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"Are you going anywhere this summer?" Harry peeked around with his hands full of Hermione's thick mane, attempting to tame the wild curls into two French braids.

Hermione groaned, "I don't know," she let out a deep sigh, "We were supposed to go to France, but my parents want me to spend the summer going to counselling."

"What's that?" Neville furrowed his brow.

Harry's jaw was dropping, "Why would they send you? You don't have problems."

Hermione rolled her eyes and explained to the others, "Counselling is when muggles have emotional problems and issues and go to a professional to help them sort it out."

"It's also for crazy people," Harry grinned.

"Harry!" she gasped.

"Well it is."

"Well, it is," she agreed, "But it's also for people who've experienced a traumatic event. You know Hogwarts contacted all the parents when we were taken, so they know what happened, at least some of it. Anyway, my parents think that being kidnapped and having my magic threatened was traumatic enough that I should talk to someone."

"What happens if traumatic people don't get counsellined?" Greg frowned.

"Well," Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, really, but whatever it is, the counselling is supposed to prevent it."

Harry began to panic, the others shared his worry.

"But," Neville worried, "Cupcake's been traumaticked tons of times, and he's never had counselling."

"Maybe that's how it happens," Harry eeeked, "Maybe that's how I wind up a Dark Lord."

"Well, wait," Draco frowned, "I'm a bit unclear, do we want Cupcake to be a Dark Lord? Or don't we?"

The group shrugged, and the discussion soon turned to plans for Hermione's back to school shopping,

Harry Potter and the Slippery Secret, Chapter 18