On the morning of October 30, Jerry entered the Great Hall for breakfast and discovered that it had been transformed overnight.
Brilliant silk banners covered the walls, each proclaiming the glory of one of Hogwarts' Four Houses: Gryffindor's banner bore a dazzling golden lion against a fiery red background; Ravenclaw's featured a bronze eagle spreading its wings proudly against deep blue; Hufflepuff's warm yellow banner complemented a composed black badger; and on Slytherin's green backdrop, a silver serpent wound its way across the fabric.
The most magnificent banner hung in a prominent position behind the staff table. It displayed the Hogwarts crest: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a great serpent surrounding a stately capital "H."
Harry, Ron, and Neville happily took their seats at the Gryffindor table beside the inseparable twins, Fred and George. This time, the two seemed deliberately to shut out the bustle around them, lowering their voices as they plotted something.
Hermione sat with her roommates.
"Darling, have you broken up with Jerry Green?" Parvati Patil asked Hermione quietly.
At Parvati's question, Hermione's other roommates and Parvati's younger sister, Padma Patil, all stopped eating. They discreetly pricked up their ears and leaned closer.
Jerry and Hermione had always been together before, so the girls had neither the opportunity nor the nerve. But if those two really had broken up, rather than let those Slytherin bitches or Ravenclaw sluts have him, wouldn't it be better to let them...
"Huh?" Hermione's cheeks instantly flushed scarlet, and for a moment she seemed at a loss. "Parvati, my relationship with Jerry..." She stumbled over her words, as though searching for the right way to explain.
"Aren't you a couple?" An understanding smile appeared on Parvati Patil's face, her eyes full of encouragement. "Don't be shy. You're already in fourth