A/N: There. I've written the next one. This one is dedicated to Katie, my critic, adviser, and best friend, whose birthday was yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!!

Disclaimer: Everything except for Ad at this time is J.K.'s. Nuf said.

            "Harry, are you OK?" Hermione jumped off the motorbike, and ran across the Hogwarts grounds to meet him.

"I read you're letter over and over, and I was sure that…" She paused for a moment, and looked up. "Harry…you're really tall."

            "Really is not the word, Hermione, he's about an inch taller than you are." said Ron, climbing off the bike and trotting over to join them. He put his arm on the top of Harry's head. "Still makes a good arm rest."

            "Get off, you!" Harry yelled, grinning, as he shoved Ron off of his head. He stopped grinning, then looked very seriously at Ron and Hermione.

            "Dumbledore needs to talk to all of us. Right away," he said quietly.

            "Is anything wrong?" Hermione looked worried. "I knew there had to be something wrong! I knew it! Harry, is it the Dursley's? What did they do? I…"

            "She's been like this for the whole ride here," Ron muttered in an undertone to Harry. "She's been impossible."

            "I heard that Ron Weasley!"

            "Come on, I think Dumbledore can explain it better than I can," said Harry heavily, and he started for the castle. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, now both worried, and followed.

~**~

            "He's a what?" Ron and Hermione's words, echoing those of Lily and Harry, drifted through the hallway and hit Harry's ears. It still didn't seem believable.

            "A mage." Dumbledore sounded more tired then when he had told Harry. Harry, who had been waiting quietly outside the door, walked in. If Ron was jealous last year, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know what Ron's reaction would be now. Would he ever go back to normalcy again? He severely doubted it. He looked up at his friends. Ron was pale behind his freckles, and Hermione, it appeared, was about to fall off her chair as she swayed in her seat.

            "Gryffindor's heir? A lorria auror? A mage? Harry…" She broke off. 

            "Don't," he said suddenly, not wanting to hear anymore. "Listen, I know it's going to be hard and everything, but…"

            "Harry is allowed to chose one person to train with him as an auror." Said Dumbledore. "Since he prefers not to, he would like you two to chose among yourselves. You must drop out of Hogwarts, however, you will be allowed to stay on the grounds, and therefore, still see your friends." He held out a piece of parchment. "Once you sign this, you will be signed on as an auror in training, and there will be no way out afterward."

~**~

Dumbledore held out the parchment. The whole dropping out of Hogwarts thing seemed, to Ron, quite appealing, until Dumbledore held out that parchment. A veil seemed to drop over Ron's eyes, and he knew, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he must not sign it.

Ron looked around at the bodies strewn around him. Harry, Hermione, Snuffles…he had caused this. He could have prevented it…if only…he hadn't…tried to be like Harry…

Ron stumbled back from the parchment as if it had tried to bite him.

"I can't," he said, babbling, "You don't understand, I can't do this, I just can't I don't know why it's just…"

Dumbledore looked at him as if he was reading his mind. He smiled. "I told you, Harry, that sometimes friends can decide better than you can."

Harry, looking slightly hurt, nodded, then looked at Hermione, who was looking pale.

"I'll sign it," she said, "I've been keeping Harry out of trouble since first year, what would he do without me? Besides," she smiled. "It could be very educational."