I don't know what to say, I really don't. Everyone who's followed and favourite both this story and myself, I just want to hug all of you (*´∀`*) Here's a longer chapter for you, I think I'm just going to melt into a puddle of goo now.

WARNING: None

Again none characters belong to me. Enjoy.

Chapter 02

The sun shone through the fake window in the Room of Requirement and into the face of red rimmed eyes and messy raven hair. Scrunching up his nose, he buried his face in the pillow and pulled the blankets up and over his head. Harry laid there for a few seconds enjoying the peace and quiet which was quite rare because his dorm mates usually wake him up with their last minute rushing to find textbooks, parchment, quills, to finish homework that was due that day.

His eyes fluttered open and he blinked at the unfamiliar blurry room. Harry shot up and grabbed his glasses off the bedside table then his wand and cast 'Tempus'. Groaning he saw that breakfast just finished and didn't have long until he was late for his first class, Potions. Rolling out of bed he quickly cast cleaning and breath-freshening charms. Looking down on himself he wondered if he should try to get the wrinkles out but decided it was a hopeless case. Harry reached down to where he dropped his bookbag yesterday evening, threw it over his shoulder and made his way out the door, heading towards the dungeons.

He knew everyone had probably heard of the break up by now, nothing stayed a secret at Hogwarts for long especially if it was about him. 6 years have passed and he still wasn't used to all the attention his name got him. It was already hard for him to talk with people or make new friends without being famous. Thankfully, those constantly around him had realised that he wasn't so special or different from the rest of them that they often overlooked him unless something big happened.

Using his free hand, he ran it through his hair messing it up even worse. No matter how quickly he'd run he was going to be late. Harry had just barely got a high enough grade to continue with Potions this year, he would have just dropped the class if he didn't need N.E.W.T. level grades to become a Healer. He had been doing so well this year; arriving on time, receiving Exceeds Expectations or higher on his essays. He hadn't even messed up terribly on any potion this term thanks to the tutoring with Moony during the summer.

Thinking back to the summer Harry smiled. It was the first time he got to spend the whole summer with his godfather and his partner Remus. Even though Sirius was found innocent during his 3rd year, he wasn't allowed custody of Harry because they thought he was too unstable from prolonged exposure to the dementors in Azkaban. Remus wasn't allowed take him either because of his werewolf status. It was a long wait, the sessions with the mind healer to prove he was capable of taking care of Harry took all summer between his 4th and 5th year, but it was worth it to get away from the Dursleys forever.

Growing up with the Dursleys had been a nightmare. For as long as he could remember his room was the tiny cupboard under the stairs. As soon as he was old enough he had to get up each morning and make his relatives breakfast, only being allowed a few pieces of bread or bruised fruit and whatever scrapes he could sneak without them noticing, then start on the ridiculously long list of chores. That part wasn't too bad. What really made living with them so horrendous was the routine beatings and verbal abuse. Rubbing his right wrist he could still remember the one time when he was 7, he burnt the bacon so his Uncle punched him in the face. Back then he didn't realise that when he fell he had broken his wrist. He just remembered the pain, feeling dizzy and woozy. A few days later his wrist was stiff and sore but seemed alright. Harry now knew, thanks to his healer lessons with Madam Pomfrey, that his magic had helped heal him.

At the Dursleys they never called him by his name. It wasn't until a kind lady asked him what his name was, when his Aunt Petunia took him to do the shopping, that he found out his name wasn't 'Boy' or 'Freak'. When he had told the lady his name was 'Freak' his aunt became flustered and quickly explained to her that he was 'Harry' and that he was very disrespectful and liked to make crude jokes.

Things got a little better once he received his Hogwarts, his aunt and uncle were so scared that someone was watching them because it was addressed to 'Mr H. Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs…' that the beatings and chores stopped and he was moved to his cousins second bedroom. But once they realized no one was watching the abuse started just back up.

Rounding the last corner he saw the door to the Potions classroom closed and no one in sight. Nervously patting down his hair and making sure it covered the unwanted reminder of his parents murder. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself for the ire of one Professor Severus Snape; he opened his eyes and turned the door knob.

"You're late Potter! 30 points from Gryffindor." Professor Snape snapped before the door was even fully open. Some of the Slytherins laughed at his misfortune.

"Sorry sir." Harry hurried down the aisle of work benches, finally sliding into the only open seats which was beside one of his few friends, Neville Longbottom.

"Are you alright Harry?" Neville whispered hoping not to catch the Professor's attention for talking. He quickly slid some off the ingredients over to Harry to prep while he filled a beaker with water and some African sea salt. Neville wasn't terrible at Potions, Professor Snape just made him really nervous and he tended to make huge mistakes when he was nervous or startled.

Harry sighed and whispered back. "Alright as I can be…What are we making?" He leaned over Neville's shoulder to see what page his Advanced Potion-Making textbook was open to. Pulling his copy out, he flipped it open and looked at the instructions for the 'Draught of Living Death'. Picking up the silver knife he took one Sopophorous bean and went to cut into it, but his knife slipped off the bean and the blade ended up crushing it. Harry shrugged 'The juices are out. Shouldn't matter how.' Then looked at the book to see what he could prepare next.

They worked in silence, Neville adding essence of wormwood to the cauldron while Harry chopped up three Valerian roots into square pieces and put it in the other beaker with water. Their potion looked to be a smooth blackcurrant-coloured liquid that the text describes. Harry smiled, their potion seemed to be the only thing going right lately. Double checking the instructions, Harry carefully poured the Sopophorous bean's juice in, then added seven drops of liquid from the beaker making sure no fragments of Valerian root got into the cauldron. Using the stirring rod, Neville stirred the ten times clockwise, making the potion turn lilac instead of the lighter shade, then counterclockwise waiting for the potion to turn clear.

Finally Harry broke the silence between them. "How was breakfast this morning?" He tried to keep his voice as steady as possible but it wavered slightly anyways.

Startled, Neville almost knocked over their potion, he had not thought Harry would want to talk while they worked on such a complicated potion. He took a quick glance and saw Professor Snape checking on the progress of some of the Slytherins across the room. "Professor Sprout asked me to check on the Mandrakes that the second years just replanted, so after popping into the Great Hall for some toast I headed out there. Why? Did something happen?" Turning so he slightly faced Harry but was able to slowly put in seven square pieces of Valerian root in the cauldron then stirred the potion ten times counterclockwise.

"…Zack…was cheating on me, I found out yesterday evening." Harry muttered not even looking up from the desk as he passed Neville the powdered root of asphodel.

Neville winced. What Smith did was terrible but he knew that new and old rumours about Harry were going to start up again."Sorry mate." Not knowing what else he could say Neville took the powder from Harry and gave him a sympathetic look. Harry shrugged not trusting his voice. He shook the vial of moondew then helped set up a fire under the cauldron.

"We're almost done, do you want me to clean up so you can avoid the rest of the school?" Neville offered pouring the moondew into the potion followed by sloth brain and flower heads, as he stirred, they watched it turn to a teal colour instead of pure blue.

Shoving the text back into his bag, Harry said, "Yea. Thanks Nev." He gave his friend a sad smile then rushed out of the classroom while Snape ordered everyone to leave a sample on his desk, clean up and get out.

Harry spent the rest of the day avoiding everyone, he even went to the kitchens for lunch just so he didn't have to hear the whispers and staring. Using his cloak of invisibility he arrived last to class and was the first to leave. After their last class, DADA, Harry walked with Neville towards the entrance hall but excused himself, stating 'he wasn't hungry' and headed off to the hospital wing to wait for Madam Pomfrey. Just missing a sour looking Zacharias Smith with neon yellow hair and red and green striped skin walking into the Great Hall.

To be Continued

Authors Note: Read and Review please! Follow, Favourites and reviews motivate me to pump out a new chapter much faster. Also I'll try and keep and progress report about the chapters on my profile.

Also for those of you who have a Ao3 account I am also post this there. Same title and same username.