Time flew by again.
Snowflakes swirled outside the window again, beating against the frozen windowsills.
Christmas was coming.
Hagrid had single-handedly moved the twelve Christmas trees that were essential in the auditorium every year.
The stair railings were wrapped in holly and tinsel, the helmets of the guards' armor glowed with candles, and large bunches of mistletoe hung at intervals along the corridors.
Every time the students walked down the corridors, there were always piles of girls gathered under the mistletoe, causing traffic jams.
Fortunately, Harry and the others could always find a less congested path, and it was not too difficult for them to bypass the congested areas.
The detours used to make Ron feel more jealous than happy, but now he just laughed.
Although Harry felt that the new, cheerful Ron was much better than the gloomy, belligerent Ron of the past few weeks, the change came at a high price.
First, Harry had to see Lavender Brown often, a girl who seemed to waste every moment she did not kiss Ron;
Second, Harry was once again a good friend to two people who seemed to never speak to each other again.
Ron's hands and arms still bore the scars from Hermione's little oriole attack, and he spoke in a defensive, resentful tone.
"She can't complain," he said to Harry. "She kissed Krum and found out someone wanted to kiss me too. It's a free country. I didn't do anything wrong."
Harry did not answer, pretending to be absorbed in the book he was going to finish before the Magic class tomorrow morning, The Fifth Element: The Quest.
Although he had decided to continue to be a friend to these two, he kept his mouth shut most of the time.
"Anyway, I never promised Hermione anything," Ron muttered. "She never said anything if I went to Slughorn's Christmas party with her … Just friends … I'm a free man …"
Harry turned the page of The Fifth Element: The Quest, knowing that Ron was watching him.
Ron's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible over the crackling of the fire, but Harry seemed to hear the words' Krum 'and' nothing to complain about 'again.
Hermione's schedule was so full that Harry could not talk to her properly until the evening, when Ron was too busy with Lavender to notice what Harry was doing.
Hermione refused to sit in the common room as long as Ron was there, so Harry usually went to the library to find her, which meant that the conversation had to be discreet.
"He can kiss whoever he likes," said Hermione. Mrs. Pins, the librarian, was looking round the shelves behind. "I don't care."
She lifted her quill, and struck a sharp point at the letter she was writing, and made a hole in the parchment.
Harry said nothing. It seemed to him that he was losing his voice. But he did not know what to say. He did not even understand what Hermione was doing. He did not know what she was up to.
He bent his head a little lower and continued to make notes in the section on Elixirs of Life in Advanced Potion-Making, pausing occasionally to identify the Prince's useful additions to Libasio Boracchica.
"By the way," Hermione said after a while, "be careful."
"For the last time," whispered Harry, speaking a little hoarsely for the first time after forty-five minutes of silence. "I'm not returning this book. I learned about Snape and Slughorn from the Half-Blood Prince -"
"I don't mean about your stupid so-called Prince," said Hermione, glaring fiercely at the book as if it had offended her. "I mean just now, before I came here, I was in the washroom, and there were a dozen girls, including Romida Vanni, discussing how to get you to drink the Aphrodisiac.
They were all hoping to be taken to Slughorn's party by you, and they all seemed to have bought Fred and George's Aphrodisiacs - "
"Why didn't you confiscate them?"
Asked Harry, seeming surprised that Hermione's penchant for upholding rules should be relaxed at this juncture.
"They didn't take the potions into the washroom. They were just discussing strategies. I suspect that even the Half-Blood Prince," she said, glaring fiercely at the book again, "couldn't figure out how to make antidotes for a dozen different Aphrodisiacs at once. If I were him, I'd invite someone quickly - then no one else would think they had a chance.
Only tomorrow night. They're in a hurry. "
"No one I want to invite," muttered Harry.
He was still trying not to think of Ginny, though she was always in his dreams, and in ways that made him heartily glad that Ron was not a Mind Snatcher.
"Well, then you must be careful when you drink. Romida Vanni looks serious."
She pulled up the long roll of parchment and went on scribbling her paper for the Arithmetical Divination class.
Harry watched her, but his thoughts were far away.
"Wait a minute," he said slowly.
He said slowly, "Didn't Filch ban Weasley's magic from buying things at the theater?"
"Who cares what Filch bans?"
Said Hermione casually, still concentrating on her paper.
"Don't all owls have to be checked? How can the girls bring Aphrodisiacs into school? "
"Fred and George send them in as perfume and cough drops. It's part of the Owl Order Service."
"You know a lot."
Hermione glared at him as fiercely as she glared at Advanced Magic Potions.
"It's all written on the back of the bottles they showed me and Ginny over the summer holidays."
She said coldly, "I wouldn't put drugs in people's drinks... or pretend to. That's just as bad..."
"Yes, well, never mind," said Harry.
"The point is that Filch is fooled, isn't it?
The girls can bring things into school in disguise, so why can't Malfoy bring a necklace - "
"Harry... don't bring that up again..."
"Why?"
"Look."
Hermione sighed. "The Decryptor can detect Bad Luck and Concealment Spells, right?
They're used to detect Black Magic and Black Magic items. They can detect a powerful spell, like the one on the necklace, in a few seconds.
But they can't detect things in the wrong bottle - and besides, Aphrodisiacs aren't Black Magic, they're not dangerous - "
"That's easy for you to say."
Harry muttered, thinking of Romida Vanni.
"- so it's up to Filch to find out if it's a cough potion, but he's not a very clever Wizard. I doubt if he can tell -"
Hermione broke off suddenly, and Harry heard it too. Someone was approaching from the dark shelves behind them.
They waited for a moment, and then Mrs Pins's vulture face appeared round the corner, her sunken cheeks, parchment skin, and long aquiline nose highlighted by the lamp she carried.
"It's time for the library to close. Put the books back where they belong. What have you done with that book? You wicked child! "
"It's not the library's. It's my own!" Harry said quickly, snatching up Advanced Magic Potions from the table, but Mrs Pins's eagle-clawed hand had already snatched it.
"Robbery! Blasphemy! Defilement! "
"It's only a few words in the book!"
Harry said defensively, wrenching the book back from her.
She looked as if she were going to have a heart attack. Hermione hurriedly gathered up her things, took Harry by the arm, and dragged him away.
"She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to carry that stupid book?"
"It's not my fault she screamed, Hermione, do you think she heard you say bad things about Filch?
I've always felt there was something going on between them... "
"Oh, ha-ha..."
They were glad to be talking normally again, and as they walked along the empty lighted corridors to the common room, they argued about whether Filch and Mrs Pins were having a secret affair.
"It's not worth a damn."
Harry said to the Fat Lady. It was the new Festival password.
"So are you."
The Fat Lady smiled mischievously, and whirled forward to let them in.
"Hey, Harry!"
Romida said as Harry emerged from the portrait hole, "Would you like a glass of Gorge water?"
Hermione looked back at him with a what-did-you-say look.
"Thank you, but no."
"I don't really like it," Harry said quickly.
"Then take this." Romida shoved a box into his hands. "Chocolate crucible with Flaming Whiskey in it.
My granny sent it to me, but I don't like it... "
"Well... thanks," Harry said, unable to think of anything else. "Oh, I was with..."
He hurried away after Hermione, his voice trailing off.
"I told you," Hermione said tersely. "Invite someone early, and they won't bother you-"
Her face suddenly turned numb because she saw Ron and Lavender entangled together and squeezed into an armchair.
"Good night, Harry," Hermione said.
It was actually only seven o'clock, so she said nothing else and went back to the girls' dormitory.
Harry could only console himself that he only had one day of classes and Slughorn's party to deal with, and then he could go to the Burrow with Ron.
It seemed that Ron and Hermione couldn't make up before the holidays, but the holidays might allow them to calm down and reflect on their behavior.
But the hope wasn't too big. After he had a transformation class with them the next day, he felt that the hope was even slimmer.
They had already reached the particularly difficult topic of human transformation.
The class required them to change their eyebrows in the mirror.
Hermione laughed sarcastically at Ron's disastrous first attempt — he let himself grow two eye-catching handlebar mustaches.
Ron returned the favor. Every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, he imitated Hermione by jumping up and sitting down in his seat. Lavender and Parvati found it hilarious, and Hermione almost cried again.
She rushed out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang, not taking half of her things.
Harry felt that she needed comfort more than Ron at this moment, so he gathered her things and chased after her. Fortunately, he caught up. Hermione came out of the bathroom and followed Luna.
He handed the things in his hands to Hermione, and then after Hermione left in a hurry, he suddenly remembered something else, so he asked tentatively.
"Would you like to go to Slughorn's party with me?"
"Slughorn's party?
Go with you? What are you talking about? "
"Yes, we have to take one person with us, so I thought … you might … I mean …"
He was eager to clarify his intentions. "I mean, just as a friend, you know, but if you don't want to …"
He was beginning to hope that she didn't want to go.
"Ah, no, I'd like to go with you as a friend!"
Luna smiled. Harry had never seen such a bright smile on her face. "No one has invited me to a party. Did you dye your eyebrows because of that? Do I have to do it too? "
"No!"
Harry said firmly. "That's a serious mistake. I'll ask Hermione to help me change it back. Then … I'll wait for you in the lobby at eight."
"Aha!"
A strange sound came from above, and both of them were startled.
They didn't notice that they had just walked under the naughty ghost, who was hanging upside down on a candelabra and grinning at them.
"Silly Baby invited Crazy Girl to a party!
Silly Baby fell in love with Crazy Girl!
Silly Baby fell in love with Crazy Girl! "
He flew away, giggling and shrieking, "Silly Baby fell in love with Crazy Girl!"
"It's better not to tell people about these things."
Harry felt a little sick. It seemed that the whole school knew that Harry Potter had invited Luna Lovegood to a party at Slughorn.
"You could have taken anyone!"
Over the meal, Ron said in disbelief:
"Anyone! But you chose Crazy Girl Lovegood? "
"Don't talk about her like that, Ron."
Ginny scolded him. She had just passed behind Harry to her friends. "I'm so glad you're taking her, Harry. She's so excited."
She went over and sat down with Dean.
Harry tried to feel happy that Ginny had approved of him taking Luna to a party, but he couldn't.
The feelings of young people were really something that made people speechless, wasn't it?
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