On the second day of Christmas, everyone slept in late. The Gryffindor common room was much quieter than it had been in recent days, with people chatting desultorily, their conversations frequently interrupted by yawns.
Hermione's hair had gone bushy again. She was sorry Orli hadn't been able to appreciate how she'd looked yesterday, though she did recommend an excellent Sleekeazy's Hair Potion to her.
Harry was utterly mystified by Orli's disappearance for the entire previous day, so he spent a full hour giving her a detailed account of everything that had happened—Ludo Bagman's outrageous outfit, the Weird Sisters' performance, Hagrid and Madame Maxime's conversation (Hagrid had honestly admitted to being half-giant, but Madame Maxime claimed she was just "big-boned"), Snape and Karkaroff actually addressing each other by their first names, Hermione's stunning debut, and—Ron and Hermione embarking on yet another round of warfare.
Actually, it wasn't entirely fair to call it a row, but it was even more bizarre than an argument. They seemed to have reached some sort of unspoken agreement to never mention their fight. Now they were perfectly cordial to each other, but so politely formal that it felt completely unnatural.
Of course, the most important news was always saved for last. Harry spoke mysteriously, asking her to guess:
"Yesterday Cedric actually came to find me alone. Guess what he said?"
"He didn't say, 'Stop going after Cho Chang, she's my girlfriend,' did he?" Orli teased.
She saw Harry's face begin to flush red and quickly added, "What did he say? Does it have something to do with the Triwizard Tournament?"
"I knew I couldn't hide anything from you," Harry sighed.
"Remember the golden egg? He said, 'Take a bath, bring the egg with you, and mull it over in the hot water. It'll help you think...' That makes absolutely no sense, does it? I mean, I don't really trust him. He even told me the password to the prefects' bathroom."
"What other choice do you have?" Ron chimed in, still building his Exploding Snap card tower. "The way you keep opening that egg every time you get back to the dormitory—it's impossible to stay in there. Besides, Cedric might not be the most likeable bloke, but he's hardly going to lurk behind the prefects' bathroom door to beat you up—I mean... he wouldn't, would he?"
"Oh, honestly, Harry, you're only prejudiced against Cedric because of Cho Chang," Hermione interrupted them both.
"Since you have a lead—even if it didn't come through the most sporting means—if you don't solve this soon, we won't be able to strategize properly."
Ron looked like he wanted to snap back with something cutting, but perhaps not wanting another fight, he simply shook his head dismissively when Hermione wasn't looking.
"So everyone thinks you should go, Harry. Three against one," Orli said with a yawn, stretching lazily.
"I need to go upstairs for a nap. I didn't sleep a wink last night."
"I'll come too," Hermione said, following her. As they climbed the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitory, Hermione leaned close and whispered in her ear:
"Did you see Professor Snape yesterday?"
Orli was startled. "How did you know?!"
"I told him you hadn't come to the ball, and then he just left—or rather, stormed out—so I figured he'd go looking for you," Hermione said with a mischievous smile. "So you really did meet him?"
Orli nodded. She felt her face might be flushing, because her mind was suddenly filled with memories of yesterday's dance...
"And then? Did you two dance?" Hermione pressed relentlessly.
Orli nearly bounced off the bed. If not for four years of living together day and night, she might have suspected Hermione had mastered Legilimency.
"What's wrong? Your face is burning hot," Hermione said, placing her hand on Orli's cheek.
"It's nothing... I'd suggest you never drink sherry again... the aftereffects are truly terrible," Orli mumbled, burying her head in her pillow. She was determined to use Occlumency to hide yesterday's memories in the deepest recesses of her mind—absolutely no one could discover them.
"Mmm~ So you definitely danced together," Hermione declared with certainty from outside her blankets.
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