Warnings: Ginny, Hermione, Seamus, and Ron are all jerks. Harry has had enough. References to child abuse.

CHAPTER 21

Fruits of Hard Labour

7 DECEMBER

Harry needed a break. He had spent half the morning training with Severus—and Merlin, he felt it. Severus' usual routine had all but pounded Harry to bits. Thank the gods the man modified his training during the weekdays or Harry wouldn't have been able to keep up. Even after several rounds of potions, every muscle in his body still ached.

No wonder Severus had advised him to eat more, especially protein. Harry would need the calories.

After training, he had finished his essay with Dobby's help, then spent a couple of hours reading ahead. By the time they had finished with dinner, Harry was feeling a bit stir-crazy.

"Sir?"

Severus made a half-hearted effort to look up from his research notes, but the man was so absorbed, his head barely moved. "Hmm?"

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be outside or in the Room of Requirement, I think, so it should be safe to send me a Patronus if anything happens."

"Oh, all right. I believe I am well enough for now." Severus returned to his research and was back to muttering under his breath a moment later.

Harry suppressed a laugh. Even if he did find Severus' study habits cute, he knew better than to draw attention to the fact. Severus Snape didn't do cute, at least not intentionally. Harry watched him work for a moment, a soft smile on his face. Gods, the man was brilliant.

With a little shake, Harry Summoned his broom and zoomed out of the Chamber. As soon as he shook off Myrtle and made his way into the corridor outside the loo, Isuri hissed in his ear.

~Master, I am hungry.~

Harry removed the snake from around his neck. ~I will cast the hiding spell on you. If you take care not to startle the other students and teachers, it will keep you out of sight even away from me.~

Isuri hissed her agreement, and Harry let her down and cast his spells, including a warming charm and a Notice-Me-Not spell. A wavering mist, much like the air above asphalt on a hot day, shimmered around the snake's form, letting Harry know the glamour was working properly.

~There you are, girl. Good hunting.~

~Thank you, Master. Shall I bring you back a fat rat?~

Harry choked and swallowed a wave of revulsion. ~N-no thank you, Isuri. I do not eat rats.~

She hissed a laugh. ~More for me then.~

Harry chuckled and petted her back. ~Yes. You may have all the rats you can catch.~

~Yes, Master. I will return to the nest when I am finished hunting.~

~Good girl. I will see you later then.~

Harry stroked her warm, slippery scales once more, then set off towards the Entrance Hall. Merlin, it felt like he hadn't seen the outside world in a week. Well, he hadn't really, save for through a window. Taking care of Severus and dealing with all the other drama surrounding his life had taken all his time and concentration for the past few days.

Gods, but he needed some fresh air.

He set a warming charm on his cloak just inside the Entrance Hall doors and stepped outside. As soon as the cold night air hit him, he breathed a sigh of relief. His breath froze in a wreath around his face, and Harry gave a soft laugh, making more frozen-air clouds. Ah, this was good. He had missed nature, and missed the joy he had once taken in the outside world more.

Healing the breach with Severus had done wonders for his morale, apparently, even if his supposed friends had yet to take their heads out of their arses. Strange, how one new relationship could heal him so well in the midst of a storm.

As he walked towards the lake, his feet crunching on fresh snow, he mused on his new… acquaintance? Friendship? Were they friends? He had no idea. He wanted to be, but he didn't know if Severus felt the same.

Merlin, how had they come so far so fast? Well, in Harry's case, he had always wanted the potions master to stop hating him. How long had he craved Severus' approval and hadn't known it? He shook his head. Maybe since that first class….

"Clearly, celebrity isn't everything."

Harry had marked Snape down as a heartless bastard from day one, even going so far as to assume the man wanted him dead. The Philosopher's Stone had come as his first taste of the truth, and the pensieve had brought it home in stark relief—Severus was a human being, not a monster, and a damaged one. Ever since, Harry had wanted to help him, if he could.

"If you can reach him, Harry, please try to heal him…."

Merlin, he had never seen Professor McGonagall so emotional. She really did care for Severus. Maybe Harry should tell him.

He shook his head and turned towards the forest, thinking of walking along the perimeter a bit before returning home. No, it was best to keep that conversation to himself for now, but maybe someday in the future, Severus would trust Harry enough to hear it. Merlin, he hoped so.

Harry grimaced at the sound of a feminine voice near the trees. He was halfway through turning back to the castle when he recognised her.

"Well, the Wrackspurts are still chewing his ears, but the mist-creepers have mostly gone."

Neville's voice drifted to his ears in reply, "Oh, thank goodness. I've been so worr—oh! Harry! Come here, mate. We were just talking about you."

Harry winced and turned towards the pair. "Not bad, I hope."

Luna dug a hunk of raw meat from a burlap bag at her hip and tossed it towards the treeline. "Of course not. We were simply saying that you're looking a bit less unhappy recently." She gave him a wry smile. "I don't suppose you could straighten out the Shadow-Keepers for us?"

Harry watched, bemused, as Luna tossed another hunk of meat into the trees. "Shadow-Keepers? And why exactly are we—?"

A thestral poked its head out of the trees and snatched up the meat, answering Harry's second question.

"She asked you to tell us your secrets," said Neville with a chuckle. "And we're feeding the thestrals."

"So I see."

Luna handed Harry a bag of his own. "Here you are."

Neville chuckled. "I was wondering who the third bag was for all this time."

Harry gave in and took the bag, deciding not to argue against his apparent fate. Even if the meat was cold and squishy under his fingers.

"I guess I am happier," Harry said with a shake of his head, watching as a thestral colt gobbled the chunk he had thrown in one bite. "But as far as why… I need a silencing charm. Will it scare the thestrals?"

Luna shook her head. "They know we mean no harm."

"All right." Harry flicked his wand and covered them in a bubble of silence. "Well, it's just that… Luna, you won't tell this to Ginny, right? Or anyone else?"

Luna grimaced. "Ginny isn't as good of a friend as she used to be." She gave Harry a wry smile. "The Ticklebees are buzzing so loud in her brain, she can't hear herself think."

Harry choked and burst into laughter. "True!" He stifled a snort and threw the next hunk of meat to a greying thestral hanging around the edges of the herd. "Thanks, Luna. I needed that!"

"Laughter is good for chasing Wrackspurts away," she said with a grin.

"So I see." He tossed in another hunk of meat, watching the aging thestral nab it before he spoke again. "Well, it's Professor Snape. He's been… well, like a friend these past few days. I was just thinking on the way here that maybe I've been wanting him to like me for a long time, because having his support has really helped." He shook his head and fed a filly. "I guess I don't really understand why it helps so much when we've been enemies so long. With most of my house turning on me, I should be miserable, but he makes me feel better."

"Well," said Luna in with a sad smile, "sometimes we can't be picky where we find our friends."

Harry patted her shoulder with his clean hand and resolved to spend more time with her. She did care about him and her strange brand of wisdom had helped him out of a pinch more times than he cared to admit.

"I'm sorry, Luna."

"Oh, I didn't mean you, Harry. You've been here for me as much as you can be. I… it's only that Ginny was my best friend once, and now she's… changed."

"Seems to be going around," said Neville with a bitter snort.

Luna cocked her head. "Yes, perhaps there is an epidemic of Panwhinglers in the air." She tossed a steak to a heavily pregnant mare. "I should warn Madam Pomfrey."

"Maybe," said Harry darkly. "Or maybe they're just not as loyal as we once thought."

"Well, that's what I just said!"

Harry and Neville laughed.

"Luna, you're brilliant," Harry said with a chuckle. "We should feed the thestrals more often."

Luna giggled. "Not too often! They'll get fat if you feed them too much, you know."

Harry snickered and tossed another steak to the foals. "Well, they could use a little meat on their bones! They're practically skeletons."

Luna snickered. "They're supposed to be skeletons."

"That was the point!"

The three of them laughed, and when their mirth cleared, Harry felt much better.

"I… I'm really glad I have you two. And Professor Snape now."

"He's glad of it too, I think," said Luna.

"I'm curious if this changes his teaching method," said Neville with a frown. "Do you think he'll alter it a lot, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't think he can afford to be fair to Gryffindors and keep his skin on. The junior Death Eaters are always looking for… oh." His stomach dropped into his feet and his heart stilled. "Oh sweet Merlin."

He'd just told two students who didn't know Occlumency that he and Severus had more than a bare truce.

"Oh shite. You two, I think I'm going to have to teach you to Occlude now. I shouldn't have said anything—and now even if you're not trying to reveal it, someone could see this in your minds. I-I've made you targets." Terror ran through his veins, colder than the winter air. "Shite!"

Luna patted Harry's arm and calmed him. "It's quite all right, Harry. I've often thought I should branch out in my mind magic skills. Occlumency would be interesting, though quite the challenge."

"You're not kidding," Harry agreed emphatically.

"I've been meaning to learn anyway," said Neville with a wry smile. "It's sort of a tacit requirement for the lords of pureblood houses."

Harry's fear abated. "R-really? You'll let me train you?"

Neville grinned. "On one condition."

Harry winced. Whatever it was, he'd have to do it. Severus' life depended on their ability to keep his secrets. "Yes?"

"Train us to fight like you do too!"

Harry relaxed and gave a soft laugh. "A-all right. Professor Snape is training me, so I reckon I can just teach you as he teaches me."

Luna stuck out her non-bloody hand. "It's a deal then."

Harry shook on it.

When Harry returned, Severus was reading one of the books he had brought—the biting one. "Hello, sir. Are you all right?"

Severus nodded. "I am simply trying to translate this monstrosity. It is written in such atrocious German I can barely make heads or tails of it."

A curious smile spread across Harry's face. "You speak German, sir?"

"It behoves a spy to know several languages lest his targets converse in tongues he cannot understand. I also speak French, Italian, and Irish Gaelic." He closed his eyes. "I am technically Irish at any rate, though I have made my home in Scotland. And, as such, I can understand the Scottish form of Gaelic as well, though I am not as fluent in speech."

"Wow!" Harry beamed and sat nearby. "That's brilliant!"

Severus bowed his head in thanks, his cheeks pink.

"I should learn a new language one day, once the war is over. Won't have time until then." Harry looked around the Chamber and frowned. "Is Isuri back yet, sir?"

"Yes, she was poking around the pipes earlier. I have not seen her since."

Isuri slithered out of a nearby hole. ~I am here, Master.~

Harry petted her slim body. ~Did you find any rats?~

~Yes, the kitchen elves seemed glad to have me. They said a snake will help keep the rodents away from the human food.~

Harry grimaced. ~Good to know.~

~Master, I think I have checked all the pipes here I can reach. There is one more small snake skin in this pipe, but I have not seen any others.~

~Hmm. Good work, Isuri.~

She nodded and slipped away, curling up on Severus' bed for a nap.

The man gave the snake a wry look. "Do explain whose bed is whose, Harry," he said with a snort.

"I think she knows." Harry chuckled softly. ~Isuri, Severus said to tell you that is his nest.~

~And now it is mine. He is not using it.~

Harry laughed. "She knows."

Severus snorted and shook his head. "I suppose she may nap there, so long as she will let me sleep when I am ready."

"I'll take care of it, sir."

Severus nodded and went back to his book, and Harry dug out his Defence revision for tomorrow. For all he knew, Moody might 'test' them before the holidays.

As he opened the book, he remembered Isuri's comments. "Oh, sir, I forgot to mention, Isuri wanted to let us know she found one more skin in that last pipe, but she thinks that's it. She can't find anywhere else to explore."

Severus rubbed his chin, a frown on his features. "Only four skins for a thousand year-old basilisk?"

"I don't know what to tell you. She said it was a small skin too, so I have no idea where the big skins are."

"Hmm. Well, we'll keep looking. Perhaps I might find a spell to help."

Harry gave him a wry look. "Or you could just invent something. I've seen that book, you know."

Severus shuddered. "Harry, some of those spells—you must promise me you will never use Sectumsempra. Of all the spells I created, that is the darkest."

Harry nodded. "I promise, but what is it?"

"The cutting spell that nearly killed me."

"Jesus! Bastard tried to murder you with your own spell? What a berk." Harry frowned. "Sir, why did you invent that? It's so… it's brutal."

Severus closed his eyes and clenched his fists in his lap. His emotions reeked of fear. "I… I cannot." He took a deep breath and slowly unclenched his hands. "It is not something I am prepared to speak of, Harry. Simply promise me you will not use it against anything alive."

Despite his curiosity, Harry thought it best not to push him to talk. "I have done, sir, and I meant it."

"Ah, yes." Severus shook his head as if coming out of a dream—or bad memories. "Well, I must make some progress on this translation. Go and finish your work."

"All right." Harry gave him a sad smile. "You do know that if you want to talk about things, I'll listen without judgment, right?"

Severus lowered his head. "Would that I had seen it sooner. Yes, I am aware. Like your story with the porcelain shards, this is simply an aspect of my past I am not prepared to face."

Harry shuddered at the mention of that horrible memory. "Y-yes, sir. I understand that."

"Good. Go and finish your homework, Harry. I will speak to you when I am finished with this chapter."

"Yes, sir."

Harry settled into his revision, reviewing facts and figures. He knew the theory by heart, but names and dates sometimes eluded him. When he had studied as much as he could stand, he set aside his homework and went to sit with Severus. The man had stopped reading and was staring off into space, the biting book secured firmly with a binding spell. Ah. That explained how he had read the blasted thing without injury.

"Sir?"

Severus jumped and gave him a curious look. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to talk to you earlier, but it didn't seem like a good time with you working." Harry drew his knees up to his chest. "I hope you're not angry, but Neville and Luna know about you now. I talked to them about how we're getting along better earlier—yes, I made absolutely sure no one else would hear it, and Luna and Neville won't reveal your secrets." He made a face. "Actually, I think Luna might know a lot more than I told her. She's a Seer or something—well, a medium, she says. She talks to some kind of supernatural beings, that's for sure."

"A medium?" Severus gasped. "That is how you discovered the counterchant for my chest injury. Lovegood saw it?"

"Heard it, more like, but yes, sir." Harry gave him a nervous look. "Will you… maybe not tell the headmaster that?"

"I suppose I can attempt to avoid it, but why?"

Harry's gaze sharpened. "Because he'll use her for his own gain and say it's for the 'greater good.'"

Severus tentatively rubbed Harry's shoulder. "Why do you say that?"

Harry gave Severus a slight smile and leaned into his touch. "Because it's true. It's a good thing he works for the light, because the man is ruthless."

"You misunderstand me, Harry. I am not asking why you think he is ruthless—as much as I care for the headmaster, he is rather brutal in his methods. I am asking what he has done to you personally to have earned your mistrust."

"Besides dropping me at—" Harry cut himself off and buried his head in his hands. "A lot of things, sir, but the most recent was neglecting to inform me of the Prophecy until after Sirius was already dead."

Severus stroked Harry's hair, a touch that appeared to soothe them both despite Severus' fears. It seemed the man had an easier time initiating contact than accepting it. Harry could deal with that, though he wished he could reciprocate. Still, perhaps if he was patient, one day he might help the man recover from his fears.

"Dropping you where, Harry?"

Harry froze, dread icy in his gut. "It's n-nothing, sir."

"It is not nothing. Can you not speak of it?"

Harry shuddered. "S-sir, it's like your spell. I can't talk about it. It's not that I don't trust you. I do. I just can't… can't relive it."

Severus' hand stilled in Harry's hair. "You trust me?"

Harry leaned back so he could rest his head against Severus' shoulder, like the man let him do when Harry was upset. "Yeah. You're a good man, sir, even if we had a bad start."

Severus paused for a long moment, then wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulled the boy into his side. Harry's breath caught. He hardly dared move as Severus embraced him, for the first time on his own will.

Harry turned his head against Severus' shoulder and sighed, warm and content in the older man's arms.

"I will not force you to speak of it, Harry," Severus murmured, "but if you… wish to talk of what troubles you, I will listen."

"You do all the time." Harry gave him a sad look. "Like I said, I'll listen for you too, you know. If you need to talk."

Severus shivered. "I will try, Harry."

"That's good enough for me."

Severus leaned back and returned his hand to Harry's hair. "Did your friends take the news of our improved relationship well?"

"Yeah. Neville is glad for us both, though not in a hurry to say hello. And Luna… like I said, I think she knew all along."

Severus gave a dark laugh. "Yes, I imagine Longbottom is quite content to stay far away from me." He lowered his head. "Another child I have scarred."

"I think… he'd forgive you, sir, if you wanted him to."

"Perhaps I should make some kind of amends." Severus sighed and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. "Merlin. I still have much to atone for, it seems."

Harry brushed his fingers over Severus' wrist. "You're doing a good job with me, sir."

Severus gave Harry that shadow of a smile, one that hinted at his lost joy. It hurt Harry sometimes, to see how little he had left.

"I am glad of that." Severus stood. "Do you still have work to do tonight?"

"No, I'm fairly well caught up, and as it's almost the end of term, the other teachers aren't assigning a lot of essays and such. Are you asking me to let you get back to work?"

Severus shook his head. "Actually, I would like your help. Do you recall I wanted to create a spell to remove shoes for people who are injured?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what I can do to help with that."

"I think your approach to charms may be just what I need. Would you be willing to work with me on the spell matrix?"

Harry reeled. "R-really? You want my help with… Merlin!" He jumped up and grinned. "Yeah! But, um, I don't know how to do a spell matrix. We weren't supposed to cover them in Charms until next year."

Severus smirked. "Well, you shall have quite the head start."

Harry laughed and followed Severus to the man's desk. "Hermione will lose the plot."

"I should think, given how she has treated you lately, that would be more incentive than otherwise."

"Exactly." Harry studied the charts on Severus' desk and frowned. "Sir, do I need to know Arithmancy for this?"

"It would help, but no. I will handle the calculations. I need your help with the actual magic manipulation and charm work."

Harry smiled shyly. "Okay. I'll do my best."

"Good. Now, the first step is to make the charm untie the shoes without tangling its laces or otherwise damaging either the shoe or its wearer, preferably both shoes at the same time. This is the step where this spell has always gone wrong in the past, ending up with laces cutting off legs or the spell unravelling the subject's intestines along with their boots."

Harry cringed. "Dear Merlin. Are you sure you want me—a novice—to help you with something so dangerous?"

Severus shook his head. "I have already managed to make a spell matrix that does not injure the wearer, but its current configuration does not unlace the shoes correctly either, nor does it work on both feet at the same time. Well, eventually, we will also need to take amputees and those with extra feet into consideration, but we must first create a spell that works on both shoes and only the shoes. I believe you are capable enough to help me with that."

Harry flushed, thrilled with Severus' confidence in him. "O-okay, sir. I'll do my best."

"Good." Severus flicked his wand, revealing a complex web of magic upon his desk. "This is the current matrix configuration. Now, I have assigned this node here to the agnets, and this to…."

9 DECEMBER

The following Tuesday, Harry snuck to the owlery while the other students attended breakfast. He and Severus had started eating earlier so while everyone else was filling their bellies, Harry could bring food for the owls and make sure they were healthy.

Over the past few days, Solaris had become more accustomed to Harry, though Isuri still startled him if she poked her head out. Harry had, at first, warned her to stay out of sight, but the owls had smelled her anyway. Neither one would approach until Harry had introduced them and explained that Isuri ate smaller prey and wasn't hungry anyway.

By now, both birds were more used to Harry's snake friend, and Hedwig had even gotten over her initial snit about Harry taking a second familiar. Informing her that Severus had Summoned Isuri as a way to save his life and Harry hadn't been able to let him Banish her had helped smooth her ruffled feathers.

After the birds had finished their breakfast, Solaris landed on Harry's outstretched arm and gave him a little nudge.

"Are you worried about your human, little one?"

Solaris bobbed his head.

"He's doing well. He's safe and recovered from the attack, and he's been using his time in isolation to catch up on research he hasn't had time to work on over the years. We've already made a new spell to take off shoes by magic, and we're working on another to trace magic light through holes." Harry sighed. "We're trying to find out if there's more to… our hiding spot that meets the eye. Isuri hasn't been able to find much, not yet, and we're hoping the light spell will help, once we finish it."

Solaris gave a relieved hoot and nuzzled Harry's cheek.

"You're welcome. Go on up, though. I'll be late for Charms." He grinned. "I'm looking forward to it. Your human said my essay will make Hermione's look trite."

A wave of sadness washed over him. "Is it wrong that I'm eager to see her taken down a peg? She almost killed me trying to force me to revise and she's been so awful lately… I don't know. Maybe it's not very nice of me. But at the same time, I can't help but think learning she's not the only person with some intelligence would be good for her."

Solaris gave a soft whoo.

Harry smiled and petted his head. "Thanks. I'll let your human know you miss him. Maybe we can sneak up here after curfew soon."

Solaris bobbed his head and took off with a cheerful hoot. Harry watched him settle beside Hedwig before grabbing his rucksack and slinking down the owlery stairs. He'd gotten so good at blending in with the scenery, no one noticed him even ten metres from the classroom. Just in case, he ducked into an alcove and watched the others from the safety of shadows.

Ron and Hermione had snuggled up to one another, no surprise there. Dean stood a fair distance away from Seamus and scowled at him. Seamus glared back. Sally-Anne Perks, Lisa Turpin, and Lavender were gossiping away. The other students gathered around the girls, listening with wide eyes. Harry's name came up too often for comfort.

Still, he had expected all of that. It was the other redhead waiting by the door that turned his stomach sour.

What the hell was Ginny doing there? She had her own classes, and McGonagall had already put her through the wringer for her behaviour. Merlin. Just how obsessed was she?

Harry suppressed a shudder and decided he was fine where he was, at least until Flitwick arrived.

A flicker of magic spread over him, and Harry turned, ready to hex whoever had dared cast on him without permission, but relaxed at the sight of Neville and Luna with their hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Sorry to startle you, Harry," Neville said with a hesitant smile.

"We didn't want the Dinglegangers to overhear," said Luna, solemn as the grave.

"Er… Dinglegangers?" Harry kept his voice low in case their voices carried over the silencing charm. "That's a new one."

"Gossipers and idiots," said Neville with a snort. He turned to look at the crowd gathered before the classroom door and frowned. "Merlin. What's Ginny doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luna shook her head. "The cloud of Ticklebees around her is so thick, she can't see the Nootenwinds for the Weavans."

Even Neville looked perplexed at that. "Um… so it's more of her obsession then?"

Luna tittered. "That's what I said."

Harry gave Neville a wry look. "Mate, I reckon you ought to start writing a key for Luna-speak. You're about the only one of us who understands."

Neville chuckled and rubbed the back of his hair. "Maybe. It would certainly make my life easier."

Harry laughed. "True. And speaking of making lives easier, my friend and I finished the boot spell last night. Works like a charm!"

"It is a charm, so that's rather a good thing," said Luna with a wide smile.

Harry grinned. "Yeah. It even works on amputees now. Well, we tried it on a medical manikin with one leg anyway. And on a lot of others with different combinations of shoes and more than two legs. We just had to alter the matrix so that it recognised the laces on the person as one entity rather than individual strands. After we did that, it didn't seem to matter how many shoes it needed to untie at once—it worked the right way every time."

Neville beamed. "Harry, that's bloody amazing!"

Harry blushed. "Well, it's just a simple spell. Nothing fancy. And my friend made the spell base—I just helped him get it to work right."

"Still, no one's ever been able to figure it out before you." Neville clapped him on the back. "Well done. I have to say, knowing that you're a spellcrafter now, I can't wait to see how your essay turned out."

Harry smirked. "You're not the only one. My friend said he wants me to memorise every detail of Hermione's expression for the pensieve later."

Luna and Neville laughed.

"He does have a bit of a vindictive streak," said Neville wryly, "but he cares about you. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"That makes… probably all of us, mate. Even him."

Luna patted Harry's shoulder. "You might not know it yet, Harry, but you're healing his wounds. The Clarents tell me the number of Wrackspurts eating his spirit have gone down quite a bit."

Harry frowned, bemused. "And what are the Clarents and Wrackspurts again?"

"Wrackspurts make a person grieve. Clarents tell me how people are feeling." She gave him a curious look. "Harry, do you hear the Clarents too?"

"Do I?" He frowned. "Um… maybe. I've been hearing people's thoughts and getting snatches of their emotions anyway. Not all the time though."

"Ah!" Neville grinned. "You're an Empath. So is Luna, so maybe you do hear her Clarents."

Luna gave him a dreamy smile and a nod. "Though, I can't hear thoughts on my own. The Windsprites do that."

"Maybe it just works differently for Harry."

"So this hearing other people's thoughts and emotions thing, it means I'm an Empath?" Harry shuddered. "I don't think I should tell my friend that. He might think I'm using it to manipulate him. Might be best to keep that to myself."

"Perhaps for now," said Luna with a frown, "but not always. It isn't a good idea to keep secrets from your friends."

Harry considered the number of secrets he kept and lowered his gaze. "I… there are a lot of things I just can't talk about, Luna. Not yet."

"Hmm, I understand. In time, I think you'll be able to, at least with him."

"Are your Feathersprites saying that?"

"No, just women's intuition."

Harry gave a wry snort. "Luna, between that, Empathy, and being a medium, you're downright dangerous."

She giggled. "Yes. Well, I'd best go for now though. I need to be in Transfiguration in a few moments."

Harry gave her puppy dog eyes. "Can you possibly drag Ginny away?"

"Well, I can try, but she might not be able to hear me over all the buzzing in her brain."

Harry stifled a laugh in his hands, afraid it would carry over the silencing barrier. "Gods, Luna. You're amazing."

She beamed. "I quite like you myself. I'll see you later, boys." With a wave, she stepped out of their silencing field, cancelled the spell over herself, and made her way to the door. Harry watched, curious to see what the girl would do.

"Ginny," Luna said with a smile, "it's almost time for Transfiguration. We shouldn't be late."

Ginny gave her a pout. "But Harry hasn't come yet."

"Well, considering that you're stalking him, I can't say I'm surprised."

Harry and Neville stifled laughs.

Ginny frowned at her friend and stood akimbo. "W-what? Not you too, Lu. You know I wouldn't do that. It's just that he's got a lot to deal with, and I want to help."

"The Clarents say you're doing the opposite of that," said Luna with a shake of her head. "And class starts in one minute."

Ginny scowled and set her feet. "I'm waiting to see him off."

"You're going to be waiting right into a detention," said Hermione, frowning down her nose. "Luna is right, for once. Sort of. I think. Anyway, you really are stalking him—Professor McGonagall just boxed your ears about it Sunday, remember? And Gryffindor can't afford to lose any more points either way. Just go to class, Ginny."

"Oi," Ron said, frowning. "Don't be mean to her, Hermione. She just wants to help."

"No, she doesn't. And besides, she's just driving him away like this."

Luna fixed Hermione with a piercing look. "I think you should talk to the Narcissi." She turned and shook her head. "Well, I am not going to be late. Bye."

Luna vanished around the corner. Ginny watched her go, biting her lip.

Harry whispered to Neville, "What does she mean by Narcissi?"

"The story of Narcissus is a Greek myth about a man who fell in love with his own reflection and pined away staring at himself in a lake. She's basically telling Hermione to look in the mirror."

Harry snorted. "She should do!" He frowned and rubbed his chin. "You know, maybe I should read some about Greek mythology. I bet my friend has some books on it."

"He migh—oh. Look."

Professor Flitwick had just turned the corner. From their sheltered alcove, Harry and Neville watched as Flitwick ushered the students into the classroom and frowned at Ginny.

"Miss Weasley, this is not your class. I suggest you run along."

"But I'm waiting for—"

"Nevertheless, you're quite late for your own class, so unless you go now, I'll be forced to take points."

"Go, Ginny," Seamus snapped. "Harry's gone and lost us enough without you taking more away. Don't know what you see in him anyway."

Flitwick shot Seamus a reproachful look. "That is quite enough from you, Mister Finnigan." He waved Ginny on. "Miss Weasley, you are holding up my class."

"All right, all right." She scowled and turned on her heel, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

She hadn't made it far when Flitwick said, "Ah, but where are Mister Potter and Mister Longbottom?"

"We're both here, Professor," Harry said, coming out of the shadows.

Ginny stopped and wheeled around. "Harry? Where did you come from?"

"Been there the whole time," he muttered, and dragged Neville into class before she could start pawing him again.

"Wait, I—"

Flitwick guarded the door. "Miss Weasley, five points from Gryffindor. Off with you, now, before I add a detention."

Seamus groaned. "Ginny!"

"Y-yes, sir." She turned and stormed away.

Professor Flitwick closed the door behind the boys and gave Harry a commiserating look. "Believe it or not, I was more popular than I wanted to be in school as well. Something to do with my height, I suppose." He shrugged and motioned them into their seats. "I don't mind if you need to take cover until class starts, Harry. Just try to be here on time when you can."

"Yes, sir."

Harry gave a sigh of relief and sat at an empty table, one near enough to Ron and Hermione that he could see her without risking being drawn into unwanted conversation. Though it seemed after the debacle in Ancient Magic, she had stopped speaking to him. Not that he minded at the moment. After the way Hermione had been treating him lately, Harry could use a bit of peace and quiet. Merlin, he hoped Severus' prediction panned out.

Hmm. Maybe Severus wasn't the only one with a vindictive streak.

Well, he'd said it himself. Hermione needed to be brought back down to earth. She was completely obsessed with being the top student, and her self-righteousness really needed to be nipped in the bud. It could only do her good to learn others could also perform well in academic pursuits, and without her force-feeding them her notes or driving them to revise at all hours of the day.

Still, butterflies and doubt had begun to build in Harry's belly. Severus wasn't the Charms teacher. Maybe Flitwick wouldn't feel the same way that Severus did about Harry's innovations. Maybe he would prefer things to be done by the book and by rote, like Hermione always did. Or maybe it just wasn't as good of an essay as they thought.

Well, he supposed he would find out in a moment.

"Good morning, class." While the students responded, Flitwick climbed onto his usual stack of books and beamed at them. "Well, you all did quite well on your essays. I was very impressed with one in particular."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched as Hermione straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. Beside him, Neville was watching her too. Harry barely suppressed a snort.

"As you know, I give ten points to the best essay in class, however this time… I confess I think I am inclined to give a few more. Not since Lily Evans—ah, Lily Potter, I should say—have I witnessed such brilliant understanding of the theory behind intent magic."

A few scattered students turned curious looks on Harry. He crossed his fingers under the table and waited, his heart thundering. Hermione straightened her shoulders a little more and Ron gave her a besotted grin. Neville smirked.

"I must say, this time the winning essay came as quite a surprise." Flitwick bounced up and down, his excitement palpable.

Harry's heart jumped. Oh! Was it possible? Had he really done it?

Beside him, Hermione's brows drew together and her lips turned down. That was a good sign.

Flitwick continued, "The concepts discussed—it was quite a treat for this old man to see such profound understanding and innovation in what is, without a doubt, one of the most complex concepts in magical theory." Flitwick gave Harry a beaming smile. "Well done, Mister Potter. Twenty points to Gryffindor, and I would like to speak to you later about your thoughts on will transference, ah, if you have time, that is."

Every eye turned to Harry, mouths wide open with shock. Hermione had gone dull red. Inside, Harry was ecstatic. He really had done it! Gods, he could hardly believe it. Severus would be proud, and somehow that thought made him even happier than his own success had done.

"Really?" Harry grinned. "Brilliant. I'd love to talk to you about it, sir."

"Good, good. Perhaps we can meet af—"

"B-but, Professor," Hermione cut across him without bothering to raise her hand. The diminutive man gave her a displeased look but did not interrupt. "How can that be? I gave Harry my notes to study from, so shouldn't mine have been the best?"

Flitwick's eyebrows shot up. "Hmm. Well, you may have given him your notes, Miss Granger, but it's fairly obvious Mister Potter chose not to use them. Your essays are as different as night and day."

She blinked. "He… they are?"

"Yes. And next time do raise your hand."

Harry raised his hand and waited to be called upon. "Sir, I wanted to do it on my own this time. I wasn't sure if it would… well, I was a bit worried you'd prefer me just to stick to the books, but I feel like I've been leaning too hard on others for too long. So, pass or fail, I want to be graded on my own merits from now on. Especially since I can't always depend on others to be there for me when the going gets tough."

Ron and Hermione sank into their seats a bit.

Flitwick chuckled. "Is that so? Well, please continue to do so in the future, Mister Potter. This is the best work I have ever seen from you, indeed, the best I've seen in twenty years."

Hermione flushed redder and ducked her head. Ron scowled at Harry and rubbed her back, muttering to her under his breath. Harry ignored them both.

"Now, with that done," Flitwick went on, "I'd like to discuss some of what Harry pointed out in his essay with you today. I believe you all can learn from it."

Hermione flinched and sank further into her seat.

Neville whispered in Harry's ear, "Somehow, I don't think I need Luna's Feathersprites to know your friend is going to be laughing his arse off later."

Even though he felt a bit guilty for it, Harry couldn't help but grin.

Harry went by the tower after classes to pick up more clothing from his dorm and see if Isuri's supplies had come yet. Seamus scowled at him and moved away as soon as he entered the common room. Most of the younger years gave him a wide berth, too.

As Neville hadn't returned from the Greenhouses yet, Harry made a point to get in and out. He sure as hell didn't want to be caught in the common room alone when Ginny came back. With a nod to the Creevey brothers, who were working over Colin's photos nearby, Harry dashed up the stairs with every intention to throw some clothing in his rucksack and dart back out of the tower.

But the dorm wasn't empty. Ron and Hermione were sitting on Ron's bed, and Ron was scowling. Hermione had that manic look in her eyes Harry knew all too well. Apparently their Charms marks hadn't sat well with her, especially so soon after Harry's group had wiped the floor with her in Herbology.

Merlin, he didn't want to deal with her in that kind of mood. He debated on whether he would just leave and try to come back tomorrow, but he really needed to check his post. And Isuri needed her food and supplies. And he could only do with laundering charms so many times before they started wearing on his clothes.

Maybe he should just send Dobby after his post and belongings, but gods. He shouldn't be afraid to go into his own bedroom… should he?

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her chin. "I'm falling behind, Ron. We've got to revise more."

"More? I already gave you another hour, 'Mione, and we were revising five hours a day before then. Merlin, I don't want to spend all my time revising."

"Well, I want to pass! I'm a Muggleborn, Ron, and a woman! Unless I get the top grades, I don't have a chance in such a patriarchal, class-driven society. I have to do well, I have to!"

"But it's two bloody assignments, Hermione. Two. It doesn't really matter that much in the—oh."

Harry grimaced. They'd seen him while he was wavering in indecision.

"Uh… I'm just here to check my post." Face burning, he pretended he hadn't heard anything and scurried to his desk. Ah, Isuri's terrarium hadcome—shrunken in a neat little cube and covered in preservation charms—and it appeared her mice had come too. Good. There was a letter under the terrarium as well. Harry picked up the missive and had unrolled the parchment halfway before Hermione snapped.

"What did you do to get such a grade on the Charms essay, Harry?" Her voice crackled with fury and accusation. "Your… guest wrote it, didn't he? You got tutoring from him while the rest of us have to struggle on alone!"

Harry whirled around and fixed her with a fierce glare. "You don't think I could have possibly come up with such a concept on my own? Never mind that I've crafted a new spell this week—with my guest's help, of course, but I came up with the solution to the problem—and the fact that my mother was an Unspeakable and Charms master. I suppose because I'm not a walking textbook, I can't have an original idea in my head."

Hermione hissed, "You've never done so well!"

Harry scowled, fury forcing out words he hadn't meant to say. "Well, yes, because I spent the last six years choking down your notes."

She gasped and blinked hard. "You… you don't mean that…."

Ron rounded on him. "Oi! You take that back! Hermione's brilliant."

Harry took a deep breath and tried to speak rationally. It wasn't easy with indignation and rage boiling in his blood.

"I never said she wasn't intelligent," he gritted out. Another deep breath took the sharpest edge from his tone. "You are smart, Hermione, but you're too bloody rigid. You won't think outside the box at all, and that's why I scored higher than you today. And no, my guest didn't help me. Well, he corrected one spelling, but you've done much more than that to my essays before, so I don't want to hear you shouting about it."

Hermione slapped her hand on the nightstand. "But that just can't be! There's no way you could have scored so well on your own!"

Harry's eyes sparked and he advanced on them, hands curling into fists and chest tight with rage. "So that's how it is, hmm?" His voice came out icy-cold. "You've always been top in everything except Defence—and of course since there's a reason for that, you don't need to feel challenged. I'm supposed to be the best at Defence, right? Defeated or escaped Riddle umpteen times, then there's the prophecy and all that, so of course I'm the top student. But in academic classes? Apparently anyone who does better than you is a cheat." He turned his back and grabbed his post, tears burning his eyelids and fury boiling in his gut. "You're just hacked off because someone beat you for once."

Ron shouted, "Oi! You shut up about her!"

Harry wheeled on him. "Naff off, Ron! You were just whinging about it too, so don't tell me I can't tell the bloody truth!" He flicked out a wrist, blind to everything but rage and the bitter pain of betrayal. "Accio Harry Potter's clothing!"

A veritable storm of black, red, and grey extricated itself from Harry's wardrobe and trunk and slapped into his chest.

Ron shouted, "You can't just—"

Isuri hissed in irritation and poked her head out of his shirt, stopping Ron mid-rant. ~Master, please do not strike me when I am hiding.~

Harry petted her head gently. ~Sorry, Isuri. I did not mean to hit you.~

"S-s-snake," Ron gasped out. "Wh-why do you have a s-snake?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Because she's my familiar. Why wouldn't a Parselmouth have a snake?"

Ron grimaced and edged away. "You're turning into a S-Slytherin!"

Harry fixed him with a sharp glare. "You know what? The few Slytherins I've been around the past week or so have all been treating me a hell of a lot better than either of you, so if I've gone snake, then so be it!"

He shrank the pile of his clothing with another flick and stuffed the lot into his pocket. He added his post atop that and stormed out, fuming and holding back tears. Hermione called his name, but he ignored her. It was one thing for her to be irritated that Harry beat her. He had prepared for that. But to act as though he couldn't beat her without Severus hand-feeding him his essay—that he wasn't intelligent enough to outscore her on his own? That stung.

And Ron! Maybe he was her boyfriend and had to fight her battles, but at the expense of his friendships? He was only enabling her flaws—and complaining about them in the same breath.

Gods, Harry had thought better of them, but they had let him down in spectacular fashion, and it hurt. A knife had buried itself in his chest and his breath came at the cost of blood. He held back tears by the merest thread and, blurred as his vision was, he didn't see the redhead approaching him until her arm had linked through his.

"Harry! There you are. I've been lo—"

"Stop!" Harry was beyond delicacy at this point. He'd been careful with her for Ron's sake, but Ron had just broken his heart, and he couldn't take her violations anymore. "For gods' sake, Ginny, stop fucking touching me!" He backed away and jerked a hand across his eyes to clear his vision. "Let me make this clear to you now since you seem to have gotten some strange ideas about me into your head: I am not interested! I do not want to be your boyfriend! I don't even like you as a friend any longer, what with the way you've been treating me lately. For gods' sakes, leave me the hell alone!"

Ginny stuck out her chin and stamped her foot. "You… you're just confused. You keep pushing people away but—"

She reached for his hand, but Harry snarled and backed away. His magic crackled around him in a spectacular display of green and blue light. Such was the power of his fury, his hair stood on end, prickling his scalp and swaying with the currents of his magic.

"Get it through your head, Ginny. The answer is no! Not maybe later, not wait for me—it's hell-fucking-NO!"

At such a display of danger, Ginny finally backed down and, tears on her lashes, darted for the girls' dorm.

From a nearby corner, someone clapped. Harry looked up to see Neville watching him with a look of pride and solidarity. He must have come in while Harry was arguing with his former best friends.

"Bloody hell, but that was brilliant, Harry. And very, very overdue."

But Neville stood alone. The rest of the house, excepting only Dean and the Creevey boys, stared at him as if he would cut them all to ribbons any second. Harry's magic sank back into his skin and the prickling sensation melted away. Tears blurred the sight of thirty terrified faces, and he turned away, shoulders hunched and heart shattered. He had to get out of there.

The sound of footsteps on the boys' dorm staircase decided him. Merlin help him, he couldn't deal with Ron and Hermione right now. Heart bleeding with the betrayal of nearly his entire house, Harry turned tail and fled.

He heard footsteps behind him and cringed, fearful Ron had followed to exact retribution for scaring off his 'innocent' little sister, but a quick glance over his shoulder showed Neville following him at a sprint.

"Harry, wait up."

Harry slowed until Neville could run beside him.

"I'm sorry," Neville pleaded, panting. "I didn't mean to hurt you by that, Harry. I just thought she's had it coming for a long time."

"I-it wasn't you." Harry darted into an alcove and tried to catch his breath. If not for the anguish in his chest and the sobs crowding his throat, he might have done. "They all looked at me like I'd killed her."

"Idiots."

"A-and Ron and Hermione—"

"Yeah, Dean and Colin are busy giving them what-for right now."

Harry winced and dragged a hand across his eyes. "That's not—I-I just want to get out of here, Nev."

Neville nodded. "You need your other friend."

Harry sniffled and hugged his chest. "W-why does he make me feel so much better? I… I don't understand it."

"I don't reckon we need to. If he's what you need, then let's get you to him." Neville wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, and Harry leaned into the comfort, covering his face to hide the tears he couldn't stop.

"Come on," Neville murmured. "Let's go before the gawkers come."

"Yeah." Harry wiped his face and let Neville lead him. "N-Nev? Thanks."

"It's what friends do."

Harry closed his eyes around a sharp ache. Not all friends, apparently.