Disclaimer: See Chapter one.
Author's note: thank you to all that have reviewed. I've changed the chapter before this one, to explain more about what's happening to Harry. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Harry slowly worked his was out of another nightmare, he could feel his mind pulling away from the horror images in his mind. He slipped up the layers before wakefulness, as each layer flashed passed his inner eye, he found a layer that held no haunted pictures. Without realising what he was doing he pulled his mind into the layer and held it there. His mind recognised and embraced the layer, and for the first time in weeks he fell into a dreamless sleep.
When Ron shook him awake he felt more refreshed then he has in weeks.
"Okay I'm up," he told Ron, slowly opening his eyes. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. Ron hurried away to get ready to go down to breakfast.
"What do we have first up?" Harry asked, getting ready.
"It's Saturday Harry," Ron called over. "And it's a Hogsmeade week end."
"Oh," Harry skipped out the door pulling his jumper over his head as he went, "Well what're we waiting for, let's go!"
Ron stood in astonishment then a grin broke out on him many freckled face, he ran after him friend. Lately when Harry woke up he had been hard to talk to.
Ron followed he friend who had slowed his pace down to a walk.
"Hey Hermione." He called across the common room making some first years jump. Harry waved at Hermione who hurried over. "Fred, George how you going?" Harry asked when Harry saw them.
"Great Harry-" Fred started.
"- We just invented a new sweet-" George continued.
" -It's going to be a blast." Fred ended. The brothers laughed before running off to plan the way they would "introduce" their new invention to the school.
Hermione arrive just as Ron's two brothers ran off. She watched them for a minute before turning to her friends.
"What was that about?" She asked.
Ron shrugged his shoulders as Harry pointed across the room as an answer. Ron and Hermione looked over where Harry was pointing. Fred and George were surrounded by all their friends all wearing the same expectant expressions as they watched a group of first years
"Oh no," Harry heard Hermione moan beside him, as the first years picked up small boxes on the table in front of them. Harry watched in interest as the first year slowly pilled the strings on the boxes.
With a loud pop the boxes disappeared and in its place sat a medium sized teddy bear. The first years looked at the bears in amazement. Harry's smile grew widener as the bears came to life and attached themselves to the frightened first year's legs. The bears then started to hump the first year's legs as the common room burst into laughter. The three first years were too amazed at first to do anything. Then one of the first years tried to push the bear off. The bear fell to the ground with a thud the busted into coloured ribbons, which covered the frightened first year. The common room laughed even harder as the other to bears burst into ribbons.
"Ladies and Gentleman this great product was brought to you by." The rest of Fred's announcement was lost on Harry as Hermione pulled him and Ron out of the common room.
"Hermione!" Ron called after her as she walked away from the two laughing teenagers. "It's just some harmless fun!"
"Yeah and funny to!" Harry added as he hurried after his friend.
"Well it's good to know you think humiliating first graders is fun!" Hermione retorted.
Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione bicker back and forth, which didn't stop as they reached the great hall.
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table grabbing some breakfast, without looking up at his fighting friends.
"Okay that's enough," He said giving up ignoring them. Ron and Hermione looked at him in surprise. "Do you want to spoil the whole day by fighting over something that we didn't have anything to do with?" He asked buttering a piece of toast.
"I guess not," Ron said. "Next time we'll ask Fred and George if we can be in on the joke."
Hermione gave him a black look then started her breakfast with out a word.
"You look better this morning how'd you sleep?" Ron asked
"Well," Harry simply replied. "So where are we going first?"
The three friends fell into a comfortable conversation of what they where going to do that day. Harry felt happy an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. He almost forgot about the dangers that surrounded him and for a few hours he felt like an ordinary school kid studying at a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed the flow of students on their was to Hogsmeade.
Around lunch time the three friends could be found at The Three Broomsticks.
"Do you think that Fred and George will open a shop here?" Ron asked sipping on his butter beer.
"I think they will. That's if your mother doesn't get to them." Harry said looking around the crowded room.
"Oh no! If they do that, they will be selling their products to students." Hermione said taking a big gulp of her butter beer.
"Well maybe they will set up in Diagon Alley." Harry suggested.
"YOU CALL THIS FIRE WHISKY!!" Harry, Ron and Hermione turned at the voice. A large man at the bar held out his glass to the bartender. "HOW DARE YOU SERVE WATER AND CALL IT FIRE WISKY!!" the man roared swaying slightly. Harry straight away guessed the man was drunk and the bartender was trying to sober him up.
Harry looked around seeing that every eye was watching the drunk and the bartender.
The bar tender said some thing that Harry couldn't hear.
"WHY YOU LITTLE" the drunks words faded away as he pulled out his wand. Before Harry knew what was happening he was on his feet. The drunk turned to him as Harry's chair crashed to the floor.
"Well, well, does the little one want to fight?" the drunk slurred, not noticing who he was taking to.
"Harry what are you doing?" Hermione whispered, trying to pull him back down.
"How about you pay your bill and leave." The words were out of his mouth before he realised. He didn't know where they had come from.
"Why should I leave!" the drunk said raising his wand to point directly at Harry.