Watching Hermione and Ginny comfort each other, both brimming with confidence in Vaughn, Ron sneered, plopped down, and pointed his wand at his plate. "Steak!" he muttered sullenly.
Harry looked at Hermione and Ginny, then back at his best friend, and suddenly felt that Ron positively reeked of jealousy.
Expecting an agonizing lunch, the Golden Trio and Ginny ate quickly, eager to leave the Great Hall and escape those hostile stares.
To their surprise, however, Dean and Seamus came over and joked with them as usual, as though nothing had happened.
"You two-" Ron did not quite know how to begin.
Dean slung an arm around his shoulders and pointed at the newspapers and magazines on the table. "Don't be stupid, mate. Do you really think I'd distance myself from you lot over these?"
Ron immediately looked touched, his eyes even reddening a little, but just then, Seamus leaned over from the side and said, "We all believe in Vaughn!"
The surge of emotion abruptly stopped. Ron suddenly felt as though something had lodged in his throat, his chest tightened, and even the steak on his plate lost its appeal.
It was not just Dean and Seamus. Many other young witches and wizards came over too, most of them from other houses. Sitting together, they clearly formed a distinct group within the Great Hall.
They included Neville, Cho Chang, and Lavender Brown. Beyond those who were already close to the Golden Trio, there were even some of Slytherin's little snakes.
Led by Draco, they sat with Harry and the others but kept a certain distance. They all looked as though they could not stand one another, yet the atmosphere was strangely harmonious. This time, Ron needed no explanation to know that, like Dean and Seamus, they were there because they