Chapter Ten

'How did that lullaby go again?' Harry wondered to himself as he lazily dusted the books lined neatly on the numerous shelves. It was another one of those slow Saturdays, and while it was not raining, the shop still didn't have very many customers. He twirled the duster around in his hands as he roamed down the aisles of books, cleaning as he went.

'There were two birds…I think that's how the beginning went,' he thought as he placed the stool down and stepped up on it to reach one of the stop rows. He was currently trying to remember the words to the tune Mrs. Granger had been humming the other day. He knew it had seemed familiar and now, with nothing else to think about, he was trying to get it right.

Toying with the chain around his neck, Harry's eyes scanned over the book titles while absentmindedly running the duster over them. This section was all on poetry, and while it had never been an area he had any talent in, he enjoyed reading them on occasion.

His sneakers squeaked against the ground as he moved down each row, humming and cleaning as he went.

'…sat on a stone.' He had to stand on his toes to reach the very top shelf of a particularly high bookcase.

"Fa la la la lal de," he sang allowed, straining even farther to get a batch of spider webs that were hiding in a corner.

"What are you singing Harry?" an amused voice came from behind. Harry, surprised, spun around suddenly but only ended up stumbling over his feet and tipping the stool over. His stomach dropped as he started falling backwards, and closed his eyes as he braced himself for the fall.

But a pair of arms grabbed him around his chest and caught him. The stool clattered to the floor noisily as his mind tried to catch up with what just happened. Feeling himself being set safely on both feet, he turned around to face his rescuer.

"Ron?" Harry asked with confusion. He looked over the gangly teen; the boy's freckled face was grinning and blue eyes were dancing with amusement.

"Lucky I was here mate, or you'd be lying on the floor right now."

"Well, if you hadn't surprised me, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place," Harry grumped as he turned back to his job.

"Sorry about that," Ron answered sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So what were you singing?"

"Huh? Oh…um just some tune I was trying to remember the words to."

"I hate it when that happens; I'll be singing along in my head and all of a sudden I draw a blank. But don't worry, you can just fill it in with a few "something something's" and it'll sound the exactly the same."

"Uh…" Harry was glad he had his back to the redhead; he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Straightening himself up and keeping a neutral face, Harry turned to Ron and asked, "So why are you here anyway?"

"Just uh…browsing around these books here," he answered as he snatched a random book from one of the cases. "I've been meaning to read up on…" he flipped the book open. "The Female Reproductive System...wait." Harry's shoulders shook with uncontrollable laughter as he watched the way Ron's ears turned red with embarrassment and as he hastily shoved the book back where he had gotten it.

"Good subject," Harry commented lightly. "But I'm not buying it."

"Huh?"

"Your lie. I know you're not here for any book."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Oh, I know you happen to be here for a certain bookworm."

"What are you talking about Harry?" Ron's eyes were darting around the store uncomfortably.

"Ron, you come here every week, asking the same question; looking for the same thing."

"Okay, you caught me. But that's not the only reason I'm here. I'm here for you too actually."

"What? Why me?" Harry gave Ron a confused look.

"Well, Mrs. Granger called me up and said you and Hermione needed a ride somewhere."

"What?" Harry couldn't for the life of him figure out what Ron was talking about. As far as he knew, he hadn't asked for a ride anywhere. Ron just shrugged. The tingle of the shop bells interrupted Harry's confusion and he looked over to the entrance. He saw Hermione standing there, looking around for him.

"Over here Hermione!" Harry said as he waved the duster around to catch her attention. She looked over and grinned. She began heading in his direction quickly, but he noticed her pace slowed down and her grin faded when her eyes landed on the redhead next to him.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" she asked, realizing there wasn't any way she could hide now that she had already announced herself.

"Your mum called me," Ron answered. "She said something about needing a ride somewhere."

"Oh I'm going to kill her!" Hermione exclaimed. She looked angry and scared at the same time.

"Hermione?" Harry questioned. "What's going on?"

"I asked my mum earlier today for a lift to the dance studio, but she said she couldn't since dad has the car all day."

"The dance studio?" Harry had never felt more confused in his life than he did at that moment.

"Yeah. I thought we'd just walk there. But I didn't think she'd do that," she said as she jabbed a thumb in Ron's direction.

"Why would we need to get to the dance studio?" Harry raked over his mind for anything he might have forgotten.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Hermione said as she slapped her forehead. "I asked for an extension on the dance routine we were supposed to come up with, but Miss Miranda could only give us a day."

Harry paled considerably; he had forgotten about that entirely. His mind had been taken over by his sudden illness. They hadn't even come up with a routine!

"Hermione! We don't even have a dance prepared, we can't go now!"

"Harry, Harry, you have no faith in me," Hermione tutted. "While you were in bed, getting better, I came up with one myself. Now, it's going to be a little difficult considering you haven't practiced and I didn't have a partner, but we'll manage. We're just going to have to do a lot of improvising."

"I…don't think this is a good idea," Harry said as his heart sped up nervously. "I mean my body is still very weak, I don't think I can do the necessary lifts Hermione."

"Oh don't worry about that, I got that covered too!"

"How?"

"We'll be switching places." Harry's eyes widened as he took a step back.

"What?"

"Just for today! Don't worry."

"Can you even lift me?"

"Of course, you're like a twig anyway." Hermione walked over to Harry with determination as Harry cowered away from her. He was not in the mood to be dropped on his face. Nope, no way. Pressing his back against the bookshelf, Harry raised the duster in defense.

"Oh, quit being a baby," Hermione reprimanded as she rolled her eyes. She closed the distance between them, placed her hands on his hips and lifted him from the ground, though with a little bit of effort.

"See?" Harry looked down, his heart twanging in his chest. 'So this is what it feels like. How does Hermione handle doing this all of the time? This is freaky.'

"Whoa, Hermione, you're kind of scary," Ron commented as Hermione set Harry back down. "I didn't know you had strength like that."

"And what do you think we do in dance class all day? Pixie twirls?"

"Uh…no, I guess not," Ron said with a grin. "Would you be able to lift me?" Harry watched as Hermione looked Ron over; his long arms, his long legs, his big feet and hands. He knew for sure that he wouldn't be able to lift him.

"No," she said. "

"Aw, why not?"

"Because you're a giant. You'd flatten me." Ron pouted slightly but didn't press the matter any further.

"Okay, fine, but do you guys need a ride or not?"

"No."

"Yes." Hermione shot a look at Harry. Harry just shrugged. "What Hermione? I don't feel like walking there today. It's too far!"

"But Harry," Hermione whispered.

"But what?" Harry gazed evenly into Hermione's eyes. He didn't feel like dealing with this today. He still felt too sick and tired for it.

Hermione glared heatedly at Harry but he could see that she was relenting. She was concerned about Harry over exerting himself too much as well.

"Alright, fine," Hermione huffed. "But only because you're still weak Harry. Not because I want to."

"Great, that's settled then. Shall we get going?" Ron asked as he clapped his hands together.

"Well, I need to finish up here," Harry said. "And tell Ms. Pince that I need to leave for awhile."

He quickly finished up his task and shelved a few new orders of books; Ron and Hermione went to sit up at the front counter to wait for him. When he was finished he headed into the backroom where Ms. Pince was taking up a tally of recent sales.

"Ms. Pince?" Harry asked as he peeked around the door. The woman looked up from her work and peered at him from over her glasses.

"Yes?"

"I've finished everything and I was wondering if I could leave early; I got a dance thing."

"Oh, sure Harry! Go on, have fun!"

"Thanks," he replied with a grin and shut the door. He walked back across the shop to where Ron and Hermione were. He noticed with a sly grin that they were sitting closer than he was sure they ought to be. Hermione either didn't notice this or was ignoring it.

'Or enjoying it,' Harry thought a bit cheekily, but didn't dare to voice it.

"Okay, I'm ready," he announced. Both Ron and Hermione jumped at his voice and turned to look at him.

"Right, let's get this show on the road!" Ron exclaimed and stood up. They all grabbed their coats from the hooks by the door and headed out. It was a sunny day but it was still cold.

They shuffled out of the shop in a group and Ron led them down to where he had parked his car.

"It's not much," he said as they stopped by an old beat up truck from what looked about the late sixties. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"It's a bit…" she paused, thinking for the right word, "Rusted."

"It's been in the family forever," Ron said as he patted the top of the car. "My brother's, Fred and George, had it last." He opened the passenger side door and looked at them.

"Well, hop in." Harry and Hermione looked at each other skeptically. The truck looked like a death trap.

"Uh…"

"What?"

"Nothing," they both muttered and walked over. Hermione pushed Harry in first so he would be sitting next to Ron. Glowering at her, he scooted over so she could get in. Ron slammed the door and jogged over to the driver's side. He slid in as well and shut his door. It was, to say the least, a tight squeeze. Harry felt like a sardine packed tightly in a can.

"A bit cramped," Ron commented as he started the car. The engine stuttered and rolled over a few times before finally springing to life. It didn't sound very healthy. "But at least it works."

'Says you,' Harry thought bitterly as he felt Hermione's elbow jamming into his ribs due to the close proximity. He'd pay her back for this somehow.

Ron pulled out onto the street and switched on the radio. The car was suddenly thudding with loud Eagle's music. Harry and Hermione shared a look. 'I didn't know Ron was into 70's music. Guess you learn new things every day.'

Ears ringing and body slowly turning numb, Harry wiggled around and thought about what they were about to do. He just hoped they didn't turn out looking like complete fools; to many it would seem a big joke if two dancers were to walk in with hardly any preparation and just a bunch of improvisation.

'Well, Hermione seems confident,' he assured himself. 'But, then again, whenever she's feeling confident it's always bad news for me.'

"So where's this dancing place at?" Ron asked as he peered over his steering wheel.

"It's a studio Ronald," Hermione exasperated. "And take a left just up there."

Ron nodded and did as he was told. Harry, wriggling to sit up straighter, looked over the dashboard and saw the familiar building come into view. It seemed ages since he had been there, and he was suddenly looking forward to dancing again.

As they neared, they all sat quietly, save for Ron spouting out song lyrics at random on occasion, until they pulled up the studio. Ron parked the car and turned off the engine.

"Well, we're here, safe and sound," he told them. "Just like I promised.

"You didn't promise…"

"Hermione, please, get out, I can't breathe," Harry cut across her, impatient for her to move.

"Oh, right," Hermione nodded and opened the door and stumbled out. Harry followed stiffly. Once his feet were on the sidewalk, he swayed a bit. He stretched, his bones cracking and creaking in protest; his left arm was tingling as feeling came rushing back to it.

"Okay Ron, thanks for the ride but you can go now," Hermione said, waving him off.

"But I want to watch."

"Well you can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you just can't," Hermione gritted out.

"I don't mind Hermione," Harry said. "I don't see why he can't watch. He did do us a favor after all."

Hermione's mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water; she seemed at a loss for a comeback.

"Fine!" she shouted, throwing her hands up into the air. "Just don't get into the way." Ron grinned at Harry.

"Thanks mate," he said as he slapped Harry on the back. Harry jerked forward as his back prickled with pain. Ron obviously didn't know his own strength. Shaking it off, Harry followed Hermione through the door and up the stairs to the second floor landing, Ron right behind.

They walked through the door to their studio and saw Miss Miranda there showing a couple of kids, who looked to be about seven, a few basic dance steps. She looked up when they entered and waved at them, signaling to them that she'll be done in a few minutes.

They nodded and took a seat on one of the benches to watch. Harry's nervousness suddenly hit him again the longer they sat there.

"Hermione, I really don't know about this," he whispered. "We're going to look like fools."

"Stop worrying so much," she told him reassuringly. "Just have fun with it."

Harry took a deep breath to calm his frantic nerves and nodded. It was only about five more minutes when the little group of kids finally finished their lesson and began packing up to leave.

"Good job today everyone. You're all doing so wonderfully! Your mommy's and daddy's will be so proud!" The little kids looked happy about their achievements and gave Miss Miranda hugs on the way out. When the last kid finally left, she turned to them.

"Okay you two," she said, her eyes landing on Ron. "Er…who's he?"

"Nobody."

"A friend."

"Ah, I see, well I assume you guys are prepared?"

'Define prepared,' Harry thought. But he nodded with Hermione nonetheless.

"Good! Come up here please." The two stood up and walked into the middle of the dance room. Harry bent over, slipped off his sneakers and tossed them to the side of the room. Shaking his arms and getting the kinks of out of his legs, he waited for the cue to start.

"And did you bring your music?" Harry shot a look at Hermione.

"M-music?" He didn't know they were supposed to bring music.

"Well you can't very well dance without music now can you?"

"Uh…" 'What are we gonna do?'

"We didn't bring any music…" Hermione looked horrified.

"Hey, I got something you guys can use!" Ron called across the room and stood up. He dug around in his pocket and produced a cassette. Grinning, he tossed it to Harry.

"That's my favorite song," he told them. "It'll be great."

"Er…thanks," Harry said, shrugging and giving it to Miss. Miranda.

Harry and Hermione got into position, with Hermione as the leader. Miss Miranda popped the cassette into her player and turned up the volume. It was a few moments of silence before the music beat picked up and the sounds of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper filled the room.

Harry and Hermione both shot a "you've got to be kidding" look at Ron. But he was just nodding his head along with the music, oblivious to the looks he was receiving.

"Ookkay, we're going to need a LOT of improvising Harry," Hermione told him. Harry suddenly lost all confidence.

"Any time children," Miss Miranda called over the music, swaying to the beat as well. 'She just had to be a Cyndi Lauper fan,' Harry thought, hoping that this would go to their advantage.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and moved him into position again before they finally started moving. It was really awkward at first; Hermione wasn't as good of a leader as she made herself out to be and Harry was having a hard time following her. They kept bumping into each other and making ungraceful spins and turns. Harry stumbled into Hermione coming out of a free spin and Hermione kept stepping on his toes; her body kept instinctively doing the "follower" steps. But eventually they got the hang of it.

Harry, feeling himself let go, just let Hermione take the lead. She seemed to be getting the whole thing down herself and led him through the steps she had come up with. The music bumped off the walls and they could feel the vibrations of it in their ears and under their feet. Since the music had a fast beat, they had to make a few moderations to the moves they were trying to pull off. Harry's weak body was trying it's best to keep up with his feet.

Getting into the spirit, they sped up their movements. Hermione turned into a slow right tuck; she quickly spun to the right twice, and both of them stepped backward slowly. Their bare feet slid across the floor, squeaking as they continued their completely random dance. When it came time to do a lift, Hermione got into it and lifted Harry perfectly and neatly off the ground. She spun around a couple of times with him in the air; Harry felt unsure and a little wobbly but he trusted Hermione. He felt relieved when she set him down though.

He performed a rock step while Hermione quickly lunged forward on her left; she pushed open on his back and led him through a quick underarm turn, thus launching him forward into a slow half-right turn. Then came the fun part; Hermione did a tight quick tuck, wrapped her left leg around Harry and gave his butt a kick with her foot; she then put her left foot down and bent him backward before quickly pulling him up and doing another rock step.

Harry walked backwards six times while Hermione walked forward with him, adding twists to her steps as she did so. They were grinning at each other and Hermione gave Harry a wink.

Performing a few more mixtures of types of dance steps and lifts, they neared the end of the routine. After one more lift, she set him down and they slid into a completely random ending pose: both of them on their knees with their hands in the air and their fingers wiggling about, giving a little 'jazz' to the move. Miss Miranda cut off the music at that. They couldn't help but burst out laughing at how completely silly they looked at the moment.

After they all regained their composure and came to their senses, Miss Miranda applauded and walked over to them. Hermione got to her feet and helped Harry up. Harry was breathing rather heavily and his lungs ached a bit but he couldn't help but grinning. 'That was fun!'

"Well…that was certainly different," she said as she patted them both on the shoulders. "And it was fun to watch."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other; they hoped that meant a good thing.

"I don't think I've ever seen such a mixture of so many types of dances before; your lines were very good, after you got the hang of it of course, but you weren't completely on beat with the music."

Harry felt his heart flutter. They would lose points for that; that was for sure.

"But that's to be expected considering you obviously didn't know what music you were going to dance to. Also, the unexpected role switch was a bit refreshing to see. Hermione, it really showed off your strength, and Harry it showed your ability to improvise and put faith into your partner. Good job both of you."

Hermione hugged Harry, the two of them still panting heavily and sweat rolling down their faces in trails. Harry could see the happiness and excitement written all over Hermione's face.

"I'll tell you of my decision next dance practice. Until then, great work, really."

Miss Miranda handed Ron his cassette back while Hermione and Harry basked in their accomplishment. They both couldn't believe they pulled it off; it had seemed like a long shot but their dancing skills really pulled through for them.

"That was cool guys," Ron complimented as they walked from the room a few minutes later. "I don't know what half of that stuff was but it was wicked for sure."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said. He nudged Hermione, subtly of course. Hermione glared at him but sighed in defeat.

"Thanks Ronald," Hermione said in a flat, monotone voice. "Your compliments are so very kind."

"No problem Herms. Now, how about we all go out for pizza? I'm starved."

"Sounds good to me."

"I don't know. My parents probably want me home…"

"Aw c'mon Herms," Harry said, emphasizing the nickname Ron had given her. "You hardly ever get out."

"But Harry…"

"But nothing; besides, I'm rather hungry myself. Pizza sounds great."

"Oooh alright, but you owe me one."

"Fine with me!"

"So you guys are in?" Ron was standing by his car with his keys in his hands.

"Yup."

Hermione only grumbled as they all piled back into Ron's old rickety rusty tin can. At least, that's what Hermione started calling it. They pulled out and drove down the street, all the while blasting more 70's music out the windows. Hermione didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

---

That mood persisted throughout the night; occasionally though as they sat around a booth in the local pizza parlor, she would laugh and join in with the conversation. But it was safe to say she wasn't pleased about being forced into this. Or pretending at not being pleased, Harry mused thoughtfully.

He busied himself with peeling off all of the cheese on his pizza and scraping the sauce off before putting it back together again.

"Harry what in the world are you doing?" Hermione asked as she eyed the catastrophe that was Harry's slice.

"I don't like pizza sauce," he said with a shrug as he took a bite. "You know that."

"Well, why didn't you just order without sauce, instead of making a mess?" Harry just shrugged again and ate his food. Ron was on his fifth slice while both Hermione and Harry worked their way through their second.

When they were finished, they all chipped in on the bill. Ron looked a bit embarrassed at the fact that he put in the least, despite being the one inviting them out. Hermione was the only one there with a substantial amount of pocket money, and therefore paid for most of it. This didn't lighten her mood very much.

Tossing her napkin onto her plate, she stood up and excused herself to the washroom. Ron leaned back in the booth and patted his stomach, which looked quite bloated. Harry was feeling rather full himself and sighed at the feeling.

"So Harry, does Hermione ever talk about me?" Ron asked as he looked across the booth at Harry, who was in turn staring out the window. He gave Ron an odd stare before starting to chew on his tongue.

"Um, sometimes I guess. But mostly about how annoying you are."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Is it about how you guys broke up?"

"Sort of. I guess I just miss her."

"Tell her that."

"I try but for some reason it's started to get really hard to find her."

"Maybe you aren't looking in the right places."

"Yeah…maybe."

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione cut in as she walked back over to the table. She had her hands on her hips and was giving them both suspicious glares.

"Nothing Herms," Harry answered. "Just talking."

"Oh. Well I think it's time we head back. We've been out for nearly three hours."

"Okay," Harry said as he glanced out the window. It was getting dark, the sun was setting; checking his watch, he realized with surprise that it was getting close to eight. Had they really been out all day like that?

"Yeah, you're right. Mr. and Mrs. Granger must be wondering where we are."

"I think I'll go find a payphone and call them up really quick to let them know we're coming home." Harry and Ron nodded as Hermione quickly walked to the back of the parlor where the bathrooms and payphones were.

They waited for her just outside the door; Harry wrapped his arms around himself; it got colder and colder as the darker it became. When Hermione finally came back, his fingers were feeling numb.

"Okay, let's go," Hermione said. Once again, they all climbed into Ron's truck; he was having a hard time getting the heating system to work, and in the end just gave up and drove on home. Harry suddenly felt glad they were all sitting so closely; Hermione's and Ron's body warmth on either side of him came as a relief.

It took about twenty minutes to get to Hermione's house; Ron stopped the car next to it and got out to open the door for them. He held it open as Hermione and Harry climbed out.

"Thanks for taking us out Ron," Harry said with a smile.

"No problem."

"See you."

"Bye Ron."

They waved bye as Ron got back into his truck, started the car and drove into the night, oldies music blaring as he did so. They waited until the last echo of his car disappeared before they started walking up to the house.

Harry walked silently, contemplating. He reached his hand up to his neck, but was surprised when his fingers didn't meet the usual cool metal of a chain or the smooth texture of the angel. Stopping in his tracks, he pulled at the collar of his shirt and looked down at his chest. He felt around frantically, but he didn't find it anywhere. He searched through his pockets and looked around on the ground.

"Harry? What's the matter?"

"My necklace Hermione! It's not on me anymore."

"What? Where do you think you lost it?"

"I don't know…"

"When was the last time you were sure you still had it on?"

"I don't know!"

"Well think."

"Um," Harry searched through his mind. Where did he last remember having it? "The…the bookstore!" Harry hurriedly turned and made his way down the street in the direction of the central shopping district.

"Harry! Where are you going?"

"To get my necklace," he called back.

"It's dark! It's too late. You'll get in trouble. Wait until tomorrow!"

"No, I'm gonna get it back tonight."

"Fine! But don't expect me to follow you on your little insane quest."

"Whatever." Harry kept walking. He was pretty sure Hermione wasn't going to follow him. He knew that this was probably a stupid idea but it wasn't curfew yet and he really wanted to get his necklace back.

He turned a corner and continued walking. The chilly night was pressing down on him and he hunched his shoulders, trying to keep as much warmth as he could.

It was a rather long walk and Harry couldn't help but feel nervous. It wasn't too wise to always be walking around at this time. He had done it a few times, doing overtime things for Ms. Pince but he tried not to make a habit of it. He gave a shot at keeping his mind from becoming frantic by thinking of other things;

His feet echoed off the empty streets; the street lights all flickered on and dimly lit the dark alleys and walkways. They only served to cast menacing looking shadows all around him.

When he reached the shop, he peered through the window and noticed all of the lights were off and the door was locked; 'Ms. Pince must have left already.' He fumbled around in his pocket for the key she had given him to the shop. Unlocking the door, he walked inside and headed directly to the rows of books.

He bent low as he walked, searching closely at the floor. He went slowly through every aisle he had cleaned earlier that day. He even got down on his hands and knees a few times and felt around underneath cracks and between cases. He crawled on his knees, running his hands over the smooth ground, checking every crack, corner and crevice.

Finally, after searching through several rows, he saw something glinting down on the ground. He hurried over to it and bent down; letting out a huge sigh of relief, he picked up the necklace by the chain.

'Thank God,' he thought as he reached around his neck and put it back on. Feeling relieved and happy at the familiar weight of the angel pressing against his chest, he started walking back towards the door. He stopped dead however, when the sounds of the door opening and people walking in met his ears.

"Stupid old lady left it unlocked," a gruff voice said.

"Just makes it easier for us," another, smoother one replied.

"Whatever guys, can we just get this done?" Harry pressed himself against one of the bookshelves and listened intently; they sounded like they were going to rob the place. Harry's heart thudded against his ribcage painfully. He was stuck there!

"Right, you get the register while we stand watch alright?" There were some low murmurs before feet thudded against the wood floor and there were the sounds of a cash register being forced open

Harry didn't know what to do; here was the place he worked at getting robbed and all he could do was hide. Should he try to run? Should he try to stop them? What if they were armed? Would it best to just stay quiet and hide until they left? All of the possible outcomes to each scenario ran through Harry's mind, and oddly enough, each ended with him getting caught and hurt horribly.

'How comforting; thank you imagination,' Harry thought, surprised at his ability to be sarcastic with himself at such a moment.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could down the row and peered around one of the cases. He could vaguely make out a group of darkly clad people standing around. A couple of them were quite large, which made Harry exceedingly nervous. Even the two smallest ones were taller than he was.

'Well I guess hiding and waiting sounds like the best choice right now.' He clutched the edge of the shelf and tried to keep to the shadows as much as possible. He watched as they snatched money from the register drawer. It seemed to be taking much longer than it should have; it was an extreme relief to Harry when he saw them finish their business.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

"That was easier than expected."

"Yeah, no alarm or anything. Can you believe that stupid bitch?" Harry's ears rang with the insult aimed at Ms. Pince but did not make a move to do anything about it.

The group of people moved towards the door and were just about to leave when Harry's lungs suddenly itched and filled to burst.

'Oh no, not now, please,' he thought frantically, trying to hold back until they were gone. But it become too much and Harry accidentally let out one small cough as it clawed at his throat.

All movement from the others in the shop stopped as the group looked sharply around for the source of the sound.

'Shit,' Harry cursed as he pressed himself against the bookcase as much as he could. He closed his eyes and tried to hold his breath. His heart was beating so loudly he was sure that the others could hear it as well. 'They're going to find me.'

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, what was that?"

"It sounds like someone's in here."

"What should we do?"

"Check around; look in every corner and behind every shelf if you have to," one of them ordered.

'He must be the leader,' Harry thought. The boy talked with such a commanding tone.

Harry moved back even farther when he heard the others beginning their search. They were starting on the opposite end of the shop from him. He wondered if he could make a get away once they were all out of view. He glanced around the corner once again and noticed the two smaller ones standing near the door.

'Damn, I'd never get out with them standing there.' Thinking fast, Harry grabbed one of the books from off of the shelf, and after taking a deep breath, chucked it down the row next to his. He looked again and saw the two near the door look at each other and then run after the noise.

'Now's my chance,' he told himself. Not hesitating a moment more, lest he miss his chance, he darted from behind the bookcase and made straight for the door. His feet pounded loudly against the floor as he did so, surely attracting the attention of everyone else present.

"Hey, there he is!"

"Get him! He's heading for the door." Harry heard thunderous footsteps gaining on him as they all ran after him. The door was getting closer and closer; just as he reached it and closed a hand around the knob he felt someone grab him around the waist and throw him backwards, away from it.

Harry landed hard and slid across the floor. Wincing in pain, he made to get up again, only to find himself surrounded by five large figures. He looked up all of them from his spot on the floor, his expression fierce and determined in spite of the fear he actually felt.

"Look what we got here," one of them chuckled. "A little rat."

"What should we do with him?"

"Make sure he doesn't talk."

"How we gonna do that?"

"How do you think?" came the reply. Harry watched as the figure reached into its pocket and pulled something out. The sound of a switchblade being opened met his ears and his heart leapt to his throat.

He felt two separate sets of large hands grab his arms and haul him up to a standing position.

"So, you gonna stay quiet little rat?" the one he assumed to be the leader asked. Harry squinted hard, trying to see past the darkness and into the persons face. But it was to no avail; he couldn't make out any of their facial features.

Harry just strained and struggled against his hold. When he realized the two holding him were just too strong, he settled for glaring at them.

"Feisty little guy we got here," the boy said as he traced his knife across Harry's cheek. Harry felt warm blood trickle down his skin as the blade sliced through it.

"Can you hurry up? We gotta get out of here," another voice cut in, this one strongly familiar. Harry didn't want to believe it. 'No, it can't be. It's just someone with a similar voice.'

"You wanna take care of it then?" the first boy asked.

"Fine," the other said as shoved his way through the circle. He stopped in front of Harry. His face was in the shadows and a hood was pulled up over his head but Harry could make out bits of blonde hair from underneath it.

"Draco?" he whispered unbelievingly.

"Huh, does this kid know you?"

The boy moved closer and his face came into the light; Harry gasped when he recognized Draco's face immediately.

"It is you!" he yelled out furiously. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Harry?" Draco asked, surprise written all over his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," Harry spat. "What's your excuse?"

"Listen, please…"

"Fuck you." Harry spat on Draco's face. Draco winced and wiped it away, staring at Harry with shock…and, hurt?

"So it's that sick kid from the other day huh? Draco, don't let this little fuck mess with you like that, take care of him," the other one ordered harshly. Draco looked at Harry with an unreadable expression. Harry just stared back, feeling more pissed off than he ever had.

"What are you going to do to me you dirty thief?" Harry questioned, struggling against his captors once again. Draco's face hardened with anger.

"Shut up Harry," he growled. "You always talk about things you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand this fucking perfectly!" Harry jerked forward and finally broke free from the hold. He lunged at Draco and knocked him to the ground. The blonde boy let out a grunt as his back hit the floor and Harry fell on top of him.

"Hey!" the others yelled as they grabbed Harry off of Draco and kicked him to the floor. The leader walked up to him with a twisted expression on his face.

"You just fucked up little rat," he mocked. He then kicked Harry in the face with his shoe. Harry fell to the floor again, grabbing his face in pain. His lip busted open and began bleeding freely. The boy raised the switchblade, looking about ready to use it on him.

"What the fuck! Stop it," Draco yelled as he grabbed the other boy's arm. "Let's just get out of here."

"And let him rat on us? I don't think so Draco." Harry looked between them with anger and confusion. Was Draco trying to protect him? But Harry didn't have much time to contemplate on it as he felt something hit him hard on the head. He fell to the floor in a crumpled unconscious heap.

---

When Harry came to, the first thing he noticed was the amount of pain he was in. His lip was caked with dry blood and his head was throbbing and splitting with agony. The next thing he realized was that he was on the floor.

'Why am I on the floor?' He felt disoriented and confused. Sitting up and wincing, he looked around and found he was in the bookshop.

'What…? Harry scrunched up his eyebrows before the memories came crashing down on him. 'Draco! Draco was here and…and he was robbing the place with four other guys.'

Harry felt something sink inside his stomach; he had thought Draco was at least a decent guy. But now that he saw his true colors, he didn't know what to think.

'He seemed so defeated though,' he thought as he struggled to his feet. He swayed a bit on the spot and looked around. Moonlight filled the store and cast shadows across the polished floor. 'What should I do?" He spotted the phone on the counter.

'I guess I should call the police.' He picked up the receiver and dialed the number. It rang a few times before an operator picked up.

"Hello? Yeah, I need to report a robbery…" Harry twirled the cord around his finger as he told the receptionist the necessary information.

When he hung up the phone, he stared out the window while he waited for the police to show up. He tried to keep his mind void of any thought. He kept it busy by humming that lullaby he had been thinking of earlier. It somehow comforted him through everything that had just happened. It was like a mother's caress; he tried to imagine it was his mother, or even Mrs. Granger, singing it to him.

'There were two birds sat on a stone;

Fa la la la lal de;

One flew away and then there was one;

Fa la la la lal de;

The other flew after and then there was none;

Fa la la la lal de;

And so the poor stone was left all alone;

Fa la la la lal de!'

Harry sighed as he remembered the last line to the tune. It rang empty through his mind. He felt like the stone at that moment; alone and hollow.

---

After the police had finished questioning Harry, they offered to give him a ride home. He stared blankly at his lap as he thought through the whole ordeal; the police had questioned him for nearly twenty minutes. They had asked him if he knew who the robbers were or if he had seen their faces. Harry, feeling conflicted about the whole situation, had said 'no'. He didn't know why he hadn't just turned the bastard in, but he couldn't find it in his heart to do so.

Harry walked up to Hermione's house with slow sluggish steps. The porch light came on, blinding him with the sudden brightness as the door flew open.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched as she threw herself on him. "I was so worried when you hadn't come home! And then the police called us and I swear mum had a heart attack."

Harry felt guilty about causing worry once again.

"I'm sorry 'Mione," Harry said through a yawn.

"Come inside, you look dead on your feet." Harry nodded in agreement. She led him through the door and shut it behind them.

And so the poor stone was left all alone.

Author's Note: Now THIS is the longest chapter I've written for ANY of my stories. It's over seven thousand words. Good lord!

As for dedication, this one goes to Insanely Evil Kitty Cat, because well, she's insane, she's evil, she's a kitty cat. What more could you want? . And because she's an awesomely dedicated reviewer who rocks my socks! Thank you.