IMPORTANT NOTICE

I know that a lot of you have been asking for longer chapters, and I've been thinking a lot over the past week. I've decided to give you three options. The first is that I continue posting like I have been and keep the chapters at the average size. The second option is that I write longer chapters and post what I have written every two weeks, and the third is that I write longer chapters and post them when I have finished them, not every two weeks. There will be a poll at my Yahoo group for you to vote on or you could just tell me in your review. Now that we've gotten that over with, happy reading! My cuts didn't get infected and are healing well, to all that asked. ;)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Harry rolled over in a vague attempt to land in a more comfortable position, whilst continuing to sleep. It didn't work. He sighed and rolled over a few more times, before throwing the bed sheets off of him and sitting up, running a hand through his hair irritably. He stood up, thumped his way down to the bathroom, splashed some water on his face and got dressed. When he walked back into the main room the first thing he saw made him draw in a quick breath, then let it out in a low hiss. It was his photo album. After he had woken up he had half managed to convince himself that last night had not happened; that it had all been a terrible, terrible nightmare. After staring at it for a moment he picked it up with trembling hands, and began to search through it, trying to find a picture that was not ruined. By the time he was half way through he had almost given up hope. The site of the burnt pages and ruined, empty pictures was getting to him, and he slowly flicked to the next page, preparing himself for the site he knew would greet him. One of the pages was just as burnt as all of the others, but the next page was different. Although the page was so burnt that large bits of ash crumbled off as he stared at it, the photo stuck to the page was not damaged. He slowly lifted it out of the book, not daring to breathe. It was a picture of his father with his arms wrapped around his mother possessively, and in his mother's arms a tiny child grinned, reaching up one hand to tug lightly on a wisp of his mother's hair that had fallen out of the loose ponytail it was bound in. As he watched she laughed and reached up to disentangle the hand, before caressing his cheek lightly and tickling one of his feet. He let out the breath slowly and placed the picture carefully on the desk beside the photo album. He opened his trunk and began to search through it. After a moment he pulled out an old quill that had managed to not be found when he had cleaned out his trunk at the end of the last year. He placed it on the desk and pointed his wand at it, concentrating on the imaged he wanted it to take. He muttered a few words under his breath and watched as the quill slowly shifted shape into a beautiful photo frame of burnished mahogany oak with some small, elegant carvings etched into the frame. He slid the picture into it and set it beside the bed, before sitting down and staring at it. He knew that there was no way the picture could have survived the flames without some kind of protection spells on it. He vaguely wondered who would want to put a protection spell on a picture, and why. After staring at it for a few minutes he stood and brushed his hair, not listening to the mirror's amused chuckles.

"Oh, shut up," He told it eventually. "Just because my hair won't stay neat doesn't mean I shouldn't brush it."

The mirror hushed, and he put the brush down, looked once more at the photo, smiled as his mother waved to him, and walked out to go to breakfast. He knew that Dumbledore had said that he could have the day off, but he didn't think he'd be able to bear being alone with himself and his thoughts without some kind of activity to take his mind off what had happened – Even if it meant going to potions.

Harry wandered into the potions classroom, ignoring the few people who had already arrived and began unpacking his kit. As he reached for the set of scales a small, golden glow came to his attention. He sighed and reached out for it instead, watching as the glow grew into the small set of golden scales he had received from Salazar. Fairly soon all of the class had arrived, and Professor Snape strode in. He looked a little surprised to see Harry sitting in the back row, but he covered it well.

"Get out your cauldrons. Today we'll be attempting to create the Spirabilis Iaculari potion. You will be needing dragon's wing, snake fangs, wolfsbane, and poison ivy. The two plants will be added together and boiled for ten minutes over a blue flame before you add the dragon's wing. You will need to shred the wing before adding it and powdering the snake fangs is recommended unless you wish to be belching poison. The snake fang will be added after the dragon wing has been left to simmer with the rest of the ingredients for two minutes and ten minutes before the potion is removed from the flame. You're timing will have to be accurate so I would be using your eggtimers if I were you. Begin."

The classroom quickly became void of any noise other than the clink of glass on glass and the sounds of ingredients being prepared. Harry had paired up with Neville and managed to save the potion from becoming a new layer on the dungeon floor, although he couldn't prevent it turning out rather poorly. When they came to testing the potion instead of breathing fire Neville was coughing up sparks and tiny burning embers.

"I am warning you now, Mr. Longbottom, that you had better get some serious help with potions or you are going to fail the end of year finals," Professor Snape told him when he saw what had happened. Neville nodded miserably.

"Good. You will need to learn chapters twenty-seven through to thirty for homework as we will be starting the potions covered there next lesson. Remember to take your brevis animatus potions with you to Transfiguration, as I will not be permitting you to come into my class to retrieve them. Class dismissed."

The Gryffindors and Slytherins both cleaned up their potion – or what was left of it, in some cases – and headed on to their next class.

"Hey, Harry?" Neville asked, running after him as they both headed towards Transfiguration. "Are you all right?"

Harry considered the question. "Probably the best I can be, considering the circumstances, Neville."

"Sorry. Harry I know it seems rude, but there have been these rumours going around…"

"What did you want to ask me, Neville?"

"Are you still on the Quidditch team?" The question was asked quickly, as if Neville wasn't certain he wanted to ask it in the first place. Harry stared at him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked. Neville blushed faintly.

"Well, people have been saying that you quit because of what Ron said and what your cousin did. There're even rumours of you transferring schools to Beauxbaton! I know that the last one can't be true because the teachers are your guardians now, but – "

Harry interrupted him. "You said yourself that they were rumours. That is all they are."

Neville nodded quickly. "Okay. It's just that, well, I don't think I'd be able to be on the team if you weren't any more. I know that people respect what you say when you tell them that I'll be okay, but they don't really believe it. If you weren't the Captain the person that replaced you might not want me to be on the team…" Neville said in a rush, looking away from Harry.

"It wouldn't matter whether they wanted you on or not, Neville. It's only your abilities and belief in yourself that matters," Harry told him. "Now come on, we have to get to class."

Harry and Neville barely made it in time – Peeves had decided that it would be fun to force the staircases to move just as they were crossing one. Professor McGonagall looked at the two with clear disapproval in her eyes for a moment before telling them to take a seat.

"Today we will be using the brevis animatus potion to find out what form you would most probably take if you were to become an animagus. I would not go predicting that you will become unicorns and phoenixes if I were you; that only happens in very special cases. I trust you all have your potions here?"

Neville slowly raised his hand. "Professor? My potion didn't exactly work out."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Would anyone mind sharing their potion with Mr. Longbottom? You will only remain in your animagus form for a shorter time if you do, I'm afraid."

"Ron's got plenty of it, Professor," Seamus said. Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Neville, you will have to move up and sit next to Ron. I trust this is all right by you, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron nodded, although he did not look too happy about it.

"You will need to find another place to sit then, Miss Granger."

She nodded and, after some hesitation, moved to sit next to Harry. He glanced at her before returning his gaze to McGonagall.

"You will be coming up to the front of the class one at a time. Once you have drunk the potion you may experience a brief moment of panic and fear, but that is normal. Just remember that whatever you look like, you are still, essentially, you. Don't ever forget that. I don't expect us to finish today so don't worry if we run out of time, you will simply have your turn next lesson."

A Ravenclaw that Harry did not really know raised her hand. "What happens if we forget, Professor?"

McGonagall gazed at her for a moment. "You'll become an animal with some odd dreams about being human."

There was silence for a moment. "Oh. Why do we have to go separately, then? Wouldn't it be quicker to do a few people at a time?"

"What do you think would happen if someone became an eagle and another became a rabbit? It's hard to resist the urges of an animal the first few times you transform, and we don't want any incidents."

"I guess that makes sense," The Ravenclaw said, and sank back into her seat.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Now…Mr. Weasley, would you please come up to the front? It would make sense to get you and Mr. Longbottom out of the way first."

Ron obliged, walking out to the front and downing his half of the potion in one quick gulp. Nothing happened for a moment, then Ron was not there any more. Instead a red fox was standing on the ground, poised and ready to run. After a moment it relaxed and waved the tip of its tail slightly.

"He's so cute!" Lavender squealed, clapping her hands. "I always liked foxes!"

The Ron-fox seemed to glare at her for a moment before lying down in a corner and watching the class with one eye. Within five minutes he had transformed back into his usual form, standing up from the rather undignified heap he had been in and taking his seat.

"Alright, next person," Professor McGonagall said, and Neville stood. He was shaking slightly, and looked pale. He drank the potion quickly, however, before standing and waiting for the potion to take effect. Instead of shrinking, he grew. In a few seconds a beautiful panda was sitting at the front of the room, looking slightly confused. He transformed back after a few minutes and took his seat again, blushing slightly.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered. The rest of the class was too busy watching the transformations to pay any attention to the two down the back.

"What, Hermione?" He murmured, watching Pavarti become a peacock.

"Um…about last night…I know that you didn't really do anything, and that Ron was being really unfair, but…"

"It's okay, Hermione. You don't have to explain it."

She shook her head quickly. "No, I do. I mean…Well, you know how Krum and I broke it off over the holidays?"

Harry nodded. It had come as an extreme shock to Ron, but Harry suspected that he had been pleased with the turn of events.

"Well the reason Krum decided that we weren't going to work out is because he thought that I liked you. I didn't, and I don't like you in that way, Harry, but it got me to thinking about who and what I really cared about. And I soon found that the first person who came to mind was Ron…" She finished quietly, looking down at the desk so that her hair covered her face slightly. Harry got the impression that she was blushing.

He smiled. "I know, Hermione. I've been watching you two for ages, waiting for one of you to do something."

She smiled nervously. "The thing is, Harry…I don't want to lose what little chance I've got with him. I stood by you last year, and I know that if I did it again he would never forgive me."

Harry nodded. "And you wanted to tell me that even though you won't be around me much until we sort out this fight, you do still want to be friends. Right?"

Hermione nodded.

"It's okay. I don't mind, and to tell you the truth I think you've got more of a chance with Ron than you think." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Thank you, Harry. I knew you'd understand."

The two sank into a comfortable silence as they watched the transformations take place. Pavarti shocked the class by transforming into a pixie that flew around and annoyed everyone greatly for several minutes. Professor McGonagall explained at that point that, while it is possible to become a magical creature, it does not occur often. Pavarti was extremely pleased with herself and spent the rest of the lesson whispering to Lavender about her form. At the end of the class there was still about seven people who had not yet taken the potion.

"I will keep your potions here until the next lesson for safekeeping," McGonagall told them as they filed out. "Now you'd best get to your next class."

"Come on, Harry! The Duelling Club is starting soon!" Seamus yelled outside of Harry's room impatiently. "We're all waiting on you!"

Seamus, Dean, and Neville had all become considerably closer to Harry over the past few days. Ron did not really seem to mind that they were not taking sides, but was still not talking to Harry.

"Coming!" Harry called out, opening the door and running out while fastening the last clasp on his coat.

"What took you? You'd think you were one of the girls getting ready for a ball, for heaven's sake!" Dean complained good-naturedly, thumping Harry lightly on the shoulder. Harry grimaced.

"It's not my fault the teachers stuck a fuss-pot mirror in there. It threatened to start singing high enough to break all the glass in the room if I didn't 'wrap up well'."
Neville's forehead wrinkled. "Wouldn't that mean it would break?"
" I tried to tell it that, but no. Stupid thing must be suicidal."

Seamus shrugged. "Must know my mother."

Dean looked at his friend, shocked. "How could you say that? Your mother's wonderful!"

Seamus looked at him grimly. "Only to guests. Otherwise she is a health fanatic. If we so much as get a cold we get dragged off to the doctor for a full check-up."

Dean laughed. "My mother's a bit like that, too."

Neville had a faint look of triumph on his face. "I bet they can't compare to my Gran," He said smugly.

"Bet they can!" Dean and Seamus said.

"I'm going to side with Neville on this one," Harry said, thinking back to the boggart 'Snape' and the clothes he had been forced to wear.

"If the temperature so much as drops one degree* below twenty-three she bundles me up in these awful padded jackets and pants. I look like a snowman," Neville said, adopting an air of great martyrdom.

Seamus and Dean glanced at each other for a moment before edging slowly away from Neville.

"Whatever you say, Neville," The both said in unison.

"I say that what I told you is the truth," He said solemnly.

"Maybe we should stop arguing about who has the worst family and get to the Great Hall?" Harry suggested. The others nodded.
" You are probably right, Harry. Professor Figg wasn't nearly as bad as Moody when it comes to being late, but she was pretty strict," Dean said. "Come on!"

Professor Figg smiled. "Good evening, everyone. I trust you all know me from your early Defence Against Dark Arts lessons?" The class nodded, and she smiled again. "Good. Today we will be starting with just a few simple spells for defending against small curses, and a few curses to fight back with. I expect you to practice during your spare time with each other. If I hear of any people using the spells on a person who is not expecting it or who is not in this class, however, they will be removed from this club either temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of the curse used. Is that understood?"

The group of students nodded. "Alright then, let's get started. Find a partner and spread out. Remember to allow at least two feet on all sides of you between groups for safety."

Seamus and Dean paired up immediately, as did Harry and Neville. The rest of the people milled around for a couple of minutes before they had all finally settled on a partner. Malfoy was paired up with Blaise Zabini, Harry noticed.

"The first spell you will be learning you may have encountered before. It is called stupefy, and will render someone unconscious for ten minutes or so, depending on the strength of the user and receiver. You must wave your wand in a figure of eight pattern, moving in an anticlockwise direction at the start. Once you have completed the figure of eight flick your wand at your opponent and say the word stupefy, remembering not to draw out the 'stu' sound. I am sure that you do not wish the spell to backfire onto yourself, after all. Once the spell has been completed you will use the 'enervate' spell to awaken your partner. Begin."

Harry nodded to Neville. "You go first," he said. Neville nodded.

"Okay, I'll try."

The wand movement in itself was shaky, but Neville's voice was surprisingly steady. "Stupefy."

Harry felt something hit him, and he fell backwards, eyes slowly slipping shut.

"Enervate."

Harry opened his eyes slowly, and blinked a couple of times before standing. Neville was in front of him, face pale and lips shaking slightly. Harry smiled at him reassuringly.

"That was excellent, Neville. If you can get all your spells to work that well you could even become an Auror!"

Neville blushed slightly. "Thanks, Harry. It's your turn."

Harry nodded and took a few steps back from Neville.

"Ready?" He asked, pointing his wand at Neville, who nodded. Harry moved his wand in the familiar pattern.

"Stupefy," He said, voice clipped and steady. Neville fell over almost immediately. Harry took a few steps towards him, checked that the spell had worked properly, and woke him.

"You alright, Neville?" He asked, holding out a hand to help his partner to his feet.

"Fine, actually," Neville said, sounding a bit surprised. Harry grinned.

"It doesn't leave any side effects, you know."

"Very good, class. You have all worked extremely well and seem to have grasped the main ideas behind those spells quickly. The next meeting for this club will be in three days time. I'll see you then," Professor Figg told them as she ushered them out of the door.

"Well, that was fun," Seamus said enthusiastically. "I'm glad I signed up for it now."

"Yes well you weren't the one on the receiving end of a flammeus facies curse, were you?" Dean told him sourly, rubbing at his face and trying to get the soot marks off it.

"Yes well it'll be my turn next time," Seamus told him happily. "So it's no use getting high and mighty or I'll pull my patented 'Hard done by and martyr' act, and you know that makes you feel awful."

Dean whacked him. "That's emotional blackmail and manipulation, that is. It shouldn't be allowed."

"Well it is," Neville informed him. "So you'd better get used to it."

"I'm off to bed," Harry told the group, turning towards the stairs that led to his room. "Sleep well."

"You too, Harry. Goodnight!" They said. Because they had had so much practice at it over their years at Hogwarts they managed to even make is sound fairly understandable. Harry waved at them as he walked up the stairs, and watched them walk away towards the common room. He sighed quietly and retreated to his room, snuffed out the light that was still glowing and crawled into bed.