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Chapter 14

New Faces, Old Names – Part 3

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but my own characters. Don't make me say this again.

AN: For everybody who's been asking when will Harry and Draco finally get to see their friends again – here it is!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everybody who has reviewed! *does a happy dance* Plus, as a reward for my not updating last week (the water was cold, the jet ski's motor wouldn't start, but the weather was perfect for building sandcastles with my six-year old cousin's daughter), there's two chapters!

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  The Gryffindor common room was normally noisy on a Friday night, but for the last month it had been relatively quiet. Most of the students had felt the loss of one of their own, and they weren't quite sure what to make of it. The seventh years were having the hardest time adjusting to the loss of their year mate.

  Since Harry had gone missing, Hermione hadn't even hounded Ron once about studying for the NEWTs. He hadn't noticed this absence of his friend's train of thought until this past week, when he had started to think a little more like normal. He still missed his friend a lot, but he knew he would have to start living like he had been before Christmas. So, for the last week, he had been trying his best to go on with school in his regular manner. If only Hermione had begun to do the same.

  In the past week, he had noticed that Hermione was almost clinging to him. He had been irritated at it at first, but now as they sat around the common room on this abysmal Friday night, it finally made sense to him. His friend was making sure she didn't lose him like Harry. She was afraid that he would disappear just like their friend.

  Her actions also made him think what had happened between them in fifth year. They had tried to date each other, and really cared for the other, but it hadn't worked out. Ron wasn't sure what had really made him look, but he remembered the look on Hermione's face when she had confronted him over what was happening. It was only then that he had noticed how alienated the two of them had become, from both each other and from Harry. He had been so caught up in having *someone* like him for just himself that he hadn't realized he had changed. A little too much change in the long run.

  Thinking back on it now, he knew that he had tried too hard to make a relationship – a romantic relationship – work between Hermione and himself. They were still too young to really know what they wanted out of life, plus there was the threat of Voldemort hanging over them.

  A sigh escaped him as he pulled himself back from his racing mind, but there was no one around to notice. Ron found the common room had emptied while he was deep in his own thoughts. Even Hermione had found her way to bed, which he should seriously be thinking about as well.

  He couldn't though. It was too painful to stare at the empty bed next to his. He wished Harry were here, right beside him at this very instant. He missed joking with his best friend, being jealous of him, being afraid for him. Ron just *missed* him, plain and simple. This wasn't like fifth year at all, when he and Hermione had been dating. Then, neither of them had really missed Harry at all. At least, not until he had been missing from class. Then it had been a case of Voldemort, but he hadn't even made a claim of having Harry, or killing him, or anything else that was despicable and could be done to a human.

  Ron scrunched his nose at the last thought. Maybe that was a little too much to think about.

  "Ron?"

  His head jerked up to find Hermione standing on the bottom stair leading to the girls' dormitory. "What, 'Mione?"

  "Why aren't you in bed?" She took the last step and crossed over to the chair where he was sitting. Pulling her dressing gown a little closer to her, she took a seat in the matching chair. "It's almost three."

  A red eyebrow raised slightly, Ron leaned towards her. "And why are you out of bed at three? I thought you had gone to bed."

  Hermione shook her head. "I can't sleep." She shifted uncomfortably in the chair, even though it was quite soft and cushiony. "For the last week, I've felt like something's about to happen, and I can't decide if it's good or bad."

  "What do you mean?"

  She shrugged before looking into the dwindling fire. "Ever since the last meeting.... It's like something that wasn't right has been fixed, but not necessarily in the way that I want it to be."

  Ron sat back in his chair and watched her for a while as a comfortable silence settled over the two of them. It was still a little strange for them to not be arguing, but they had both decided earlier this year that they would try to be more civil, even with they disagreed on something. And right now, they both agreed that they would try to stay calm while the search for Harry continued.

  "Did you hear from Snuffles?" Hermione asked suddenly.

  He shook his head. "No. I was going to send Hedwig, but she wasn't up in the owlery. I used Pig last time, so I was just going to wait until she got back. I know that Harry said that the other guys could use her to send letters and things, but I haven't had the chance to ask any of them if they had sent Hedwig somewhere."

  "Oh." She looked like a theory of hers had just been shattered.

  "What's wrong?"

  Hermione shifted again. "I was hoping that Snuffles and Professor Lupin would have found something."

  Ron shook his head. "Remember what Dumbledore said, that he didn't think that Harry would have left the grounds voluntarily. And if somebody did grab him, they wouldn't have left a trail with Harry's magical signature."

  Hermione snorted. Ron looked carefully at her and found her lips were tightly compressed, as if she were trying to hold back something. "Mione?"

  She burst out laughing. "I can't believe you remembered that!"

  He scowled at her as she tried to quiet her giggles.

  "Maybe...."

  "Maybe, what?" When she didn't answer, Ron leaned forward again. "Maybe, what, Mione?"

  Hermione shook her head. "I was just thinking that I would have said something like that, and not you."

  Ron frowned before a smile lit his face. "Yeah, I can see that. I think you rubbed off on me."

  She gave a quick grin in return. "You could say that."

  The silence fell again as they both turned their attentions to the fire. They watched the small flickers of flame as they danced between the logs in the hearth, sending eerie echoes of light around the dim room. Ron eventually turned to look at Hermione, and watched the light dance across her face. He was taken aback by the thought that she was truly beautiful, even when she was trying to fall asleep. He hadn't thought of her exactly like that before. It reminded him of when he had seen her at the Yule ball in fourth year. Even then, the thought that she was beautiful had pretty much smacked him one across the back of the head.

  "Mione?"

  She slowly moved her head to look at him. "What, Ron?"

  He leaned forward, so that his knees where touching hers. Reaching across their legs, he took a hold of her hands and gave them a squeeze. "We'll be all right, Mione. Harry will be back, and he'll be fine."

  Surprise raced across her face. "I.... How did you know what I was thinking?"

  Ron gave her an indignant look. "I have been friends with you for seven years. I dated you for five months. I would think that I know how you think every once in a while!"

  Hermione looked shocked before the muscles in her face relaxed into a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Ron."

  He leaned forward again, so that their faces were only inches apart. "You're absolutely welcome, Mione." He shifted in his chair and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I think its time for bed, now."

  Ron stood up, missing Hermione's expression of wonder, and walked over to the bottom of the staircase leading to his dorm room. "Good night, Mione."

  She sat in the chair for a couple more minutes before slowly making her way to bed. Maybe things were going to get better after all.

******

  Ron sleepily blinked one eye as a slice of sunshine broke through the gap in his curtains. Turning, he looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:30. Ugh, on a Saturday.... He flopped over onto his stomach and buried his head in the pillow, wishing he could fall back asleep, but from the noises that were creeping up the stairs from the common room he knew that it was pointless to even try. Even though he must have only gotten maybe four hours of sleep at the most.

  Sitting up, he began his daily ritual of looking over at his friend's bed to see if he had appeared sometime during the night. Sighing, he threw back the curtains and gaped at the scene that met his eyes. Harry's bed was completely empty. Trunk, broom, clothes... everything was gone.

  "WHAT!?" Ron's voice screeched in the silent, morning air. "HARRY! WHERE'S HARRY?"

  His shouts woke the other three boys in the room. They each looked at the bed where Harry normally slept and saw the same thing Ron had seen. Seamus scrambled out of bed and was shaking his head. "No. This is not possible."

  Neville hadn't moved from the sitting position he had first bent in. His pale eyes were the only color in his face as it bleached to an unnatural white. In the bed next to him Dean was trying to unwrap himself from the covers as a knock came on the door.

  Seamus quickly opened the door to find Professor McGonagall. She walked in and gave a small smile. "It's all right, boys."

  Four mouths hung open. "But," Ron began in a small, terrified voice, "where's Harry?"

  "He has been given a new room for the time being. You will be seeing him shortly, so don't worry," McGonagall said with the same smile still on her lips. "He will be at breakfast, and will answer your questions there as to where he has been." She stepped out of the room, leaving the four boys to dash around the room in a mad frenzy to get ready and hurry down to the Great Hall. Ron ran down the last stairs to find a frantic Hermione. Her face was pale and her eyes were rimmed in red. Behind her, Parvati was looking worried and Lavender was crying silently.

  "Harry..." Hermione shakily began before shutting her mouth.

  Ron nodded. "Let's go." He grabbed a hold of her hand and led the group out of the portrait hole. Together they made their way rapidly down to the Great Hall, the rest of the seventh years catching up to them. Opening the door, they looked to the Gryffindor table and found it empty. Ron stopped just inside the doors, looking at the empty spot that Harry hadn't sat in for five weeks and his shoulders began to slump.

  "Ron! Hermione! Guys!" A rich tenor began to call them to the front, where four strangers were seated at a side table next to the teacher's table. The man with long black and blond hair was waving at them enthusiastically. "Up here!"

  The seventh years began to walk up to the front and noticed that he looked very familiar.

  "Harry," said the blond woman sitting next to the man. "Stop teasing them!"

  "Harry?" There was a collective question from the Gryffindors.

  The black haired man nodded. "Yep. It's me!"

  "Very good, Potter. That sounded mature," uttered the blond haired man.

  Harry turned to him. "And you won't act like that when the Slytherins enter, hmm, Draco?"

  The seventh years' eyes switched to the other man.

  "That's Malfoy?" Ron asked with a shaky voice, a trembling finger pointing at the man.

  "At your service," drawled the man. "Well, not really."

  "That sounded good," the second woman finally joined the conversation. "Aeryn, please slap him for me."

  "Sure thing, Marty," replied the blond woman, whapping Draco upside the head. She sighed. "I feel a lot better now."

  "What is this, a daily nutritional requirement to hit me?" Draco laughed at her.

  Harry shook his head when he saw his friends' faces. Shock was clearly written across their features. "So," he began. "What have I missed since we've been gone?"

  "Draco, stop flirting," Aeryn was saying. Harry noticed that none of his friends were even listening to him. Instead they were watching the two blonds sitting next to him. "You are such a baby when it comes to this kind of stuff."

  "I'm not a baby," replied Draco. "I am now your age, after all."

  "Hm. Maybe physically, but I'm not so sure mentally."

  Draco pouted as Harry sighed.

  "Ron."

  There was no answer as the seventh year Gryffindors watched the blond Slytherin with mouths wide open and stunned looks in their eyes.

  "Ron!"

  Harry's yell broke their trance. Seven sets of eyes slowly turned to him, blinking in confusion at the same time.

  "Harry? What happened?" Hermione finally managed to say. "I mean, how did you get to look like that?"

  "It's a long story," Harry said. "Why don't you all eat and then we can go somewhere to talk about this."

  "Up in the common room?" Ron asked, his voice becoming excited at finally getting his best friend back, even if he looked a lot different.

  Harry shook his head. "I'm not exactly a student anymore, so...."

  "What!?" The Gryffindors shouted.

  "Not a student?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

  "That can't be right..." Seamus was muttering under his breath.

  "Did you get expelled for missing..." Parvati began. She stopped when they noticed Ron's pale face. "Is he all right?"

  The red head blinked owlishly at Harry and began to eye the rest of his house mates when his blue eyes rolled to the back of his head and fell to the floor.

  "Ron!" Harry stood up and rounded the small table to pick up his friend. Lifting him in his arms, he walked over to the Gryffindor table and laid him on one of the benches. "Ron..." His voice lowered. When no response came, he held out his right hand. "Enervate."

  Ron's eyes fluttered partly open. Harry could see that he was dazed.

  "I'm sorry, Ron. It doesn't mean that I'm leaving Hogwarts," Harry said. He turned around to see the others in a huddle near by. "And it doesn't mean that I've been expelled. Or Draco."

  The blond man was hovering on one side with Aeryn and Marty. He shook his head when the others turned to him. "No. Professor Dumbledore decided that we have completed school as it is. Our licenses have arrived, but that doesn't mean we won't be around."

  Harry nodded as Marty came over. "Here, Harry. Let me look at him." She ran a gentle hand across his brow and looked into his eyes. She looked up and everybody saw that Ron was going to be okay at the smile on her face. The red head blushed a little as her scrutiny continued.

  "Here, Ron." Harry held out his hand and helped his friend sit up. "Eat breakfast and then I'll tell you everything. I don't think you'll believe me on an empty stomach."

  "Ooh! Fresh meat!" All of their heads turned to Aeryn, who was watching someone enter the Great Hall. They all turned to see Professor Snape stalking down the room, headed straight for the table where the teachers sat. Aeryn gave a quirky little smile. "Well, I'm off!" She said cheerily, and bounced over to the table where they all saw Snape groan and try to pull away.

  "Is she crazy?" Seamus asked. The other seventh years wore shocked faces.

  Draco shook his head in a sad fashion, although there was a grin on his lips. "Yes. And all three of us were trapped with her." His grey eyes lit up as he saw some of the Slytherins walk in. "If you'll excuse me, I'm off to spread a little craziness myself."

  They watched as the Slytherins who had walked in stepped back when Draco greeted them warmly. Well, warm only to Blaise Zabini and a couple of sixth years. The rest of them he said short hellos to and then ignored.

  "That was interesting," Hermione said.

  "Harry," Marty said. "I'm going back to the room, and try to help explain everything when you're ready. Draco'll try to be there, but I suspect Aeryn won't be around."

  Harry's green eyes twinkled. "Something tells me the same thing, Marty," he said as she exited the Great Hall.

  The seventh years gawked. "The room?" Dean asked.

  "You share a room?" Lavender added.

  "All four of us," Harry said as he finally sat down opposite of Ron. "I'll take you guys up there and we can talk. After you eat." He looked pointedly at the plates in front of everyone. "And do it fast so I can get out of here before Colin...."

  They took the hint.

******

  "Damn, Harry!" Seamus' exclamation rang through the huge room.

  Ron's eyes were the widest Harry had seen them yet. "This is all yours?"

  "No," said a voice from the furthest bed. Marty's head was peeking through the curtains, which were the colors of Hufflepuff. "We all share it, but we do have a couple of individual rooms." She climbed out of bed and walked over towards them. Turning to Harry, she said, "Ready to give them the big tour?"

  Harry shook his head. "Draco will be here soon. We can give it to them all together."

  "SHIT!" The expletive was followed by a huge explosion in the next room. The seventh years rocked back on their heels as Harry and Marty ran to a side door. Just as they were about to pull open the door it slammed against the wall and a smoky Aeryn and Snape walked through.

  "I wouldn't recommend you doing that again, Severus," she was saying before stopping to cough. "Ugh, that stuff's awful." Aeryn stopped when she saw a bunch of Gryffindors in the center of the room and Slytherins in the doorway all gawking. "As if any of you never blew anything up in Potions..."

  "What was it, Aeryn," Draco said as he pushed his way through the Slytherins to where she stood.

  "Erumpet horn," she said with a bright smile, her white teeth flashing in a face covered with soot.

  "I would have done that correctly if you hadn't pushed me," Snape said in a chilling voice. Everyone but Aeryn stepped away as she moved forward.

  "And I said that I would do it in the first place, but no. You have to get all macho on me and do it because you're a man."

  Harry, Marty and Draco eyed each other.

  "On the count of three?" Marty asked in a quiet voice.

  Draco nodded.

  "One," Harry began, "two, THREE!"

  All three of them shoved the two who were arguing back into the room and locked the door.

  "Good riddance," Draco said as Harry and Marty sighed.

  "What?" Hermione squeaked, gaining their attention back to their gaping friends.

  Harry shook his head. "Don't ask, because I'm not sure we can answer." He led the others to a small room on the opposite side of the hallway from the large room.

  The walls were lined with bookshelves that went to the top of the twelve foot ceilings. Hermione and Catherine, one of the sixth year Slytherins that had followed Draco, looked around in wonder as the rest of them groaned at their reactions.

  "We'll never get her out of here, now," Ron complained.

  They eventually got seated, each of them noting that Harry and Draco were sitting next to each other willingly. "Where do we start?" Draco asked.

  "Harry?" Marty asked.

  "How about the day everyone was coming back from the holiday," Harry suggested quietly. All three nodded.

  "That's as good as any place to start."