Chapter 1660 - Ch: 49-52 (More Chps available)

Chapter 49: The Monster/Falling Away From Me

After Hermione's birthday, time sped up and the next thing Harry knew it was the last week of October. He entered the Great Hall for breakfast when something caught his attention. Midway down the table, Colin was sitting by himself, looking morose.

"Good morning, Colin," Harry greeted. Colin raised his blonde head just enough to acknowledge Harry and then dropped it back down to his plate. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," the boy said, unconvincingly.

"Come on now," Harry pressed. "What's up?"

"Do you think I'm annoying?" Colin asked.

"You can be a little exuberant sometimes but I don't think you're annoying," Harry said.

"Everyone in my year seems to want to avoid me," Colin said. "I try to get them to like me; to be someone who they would want to befriend but I'm never quite accepted."

"Have you tried being yourself?" Harry asked, seriously.

"I don't think that would work," Colin said. "I try to make those around me happy, to do what I think they'd like but it doesn't seem to work."

"That's probably because you are trying too hard," Harry said. "You can't please everyone and trying to do so will give you the opposite results. Just relax, be yourself and try to connect with them on a personal level."

"I'll give it a shot," Colin said. Harry spent the rest of the meal talking with him about photography and where he would like to develop as a photographer before checking in with him about the different classes.

As Harry talked to Colin, he spotted Neville walking up to Hannah. Neville looked nervous, shifting on the balls of his feet and biting his nails. Harry barely heard him ask for a moment. They moved off to the corner and, after a few moments, Neville walked away. He was beaming and Hannah was blushing. Harry caught his eye and gave him a silent congratulations.

Harry brought his attention back to Colin who was saying how much he loved Professor Lupin, something shared by most of the student body.

Harry thought about how much everyone loved Lupin as he made his way to the defense classroom. Lupin's classes were fun, informative and challenging. In the D.A. Lupin took a more active role to help students learn the spells and even introduced a few, like the piercing hex, a jinx that will lock the other person's tongue to the roof of their mouth and a special charm to work with incarcerous where the chords would constrict against their bound victim if the victim struggled against them. Hermione tweaked that in one of their sessions with Flitwick where she turned those cords into barbed wire. She demonstrated it on a dummy which made Harry glad he wasn't on the receiving end as the watched the barbed wire burrow into the dummy.

Lupin complimented her on the spellwork when she demonstrated it that she beamed widely. That's when Harry noticed something different.

"Hermione," Harry put a hand on her shoulder, turning her toward her. "Your teeth…"

"Aren't they wonderful?" Hermione beamed even wider, showing off her front teeth that Harry could see had recently been shrunk. "I just got them done today. Mum and daddy told me I could shrink them when they sent me my birthday card."

Harry hugged her and shared in her joy. He knew that her teeth were a facet of herself she didn't care for, especially since Malfoy had started calling her "Beaky" whenever he saw her.

Harry smiled at the memory of Hermione's glee as they entered the defense classroom. Before he could take his usual spot, Lupin entered from the back of the classroom.

"Good, I got here early enough," Lupin said. "Everyone grab your bags and follow me."

The confused class was led down the hall to a door that none of them had ever used before. Lupin swung it open and ushered the class inside. The class arrayed themselves around a long table that took up the center of the room. At the opposite end sat a wardrobe that was wobbling dangerously.

"Welcome to the staff room," Lupin said. "Technically students are not allowed in here but I'm bending the rules for the creature who lies in that wardrobe. Can anyone guess what it is?"

Hermione's well-practiced hand was first in the air.

"A boggart?" she said after Lupin called on her.

"Good guess," Lupin answered with a grin. "10 points to Gryffindor. Now who can tell me what a boggart looks like?"

"Nobody knows," Ron said, surprising everyone. "They are shapeshifters."

"Exactly," Lupin said. "10 points to Gryffindor for you as well. Boggarts are beings who shift into whatever form you fear most. There is a spell you can use. It is a quick spinning motion with the incantation riddikulus. Say it for me."

"Riddikulus," the class did as he requested.

"No that won't do," Lupin was always a master of getting the students engaged. "Once more with feeling."

"Riddikulus!" The class shouted louder.

"Again," Lupin threw his arms up in an animated fashion. "Let them hear you in the astronomy tower."

"RIDDIKULUS!" The class bellowed.

"Yes!" Lupin cheered. "That's what I'm talking about. Now the other thing a boggart hates is laughter. When you cast the spell, picture something that you find humorous. Who wants to go first?"

Hannah tentatively raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Abbott," Lupin called her forward. "Now can you tell me what terrifies you?"

"When I was little," Hannah rung her hands together. "I got to see a muggle film called Alien. I wasn't supposed to, mum said I was too young but I snuck around and watched it."

"I remember that one," Lupin nodded. "I'm guessing you didn't react well?"

"Ever since then, those creatures terrify me," Hannah admitted. "But I think I am ready."

"Excellent. I will open the wardrobe and the boggart will exit. Cast the spell when you're ready."

Lupin opened the door and out stepped one of the aliens from Alien. It advanced on Hannah who paled. She shook off her fear and cast "riddikulus."

The alien looked unchanged but when it opened its mouth, a noise maker popped out, with a loud party noise. After that, there was a confetti shower and the sound of kids cheering. *

At the laughter of the class, the boggart retreated. Lupin had the class line up so they could each get their turn. Parvati turned a Snake into a slinky, Ron removed the legs from a spider and Susan turned a ghoul into a bedsheet. Everything went normal until Hermione stepped up.

The boggart popped in the form a small, bloody, mangled body propped up against the wardrobe, its messy black hair the only distinguishing feature. Hermione paled and yelped at reliving her worst memory again but steeled her eyes.

"Riddikulus," she cast, confidently. The body picked itself up and had two more people moving it around.

"Weekend at Bernies, Hogwarts edition!" Dean called out gleefully, which inspired the class to laugh. Since joining the D.A., Dean had come out of his shell. At Harry's behest, he spoke with Babbling and transferred to Ancient Runes, discovering he was a natural, one of the better students in the class. After Hermione walked away, flicking away a stray tear as she did, Neville stepped up. Lupin threw open the wardrobe again and out stepped Bellatrix Lestrange.

"What do we have here?" Bellatrix taunted. "Itty bitty Longbottom. I've always wanted to get the whole set. Will you last longer than your parents, I wonder? Cruci-"

"No!" Harry threw himself in front of Neville. The Bellatrix boggart licked her lips and sneered before morphing into the last person Harry expected to see.

Lupin was in the process of intervening when the sight of Lily Potter stopped him dead in his tracks. Why is Lily Harry's greatest fear, he wondered?

Harry's green eyes locked on to Lily's before Lily turned around.

"Not Harry, I beg you!" Lily pleaded.

"Silly girl, Avada Kedavra!" A green light hit her square in the chest and she crumpled in front of Harry. Harry moved to her but before he could reach her, the boggart morphed into Hermione. As with Lily, Hermione turned around and cast herself in front of him as a shield.

"You won't touch him," Hermione said, fiercely.

"Out of the way! Avada Kedavra," Voldemort's voice cut through. Voldemort finally stepped out of the wardrobe, causing the whole class to scream in terror. "I will kill everyone you love. Everyone you hold dear, whoever protects you, will die. Remember that."

Harry collapsed, tears fell from eyes as he focused on Hermione's lifeless form. He reached out to touch her when she disappeared. In her place floated a glowing orb.

"Riddikulus!" Lupin cast and the orb turned into a pie that Lupin banished into the wardrobe. "And that, class, is why boggarts are dangerous, especially for those who have endured an especially traumatic experience. Do not think less of someone who can't handle one. There are just some things you can't make funny. Class dismissed."

Harry barely registered the class filing out. Hermione had sprinted to his side and molded her body to his back. He closed his eyes and tried to stop his entire body from shaking. Her scent filled his nostrils and he could hear her whispering.

"It's okay," Hermione soothed. "I'm still here. I'm still here."

Hermione repeated her phrase over and over, hoping it would sink in.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Neville said. "If I didn't freeze, you wouldn't have had to step in."

"It's okay, Nev," Harry heard his voice say. "I didn't want you to get hurt. I just didn't expect… that."

"I am sorry as well," Lupin said, his voice finally making Harry look up. Green met grey and Harry couldn't help but notice the sadness within them. "It was my plan to not let you face the boggart. I thought it would take the form of Lord Voldemort and that his presence would terrify the class, you especially, Harry.

"When it turned into Lily, I was so confused," Harry noticed Lupin used his mum's first name but filed it away for another day. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, professor," Harry waived his apologies away like they were physically floating in front of them. "I'll be fine."

With the help of Hermione and Neville, Harry was escorted to the Great Hall for dinner where none of his yearmates would look him in the eye which was fine because he had never in his life found his plate so interesting. Hermione remained close to him, trying to get him to eat but Harry's catatonic brain wasn't in the mood. He never even noticed Luna sitting down on his other side.

"The Nargles are especially strong around you today, Harry," she said while loading up her plate.

"We've just come from Defense," Hermione explained in hushed tones. "Lupin taught us how to deal with a boggart."

"I see," Luna said and pulled Harry's arm away from his body and wrapped itself around her. Before Harry knew what was happening, Luna was wrapped tightly around him, hugging the living daylights out of him. "What happened?"

Harry barely registered Lavender and Parvati sliding closer to Neville on the other side of the table. Parvati cast a privacy spell and Harry started to talk.

"My mum," Harry said, tears bristling at the corner of his eyes. "It was just like the dementors. Then after her, it was Hermione. Voldemort then told me everyone who tried to protect me, everyone I loved, he would kill."

"I'm sorry," Luna said simply and hugged him even tighter. She didn't say anything more than that but something in the way she said it, made Harry feel better.

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Luna never moved away from Harry, she never said anything, she just was there. Hermione grabbed his other hand and leaned into him from the other side. Hermione smiled as she saw him visibly relax. They didn't ask any questions; they just remained close, silently communicating they were there for him. Once dinner was over, Harry meandered up to the staff table where all the Gryffindors were turning in their Hogsmeade permission slips before the first Hogsmeade weekend. McGonagall saw the way Harry looked. She was about to ask what was the matter when Hermione quickly shook her head and mouthed "later."

Harry turned and walked out of the Great Hall to return to Gryffindor Tower. Luna returned to her spot next to him, her presence a quiet comfort for him. As they usually did, Hermione and Neville took up flanking positions around him with Neville walking next to Luna.

"So Potter," Draco taunted as Harry ascended the stairs toward their common room. "I see you're not worried about going to Hogsmeade. What? Don't think Black will go after you if you have enough skirts to hide behind? As if that was enough to protect Pettigrew. You know what happened to him and he was a fully-trained wizard.

"Or maybe it'll be the werewolves," Draco said. "Maybe they'll go after Granger first; make you watch. You're not afraid, are you Beaky? Of a werewolf tearing you to shreds like they did his aunt and uncle?"

"Ignore him," Hermione grabbed his arm and increased their pace.

"Maybe they'll work together," Draco said. "Black'll probably do Beaky first. Make you watch him as he slowly kills her the same way the Dark Lord did to your mudblood mother."

Harry's vision blurred at the last jibes. He vaguely heard Hermione's gasp of air and barely noticed Luna stepping back in shock. He never registered himself throwing off Neville's attempts to hold him back as he snapped and turned around, his wand at the ready. Draco's eyes widened as Harry's eyes were a dull green, hard and full of rage. It was in that moment that he truly felt fear at the force that was Harry Potter.

"Depulso," Harry cast, his voice cold. What he failed to realize is they were at the top of the stairs, three levels up. His rage cleared in an instant as he witnessed the green-tinted robes of Draco Malfoy fall backward in a graceful arc. Time seemed to stop on the stairs as students gasped. Draco had three stories to fall before he'd find anything resembling the ground.

I've killed him, Harry said. I didn't mean to do it but I've killed him all the same.

"Arresto Momento," Harry saw a white light flash by him. Draco's descent slowed and he hit the floor in the main atrium with a dull thud. Harry whipped around, wondering who to thank for saving Draco when he saw Snape with his wand drawn.

"Reckless, Potter," Snape said. "100 points from Gryffindor and I'm afraid I'm going to have to confine you to the castle for the weekend. No Hogsmeade for you, I'm afraid."

Snape had a small, victorious grin, as if he had been waiting for something like this to happen. Harry ignored the obvious bait and instead focused on what he truly felt.

"Yes sir," Harry hung his head. Snape turned and began to strut away before a small voice made him turn back. "Thank you."

"What do you have to thank me for, Potter," Snape sneered.

"For saving his life," Harry said. "I… don't know that I could have lived with myself if he… if I…"

Snape's image of Harry being James Potter shattered then and there. Contrition was something James Potter just didn't do. What stood in front of him was a boy with emerald green eyes and a kind heart, the heart who wouldn't wish harm on even her most vile enemy.

Her!? Snape shook himself. Where did that pronoun come from?

"Be glad that I was here," Snape regained his composure. "Otherwise, Dumbledore's favorite or not, you would have been expelled forthwith."

"Yes sir," Harry walked quietly back to the common room, ignoring the whispers that followed him.

The group made its way back to the common room where Harry sat down heavily on the sofa, Luna silently providing him the same support she did at dinner.

"How could you be so careless?" Hermione sat next to him and lectured. "You knew he was trying to bait you and you let him."

She had been looking forward to Hogsmeade with Harry, their first date out of the castle.

"You're better than this, Harry," Harry dropped his head into his hands.

"That's enough Hermione," Luna's voice, calm and steady, cut through her rant. "Malfoy's taunts were almost carbon copy to what Harry just experienced. I wanted to throw the git off the stairs too. It wasn't a random taunt; it was specifically targeted against the person Harry cares most for in this world. How are you not angrier with Malfoy for what he said than what Harry did? You've said your piece and nothing you can say will make him feel worse than he already does, right now."

Hermione dipped her head in embarrassment, realizing Harry didn't need her haranguing him. She took a cue from Luna, wrapped her arms around his midsection and squeezed.

"Draco probably is regretting his comments," Ginny said as she walked up with Fred, George and Ron. "Everyone in the castle is talking about it; more than a few are honestly a little sad that Snape caught him. We don't blame you, Harry. I wouldn't have pushed him back; I would have bound him, kicked him in the balls and then suspended him above the Great Hall for all to see."

"The little shite deserved it," Fred Weasley said. "Ron told us what happened, both with the boggart and what Malfoy said."

"Family comes first," George picked up the thread. "If that pile of hippogriff shite had said that thing to us, hell if we had heard him say that to you, we would have torn him apart with our bare hands."

"Sorry, Harry," Ron said. "I'm sure what Malfoy said, especially after your experience in Defense, was hard to hear. It couldn't have been easy, having that thrown in your face."

"Thank you, Ron," Harry said, his voice still quiet.

"Hey Hermione," Ron turned to her. "Would you want to go to Hogsmeade together? See the town, explore the shops, you know?"

"Oh uh," Hermione's brain whizzed to a stop. Half of her was still processing everything that happened in the last four hours and couldn't formulate a response.

"Sorry," Lavender interrupted her thoughts. "She's actually already going with Parvati and me; girls day out, you know?"

Lavender winked at Hermione who smiled gratefully at her friend stepping in.

"Maybe next time, then," Ron sulked and moved away. Ginny rolled her eyes as she walked away, knowing this wasn't going to end well for her brother. Harry, meanwhile, was trying not to look annoyed at the idea of Ron trying to take his girlfriend on a date. It didn't matter than Ron didn't know that, Harry was still annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said once the Weasley clan moved off. "I was looking forward to our date in Hogsmeade. His taunt about you dying like my mother hit especially hard today, the way he talked about you being ripped to shreds like…"

Harry suddenly realized something.

"Holy shit," Harry's head snapped up. "Draco let something slip. He told said 'a werewolf tearing you to shreds, like they did my aunt and uncle.' I never told him who my aunt and uncle were, how did he know they were killed?"

"That would mean…"

"Either he knew the werewolf who did it-"

"-Or the werewolf was working for someone he knows," Hermione finished.

They looked at one another and had the exact same thought: "Lucius Malfoy."

"I have to write a letter," Harry said. "Madam Bones needs to know this. Malfoy probably bragged about it to his son or his son overheard him bragging. Either way, that would point to who the mysterious force behind the werewolf attacks were and how they knew who to target."

Harry rifled through his bag for parchment and a quill, hoping that they could finally nail Lucius on something.

(A/N: Changed a few things of this chapter. The further I got from it, the more I hated it. It had some excessively out of character moments for Hermione and I've corrected that, as well giving her an out to keep her from going to Hogsmeade with Ron. That was just a terrible idea I got married to early and was so focused on making it work, I failed to realize it doesn't.

*The sound effect of the Alien-boggart is based on what happens when you headshot a Grunt in Halo with the Grunt Birthday Party skull on. If you haven't experienced it, I would recommend Googling it.

Chapter 50: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

(A/N: This chapter has been heavily re-edited from its first iteration. In case you're confused, the site had me remove the chapter rather than just replace it. Weird but we'll roll with it. The further I got from it the more I hated it. Taking advice from a certain S.H.I.E.L.D agent, I decided the best I could do was start over.)

The next day, Draco strutted into the Great Hall with a smile on his face. He sat down, pompously. When he did, everyone picked up their plates and moved to the other end of the table.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy sneered.

"We all heard what you said to Potter, Draco," Daphne said, her blue eyes ice cold. "We don't entirely get why you keep antagonizing him but what you said was a step too far. For us, family is everything. You would know that if you listened to your mother more growing up. Hell even Potter acts with more decorum than you and he's a Gryff raised by muggles."

"You're taking Potter's side?" Draco said. "That filthy half-blood launched me off the stairs. I kept him from going to Hogsmeade."

"And you deserved it," Vinny said. "If you had said something like that about my dearly departed mother, I'd have thrown you off the Astronomy Tower."

They all turned and Draco was left alone in the middle of the table with only the simpering Pansy Parkinson left at his side. Even Nott was keeping his distance.

It didn't get better in Potions. Snape beckoned them in and assigned them the Shrinking Solution. That was when Snape did something he had never done before.

"Sloppy chopping, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said from his desk. "10 points from Slytherin."

On and on it went with Snape taking points off for every miniscule mistake Draco made until the end.

"What do you call this?" Snape asked the blonde boy

"A Shrinking Solution," Malfoy said through his fury.

"I don't think so," Snape waved his wand and vanished the potion. "Detention with me Sunday where you will learn to brew it properly."

You could hear a pin drop in the dungeon at Snape giving Draco Malfoy what everyone in Gryffindor took to calling "the Harry Potter treatment." Harry was stunned. All through class, he had even caught Snape looking at him with a look reminiscent to pity and wondered what inspired this shift for the Dungeon Bat.

Hermione woke up on Halloween and immediately wished to go back to bed. Thanks to the Dementors, the weather was a cold, grey and gloomy, perfectly matched to her mood. She wasn't excited at the prospect of going to Hogsmeade without Harry. Multiple times, she had tried to back out of going but Harry wouldn't let her.

"You've been wanting to see the town for ages," Harry said. "Don't rob yourself of the opportunity just because I can't go."

"But every minute I am there, I'll just be wishing you'll be there with me," Hermione argued. "Sounds like an awful time to me."

"It will be a good opportunity to get out of the castle for a stretch," Harry persisted. "I know you've felt cooped up the last few weeks; this will be a good opportunity. The next one won't come until Christmas. Please?"

Hermione found she couldn't say no to Harry when he gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"Fine," Hermione relented, scowling at him. She continued with mock indignation "But you better not do anything to get yourself banned from the next trip, you hear?"

That was yesterday and Hermione was still regretting agreeing to go. She finished her morning routine and descended the stairs into the common room where a beaming Ron was already waiting. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Harry sitting in the corner saying something to Luna and Colin. He looked up, smiled and waved her onward. She moved, in spite of everything in her mind, body and soul telling her to stay.

"You ready?" Lavender asked brightly.

"Sure," Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"C'mon, the shops await," Parvati slid her hand through Hermione's arm while Lavender did the same on the other side and they exited the common room as if they were off to see the wonderful wizard of Oz.

Bundled up in a thick sweater, her warmest tights and the skirt Dobby made for her, Hermione was built to be warm, not to look fashionable. Completing the look with her thickest coat and the boots with a special warming charm on them, she was comfortable but refrained from doing anything special to her hair or makeup.

With every step away from Gryffindor tower, she began wishing she never left. Once they arrived at the Great Hall, they met up with Neville and Hannah to have a small breakfast before heading down.

"So you guys excited for your date," Lavender asked brightly, causing Neville to blush.

"Yeah," Neville said quietly. "I am."

Hannah nodded excitedly next to him.

"So Hermione," Parvati turned toward her. "What are you looking forward most to today."

"I'm just looking forward to seeing the village," Hermione said. "It's one of the few wizarding villages in Britain. I can't wait to see what it's like, the history of the village."

"Of course you'll be interested in history," Lavender elbowed her good-naturedly "I'm excited to see Madam Primpernelle's, to see what passes for makeup in the magical world. Let us see what our market value is. Oh and we have to stop at Honeydukes, they have the best chocolate."

After breakfast, they made their way down to the carriages. Lavender was positively vibrating in her seat, a ray of sunshine in the gloomy day. Hermione smiled at her friend's excitement. A wave of cold settled over her as they passed the castle gates where the Dementors were stationed.

The carriage came to a stop and Hermione threw open the door and stepped out of the carriage.

"Wow," Hermione was overwhelmed with everything there was to discover.

"Can you move so the rest of us can see?" Parvati asked from the carriage. Hermione quickly stepped to the side to allow the other friends to exit.

"This is better than I even imagined," Lavender beamed. "Let's go explore."

It didn't take long before Hermione saw a store she wanted to visit.

"Oh can we go in?" She gestured toward Tomes and Scrolls. Through its window, she saw an old copy of Hogwarts: A History.

"Okay but only a half hour," Parvati said. "We'd like to see the rest of the town.

Hermione scowled playfully at Parvati before almost sprinting to the shop. She opened the door and one of her favorite smells, the smell of books, floated through her nostrils. For a half hour, they browsed, Hermione making a note of every book she wanted to buy, hoping to narrow down the list for the next trip.

Next they visited Zonko's. It was a quick visit as none of the products held any intrigue for them. They were all incredibly banal, with no imagination. No wonder the twins want to open their own shop, Hermione said inwardly. They could put these guys out of business.

After Zonko's, Lavender dragged her into Honeydukes, a shop she swore her parents would ground her if they ever saw her inside. Licorice Wands, Ice Mice, Acid Pops and all manner of confectionary delights were arrayed through the shop. It was obviously popular, considering half the student body was crammed inside. Smiling in spite of herself, she saw a display of Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts. Giggling uncontrollably at the memory of her first ride to Hogwarts, she picked up one of each to purchase.

"That's the spirit!" Lavender clapped her on the shoulder as she brought her products to the counter. "Get some chocolate too; you won't regret it."

Hermione relented and allowed Lavender to add a bar of Honeydukes Finest Chocolate to the counter. After making her purchase and the store clerk placed them in a bag with a stasis charm that would keep the chocolate from melting, they explored the town more.

From there, they toured the village. Lavender pointed out the Shrieking Shack: an old, dilapidated building that Hermione was surprised the strong winds of the day didn't just knock it over.

"The most haunted building in all of Britain, that is," Parvati said. "Apparently my papa told me he could hear ghouls screaming bloody murder during his time at school. Wonder if they're still around."

Hermione scoffed at the idea that any ghost would haunt that building when the castle was nearby but it looked interesting anyway. They toured the rest of the town, with a stop in Madam Primpernelle's where Lavender was taking note of everything within the store. They were almost back at the center of the village when Hermione found herself wishing for a break from the wind. Even Parvati's dark cheeks looked rosy so she knew hers must be the same.

"Let's head to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeers," Lavender pointed out the cozy-looking building at the center of town. She grabbed her hand and pulled her onward. "I've been hoping to try it.".

Hermione ordered three butterbeers and they found a seat near the window.

"The wind's really whipping out there, isn't it?" Parvati said, as she sipped the honey-colored liquid moments after Hermione set it down. Hermione daintily sipped her beverage, letting the liquid- and the memories of drinking it with Harry on her birthday- warm her. Hermione spotted Neville cozying up close to Hannah across the dining room. They were holding hands and she was laughing at something he said. Hermione smiled wistfully at the pair, wishing she had Colins camera to capture the moment.

"Aren't they just the cutest," Lavender cooed, following Hermione's gaze. Hermione inclined an eyebrow at her. "Well okay. Second cutest couple in Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled at Lavender's amended statement but at that moment, more than anything, her brain was up at the castle, with the dark-haired teenager she wished more than anything was sitting right next to her.

As Hermione sat, wishing to be with Harry, Harry was wandering the castle, hoping that a little exercise would give him a respite from the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

"Harry?" Harry stopped abruptly at the voice that called out to him. Halted mid-step, Harry backpedaled until he spotted Professor Lupin in his office. "You doing alright?"

"I'm fine, professor," Harry shrugged.

"Would you like some tea?" Lupin asked. "I just brewed a pot."

Since he had nothing else to do, he accepted the offer, hoping the tea would drive away his misery for a while.

"How are you holding up?" Lupin asked seriously. "I've been worried about you since the boggart."

"It's a process but I'm getting there," Harry admitted. "Hermione and Luna have helped a lot and Neville has been great at being supportive. I think he still blames himself."

"I must say it's unusual to see you alone," Lupin said. "Usually where you go, Hermione's right there."

"She's in Hogsmeade with Lavender and Parvati. Better than her going with Ron," Harry spat his name. "He asked her to accompany him on the first visit. Luckily the girls stepped in first."

Of all the responses Harry expected from this small vent of ire, laughter was not the one Harry expected.

"Ho ho ho," Lupin let out a loud laugh. "You're just as bad as James when someone wanted to try and date Lily. Oh I remember when Jimmy Featherton asked her to Hogsmeade. He couldn't sit comfortable for a week, Lily was so furious at James when he pranked poor Jimmy."

"So you did know them," Harry said. There was neither question nor warmth in his tone. "I was curious. The way you address me sometimes, it's like you knew me and sometimes I see you looking at me with sadness; with pity."

"Yes," Lupin sobered immediately. "I knew them. James was one of my closest friends while we were at school. And Lily… a kinder heart this school has never hosted before or since. She had a way of seeing beyond people's physical walls and seeing their true self. No judgement, just love. I can't help it when I look at you sometimes, Harry, I see them. I see the brother I got into so much mischief with and the girl whose kindness never wavered."

Harry was about to respond when the door opened and Snape walked in. Snape set down a goblet with steam pouring out of it. Harry caught a whiff of it, one element catching his nostrils particularly harshly.

"Drink that straight away," Snape said. "If you need more, I have a full batch under stasis."

"Thank you, Severus," Lupin nodded before taking the Goblet. Snape gave Harry a curt nod and departed. Lupin turned to Harry and gave him a strained smile.

"Health tonic," Lupin inclined the drink as if to toast. "It's a good thing Severus is a good brewer, not many can make this particular potion. It's a pity I can't add sugar."

"Why didn't you check in on me before now?" Harry asked, pressing the issue they were discussing before they were interrupted. "You were their friend; I would have thought you'd at least want to see their kid from time to time."

"I have a condition that," Lupin started to say. He stopped mid sentence drained the goblet, grimaced and shook his head. "It is just better that I weren't around you?"

"What? Because you're a werewolf?" Harry asked, startling Lupin.

"How did you…"

"Figure it out?" Harry said. "You've been sick before this, almost a month ago when we had a full moon. You're looking ill again and tonight's the full moon. Snape just brought you a goblet of what I'm guessing is Wolfsbane- aconite has a very distinct aroma. I don't care that you're a werewolf. You're an animal a couple days a month, at worst. Vernon was an animal every day.

"Do you know what he did to me? What they did?" Harry raised to his feet. "If it wasn't for Hermione, I'd likely be dead now. It would have been nice to have someone talk to me when I was younger, to tell me who my parents were. Instead, I got Petunia and Vernon, pissing on their graves, telling me they were layabout drunks."

Lupin gasped at all of Harry's revelations. He forgot the other side to Lily Potter until this moment. When she got filled with righteous anger, she was an unstoppable force. There was no defense and there was no bargaining. When she got this way, she also happened to be one hundred percent correct.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Lupin croaked out.

"I'm sorry too," Harry's voice was cold and lifeless. "Thank you for the tea, Professor. I'll see you in class when you're back healthy."

Harry marched from the room, leaving Lupin to stew on all the decisions and mistakes he had made. If it wasn't for the fact alcohol would counter all the benefits of Wolfsbane, he would be at least one handle deep now.

Harry never stopped walking until he reached the courtyard. He walked to a bench and sat down heavily, letting the wind blow across his face. It was Halloween, the day everyone celebrated, the day where he was vividly reminded of his parent's sacrifice and what it cost him. Tears stung his cheeks as he sat there, oblivious to the cold.

On the other side, Hermione was hugging herself for warmth. After their butterbeers, the decided it was getting too cold so they decided to head back.

"Thanks for spending the day with us," Parvati beamed as they boarded the carriage to head back toward the castle. "Too bad the next one isn't until just before Christmas. That's a long time to wait for the next day. Thankfully you've found an alternative."

"Maybe next time we could do it as a group," Hermione said. "We can all go: Neville, Harry, Dean; the lot of them?"

"Even Ron?" Lavender asked.

"As long as it's a full group, sure," Hermione said. "Just so he can't mistake it being a date. Even if I wasn't dating Harry, I just can't see it working, him and me. We're just too different."

"Agreed," Lavender said. "He's got a lot of maturing to do and even if he does that, you just don't have any shared interests."

At that moment, the carriage came to a graceful stop. Hermione spotted something out the window. She bounced out of her seat, threw open the door and stepped down. In the back of her mind, she noticed Lavender and Parvati move past her toward the warm sanctuary of the Great Hall. Her main focus, however, was the mop of messy black hair sitting on the bench. Her legs carried her in that direction before she consciously decided to go.

"Harry?" Hermione called his name. Harry picked up his head.

"Hermione!" Harry brightened, though his smile still was forced. "How was Hogsmeade?"

"It was fine," Hermione scoffed. "What's got you so upset?"

"Later," Harry gave her a forced smile. "I'll tell you, just not here."

"I brought you this," Hermione pulled the Honeydukes bag from her jacket pocket. "I saw them and thought of our first train ride."

"Thank you," Harry smiled, genuinely this time. "Still one of my happiest memories."

Harry had been using it to power his Patronus. It was taking a shape but still not corporeal. Hermione hugged him fiercely.

"I missed you," Hermione said.

"I missed you too," Harry admitted. "The castle was really lonely today, I must admit."

Hermione wanted to remain in their hug but her rumbling stomach had different ideas. They moseyed into the Great Hall for the Halloween feast where Harry sat down heavily. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed Ron speaking animatedly to Seamus, gesturing in her direction.

"The Nargles are strong among you again," Luna appeared out of nowhere next to Harry. "I'm not going to have to feed you, am I?"

It took a practiced ear to know when Luna Lovegood was being cheeky but this was definitely one of those times. After talking to her about that night, Harry thanked her but requested she refrain from doing it again. Luna knew this and decided to be cheeky. Harry guffawed at her joke as Hermione sniggered uncontrollably.

"Something funny?" Neville asked as he sat down across from them, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Oh Harry doesn't seem to like the idea me feeding him," Luna said. "Disappointing. It would be rather fun."

Harry lost it, leaning heavily into Hermione to keep from falling off the bench. His laughter rang throughout the hall, prompting everyone to look his way. Harry was too far gone to care.

"Thank you, Luna," Harry said as he wiped tears from his eyes. "I needed that."

Under the table, he grabbed Hermione's hand and smile gratefully at her as well.

The feast passed with relative peace, allowing Harry to enjoy the foods and revel in the camaraderie. At the end of the feast, Dumbledore took the lectern.

"Ah the joy of laughter," Dumbledore smiled down upon the students. "I must admit that hearing this hall full of joy is one of my favorite parts of being headmaster. However, I must stop to recognize something we often forget. Halloween is a day heralded as the day Lord Voldemort was defeated. In our eagerness, we forget the cost of that night. Tonight, I would like to pause and honor James and Lily Potter. It was their sacrifices that allowed their son to survive the Dark Lord.

"The Potters and so many more families sacrificed so much for us to have this celebration today. To the Potters."

Dumbledore held his goblet aloft and tipped it toward Harry. Harry gave him a grateful, if a bit watery, smile in return. Hermione squeezed his hand under the table and Luna hugged him tightly once again.

"Now you don't need to hear an old man prattle," Dumbledore said. "Off to bed with you all. Pip pip."

Tiredly, Harry dragged his body up the staircases toward the warm bed that awaited him. He was so focused on his destination that he didn't notice everyone stopped until he walked directly into the back of Colin.

"Sorry, Colin," Harry said as he pulled the boy upright. "What's the hold up?"

"The Fat Lady," he heard Angelina say. "She's gone!"

"Someone fetch Dumbledore," Percy said. Moments later, Dumbledore sped up the staircases. The Red Gryffindor Sea parted as if he were Moses and Harry could see the portrait of the Fat Lady sliced to shreds.

"Oh my," Dumbledore scanned the portraits around. "Did anyone see anything?"

The Gryffindors all shook their head, though it soon became apparent he was not speaking to them.

"Aye my liege," A portrait of a knight turned from the dragon he was battling. "There was a man seeking entry into Gryffindor tower. He was enraged that the Fat Lady would not let him pass. He brandished a knife and started slashing.

"Did you see who it was?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh yes," the knight said. "I remember him when he was here, He was so good at sneaking in after curfew. I'll never forget his face, the face of Sirius Black."

Pandemonium took hold on the landing before Gryffindor tower. Students started to panic and search every corner for the escaped prisoner. Dumbledore fired off a canon blast and let silence resume.

"Prefects," he said. "Lead the students back the Great Hall. I will contact the other houses and have them join you. Don't run but do move with pace, please."

In the Great Hall, Dumbledore took his lectern again.

"Sorry to disrupt your night," he scanned the hall. "Sirius Black tried this evening to gain entry to Gryffindor tower. As a precaution, you all will be sleeping here where the staff and Prefects can keep a watch on you. Prefects, please approach the staff table to get your watch assignments.

"Oh right," Dumbledore noticed the students looking at the tables in confusion. "Details."

With a wave of his wand, the tables flew to the ceiling and mounted themselves onto the walls, their bench folding into them as they finished moving. Purple sleeping bags then appeared and Dumbledore cast a cushioning charm on the floor, making it feel a little like a bounce house that a kid would have for their birthday party. It only took one glance for Harry and Hermione to have the same thought. They hauled two bags into the corner so they could talk.

"Dobby," Hermione called the elf. "Can you put up a privacy ward? I'd like to talk to Harry without being overheard."

The elf did as requested, bowed and popped out.

"What has you so upset?" Hermione asked as she crawled into her sleeping bag.

"I had tea with Professor Lupin while everyone was in Hogsmeade," Harry said. "Our suspicions were right, by the way, he is a werewolf. I found that out when Snape brought him a goblet of Wolfsbane Potion."

"Why do I feel like that's not what upset you?" Hermione's eyes were filled with concern.

"I told him that I was annoyed that Ron agreed you out" Harry said. "He laughed and said 'you're as bad as James.' I knew there was something he wasn't telling me but I didn't imagine it was that. He was one of my father's closest friends; knew my mum too."

"Lupin was a friend of your mum and dad?" Hermione said quietly.

"Apparently," Harry said. "What I can't figure out is why he didn't bother to check in on me after they were gone. I kind of… yelled at him today when I found out. I feel bad about that, actually."

"I get it, though," Hermione soothed. "You would have liked to know more about your parents as you grew up."

"Yeah," Harry admitted. "I'll apologize to him when he's back healthy. Anyway, how was your time in Hogsmeade?"

"It was fun," Hermione said. "Lavender got to do her market research, I got to see inside the book store. It was nice but I still spent the day wishing you were there with me instead."

"Guess that just means we'll have to do the thing right in December," Harry smiled at her. She smiled back, reaching out to grab his hand.

"Looking forward to it, boyfriend," Hermione giggled. Before long, their eyes grew heavy and they both fell asleep holding one another's hand. Harry's last thought was thanking Sirius Black for inadvertently setting this whole thing up.

(A/N: Liked this version better of Hermione having a Girl's Day Out instead of me shoehorning in a horrible "date" to show why I don't think Ron and Hermione work as a couple. It's not that difficult. It also allowed me to work more with the Lavender/Parvati duo which I am coming to love.)

Chapter 51: Land of Confusion

(A/N: The previous two chapters, especially the previous one have been changed. This one might be confusing if you haven't read the changes.)

The days following Halloween, all anyone would talk about was Sirius Black.

"He's probably walking among us now," Cho Change theorized. "He's just invisible."

"Probably figured out how to turn himself transparent," her friend Marietta nodded. "We've probably walked through him three times."

"I'm sure he's just apparated out," Zacharias Smith said. "Forgot it was Halloween and popped out."

Hermione rolled her eyes at this; it was useless reminding them about the rules regarding apparition. For Harry, he kept postulating how Sirius was getting around the castle without being seen but then again, if he was one of his father's friends, their antics were legendary enough he probably mastered the art of sneaking around the castle.

Dumbledore had tasked Alfred with repairing the portrait of the Fat Lady. Alfred had it done by the following morning with a mending charm after which Dumbledore added a couple imperturbable and impervious charms onto her portrait to keep her safe. The Fat Lady demanded a troll but Dumbledore nixed that as an unnecessary danger to the students.

Life returned to normal, at least for the most part. Ron had taken to try to cozy up to Hermione despite her many attempts to rebuff him.

"Hey Herms," Ron caught her attention after Charms, smiling brightly. "Do you want to go for a walk in the courtyard? It's not too cold out."

Harry shook his head and kept moving. Much as he would like to step in, he knew Hermione liked to fight her own battles.

"No thank you, Ronald," Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. Even if she weren't dating Harry, Ron wouldn't be a choice she'd make. "It's not a good fit, you and me. And if you call me Herms again, you won't ever be having kids."

"But I thought maybe, I don't know, we could get to know each other better!" Ron protested. "Spend some more time together, you know?"

"There's a great girl out there for you but it's not me, Ron," Hermione said.

"How do you know unless you try?" Ron said. "You say we're too different, but they say that opposites attract."

"No, Ron," Hermione said with some finality. "Now if you don't mind, I've got homework to do."

Hermione sped off toward the library, leaving a confused Ron in her wake. Ron shook his head and moved off toward the common room. What am I doing wrong? Ron thought. I'll have to write mum and maybe I'll another conversation with Seamus is necessary.

Ron wasn't the only person in the castle trying to figure everything out. Currently Draco Malfoy was persona non grata, especially in Slytherin. The house, led by Daphne, had made It clear they did not abide his actions. He had written his father, with no response. First, the hippogriff wasn't executed, Hagrid wasn't fired and now everyone except Pansy had abandoned him. He had no power, no influence within the house and Flint had even made it clear that if he performed like he did last year, he would be off the Quidditch team.

"I don't care that your father bought the brooms," Flint said. "I'll use the school brooms if it means our Seeker can do his job."

Harry, for his part, felt a small bit of pity for Draco. If he hadn't made it his mission to antagonize Harry, Harry might even feel prompted to extend an olive branch. Maybe if Draco apologized, he still would but he expected Hagrid to be named Minister of Magic before that happened. Still, he felt bad for him.

"You don't have to make him an outcast on my behalf," Harry told Daphne when he arrived in the library. It was common practice now for Harry, Hermione, Neville, Lavender and Parvati to study in the library with Susan, Hannah and the Slytherin Four. They were running out of space since Padma joined from time to time and Millie became a staple of the group as well.

"Maybe not," Daphne admitted. "However there's two things to consider. First, pureblood families are raised with a certain respect and decorum. The first rule is that family comes first, no matter what. To insult someone's family is a good way for them to declare a blood feud with your entire house. Hard to do business if you're fighting a blood feud. Second, we are formally aligned and as such, the house of Greengrass won't stand for any slight against House Potter.

"You've stripped Draco of all power within the house; I just put in the finishing blow," Daphne smiled. "With no allies, Draco just has money and nobody in Slytherin is lacking for money enough to be bought by him."

"I could just outbid him, anyway," Harry joked. His last statement from the goblins was enticing. Their muggle investments were growing faster than any wizarding investment they had and it was all because Lily Potter had the idea to invest there.

"I'll keep that in mind," Daphne smirked. After formally aligning, she was relaxing. Still a little stiff but she was warmer and her wry humor shined through more. "This time last year, Draco was trying leverage his way into a betrothal contract for me. He told me if I fought, he would go after my sister."

A small tear escaped her eye. Harry rubbed her back in support.

"Thank you," she smiled at him before continuing her story. "Anyway, when you embarrassed him in the game last year, it gave me enough leverage to allow my father time to stall. With our alliance, there's no chance of it happening now."

At this moment, Hermione reappeared and slammed her bags down.

"That good, huh?" Neville asked. "Let me guess, he still wants a date, even though everyone else in the castle has surmised you're dating Harry?"

Hermione growled in frustration, pulling out her Potions text, parchment and quill, slamming the ink bottle down hard enough that some of the ink splattered onto her parchment. Harry drew his wand and cleaned the parchment.

"How can I get it through his head that I'm not interested?" Hermione growled.

"You could always try punching him," Daphne said. "That might the message across. You could also just tell him you and Harry are dating."

"I'm not sure either of those would work," Hermione said. "He's just fixated on me, for some reason. Though at this point, the school more or less knew they were dating so what was the bother of hiding it?"

"We're not really hiding it," Harry said. "We're just not drawing attention to it. We're not the kind of couple who is comfortable with public displays of affection."

"Yeah but it might take Ron seeing us snog to get it through his head," Hermione said. "Not that I necessarily want it to come to that."

"I get it," Harry said. "it's too bad the Dementors are making the weather so shitty. Much as I don't like Ron at the moment, his idea of walking around the grounds with you holds a lot of merit."

Since Sirius Black's foray into the castle, the Dementors had been getting anxious. They had apparently wanted to search the castle that night but Dumbledore rejected that out of hand. Still, you could almost feel their frustration in the air. Meanwhile, Harry continued to be puzzled by Black. Something wasn't adding up and it was really starting to bother him.

Harry continued to puzzle the Sirius Black issue but couldn't focus too much as school required his full focus. It was the following the Defense class where he stayed after to patch things up with Lupin.

"It's okay, Harry," Lupin held his hands up. "It's been years since I've been called to the carpet like that. You look so much like James but in that moment you were entirely Lily. I admit, it felt like she was back when you were yelling at me."

Lupin chuckled sadly, missing Lily even more than the day she was murdered.

"I should have been there," Lupin admitted. "I talked to Minerva about your time with Vernon and Petunia. There's nothing I can say but I am sorry."

"I am sorry as well," Harry said. "I keep trying to say the past is the past but I couldn't stop myself at lashing out at you. You had lost two friends; another was imprisoned for supposedly betraying them. Add in Pettigrew's apparent death and I can't imagine how hard it must have been."

"Supposedly? Apparent?" Lupin latched onto those words.

"Well everything I've been told was that Sirius was as close as a brother to my father; that he's my godfather," Harry said. "It's just hard to see him betraying them. We asked Madam Bones to pull the trial records and it shows there wasn't one, Hermione went ballistic at that, so did Luna, Susan and Madam Bones. Madam Bones has been trying to dig deeper but keeps getting blocked, she won't say by what or who. Add in that all that was recovered from Pettigrew was a finger; it doesn't all add up. There's a missing piece. I'm not saying I think he's innocent, just that there's more to this story than we know."

Lupin debated telling Harry the secret he had held his entire life but was waylayed when the bell rang.

"Interesting argument," Lupin nodded and was startled when the bell rang. "You better head down to dinner. Once again, I am sorry Harry. I can't excuse the past but hopefully I can make it up to you going forward?"

"I'd like that," Harry smiled and nodded. "As I told Dumbledore a while back, trust is earned but I'm interested to hear any stories of my parents. I have scant few of those."

"Of course, Harry," Lupin smiled brightly. "I would be honored. Now on to dinner with you."

Harry arrived at dinner feeling lighter after his discussion.

"Wow," Luna turned toward Harry as he took his spot between her and Hermione. "You've got a swarm of Humberdingers fluttering around you. Something good happen?"

"Yes, Luna," Harry smiled at his friend as he loaded his plate with Bangers and Mash. "Just had a wonderful talk with Professor Lupin."

"I assume he's much easier to talk to now that the full moon has passed," Luna said, confirming that she had also figured out his secret. "I'm glad you've kept the Nargles clear of you."

"Well if you see any, tell them to piss off," Harry joked, causing Hermione to smack him for his language.

After dinner, Hermione was sitting in the common room petting Crookshanks. The cat was a godsend to the tower as everyone noticed a distinct lack of mice, rats and spiders in the common room. That was to say, most rats. There was still one exception.

"How can you cuddle that beast," Ron said from the couch across from her, his tone bitter. Crookshanks narrowed his eyes at the offending redhead. Though their hair was similar to one another, he didn't care for the boy. "Just hold tight to him so Scabbers can relax in my pocket."

Pocket was almost a trigger as Crookshanks pounced from Hermione's lap toward Ron's quivering pocket. Scabbers shot out of the pocket as if he was a firework. Crookshanks mewled as the rat scrambled for safety.

"Catch that cat!" Ron shouted as he sprinted after the cat. Harry pulled his wand and summoned Scabbers to him. Learning from Crabbe's experience, he also stunned the rat. At this point, Hermione had grabbed her cat and was calming him down. "What did I tell you! That cat has it out for Scabbers!"

"That's not true," Ginny said. "Have you noticed any other rats or mice? You just told the cat where Scabbers was located. You know how smart he is and you told him where to attack."

"Yeah but look at Scabbers," Ron brandished the rodent. "He's all skin and bones. It's all that cat's fault!"

"Wasn't he that way before Crookshanks?" Harry asked. "You said Egypt didn't agree with him."

"Yeah… well… how's he supposed to get better with that monster?" Ron asked.

"You could leave him in your room or, better yet, get a damn cage for him," Harry suggested. "Instead of taking shots at Hermione and her familiar, you could actually take steps to protect yours. Hell do you know how many times I've nearly stepped on him; how many mornings I wake up to him on my bed staring at me?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ron scoffed as he walked away. "Boy-Who-Lived speaks and we move. I know how it works."

"That's not fair, Ronald," Luna's serene voice cut through. "Harry is just making good points and yet you shirk any responsibility by blaming others, all while using a name Harry hates."

You could hear a pin drop as Luna spoke, allowing all of Gryffindor to hear her statement to which a lot of people nodded along.

"Whatever you say, Loony," Ron said, not noticing the dark looks Harry, Ginny and Luna all gave him. "I know I'm outnumbered here. Couldn't even get my own family to take my side. Guess that means I have to vacate the common room."

Not willing to put up with his inferiority complex any longer, Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to Hermione. She was silently crying as Crookshanks fussed in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione said quietly, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry my cat is terrifying your rat."

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," Ron turned back, trying to calm himself. "But you need to keep that beast contained."

Hermione collapsed in fresh sobs, losing her grip on Crookshanks in her grief.

"I c-c-can't help it," Hermione sobbed out. "H-h-he's a good c-cat. It's j-just Scabbers he has a pr-problem with!"

Crookshanks noticed her becoming hysterical and started to butt her hands with his head, trying to get her to calm down and pet him.

"It's okay," Luna said. Just like with Harry she sat close, pulled Hermione's arm around herself and squeezed. Hedwig also flew in which she rarely did and perched herself on Hermione's shoulder and rubbing her head along Hermione's cheek. "Ron was right that Crookshanks doesn't seem to like his rat but calling this guy a beast is a step too far."

Luna rubbed the cat behind the ears as she spoke. The orange fluff ball relaxed and purred at her touch.

"I don't know why Ron's so upset," Ginny huffed. "All he does is complain about the fucking rat."

Hermione sniffled and admonished Ginny for her language.

"When he was getting ready for Hogwarts, he thought Hermes- Percy's Owl- was for him," Ginny said. "Ron was so excited to have an owl. He pouted for a week when he got Scabbers instead. Every day it was 'Scabbers is useless,' 'he's so fat and boring,' 'I wish he'd just die'.

"Ron's always had a bit of an issue with wanting things he can't have," Ginny continued. "When he doesn't get those things or when others get the thing he wants, that's when the worst of him comes out. Doesn't help mummy coddles him."

"He'll get over it," Harry watched Hermione relax at the calming ministrations of Hedwig, Crookshanks and Luna. "And if he doesn't, that's his issue. Yes Crookshanks does seem to have it out for his rat but what's stopping him getting a cage? Neville got one for Trevor after he kept escaping."

The mood of the Gryffindors was sullen after the confrontation with Hermione and Ron, splitting into factions who thought Ron was reasonable for his rat being unfairly targeted and one who thought Hermione's cat was just being a cat. The Dementor-driven weather wasn't helping any either.

That didn't deter Oliver Wood who was hellbent on readying his team to face Hufflepuff. Cedric had done the same as the castle turned its attention toward the upcoming match. That was with one exception.

The Gryffindors chittered excitedly as they entered the Defense classroom. They wondered what creature Lupin would have for them today when the drapes around the windows drew themselves.

"Everyone take your seats and open you books to page number 394," the dungeon bat said to the general groan of the class. Despite Hermione's suggestions to the contrary, Snape wouldn't relent.

"Miss Granger," Snape sneered as she reminded him that they were due to study Hinkypunks. "I am well aware of where this class is and what they need to do. Now everyone, turn to page 394."

Harry knew what Snape was doing and why he was teaching this particular subject. For the next hour, he put them through a lecture worthy of Professor Binns all about werewolves. After class was over, they embarked on a trip to the library to start on Snape's bullshit essay on werewolves.

It was during the essay that Harry learned of werewolves aversion to extreme heat and cold. With begrudging respect at Snape's essay providing knowledge, he finished the rough draft of the essay before dinner.

It was the Friday before the match when Hermione led Harry toward the Room of Requirement. Harry had arrived with his hair covering his eyes, a stick and several leaves stuck in the birds nest he called hair.

"Oof you look terrible," Hermione said as he entered.

"Thanks for the compliment," Harry pulled his hair back from his eyes. "I can always count on you to lift my spirits with a genuine compliment, Hermione."

"At your service," Hermione beamed. "Get showered and then we can go read for a while."

Go read was their code for heading to the Room for some private time. Even after a hot shower, Harry still felt Hermione practically dragging him along the way. Focusing on keeping his eyes open, Harry barely recognized Hermione pacing up and down in front of the wall. The door appeared and Hermione dragged him inside, slamming him into the door as soon as they entered. He couldn't even take in the room before Hermione attacked him with an aggressive snog.

"You look worn out, Quidditch Star," Hermione looking up at him through her eyelashes. Suddenly Harry wasn't so tired. "I hope you still have enough energy to take care of your girlfriend."

It was then that they realized they weren't alone. A nervous "eep" drew their attention. On the sofa the room provided were Lavender and Parvati. Parvati's hair was mussed worse than wind did to Harry's and Lavender's shirt had been cast aside, lying on the coffee table a short way away.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione and Lavender said as Harry quickly turned around.

"We didn't think anyone would use this tonight," Parvati and Hermione said in unison.

"Harry," Lavender said. "It's okay, you can turn around."

Harry turned back to see Lavender buttoning her blouse back up.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I was just looking to get Harry to relax and let off some steam before tomorrow."

"It's okay," Parvati said as she put her hair back together. "We've been using this room since you told us about it, Harry. We didn't think you'd use it tonight."

"How long has this," Harry gestured to the two girls. "Been going on?"

"Since this summer," Lavender said. "Remember the perfume and cologne we came up with this summer?"

Harry and Hermione nodded. Hermione happened to be wearing the perfume as a matter of fact, a birthday gift from the duo.

"Well when we tried it," Parvati said. "We noticed an instant reaction to one another. We went to my father and got his reaction. When he didn't react, we knew what we had been trying to deny: we were extremely attracted to one another."

"I never knew," Hermione said. "All our conversations about boys, I thought you both were, you know…"

"Straight?" Lavender finished with a brilliant smile. "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I don't like to gossip. I've been attracted to Parvati for a while now. I still like talking about boys, I just can't really envision dating one of them."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Parvati pleaded. "I don't know what it's like in the muggle world but same sex relationships are frowned up heavily by wizards."

"Of course we won't," Harry said. "It's none of anyone's business who you love or how you love them. Just give us a heads up if your using the room. Don't get me wrong, you're both attractive but I have my eyes set on someone else."

Lavender giggled nervously. Hermione smacked Harry setting laughter off in Parvati. The other three joined in and Lavender was soon rolling on the sofa at the ridiculous nature of the situation.

Sensing their respective needs, the room created two distinct rooms in which each couple could use. The next morning, a relaxed Harry who sat in the locker room that next morning. Clad in his seeker pads and kit, Harry listened to the wind howl overhead, thinking of the possible omen he saw that morning.

He had been up since dawn when, in a need of thirst, he got himself a drink of water. In the early light of the day, he saw movement. Walking across the grounds was a big, black dog who bore a striking resemblance to Paddy. Looking further, he saw that Crookshanks was walking with him.

Definitely not a Grim, Harry thought, if Crookshanks is walking with him. Some harbinger of death indeed.

Harry chuckled at the audacity of it all, Grims and other omens. It was all he could do to keep from harrumphing every time someone brought up Trelawney. According to Neville, Trelawney had doubled down and was predicting their deaths with every class. It was honestly comedic at this point. He kept chuckling at Trelawney's latest prediction where she said Harry and Neville would "die in a dessert" prompting Ron to tell them not to have any sweets for a while as he got ready for the game. Wood came in and Harry knew it was almost time for the match. Even in spite of the weather, he was looking forward to playing Cedric again.

Chapter: Free Falling

"You guys ready?" Wood asked the team. "We've practiced hard. Stay tight and keep close to mitigate the wind. Remember Hermione's suggestion to cast impervious charms to your goggles to repel water."

Before long, Lee Jordan was announcing the team and Harry flew out, turning instantly from warm and dry to cold and wet. It was a poring and the wind howling so hard it even drowned out the crowd. He flew to a stop in front of Hermione, Neville and the rest of the Gryffindor cheering section.

"Great day for Quidditch, eh?" Harry asked.

"Just catch the Snitch quickly, would you?" Neville said. "We're bloody freezing out here."

"Be safe," Hermione added.

"Will do," Harry gave her what she lovingly called his Tom Cruise smile and flew off.

"You ready to lose, Potter?" Cedric asked as they took their formation.

"Why is there a third team playing I wasn't aware of?" Harry countered.

"Oh that's it," Cedric laughed. "You're going down."

"You've won one, I've won the other," Harry extended his hand. "Let's see who wins the rubber match."

"Hey that's my job," Wood cheerfully bumped Harry out of the way to shake Cedric's hand.

Madam Hooch reminded them of the rules and promptly started the game. Harry caught a glance of the Snitch once Madam Hooch released it. The Quaffle went up and the game was a go. Harry watched Katie snag the first, shooting toward the Hufflepuff goal. The keeper struggled to keep his position with the swirling winds. Katie used this to move him out of position of the left most hoop, scoring the game's first goal. A muted cheer came from the drench Gryffindor supporters. After that, Harry dove for the pitch, Cedric hot on his tail. Harry pulled up, only to have gust of wind push him perilously close to George just as he was swinging at a bludger. Harry rolled to evade the Weasley's club.

"Maybe not a day for feints," Cedric shouted as he pulled up. "Maybe."

Cedric winked at Harry and went into a dive of his own. Pulling out, his feed skimmed the turf, the wind buffeting him from above, preventing him from pulling up.

"Okay no feints," Harry admitted.

Without a doubt, it was a miserable affair. Even with the charm on his goggles, Harry couldn't see anything resembling a snitch. Cedric wasn't fairing any better. Since feints and dives were worthless, they mostly stayed close to one another, staying above the pitch in the hopes of spotting the Snitch.

They had been playing for 90 minutes when suddenly everything went from bad to worse.

An unearthly cold descended over the pitch as the rain turned to sleet, stinging Harry as he flew into it. As the rest of the world grew cold, Harry felt the spot on his arm where the Dementor touched light up, as if someone was taking a lance to it. As much as he tried, he could never get the mark to go away completely. Screaming, he turned around and locked eyes with Cedric. Just beyond the boy's shoulder, he saw the same dog, sitting and watching the match. Lightning flashed and suddenly, there was no doubt: it was Paddy. Harry had no time to ponder that as he saw the cause of the shift in weather: on the horizon, descending on the stadium was a host of 20 Dementors. Looking at Cedric, he saw the same panic on his eyes that Harry had.

As one, they both moved to dive toward the ground. That was a problem as there were three Dementors blocking their way. Harry banked hard and shook off the Dementors but it was all too much. Harry's vision grew fuzzy as the middle Dementor reached out for him. His mother's final moments played out again as Harry finally lost consciousness. He slipped head-first off his broom as the wind whipped the broom out of the stadium altogether.

Back closer to the grounds, Hermione felt the chill take place and immediately drew her wand.

"Expecto Patronum," she shouted but only a wisp of air came out. Around her, she saw other members of the D.A. doing the same with similar results. Latching onto the memory of Harry's smiling face she cast again and again. "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"

It was all for naught as she only cast a shield. That shield evaporated when a body began to fall out of the sky.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed in agony. She tried to vault the railing to catch him with Neville being the only thing keeping her from falling from the stands to the pitch below. She was so insistent on getting to him, she forgot how high up she was. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched hopelessly as Harry sped toward the ground, three Dementors chasing after him. She about lost hope when Patroni charged from the teacher's section. McGonagall sent her cat Patronus after one of the Dementors, Flitwick sent his hummingbird after another and Snape's doe pushed the last one away. A lynx and wolf Patronus also entered patrolled the field as the aurors responded to the situation. The stadium lit up with light as Dumbledore's Phoenix Patronus pushed the remaining Dementors away. He extended his other hand and shouted "Arresto Momento" to slow Harry's descent.

It was working but Harry was still going much too fast. Hermione clawed at her cheeks, wishing to turn away but finding it impossible all the same when out of nowhere a gold streak shot toward the ground and snatched Harry right before he hit the turf. Cedric slowed Harry's momentum but they both slammed onto the turf, snapping Cedric's broom as they hit. Cedric rolled Harry onto his back and started to check him out as the crowd looked on.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle; an irrelevant action since even the players had become spectators thanks to the Dementors. Hermione came to her senses and sprinted down the steps toward the pitch. Running full sprint, she slid on her knees and shook him ferociously by the shoulders just as Dumbledore flamed in with the help of Fawkes.

"Wake up, Harry," she pleaded. "Please be okay. Wake up, Harry. You've got to wake up."

Behind her, Harry's teammates landed next to Cedric, joining Neville and Luna in their silent vigil. Neville held Luna as she wept, hoping for the best yet fearing the worst.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore's calming voice sounded. She looked up to see his blue eyes shining out of his sopping hair and beard. "I need you to let go of him; we need to get him to the Hospital immediately."

"I can do one better," Hermione said. "Dobby."

Dobby popped in instantly, concern on his eyes.

"Can you take Harry to the Hospital Wing?" Hermione asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. Dobby never hesitated, he just grabbed a hold of Harry and popped him out.

"What do we do about the game?" Wood asked.

"What do we do!?" Cedric rounded on him. "We reschedule it."

"That's never been done," Katie said.

"Then this will be the first," Cedric said. "I was promised a proper match and I want it to be a match free of Dementors causing mayhem."

"But we lost our Seeker and the Snitch hasn't been caught," Wood said. "By the book…"

"Fuck the book," Cedric said. "My broom is snapped and I am not using one of the school brooms. We'll have a tight spring schedule but I'm willing to take on that burden if you are, Wood, assuming Madam Hooch agrees."

"100 points to Hufflepuff," Dumbledore said. "50 for catching a fallen student, protecting him from serious injury or worse."

Hermione squeaked in terror at this comment.

"And then 50 points for this display of loyalty and fair play that would have made Helga Hufflepuff herself proud. Now everyone needs to get out of the elements before Madam Pomfrey's ward is filled with sick students.

"If you will excuse me, I have a call to make," warmth fled from Dumbledore's voice as he marched out of the stadium, back up toward the castle.

Hermione was hot on his heels, separating from the headmaster only when they turned to head opposite directions. She flung open the doors to the Hospital Wing and made a beeline for Harry's bed, the same one Pomfrey always gave him. She held his hand as Pomfrey scanned him.

"How is he?" Hermione's head snapped up as Luna, Neville, Parvati and Lavender joined her. Behind that, the rest of the Quidditch team, Cedric, Susan and, most shocking, Daphne and Tracey. Daphne usually looked stoic but now she was just straight up concerned. Pomfrey's voice that broke the silence.

"He will be fine," Pomfrey said. "He has some bruising, probably from your catch Mr. Diggory. acute Dementor exposure but he will recover. Daphne let her breath out and collapsed into a chair. Tracey went to her friend and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"I was so scared," Daphne said. "I thought he…"

Everyone nodded, thinking the same thing.

"Catch of the game, Diggory," George said.

"Jolly good," Fred said. "Though I'm not sure you understood the rules of the game. I know Harry's small but your job is to catch the Snitch, not him."

"You guys are a riot," Cedric deadpanned as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Maybe the Wrackspurts told Cedric that Harry was the Snitch and that's why he dove so fast," Luna added.

"No, I think he's actually developed a crush," Tracey said. "Too bad everyone can see he's taken."

The group all looked toward Hermione who was holding his hand.

"Yeah sorry Cedric," Harry's raspy voice told them he was awake. "I meant to let you down easy."

"That's okay," Cedric actually smiled this time. "You're too pretty for me anyway, completely out of my league."

Pomfrey collected more scans with Harry awake as the collected group laughed at the repartee. Harry sat up and looked around the ward.

"Does anyone have my glasses?" Harry asked. "Without them, you're all blurry, though that's probably a good thing for Greg and Forge. You've never looked better."

"Oi!" The twins protested.

"It's a good thing you're wounded, oh great benefactor," George said.

"Otherwise we'd prank you for telling such obvious lies," Fred finished.

Dobby popped in and handed Harry his glasses.

"Master Harry is here far too often," Dobby said. "Dobby keeps checking here to find Master Harry."

"That settles it," Wood laughed and brandished his wand. A bronze plaque that read "Bed Reserved for Harry Potter" appeared above the bed. "When a house elf says you've been here too often; you've been here too often."

"Thanks," Harry replied, sarcastically to general laughter. "What happened to the match? Is everyone else alright? Why aren't Greg and Vinny here?"

"In order," Tracey said. "The match has been rescheduled thanks to Mr. Loyalty over here."

She gestured to a blushing Cedric.

"Greg and Vinny are both being punished by Snape. Apparently Malfoy laughed at you falling. They were right in front of him. Honestly surprised Draco isn't in a bed next to you."

"Thank goodness for small favors," Harry said. "The smell of Draco's hair gel would have driven everyone out of here."

Hermione couldn't help it; she dropped her head onto Harry's chest as her body shook from her laughter. Grateful to have the tension broken, Harry turned his attention to the last bit of information.

"Did anyone catch my broom?"

"Well," Harry knew he was in trouble before George finished talking. "You broom was caught… by the Whomping Willow. You know it doesn't like being hit. Professor Flitwick is collecting what's left of it right now."

"That sucks," Harry shrugged, happier to be alive than to have a broom at the moment. "It was a good broom. Guess I'll have to start shopping for a new one. There's more important things."

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and looked at her, concern evident in his eyes.

"Is everyone okay?" Harry asked again. "The Dementors didn't attack anyone else did they?"

"No," Daphne said. "Dumbledore sent them off before they got close to the crowd."

"We're just glad you're okay," Katie said. "Don't know what we'd do without our favorite seeker."

"Thank you guys," Harry said. "All of you. Thank you for your support. I'm just glad I'm not Fudge. I'm guessing at this moment, Fudge would rather walk into the Whomping Willow than deal with what's coming his way."

Harry wasn't wrong. At that very moment, Fudge was once again cowering in the face of Amelia Bones and Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry Potter was attacked by those infernal creatures," Amelia was stomping mad. "During the Quidditch game, 20 Dementors left their posts and stormed the field. Luckily the teachers and my aurors drove them back but not before rendering Harry unconscious."

"Well the Dementors have been getting restless," Fudge tried to reason with her. "Being away from any source of food, they've been getting antsy."

"Which is why it was asinine to post them at a school, Cornelius," Madam Bones had Fudge cowering in his executive chair.

"The Dementors have terrorized my students," Dumbledore added from the fireplace. "They all thought they were going to watch one of their fellow students die, Cornelius. Send them away, Minister, I implore you."

"No, no," Fudge remained resolute. "Those creatures are the only thing between Harry Potter and Sirius Black. I will not put the Boy-Who-Lived at risk. The Dementors stay."

"Those creatures are putting Harry Potter at risk," Amelia said. "How can you not see that?"

"They stay and that's final," Fudge crossed his arms. "Now if you two would leave me, I have to ready myself for a call with the French and Bulgarian Ministers tomorrow."

"On your head be it, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "This is my last warning: the next time the Dementors cross into the Hogwarts grounds, they will not leave."

"An empty threat, Albus," Fudge condescended as he sat at his desk. "The Dementors cannot be killed."

"If they cross the castle boundary," Dumbledore's voice was dark and hard as steel. "I will put a test to that theory."

Dumbledore glared at Fudge as he popped from the fireplace while Amelia Bones turned on her heel and stormed out of his office. Fudge put his head into his hands.

They better catch Black soon, he thought. Any longer and he risked being removed from office.

(A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter this time around. I'm putting the finishing touches on the next four chapters. I've got most of the work done all the way to the but I'm struggling with one thing. In the Christmas chapters, I have no issues coming up with gifts for Hermione but for whatever reason, I struggle with a gift Hermione would present for Harry that has meaning. I would be open to suggestions.

Second, I have a thought that I'm not sure if I'll use in this fiction since it hasn't really been established but wanted to see how you all would feel about it. Patroni are all seen as having the same blue-white coloring, some brighter based on power. What if every Patronus had a different color for each caster, something like a magical aura taking form?

Thank you again for all comments, your follows and favorites.)

more chapters available on fanfiction - continue from Ch: 53: winter wonderland

A Harmonious Beginning

By: SeventhChordHarmony

One small act of kindness can change everything. Harry Potter is about to discover how important Harmony is. Starts from the beginning, follows canon with more changes as it progresses. Rated M for language, violence in later chapters.

Rated: Fiction M - English - Adventure/Romance - [Harry P., Hermione G.] Sirius B., Neville L. - Chapters: 110 - Words: 467,625 - Reviews: 2,537 - Favs: 3,355 - Follows: 4,335 - Updated: Feb 9, 2025 - Published: Apr 27, 2021 - id: 13870818