"Golden pride," Harry sighed at the portrait of the fat lady. She swung aside to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower.

The well lit common room was crowded with students of all years releasing the pent up energy accumulated from spending the day sitting in class. A group of first years talked excitedly about their classes while keeping an eye on their seniors, hoping to catch a glimpse of one casting a spell. Some fourth years were planning a prank in the corner just to Harry's right, and the sixth and seventh years claimed the sofas and chairs closest to the fire; they were arguing loudly over a game of exploding snap.

Everything stopped as Harry scrambled through the entrance. Everyone had turned to stare at him. He stared back at his house mates, vainly wishing that they would return to what they had been doing before he entered the room. As far as Harry knew, the only other person that could walk through the portrait and be received by absolute silence was Professor McGonagall. He found that fact quite disconcerting.

He was so caught up in his musings he had just enough time to register a black and brown streak at the corner of his eye before something collided with his side and latched itself there. The impact made him stumble, and he barely caught himself before he fell over completely. He righted himself and looked down at a face-full of bushy, brown hair. Hermione Granger had attached herself to his side and buried her face in his neck.

"Oh, Harry, I've been so worried about you," she gushed. "Dumbledore wouldn't tell us a thing that Madam Pomphry would see to your care. Then, we went to the hospital wing to ask if we could visit you," Hermione's voice rose an octave, and Harry could feel the tears on his neck, "And she said no. Oh Merlin Harry, it's been three days." She broke down completely and Harry awkwardly wrapped his arm around her, trying to comfort her.

A cold chill ran down his spine. Three days. Three days! Harry looked up at Ron who stood a couple feet away looking very awkward and out of place. "Three days" He asked. Ron nodded.

Harry didn't want to believe it, yet he knew it to be true. His friends wouldn't lie to him about something like this; they had no reason to. He looked around at the common room at the curious and expectant faces of those students that had gathered around the trio to watch the show. Harry was revolted. Colin even had his camera out as if waiting for Harry to do a trick. Harry glared at Colin until he put the camera away, shame faced. "Let's go somewhere where we can talk." He said, the stern glare never leaving his face.

Ron nodded again and without a word started up the steps to their dorm. Harry and Hermione, who refused to either let go or remove her head from his shoulder, lurched after him. Ron opened the door to the sixth year boy's dorm and ushered his two friends inside.

"Oy, Harry," all three of them jumped at the sound of Neville's voice. He sat stretched out on his bed with one finger marking his place in a book. "It's good to see that you're finally out of the hospital wing," he said with a friendly smile on his round face.

Harry was momentarily surprised to realize that Neville actually meant what he said. The boy really was happy to see Harry again. Harry smiled back at the gentle boy. "Thanks Nev, it's good to see you again too. Could you give us a moment to talk?" Harry asked waving his hand between Ron Hermione and himself.

"Sure thing Harry," Neville said bouncing off the bed. Neville started out the door then abruptly stopped "Oh," he said turning back to face Harry. "I have to tell you, since you missed the announcement and all..."

"What is it Nev," Harry asked a bit more sharply than he meant to. He was getting fairly impatient with the Gryffindor's ramblings. There was a lot explaining to do, and he wasn't going to get it done with witnesses hanging around.

Neville seemed to sense the impatience in Harry's voice because he looked down at his feet and mumbled, "I just thought I'd tell you about the Halloween Ball we're having this year."

Harry's interest perked up immediately. "A ball, eh," There seemed to be an unholy gleam in his eyes as the words practically purred off his tongue, "Looks like I get to show off my dancing skills." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that he had made a mistake; he wasn't supposed to be able to dance at all.

Ron shook his head, disbelief written all over his face. "Yeah, just like in fourth year." He smiled at Harry, "Who's going to lead you this time?" Ron then burst into laughter. After a moment the others joined in.

Harry laughed too, trying to cover his mistake. He was not really ready to tell his friends all of his secrets yet particularly about Slytherin. He tried to quip that he would find someone to show him how to dance beautifully, but the words stuck in his throat. This is odd. "I'll surprise you," he managed to say. "Thanks for the heads up, Nev."

"No problem, see you guys at dinner." Neville turned and left the room with an inexplicable bounce in his step.

As soon as the door shut Harry took out his wand and cast several locking and silencing charms on it. He tried to tell himself that it was caution not paranoia that made him do this, but he knew that the truth of the matter was that he did not want anything said here to leave here, ever if at all possible.

Harry collapsed on his bed near the windows and looked over at his two dearest friends. They were standing close together in the middle of the room shock written all over their faces. "Harry," Hermione's voice was soft and controlled, like she was talking to a cornered animal, making Harry all the more nervous as he realized that he had made yet another mistake. "How do you know such advanced locking charms?"

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. How was he going to explain this one? He didn't want to keep secrets from his friends, but he could not tell them the truth, not yet. Deep down Harry knew that his fears were irrational. Ron and Hermione would never abandon him; they had been through too much together. If they knew that Harry was at least in part Salazar Slytherin, they would still be his friends, right?

"You know that I've been spending more time in the library lately, looking up spells and hexes." The truth and yet not the truth that was sought, Harry was beginning to suspect that he couldn't lie at all. He carefully controlled his expression, making it seem like his explanation was so obvious that Hermione should have thought of it herself.

Hermione stared at him for a full minute before nodding her head at his explanation. "Good for you Harry." Her voice took on a prim, self-satisfied tone as if his newly acquired study habits had come from years of her lecturing him, and perhaps they had. "It's about time that you started studying on your own. What with You-Know-"Harry frowned at her use of the euphemism, "V-voldemort," She corrected quickly, "Out there I would have thought that you would have started studying sooner." She paused. "Then there are the NEWTS to think about next year."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, he doesn't need to study, that's what you are here for."

Hermione whipped her head around a baleful look in her eye. Thus began one of their famous arguments. Harry sat up on the bed and rested his arms on crossed legs. He smiled as he followed the inane argument, eyes bouncing back and forth as if watching a fast passed tennis match. Harry couldn't help but notice that his friends had become more colorful in their use of language over the years.

When he decided that their bickering had gone on for long enough, meaning they had forgotten about the spells that had originally prompted the conversation, he cleared his throat. Both pairs of brown eyes snapped to where he was sitting on the bed. Harry idly wondered when they where going to stop denying their attraction for each other and just snog. They would make the perfect couple, he thought.

"So," he said when he had their undivided attention. "Three days?" They looked at him like he was stupid. "My stay in the hospital wing," he explained.

Ron blinked. "You didn't know?" His voice rose to an indignant shout, "They didn't tell you!"

"Calm down Ron. I'm sure there is a good reason Harry wasn't told." Hermione said though she looked doubtful.

Harry thought she had a good point; Madam Pomphry had said that he had been unconscious for a long time. "You may be right," he said trying to alleviate his friend's fears. "I am supposed to still be in the hospital wing, after all."

Ron and Hermione stopped on the brink of another argument and starred at Harry. "What?" they chorused.

"You heard me," Harry stated ungraciously, fully aware that his attempt to smooth things over had failed miserably.

"You snuck out of the hospital wing." Ron said; it was not a question.

"That's what I said," Harry stated. He then raised his hand to forestall their protest. "Now, before you both tear into me; understand that Madam Pomphry said herself that nothing was really wrong with me. She just wanted me to hang around for observational purposes."

Hermione plopped down next to him on the mattress. "Why couldn't you have waited until you were told that you could leave? Madam Pomphry will be mad at you." She pinned Harry with one of her you-did-wrong stares.

"I know," Harry scratched his head, and then told himself to stop it. The Slytherin in him would be damned if he retained any ape like habits. He suspected that with his messy black hair there was more than a little resemblance. Note to self: grow out hair. He knew from Salazar's experience that weight and gravity went a long way in taming hair. "I just couldn't stay there." He looked pleadingly at his friends, hoping that they would understand. "I've spent as much time in the hospital wing as I have in any other part of the school. It's starting to feel like a prison that I cannot escape."

They only looked at him blankly. "If you say so." Ron said with a shrug. "I know I wouldn't want to stay in the hospital wing, but I thought that you were going to move in this year."

Harry grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ron, "Prat," he growled affectionately. He broke out in a grin eyes twinkling. "So," he drawled, "When are you two going to start dating?" Harry was hit simultaneously with two pillows. "Hey! No fair!" He exclaimed. "I was unarmed."

The pillow fight that followed lasted for quite some time. Harry threw one of the pillows that hit him at Hermione. He then went after Ron, swinging the other pillow he held wildly. Ron ran and jumped on one of the five beds. He hit the bed and slid, with the sheets and comforter, off the other side. Harry dived after Ron with Hermione right behind him.

The room dissolved into pure chaos. Not one bed was left with pillows, covers or sheets. At one point a seam gave out on a pillow and snow white feathers fluttered around the warring friends.

Afterward, three exhausted teens sprawled amid rumpled beds and thrashed pillows. Harry sat laughing and panting. He was tired, but at least Ron and Hermione seemed to have forgotten all about their earlier conversation.

As Harry lay on the floor, with his head resting on the foot of Dean's bed, looking at his two best friends, he figured that they had monopolized the room long enough. He raised his hand and flicked his fingers at the door. Seamus and Dean, who had been futilely pounding on the door for the last ten minutes, fell into the room.

"What the hell happened?" Seamus yelled gesturing at the room as he pushed himself off of Dean.

"Sorry guys, got carried away," Ron replied looking helplessly at the mess. A stray feather stuck comically in his hair.

Harry merely shrugged and, with a wave of his hand, the room morphed back to its original state.

Absolute silence descended.

"Harry," Hermione gulped, "That was wandless magic."

Harry grinned at her. "You noticed." His reply was unconcerned as if he had been doing wandless magic for years, which technically he had. "I told you that I had been studying." Harry's gaze panned the room. "I did a good job of it if I do say so myself."

Ron, Seamus, and Dean only stared at him. Hermione on the other hand went into lecture mode, hands on hips and eyes flashing. "Harry James Potter, how could you?" Harry blinked. "You disappear in the middle of the night and end up in the hospital wing, scaring both Ron and I out of our wits. Then you sneak out of the hospital wing, perform very advanced magic, and pretend that nothing is wrong." Hermione continued, marching up to Harry and grabbing him by the front of his robes. "Suddenly you can do wandless magic, and brag about it like a filthy Slytherin." Her voice rose to a shriek, "What is wrong with you? Why wont you tell us what happened?"

Ron, whose head had been bobbing all through Hermione's tirade, decided that it was time to pry the irate girl off his best friend. He got slapped for his efforts. Ron massaged his red cheek and gave Harry a look that said: "I tried mate."

"Look 'Mione," Harry said in a gentle, placating voice. He tried to loosen her grip, with no success. She didn't look it, but Hermione was very strong. Must be all those books she lugs around, He thought. "I know your upset-"

"Well good, nice to see you've finally picked up on the obvious," Hermione spat tightening her grip; her knuckles were turning white.

Harry put his hands on Hermione's, where they were latched to his robe, and looked her in the eye. "I have- changed, and I want to tell you. I don't want to keep secrets from either you or Ron. I just can't tell you now. Later, okay. Please 'Mione, believe me. I will tell you; I promise. Just not right now." He licked his lips knowing that he would regret what he was about to say. "Tonight, I'll tell you tonight."

Hermione stared at him, judging the validity of his words. Slowly she let go of Harry's robe and nodded her head. "Tonight," she repeated. Harry reluctantly nodded back. He was committed. His friends would know the truth tonight, way too soon in Harry's opinion. He reached out and pushed a stray strand of curly brown hair behind Hermione's ear. It was surprising to him how much his friends meant to him.

Ron cleared his throat. Every one turned to him, even the forgotten Dean and Seamus. He never took his eyes off Harry. "It's time for dinner."

Everyone laughed nervously. "Trust you to remember when it's time to eat," Harry chirped, trying to lift the mood.

Hermione sniffed, "As if he could ever fill that bottomless pit he calls a stomach." She smoothed her robe. "Let's go then. Merlin forbid you miss a meal," she said to Ron. They all laughed and tramped down to dinner, though Harry noticed Ron giving him a warning look before walking through the door.

Outside the common room Harry stopped Ron. "What is wrong with you?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.

"What do you do mean?" Ron blustered.

"The way you looked at me when I touched Hermione." Ron's face turned red. Before he could say anything stupid Harry continued, "You have no reason to be jealous. Hermione is like a sister to me."

Ron gave Harry a shamed faced look. He shuffled his feet. "I know that-"Ron threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Ask her out," Harry was very careful to annunciate his words with exaggerated lip movements.

"Uh,"

"Do it."

"Harry I-"

"Tonight." Harry commanded crossing his arms. Ron stood, mouth hanging open. This was not like Harry. Harry didn't issue commands and expect them to be followed.

Harry knew what Ron was thinking. He had to stop acting like Salazar. His friends had noticed, even Ron, as dense as he was. Harry bit his lip. I have to start acting like a young boy. But how was he supposed to do that; even his thoughts were more articulate than they were before.

The two boys continued on to dinner each lost in his own thoughts.