The next morning, everyone got up late. The Great Hall at Hogwarts was quieter than usual, with only scattered, sleepy conversations punctuated by the occasional yawn.
A delicate harmony seemed to have sprung up between Hermione and Pheobe. No one knew what Jerry had said to them, but the two acted as though nothing had happened the night before.
They used to clash over everything, yet now they were eating breakfast at the same table. Their occasional exchanges were remarkably friendly and polite. To an outsider, the harmony might have looked a little forced, but there was no denying it: Jerry had pulled it off.
Now that's skill!
Harry truly envied Jerry. If he had Jerry's knack for this, Cho Chang might have been his date last night!
"Oh, right, Jerry," Harry said, remembering something. "Did you notice that Mr. Crouch promoted Percy? Percy even attended the ball in his place last night because Mr. Crouch wasn't feeling well. I never saw that coming."
"What's so strange about that?" Jerry gave Harry a thoughtful look. "Percy's capable enough, and he works hard. A promotion was only a matter of time."
"Oh, come on, Jerry!" Ron cut in, his tone teasing. "Mr. Crouch can barely get Percy's name right. That's pretty suspicious. I'm starting to wonder whether Percy poisoned him!"
"Besides, we happened to overhear Hagrid talking to Madame Maxime outside the Castle last night," Ron continued. "Turns out Hagrid assumed she was half-giant too. That's what offended her and sent her into such a rage."
"No wonder..." At Ron's words, Pheobe recalled how furious Madame Maxime had looked the night before. It all made sense now.
"But is Madame Maxime really not half-giant?" Hermione frowned and looked doubtfully at Pheobe. "She's even taller than Hagrid!"
"Watch your words." Pheobe's face