Hey guys and gals have I got treat for you.

A double up-date!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5.

It had been a couple of weeks since the start of term and everyone had settled back into school life. The lessons were one thing, the other was something that Harry and Ron were quite looking forward to: the new Quidditch season.

How-ever at the start of one morning there was a brand-new notice on the common room board that put a stop to that.

"I can't believe it!" Ron glared at the innocent piece of paper. "Quidditch was the one thing that kept me sane in this place. How could Dumbledore ban us from playing?"

Hermione re-read the note, "It's just our year. Dumbledore wishes us to focus on building up our inter-house relationships. We can still see the others play."

Ron sighed, "It's not the same." He turned to Harry, who had just arrived, "All those new moves we've been quietly talking about... wasted."

Harry shrugged, "Never-mind, Ron. If it can't be helped, it can't be helped." He wrapped an arm around his mates' shoulder for a quick squeeze, "We'll just tell the new Captain about our game-plans and cheer from the side-lines."

"You seem to be taking this news pretty well." Hermione cocked her head slightly. "I'd thought you'd be the first kicking and screaming your way to see McGonagall."

He shrugged again,while Ron was still muttering under his breath, "Maybe I want a rest. Let the younger blood have a go. I just want a nice easy year this year. No dramas."

"Coming from the guy paired up with the git who's a walking drama-queen." A new voice said behind them. Ginny Weasley linked her arm through Harry's. "I thought you, of all people, would jump at the chance to humiliate the Ferret. Don't tell me you actually believe his story about turning over a new leaf?" Before Harry could reply, she leaned against him with a sugary, sweet smile. "I've missed you. I haven't seen you properly in ages. You're always with him."

"You see me every morning at breakfast. Speaking of," He yanked his arm free, checking his watch, "we're going to be late, if we don't get a move on." He lead the way out, leaving Ron to calm down the youngest Weasley as she demanded an explanation to his odd behavior. Harry felt someone at his side. "Hermione?"

"That wasn't very nice ,Harry. You know Ginny's got a soft spot for you and you're pushing her away. Why?"

He looked at her, "Like I said: No dramas." Walking down the stairs, spying a blond head amongst the group of Slytherins, he felt the charm grow warm against his chest. His hand found the chain around his neck and started playing with it.

"May I see that?" Hermione asked. Harry was quiet for a second, before nodding and pulling the charm free fom his shirt. She studied it for a moment, "It's an odd shape. Looks like a face, doesn't it? Strange metal too. Where did you get it?"

Harry blinked a couple of times before finding his voice, " The night the holiday village burnt down. Merlina, the friend I was staying with, gave it to me b-before she...she..." He swallowed thickly, looking away, feeling his eyes water.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione hugged him, "I'm sorry! I just wanted to see it. M-maybe study it a little?"

Harry sniffed, hugging her back, "You know, I was gonna ask you that. Do you think you could find some information on it?"

Hermione smiled, "Mr Potter, you've come to the right person." She grinned widely, extending her hand, " Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire, at your service."

Harry laughed, taking the offered hand in a firm hand-shake. "Idiot." He muttered fondly, linking their arms and heading into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Even with the loss of playing Quidditch, the first month back at Hogwarts passed by quickly and soon it was nearly Halloween. With the absence of Hagrid (doing some important work for Dumbledore in the mountains, according to the sketchy letter he wrote Hermione.) it was down to the advanced year to decorate the castle for the celebrations.

The year had been divided up, tasked with a different objective.

Ron, Neville and some others were outside near Hagrid's hut, in the pumpkin patch.

"Hagrid makes it look so easy!" Ron huffed and puffed, his face turning pink, trying to load up the wheel-barrows with pumpkins. The group next to them struggling just as much.

Neville wiped his face with his sleeve, "We could try a Reducio charm, and then use Engorgio back at the castle?"

Ron blinked and then grinned, "Neville...you're a bloody genius!"

Neville smiled back, "Thanks, Ron." He tried the spell and his pumpkin slowly got smaller until it was the size of a water-melon. Now with the pumpkin a more managable size, he lifted with ease and plonked it into the barrow. The others watched him shrink another one and nodded in agreement, trying the spell for them-selves, filling up their wheel-barrows. It didn't take long before they were finished. The group congratulated the Gryffindor for his quick thinking and started headed up the castle with their bounty. Neville turned to Ron. "That was nice of them. Most days they make fun or push me around. Normally I'm seen as the clown, 'cause well...you know..."

Ron patted Nevilles' shoulder. "Don't put yourself down, mate. Didn't you say your Gran was impressed with you last Potions score?" Neville nodded. "Not to mention your Herbology results are the best in the year next to Hermione's." Ron rubbed some dirt from his nose, "At this rate you'll be teaching the class before you know it."

"Do you think so?"

"You bet! Now let's get these up to the castle as soon as possible."

Neville grinned, "Race ya!"

In the Castle...

Hermione and Jeanie were in the Library with most of the other girls. They were in charge of the party games for the younger years. Seated around a large table, with Hermione at the head, they had a few things written down.

A Hufflepuff put up her hand, "What about Pin the Tail on the Donkey?"

Her Slytherin buddy looked confused, like most of them, "What's that, then?"

"You don't use a real donkey, do you? 'Cause that's just wrong."

Hermione shook her head. "No! No real donkeys. It's a Muggle game. You have a big picture of a cartoon donkey stuck to the wall and a load of fake tails. One by one people are blindfolded, given a tail and take turns pinning the tail to the picture. Who-ever is closest wins a prize."

The group nodded in agreement, "What should the prize be?"

Jeanie's fellow Ravenclaw put up her hand, "How about a collection of Chocolate Frogs from Honeydukes?"

Another group nod of agreement. Hermione chewed the end of her quill, "It should have a more Halloween feel..."

Jeanie quietly gasped, raising her hand, "W-what about a ghost? A-and instead of a tail it could be the word BOO! W-we could c-call it Pin the Boo on the Ghost."

Hermione grinned at her, "I like it! All in favour?" Everyone raised their hands and she jotted it down. "Right, we now have: apple bobbing, Piñatas shaped like bats and spiders filled with sweets and joke party favours from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and Pin the Boo on the Ghost. Anything else?"

The group all raised their hands...

In the Great Hall...

Harry and Malfoy were with the group tasked with decorating the Great Hall. The boys were going along one side of the Hall hanging up orange and black paper chains with sticking charms.

Harry, now in his shirt sleeves and tie askew, grumbled as his end ended up lower than Malfoys. Malfoy, dressed in a similiar fashion, smirked and walked over, quickly showing him how it was done. "Show off."

Malfoy's smirk grew, "Just because I'm better at Charms than you..."

Harry lifted his wand, "Not another word, or you can do the other side all by yourself." He started working on another chain, Malfoy at the other end. "Do you think we'll be done in time?"

The Slytherin thought for a second before nodding, "Should be. If we work together...No,no,no!" He left Harry's side, heading to the tables where a quartet of girls were placing small cauldrons of sweets down the middle. "What are these? I thought we decided to have toy creatures: toads, spiders, bats..."

The Hufflepuff shrugged, "We've always had sweets at the tables. You're not in charge, Malfoy. Go bug someone else." Her friends sneered at him, turning their backs, continuing to work.

Harry grabbed Malfoy's wrist to tug him away. "Let's leave them for now and get this done." He grabbed another chain to put up. "Here." As he handed Malfoy the chain, their finger-tips brushed, ever so slightly. The warm feeling in his chest (a constant companion, Harry realized, when near or in Malfoy's company.) blossomed, warming his whole body and he looked up. Malfoy was pink in the cheeks and had a far away look on his face. The Slytherin's free hand was toying with a thick chain around his neck that ended with a very familiar looking charm. "Malfoy...That pendent, where did you..?"

"There you are!" Harry was engulfed in scarlett robes. Ginny planted a big kiss on his cheek in full view of Malfoy. "You missed practice. I saved you a seat and everything. Why didn't you come?"

Harry stepped back, closer to Malfoy. "I had to help get the Hall ready. I told you this morning."

"I see..." She stepped closer to Malfoy, her eyes narrowing. "Harry... That's your lucky charm he's wearing." Her face darkened, she advanced on the fair-haired wizard. "You complete arse! You stole Harry's birthday present when he wasn't looking? Give me that!" She snatched the pendent from Malfoy's neck, breaking the chain in the process. Holding it to the light she squinted at the fine symbols written along the edges. "What a piece of rubbish. Who-ever gave you this, Harry, had no taste."

"Give it back, Weasley." Malfoy scowled at her, his manner every bit the Pure-Blood he was brought up to be.

She grinned darkly, "Well, look who's finally here. The Malfoy we all know and detest. You want this?" She dangled the charm by its chain, "Well go get it!" With all the strenght she could muster, Ginny threw the necklace over his head. It hit the stone ground with such force a tiny crack appeared along its surface. "Come on, Harry."

"But, Ginny!"

"Come on. You don't need him. He's a Slytherin."

Harry's protests fell on deaf ears as he was led away. The rest of the group, silent during Ginny's out-burst, were now talking quietly amongst them-selves.

Malfoy crouched down to retrieve the charm. As his fingers closed around it, an electrical shock made him jump. Never done that before. Looking closer, his eyes widened as its surface flickered with blue energy and a soft hum, sounding like Muggle Morse-Code, reached his ears. Oh, that's not good.

Deep in the Forest, by a rocky cavern, a familiar yellow figure sat drawing pitcures in the ground with a stick. Suddenly he felt a tingle go through his body. His audio receptors picked up an old Cybertronian code. Careful not to be seen, B-127 made his way towards the castle. He stopped just before the magical barriers and looked on, whining low in his throat.

High above the planet the Decepticon known as Soundwave hovered in orbit, looking for the faintest trace of the object known as The Talisman of Hope. The Scout he had sent to the human holiday village was so close to finding the first half but was destroyed by B-127 before it could retrieve it. He had lost its energy trail, figuring it was cloaked by unknown means...Until now...

Feeling a familiar tingle the Decepticon focused on the area the trace came from, zooming in and smiling sinisterly.

"Energon signature detected. Sending location co-ordinates. All available Scouts mobilise. Glory to Megatron!"

Hey guys!

Up-dates will be slower, I'm afraid. Holidays have come to an end and it's back to work for me.

Next chapter will be a long one...And it's THE one.

Thanks for reading, if you still are. Don't forget : reviews are like hugs!

M.x