Special Guest

"Oh, I—I just got away, I mean, I just left McLaren," Hermione said somewhat flusteredly. "I mean, from under the Parasitic Vine."

She added. Harry still looked full of questions.

"So coming with him was the right choice, huh?" Harry said, half-jokingly and half-teasingly.

"He was the first one to ask me!" Hermione said, somewhat angry and annoyed. "At first, I thought Tierra wasn't going to attend the ball!"

"So I just picked someone at random. I was busy with the calculation problems Tierra gave me at the time and didn't want to spend time choosing a dance partner, so..." Hermione scratched her head irritably, though she did not dare use too much force. Before the ball, she had used the Hair Transfiguration Spell Professor McGonagall had taught them some time ago, along with a great deal of conditioner, on her broom-like hair. She was afraid that too much movement would make her hair puff up again.

"Who told you not to consider me?" Harry said with glee.

"Seriously, Harry, I was wrong. Um, seriously, I've always treated you as my best friend. My girlfriend, my sister. I almost forgot you're a boy too!"

—And my son.

Hermione silently added in her heart, then pulled Harry toward the edge of the crowd.

The three of them walked from one side of the room to the other, but by the time they realized Professor Trelawney was standing there alone, it was too late.

"Hello," Luna politely greeted the professor.

"Good evening, my dear," Professor Trelawney said, struggling somewhat to focus on Luna.

Harry could smell the warmed sherry on her breath.

"I haven't seen you in class for a moon—" Professor Trelawney said.

"Oh, no, I just transferred to Mr. Tierra's class," Luna said.

"Oh, of course," Professor Trelawney replied, angry