Dormitory, wondering whether the intensity with which he gazed at it might break intoHer sleep, that she would somehow know he was thinking about her, hoping that she was
All right.
By day, hey devoted themselves to trying to determine the possible locations of
Gryffindor's sword, but the more they talked about the places in which Dumbledore
Might have hidden it, the more desperate and far-fetched their speculation became.
Cudgel his brains though he might, Harry could not remember Dumbledore ever
Mentioning a place in which he might hide something. There were moments when he did
Not know whether he was angrier with Ron or with Dumbledore. We thought you knew
What you were doing ...We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do ... We thought
you had a real plan!
He could not hide it from himself: Ron had been right. Dumbledore had left him
With virtually nothing. They had discovered one Horcrux, but they had no means of
destroying it: The others were as unattainable as they had ever been. Hopelessness
Threatened to engulf him. He was staggered now to think of his own presumption in
accepting his friends' offers to accompany him on this meandering, pointless journey. he
Knew nothing, he had no ideas, and he was constantly, painfully on the alert for any
Indications that Hermione too was about to tell him that she had had enough. That she
Was leaving.
They were spending many evenings in near silence and Hermione took to bringing out
Phineas Nigellus's portrait and propping it up in a chair, as though he might fill part of
the gaping hole left by Ron's departure. Despite his previous assertion that he would
Never visit them again, Phineas Nigellus did not seem able to resist the chance to find out
More about what Harry was up to and consented to reappear, blindfolded, every few days
Of so. Harry was even glad to see him, because he was company, albeit of a snide and
Taunting kind. They relished any news about what was happening at Hogwarts, though
Phineas Nigellus was not an ideal informer. He venerated Snape, the first Slytherin
Headmaster since he himself had controlled the school, and they had to be careful not to
Criticize or ask impertinent questions about Snape, or Phineas Nigellus would instantly
Leave his painting.
However, he did let drop certain snippets. Snape seemed to be facing a constant,
Low level of mutiny from a hard core of students. Ginny had been banned from going into
Hogsmeade. Snape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of three
Or more students or any unofficial student societies. From all of these things, Harry
Deduced that Ginny, and probably Neville and Luna along with her, had been doing their
best to continue Dumbledore's Army. This scant news made Harry want to see Ginny so
Badly it felt like a stomachache; but it also made him think of Ron again, and of
Dumbledore, and of Hogwarts itself, which he missed nearly as much as his ex-girlfriend.
Indeed, as Phineas Niggellus talked about Snape's crackdown, Harry experienced a split
Date: 2015-12-11; view: 784
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