A/N: Reading your reviews always gets me so psyched. What seems like an unproductive day an hour ago is suddenly brimming with possibility! Thank you, m'dears. I love you guys, each and every one of you. Including those of you that don't review. *glares or tries to, which is hard to do when smiling* Alright, then enough babbling. Off to write Chapter five!
Thanks Bonnie, puppydog8, tweety, Dreamer, do you really care?!, nekokijo (Snape in leather? Oh my...And your review wasn't boring), Emily, Prince Alluran, Sophia, Glace de Slytherin, Sharon M., Crystal, Tic tac, Tani, potionsmaster, Abbey, Prongs, Raggona, Fleur, Padfoot Lover, Tom Riddlipley, CaratGold, Wyv and Bel, Lelio, Kuja, SteerpikeSister, Cat Samwise, Rehanna, and LunarBard.
***
Like always, Harry spent the last days of summer at the Burrow. He really would've liked to stay with Sirius and Lupin, but Sirius had yet to settle in. Harry's disappointment was tempered by a promise that he could visit during winter holidays. It was also tempered with worry. He was worried about Draco. He'd look at the empty sky and at the ring on his hand and wonder if he was alright. Maybe it was the sun or maybe it was his imagination but the red stone always seemed to glow brighter then. He took some small comfort in that.
At the appointed time, one of the Weasleys appeared in his living room, but it wasn't the Weasley Harry had been expecting. He would have expected Mr. Weasley, Fred or George, perhaps Ron, but certainly not- "Bill?" Harry said in disbelief.
"Hiya, Harry," Bill replied, grinning at his surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to take you to the Burrow."
"What are you doing at the Burrow?"
"Packing."
"Packing? But you don't even live at the Burrow!"
"I'll explain when we get there," Bill promised.
Following standard procedure for floo powder, Harry stepped into the fireplace. So confused was he that the spinning around him was nothing compared tot he spinning inside his head. He didn't even notice that he made his first graceful landing with floo powder, walking out of the fireplace as if he had just walked through a doorway.
"Harry!" Hermione called, embracing him immediately. Harry returned it awkwardly. "Oh, I'm so sorry I forgot to send you a birthday present! I'll get you one when we go to Diagon Alley, I promise!" she chirped. Harry just gaped. Neville laughed.
"Don't mind her. She's been like this for the past hour. It would appear Rome agreed with her," he said.
"Rome and Greg," Ron said, rolling his eyes.
"Greg has nothing to do with it," she said.
"Of course not," Neville replied cheerfully.
"Greg and I are just friends."
"Sure. Did you tell him that?" Ron asked.
"How stupid would I have to be to get involved with a death eater's son?" she snapped.
"Nice one, Hermione," Neville said. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth and she hastily hugged Harry again.
"Goodness! Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- Oh, I'm sorry," she cried hugging him.
"Any word?" asked Neville.
"No, nothing since he visited," Harry sighed.
"Draco visited you?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, he gave me this," Harry replied, pulling the ring out of his pocket. He put it there because he didn't want the Weasleys to see it and ask questions he wasn't prepared to answer. They all gasped. Ginny ran into the room.
"Harry, did you hear?" she asked excitedly. He shoved the ring back in his pocket.
"Hear what?" he asked.
"About Bill."
"No. What about him?"
"Tell him," she commanded, dragging Bill over to where they stood.
"Tell us what?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I was at work and we had a suspicion that there was something illegal in one the vaults."
"What made you think that?" asked Neville.
"I'm sure the roaring gave it away, Nev," Ron teased.
"I suppose," Neville replied.
"Roaring?" echoed Hermione.
"We opened the vault and found a manticore. It wiped out half the team before we managed to kill it."
"You're so modest! 'We' indeed! The other half of the team ran away!" Ginny said, indignantly.
"They did not run away," Bill replied.
"That's right. They retreated," Neville said.
"Which is running away with a fancy name," Ron said, matter-of-factly.
"Ron! Anyway Professor Dumbledore found out about the entire incident and offered me the ever-vacant position teaching Defense Against Dark Arts."
"And he accepted!" Ginny said, bouncing up and down.
"You can't be worse than Lockhart," Harry remarked.
"Anything is better than Lockhart," muttered Ron.
"Not anything. Some things are worse than Lockhart," insisted Hermione.
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Snape," Hermione replied. Ron gasped.
"Okay, you're right. Snape is worse than Lockhart."
"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence," Bill said.
"Ignore them. You'll do fine," Neville assured him.
"Thanks, Neville. I'd better go finish packing. I have to be at Hogwarts tomorrow afternoon."
The next two weeks went by too fast and too slow for Harry. They were wonderful, but he was still concerned about Draco. To be sure, Ron, Hermione, and Neville did their best not to mention him, but whenever Hermione got a note from Greg, he started to worry again. "We'll see him tomorrow. I'm sure he's fine," Neville said, reassuringly.
"Yes, he'll be the same old Draco we all *cough* love," Ron said. Hermione shot him a warning look. Still, Harry couldn't sleep that night for worry and nothing seemed quite real the next morning until he looked around Platform 9 and 3/4 and met the signature silver gaze of Draco Malfoy.
***
Okay. Bill as a teacher! How do you think he'll do? What about Draco and Harry? Is it truly over? We'll find out next chapter, which will be short. No Vincent in this chapter, but he's coming. They're almost at Hogwarts, so they're bound to run into him. Sorry to my betas, but I couldn't wait! Review, dears, and I'll love you for it.
Luv ya
J. Silver
Thanks Bonnie, puppydog8, tweety, Dreamer, do you really care?!, nekokijo (Snape in leather? Oh my...And your review wasn't boring), Emily, Prince Alluran, Sophia, Glace de Slytherin, Sharon M., Crystal, Tic tac, Tani, potionsmaster, Abbey, Prongs, Raggona, Fleur, Padfoot Lover, Tom Riddlipley, CaratGold, Wyv and Bel, Lelio, Kuja, SteerpikeSister, Cat Samwise, Rehanna, and LunarBard.
***
Like always, Harry spent the last days of summer at the Burrow. He really would've liked to stay with Sirius and Lupin, but Sirius had yet to settle in. Harry's disappointment was tempered by a promise that he could visit during winter holidays. It was also tempered with worry. He was worried about Draco. He'd look at the empty sky and at the ring on his hand and wonder if he was alright. Maybe it was the sun or maybe it was his imagination but the red stone always seemed to glow brighter then. He took some small comfort in that.
At the appointed time, one of the Weasleys appeared in his living room, but it wasn't the Weasley Harry had been expecting. He would have expected Mr. Weasley, Fred or George, perhaps Ron, but certainly not- "Bill?" Harry said in disbelief.
"Hiya, Harry," Bill replied, grinning at his surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to take you to the Burrow."
"What are you doing at the Burrow?"
"Packing."
"Packing? But you don't even live at the Burrow!"
"I'll explain when we get there," Bill promised.
Following standard procedure for floo powder, Harry stepped into the fireplace. So confused was he that the spinning around him was nothing compared tot he spinning inside his head. He didn't even notice that he made his first graceful landing with floo powder, walking out of the fireplace as if he had just walked through a doorway.
"Harry!" Hermione called, embracing him immediately. Harry returned it awkwardly. "Oh, I'm so sorry I forgot to send you a birthday present! I'll get you one when we go to Diagon Alley, I promise!" she chirped. Harry just gaped. Neville laughed.
"Don't mind her. She's been like this for the past hour. It would appear Rome agreed with her," he said.
"Rome and Greg," Ron said, rolling his eyes.
"Greg has nothing to do with it," she said.
"Of course not," Neville replied cheerfully.
"Greg and I are just friends."
"Sure. Did you tell him that?" Ron asked.
"How stupid would I have to be to get involved with a death eater's son?" she snapped.
"Nice one, Hermione," Neville said. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth and she hastily hugged Harry again.
"Goodness! Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- Oh, I'm sorry," she cried hugging him.
"Any word?" asked Neville.
"No, nothing since he visited," Harry sighed.
"Draco visited you?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, he gave me this," Harry replied, pulling the ring out of his pocket. He put it there because he didn't want the Weasleys to see it and ask questions he wasn't prepared to answer. They all gasped. Ginny ran into the room.
"Harry, did you hear?" she asked excitedly. He shoved the ring back in his pocket.
"Hear what?" he asked.
"About Bill."
"No. What about him?"
"Tell him," she commanded, dragging Bill over to where they stood.
"Tell us what?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I was at work and we had a suspicion that there was something illegal in one the vaults."
"What made you think that?" asked Neville.
"I'm sure the roaring gave it away, Nev," Ron teased.
"I suppose," Neville replied.
"Roaring?" echoed Hermione.
"We opened the vault and found a manticore. It wiped out half the team before we managed to kill it."
"You're so modest! 'We' indeed! The other half of the team ran away!" Ginny said, indignantly.
"They did not run away," Bill replied.
"That's right. They retreated," Neville said.
"Which is running away with a fancy name," Ron said, matter-of-factly.
"Ron! Anyway Professor Dumbledore found out about the entire incident and offered me the ever-vacant position teaching Defense Against Dark Arts."
"And he accepted!" Ginny said, bouncing up and down.
"You can't be worse than Lockhart," Harry remarked.
"Anything is better than Lockhart," muttered Ron.
"Not anything. Some things are worse than Lockhart," insisted Hermione.
"Like what?" Ron asked.
"Snape," Hermione replied. Ron gasped.
"Okay, you're right. Snape is worse than Lockhart."
"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence," Bill said.
"Ignore them. You'll do fine," Neville assured him.
"Thanks, Neville. I'd better go finish packing. I have to be at Hogwarts tomorrow afternoon."
The next two weeks went by too fast and too slow for Harry. They were wonderful, but he was still concerned about Draco. To be sure, Ron, Hermione, and Neville did their best not to mention him, but whenever Hermione got a note from Greg, he started to worry again. "We'll see him tomorrow. I'm sure he's fine," Neville said, reassuringly.
"Yes, he'll be the same old Draco we all *cough* love," Ron said. Hermione shot him a warning look. Still, Harry couldn't sleep that night for worry and nothing seemed quite real the next morning until he looked around Platform 9 and 3/4 and met the signature silver gaze of Draco Malfoy.
***
Okay. Bill as a teacher! How do you think he'll do? What about Draco and Harry? Is it truly over? We'll find out next chapter, which will be short. No Vincent in this chapter, but he's coming. They're almost at Hogwarts, so they're bound to run into him. Sorry to my betas, but I couldn't wait! Review, dears, and I'll love you for it.
Luv ya
J. Silver