A/N Here is a new chapter. Once again, thank you for all the reviews and everyone who alerted/favorited this story.

This entry is about a common theme for pictures: friends. Friendship is another central theme in all HP books and Harry couldn't have done a tenth of what he did without his friends.

On another note, I am starting to run out of ideas for more themes (I have about 3 more so far) so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I would be especially interested in writing something about Draco Malfoy post DH (I was going to include him in there but it didn't fit the way I wanted). Draco is an interesting character, who probably would be greatly scarred mentally after DH. I just hope I could do him justice. I am open to suggestions.

Please read and enjoy and leave a review if you can (they do make my day, seriously!)

Disclaimer: Standard stuff, none of this is mine


Friends

Remus looked at the old familiar picture. Here there were the four of them in happier times, the Marauders, the four inseparable friends. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Moony. The stag, the dog, the rat, and the werewolf.

He remembered the pranks James and Sirius would play. They hadn't always been good to others (especially Snape, Remus thought with a grim smile) but they had accepted him, Remus Lupin, even when they had discovered his condition, his furry little problem, as James had so eloquently put it. They had gone to the length of becoming unregistered Animagi just to stay with him. They might have been pranksters, jokesters, immature prats at times, but Remus had always believed their heart was in the right place.

He had always thought he would be the first to go. He couldn't delude himself after all: he was a werewolf. That was until two weeks ago. That was until two weeks ago. Now James and Peter were dead, as was dear Lily, who had always been so kind to him, who had been such a beautiful soul. And Sirius, the person whom he had thought of as one of his dearest friends was the cause and was now locked up in Azkaban. He was the last one of the Marauders, the last friend standing. What a tragic waste!


It was starting to get really cold outside and the snow was falling at a steady pace. Harry had lost track of the days but thought they were now in December. He looked back inside the tent and noticed Hermione had fallen asleep at the small kitchen table. He could leave his post for a few minutes. He trusted Hermione's enchantments. They were the reason nobody could find them, including Ron, Harry though mirthlessly, even if Ron was indeed trying to come back as Harry thought he would.

He walked inside toward her. Her head lay over her folded arms and her bushy hair was splayed around her on the table. She was holding a picture in her hand. He took the picture and looked at it. It was a picture of her with him and Ron, taken earlier this summer on his seventeenth birthday. Ron was in the middle; his right arm on Harry's left shoulder and his left arm around Hermione's waist. She also had put an arm around Ron's waist. Harry couldn't help noticing the covert glances that Ron would give Hermione, nor the bright smile that illuminated Hermione's face. It had finally become obvious over the summer that the relationship between his two best friends was evolving into more than friendship, both at last admitting their feelings for the other, even if not openly. Yet, they had decided to put this on hold to come with him, to help him, the supposed Chosen One. They were his true friends, having gone through so much together, sticking with him. Well, Hermione had at least, Harry thought bitterly. She had been the only one, his only friend left, loyal to a fault, even if it had resulted in her heart being broken into a thousand pieces.

He tried to gently wake Hermione to tell her to lie down in one of the bunks so she could get some proper rest. She didn't stir, completely exhausted that she was. Gingerly, he picked her up. He noticed the tear tracks along her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her cry, but he knew she still wept every night. Slowly, he carried her, surprised by how light she was. He would have to make sure she ate more. He heard her mutter something in her sleep, something that sounded like "Ron" and a fresh wave of guilt rolled over him. He deposited her on the bunk and pulled the covers on her while murmuring "I'm sorry" to her.

Harry resumed his post at the entrance of the tent. He thought again of that horrible rainy evening, when Ron had pointed out the obvious and all his shortcomings as a leader, when Ron had left. He still loathed Ron for abandoning them. Yet, he couldn't help remembering how Ron had had his hand on his shoulder on that picture, that Ron had been his first real friend, that Ron had given him not only his friendship, but also a surrogate home and a surrogate family. Part of him also thought that Ron wanted to come back, maybe not to him, but certainly to Hermione. He checked the Marauders' Map again, happy to see Ginny, Neville, and Luna together. However, there was no sign of Ron, the same way there hadn't been any since that fateful night. Ron had not returned to Hogwarts. Despite all, Harry couldn't help worrying, or noticing how much he missed his best friend.


Luna admired her work with a certain pride. Mum had always encouraged her to express herself in whatever fashion felt like the right one, be it singing, cooking, or painting. And Daddy just kept reinforcing this. He had been delighted to hear she had friends. But then Daddy would have been happy whenever she was happy.

She looked again at the picture she had drawn. She saw five faces looking back at her.

Harry like her had lost a parent. Actually he had lost both his parents, and sadly his godfather. Harry had chosen to spend time with her when he could have been with much cooler people. He had just invited her to this Christmas party where she had had a wonderful time. Harry was a very nice boy.

Ron was very funny although he could sometimes be cruel. She didn't understand how Ron could miss so much. Hermione liked him. He liked Hermione. Yet, they only seemed to be able to hurt each other rather than admit what they felt. Luna suspected Nargles were at play.

Hermione was so different from her. She was a bit narrow-minded, a bit closed in her vision of the world. Yet, Hermione wasn't afraid of fighting and was incredibly smart. She was also a fierce and very loyal friend. Now, if the Nargles could leave her alone, maybe she could broaden her horizons and finally get together with Ron.

Ginny had always been nice to her. Ginny wasn't like the other girls. She didn't cry or do catty things. Ginny was genuine in everything she did, including her friendship. She also knew how to defend herself. Ginny was quite gifted with the bat-bogey hex as she had demonstrated when a Slytherin boy had called her Looney Lovegood. Luna really loved Ginny and often wished she could be her sister.

Neville was like her. He was always the odd one. Neville had also lost his parents even if they weren't dead. But she had seen how much Neville could be brave. He had fought the longest next to Harry at the Department of Mysteries. Neville was one of the best friends she had ever had.

Friends. She had written the words hundreds of time in a gold chain pattern. Friends. She had not had any before. Daddy had said it was because of Wrackspurts. Somehow, Luna thought it might be a little bit more. She knew she was slightly different from the rest. Yet the five friends looking back at her liked her just the way she was and that was why they were true friends.


A/N I struggled so much with the Harry/Hermione scene and how Harry felt about Ron. I tried to convey the deep rooted friendship, the fact that despite his being angry with Ron, Harry still misses him. Like love relationships, friendships can take some hits and recover (as the Harry/Ron friendship does in DH). Let me know how you find it.