Harry shuddered at the thought of what had happened the previous week after he had cursed Malfoy. Snape had sent him to get all of his schoolbooks, so Harry had quickly swapped his copy of Advanced Potion Making with Ron's. Having forgotten about Ron's spell-checking quill, Harry had shown Snape the book, and hastily tried to explain that 'Roonil Wazlib' was his nickname. Snape - obviously - hadn't believed him and Harry now had at least twelve hours worth of Saturday detentions ahead of him. Brilliant.

In better news, Ron, Harry and Hermione had figured out a way of getting Slughorn to give Harry the memory: with Felix Felicis. Their plan was for Harry to drink the bottle and go to Slughorn's office and ask for the memory. It didn't, however, go quite that smoothly in the end.

"Harry," Hermione said slowly, holding up the vial of Liquid Luck,"are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Hermione!"

"Okay, I'm sorry." She fumbled with the stopper,"I'm just making sure."

Ron frowned,"Harry can take the cork out of the bottle himself, Hermione."

"All right, fine." Hermione thrust Harry the vial irritably.

Pulling at the stopper, Harry clenched his teeth. It wouldn't budge. "Er..." He could feel himself going red.

"Let me try." Ron said quickly. He pulled and pulled, but he couldn't open it either.

Hermione snatched the vial back,"I told you! Here." She pulled out her wand and levitated the cork, handing the now open vial to Harry. "One last time," she said,"are you completely certain about this?"

"Yes!" Harry downed half of the potion in one gulp.

"How do you feel?" Hermione took the rest of the potion from him anxiously.

Harry did not answer for a moment. Then, slowly but surely, an exhilarating sense of infinite opportunity stole through him; he felt as though he could have done anything, anything at all, and getting the memory from Slughorn seemed suddenly not only possible, but positively easy. He smiled,"Excellent! I'm going to Hagrid's."

"What?" Ron and Hermione said together, looking aghast.

"It's Aragog's burial, isn't it?" Harry said simply,"I'm going to Hagrid's. I've got a good feeling about Hagrid's." 

Ron looked at him, face twisted with incredulously,"You've got a good feeling about burying a giant spider?"

"Yeah." Harry grinned, pulling his invisibility cloak around him,"I feel like it's the place to be tonight, you know what I mean?"

"No!" Ron and Hermione chorused looked alarmed.

"Well, trust me. I know what I'm doing...or at least," he strolled confidently to the door,"Felix does."

"Bloody hell." Harry heard Ron say behind him,"He's gone mental!"

***********

"What time do you call this?" The Fat Lady demanded furiously as Harry got back to the common room at half-past one the following morning.

"Sorry." Harry said,"I had to go out for something important."

The Fat Lady smirked gleefully,"Well, the password changed at midnight, so you'll just have to sleep out here."

"You're joking!" Harry gaped at her, realising his Felix Felicis must have worn off,"Why did it have to change at midnight?"

"That's just the way it - ooh my!" The portrait hole swung open to reveal a very angry-looking Hermione.

"You'd better have the memory." Hermione snapped,"Going to Hagrid's...honestly, Harry, we had a plan!"

"Oi," Harry chuckled, following her back into the common room,"don't have a go at me yet, I've got it."

"Really?" Hermione's mouth formed a little 'o' shape,"Go to Dumbledore! Go to Dumbledore right now!"

"I can't. He's not here." Harry sighed.

"Yes he is, he got back earlier!" Hermione jumped up and down excitedly,"I heard the Fat Lady telling her friend Violet a few hours ago that he'd come back. Go on, go now! Oh, Harry, this is great news!"

Harry put a hand on her shoulder to steady her,"Okay, I'll go, as long as you go up to bed now. You look tired."

"Fine, fine, just go!"

"Goodnight, Moral Compass." Harry moved towards her.

"Goodnight, Moral Fibre." Hermione kissed him quickly.

The following day, Harry recounted his entire adventure of the previous night to Ron and Hermione. They were just as perfect an audience as they always were, and both instantly forgave him for abandoning the plan and going down to Hagrid's.

"...and Dumbledore said that he needed to think about the memory," Harry continued,"but he's already told me to come back next Saturday evening and he says he might have to go somewhere, and I'm welcome to come too!"

"Somewhere where a Horcrux is hidden?" Hermione asked.

Harry, truthfully, hadn't thought of this. "I guess so." He said, nibbling on his fingernails.

"You know, Harry, you really ought to try and stop doing that." Hermione said, watching his hand closely,"It isn't particularly good for your fingers."

Pulling his hand from his mouth, Harry mumbled an apology. He pulled the Half-Blood Prince's book out of his school bag and propped it up on his knees to read it. "Whoever he is," Harry said thoughtfully after a few minutes,"the Half-Blood Prince is extremely intelligent..."

"Or she." Hermione frowned.

"I can tell it's not a girl, Hermione." Harry insisted,"I can just tell."

Hermione replied angrily,"The truth is that you don't think a girl would have been clever enough."

"How can I have had you as my best friend for five-and-a-half years and not think girls are clever?" Harry said, stung by this.

"Right," Hermione stood up quickly,"that's it. I've had just about enough of this. Come on, Harry."

"Wh-what?" Harry looked at her, shellshocked.

"We're hiding that book."

"No."

"Yes, we are, Harry. It's dangerous."

"What are we doing?" Ginny appeared through the portrait hole, looking curious.

"Nothing." Harry snapped.

"We're hiding his book." Hermione told her.

"No we are not!" Harry said,"Will you stop harping on about the book! The Prince just copied the curse out. It's not like he was advising anyone to use it. For all we know, he was making a note of something that'd been used against him!"

"I don't believe this." Hermione frowned,"You're actually defending-"

"I'm not defending what I did." Harry said quickly,"I wish I hadn't done it, and not just because I've got weeks of detentions. You know I wouldn't've used a spell like that - not even on Malfoy - but you can't blame the Prince-"

"I never said-"

"Hermione," Ron intervened angrily,"Malfoy almost used an Unforgivable Curse on Harry."

"Yeah." Ginny nodded in agreement,"You should be glad he didn't-"

"Of course I'm glad Harry wasn't cursed!" Hermione snapped, looking quite stung,"But you can't start saying this Sectumsempra spell is good - look where it's landed Harry! And I'd have thought seeing what this has done to both of your chances in the match on Saturday-"

"Oh, don't start acting as though you understand Quidditch," Ginny snapped suddenly,"you'll only embarrass yourself!"

Hermione's mouth dropped in painful shock.

Suddenly quite angry, Harry stood up and grabbed Hermione's hand. "C'mon, Hermione." He growled.

"Harry," she squeaked,"where are we going?"

"To hide this bloody book."

"What?" Ron yelled.

"Why?" Ginny growled.

"Because," Harry stopped walking and spun around furiously, gesturing from himself and Hermione to Ron and Ginny,"look at what it's done to us! We're fighting over a stupid book and something I did because of it! What's wrong with us?"

No one spoke for a moment.

"Coming?" Hermione asked gently.

"Yeah." Harry led her out of the room and all the way to the seventh floor corridor. It was empty. He released Hermione's hand and paced the floor, thinking, I need a place to hide my book...I need a place to hide my book...I need a place to hide my book... The wall rumbled and a large door appeared in the middle of it. Harry went in.

Hermione caught his arm before he could run too far inside the Room of Requirement. "Here," she prized the book from Harry's hand,"close your eyes. Then you won't be tempted."

Harry did as he was told and waited for Hermione to hide the book. Once she was finished, she tapped him on the shoulder to let him know he could open his eyes.

"Hermione," Harry started in a croaky voice,"I-I trusted that book over you, and I'm sorry."

"That's all right"

"Did I ruin everything?"

"Every-what?"

"Every-us?"

She shook her head,"Not possible. Just promise me you won't ever be that horrendously thick again." Hermione put her arms around Harry's neck.

"I promise." Harry mumbled and kissed her.

The pair stayed in the Room of Requirement for another five minutes, doing nothing besides kissing. When they reached the common room, looking quite flushed, Ron and Ginny seemed a little suspicious, but didn't say anything.

***********

Harry sprinted back to the common room as quickly as he could, for Dumbledore had told him to go and get his invisibility cloak before meeting him in the Entrance Hall.

"What does Dumbledore want?" Hermione said the instant Harry came in. "Harry, are you okay?" She added anxiously.

"I'm fine." Harry replied rushing past her to grab his cloak from his dorm. When Harry reached the boys' dorm, he saw Ron sprawled across his bed, writing a letter to - Harry could tell by the name at the top of the parchment - Gabrielle Delacour.

"Mate, what's happening?" Ron asked as he saw Harry digging through his trunk.

"I'll tell you. Come down here." Harry grabbed his cloak, the Marauder's Map and a balled-up pair of socks from his trunk and galloped down the stairs.

Ron followed him obediently and sat down next to Hermione, who was now watching Harry with a mixture of great concern and great intent. Quickly, Harry told them where he was going, and why. He did not pause either for Hermione's gasps of horror or hasty questions; she and Ron would have to work out the finer details for themselves later on.

"...so you see what this means?" Harry finished excitedly,"Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's going to have another shot at whatever he's up to." Surprisingly, neither Ron nor Hermione objected to this. "Okay...oh, here," he stuffed the Marauder's Map into Hermione's shaking hands,"you've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape, too. Use anyone else you can rustle up from the DA. Hermione, those contact Galleons you made will still work, right? Dumbledore says he's put extra protection in the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what the protection is, and how to avoid it - but he won't be expecting you lot to be on the watch-"

"Harry-" Hermione began, eyes huge with fear.

"I haven't got time to argue." Harry said curtly,"Take this as well." He thrust the socks into Ron's hands.

"Thanks." Ron said, bemused,"Er - why do I need socks?"

"You need what's wrapped in them." Harry told him patiently,"It's the Felix Felicis. Share it between-"

"No!" Hermione said desperately, standing up,"We don't want it, you take it, who knows what you'll be facing?"

Harry smiled at her,"I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore. I want to know you lot are okay...don't look like that, Hermione, I'll be fine. See you later." He quickly kissed her (he didn't fancy it lasting long with Ron watching them) and hurried from the room, ready to face a night of pure mystery. Despite the looming danger of what the night could have in store for him, Harry really was quite excited.