Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Harry Potter or any related material. ______________________________________________________________________

Chapter Three

No Recognition

By Patilaputra Jeanne

Harry dragged his trunk upstairs and entered the room he shared with Ron the last time they were here. When he entered, Ron was digging through his trunk and didn't look up until Harry was digging through his own.

"Err... sorry, but Harry's sleeping there," Ron said nervously. Harry shrugged at this. Ron rolled his eyes and turned around to reveal a red plait that extended down his back to just above his tailbone.

"When did your hair get so long?" Harry asked as he found what he was looking for. He slipped his dragon Weasley sweater over his head and replaced his fang with an emerald stud.

"My brothers played a prank on me," Ron explained. "They were rather upset, though when it didn't work right. I was supposed to grow a beard like Dumbledore's," He turned around and gasped as he recognized Harry's sweater and half smiled.

"Like what happened to them when they tried to enter the Triwizard Tournament," harry said reminiscing. Ron's aghast expression turned to worry again as he realized it was his best friend he was talking to.

"So, how have you been Harry?" Ron asked apprehensively. Harry growled in a way that could only be called like Mad-Eye.

"The reason they left me there is so that I can be safe, but then they leave me to cope when Headquarters is shut, and leaving everyone in harms way!" Harry nearly shouted as he got up and started pacing the room. Even though it gave him deja vou of the last August he arrived here and started yelling at Ron and Hermione. "If they didn't want me to do anything stupid, they should keep you all safe, not me!" He slumped down on the bed with his head in his hands and felt Ron sit down beside him. "I'm sorry Ron, you're here not even five minutes and I'm burdening you with my frustration."

"It's all right mate," Ron said. "We've all just been worried about you." He nudged Harry and half smiled trying with out any luck to cheer him up.

"I know," Harry said. "It's just I've dealt with it alright?" Harry didn't need his friends pitying him, especially now.

"Alright," Ron said. "But just know that we all have open ears if you want to talk about it." Harry began to protest at once.

"Ron, I'm fine." Harry pleaded exasperatedly. Ron laughed despite of him.

"You are not, look at it from my view." He added before Harry could say anything. "You're distant from everyone at school, you go home for the holidays, a month later you come back and you're grumpier than Mad-eye, you color your hair to make it look like your bleeding to death and you hang a monstrous tooth from your ear. I have good reason to worry about you." Before Harry could answer there was a nock at the door and Remus entered.

"Supper will be ready in a couple moments," he explained. "Molly wants you all to come down now." He left the room closely followed by Ron and Harry.

When they were walking down the stairs, Harry noticed him and Remus were almost the same height while Ron was still a good 5 inches taller, though not as lanky as he used to be.

When they entered the kitchen, Ginny and Tonks were setting the table. Ginny, upon seeing Harry and recognizing the sweater he was wearing, dropped all the silverware that she had been carrying.

"Ginny for goodness sake," Mrs. Weasley began but she was cut short as she too recognized Harry. She jumped but recovered quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you Harry."

"Neither did anyone else," Harry replied moodily as he sat down with Lupin and Ron on either side of him. Once everyone was sitting down and eating pleasantly, Harry began to realize how much he had missed them all and smiled to himself.

"What are you smiling about?" Remus asked. He had an odd glint in his eye that the twins had quite often. Harry was thinking that it had something to do with the marauders' influence on him but there was something else in there as well.

"Just how much I missed everyone being here together like this." Harry answered. It was true too. Sirius may not be here, but everyone else was or almost everyone and Harry felt at home with them all around him.

Gradually, the food began to disappear and the conversations grew into reminiscing about past memories. Nobody said anything remotely close to the topic of the Order member who last sat here with them, but it was clearly on everyone's mind. Harry and Ron were discussing their adventures before they had met Sirius.

"Remember when we went into the Forbidden Forest?" Harry asked Ron when he was thinking about the spiders that had nearly eaten them alive.

"Which year?" he responded. Lupin snorted and muttered something about true marauders.

"Second year." Harry replied. He turned to Lupin and added, "It was not and didn't have anything to do with a prank." Harry and his friends didn't do dangerous things for fun, they did them to rescue someone, prevent something from happening, or just because it had to be done.

"How could I forget that?" Ron asked exasperatedly. "We were sent into the forest to get information by 'following the spiders' and ended up in a hollow with spiders as big as carthorses and then having them tell you that they'll eat you? I will never forgive Hagrid for that." He finished, shaking his head.

"Wait, Hagrid, giant spiders, Forbidden Forest?" Moony sputtered trying to comprehend what they were telling him.

"You said that when Norbert nearly bit your finger off too," Harry told Ron who just rolled his eyes at him.

"Who's Norbert?" Lupin asked. He knew just what kinds of things that Hagrid would keep, but Norbert was on of the best kept secrets of Hagrid's that not many people knew.

"Norbert was the Dragon that Hagrid had in our first year." Ron explained. "My finger turned green and my entire hand got about 3 times its actual size."

"Hey everyone!" Fred and George had just apparated into the room and everyone turned to welcome them saying hello and smiling. Everyone except for Harry who said hello but then turned his back on them and continued eating. The twins, however, sat down in the empty space opposite Ron and Harry and started talking enthusiastically with Ron.

"So, little brother," George began. "When are you going to be sensible and cut your hair?" he asked as he transfigured a fork into a pair of scissors. And made frantic snips at Ron. He, however, just grabbed them, holding them shut and gently put them down on the table.

"Not anytime soon," He answered. "Why not bug Bill about it?" He turned back to his food like Harry after giving his brothers and evil glare.

"Is Ikle Ronnikins to old for his brothers' jokes?" Fred asked. Ron gave him another glare son Fred went about it another way. "In all fairness, Bill is older, cooler, and has a veela for a girlfriend. So, obviously, long hair suits him." He answered in a diplomatic voice that did not suit him at all. Ron rolled his eyes and the maniac smile returned to Fred's face.

"Fluer Delecuor?" Harry asked, remembering that the twins had mentioned her before.

"She's been around for dinner too often," Ron said. "Last time she entertained everyone with the story of me asking her to the Yule Ball." Harry winced at the memory.

"Rather funny though," George commented. He looked Harry over for a minute before asking, "Who are you?"

Sorry everyone, I didn't anticipate the History Day project taking up so much of my time. I'll give you another chapter as soon as I can.