Chapter 4: Just Friends.

(A/n) words with stars around them means its italicized, ::words:: like that are thoughts.

After potions, Harry, Ron and Hermione settled down at the House table for lunch.
"Ron, look--" Harry nudged Ron.
"What, Harry?" Harry pointed at the Staff table. It all looked normal, but Cho was whispering something in Dumbledore's ear. Dumbledore turned to whisper in her ear, than sat up. Cho straightened, looking cheerful.

"Students, I was offered a suggestion by Cho Chang of Ravenclaw, for the students to mingle with others of different houses at mealtimes. She said it would greatly increase House relations, and I agree. So, starting now, you can move to different house tables to make friends with students of different houses." The students looked baffled, but started to pick up their plates and move. Some Hufflepuffs looked eager to sit with Ravenclaws, and some made space for them. A group of first year Gryffindors moved to Hufflepuff. Harry was eager to move to sit by the Ravenclaws, but Cho already was making her way to them.

"That was a great idea, Cho!" Harry exclaimed, and gestured the others to make space. Cho blushed. "Thanks. I always was disturbed by how all the Houses are segregated, but this was a bold move for me. I thought that Dumbledore would agree." She sat down, and started to pass food around. "What classes did you guys have so far?" She said, offering Hermione potato salad. "We had Defense against the Dark arts and Potions. We learned that spell you did with Malfoy, and Harry is getting good at it." Hermione said. Cho looked from Hermione to Harry.

"Talking about that little runt, did he bother you all today?" Harry told her briefly about his confrontation, but Hermione interrupted. "He was acting strange; he was not teasing him at all, just being a nosy little brat."

"But it was me who blew up," Harry finished. Cho suddenly got up and left. "Was it me?" He asked, and Ron, who was fixated on his lunch, shrugged and looked around. After a while Cho came back, dragging Malfoy by the ear and growling at him furiously. "Apologize, runt!" She threw him at Harry. Rubbing his ear, Malfoy said, "Why are you doing this, Cho? I didn't do anything to him!" He nearly whined. "You were bothering him by being the little brat that you are, nosing into business that is not yours!" She grabbed his arm, so he won't run away. "Sorry, Scarhead." Malfoy said furiously, and Cho let him go to his table. Harry was embarrassed and mad at Cho. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I could do well without an apology from him."

"He needed to learn a lesson. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, it's just that I don't like my cousin very much, and I have to keep him in line, by Mum's orders."

"Cousin?!?" All three said at the same time.

"Yes, cousin. Not very close, but my mum always wants me to visit him and my uncle once a year. I feel sorry for them, but that does not excuse him for what he does to you."

"You don't look anything like him."Hermione said, looking at Malfoy and her repeatedly.

"No, because my mother and uncle had a different mother."

"Small world." Ron said. Cho chuckled.

"Sure it is."

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After lunch, they walked over to Hagrid, who was making his way to them. "Ready for class, lads?" He said, and looked over at Harry. "Dumbledore told me a' about Sirius. 'Ow's it like, having a godfather?"

"It's great! I was wondering when he was going to have a house for me, maybe I'll move in next summer."Hagrid winked and started walking towards his house. "I didn't 'ave much planned f' today, besides finding game trails I' the forest. No, you won't go too far i' there," He chuckled at the exclamations of Harry and Ron. "But we will be looking in the outskirts of it, where nothin' can get ye." After a long, grueling session of identifying different animal scat, footprints, hoof prints, hair and broken twigs in the forest, they left to go for a short dinner with Cho.

Fred and George waved at Harry to talk to him. "Harry, we need to do something for a keeper and a Captain. Everyone thinks you would be a great Captain, as did we, but we need a Gryffindor House vote. "

In the commonroom, the whole House was there, including Professor McGonagall, who was to tally the votes. It was a tie between Angelina and Harry. "To see who is the Captain, we are to revote again, but first, the candidates are to make a speech of why they should be voted for captain. Angelina, you first." He being wanted to be Captain shocked Harry. He never planned to be one, and was sure as anything that he could not make a good speech, especially when you don't have time to make one up.

When Angelina finished her speech with a shaky voice, she winked at Harry and sat down on a sofa. Now it was Harry's turn. Perspiring slightly, he said, "I am really shocked to be nominated for Captain. I don't have anything planned to tell you, but to vote for who will really lead the team for victory. In truth, I voted for Angelina, because she is a really good team member, and a smashing good Chaser," He looked at Angelina, who was blushing furiously. "And I believe that she will also be a great Captain. I really have no extra time to be a captain, with the, erm, O.W.L.'s going on, " but that was not all. He was going to ask for Hermione's used newspapers for anything about Voldemort or Death Eaters. Now he not only has to protect himself from him, but Sirius is also on Voldemort's hit list now. He can't spare a minute of his time.

"Okay, Gryffindors, vote, and you will know who your Captain is in the morning." Professor McGonagall passed around sheets of paper, and then walked around with a box to put them in.

Harry joined up with Ron and Hermione, who were once again, arguing.
"Harry, were you telling the truth that you didn't want to be captain?" Ron asked.

"I didn't say i don't want to be Captain, its just that I have other *important* things to do."

"Yeah, we have to study for those O.W.L.'s." Hermione said sarcastically, getting the point that that was not all.

"Do you still have your old newspapers, Hermione? I want to look through them." He raised an eyebrow at Ron, who just got the picture.

"OH! That's the reason! Mum and Dad won't say anything to us, and all our newspapers disappeared. Did Sirius...?"

"I haven't got to him yet about it. So, you got 'em, Hermione?"

She nodded and went up to her dorm. After a while, she came down, with a huge bundle of old newspapers labeled with differently colored rubber bands. ::Clever Hermione, always a step ahead of the game.:: Harry thought, glad that he doesn't have to spent hours through useless papers. "The newspapers with green bands are just suspicious wordings, like codes, and they are highlighted where there are some. Blue ones actually talk about the school, yellow about the Ministry. Black ones, obviously, are anything that relates to anything about The Dark Lord directly." She handed him the newspapers with black rubber bands, and handed Ron the yellow ones, herself starting on a blue-banded one.

Quickly unfolding a recent one, he skimmed through the underlined sentences, finding nothing more than 'in the day of the Dark Lord' now and then, or 'suspicions of Dark magic'. Just when he was about to give up to go to bed, Ron gave out a cry.

"OY, Harry! Its Rita Skeeter writing again, that old cow. Didn't you lock her up in a jar, Hermione?" Harry grabbed at the paper, furious that she broke her promise to Hermione.






CONVICTED MURDERER NOT INNOCENT, SAYS MINISTRY OFFICIAL


Just days after the pardon of convicted murderer Sirius Black, an anonymous ministry official was asked to be interviewed about Mr. Black's innocence. He says that he was using the Imperius curse on the late Peter Pettigrew, who was known to have stood up to Sirius Black that fateful day, where he was convicted for blowing up the street, killing Peter, and a dozen muggles.

But, just days before the start of school for students, Peter, after more than a dozen years has shown his face once again in public, in a wizard bar in (Some place in England, help me out). Drunken, he was overheard by two Aurors, exclaiming that the Ministry has done a poor job in finding, 'that wretched beast, that Sirius.' The Aurors thought that it seemed suspicious, to have a dead man drunk in a bar. Slipping a vial of Veritasium in his drink, they had questioned him numerous questions, finding out that he was an unofficial Animagus, and was the one who told The Dark Lord of the Potter's whereabouts, shortly after he switched places with Sirius, who was the Potter's Secret Keeper for The Dark Lord. He acted out that fateful day, to make sure everybody thought that Black was the murderer. Then he cut off his finger, and blew up the street, and transformed into a rat, and disappeared.

But our official does not think so. "I believe that he did switch places with Peter, but then put him in the Imperius spell to tell the Dark lord about where he is, but he broke the curse just in the nick of time he was going to get killed, then transformed and ran away, but losing a finger in the blast. Then he hid for a number of years, knowing that Sirius would break free. Then he got caught by Sirius again, and was used by the curse for a number of reasons. For one, he was used to spy for The Dark Lord." He could not explain the Veritasium, but saying again that he was under the curse.

It had been rumored that Sirius has taken up the Defense against the Dark Arts class in Hogwarts. If it is true, has Dumbledore, the Headmaster, made a wise choice? If Sirius is indeed a Death Eater, what will happen to Harry Potter, the boy who lived?






"Hmmm. I wonder who that Ministry official is?" Harry said aloud.

"I wonder why Malfoy was not full of glee when he saw this." Ron said huffily. Hermione moved in her seat uncomfortably.

"It's because it's not out yet. This is tomorrow's paper."

"Then how--" Ron said.

"--I live right near the building that makes the papers. My younger brother always filches one for me." She shifted more, knowing that she was not supposed to steal.

"Bravo, Hermione! Your first criminal act!" Ron cheered.

"But what do we do, when the Slytherins find out? What are we going to do about Skeeter? And what about a brother?" Harry said, oblivious to Ron's cheering.

"What, you have a brother? Why didn't you tell us?" Ron said, sobering.

"His name is Aaron, and he might be a wizard, but I'm not sure. I know he has a bit of magic in him, because he could see the building." Hermione shrugged. "I guess I didn't tell you because it didn't come up. Let's get some sleep, we can talk about it tomorrow."

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Harry was shaken awake by Ron. "Harry, wake up! McGonagall about to announce who is the Captain! Come on, and get dressed!"

When he was ready, the boys in his dorm rushed him down the steps, into the growing crowd. When he stepped into the room, there was a bunch of cheers to support him, while he sat into a sofa next to Angelina. He gave Angelina a thumbs up, and she replied by crossing her fingers. After a bit of chatting, the room fell deadly silent as the portrait hole creaked open to let Professor McGonagall in. She raised an eyebrow at the silence, and conjured up a table to put the box on. She turned to also conjure a blackboard, to tally the votes. She reached her hand in, and unfolded a piece of parchment.

"First vote: Harry Potter," Whistles and cheers empathized the leap in Harry's heart. She put one line under Harry's name on the chalkboard.

It seemed to go on for hours, sometimes Harry in the lead, sometimes Angelina. Then it came to the last vote, with them tied. McGonagall cleared her throat. "This last vote will show us who the new captain is. I advise you two, Harry and Angelina, to not get upset by either result, and walk away, winner or loser, with good sportsmanship." She unfolded the last vote. "Gryffindor's new Captain is...*Harry Potter*!"

Angelina, who was cheering and crying at the same time, hugged Harry. She whispered into his ear, "That was my vote, Harry, I know you'll do well for the team." she separated from him, kissing his cheek. He walked away, blushing, towards Hermione and Ron, who were ecstatic.

"Wow, a captain." Ron said.

"Amazing, Harry!"

He followed the rest of the group into the Great Hall for breakfast. When Cho came up to their table, Ron couldn't wait to tell her the good news. "Harry's Captain of the Quidditch team!" But instead of her looking cheerful, she looked tormented.

"That's really great, but I turned out to be Captain of my House, too." Harry's heart sank like a rock in the ocean. He had not realized that they were to compete in the games until now. She looked down at her food. Hastily, Hermione changed the subject. "Cho, have you read the newspaper today?"

"No, why?"

Harry suddenly remembered what was in today's paper. He looked around the staff table. Sirius was still there, though Snape looked like he won a new car and was handing Sirius the paper. Sirius visibly gasped and paled, then spoke to Snape furiously, though Harry could not make out what they were saying. Then Sirius pointed at Harry, and Snape turned, looking at him directly in the eye. Their eyes locked for a second, then he turned to talk to Sirius, who got up and started to walk to Harry.

"Hiya, Kiddo, I guess you read the paper about me?"

"Yeah, but that Skeeter woman is always--hey, how did you know?"

"Snape's a mind reader. No, we saw that you were looking at us, and I assumed the worst."

"That I thought that was true? Do I really look that stupid?" Sirius burst out laughing, and ruffled Harry's hair.

"I guess not. Professor McGonagall told me the great news! I'm so proud, Harry." Sirius said, pretending to cry. Cho chuckled, alerting Sirius. "Hey, your a Captain too! And Harry's friend? That's going to be complicated."

"We know." Harry and Cho said at the same time, which made the group laugh.

"At least you guys aren't going out with each other, then *that* would be bad." Harry blushed even harder than when Angelina kissed him. Apparently, Cho was too.

"You guys -aren't- going out, right?" Sirius looked at them, suspiciously.

"No, they aren't, Professor Black, just friends." Ron added hastily.

"Just friends." Hermione repeated.

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Author's note: Golly, this chapter took a lot of thinking and time, i tell you what. And to top it all off, i had a huge writer's block, I couldn't even think of the story without it being like trying to run into a brick wall. It was sorta obvious that Harry would be Captain, but i wanted to make a big deal out of it anyway. ^_^

I'm re-reading the series again so I can make some finer points in further chapters, and to freshen my memory, all that good stuff. So things might take longer than before, empathis on *might*. Don't worry, i'm a fast reader.

::Puts on cliffhanger-y like voice:: Does Cho like Harry? What is going to happen when they meet in the Quidditch game? Is Malfoy going to make a big deal about Sirius? Is Voldemort creating a plan to get into Hogwarts? Is Snape going to wear a fluffy tutu and hand out sweets next class? ::People look at Athene curiously:: --nevermind. Tune in next time, too....The Fifth Year!



Did you read it? Then give me your thoughts on it! I dont mind people reviewing multiple times, so lay it on me!