(I just got back from camp this morning... it was the best week of camp ever! I am so happy and I made friends and I just hated the camp food and it was so fun and I painted my legs blue... sigh... thanks for reviewing me, slytherinphoenix7! Nyuck nyuck... I met Kristen, aka The Black Mage, at camp... I think I scared her... sooooo, this chapter is kind of dumb; I just wrote it this morning and nothing really happens, although you do find out some stuff, although even that is not so terribly exciting... yeah, well, review me and tell me what to write about, because I have no idea what I am doing!!!!)

"Harry?" Hermione's voice penetrated the tense silence. Harry spun around. He hadn't heard her come downstairs. Apparently she had listened to the tail end of the conversation, and she knew that his aunt's last comment was going to bother him.

Hermione and Ron had been listening to Harry griping about his problems for years, and they knew exactly what upset him. They were the only two people whom Harry thought really understood him at all. As a matter of fact, they were the only two people who seemed to be able to put up with him at all. Most people were unnerved or intimidated by his manner.

Harry never talked much. After all that he had gone through, above and beyond anything with which most innocent people could identify, he felt that he was almost of a different category from the general populace. No one understood his pain; they seemed to him to just view him as a museum piece, a war instrument. They would stare bug-eyed at him and ask him questions about Voldemort... it seemed to be the only thing people wanted to hear, and it was the one main thing he hated to talk about. So he rarely spoke, except to his close friends.

Hermione's face held a look of gentle warning. Harry was known for occasional violent outbursts if someone made an indiscreet comment about him (often by accident), so Ron and Hermione considered it their duty to work on him to control his temper. It really annoyed Harry, but really, as he had to remind himself often, they did have a point.

"I got Ethan to bed," Hermione said calmly. "He's no Gryffindor, but he's coping well. He fell asleep almost immediately."

Harry opened his mouth and tried to formulate some sort of response to break the awkward silence. He came up with, "Good."

But he was spared from replying further by George and Ronald Weasley apparating into the room. Ron's face was sweaty and he was winded. George had a slight bruise under his eye, and both looked extremely upset.

"What?" Hermione asked immediately.

"Malfoy," Ron gasped, sinking into a chair. "He was knocked out with a chair, not a curse. He was the last to be taken to the ministry... he woke up and attacked us."

Harry let a loud expletive escape his mouth. "What happened? Tell me you caught him."

"We tried," Ron panted.

"Git took Ronnie's wand," George said. "Pounded us pretty bad... then he started running. We chased him as far as we could, but he kept sending curses back... we really did try though, Harry – Ron kept running even with his bad leg and a jelly legs curse... And I did manage to set his hair on fire, I think, although I missed with the petrificus..."

Harry looked around for something to kick. But nothing was immediately available, so he put his hands over his face and yelled with frustration.

"I'm really sorry, mate!" Ron wheezed. "There really wasn't a lot we could do, though!"

"I know, I know," Harry said irritably. He lowered his hands. "I wish they'd just killed him in the first place," he said savagely. "It was a mistake putting the Death Eaters in Azkaban. They're never gone! There's always got to be something! Stupid Ministry!"

"It wasn't all Dad's decision, Harry," Ron said in a strained voice. "He didn't think they deserved to live either, really, but there's the whole Wizengamot and everything..."

Harry sighed. "Sorry."

There was a pause.

"Well, it's just the ongoing saga," he said. "We would've had to finish off the rest of them anyway." He sat down on the arm of the sofa; as far away as possible from his uncle (whom he was ignoring again).

Ron, satisfied, got up and limped to Hermione. "You sure you're ok?" he asked. "I told you you should have stayed. You could have gotten really hurt, seriously, Hermione..." He took her hand in his. Their wedding bands sparkled on their fingers in the firelight.

"Calm down, Ron," Hermione said. "Look... I guess it was stupid, but I'm so used to it; taking risks with all of you. And the baby isn't coming for a while."

Harry started.

"What???" he spluttered. "Baby? You didn't tell me you were ...you were ... !" He turned incredulously to Ron. Hermione blushed furiously.

"We only found out a couple of weeks ago," she squeaked.

George grinned. "Ron told Fred and me yesterday."

Harry was stunned, but soon a grin spread across his face. "Congratulations," he laughed. Ron's ears went pink.

(Tee hee. Fluff. I really think they're definitely going to get married in the books, though! Maybe their kid will show up later in my story. I dunno. And I have some romance planned for Harry too, although since he's kind of built an emotional wall around himself he won't realize it at first... whee... I hate the eggs they feed you at camp... Have you ever heard Taiwan's national anthem? Go Jamie Hsieh! You are awesome, chickiebabe Ying! Dear Cheryl, I bless your ankle from afar... We are Kings and we will rule because we are so cool! I love you, Camperella! You and your pizza so rock! Yah!)

(and review me!)