Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
By: Krystal Lily Potter
Chapter Three: The Downside to Friends
Rating: PG-13
Couples: Read the part of the Author's Note that refers to the couples.

Summary: As Harry and his friends enter their sixth year at Hogwarts they don't enter the cheerful world they left behind. They enter a world covered in a thick blanket of fear. It only hits Harry now how important he truly is when people start seeing him as the light that allows them to see under this blanket. Along with his friends he must battle the horrors of the past, present and possible future to begin the end of a war, hopefully before it even starts. What happens when one of his friends disappear from under the protection of Dumbledore himself? It's up to the last two to find a way to fight this war, on their own...

Warning: There will be swearing in this and some talk of things like suicide, murder and other things like that. In much later chapters if the rating MIGHT change to R because of blood or something (I'm pretty sure I can avoid that though)

Author's Note

Well yesterday I finished chapter one and moved onto chapter two...today I finished chapter two and I'm starting chapter three! WOOT!

Anyways...yeah...I'm normal (or normil as my friends would say...) Yeah I know I'm a strange one but I'm the most normal out of my friends (honestly)...one of them claims she's a chocolate chip muffin (fear her) LOL! Anyways...

Sorry bout that I'm just bored and I feel like writing and nonsense...but I guess I should get to the story right?

Just so you know the old crappy version of this story is titled HP and the GFT...because ff.n wouldn't let me have two stories with the same title...anyways please read and review!

Referring to the couples in this fic...well there's gonna be like two big triangles that mix together and some side couples and I'm not saying those ones are permanent. What I'm doing actually isn't that impossible...I've seen it happen at my school. (The odd place it is...)

Here we go... Luna and Lavender both like Ron, Ron's clueless to it all, Hermione likes Harry, Harry thinks he's starting to like Hermione, a lot of random girls like Harry (being famous and all). Then we've got some Draco/Pansy, Draco/Blaise (Who's female in this story), Seamus/Parvati, Ginny/Dean, Dean/Lavender, Luna/Neville, etc...

LMAO, like that eh? Looks like a normal day for me (jk) yeah well on with the story and please, please, ppppppllllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee review?! makes big blue puppy dog eyes

Also I know Ron probably does like Hermione but I've got a reason he ain't gonna like her here! Trust me.

Remus was magically putting all of the things Harry was going to need in his trunk neatly. He had been pretty upset when he heard that the last reminder of his friends had been hurt bad enough to get him sent to St. Mungo's.

He finished packing everyone and shrunk it so it fit in her pockets along with Mark's things. As he walked down the stairs he noticed Dudley seemed to be excited about something and he kept eyeing the black car outside...the one Tonks was standing beside.

"Whose is that?" Remus asked. "Dudley keeps eyeing it."

"I know," Tonks said darkly. "It's Harry's...he won it." She suddenly shrunk it and they heard Dudley yell for his parents inside.

A minute later Vernon barged out with an angry look on his face. "How dare you use your...freakish ways in front of my house in the middle of the day. Put Dudley's car back right now."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Tonks yelled. "This is Harry's car!"

"He might have won it but I didn't give him permission to have it," Vernon growled.

"No," Remus said. "But I did and under the wizarding laws anything stated in a will is legal...including the fact that Sirius said I was to be Harry's legal guardian...although because of the blood bond Harry and Petunia have he will have to stay here for about a month next summer...then he's gone from you forever."

"Good. I don't need filth like him around. Just like his parents he is-"

Vernon didn't get to finish his sentence...both Remus and Tonks and hexed him and he flew backwards into the house.

"Never badmouth Lily, James or Harry," Remus growled and Tonks nodded, then they both apparated to Grimmauld place...and Tonks was still holding Harry's not mini-sized car.

A week ago Hermione had argued and fought, and even threatened the healers to let her stay with Harry after he was stabilized. Eventually they agreed and let her in with no time limit on how long she stayed. He hadn't opened his eyes since he came in but he did mutter things in his sleep and he would move from time to time.

Currently she was sitting in the chair beside Harry's bed, although she had fallen asleep. She was holding her friend's hand and had her head on his arm.

Suddenly a movement made her wake up. She sat up straight and watched as Harry's peaceful look changed into a struggled look and he said, "No...Sirius hang on..."

Hermione reached a hand up and put it on his cheek and said, "Harry...wake up."

"No...no...leave them all alone..." Harry muttered, still thrashing. "Sirius...Ron...Ginny... Neville...Luna...Dumbledore...Remus...Tonks...Dad...Mum...Hermione..."

"Oh Harry, it's gonna be ok...I'm right here," she gave him a hug, not thinking it would do anything.

"Hermione...safe..." he muttered and a smile appeared on his face as he went silent again.

She sighed in relief then reached down into her bag and pulled out Hogwarts: A History. She had taken to reading it out loud to Harry...when she did this she always got some kind of response, most of the time it was a mumble of 'that's nice' or 'read too much' or sometimes a 'stop...please?'.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle whenever he did that...she was petty sure Harry was getting better because of that.

Suddenly she remembered something else she had to do. She reached into her bad and pulled out a letter. "Harry, I have your school letter here...including your OWLs! Your course selection sheet is no doubt in your letter too but it's not my place to open it...although you better wake up soon or I will!" Hermione threatened, only to get a groan out of Harry.

She chuckled and put it away then jumped slightly as the door flew open.

"Oh, sorry," Tonks said sheepishly.

"I told you not to push the door open that hard," Remus muttered.

"Oh shut up," she shot back then a smile appeared on her face again and she said to Hermione, "Your sister and Harry's cousin are settling down a little in Grimmauld place. They're both awfully worried through. Also the Weasleys are coming over in a little while."

"All of the Weasleys," Remus said, stressing the word 'all'.

"All? As in Percy too?" Hermione asked with amazement.

"Yup," Tonks replied.

"Wow," Hermione said and glanced at her black haired friend. "Do they know what that curse was yet?"

The two adults were about to say no when Dr. Robinson walked in and said, "Actually yes I do."

"Really?" the three asked.

"Yes. Although get ready for this one because it's a shocker. It was a different form of the killing curse," he said.

Hermione got a confused look but said nothing. She too had been hit by that particular curse but she was still alive.

"This one's not as simple as the normal curse though," the doctor continued. "From what I found out it's an older curse. You see the other curse just kills you, well with an exception of Harry though. This one is supposed to cause great pain and torture, and then kill you. There are also other factors to this one though. If the curse is not said out loud than it is likely the person will live and even if this particular curse is said out loud it all depends on how much strength and will the person has."

"So you mean anybody could survive this one?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," the healer said.

"Is that why I survived it? I mean the person that did it was silenced and all but it still did hit me," Hermione said and touched the spot on Harry's chest where the scar was. Although it had only been a week the healers gave him medicine so the cut was healing over pretty good.

"So he'll be alright?" Remus asked.

"Yes," he said again.

"Thank Merlin!" Remus cried out.

"He'll be able to leave after he wakes up," Healer Robinson said and walked out of the room.

"Yeah, anyways," Tonks said. "What we were saying was the Weasleys should be here at about 4:30...oh cripes! It's 4:25!"

"I'll go downstairs. Nobody's allowed to see him unless either Tonks or I bring them in," Remus explained and walked out the door.

Tonks glanced at the book by Hermione's feet and smirked then said, "No wonder he hasn't woken up...you're boring him to death."

"Shut up," Hermione said with a smirk then slightly shoved Harry over more and sat on the bed along side him.

Tonks had seen her do this a couple times already and knew she was about to started pouring over the class choice list. She usually read it out loud for Harry.

"Is he alright?" Molly Weasley's voice said and she burst out in the door.

Tonks looked slightly startled then said, "He'll live."

She was about to Ron forward and give Harry one of her infamous crushing hugs when someone said, "Mom, leave him be!"

It was none other then Ron Weasley.

"Hi Ron," Hermione said with a small smile. She actually startled Mrs. Weasley, who hadn't seen her even though she was sitting on the bed beside Harry.

"Oh hello Hermione dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a motherly smile.

Hermione smiled at the older woman then watched as Fred, George, Ginny, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and finally Percy walked in the room, followed by Remus who closed the door.

There was along uncomfortable pause then Hermione said, "Hello Percy."

"Hello Hermione," he said slightly stiffly but with a tint of guilt in his voice. "How's Harry?"

"He's seen better days," she said honestly and looked at the young man beside her.

There was another pause.

"Neville and Luna have been by already," Hermione said in a lame attempt to make conversation. "In fact they're probably still here. Neville's visiting his parents and Luna's gone to make conversation with Lockhart."

"That girl is beyond strange," Ron muttered under his breath. "I'm gonna see how Neville's doing. You want to come Gin?"

"Sure. I wanted to talk to Luna anyways. Bye Hermione," Ginny said and waved as she and Ron walked out of the room.

Fred and George both walked over and Fred said, "Hey buddy, wake up soon alright? We've got to show you our shop!"

"Yeah, we owe all our success to you," George agreed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her eyes flashing.

"Nothing mum," Charlie said and rolled his eyes with amusement at the twin's little slip.

"So, does anybody know the curse that hit him?" Bill asked curiously.

"A second killing curse that causes a lot of pain but has more of a survival rate then the original," Remus explained.

"Goodness!" Mrs. Weasley yelled out with surprise and Bill, Charlie, Fred and George looked like they had been hit by a lightning bolt.

Mr. Weasley stared with surprise then, trying to clear the heavy air he said, "When is he getting out?"

"When we wake up," Tonks explained. "He has no reason to stay here. Actually just in case I'll go check up on that."

Soon a conversation between Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy and Remus began, leaving Fred, George and Hermione out of the entire thing, although they didn't mind because they were trying to get Harry to react to them.

"He reacts to a lot of things," Hermione informed the two boys. "Especially when I read him Hogwarts: A History."

"No wonder he does," George said as Harry gave an angry groan at the title of the book. Suddenly the oddest thing happened. Harry started breathing roughly and muttered something like, "Run...Ron...Ginny...Luna...Neville..."

"Harry?" Hermione said and shook him lightly.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he sat up straight. Looking around wildly around like he had heard a crash or something.

"Bloody hell mate, what's wrong?" Fred asked with confusion, catching everyone's attention.

"We have to leave here," Harry said, breathing quickly. "THEY'RE here."

"Who?" everyone asked with confusion.

"Them," Harry muttered, sounding out of it.

"Ummm...right..." George said.

"Come on Harry, lets get you cleaned up and into clean cloths first," Remus said, figuring Harry just had a nightmare. With Fred and George's help Harry got off the hospital bed and they made sure he didn't fall over or anything when he went in the bathroom after Remus passed him a few cloths.

A few minutes later Harry came out and said, "Please we have to go."

"Harry, you've been given strong potions," Mrs. Weasley said soothingly. "It's just your imagination."

"NO IT'S NOT!" Harry yelled, pronouncing each word loudly. Suddenly an explosion was heard throughout the hospital and screams followed. The door flew open and Tonks ran back in.

She looked around wildly and said, "Death Eaters. Harry, Hermione, come on." She even hid her relief to see Harry awake, which showed him she was serious about her job as an Auror, and his guard.

Everyone started moving around and everything at once.

"SHUT UP WOULD YOU!" Harry yelled again and suddenly got a dizzy spell, only to be kept up straight by Hermione and either Fred or George, he couldn't tell which.

"Fred, George, take Harry and Hermione out of here...go to Grimmauld place and alert the rest of the order," Remus said. "Stay there to look after things...your in charge in the house until one of us gets back. Now go."

They wanted to stay and fight but they knew that they too had an important job to do. "Come on buddy," George said as he helped Harry out of the room and Fred pretty much had to push Hermione to leave Remus, Tonks, and the other Weasleys.

All four of them crowded in the fireplace at the same time and Fred said, "Lets hope with works...NUMBER 12 GRIMMAULD PLACE!"

The flames turned emerald and all four disappeared, not noticing Tonks turn the flames blue afterwards, making sure they couldn't be followed.

It was the most uncomfortable ride ever! Harry and Hermione were holding onto each other tightly and Fred and George gripped onto the younger two's shoulders tightly so they wouldn't get separated. Suddenly they all flew out of the fireplace an in a heap on the floor.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING THERE!" none other then Mad-Eye Moody himself yelled from the next room, seeing them with his magical eye. He limped out followed by Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and the by Kingsley, Shacklebolt and a few people none of them recognized.

"St. Mungo's is under attack," Fred said when taking a deep breath. "Made us leave."

"Go," was all Dumbledore said and people quickly made there way outside so they could apparate.

Suddenly Harry got a panicked look on his face and he said, "Where's Ron and Ginny? I heard them come into the hospital room."

The other three got a terrified look on their faces realizing that the two hadn't came with them.

"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said.

"We'll find them," Dumbledore said, avoiding Harry's eyes, which turned dark the second they fell on the Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Your sister and Harry's cousin are in the living room. They deserve an explanation." With that he left.

"Dudley's here?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, Mark is," Hermione said and led the three boys into the living room to see Nicola Granger and Mark Evans playing wizard's chess, they stared with amazement as the pieces beat each other.

"Nicola," Hermione said.

"Hermione!" the red head yelled and threw herself on her older sister.

"Mind introducing us before we tell them the bad news?" George asked.

"Oh, this is my little sister Nicola. She's going into Hogwarts this year. And that guy's Mark Evans, Harry's cousin."

Harry got a blank look on his face and he said to Mark, "You're my cousin?"

"Yeah I guess. Remember I said my aunt was a witch? Well her name was Lily Evans," Mark explained.

"Oh," Harry said, slightly in a daze.

"Anyways I'm Fred and this is my twin brother George," Fred said.

"Right....well we have something really important to explain to you all," George said and they all sat down to listen.

After a long explanation about what Death Eaters really were and the damage they could cause, also the pros and cons of entering the magic world everyone was sitting tensely waiting for news of the attack.

Harry was looking through a book that would show you whatever family tree you wanted to see. He was looking through the Weasleys and noticed something. Molly Weasley's maiden name was...

"Prewett," he said.

"What?" Hermione asked and looked up.

"No, it's not that. Fred, George, did you know your mother's name was Molly Prewett?" Harry asked.

"No," they both said and everyone walked over and looked at the book.

"Yeah. So it was your grandparents that were brutally killed in the last war..." Harry said and trailed off then flipped to yet another page with a different family on it.

"That's our dad!" Nicola said.

"Good god, it is," Hermione said, not realizing she had just sat in Harry's lap, but who cared really, they were just friends. "He was a squib!"

"So that's where your magic came from, is family had a fair bit of magic in it," Fred said. "Didn't know you had so many brothers and sisters either."

"So, it's possible," Hermione argued back, ignoring his last comment.

"What about our family Harry?" Mark asked hesitantly.

Harry closed the book then muttered the word, "Evans." He opened it again to see a new family tree.

He looked through it until it reached the end. Harry stared at his grandparents with surprise. There was Scott Evans and Rose Evans. Under them there was not two children but three: Lily Evans (Potter), Petunia Evans (Dursley), and Bradley Evans. Beside Brad was a woman with short choppy brown hair and under them was Mark, then beside Petunia there was Vernon and underneath them was Dudley. Finally Harry saw his mother connected to James and him under them.

Looking back up he stared sadly and said, "I miss them."

Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder for comfort.

Suddenly the door opened and several order members walked in.

"Tonks! Remus!" Harry called out with relief and stood up. He didn't let Hermione drop to the floor though, he picked her up and set her down instead.

"Where's everyone else?" George asked with terrified eyes.

There was along pause then Dumbledore walked in with sad eyes and said, "We're sorry Mr. Weasley, your older brother Bill is injured very badly. He probably doesn't have long to live. Charlie is, regrettably, dead."

Hearing those two was enough to break both of the twins, but they knew he wasn't done yet.

"Percy, your parents, Ronald and Ginny were all captured," Dumbledore said softly.

"FUCK!" both the twins yelled together and ran upstairs. They tried to hide it but tears were pouring down their cheeks.

There was along shocked silence. Hermione broke down in tears and flung Hermione on Harry, who hugged her tightly well glaring at Dumbledore.

"Hope your happy now," Harry spat at him hatefully.

"Don't talk to Professor Dumbledore like that Potter," Professor Snape walked in, not nursing an injury at all.

Harry got an enraged look on his face and Hermione could feel it building up inside him. She was standing close enough to him to feel the magic starting to radiate off him. No one else noticed it.

"I'll talk to whoever I want in any way I want Snape," Harry growled.

"Just like your father would," he replied.

"OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Harry yelled. Nicola and Mark shot each other a look, grabbed the book and ran up the stairs, away from the raging Harry. Hermione did not let go of him yet. "GET IT THROUGH YOUR GREASE COVERED HEAD! I AM NOT JAMES POTTER! I NEVER WANT TO BE JAMES POTTER!"

He was shaking very badly now.

"Harry, come on," Hermione said in a whisper.

Everyone in the room could feel his temper cool down when Hermione spoke. Harry was going out of his way so he wouldn't always be mad at her this year like he was last year. She didn't deserve that. He could think of a couple people that did. Snape, Malfoy, Voldemort and surprisingly on his list was Dumbledore."

She led him away from the room and upstairs. Harry just simply shot death glares at Dumbledore and Snape as he followed her.

"God Hermione," Harry said as he paced back and forth in the room he was staying in. It was Sirius's old room.

Hermione was digging around in Harry's trunk for his Charms book and she said, "I'd say I understand...but that'd be a lie. I don't understand. But I will always be there for you Harry. The Weasleys are strong, they'll make it through this."

Harry looked over and smiled at her confidence.

Hermione smiled back and continued looking around. Harry gave her permission to use his things since she didn't want to walk down to her room right now.

Suddenly she yelped and withdrew her hand from his trunk.

"Are you alright?" he asked and knelt down next to her.

She bit her lip and opened her hand to see a thing, yet slightly deep slice in her palm.

"Shit," Harry muttered and dug a little big in his trunk and pulled out his Quidditch robes, which he had grown out of. He ripped a piece off of them and wrapped it around her hand.

"What was that?" she said, referring to the thing that cut her.

Harry had no clue and reached in. He sliced his finger slightly on the object and pulled it out.

"It's a mirror," Harry said as he pulled out several pieces of it and suddenly realized something else. "Not just any mirror."

Hermione glanced at it and noticed on the back of one larger piece was the name "James William Potter". She glanced at Harry and said, "It was your fathers."

"Yeah," Harry said glumly. "Sirius gave it to me and said to use it if Snape gave me a hard time. I forgot about it and didn't open it until we came back from the Ministry. It's a two way mirror...I could have contacted him with this."

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione said and hugged him.

"It's alright Hermione," Harry said well staring at the pieces as if he had just seen the answer to all his problems.

Hermione noticed the way he as looking at the pieces and she said, "I bet Tonks or Remus can fix it for you later and you could try using it again."

"Yeah," Harry, glancing down at the broken mirror with newly restored hope.

Author's Random Babbling

Hey peeps...I know a lot of people love hints for the sixth book and I got a couple interesting ones...so here ya go! I'm only writing down like two of them because they seen more likely because they were said by Rowling herself.

In a recent Interview on the BBC (Whenever the hell that was), Rowling has said that said that someone important dies and someone switches houses. Rowling has also indicated that Harry might date in the 6th book, possibly someone new to Hogwarts.

JKR said in the interview on the DVD for Chamber that there was something small in Chamber that was going to be very big in book six (actually I heard that one on the DVD too...

Anyways who cares bout that? I don't! yeah...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm trying to make this story a little better and a little darker then my other ones...tell me later on if you think the rating should go to R for dark stuff (sorry, don't write sex scenes myself).

This chapter is shorter then my first two...sorry!

Here's the reviews and peeps, please review? Bleh what I saying? My friends won't even review this! (jk! Jk!)

Man I need new Beta Reader, my cousin REALLY stinks at this...lol I'll give her another shot though (Not including this chapter)

Well see ya'll later!

Replies to Reviewers

Amity-Star – lol thanks! I almost forgot about the pendent until I read about your view, the pendent might not even be important later on...I'm not sure yet! Thanks for reviewing!

HJ-HJ – Don't worry about mistakes, your English seems find to me aside from one or two words. Hope you liked this chapter and hope it was uploaded fast enough!

Zaxxon – Your probably right...the spy probably was Snape and actually in this fic he actually is, but you see he doesn't get why Harry's so important because of one simple thing: Memory Charms. Dumbledore didn't want him running around telling everyone so he erased Snape's memory of the event...that'll actually be explain in the next chapter. But you're probably right

Destined Enchantress – Wanna know what? I really like your screen name! Lol! Don't ask... H/Hr forever...no matter what JK Rowling write...LOL! yeah sad eh? Anyways thanks for liking my story and I hope this chapter's ok too...I'm trying my hardest

Athenakitty – Woah, what happened? You weren't first! LOL! JK! Connor might be a wizard is the future, not positive. Nicola is a witch as you can see. Brad Evans didn't like his sister (Lily) much more then Petunia did but he was a little more accepting (especially for Mark now). Lets just say Dumbledore screwed a little too much! And to your last three questions...interesting thoughts! Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to these guys and please review!

Krystal Lily Potter