Harry Potters Twin Book Five

Invitations

"Do you think Harry is going to agree to it?" Hermione asked frantically as I changed into my school robes. "The Defense Against the Dark Arts thing, I mean."

"I don't know," I said slowly. "But I don't think you should mention it to him. Let him think for a while, he seemed pretty upset."

"But," Hermione turned around, her robes already done neatly. "This is important! We need to do it before school ends so everyone can be prepared."

"I know," I said. "Trust me, Hermione, I want to do this just as much as you but. .. you have to remember that Harry is already stressed. Let's not blow his top with making another class for him to struggle in."

Hermione looked sad, but I could tell that she agreed. "What if he forgets about it?"

I laughed and threw my arm over her shoulder, leading her out of the dorm. "Trust me, Hermione. Harry isn't going to be forgetting this any time soon."

It turned out that I was right. Harry didn't seem to forget anything about that night at all, he always had a dazed look in his face and he would come to breakfast with bags in his eyes as though he stood up all night planning lessons.

I don't think anyone else noticed, maybe it was a twin thing.

But Harry wasn't the only one I was paying attention to. I was also watching Mike (subconsciously) and he seemed distracted too. I should have been dissapointed that he never even looked at me all week, but I wasn't thinking of that - I was thinking about how he didn't even glance at any pretty girl that walked by him.

"Have you noticed how Mike seems. . . distracted?" I said to Dani one lunch while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at the liabrary (Harry and Ron finishing their homework and Hermione having fun reading).

Dani glanced at the ravenclaw table, seen Mike eating his food with a couple of his guy friends, and looked back at me, her eyes filled with warning. "Yes. . ."

"I haven't seen him around any of his. . . friends in a while," I said conversationally.

Dani knew exactly what I meant about 'friends'. "Look, Nixie, I know you're still hooked on the fact that he might like you but. . . he doesn't seem to be around you either. So maybe something is bothering him so much he's away from every friend of his. . . including you."

I pressed my lips together in irritation. I didn't like to be included in Mike's girlfriend's group (though I wouldn't mind being one - but I want to be his girlfriend for a long time, not just for one night.)

Dani sighed. "Nixie. Just stop thinking about him, he's not worth your thoughts."

I didn't talk to Dani the rest of the afternoon.

It wasn't that I was angry with her (I was) but I didn't like that she seemed to voice all the doubts that hung in the back of my head and spread them out to the open. It made me feel weak, sad, vulnerable. I wished she'd just give us (mike and I) a chance. I wish Mike would give us a chance.

But, unfortunatly, he wouldn't.

I was thinking this as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I did our homework in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione interupted my thoughts.

"I was wondering," Hermione said suddenly, "whether you'd thought any more about Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry."

My head snapped up and I shook my head furiously at her. She had been doing so well not mentioning it, but it seemed she had been more tempted then she had put on.

"Course I have," said Harry grumpily, obviously thinking about homework and not teaching, "can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us-"

"I meant the idea Ron, Nixie, and I had--" Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look. She frowned at him, "--Oh, all right, the idea Nixie and I-"