A/N: Words: 2,702.

Chapter 5

The Slytherin common room was in an up roar as they celebrated their first victory of the year. It was really more of an accident that Harry caught the Snitch by almost swallowing it. But it still counted so no one cared and the Gryffindors were seething; especially Eric Potter, which was always a pleasant sight to behold. The Gryffindors always had a bad habit of roaring at both the good and the bad so the Slytherins were able to enjoy their defeated moment again and a again. It was the most fun some of the older students have had in a long time and partied into the night.

Harry sat in a chair near the fireplace, the center of attention. It was a new feeling for Harry who had always been pushed into the shadows (and the cellar) in favor of Eric. He wasn't entirely sure he liked the idea of all eyes on him, but he wasn't one to ruin others fun, so he just grined and beared it (like always).

His mind kept replaying the end of the game; when his broom had tried to kill him.

He had one eye on the game and one eye out for the Snitch. He had to admit the Lions weren't so bad (the other Snakes would kill him if they ever heard him say that), well orginized and quick relexes. Those Weasley twins were dangerous with their clubs and seemed to really have it in for their own Beaters and one of the Chasers.

A flash of gold over one of the Slytherin Goal Posts caught his eye and Harry shot off like a muggle rocket.

He was half way across the pitch when suddenly, his broom shot up like someone had looped strings around the ends and pulled. Everything that happened after that was a blur as Harry hung on for dear life. He remembered spinning a lot, divinging, lurching, at one point he was upside down and hanging by his knees.

Just as Harry was about to right himself the broom went into a sharp loop de loop and threw Harry from itself. He could hear screams as he plummeted to the earth (later finding out his broom went for Eric after Harry had been dislodged). Feet from the ground Harry felt something catch in his throat, seconds laters one of the Chasers had caught him.

Harry was set on the ground gently were he procceded to cough up...the Snitch!

It was silent for a moment, then chaos. The Slytherins were screaming their lungs out and jumping up and down. The other three Houses were trying to figure out what had happened and Eric was shrieking like a little girl about almost being hit in the face and that Harry had done it on purpose.

McGonagall, of all people, stepped in to defend Harry from the accusations.

All in all, it had been an interesting first game for him; not that he would want a repeat mind you.

Snape was in a rather good mood for a time afterwards too saying that as a reward for their victory, they were excussed from the next day's lesson (having supplied half of them with Pepper up Potion). He still cut into the Gryffindors, but he didn't assign any homework that was due the next class; instead it was the class after that one. The Gryffindors didn't react to well to Snape's generosity, claiming he was being unfair.

After Eric was giving an extra three feet on his report due its normal time, no one else was too inclined to argue further.

Harry, Draco and Blaise watched Eric, Ron and Hermione (who joined up with the Dimwitted Duo after they supposedly saved her from the troll Halloween) closely whenever possible. They had yet to figure out who Nicolas Flamel was and blamed Snape for what had happened durring the game and believed him to be solely trying to get at whatever was being gaurded by the dog who turned out to be named Fluffy. It wasn't true of course, but it wasn't like Snape invited possitive emotions from people and it didn't look too good, not blinking and muttering under his breath during the match.

Harry was still reluctant to believe his Head of House was less then trust worthy, but the evidance was pointing in that direction. Harry still didn't know why though, and why did Snape try to kill him? The man had become somewhat of a surrogate father figure during the school year, to find out he might have tried to betray him...it hurt worse then what the Potters had put him through for the last ten years.

Harry hoped it was a mistake, a misunderstanding.

Harry, Draco and Bliase snuck down to the kitchens (took Harry awhile to find them), sticking to the shadows as much as possible. Harry wanted to see Fluffy for himself, but he would need a bit of a peace offering first. Hence the illegal trip to another portion of the dungeons at midnight.

Draco and Blaise were a bit hesitant to come face to face to face to face with a cerberus, but they agreed to come with; with the promise they would stay outside the room.

The kitchens were mostly quiet; all but several house-elves were still awake making breakfast preperations. They asked for some roast beef sandwiches and meat pies. The house-elves were happy to supply them and send them on their way. Quickly they made their way to the third floor and the door Fluffy was hidden behind. Harry took a steadying breath and slowly opened the door.

Fluffy was laying on his stomach as the door swung in. A low menacing growl vibrated in the room. The boys were afriad someone was going to hear him.

Harry took out a meat pie and threw it into the room. The middle head easily caught the crumb sized morsel. Harry signaled for Draco and Blaise to give him their pies and he threw them to the other heads as well. Harry repeated this with the sandwiches and closed and locked the door. Fluffy had stared waging his tail by the time their sight were cut off from one another.

They all breathed a small sigh of relief and headed back to bed. They weren't sure how the encounter was going to go, but as far as they could tell it was the best case situation they could have hoped for. Now all they had to do was get back to their dorm without being caught.

Harry was packing for the Christmas holidays. It wasn't that difficult, he only had enough clothes so that he wasn't wearing the same thing three days in a row. Just enough so the Potters look good in front of their neighbors.

Of course that was a moot point now, thanks to there little melt down/confessions.

Putting the last of his things that he was taking with him in his trunk, Harry closed the lid, changed into his night clothes and crawled into bed. Tomorrow he would board the train to be wisked away to Grimmauld Place to spend the next two weeks with Sirius and Remus. Harry was actually looking forward to it simply because he wouldn't have to deal with the Potters this year; or at least until Chrismast day (maybe).

With happy thoughts in mind, Harry fell into a less then restless slumber.

Grimmauld Place was dreary with its dark colors, house-elf heads and other bizarre knick-knacks scattered around. Sirius promised that he was going to redecorate as soon as he was able to, but this were usually so hectic he never found the time. There was a literal bright spot in the house however; the living room was covered in bright silver and gold tinsel, fairy lights and magic snow on the mantal and backs of couches and chairs. In the back corner was a huge Christmas tree with more snow and lights, red balls and sparkling trinkets and a mound of presents already under it. The Victorian style of the room gave the scene an even more enchanted look then it would have already had.

Harry took a moment, something inside of him twisted painfully, before he followed Sirius up to his room and settled in.

The bedroom was also done in a Victorian style but with a gothic feel to it. The walls were black with green paterns that glowed in the dim light. The curtains over the bed were black lace and the bed spred and pillow cases were blood red. Deep red and black curtians hung tied back from the windows, the fading light glimmered off the tarnished mirrior. Dark cherry wood bedframe, bedside cabinets, desk and chair and wardrobe, all with tarnished handles completed the look.

The bathroom was the same with less green and lace.

The weeks went by fairly quickly. More quickly then Harry thought would be possible. Harry spent most of the week and a half exploring the Black Librery. Most of the books were dedicated to the dark arts (no surprise) and quite a few were on wizarding laws and history. When he wasn't in the librery Harry was having snowball fights with Sirius (after Sirius forcably dragged him from the librery in the first place).

Remus just stood in the doorway and laughed at the two of them; until Harry decked him in the face with a snowball. After that it was a free for all wich Remus won easily with his sensitive sense of smell, hearing and his speed.

Note for the future, never compete in anything involving agility against a werewolf, or hide-and-seek now that Harry thought about it.

There was one Dark Day though - Christmas Day. The Potters showed up to spend the day at Grimmauld with Sirius and Remus, they were not counting on Harry being there. Harry did get a momentary sense of satifaction as identiacle looks of shock, disbelief, confussion and anger cossed their faces in rapid sucssesion.

Of course that satifaction was wipped away as soon as Eric opened his mouth.

"What is this dead-eyed reject doing here?"

Total silence.

"He's here, because we invited him here," Sirius bit out through clenched teeth.

"He's a Slytherin."

"So's most of my family, or have you forgotten?"

Nobody had anything to say to that.

"He's not family," Lily stated quietly.

"How so," Remus crossed his arms over his chest.

Both Lily and James sputtered. This went on for a few moments before Remus suggested that the Potters go unpack and cool down. James was about to refuse but Eric wanted his presants wich he wouldn't have gotten until tomorrow at the earliest if they left.

They all went their seperate ways - the Potters to their rooms, Remus and Harry to the kitchen to finish dinner and Sirius to who knew where - for a bit of breathing room before meeting up again to eat. As the day progressed, the hostility became almost tangible between Harry and the Potters; Harry and Eric were especially bad. More then once words had come to blows and Remus had volunteered to watch the two boys as they couldn't be trusted to be left alone.

Dinner itself was a quiet, tense affair, the only time anybody said anything was to ask for someone to pass something to them.

Harry was very relived when it was time to open their gifts; it meant they were that much closer to saying good-bye to the Potters and Harry wouldn't have to deal with Eric anymore until it was time to get back on the train. Eric of course went first, tearing into the wrapping papper like a three-year-old on a sugar high. By the end Eric had half a new silk and satin wradwrobe with two pairs of Italian leather shoes and one pair of Italian dragon hide boots from Lily, a new Nimbus 2000 Racer and broom service kit from James, a new 'Gryffindor' (it was red with gold fur trimming) winter cloak from Sirius, a book on the history of Quidditch and famous Quidditch players from Remus and Snitch footy pajamas from Harry.

Eric's face turned beet red, from anger or embarrassment was anyone's guess. Remus and Sirius had to bite their tongues - hard - to keep from snickering while Harry smirked darkly at Eric. Lily thought the PJs were adorable while James fought to keep a blank face, his fists balling up to the point of his knuckles turning white.

"Go try them on honey."

"What? Now? Mum you can't be serius!"

"Please sweet-heart, you'll look so cute in them."

Sirius covered his escaped laughs with a coughing fit, Remus had to bit down on his knuckle behind his hand and Harry egged the situation on.

"C'mon, Eric, you heard her. You don't want to break your mum's heart now do you? Be a sport."

Eric stood stiffly and left the room. He came back a few minutes later, dressed in his new PJs. Red faced, rigid and glaring at the floor.

Lily squealed when he walked in. He looked up at his mother, a pleading look on his face. A flash went off, temporarily blinding him and catching the others off gaurd. They all looked over to Harry who now had a camora in his hands. If Lily was one thing, it was perdictable when it came to Eric so Harry had bought the camera along with the pajamas knowing she would make him modle them before they left for home. He couldn't wait to show this to Draco and Blaise, maybe he should make copies for them as an extra Christmas present for them.

"Destroy, that, now," Eric growled.

"No."

Eric lunged at Harry, tackling him to the ground, hands around the smaller boy's throat. It took Remus and Sirius a minute to pry Eric from Harry as they didn't want to hurt the boy, just get him to stop hurtting Harry. Harry gasped for breath as Eric was dragged off of him and towards his parents.

"I think it's time you all left," Remus said calmly. His face completely blank, a bad sign to anyone who knew him well. A deathly calm voce and blank face usually ment that he was pissed beyond words and was trying to keep a tight leath on his temper.

Lily and James quickly gathered up everything and dragged Eric out the door, still in his PJs.

Harry let out a content sigh as he flopped on his bed. He was back were he belonged, at Hogwarts and he couldn't be happier. As much as he loved Remus and Sirius, they just weren't home. Harry didn't know why; maybe it was that they already had a comfortable home life together without him, maybe it was because they were virtual strangers to him. Whatever it was, it made Harry feel uncomfortable, like he was intruding on something and that was unacceptable.

Harry changed for bed and slipped under the covers after pulling the curtains closed.

A tall, dark shadow materialized within the room of the six sleeping boys. Soundlessly it glided across the floor and stopped in front of the bed with a boy with jet black hair and perfect porcelain pale skin that shown in the dark. He was a vision of delicate beauty and innocence and a slow smirk spred over the figure's face.

"Heh. So this is where you ran off too," he said. "You had me worried when I was unable to locate you at home. Well I suppose I can't take you now can I," he asked rhetorically.

The boy didn't stir as the the figure held his one sided conversation about said boy.

"Well, it's getting late and I must be off now, but I will be seeing you again."

With that, the shadow dissolved into nothingness.

A/N: I'm sorry it has taken so long to post. I have ne excuse other then pure lazyness and a slowing lack of insperation near the end of this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, we'll see.