Author's Note I'd like to thank a few people now: First of all, to Garyf- for putting up with my and my 50 million chapters of this chapter alone.

To everybody who posted in my Character help thread, who helped with pointers for my girls.

And to Jules; my co-writer at one time, who kept me from just balling this up and chucking it in the trash.

I would also like to say, that this same story is also posted on Mugglenet, as well as another story of mine. I won't post that one yet, but to anyone who had read it on Mugglenet, I may be able to update thisone more than I can on mugglenet, seeing as they are more strict.

Disclaimer: I do not own any mention of Harry Potter, but you all knew that, didn't you? However, Meara, Audrey, Halwen, and Catrin are MINE!
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Side by side or miles apart, dear friends are always close to the heart.-Unknown

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"Halwen! HALWEN! HEEL! I said heel you bloody mutt, HEEL!"

The giant, shaggy dog did not pay heed to Meara, who she was currently dragging along behind. Her lead and collar were useless as the gray brute galloped onwards, tongue lolling in a heavy pant.

Of all the crappy first days of summer vacation, she thought, this one takes the cake. Not only had she been banned from sleeping in early, something she swore was illegal and punishable by law for anybody under working age, but now Halwen had decided to play fetch with the neighbors tabby. They'd already been through eight privets, down numerous sidewalks, and reduced various lawn ornaments to rubble.

Luckily, Halwen was not in the mood to steeple jump. Coming up on a high chain-link fence, she dug her paws into the ground, tearing up a once well kept ornamental garden. Her joyous barks were suddenly cut off, and the abrupt end to the wolfhound's full-out run sent her owner flying to the hard metal wall of links.

The tinkling chinks resounded as her body crashed into it, ringing even louder in her head, which was steadily beginning to throb as she slid to the ground with a thump. She sat there for a moment, wishing for what had to be the third time that morning that she hadn't even bothered to be dragged out of bed, wondering why the McNamara family couldn't just have a gerbil instead.

Halwen, despite her bulk, figured herself a lapdog, and immediately padded over to Meara's nearly prone form, wriggling herself up onto her legs and spreading across them as if she had no reason to question why she was there.

"Gerroff, Halwen! I can't get up!" Meara groaned angrily. The ragged dog gave her an incredibly indignantly look as if to say: 'You've no right to tell me to get off, I own you, and right now I want the legs.' Then, as if to rub it in even more, leaned in without disturbing her comfortable position, and gave her a heavy, slurping kiss across the middle of her face.

"HALWEN!" she screeched, finally shoving at the big dog's sides with what she could recover of her might, and sliding her off her legs. Getting groggily to her feet she made as if to grab at the hound's collar and thoroughly ring the longish neck, but the wolfhound danced rapidly out of the way, realizing, if very, very late, that she'd done something wrong.

Meara seethed for a moment, lashing out at the fence, rather than now at the prancing pooch at her side, wiping the remnants of the doggy kiss from her face with disgust. She hadn't even realized that somebody had been watching until Halwen froze, then bounded off with her lead trailing behind her like a banner, beginning another chorus of frenzied barking.

"Morning Halwen!" said a genuinely perky voice, though a fair bit breathy. "Good girl. Sit, no, sit. Have you been a good girl, it's nice of you to be taking Meara for her walk, you know."

"I don't bloody believe it!" Meara sighed, exasperated.

Catrin Ware, a school friend since her younger years, that tiny waif of a thing, who even now still looked like she could be a preschooler, was gently if cautiously petting a calmed Halwen who was sitting on her slippered feet, tail thwacking her ankle several times. Timid little Catrin was afraid of nearly anything bigger than her (which, Halwen most definitely was, standing on her hind legs at least), but still the hound listened to her more than she did her owner!

Catrin looked up, giving her the tiny little 'I'm-biting-my-lip smile', looking totally bedraggled, her curly hair a mass of sticking-up cowlicks, and still in her nightgown and slippers.

"Morning Meara."

"What're you doing here, Catrin?" mumbled Meara. "I thought you would've been sleeping in this morning," which was a true enough fact, the oldest Ware had always defeated her in the 'sleeping-in' department.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, two reasons, actually. One, I was woken up. Seems somebody thoroughly smashed the garden turtle on our lawn...Mrs. Chadwick next door swore it was a dog, but who would've let their dog out like that?"

Meara turned visibly pink, she thought one of the houses looked familiar as she went rushing by it and became suddenly very interested in a particularly unruly tress.

"Ye..yeah...probably just some vandals, Catrin, nothing to worry about. Mrs. Chadwick's off her rocker. What's the second reason?"

Now it was Catrin's turn to look nervous, but instead of going red, she turned considerably pale. "You're probably going to kill me for this, but, well, when I was heading through the kitchen this morning, I found a letter on the table."

She quickly pulled out a letter from her nightdress pocket. "Mum must've forgotten to give it to me last night before she left for her meeting in London. It's from Herm..."

Meara had already rapidly snatched up the letter though, she recognized the handwriting on the envelope immediately, and had begun to greedily tear at the backing of the odd yellow-paper stationary. Herm, or Hermione Granger had been another of her school friends, along with Catrin and Audrey. They had been close nit ever since they'd started schooling together.

Although undeniably inseparable, for the best part of six years (the past three of those years spent using Hermione's own working habits to help in her own school career) each had sworn this year would be their best yet. Hermione had broken the news of her acceptance into 'a rather exclusive boarding school'.

Supposedly it was for extremely advanced children, which Hermione in many ways undoubtedly was, but that meant they would be separated until the summer holidays, without much letter correspondence (though she'd sent them Christmas and birthday cards each, and one particularly rock-like fruitcake). Even though she'd come home for the Christmas holidays, neither of her friends had seen her before she would have to hurry back.

So now, news coming so soon to the time when they'd be reunited again, was eagerly received as Meara read aloud:

Dear Cat, Mea, and Rey

I'll be home soon, like I said. Hope you're glad to know that Harris' school was utterly, well it was, it was…well I consider it a unique experience. Still missed you guys though, and hope you liked the fruitcake.

Anyway, I'll try to see you the first day of summer hols when we get home from the station (honestly, it really is interesting the first time on a train, you've got to try it sometime) Sadly, I won't be home for the whole summer: I've been invited to stay with other school friends for a bit.

Can't wait to see you all. Missed you insanely,

Hermione.

Catrin looked somewhat crestfallen when Meara looked up.

"She's not staying for the whole summer? But she said she'd be staying the whole summer, she promised she would," she said, sounding as childish as she looked. Meara felt like smacking her when she did that.

"Don't worry about it, Catrin, we'll get to see her for a bit, at least," she reasoned.
"Think Rey knows?"

"More than likely. She lives on the same street as the Grangers, doesn't she? She would've found out before we did."

She made a grasp, catching the now placid wolfhound's collar, taking up the lead again.
"Come on, she might be there already, we can meet her right at the door."

Catrin's face seemed to light up a little bit at that.

"Yeah, your right! I bet you the two of them are already up in Audrey's kitchen or something," she said, supposedly forgetting she was still dressed in fuzzy nightgown and slippers.

Meara didn't say anything, stuffing Hermione's note into her pocket, wondering how far she'd get before Catrin figured it out for herself.

"Yeah, maybe they'll have breakfast out too. I'm dying for something to eat."

As she finished, Halwen barked her agreement, her tail beginning its frenzied wag again as she began to lop off again, only slightly dragging Meara along behind her this time, with Catrin keeping pase.

Only slightly.