The usual. I do not own anything except my story. The characters and the background behind them don't belong to me. Please R&R.

The Great Hall was bustling with the usual activity, students entering and leaving in random clusters, giggling and chattering. Others, eyes filled with sleep and exasperation for having been woken up for such a trivial detail as food. Seamus, however, was wide-awake, he loved being in the Great Hall before all the rest strolled in and he lingered as long as he could without being late for class. He was an avid people watcher and he found nothing to be ashamed of and would readily ramble off random details about people if ever asked. He secretly coveted these minute aspects of people and would eagerly squirrel away information on other people whenever he could. It certainly helped in his love life as it often flatters others to have people notice them. Of course he was highly selective in his choice of victims, or 'featured stars' as he preferred to call them. It was not by chance therefore that he should 'overhear' certain conversations, or perhaps sit close by to scrutinize those he had chosen.

He was pleasantly surprised when the object of his fascination chose to sit next to him, giving him a wide smile, which also seemed unusual, not that he was complaining about the change; Harry's standard expression during that time of the day was a sleepy, vague acknowledgement.

Too bad his school robes were covering the new clothes that Seamus had made him wear on a daily basis. At first Harry was hesitant, protesting that Dudley's cast-offs were still wearable and that it would be wasteful to not make use of them. However, Seamus solved that problem by quietly disposing of the offensive items on night.

Seamus fondly recalled the next day, which being a Saturday: was blissfully free of robes and uniforms. Harry turned up in well-fitted jeans and a white button down shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, simple and chic. His entrance making the school sit up and take notice. Of course the Golden Boy didn't notice the lust-filled stares or the hungry looks, he merely seemed disconcerted and frustrated at his inability to find his old clothes.

"They were comfortable!" he protested, not that anyone minded his discomfort, being too busy clambering for a view of the Gryfindor table and admiring how the jeans clung to the toned length of his thigh and how white accentuated his fairness, causing him to look even more innocent and untouchable.

"Um... what is with everyone?" Harry asked nervously as the Great Hall's population proceeded to congregate around his general vicinity.

"They're just staring at your scar, Harry," replied Hermione, looking up from her book. She was as usual, ever practical: not wanting to scare Harry with too much information. It would traumatize Harry if he knew that the school was lusting after his body on top of his fame, she mused.

"Oh ok," he replied easily, relaxing visibly and biting into his sandwich.

Ron rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath, "you would think they had never seen jeans before," referring to the girls gathering around.

"What?" Harry said innocently, grabbing the pitcher in front of him to pour a glass of pumpkin juice as Hermione pinched Ron under the table.

"Nothing, Ron was just saying that we need to get to Potions early to avoid points being taken off," Hermione replied effortlessly while Ron tried to hide his wince.

"Since when were you so eager to get to Potions?" Harry asked suspiciously, but fortunately was distracted by Malfoy coming over to exchange the customary Saturday morning insults.

Seamus returned to the present when the other two members of the trio, staggered in behind (Ron with his inability to coordinate at early hours and Hermione weighed down by a large book) and plopped themselves next to Harry and began arguing over the merits of reading over the dining table, a repetitive subject which did little to distract Seamus from his little obsession with the Golden Boy.

"Morning Harry! You weren't in the dorms yesterday night and seem to be in such a good mood..." Seamus deliberately trailed off.

"Well..."

Ron looked up sharply from his toast, "Wait, you weren't in the dorms? I fell asleep before you returned from detention with Snape. Where did you go?"

"I..." Harry hesitated, looking slightly annoyed at the worry in Ron's voice. A slight apprehension showed in his face; he really didn't want it known over the school that he had spent his night in the dungeons. Really, people might get the wrong idea.

"Oooh. If it's that personal maybe we shouldn't ask eh Harry?" Seamus took his reluctance to answer as admittance to some secret rendezvous, slightly aggravated that someone else had managed to get to Harry before he did. Yet he was not completely discouraged even if Harry was currently seeing a secret lover; after all after that Hogsmeade trip, Harry had begun to warm up to him.

"No! It's nothing like that," Harry protested, his cheeks turning pink in embarrassment, unfortunately Seamus took that to be a confirmation of his earlier suspicions. Harry had been much happier recently than he had been for a long period of time.

"Don't worry Harry, we won't tell," giving Harry a sly wink and a feather light caress on the cheek for emphasis, "I wish you would tell us who he is though, one likes to know who the competition is."

"What?" Harry replied, slightly confused.

"That's what I love about you, you're so innocent!"

"Merlin Seamus, leave Harry alone," Ron cut in, kicking Seamus on the shin under the table.

"What was that for?" Giving Ron a fake hurt puppy dog look, slightly spoiled by his laughing eyes.

Harry laughed at his antics, before giving in and answering, "I just couldn't sleep so I went to the kitchens," he bit his lip, shooting Ron a sharp look and hoping he would leave it to rest there.

Ron frowned slightly before taking the hint and exclaiming, "Hey I left my book in the dorms, want to go get it with me Harry?" Returning Harry the look that plainly said, we have to talk.

Seamus filed away the exchange, making his own conclusions of how it all added together. He sneaked a look at Hermione, who looked pensive for a second, before returning to her book. Typical, Seamus thought, turning his attention elsewhere for his daily dose of entertainment.

They walked companionably for a few moments as they exited the Great Hall. It seemed enough that the other was there; neither felt the need to talk. Moments like these were rare, especially with upcoming exams and the daily hassle of school. They rarely found time to speak to each other between Prefect meetings and Quidditch practices, much less find time to be alone and just enjoy each other's company. It's not that Ron didn't like it when Hermione was there, but sometimes he felt jealous of the time Harry and his girlfriend spent together. He knew that they were best friends and had a special bond, but he was envious of the ease at which they got along. Sometimes he wasn't sure if he were jealous of Harry or Hermione.

Both, he supposed.

He knew that they both loved him back the way he loved them and felt selfish for wanting more; the three of them got along so well he was afraid something might tear them apart. He mentally shook his head; he was beginning to think like Harry; believing that nothing good will last. He was saddened by this thought, Harry had known so little happiness in his life and everything that was important and that he cherished was destroyed, contaminated by others.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he was surprised when Harry suddenly spoke up. "Well you obviously have your book bag, so where are we headed to now?" He spoke, not sarcastically but kindly and his tone was tinged with curiosity.

:"Nah. Just needed to get away from Seamus."

Harry smiled, albeit skeptically, but let it pass. They walked on through random corridors, occasionally stopping to talk to paintings. The stairs groaned as they shifted.

"Did you notice that Malfoy wasn't in the Great Hall this morning?" Harry mused all of a sudden.

Ron frowned, he had been too busy eating and being disgusted with Seamus to notice much else, "No, I hadn't noticed. But then he usually comes in really late anyway so what's the big deal? Besides, it's Malfoy, maybe he got eaten by the giant squid on the way here." He ended with a hopeful tone.

Harry hardly registered what he had said, frowning slightly. He shrugged nonchalantly and walked on ahead.

"Why do you care anyway? I mean..." a thought came into Ron's mind, and he paused and studied Harry's averted face carefully.

"No." Harry replied, too quickly, then he laughed at his nervousness, "It's nothing really, it's just that... some time ago he found my room."

"What room? The dorms?" Ron asked, then realizing "Oh, where you keep all your paintings?"

Harry nodded, his face worried.

"You don't think that he would break in there, do you? I mean does he know that they're done by you?"

"I don't think he saw me, I managed to get under my cloak in time. It's just, well uncomfortable that he found something so personal to me." Harry twisted a corner of his robe, looking thoughtful, "I don't think he'll be able to get into there anyway, I warded it with a couple extra spells, and even if he manages to break in he won't see anything because I shrunk everything to fit into this locked trunk in the corner, that's spelled so no one would notice it."

Ron was abit taken aback at how many precautions Harry had taken to safeguard his paintings. But then again they were such an intrinsic part of Harry it was no wonder he didn't want someone who might use them against him to get hold of them. "But he doesn't know it was you, why are you so worried?"

"Because when he came I broke something of his. So I repaired it a long while ago and I couldn't decide whether to give it back because I wasn't sure and then I waited until yesterday and I sent it back to him... using Hedwig" Harry finished lamely, realizing he was beginning to ramble.

"Oh." Ron said. Hedwig was a very distinctive owl; very few students had a snow white owl in Hogwarts, most preferred the more common brown owls due to the huge cost discrepancies.

"...and I sent a note with my name on it." Harry was still looking away.

"Wait... Why did you do that? And why did you even bother sending it back to him? It's not like he can't afford it, he's so rich!"

Harry winced at the mention of money, knowing his friend to be touchy about the subject.

"He probably won't even appreciate it!" Ron fumed.

"Ron..."

Harry's tone was quiet but it carried enough firmness for Ron's temper to cool down.

"What did he break anyway?"

"One of those small wizarding lights." Harry blushed at the smallness of the object, already he was beginning to doubt if it was worth all that bother. He was sure that Draco would not realize the significance of such a favor. Well, not exactly a favor, since he was returning it to its rightful owner. "It's really beautiful and I thought it was pretty expensive as it had all these crystals and emeralds embedded in it. I couldn't find all of the stones so I sent it to the glass smith to add on a few new ones." Harry added rather defensively.

Ron couldn't help smiling, even though he very much disliked the action: it was something Harry would do. Even for his worst enemy. It was just the inherent goodness in him, "Well everything Malfoy owns is expensive to the point of being gaudy." Ron replied easily and good-naturedly.

Harry smiled at that, relieved that Ron was not going to berate him on spending money on the... gift. Gift. He could hardly call it anything else especially since he had the wizarding light redesigned with a dragon design entwined around its surface. It was something Malfoy would like, he thought. There was just something in Malfoy's eyes that night when he walked into the room, a sort of... understanding. Not the normal reactions others had as they entered, not excitement, not gushing enthusiasm, not fear like some had when they peered into the eyes of their portraits, as if discovering the darker part of themselves for the first time. But a quiet wonder and comprehension.

"Why did you sign your name then?"

"Because I know how it feels to lose something." Harry replied, his expression serious.

"Does he?" Ron asked gently, careful to keep his voice from showing any displeasure. "...does it matter?"

Harry wondered what Malfoy would say if he knew he had painted them. He would probably dismiss them as trash, he decided. However, he felt like he needed Malfoy to tell him to his face that the paintings were not worth anything to be convinced. Somehow he felt that of all people Malfoy was the one to understand, for whom else had lived in perpetual darkness except him? Harry found it hard to articulate these thoughts to Ron without evoking cynicism. He did not need a reminder of how Malfoy had treated him; he was not looking for a friend in the blond haired boy but rather hoping to find someone who recognized what went into the paintings. The emotions coursing through his very blood finding outlet in the swirls of color; the brush a channel he could direct his rage and helplessness.

Ron looked on quietly as a myriad of emotions flashed through Harry's eyes: his face was kept unusually still, not giving away what he was thinking. It was hard to decipher Harry's thoughts now. No longer was his face expressive of all that he was feeling. He had trained his face not to give him away, Ron mused. For half a second he wanted to ask him what he was thinking but was afraid of being rejected or told a white lie.

"So why weren't you in the dorm yesterday?" Ron attempted conversation cautiously. Harry smiled with such genuine pleasure that Ron was astonished, he couldn't help wondering if this Malfoy business had anything to do with Harry's current happiness, but was relieved when Harry replied in a hushed tone, "Sirius."

"Si... Snuffles is here?" Ron laughed out loud. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Harry was happy that Ron shared his happiness, he knew that Ron was glad that for him for being able to spend time with his godfather. It came from the care and regard Ron had for him; he once again felt lucky to have such unselfish friends, who could be happy for him without ulterior personal motives.

"Well, he's kind of staying at Snape's quarters. I don't think Professor Snape will be very happy if I attempt to advertise that fact."

"Oh my god, you mean they haven't killed each other yet? That's rich. Haha... who would've thought."

"Don't talk too loud. We're almost at the classroom!" Harry warned as they turned to corner to begin their first class, smiling as they went. He felt relief at having told Ron about his midnight trips down to the dungeon. Secrets never bore well with him.

"Harry!" both started at the voice suddenly beside them then relaxed as they found that it was only Seamus, "Want to sit by me during Potions again?"

"Um..."

"Ok hurry we don't want to end up sitting right in front of the old bat!"

Ron sighed as they were dragged toward the classroom with incredible speed; Seamus in his enthusiasm somehow managing to pull both of them along at the same time.

"Seamus, we're like five minutes early..." Harry offered and was duly ignored.

"...Seamus!" Ron roared.

"What?" Seamus innocently replied once they were positioned in the near empty classroom in some snug corner.

"Nevermind." Ron was feeling slightly nauseous at having suddenly been hauled at great speed, he sighed again and put his head in his hands, now he would have to spend the rest of the lesson in close proximity to the hyperactive Irish. Then again... Poor Harry.

A/N: See no cliffies. I think I promised not to have them. =) Anyway please review and tell me what you think. It's very important because it will affect the style in which I write. I try to take in new suggestions and adjust the story accordingly to fit the audience I am aiming for. The plot is planned out and I know what will happen just tell me how you would like the story to be told. Am trying to fit everything into my schedule and am very busy. Will hopefully have time to update soon.

Love,

Gingermao