* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART THREE

The Eighth Year

Chapter 43: The Skeletons in Our Closets

The final few days of February were both painful and yet hopeful, but for some reason that they couldn't explain, every member of the group of friends knew that things would get better when this horrible month ended and March began. Harry suspected that it was for reasons similar to May.

After the final battle, the dawning of June and summer had never felt so good yet so dreaded at the same time. Harry also knew that every following year, February would be a tough month as memories flooded back. Despite it all, however, Harry knew that each year it would also get easier until eventually, on the 14th of February, they would remember Dean and Tracey with a fond smile.

Harry knew this because it was how he now remembered Sirius on the anniversary of his death.

"Oh, Harry," Draco piped up when he caught Harry in the common room, "We thought that this week would be a good time to research our projects at Potter Manor."

"It's not due in until the 1st of April!" Harry exclaimed. Some things hadn't changed, like the fact that Harry almost always did his homework a day or two before it was due.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, this project is our N.E.W.T level grade. We don't have an exam; you can't just do it the night before like you usually do."

"Fine," Harry agreed as Neville chuckled from his spot next to him on the couch, "So who's going?"

"All of us, and Susan," Theo piped up, "Almost all of us are doing our project on something to do with blood, so the library at the manor will be useful."

"Fair enough," Harry said as he yawned and stretched, "Hermione, why are you coming?"

Hermione frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought you were doing your project on the study of medical potions," Harry said. He wondered why she seemed so offended.

"No, Harry," Hermione said, she sounded exasperated, "It's much more complex than that. It's a study about the lack of vaccinations in wizarding children, and the records pulled from Malfoy Manor include several medical records that Abraxas Malfoy kept."

"Right," Harry muttered, she still had the knack of making him feel stupid with one sentence, "So, tomorrow it is in that case. Are we sneaking out and apparating?"

"Yes," Draco said, but then Hermione cut him off.

"No, we are not sneaking out, and yes, we are apparating."

Harry rolled his eyes, "What?"

"This is for study, Harry," Hermione said with a scoff, "We have permission to leave the grounds."

"Says who?" Draco asked.

"Slughorn, and as Head Girl, I am distributing the news," Hermione remarked smugly.

Harry snorted, "Did the Head Girl tell Slughorn anything about the vats of whiskey at the 'study' location?"

Hermione smirked, "How did you think I got him to agree?"

Theo grinned, "Oh princess, I have been a bad influence on you. Well played."

Hermione laughed and shook his head while Draco chuckled at his best friends antics.

"We'll meet at the gates after dinner. If we go out in a big group, it will be obvious what we're up to."

When the 1st of March dawned, it felt good and fresh, just like Harry had hoped it might. The first flowers were just beginning to open up, and the frost on the ground was finally thawing. Harry woke up with a contented sigh and stretched.

"Draco!"

"What?" The Slytherin mumbled as Harry pulled the curtains open and let the bright sunlight shine into the room, the air was warmer, and the sun was brighter. It put him in an instant good mood.

"It's March. It's a fresh start."

"It's also 5 am. Go back to sleep," Draco whined, and Harry grinned as he fell back onto his bed.

When they arrived at Potter Manor that evening, they immediately walked into the vast library, where a massive stack of books and boxes of records were now spread across one corner of the room.

"You weren't kidding about there being a lot of records from your Manor," Harry said.

"I know," Draco said as he began to sort through the boxes magically. Within half an hour, they were all silent as they poured through books or records. Harry was annoying Daphne by yawning every five minutes, closing books too loudly and sending dust flying up into the air. One thing he doubted he would ever be was studious, he still preferred practical work, and he couldn't wait to start Auror training.

He did have to admit, as bored as he was, he got some valuable information for his project in the first hour. It was getting to the hour and a half mark when Harry began to get bored; he was about to suggest that they call it a night when Hermione spoke for the first time since she had gotten drawn in by her research.

"Draco...I thought you were an only child," Hermione said slowly. She didn't look up from her book, which wasn't really a book but a compilation of birth and death records from 1970 to 1990.

"I am," Draco said as he looked up from his book.

"You mean...You don't know?"

"Don't know about what?" Draco asked as he made his way over to the table Hermione was sitting at with Neville and Sadie who were working on similar projects. The others, being as nosy as they were, made their way over too.

"Draco, there is a birth record in here for an "Areya Callidora Malfoy", she was born on the 8th of June 1983, and her parents are listed as Mr Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Mrs Narcissa Malfoy (nee Black)."

"What?" Draco hissed as he looked down at the record. There it was, in black and white, but he still didn't believe it.

"There are baby photos of me and photos of me from the age of 5 onwards, but nothing in the middle," Draco realised, and Hermione then flicked through the book; she swallowed when she realised that her fears were confirmed.

"What is it?" Harry asked, and Hermione swallowed once more before reading aloud, "Areya Callidora Malfoy. Born: 8th of June, 1983. Died: 24th of December, 1985. Cause of death: Accidental."

Draco stared at the record in silence for a moment, and the others held their breath. They were afraid of how he might react.

"I'm going to talk to my mother," Draco said simply. He left the room without further ado, and Hermione and Theo both made moves to follow him.

Harry got in the way; however, "Let him go; he needs to do this on his own."

"How do you know?" Theo asked angrily.

Hermione placed her hand on the Slytherins shoulder, "This is Harry; he knows about these things."

Theo grumbled a little, but all the same, he didn't try to go after Draco.

"So who fancies a stop off at the Hogs Head on the way back to Hogwarts?" Neville asked as he made a beeline for the door. Most of the others followed him; they were willing to jump on any idea that worked as an excuse to stop studying.

When Hermione looked at the book and hesitated, Sadie rolled her eyes, "We'll be back tomorrow, Hermione, come on live a little!"

Hermione smiled and got up, "You're right; it sounds like a great idea."

Harry glanced sideways at Daphne as they made their way out of the manor; she had been very quiet.

"I have upsetting experiences of the accidental death of squibs in pureblood families," Daphne said simply and quietly. Neither she nor Harry said anything more on the subject as they left the manor and apparated to Hogsmeade.

When Draco walked into the drawing-room of Greengrove House where his Mother and Aunt were drinking wine and chuckling over something in the society pages of the Prophet, his blood was running cold.

"Mother," Draco said icily.

Narcissa jumped and turned around, "Heavens Draco! You frightened me! What on earth is wrong?"

"I was studying over at Potter Manor today," Draco said coolly, "I extracted the records from Malfoy Manor for my potions project. I found a birth and death record for a sister that I didn't even know existed. Father lied to me throughout my entire life. I thought you, at least, had been honest with me!"

"Draco..." Narcissa said weakly, "You did not need to know. It did not concern you. I thought it would be painful for you...if you knew."

"She was my sister, Mother!" Draco snapped, "I feel like that gives me the right to know!"

There was a moment of silence in which Narcissa looked down at the table; her hands shook as Andromeda stood behind her and gripped her shoulder firmly. She sent a warning glance at Draco, but he did not heed it.

"You were three years old when your sister was born," Narcissa said quietly, "It was kept out of the public eye in case-"

"- in case she was a squib,'" Draco said with disgust.

"Yes," Narcissa whispered, "She was a healthy child deemed to have fantastic magical ability...the healers said it would be almost as strong as your magic. I doted on her Draco. I must confess to that. I had always wanted a little girl, as well as a little boy. On Christmas Eve-"

Narcissa cut herself off with a choked sob, and Andromeda sighed, "Draco. Can you not see that this is painful for your mother?"

"I am sorry for that, Aunt Dromeda," Draco said honestly, "But I have to know."

Narcissa nodded and cleared her throat, "I took you to visit my family that Christmas Eve. Areya got sick from travelling via floo, and she was too young to side-apparate. When we were gone, your father took Areya out onto the frozen lake to go ice skating. Your father was close to her, but a noise from the woods frightened her, and she fell through a weak spot in the ice."

Narcissa's voice had been reduced to a whisper, and she was falling apart as she told her son the story, "Your father jumped in to try and save her. He managed to grab her, but they were stuck under the ice, and when he got her out, she was not breathing. He floo-ed me. I left you with your grandma and rushed to St. Mungos. By the time I got there...there was nothing that they could do...she was already gone."

Narcissa was choked entirely; she couldn't force another word out of her mouth. Andromeda tightened her grip on her sister and said quietly, "Your father nearly died trying to save your sister. He was in the hospital for three months with hypothermia."

"Something changed when she died, Draco," Narcissa said in a whisper as tears fell down her face, "I blamed your father, and I could not forgive him. Any love there was between us disappeared. Your Father couldn't treat you kindly after that because every time he looked at you, he saw Areya, and he felt immense regret that he could not save her."

"And your mother clung to you tighter than ever, Draco," Andromeda said softly, "She loved you more than ever because she knew what it felt like to lose a child. She fought for you, and she sacrificed so much for you. I think you would do well to remember that."

"I didn't know," Draco said because it was all he could think of to say even though he knew it didn't make sense because, of course, he hadn't known. It had been purposely kept from him.

Narcissa simply nodded and wiped her tears away with a handkerchief. Draco sighed and got to his feet; he embraced his mother tightly. She gripped him harder than she had before as if she thought he would disappear the second that he let go. So much of his childhood now made sense; the reason why his mother had never let him go to children's parties or play outside, the reason she had always been so scared to leave him alone with his father, became apparent.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered.

Narcissa cried quietly, "No, Draco, you were right. You do have a right to know. She was your sister."

"I'm sorry that I put you through that," Draco said softly as he pulled back from the hug, "I'm so sorry."

"Please don't apologise," Narcissa said as she kissed his forehead as she had done when he was a small boy, "I love you unconditionally, Draco. That is what it means to be a parent."

Draco nodded at her; he was aware that tears were prickling behind his own eyes as he pulled his mother into another hug. Regardless of what she had said, he felt terrible for forcing her to relieve such a terrible time in her life.

When Draco walked into the common room, it was late, and as a result, it was relatively empty. He smiled as he surveyed the ordinary scene. Daphne was dozing with her head on Harry's chest while he and Neville had a whispered and heated debate about duelling tactics. Theo was too busy looking at Sadie to be immersed or even involved in the discussion; she was also sleeping. Hermione, Susan and Lilly were huddled together in two armchairs by the fire. Draco chuckled at the site; the three girls were conversing about something that was clearly amusing from the amount of laughter coming from their corner of the room.

When Draco walked in, they all turned to look at him, "Hey Draco," Hermione said with a smile as she jumped up and kissed him on the cheek. Susan got up to let Draco sit on the armchair, which he did. Hermione then sat down in his lap.

"Oh, hey Draco," Harry said.

Neville also looked over at the Slytherin, "Draco, what would take your opponent down faster, a stunning charm or a full-body bind?"

"Depends," Draco said, "Certain stunning charms have delays. If you stun someone built like Goyle, you'd struggle. He'd need 2 or 3 to hit him at the same time to get him down. A full body bind will always work, but it will always work more slowly. I'd go with the full body bind."

"And that," Harry said with a smug look towards Neville, "Is why I'm going to pull as many strings as possible to make sure Draco is an Auror."

Hermione snorted, and it woke Sadie and Daphne up. Sadie yawned and said sleepily, "Oh, you're back Draco."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Go on, ask. I know you're all dying to."

"So, are you going to make us beg for it or are you just going to tell us?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed, "Well, my mother told me the truth, the whole painful truth. I did have a sister, and she did die. My father took her skating on Christmas Eve, and she fell through the ice. He caught hypothermia trying to save her and nearly died himself. My mother never forgave him for it, and he couldn't look at me without seeing her, so he hated me."

"Gosh Draco, that's horrible," Sadie said sadly. Draco nodded, but he didn't say anymore as he stared into the fire.

"So it wasn't the typical pureblood squib story," Daphne said.

Draco shook his head, "No... although thoughts like that did go through my head."

"How is your mother?" Hermione asked gently.

"Heartbroken," Draco frowned, "I forced her to relieve it...I brought it all back. All of the dreadful things she went through back then."

"You had a right to know Draco," Harry said, "She must have understood that."

"She did," Draco said honestly, "But my mother is quite vulnerable regardless of how strong she comes across. I hate to see her in pain, especially when it's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Harry said, "You were a child when your sister died. There was nothing you could have done about it."

"It all just seems so unfair," Draco said quietly, "I mean, I had a sister. I could have known her, and we could have grown up together, but I never even knew her."

"At least you had the chance to have a sister," Harry said somewhat irritably, "Neville and I didn't because our parents died so young."

"Yeah, Potter, we know that your parents are dead!" Draco snapped, "Why do you always have to make everything about you? We know all about every dead person in your life because it always makes the front page of the Prophet, not a dingy old record book in a stuffy Manor!"

"Come on, Draco," Neville said as he stepped forward, "Don't bring Harry's parents into this."

"I didn't," Draco shouted, "He mentioned them first!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to try and attack him," Neville said firmly.

"No, for once, this is about me!" Draco barked, "I lost someone; I lost a sister!"

"Draco, you didn't even know you had a sister until today," Harry retorted, "I had to live my whole life knowing my parents were dead! I was told they died in a car crash; I didn't know the truth for years!"

"I don't care about your pathetic sob story, Potter!" Draco shouted, "This is about me. For once, I am the one who is suffering, and I am the one who has lost someone! And you're too selfish to realise that!"

"I'm selfish?" Harry shouted, "You're the selfish one! All of us have lost someone. You're just the one who is realising it for the first time! You've lived your sheltered little life with your pureblood family, and I know you didn't have the best upbringing Draco, but you had a family! I never had that! All my life, I've only known pain and suffering and death. You didn't have to deal with that as a kid because your parents loved you enough to shelter you from it! Why don't you try being fucking grateful for that?"

Before Draco could shout anymore, Harry disappeared out of the common room.

Daphne sighed, "I know you lost Pansy, Draco and I know how much that hurt you, but you had no right to say that to Harry. Just think about the pain you went through when Pansy died and consider how many times Harry has been through that."

Before Draco could respond, Daphne followed Harry out of the common room.

Hermione sighed and stepped forward, "Harry and Daphne are both right. Your mother lied to you to stop you from hurting. That was why she didn't want you to know, and you should be grateful that she loved you that much."

"I am," Draco sighed.

"You can't attack your friends just because you are hurting Draco. That's not how real friendship works," Lilly said. She patted him on the back.

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm not very well versed in how to be a good person or a good friend," Draco said dryly.

"Lesson number one, don't insult your friends dead or insane parents," Neville said with a raised eyebrow.

"And lesson two, don't take your anger out on your friends by shouting at them," Lilly yawned.

"Yeah, hug them instead," Susan said as she jumped onto the back of the armchair and wrapped her arms around the blonde boy.

Draco made a noise and shoved her off, "Honestly, this isn't friendship. This is an asylum."

"Then welcome to the madhouse," Hermione chuckled as she kissed him on the cheek, "Now go to bed, let Harry calm down and grovel tomorrow until he accepts your apology."

Draco scoffed and pushed himself to his feet, "I have changed, Hermione. I'm big enough to admit when I'm wrong, and I was wrong today, but I will never grovel to Harry Potter."

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed him onto the boy's staircase, "Goodnight, Draco," she said simply.

"Goodnight, Hermione," Draco muttered irritably, but he still bent down to kiss her goodnight before leaving the common room.

"He doesn't realise how lucky he is-"

"- I know," Daphne said softly as she tried to calm Harry down in an abandoned classroom.

"His dad was a dick, but his mum loved him. She always loved him! I grew up with people who hated me, people who lied to me about my parents! He's amazed that he could have had a sister. I was amazed to find out what my parents had done for a living!"

"I know, Harry," Daphne said, "And he knows that too. He's just angry."

"Well, he's made me really bloody angry," Harry said as he paced backwards and forwards, "I've never had a family! He should think himself lucky that he had a mother who loved him that much!"

"He does know that he's lucky," Daphne said quietly, "But he doesn't express himself very well. You are very wrong with one thing, though, Harry, because you have a family in so many ways. The Weasley's are your family, Andromeda and Teddy are your family, and we are your family. I've seen you with Hermione, Suse and Ginny; you treat them all like sisters, and Neville is the brother you never had."

"What does that make Theo?" Harry asked with a weak laugh.

"The annoying cousin you only have to see at Christmas?" Daphne joked.

Harry laughed and nodded, "I'm sorry for kicking off."

"No, Draco riled you up," Daphne said with a shake of her head, "It's alright, but I gather there's more to it than that. You only fly off the handle when there are underlying stresses at play."

"Yeah, I am worried, Daphne," Harry said with a sigh, "Ever since I read Draco's potions project. The risks he was talking about..."

"And I'm a pureblood woman," Daphne said with a nod, "I wondered when we were going to have this conversation."

"It scares me," Harry admitted, "And I know that Hermione says we shouldn't worry about the future when we are in the present, but I can't help it. If Draco's theory is right, it affects all of us...it will hurt all of us."

"I know it will," Daphne said as she glanced down, "And trust me, Harry, it scares me as much as it scares you. It's something we have all been touched by. My mother lost children, just like Narcissa lost a daughter. It is scary, but that is why we are all researching it. There's a good chance we can do something about it."

"Do you really think that?" Harry asked her quietly.

Daphne nodded, and she stepped forward to pull him into a tight embrace, "I have faith in us, Harry," she whispered softly.

Harry smiled into her hair and tightened his grip on her, "Thank you, Daphne," he whispered.

"Harry. I'm sorry."

Harry groaned as the light poured into his bed. The curtains had just been pulled back by the irritating blonde standing by his bed.

"Good morning Draco," he said dryly as he swung his feet out of his bed.

"I'm really sorry, Harry."

"I heard you the first time," Harry muttered, "Can I at least go to the bathroom before we have this discussion?"

Draco nodded, "But I am really sorry."

"Alright, I get it," Harry said as he pushed the blonde out of the way and walked into the bathroom. When he emerged and dressed, Draco continued to badger him, and it didn't stop until they reached the common room.

"So, are we having this discussion yet?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Harry replied irritably, "We'll have this discussion. What do you want to say?"

"I want to apologise," Draco said simply.

Harry rolled his eyes as they walked out of the common room, and Neville fell into step with them, "Morning," he chirped.

"Go away, Longbottom," Draco said irritably.

"Why, am I interrupting something?" Neville asked in amusement.

"Yes," Draco said dryly, "I was apologising to Harry."

Neville grinned, "Then I'm definitely staying. I have to hear this."

"Fine," Draco said, he ignored Harry's sniggers, "Look, Harry, I was wrong last night. I was wrong to insult your parents and to jump down your throat. I was upset about the fact that I could have had a sister, and I didn't think about your feelings as much as I probably should have."

"Apology accepted," Harry yawned.

"Yep," Neville said, "You hurt my feelings too, so I accept your apology as well."

"I am sorry for the way I've been acting lately. It's this bloody project; I just feel like I'm letting Hermione down because my blood status means that I could hurt her..." Draco sighed, "I just want to be able to promise her that I'll give her a happy, safe family, but I can't. And she's being so noble about it, saying she only wants me, but she won't be saying that in 10 years when we're miserable and childless. I should just let her go. I mean, if she and Ron had gotten together, she'd never have this problem!"

"Alright, Draco, calm down," Harry said as he put his hand on the man's shoulder, "Draco. Do you remember what you were saying about needing to be more considerate of other people's feelings?"

Draco frowned and nodded, "What are you talking about?"

"Daphne is a pureblood woman," Harry said simply, "Think about your case study and the things that Andromeda told you. The Greengrass's aren't as inbred as the Blacks, I will grant you that, but you and Hermione aren't the only people who are scared for the future."

"Shit," Draco muttered, "Shit, I'm sorry."

"Look, you two," Neville said, "I know I'm not an expert in this, but I can tell you one thing. If you beat yourself up worrying about the future, you will never get there. If you go into this thing worrying about your future children, you won't get anywhere. You have to forget about the personal aspect of it and pretend that it's just an ordinary research project."

"You're right, Nev," Harry said softly, "I know you are, but shutting it off isn't easy."

"I know," Draco agreed, "But Neville is right. We aren't objective right now, and unless we act objectively, we won't be able to fix anything."

"Exactly," Neville said as he walked in between them and clapped them both on the shoulders, "Now let's get through today and get back to that Manor tonight. Operation babies, here we come."

They all laughed despite themselves as they continued on their way to the Great Hall that morning.

"Sometimes I'm so glad I'm a Muggle-born," Lilly said matter of factly as she lay on her bed in her free period reading a Muggle book.

"Because of this whole pureblood babies thing?" Neville asked thoughtfully as he glanced up from the floor where he was currently mapping out a new plan for greenhouse three. They shared a free period, and they enjoyed each other's company an awful lot these days. They had done ever since the family planning project.

Lilly nodded and popped a bookmark in her battered and beaten copy of "Jane Eyre". She let her head drop over the side of the bed, "Yeah, it's pretty dramatic."

"It's the result of centuries of inbreeding," Neville admitted.

"I don't get that," Lilly admitted, "Why did they all marry their cousins?"

"Because they thought it was the only way to stay pure," Neville replied, "It comes from old myths that if they bred with muggles, they would lose their magic. Of course, that was generally regarded as nonsense, and over the centuries, it has become more common. People like Lucius Malfoy said that was the reason why there were more squibs because of purebloods mixing with muggle-borns."

Lilly snorted, "Isn't it more likely that squibs were killed back in ye olde days and now they are a little bit more accepted?"

"Yeah, that's my theory," Neville said, "I don't think breeding with muggles makes much of a difference. It certainly helps when it comes to producing children, I mean, look at the Weasley's."

Lilly hummed thoughtfully, "I hope that there is something we can do about it. I don't want Daphne and Hermione to have to go through all of that...well of the things that they say can happen."

"Neither do I," Neville admitted, "But somehow I've become the glue that holds us all together, and I have to stay strong for everybody else. Sometimes I need someone to hold me together, though."

Lilly nodded and reached down to grab his hand, "I know Nev, but I'm here if you ever need to talk or anything."

"I know, Lilly," Neville said without taking his eyes off of the greenhouse plan.

Lilly could tell that he didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him, and she respected that. She hung down from the bed at an awkward angle and pointed at his plan, "Ooh, bad idea Neville. Never put venomous tentaculum within reaching distance of the mandrakes. They'll eat them."

"Damn," Neville muttered, "I knew something wasn't right with the plan. Thanks, Lil."

"No problem," Lilly said softly as she pulled herself back up onto her bed and opened her book once more.

"Do you think something is going on between Neville and Lilly?"

"Nah," Daphne whispered as they studied together in the library, "I mean, I don't think they're having a fling or whatever."

"Yeah, I don't either," Harry admitted, "But do you think they have feelings for each other? They've been hanging out a lot more ever since the family planning project."

"They've always been friends, and it probably just made them closer," Daphne shrugged, "I mean, I have noticed a couple of different things."

"Like?" Harry asked noisily.

"Like they spend their free periods in each other's rooms reading and doing homework together," Daphne said with an amused smile, "And like Neville always leaves a little bit of space next to him on the bench at dinner time just in case Lilly wants to sit next to him."

"I saw Hannah glaring at her the other day too."

"I noticed that as well," Sadie whispered from across the table, "Have you spoken to her properly since it all went down?"

"We talk in the passing," Daphne said with a shrug, "But no, we aren't close. You were always closer to Hannah than I was anyway, you and Lilly."

"Well, Lilly's pulled away from her a bit now," Sadie whispered, "I think she was worried about isolating herself from us too much by taking Hannah's side."

"Or she just realised that Hannah was a little crazy," Harry muttered.

"She's struggling, Harry," Sadie sighed, "That's why I've stayed friends with her. She needs a friend."

Daphne nodded, "It's not easy on anyone Harry. That's why things will get very complicated if anything does happen between Neville and Lilly."

"Well, it's probably too soon anyway," Harry reasoned, "I mean Neville and Hannah only broke up a couple of weeks ago."

"Exactly," Sadie said quietly, "So we shouldn't be gossiping about it and helping the rumour mill."

"Shhh," Daphne hushed them as Susan approached their table and sat down next to Sadie. Her books hit the desk with a reasonably loud thump, and she was glared at by Madam Pince for it.

"Don't stop talking about Neville and Lilly on my account," Susan said matter of factly, "Neville made it quite clear that he and I were only friends."

"And you're okay with that?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have to learn to be okay with that," Susan said with a shrug, "Because I don't want to lose Neville as a friend. There are plenty of other guys out there, and Lilly is probably a damn sight better for Neville than me."

"Don't be so down on yourself," Harry said quietly, "Remember what I said to you over ice cream that night? Neville might not see how amazing you are, but somebody will. It will just take the right person to understand you properly."

"Harry's right Suse," Daphne whispered, "Neville wasn't the right guy for you or Hannah. He's a lovely guy, but he wasn't the right one."

"You'll find him someday though, Suse," Sadie smiled, "When we leave this place, I bet. You're more suited to the older, more mature man, I think."

"Yeah," Susan agreed thoughtfully, "I think you're probably right."

Harry smiled slightly at the girl's work. They had sufficiently brightened Susan up. The air in the group had been tense recently with the potions project and the break-up, which was still raw for Hannah at least. The wounds that those dreadful 48 hours had created were slowly starting to stitch themselves up, though. Harry could only take a breath and hope that nothing would happen to rip them open once more.

* ~ TBC ~ *