“Yeah, I know that, thanks,”

“Yeah, I know that, thanks,” said Harry, not looking up from the book. “That's why I'm looking for something different. Dumbledore says Veritaserum won't do it, but

there might be something else, a potion or a spell...”

“You're going about it the wrong way,” said Hermione. “Only you can get the memory, Dumbledore says. That must mean you can persuade Slughorn where other people

can't. It's not a question of slipping him a potion, anyone could do that —”

“How do you spell ‘belligerent'?” said Ron, shaking his quill very hard while staring at his parchment. “It can't be B—U—M —”

“No, it isn't,” said Hermione, pulling Ron's essay toward her. “And ‘augury’ doesn't begin O—R—G either. What kind of quill are you using?”

“It's one of Fred and George's Spell-Checking ones, but I think the charm must be wearing off.”

“Yes, it must,” said Hermione, pointing at the title of his essay, “because we were asked how we'd deal with Dementors, not ‘Dugbogs', and I don't remember you

changing your name to ‘Roonil Wazlib’ either.”

“Ah no!” said Ron, staring horror-struck at the parchment. “Don't say I'll have to write the whole thing out again!”

“It's okay, we can fix it,” said Hermione, pulling the essay toward her and taking out her wand.

“I love you, Hermione,” said Ron, sinking back in his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily.

Hermione turned faintly pink, but merely said, “Don't let Lavender hear you saying that.”

“I won't,” said Ron into his hands. “Or maybe I will, then she'll ditch me.”

“Why don't you ditch her if you want to finish it?” asked Harry.

“You haven't ever chucked anyone, have you?” said Ron. “You and Cho just —”

“Sort of fell apart, yeah,” said Harry.

“Wish that would happen with me and Lavender,” said Ron gloomily, watching Hermione silently tapping each of his misspelled words with the end of her wand, so that

they corrected themselves on the page. “But the more I hint I want to finish it, the tighter she holds on. It's like going out with the giant squid.”

“There,” said Hermione, some twenty minutes later, handing back Ron's essay.