Number Twelve Grimmauld Place

"Do you think he's here yet?"

Ron rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. "Mum would have sent him up here if he was Hermione."

"You've got to relax love," Fred said soothingly. "He'll get here when he gets here."

Suddenly, the door handle was rattling, and Harry himself was pushing open the door. Hermione leaped to her feet, flinging her arms around Harry's neck.

"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you alright? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless – but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us – the dementors! When we heard – and that Ministry hearing – it's just outrageous, I've look it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Society for the use of magic in life-threatening situations – "

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron and Fred said together, shooting each other odd looks before turning back to the boy at hand.

Hermione was still beaming when she let him go, over joyed to see him again, but before she could say another word, Hedwig swooped down from the top of the wardrobe and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!"

Hermione watched happily as Harry was reunited with his pet, as the owl nibbled his ear affectionately.

"She's been in a right state," said Ron. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this –"

He showed Harry the index finger of his right hand, which sported a half-healed but clearly deep cut.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, and Hermione had to bite back a smile. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know…"

"We wanted to give them to you, mate," said Ron. "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, ut Dumbledore made us –"

"—swear not to tell me," Harry finished. "Yeah, Hermione's already said."

The light that had been in Harry's eyes, the smile he wore in his happiness to see them were fading, and Hermione's faded with them. An uncomfortable pit was growing in her stomach, and she reached out for Fred's hand. "He seemed to think it was best," she said rather breathlessly. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," Harry said.

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles –"

Harry was quick to interrupt Ron. "Have either of you been attacked by dementors this summer?" he asked, seemingly off-handedly.

Fred wrapped a protective arm around Hermione's front, not liking where this was going.

"Well no – but that's why he had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time –"

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" Fred felt Hermione shaking slightly in his arms, worried by Harry's calm tone. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

Hermione gave a last ditch effort to defend Dumbledore, so Harry would relax and be less of…whatever he was feeling. But Harry blew it off again. "Aren't you…aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" she asked quietly.

"No," Harry told her, beginning to pace around the room. "So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" Harry asked casually. "Did you – er, bother to ask him at all?"

Hermione looked over at Ron just as he looked to her, and they silently settled in their worry for Harry; he was behaving just as they feared he would.

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," said Ron. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted –"

"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said shortly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."

Hermione glanced at Ron, remembering the conversation they'd had about Dumbledore visiting Harry and explaining, or sending a note with Fawkes and then said, "I thought that too. But he didn't want you to know anything."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted."

Fred rolled his eyes at Harry's thought, and was honestly surprised by the concern on Ron and Hermione's faces.

"Don't be thick," Ron told him.

"Or that I can't take care of myself –"

"Of course he doesn't think that!" Hermione insisted, her voice high-pitched from anxiety. Fred pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you guys get to join in everything that's going on here? How come you're all allowed to know everything that's going on - ?"

"We're not!" Ron interrupted.

"Harry, mate," Fred said, speaking for the first time. "George and I are of age and we aren't even allowed in –"

Before any of them expected it, Harry was shouting. Every bitter and resentful thought that built must have been pouring out of him. He said it all, right down to saying they must have been having a real laugh holed up together. Ron's mouth was half open in shock, while Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Enough," Fred interrupted sharply. He seemed to have taken the whole room by surprise, even Hedwig turned her head to look at him. "Stop acting all high and mighty while you obviously hurt your friends, while they were trying their best to help you."

Harry glared at him, but Fred starred back, not backing down until Harry turned away and snapped at Ron to explain where they were.

"Thank you," Hermione said softly, hugging Fred tightly, the few tears that had escaped leaving marks on his shirt.

"Anytime, love. You know that."

There was a loud shout from Ron and a sharp crack sounding in almost perfect unison as George materialized out of thin air in the middle of the room.

"Stop doing that," Hermione snapped at George, and Fred hid a chuckle behind his hand. Hermione had been reprimanding them ever since they passed their Apparation tests.

"Hello Harry," George said, ignoring Hermione's warning as he pulled the extendable ears from his pocket. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones. You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, there might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"Play nicely Georgie," Fred called, standing up to help his twin untangle the Ear.

The door opened and a long mane of red hair appeared.

"Oh hello, Harry!" Ginny said brightly. "I thought I heard your voice."

Hermione couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

The youngest Weasley turned to Fred and George. "It's a no go with the Extendable Ears, mum put an Imperturbable Charmon the kitchen door. Tonks told me chuck stuff at the door and if you can't make contact it's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soared away.

"Damn," Fred swore. "I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

Harry cut his starring at Ginny to rejoin the conversation. "Snape? Is he here?"

Hermione watched as the group chatted back and forth. She joined in every so often, but mostly she just enjoyed seeing Harry relaxing. Fred had rejoined her on their spot on the floor, wrapping himself around her effortlessly. She snuggled into his hold, letting herself just enjoy her friends.

Mrs. Weasley popped her head in to tell them it was time for dinner, and the group collected themselves and headed downstairs.

The hall was quiet, and Hermione hoped for once they might make it to dinner without –

CRASH.

Tonks had knocked over the troll leg umbrella sound. The high, awful, torturous scream echoed through the hall until finally, Sirius appeared and managed to get the old and dingy curtains shut.

"Hello Harry," he said, spotting his godson in the crowd. "I see you've met my mother."

xXxXxXxXx

This chapter was weird to write. As you all know, the Harry Potter books are written as a narrative, though privy to Harry's thoughts. A large part of this particular chapter was told in Harry's thoughts, or his reaction to expressions that weren't described. I did enjoy writing it though, and I hope you guys like what I did with it.

On a similar note, I realized as I was writing this that I didn't touch on Fred and George turning 17 in He Noticed Her like I had planned too. If I get enough want for it, I'm thinking about writing a one shot, set in the He Noticed Her verse of their birthday and what Hermione did to celebrate it. So let me know if you guys want that.

On a separate and rather random note, I dyed my hair red last night.

This is a very long author's note. It's 1 in the morning though so you'll have to forgive my ramblings. Enjoy the chapter!