HI, My name is Alexis and I hope you will enjoy this story.
I made up the plot for everything and the wonderful Lady Shikyo wrote it(everybody applause)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot and a few OCs(Shikyo is Shikyo's)
Harry slowly walked through Hogwarts halls, lost in a daze. His eyes weren't red rimmed anymore--no, he had shed tears until none were left when Sirius died merely days before. Now he just felt...tired. He wasn't even sure where he was headed right now. He had forgotten at one point along the way; that had been happening a lot lately. Harry paused by a door.
He heard voices.
"Come on; you have to give us more. Every year he seems to attract something worse!"
Someone sighed "We also go through this every year. You know you won't get much more money out of me"
Harry quietly moved closer and cracked the door open slightly. Inside he recognized the deep red and frizzy brown of the backs of his best friends heads, which peaked up from the two chairs they were sitting in. Across from them was the headmaster. Dumbledore.
Ron spoke "If you don't agree with us , we could just end this! We don't have to go on with it; we have nothing to lose, unlike you. We could go break it off with Harry right now"
Now Hermione "Do you think we care if we lose his friendship? All the things he gets us into, and then he takes all the credit. It'll take a serious increase in payment to keep us quiet and continue to spy on Harry"
A door on the other side of the room suddenly swung open, and Ginny walked into the room. She stepped to the group and crossed her arms, not bothering to sit down "I was wondering: when are you going to slip Harry the love potion so he falls for me? You've been planning for a while but I still don't know"
Harry felt sick. He stumbled back away from the door, his eyes wide, and then he ran. He ran hard and fast and as far from that door as he could. His mind didn't register anything, just that conversation going on over and over in his head, like a fucked up carousel. He didn't notice the shocked faces of students he passed, or teachers he half-collided with, or the eyes that followed him down the hall until he skidded around a corner.
In the end, he found himself in the Gryffindor Common-room, panting hard and his legs and sides aching. The room was very nearly empty, but he wouldn't have cared if it'd been filled with people. He felt sick. He felt betrayed. He felt empty.
"Harry?"
The Boy Who Lived looked up to find Neville, who was sitting on a couch and looking concernedly at Harry. There was a book open on his lap; he had been reading, presumably on magical plants or creatures. Then the chubby boy sat straight, alarmed.
"Harry? Harry what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Harry hadn't even noticed the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. He felt himself let out a short pained laugh. So there were tears left.
He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. He wouldn't...he wouldn't let those bastards have his last tears. Tears that should be for Sirius.
He felt someone take him by the arm and pull him forward, and then lowered onto a sofa.
Neville spoke hesitantly "D-do you want to talk about it?"
Harry let out the slightest sob, then lashed out at anything. A small pang of pain lanced through his fist when it hit the arm of the sofa "Damnit..." Harry wiped furiously at his eyes "Damnit damnit damnit damnit..."
"O...o-okay then" Neville simply sat there, keeping the Boy Who Lived company while he slowly forced himself to stop sobbing.
Finally, Harry stopped. He'd cleared all of the confused sadness out and now all that was left was simmering anger "They lied"
Harry's quiet companion snapped to attention "What?"
"Ron, Ginny, Hermione...Dumbledore...they all lied. They're not my friends. They're nothing."
Neville gave that puzzled look he so often had "Did you guys have a fight?"
Harry laughed bitterly "A fight? No. Not yet..."
"I'm sure you guys will get over it. You're all so close. True friends like you--"
"We aren't friends"
"Now Harry--"
"They are not my friends, Neville. No; don't. Say. Anything" Harry gave the other a narrow-eyed look until he was sure he would keep quiet "They're faking it. And it's not just because I'm the 'golden boy' or 'the Boy Who Lived'. I could deal with that. But they're being paid to do it. If it weren't for the money they wouldn't want anything to do with me"
Neville just let out a shocked "...oh..."
"Yeah. Oh."
The two sat there for a while; Harry half-glaring at his feet, and Neville watching Harry. Suddenly Neville gathered his courage and spoke "You know, Harry, I--as well as Luna--are with you. We are your friends. If you ever need help, we'll be there. You can trust us"
Harry didn't say anything, didn't even acknowledge that anything had been said, but Neville didn't mind. He knew Harry had heard him.
The two heard the Common-room door open, and Neville looked around Harry to see who it was. Ron, Hermione and Ginny stepped into the room, and (at the same time) Harry stood; he didn't look at his 'friends', only said in a low voice "I'm tired"
As he climbed stairs to his room he could hear the people he left behind, like Hermione
"Poor Harry. Everything that's happened lately must be really getting to him. I hope he'll be okay"
The Boy Who Lived ground his teeth together in an attempt to keep from sending a curse at the girl that he would regret later. Well....
He wouldn't really regret it.
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Students flowed around Harry, pointedly ignoring his steady gaze. The chocolate-haired teen leaned against a stone wall, scanning the thin crowd. His eyes finally found what they were looking for, and he pushed himself off the wall towards him.
"Neville!"
The Gryffindor looked over and moved to meet Harry half-way "Hi Harry! You have a good day? No problems with, y'know, them?"
Harry shook his head "No. It's been fine. Listen, I wanted to ask..." he fidgeted a little "The year's finished after today and everybody's leaving tomorrow...could I stay with your family for a while? I need to go to Diagon Ally, and I can't do that with a muggle family."
Neville beamed "I'll write my grandmother and ask. I'm sure she'd love it if you came"
Harry returned the others enthusiasm with a small smile "Thanks"
"It's no trouble at all. See you later, then"
The Boy Who Lived watched his friend head towards his next class, and Harry reluctantly turned towards his own: Potions.
Snape.
Harry trudged through the halls to attend his final Potions class. Granted, Snape had been more tolerable since his niece had transferred to Hogwarts. Well, nephew, really. Harry'd had a hell of a time figuring out the guy's gender, but then Harry caught him and Malfoy in a....'compromising' position. Yeah.
Shikyo was a dude alright.
Harry finally reached the Potions classrooms and he paused outside the door, taking a calming breath before stepping in.
"You're late, Potter"
Harry gritted his teeth. He was vaguely surprised that Snape hadn't tagged on a 'ten points from Gryffindor', but perhaps the git really did have some sympathy and was being easy on Harry, in light of recent events.
"Will you have a seat, Potter? Or would you prefer to stand there like a brain dead fool?"
There were some snickers from the Slytherins, and Harry took another calming breath. He glanced over at his usual seat, which was between Hermione and Ron. Ugh. Harry really didn't feel like dealing with them right now, especially when he noticed the suspicious look Ron was giving him.
"Haaaarrrryyy!"
The brunette jumped, the voice coming from right beside him, and his head snapped to the right. He was faced by the sleepy smile of Shikyo.
"Harry, come sit with us, neh?" the teen tugged on Harry's hand, and the Boy Who Lived was lost. He blinked, and then found himself in the midst of Slytherins between the Malfoy heir and a relative of Severus Snape. Oh, could this day not get any better?
The greasy git himself gave Harry a disapproving glance, and then continued the class. Harry could practically feel the scowl Draco gave him before the Malfoy leaned forward to hiss at Shikyo "Why is he over here?"
Shikyo brushed him off with a lazy smile as he tucked a strand of his long black hair behind an ear "You shouldn't complain about things you don't understand, Draco. Don't feel uncomfortable, 'kay Harry? No one will bother you, I made sure" he patted Harry on the head as if he was a puppy, and then faced forward and promptly stared into space. Harry swore he had to somehow be related to Luna Lovegood, what with the dreamy state he would fall into and the laid back way he went about things. Though his random and often narrative-like quotes were all his own.
Harry sighed and leaned back in his seat. He didn't mind sharing Shikyo's company; it tended to be relaxing, and was much better than what Hermione and Ron's would be right now. Malfoy could easily be ignored.
And so Snape droned on. There were more whispers than normal and the crinkle of paper as notes were passed. The greasy git didn't reprimand many; he wanted the year to end as much as anyone, and didn't want to prolong the event with a detention.
Shikyo shifted beside Harry and he glanced over at the teen, his green eyes meeting golden ones.
Shikyo rested his head on a hand "Harry"
"Yeah?"
"Don't close doors you aren't sure you need to keep open. Keys are always harder to find after thrown away"
"What are you talking about?"
"They say that for a soul to be happy it needs three things: dreams, lovers, and friends" the golden-eyed teen leaned back in his seat " 'To dream is to be blessed with the visions of the gods. To share love with another is to follow the dream of the gods. To have friends is to have the never ending wait--not unlike the gods--the wait for the knife in thine back and the fall from grace. For what have the legends taught us, if not that the gods don't have friends, and gods always fall'. So says the prophet Lucifer. So say The Boy Who Lived? That remains to be seen...." his eyes wandered to the back of the room, and Harry half-turned to see what had caught the sleepy student's attention.
Ms. McGonagall stood in the door, and she beckoned to Harry "Gather your things, Potter. Dumbledore wants to see you"
Harry blinked, and then grabbed his stuff and stood. As he moved towards the transfiguration teacher, he heard Shikyo murmur " 'Intelligent is the man who looks before he leaps; wise is the soul that sees the escape from a known hell as the trap of a greater demon...' "
The Boy Who Lived brushed off this as another of Shikyo's random spoutings, but as he followed Ms. McGonagall to the headmaster's office he began to wonder. What could Dumbledore want?
Harry scowled slightly. The old man--whom Harry had come to consider a kind of grandfather--was just as guilty as the others, if not more so.
To have friends is to have the never ending wait--the wait for the knife in thine back and the fall from grace. For what have the legends taught us if not that gods don't have friends, and that gods always fa ll.
Perhaps that's where Harry was headed. Perhaps he destined to fall. . .
The great doors opened and Ms. McGonagall left Harry in their accompanied room, the witch closing the doors as she left. In the room sat Dumbledore, behind his great oak desk, with Ron standing beside him. A chair was Neville. The Gryffindor looked nervous, fidgeting, and his eyes darting around, he obviously didn't know why he was there.
Well that made two of them.
"Sit down, Harry"
Harry twitched. He was getting tired of being ordered around "I'm fine standing"
The old man raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the subject "Ron has told me that you intend on staying at the Longbottom household for a time. Is this so?"
Anger simmered in Harry. That cheap bastard of a 'friend' "So what if I am?"
"You must stay at your relatives' home; it's safer, and we can watch over you"
Harry's green eyes narrowed "You have no say in where I stay! You have no say in anything I do!"
Neville hesitantly spoke up "The Longbottom house is one of the most highly protected houses in the magical world; Harry would be perfectly safe there"
Ron's typical temper reared it's ugly head "Well Dumbledore's one of the greatest wizards in the world!"
"That still doesn't give him the right!" Harry snapped. He spun around and stormed out of the room, Neville (more calmly) following him out, leaving the headmaster and redhead staring at the open doors in shock.
"I hate them, I hate them!" tremors danced over Harry's body, red lingering in the edges of his sight. The two students headed towards the Great Hall, the classes they had been pulled from already over. The halls they passed through were mostly empty, the unfortunate few lingering students they came across giving Harry a wide birth and sending Neville questioning looks, to which he smiled nervously and shrugged.
Finally the Golden Boy paused a few steps into the noisy great-hall, most of his anger blown off now. He gazed at the Gryffindor table with an empty expression, knowing that Ron would follow them there.
Neville rested a hand on the brunette's shoulder, and gave a quiet suggestion "Do you want to eat with Luna?"
Harry regarded his friend for a moment in the same way he had their House Table, but then gave a weak smile and nodded. Neville led him through the room to their spacey female friend, and Harry didn't really register his surroundings. He just felt. . .something. He couldn't describe what it was. With the depressive sorrow he felt for Sirius burned out by the hate he had for his 'friends', he just kind of felt. . .raw inside.
"Harry! Neville!"
The Boy Who Lived snapped out of his daze and his eyes fell upon the happy ones of Luna Lovegood. Harry felt his lips quirk in a reflection of her smile. She had always been good at making things look better than they were.
The two boys sat on either side of the blonde, who was radiating happiness "I'm so glad you two came to sit with me!" she turned a bit look into Harry's face "You two mean a lot to me, really. . .You're my first friends. . .ever. . ." her smile turned slightly sympathetic, if a dreamy smile could do that "Neville told me about what happened. Don't worry, please? Don't forget there are others. . .you're so lucky Harry. . .you have so many friends who would give there life for you"
Harry stared at the girl next to him, who'd now moved her dreamy gaze to the meal before her. He almost relaxed completely, letting a sense of peace and calm flood in, but one voice shut a dam before that flood could reach him.
"Harry? What are you doing here?" The brunette slowly turned to face the girl who had spoken: Ginny. The teenage witch looked at Harry with innocent eyes. Harry had used to like those eyes. They were childish, kind. Who knows, maybe there was a chance he would have fallen for her without the help of a potion. But now that chance was long gone. Now those eyes made him sick, because he knew behind them was someone who didn't give a shit about him and would lie about it.
"What do you want Ginny?" he sneered.
The girl blinked at his tone "I. . .you can't sit here Harry; you're not a part of the Ravenclaw House. Come back to Gryffindor"
Harry narrowed his eyes and turned back to the table, starting to fill his plate "There's no such rule that states that one must eat with their own House. I'm promoting unity with other students by sitting here"
A murmur shot through the table, and the Ravenclaws shrugged and started changing seats. Ginny watched helplessly as people traveled around the great-hall "Harry--"
"Go away Ginny"
The Weasley blinked and opened and closed her mouth several times, before simply turning and walking away, looking rather dazed.
Neville watched her retreating back "Wow Harry. Do you think you went a little hard on her?"
"No"
Luna giggled. Both Harry and Neville knew better than to bother asking why.
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With near-silent click Harry suitcase locked closed, and the brunette flopped down onto his bed. He glanced around the area, making sure that he hadn't forgotten anything. Not that there was much to forget.
He sighed and stared up into the ceiling. He noticed a spider building a web up in a corner. Huh. He didn't see spiders in the dorms much. The brunette watched as the insect threaded together it's home, moving with a smooth grace a creature such as itself must have been born with. It traveled from one place to another with a purpose. It knew exactly where it was going, what it was doing.
Harry sighed and fell backwards, his legs dangling off the bed's edge from the knee down. Harry knew where he was going: Neville's home. Harry wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he knew it was the right thing to be doing. But both he and the spider had a fatal flaw in their plans.
If Neville's grandmother said no, or if the letter didn't come in time, Harry would be stuck with his sick relatives again. He would be trapped and scorned all summer, and then he would come back here to be lied to and given false friendships. That was Harry's flaw.
The spider's flaw? As little as Harry saw spiders in the dorms, he saw other insects even less. The spider would starve to death, no doubt. That, or be killed by some student. But at least no one would miss it.
Harry frowned. Was that right? Was it okay to disappear as long as no one would miss you? As long as you could easily fade away? He wondered. . .
"Hi Harry!"
The glasses-clad boy jolted into sitting, surprised. He found Neville smiling at him. Harry chuckled slightly. He had to be really out of it if he'd been= scared by Neville.
Said innocent smiled at The Boy Who Lived "I see your all packed. So you're ready to go to breakfast?"
"Yeah, I am"
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Again. Why did this keep happening? Screw why. How?
How did Harry end up sitting between Malfoy and Shikyo again?
The brunette sighed resignedly and picked at his food. On his left was Shikyo, his right Malfoy, across from him was Luna, and to the left of her was Neville. The group had decided to eat at the Gryffindor table this time. The Gryffindors there didn't pay Luna much attention since--as a Ravenclaw--her House more or less got on with their own. Malfoy however--as a prominent Slytherin--had turned heads and raised eyebrows.
Shikyo was Shikyo. It didn't matter that he was from Slytherin; he got on with everyone. Or no one, depending on how you looked at it. . .
While Harry had had his doubts about sitting at his own House's table, he had joined the group anyway. But, as he had expected, Ron, Hermione and Ginny soon approached them trying to sit with them. Luckily, after much insistence and spacey smiles on Luna and Shikyo's part, they moved on to another area.
So the group had been sitting there for maybe twenty minutes, Luna and Shikyo deep in a conversation and Neville attempting to follow it. Harry knew better than to attempt the impossible, so he just entertained himself by watching. Malfoy stared into space, which was weird cause--next to Harry--the group member most rooted to the ground was usually Malfoy. Harry decided to play nice.
"You alright Malfoy?"
The rich-boy didn't even look at the brunette, and his reply was instant "Fuck off Potter"
"O-kay then. That teaches me to go against old ways. . ."
Malfoy blinked and looked at him "Huh? What? You say something?"
". . .Malfoy, were you spacing out?"
". . ." the white-blonde groaned and hung his head in his hands "Oh Merlin. I was, wasn't I? Shikyo's rubbing off on me"
Harry laughed "Makes sense. After all he is your. . .boyfriend. . ."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes at him "Don't you go off spouting any nonsense. There's nothing wrong with it"
"I never said--"
"Harry, you laughed!"
The bespectacled teen transferred his gaze over at Luna, who had spoken "Y-yeah. I guess I did. Why?"
Shikyo ruffled his hair "We were afraid we wouldn't hear you laugh again, in light of recent events. . ."
"How do you know about--"
"I just do. I'm afraid Draco dear is the only one out of the loop. . ."
Draco snorted "Like I'd wanna be in the loop with you people. . ."
Luna smiled at him, then looked up "Oh look. It's mail"
Two owls landed before them, one taking off after leaving a note with Neville. The other dropped a parcel in front of Shikyo and settled onto the teen's shoulder.
Neville took his letter and opened it. He read over it and his face lit up "It's from my grandmother" he smiled at Harry "She says that she'd be delighted to have you over. She'll pick us up at King's Cross"
Luna leaned over to see what the letter said, smiling "That's great Harry! Now all you have to do is write your family~"
"Yeah. . ." Harry smiled a little. Looked like he'd finally be free during the summer for once.
Shikyo wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders, earning a glare from Malfoy, which he ignored "Congratulations Harry! You wanna finish the act right now? I have parchment and ink you can use. . ."
"Sure. Thanks"
"It's no problem~" he fiddled around in his robes and produced the objects. He smiled at Harry, and then engrossed his interest in his own package.
Harry's message to the Dursley's was short and to the point, just stating that they won't have to pick him up. The moment he finished the letter was plucked from his hands by Shikyo's owl. The fowl spread it's black wings and leapt into the air.
"Oh Harry" Luna watched the bird spiral up and away "An owl's gone off with your letter. . ."
"Yes, I noticed" Harry sighed "Shikyo, your owl's weird"
"Naturally" the golden-eyed boy pulled at his box-package's strings "Your letter shall be fine; my li'l bird knows where it's going"
". . .how do you know where I live?"
"Please don't ask that. It makes me feel like a stalker. . ." he popped the lid of the box and peered insi de. An odd expression passed over his features, and then he chuckled "Well that's interesting. Uncle Tom can be so subtle at times. . ."
Luna leaned forward, curiosity shining from her smiling expression "What is it?"
The teen pulled out a little sphere. The top half was a bright, finger-paint red, and the bottom half was white. Right in the center of it's side was a little circle that looked like a button. "It's a. . .charm, of sorts"
"Really?" Neville took interest "What kind of charm?"
"Just a good-luck charm" the teen held it out to Harry "Here, take this"
"But this was given to you from your family right? Don't they want you to have it?"
"I have others. And I don't think Uncle Tom would mind you having one. Please, take it Harry. . ." he smiled "You know you need luck more than me right now. . ."
". . .alright. Thank you. I think" he took the little sphere. It was lighter than he had expected "Is it hollow?"
"Perhaps" Shikyo replaced the lid on the box, slipping it in a pocket somewhere in his robes, and stood up. He moved behind Malfoy and rested a hand on his head "Come on, love. It's time to go~"
"Finally!" the white-blonde stood and grabbed his boyfriend's hand, dragging him away.
"See you on the train~" Shikyo waved goodbye to the group, before vanishing out of the hall doors."
Neville pushed away his plate and sighed "Oh, that was good. . ." he rested his head on his hand and looked to where the recently departed of the group had headed "I wonder what they're going to do. There's no classes or anything so. . ."
Luna sipped at her pumpkin juice "That's what Shikyo and I were just talking about. I thought you were listening. . ."
Neville chuckled uneasily "Well, I was. Kinda. Truthfully, I didn't really get--oh" Harry stifled a laugh at his friend's deer-in-headlight's look as something clicked in his mind "Oh. Then--? What he said meant--? Oh Merlin" he groaned and put his head down on the table "I'm never gonna look at chocolate the same again. . ."
Luna smiled innocently and drank her pumpkin juice.
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The Hogwarts Express's whistle rang clear through Platform 9 3/4. The long steam engine slowly rolled to a stop, and compartment doors slid open, releasing Hogwarts students upon the world.
Harry was once again thankful that the ride from Hogwarts to King's Cross had been uneventful. The Three-That-Shan't-Be-Named-In-Harry's-Presence had tried to ride with them in the compartment, but they were unsuccessful. Harry was fairly sure none of them knew that Harry knew they were being paid by Dumbledore, judging by their confused expressions. Harry was glad that they had only tried to get in once. When they weren't there it was easier to pretend things were okay.
Luna was the first to leave to get off the train. She hugged both Harry and Neville and they said goodbye, wishing each other a happy summer, and promising to write often.
The door slid closed and Luna was gone. Neville turned to Harry and smiled "I guess I should warn you now, just so you're not caught off guard. She's a bit stern, but she really is a nice person! She believes in respecting your elders, so just go along with please and thank you and all that and you should be fine"
Harry smiled "I'll be sure to remember that"
"Alright then!" the teen started for the door, but before he could reach it, it flew open and a student dodged inside the compartment. The teenage boy spun around and snapped it closed.
Harry gaped at the intruder "Malfoy?"
The white-blonde stiffened and slowly turned to face Neville and The Boy Who Lived "Aw, you're shitting me! Merlin, anyone else and I could buy them off, but nooo. It has to be the bloody straightest arrows in the whole of Hogwarts" he leaned against the door and shook his head, muttering. He pulled a small silver flask out of his robes and popped the top off, taking a large gulp of whatever was inside it.
Neville reeled "Is that alcohol?"
Malfoy snorted "It's something stronger than that"
Harry folded his arms "Isn't it, I dunno, illegal for you to be drinking that?"
"Fuck the law; I have money"
"Still. . ." Neville nibbled on his lower lip "I never thought of you as someone who drank. . ."
Malfoy quirked an eyebrow "Well what do you know: little plant boy actually has a good sense of judgment. I don't actually drink that often"
"Then why are you now?" Harry asked, not quite believing the teen.
Malfoy drank from the flask again, but took a smaller chug. He studied the ceiling for a moment and then sighed "Shikyo's staying at Malfoy Manor for the summer. It'll be the first time he's met my parents"
Neville smiled slightly, if a bit confusedly "How's that a bad thing?"
The Slytherin's shoulders sagged and he ran a hand through his hair "I don't think my father knows Shikyo's a bloke"
"How did that happen?"
"I just always referred to him by name" he groaned softly "Oh, this is goin g to be fun" he took one last swig from the little silver flask before slipping it back into his robes, and turning back to the door. Before he could open it, Harry spoke.
"So, why did you run in here? Just so you could drink?"
"Nah. Not completely" he looked back at them with a defeated smile "Just delaying the inevitable"
Malfoy walked out and the door slid closed behind him.
"Huh" Neville looked into air thoughtfully "Well what do you know. Even Malfoy has problems"
"Everyone has problems, Neville. Let's go before anyone else pops up. . ."
Neville laughed and followed Harry out of the compartment and towards the train door "But I gotta wonder why Malfoy's worried about his father's reaction to Shikyo"
"Well first of all, it's Shikyo. That's enough reason to worry. Second, Lucius is probably really old fashioned"
"Hmm. Well, even if he is, pure-bloods have pretty much always been really accepting of homosexuality. . . "
"Then I guess it's cause Malfoy has to produce an heir. And if he's gay. . ."
Neville gave Harry a confused look "What's that have to do with it?"
The brunette blinked and then chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder "Oh nothing. Don't worry about it" he stepped off the train and was met with. . .an owl in his face.
"AAAHHH!" Harry swatted at the bird and swore when it scratched him, and he lost his footing and ended up on the ground.
The fowl landed on his chest and stared down at him. Harry glared back, recognizing it as Shikyo's owl, and snatched away the letter in it's beak "I knew you wouldn't get it to them. I just knew it" Harry swore that the thing glared at him, before pecking him on the head and spreading it's wings, jumping into the air.
"Are you alright Harry?!" Neville hopped off the train and looked down at the teen worriedly.
Harry seethed as he stood and watched the thing fly away "Yeah. I'm fine. Bloody bird brought back the letter. . ."
"What letter?"
"The one to the Dursleys"
"Oh. Where is it?" the teen glanced around.
". . .Neville" he lifted the letter "It's in my hand"
"No it isn't"
"Yes. It is"
"No" the teen gently pulled the crumpled paper from Harry and pointed to the seal "See? It's a different colour. This isn't the letter you sent"
Harry blinked "You're right. Then who--"
"Neville"
The two teens looked to the woman who spoke, and Neville smiled at her "Ah, Harry, this is my Grandmother: Augusta Longbottom. Gran, this is my friend Harry Potter"
Harry turned fully to the elderly woman and her. . .unique. . .hat "It's good to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom"
She watched him for a moment and then nodded "It's good to meet you as well, Harry. I'm glad you wish to stay with us"
"I'm just happy that you're allowing me to. I know it was on short notice. . ."
"Nonsense. It is an honor to have you in our household"
Harry smiled, slightly embarrassed. He fingered the letter in his hand for a moment, and turned away a little "Could you excuse me for a moment?" At Mrs. Longbottom's nod he fully turned and opened the envelope. It was addressed to him. . .he scanned over the message, and he visibly tensed.
Neville stepped towards him, a concerned expression on his features "Harry? What is it?"
"It's. . .an invite"
"To what?"
"It's. . ." Harry bit his lip and numbly handed the letter to Neville to see "It's for Sirius' will reading"
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