chapter 1

It's good to be back...or is it?

disclaimer: i do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters JKRowling has created (she thought it all up on the train aparently).

The hall was already bustling with Hogwarts students all pleased to be back for another year at the famous school of which craft and wizardry. The ceiling was littered with those magical, floating candles that everyone had missed over the long summer. The four tables vertically aligned up the hall were a welcoming sight and cheers of happiness echoed off the stone walls.

Harry smiled faintly at the scene before him. Oh how he had longed to come back to Hogwarts, wanting to get away from the Dursleys and back into the daily routine of classes and seeing friends. School was a place where he could try and get his mind off everything that weighed on his shoulders, the death of Sirius's, the prophesy and the fact that he was the one that had to save the world, but he new that among friends he could be safe. He knew that he had the support he needed.

He casually walked over and took a seat at the Griffindoor table greeting everyone he didn't see on the train; his closest companions, Ron and Hermione joined him shortly.

"So how were your summers guys?" Neville Longbottom asked cheerfully before stuffing his mouth full of fried chicken. "doo anyfhin interesing" he spluttered.

"You know how my parents are" Hermione replied with a sigh " because their muggles they're pretty uncomfortable being around wizards and witches, so I was only allowed to visit Diagon alley twice. Once was a day of fun down London where we stopped in for an hour to look at quills and the other time was to buy my schoolbooks. My summer was rather boring apart from that, we didn't go to turkey like we usually do because my father had a difficult operation scheduled in the very middle of the summer break."

"What do your parents do again?" Harry asked after being pulled out of his musing.

"Their dentists"

Hermione continued to rant about how awful her time was and complained she was only able to read 17 books because she couldn't find anything that interested her. Meanwhile Ron was staying uncharacteristically silent. Harry looked at him questioningly. He stared at him for the longest time wondering what the red head was thinking about.

"Ron" Harry whispered after a while "what's up with you?"

Ron was instantly snapped out of his peculiar stupor. He raised his head quickly and turned his gaze towards him, his cheeks and ears burnt red. "Oh, nothing mate I'm fine, probably just tired or something like that" he laughed a bit too enthusiastically causing the raven-haired boy to quirk a brow in interest. Ron smiled nervously and lowered his gaze once again to his food which he then realised he hadn't touched. He picked up his fork and gobbled the provisions into his mouth faster than was needed.

Harry didn't ask about his friend's strange behaviour again, he just resumed eating as well.

In the middle of chewing a piece of pork pie Harry's eyes scanned the familiar faces of his fellow students. His gaze lingered on Cho Chang for the briefest of moments, his cheeks burnt pink at the memory of their encounter and the utter embarrassment caused him to quickly stop looking at her. He then moved on to watch Luna Lovegood who was just about to have a piece of spaghetti thrown in her hair by a fellow Ravenclaw. Harry felt a bit of anger well inside his stomach at the boy but also a twinge of guilt as he realised it would be funny to see her face when it happened. He forced himself to look away from her and carry on his innocent spying.

There are less people here than last year, there are clearly gaps in the tables. Harry thought to himself. He then added. Cowards.

His eyes suddenly fell on the greasy blond sitting smugly at the Slytherin side of the hall. Oh god, why couldn't he leave as well, why do all the annoying ones stay? Harry studied the boy for a time. He took it the pointed features, the prominent jaw line and found himself thinking he looks a little bit feminine; his hair has grown a bit too. Harry's brow furrowed and kept his sight securely on the Malfoy twit, he never really noticed it before. Why are you staring at the bastard? You have sworn to hate his guts forever and eternity. But just before Harry made the decision to turn away Malfoy's face raised ever so slightly and his piercing gaze met with Harry's cool one. For the split second that they held the eye contact Harry felt his breath hitch and his heart miss a beat. Within those icy grey eyes a foreign emotion pushed its way to the surface. Was it loneliness, was it fear? Or was it something different entirely…………maybe even hope? But Malfoy broke the contact so quickly that Harry was not able to decipher it. For a few moments more Harry continued to stare at the Slytherin who had resumed talking with the Pansy girl.

Harry shook himself to rid him of the uneasy feeling that had started to creep up his spine. What the hypogriff was that?

"So Harry" Hermione began "anything interesting happen to you over the summer?"

Harry quickly turned his attention to Hermione "nothing much happened, the Dursleys were being their usual rotten selves and I was forced to stay under the protection of their household the entire holiday which meant not going out and being stuck reading in my room"

Hermiony looked like she was biting back the question why reading was so bad but she seemed to restrain herself and instead asked worriedly "And are you feeling ok?" Harry looked puzzled for a second but realised she was referring to Sirius. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach and a lump developed in his throat. He lowered his head as the pain stung his eyes; he refused to show any form of tears, however big or small.

"I'm ok, I guess," he said finally. "It'll probably just take a while for me to get used to him being gone"

Ron had chosen to join the conversation at this point. Even though his ears were still pink he had new strength in his voice as he comforted Harry "you know we're always here for you Harry, if you ever need to just let all your feelings out whether it be one o'clock in the morning or during the middle of class you can always come and talk to me."

"Or me Harry" Hermione broke in, slightly irked that Ron had said 'me' rather than 'us', "we may not know exactly what your going through but it's always good to get feelings out, don't bottle them up this year"

"Or you'll explode" Ron joked hoping to make him laugh. To Ron's delight Harry gave a small chuckle and then Harry smiled at his two best friends that were loyally sitting by his side.

The evening had ended and it was time for each house to vacate to their common rooms for an early night full of sugarplum dreams.

As Hermione and Ron were now prefects they had to stay behind and accompany the first years to their designated sleeping areas. They waved goodbye to Harry and watched him walk away in the direction of Griffindoor. Ron turned to the small crowd of timid youngsters that had started forming around Hermione. He was just about to call all the 'midgets' to him when he heard an unwelcoming voice behind him.

"Well, well, well what have we here. I can't believe you of all people became a prefect Weasley" Malfoy smirked.

"What the hell were they thinking when they made you one malfoy!" ron retorted coldly, he felt sort of proud that he could come up with a comeback so quickly.

"I have lineage weasel I was made to be important"

"So did you get your arrogance from your family too?"

"Oh you want to talk about family now do you? Well let's see, what could I say about your parents. Well weasel I heard your mothers so fat and ugly she makes a troll look like a beauty queen. Your father such a disgrace to the name of wizardry I heard they're thinking about demoting him to a squab, although there wouldn't be much difference there" Malfoy drawled.

"Don't you dare talk about my parents Malfoy, you have no right!" Ron spat with hatred.

"Ooh is weasel getting upset, maybe you should run along and cry on your dirty mudblood girlfriend"

"Stop calling her that you bastard, she's Ten times better at magic than you, you're just jealous because someone who isn't pure blood beat you"

Malfoy's cheeks glowed momentarily pink but he caught himself and smirked. "ooh someone's doesn't want his girlfriend being insulted"

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"She isn't is she, why, do you swing the other way then weasel?" Ron's eyes flashed with anger and embarrassment at the comment but tried to keep his face calm. It was rather difficult given the circumstances.

"Ah yes that's it isn't it, you're a fag!" Malfoy's mouth twisted into an evil grin.

"Shut up!"

"So who's your boyfriend then, could it be Longbottom?" Malfoy said with a light chuckle almost as if he new it couldn't be. "No even you have standards I presume, maybe then that Finnigan boy hmmm?" when Ron just balled his hands into tighter fists Malfoy continued. "Wait, it's obvious isn't it. How could I have been so stupid to not think of him sooner? Who else could stand your traitorous presence everyday…but the infamous Harry potter!"

Ron unconsciously bristled at Harry's name and suddenly felt disgusted that Malfoy had figured it out. Unfortunately tact was not one of Ron's strong points and he stupidly blurted out "n-no its not him Malfoy you've got I-it completely wrong its definitely not Harry, how could you think something so a-absolutely crazy "

Malfoy gave a knowing smirk and turned on his heels. He walked the well-known Malfoy march with his nose stuck superiorly in the air and he called back to the now petrified Ron "because of the reaction you just gave me".

Ron stood in the corridor silently fuming but another emotion was starting to twist its way through his intestines.

Fear.

"Oh shit"

The next morning was a stormy start to the day. The skies were a murky grey and a faint chill was in the air. The weather did not add to Ron's mood which had been foul since the previous night. Flash back

"Hay Ron, you're a little late, don't tell me you got lost or something when you were showing the first years around" Harry chuckled.

Ron stayed silent standing in the doorway. Only Harry was awake to see him as the others had gone to bed an hour ago. Harry stayed up to say goodnight to his friend but found that Ron did not return for over three hours.

"Hay man, what's wrong?" Harry questioned, the concern was evident in his voice.

Ron flinched at the comment and just kept watching Harry on the bed.

"Why is everything so complicated?" he whispered into the shadows.

"Sorry mate didn't catch that" Harry asked puzzled.

But Ron didn't speak again, he strode passed Harry's bed, climbed into his own without changing and pulled the hangings so that his bed was hidden.

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. 'What's gotten into him I wonder?'

Ron couldn't sleep that night.

So Ron was in a bad mood, from what Malfoy had found out and from lack of sleep. People were keeping their distance at breakfast almost as if they could cense his discomfort. Hermione could also cense something was bothering him, being as smart as she was. She watched out of the corner of her eyes how he kept glancing over at the Slytherine table and how every time Malfoy's laughter was heard above the chatter of the hall, Ron would flinched and look scared.

She cautiously moved a bit closer to him, he didn't even notice, as he was somewhere else lost in his thoughts.

"Was it Malfoy?" she asked softly. Ron's head snapped up and he glared at her.

"No"

"Oh no, what did he do now?" she continued, not taking his answer to be true. She had known him too long to tell when he was lying.

there we go my darlings, i've never done a Harry Potter fic. i hope you like and pairings are gonna be better (personally i'm against harry/ron couples) so just wait and see!

lots and lots of marshmellows...heheee