.Oh.well,..said.Hermione.distantly,.buried.in.her.letter.once.more,..you.ll.have.plenty.of.opportunities.to.ask.her...
.What.if.he.doesn.t.want.to.ask.her?..said.Ron,.who.had.been.watching.Harry.with.an.unusually.shrewd.expression.on.his.face..
.Don.t.be.silly,..said.Hermione.vaguely,..Harry.s.liked.her.for.ages,.haven.t.you,
.Harry?..
He.did.not.answer..Yes,.he.had.liked.Cho.for.ages,.but.whenever.he.had.imagined.a.scene.involving.the.two.of.them.it.had.always.featured.a.Cho.who.was.enjoying.herself,.as.opposed.to.a.Cho.who.was.sobbing.uncontrollably.into.his.shoulder..
.Who.re.you.writing.the.novel.to,.anyway?..Ron.asked.Hermione,.trying.to.read.the.bit.of.parchment.now.trailing.on.the.floor..Hermione.hitched.it.up.out.of.sight..
.Viktor...
.Krum?.
.How.many.other.Viktors.do.we.know?..
Ron.said.nothing,.but.looked.disgruntled..They.sat.in.silence.for.another.twenty.minutes,.Ron.finishing.his.Transfiguration.essay.with.many.snorts.of.impatience.and.crossings‐out,.Hermione.writing.steadily.to.the.very.end.of.the.parchment,
.rolling.it.up.carefully.and.sealing.it,.and.Harry.staring.into.the.fire,.wishing.more.than.anything.that.Sirius.s.head.would.appear.there.and.give.him.some.advice.about.girls..But.the.fire.merely.crackled.lower.and.lower,.until.the.red‐hot.
embers.crumbled.into.ash.and,.looking.around,.Harry.saw.that.they.were,.yet.again,.the.last.ones.in.the.common.room..
.Well,.night,..said.Hermione,.yawning.widely.as.she.set.olf.up.the.girls..staircase..
.What.does.she.see.in.Krum?..Ron.demanded,.as.he.and.Harry.climbed.the.boys.
.stairs..
.Well,..said.Harry,.considering.the.matter,..I.s.pose.he.s.older,.isn.t.he….and.he.s.an.international.Quidditch.player…..
.Yeah,.but.apart.from.that,..said.Ron,.sounding.aggravated...I.mean,.he.s.a.grouchy.git,.isn.t.he?..
.Bit.grouchy,.yeah,..said.Harry,.whose.thoughts.were.still.on.Cho..
They.pulled.off.their.robes.and.put.on.pyjamas.in.silence;.Dean,.Seamus.and.Neville.were.already.asleep..Harry.put.his.glasses.on.his.bedside.table.and.got.into.bed.but.did.not.pull.the.hangings.closed.around.his.four‐poster;.instead,.he.stared.at.the.patch.of.starry.sky.visible.through.the.window.next.to.Neville.s.bed..If.he.had.known,.this.time.last.night,.that.in.twenty‐four.hours..time.he.would.have.kissed.Cho.Chang….
.Night,..grunted.Ron,.from.somewhere.to.his.right..
.Night,..said.Harry..
Maybe.next.time….if.there.was.a.next.time….she.d.be.a.bit.happier..He.ought.to.have.asked.her.out;.she.had.probably.been.expecting.it.and.was.now.really.angry.with.him….or.was.she.lying.in.bed,.still.crying.about.Cedric?.He.did.not.know.what.to.think..Hermione.s.explanation.had.made.it.all.seem.more.complicated.rather.than.easier.to.understand..
That.s.what.they.should.teach.us.here,.he.thought,.turning.over.on.to.his.side,.how.girls..brains.work….it.d.be.more.useful.than.Divination,.anyway….
Neville.snuffled.in.his.sleep..An.owl.hooted.somewhere.out.in.the.night..
Harry.dreamed.he.was.back.in.the.DA.room..Cho.was.accusing.him.of.luring.her.there.under.false.pretences;.she.said.he.had.promised.her.a.hundred.and.fifty.Chocolate.Frog.Cards.if.she.showed.up..Harry.protested….Cho.shouted,.