorite subject! Its â€â€Å"\r\nBut exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet.\r\nâ€Å"LOOK!” he bellowed, striding over to Hermiones table. â€Å"LOOK!” he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face.\r\nâ€Å"Ron, what â€?”\r\nâ€Å"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!”\r\nHermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like —\r\nâ€Å" daub!” Ron yelled into the stunned silence. â€Å"HES GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?”\r\nâ€Å"N — no,” said Hermione in a trembling voice.\r\nRon threw something down onto Hermiones rune translation. Hermione and Harry leaned forward. fictionalisation on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, spice up cat hairs.\r\n'