I stumbled up the slick steps, cursing my misfortune as I splashed through a puddle. My hurt and surprise turned quickly to anger. If Harry could get away with behaving like a child, then damnit, why couldn't I?

I fumed as I sat at the Gryffindor table. Harry sat next to me. He stiffened as I turned towards him. Dumbledore started the beginning of term speech, and a minute later the sorting began. I glared at Harry once more.

"What?" he said.

"You know bloody well what!" I spat.

"Do you really think I care about your summer? My god-father is dead! The only one who really cared! And it's my fault."

Adele Aldridge was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"You prat! Do you think you're the only one who's lost someone they love?"

"I'm probably the only one who's lost three." He sulked.

"You self-centered git! I can't believe you!"

Aileen Laroche was sorted into Slytherin. Certain courageous Ravenclaws hissed as she passed their table.

"There are worse things than death, Harry. And you'd do well to stop slapping your friends in the face! This chosen one crap is really getting to you! You ego's double over the summer. Did it ever enter you thick skull that Voldemort mayn't want you, but rather something you have?" I continued. It was a stupid question, for all that Harry Potter, the-Boy-Who-Lived, the "Chosen One", the savior of the world, thought of was himself.

As the sorting ended, our feud did as well. Or, it was rather postponed until the Common Room.

"Did you get a load of the Parsifal bloke? Parsifal…imagine having a name like that...must be a real prat," Ron mused, laughing. "Still," he continued, "can't be as bad as that Onderdonk girl," he snorted.

"Ron!!" Hermione hissed, as a girl farther down the table burst into tears. "Anyway," she said. "Parsifal was later Anglican zed to Percival. Your brother, Ron."

"My point exactly. He's a right foul git."

"And he's not the only one." I interjected, getting up from the table. "I'm going to unpack."

Hermione sighed, leaning across the table. "Look Harry," she started.

"Oh!-not from you too. Can't you just leave off?" Harry snapped. He stormed off, leaving an upset Hermione, and a bewildered Ron.

It was late; the embers of the fire in the common room were barely flickering. I suppose I must have dozed off while finishing my essay for Binns. The next thing I knew, someone was sitting on me.

"Ooh!" I grunted. "Have a care!"

"Didn't see you. Sorry." Said Harry.

"Oh. It's you is it." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Obviously."

"Look!!" I sat up, jabbing him in the chest. "We were all there, Harry. We all lost a friend. We all lost Sirius. You think its bad for you? Imagine Remus, and how he feels. Sirius is dead. Your father's dead." He winced, but I continued. "Pettigrew's as good as dead, and Remus would probably prefer it if he were. So you can quite trying to be all emo, because it's not working out that well for you."

He sighed, running his fingers through his tangled mass of hair.

"Alright." He said. "I've been a royal prat. I'm sorry. I don't deserve you."

"Damn right you don't" He hugged me. "You should really be getting to bed," he said.

"I can't!" I gestured to the parchments strewn across the table. "I have to finish that paper on Ridgebit. But who really cares about dragon sanctuaries, anyway?" Harry laughed.

"Well, he started. "Charlie does, and I'm sure that"

I cut him off "That was a rhetorical question, Harry. What did you come down for anyway?

He looked away.

"Nothing," he mumbled, "just a bad dream."

I immediately regretted some of the harsh things I'd said.

"Well, goodnight, Harry."

"What about your paper?" he asked.

"What else is Transfiguration for? I asked, smiling.

He laughed. "G'night." I headed up the stairs to the dormitory, my head swirling with thoughts.