Chapter 10:  The Return of Juniata

            Needless to say, Hermione wasn't in the best of moods.  She stormed off to the library soon after class and the boys knew better than to follow her.  They hoped at least she'd cool down before the party after dinner.

            Everyone was outside, enjoying the warm weather and the air of freedom, which only summer vacation could bring, that still lingered.  Ron and Harry walked around the lake lazily, occasionally tossing stones in to try and hit the giant squid's tentacles.  The conversation jumped around easily, from the Quidditch World Cup in Argentina and Ron's chances at being the new Gryffindor chaser to Hermione and Azar's possible punishments for detention.

            Suddenly, Harry heard a small shuffling from behind them.  He took a quick look back, did a slight double take, then laughed silently to himself.

            "We're being followed," he told Ron quietly.

            Ron glanced back, whispering to Harry with a smile, "Looks like you've found yourself a puppy dog."

            Harry shrugged.  "At least he doesn't have a camera."

            James Bell was walking behind them.  He wasn't too close, probably unable to even hear what they were saying, but his face was eager, as if he wanted nothing more to be strolling and talking with the two friends.  His courage, however, didn't stretch as far as to actually go up to them.  He had enough nerve to sit with them at meals, but walking with them like he was up to their level… No, he much preferred just following in their wake.

            "Funny kid," Ron said as they kept walking.

            "Yeah, very quiet," Harry remarked, "Think he'd like to come to the party?  Hermione likes him well enough, and he'd be a helpful replacement if Draco decided not to come."

            "Sounds like a plan," Ron smiled, then turned back and called, "Hey James!  Come here."

            James looked like he was somewhere between elation and complete terror, but hurried up to them.

            "How'd you like to come to a party?" Harry asked.

            "W-with you guys?" James squeaked.

            "No, with the Slytherins.  Of course with us," Ron said, grinning, "It's Hermione's birthday, and we're celebrating after dinner."

            "I'd love to!" James exclaimed, smiling brightly.  But the smile quickly turned to concern.  "I don't have a present for her, though."

            "Just you being there is enough, James.  You don't have to bring a present," Harry assured him.

            James brightened.  "Okay then!  I'll see you at dinner."

            He hurried off, and Harry and Ron resumed their walk.

            "I always feel ten feet tall around that kid," Ron said.

            Harry laughed.  "He does have a way of making you feel important.  It makes me feel as though I've done something grand without realizing it."

            "Ha, look at that!  He's following us again."

            "You're joking!  I wonder why.  It's not like we don't enjoy talking with him."

            "Maybe he's studying us so he can figure out how to be as successful as we are," Ron said with a laugh.

            "No, I think he just likes walking back there.  You know, feeling like he's part of a group yet not really.  A fly on the wall, I guess."

            Ron shrugged.  "Seems like a dull way to live."

****

            "I swear, someday Snape's gonna wake up to find himself hanging from the ceiling by his ankles," Azar huffed, sitting sulkily at the table.

            Harry, Ron, Hermione, and James were already seated.  Hermione was eating her dinner sullenly.  Ron and Harry had to be trying to cheer her up, and even James put in a comforting notion now and then, but all to little avail.

            "What'd he do?" Harry asked.

            "Just acted like his normal charming self," she scoffed, "You'd think he'd have some sense of humor."

            Harry grinned, shaking his head and waiting for the story to come.

            "See, we were making Fortune Tonics in Potions.  Snape was going to test one, and since I'd been arguing with Wart—"

            "Wait, who's 'Wart'?" Harry interrupted.

            "Stewart Ackerley.  For some reason, he prefers being called Stew and not Wart."  She shrugged.  "I always hated stew."

            "Ackerley?" Ron asked, surprised.

            "No, stew stew, not Stew.  I much prefer soup.  Stew is just too pasty."

            "Ackerley?" Ron asked again, trying not to grin.

            Azar rolled her eyes.

            "Yeah, okay, but you were saying…" Harry said.

            "Yes, well, Snape told me off something awful for arguing with Wart.  He got off, of course, 'cause he's younger and was just delivering a message.  Then Snape said he'd be trying my tonic to see if the argument had got in the way of my making it.  I just happened to have that bottle of that Tongue-Twisting Tonic you'd given me in my pocket, and thought it might be…amusing…  Well, needless to say, he got very angry when he started talking backwards.  Then he wrote on a slip of paper that I had detention.  Can't take a joke, the prit.  I mean, it wasn't even on Filch's forbidden items list.  I should know, I've read it."

            "Well it sure will be now," Harry smiled.

            James' mouth was slightly ajar, a look of pure awe on his face.

            "Hermione got detention, too," Ron said without thinking.

            Hermione, whose mood had improved greatly upon hearing Azar's story, gave him a dark look.

            "You're joking!" Azar exclaimed, "Our illustrious Head Girl got a detention?  From whom?"

            "Sirius," Harry said, a little glumly, "It was one of those 'last straw' things."

            If Azar's eyes weren't bugged out before, they sure were now.  "Sirius?  You can't be serious!"

            "I'm not; I'm Harry."

            "Oh shut up, Harry legs.  That joke is way too overused.  What'd you do, Herm?"

            Hermione couldn't help a grin from coming to her face.  "There was a group of boys in the corner showing off various ways of exploding quills.  I watched a few, but it was so…well, wrong.  No creativity, and they were using the simplest of spells.  So I decided to show them how to do it right.  It got a little…out of hand, and Sirius wasn't too pleased."

            Azar laughed.  "I would have loved to see that, Herm."

            "It was, actually, quite funny, until Sirius gave me the detention.  It was so unfair!  I did just one innocent explosion; it's not like I'd been doing it all class.  I swear, it's sexist!  Boys are expected to be out of control and rambunctious, so they don't get in trouble for being so, but if a girl does it, well then—"

            "Whoa, down girl," Azar said, patting Hermione's head, "You were just the most convenient to blame, that's all.  No need to make a federal case of it, Herm."

            Hermione glowered at her, muttering under her breath, "-mione."

            By the end of the meal, however, Hermione had cheered up.  It's not easy to stay angry when you know there's a party being held for you in a few minutes.  James ran off to his common room for a moment, but the rest of them headed out happily for the grounds.  They'd set a table up in an open area of the grounds, covered with more Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans than they could possibly eat.  By the table were half a dozen brooms, the purpose of which was anybody's guess.

            They sat, talking and eating for a while until James came back.  In his hand he had a bouquet of flowers that had once been purple, but now were speckled with gold and red.

            "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, "I wanted them to be Gryffindor colors but I kinda messed up on the magic."

            "They're beautiful," Hermione smiled, mussing up his hair.

            She looked up at the castle doors hopefully, glancing at Harry in a dejected sort of way.  There was no need to say why.

            "Well, hey, let's get a move on," Azar said, trying to liven things up, "How 'bout capture the flag?"

            "Sure," Hermione said with a strained smile, "Sounds great."

            It was then Draco came out.  Whatever relief Harry felt at seeing him was surpassed by the regret of how forcefully they had invited him.  Draco's scowl was so deep and his stare so threatening that he looked like he'd been caught in a sudden downpour, and would gladly bring the storm with him.  He stood stiffly, looking at Harry as if to prove that him coming to the party was pointless.  But then Hermione spotted him.  A smile broke onto her face and, before he could even think to object, she ran up and threw her arms around him.  She might as well have planted her lips on his for all the surprise it caused.

            "I am so sorry," she said, hugging him tight.

            The shock slowly ebbed away from Draco's face, softening into a smile that he didn't even try to hide as he hugged her back.  "Hey, no, it's fine.  She was dead long ago, to me.  I was just being a jerk."

            Hermione pulled out from him, still smiling.  Then she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the group.  "You're on Ron's and my team.  Since you're a Seeker, he's a Chaser, and I'm a Beater, we'll blow those three out of the sky!"

            It wasn't until sunset that they touched ground again, and only then to open the presents.  They were almost in complete darkness when they finally finished, the lights coming from the castle windows the only reason they could still see each other.

            "Race you back to the common room, Hermione," Ron grinned, taking off before she could answer.  Laughing, she ran after him.

            "Figures," Draco said as the two disappeared into the school, "Ron disappears when it's just about time to clean up."

            Harry smiled.  The change that had come over Draco that evening was a full one hundred eighty degrees.  It was as if that last summer hadn't happened at all, like they were starting off right after the end of their sixth year.

            The last sweets were finally bagged and the table gone, so the remaining four lay on the grass awhile, staring at the stars for no reason at all.

            "Is this Hogwarts Castle?" came a voice from above them.

            They jumped slightly, sitting up.  Harry felt his heart give a leap.  That long, greasy hair pulled back in a loose knot, that tight, sallow skin, those cold black eyes:  it was Juniata Snape.  Harry had met her the previous year when she taught him chemistry at a muggle school.  It wasn't until he wrote to Sirius, however, that he'd found out she was Snape's younger sister, and a squib.  Her eyes had fallen on Harry, and he wondered if she recognized him as 'Gary Trotter', his alias during his short few months living as a muggle.

            "Yes, it is," Azar answered a little suspiciously.

            "Thank you," the woman said tersely, heading on towards Hogwarts with a suitcase in hand.

            No sooner had Harry felt relief sweeping over him, however, than she called back without turning around, "It was nice to see you again, 'Mr. Trotter'."

            "Who was that?" Azar asked when the woman was out of earshot.

            "Snape's little sister," Harry answered.

            "Snape's got a sister?" Draco asked, looking back at Juniata.

            "Yeah, and they might as well be twins for looks and attitude.  But what is she doing here?  She's a squib."

            They stayed outside for only a little while longer, then Harry and Azar headed off, James and Draco following a little far behind.

            "You know, I'm really glad Draco came," Azar said.

            He wasn't sure if it was the comment so much as the tone of her voice, but something about what she said made Harry suspicious.

            He stopped, looking questionably at Azar.  "What'd you do?"

            "Nothing," she said in a playful tone, swinging her arm and holding his hand tight.

            "C'mon.  You talked to him, right?  What'd you say?  I knew he didn't come just because Ron and I told him to."

            "It's a lovely night, isn't it?" she remarked, looking up and walking on.

            "Get moving, lovebirds," Draco said, coming up from behind them, "You're blocking the path."

            "Oh really?"

            Azar reached out around his neck, taking him in something between a hug and a headlock.  Draco struggled half-heartedly, but soon conceded to his fate, allowing Azar to tug him along as they walked up towards the castle.  Harry looked over his shoulder, hearing the gentle shuffle of someone following them.  It was James, submissive as ever and looking positively glowing to be in such a group of elite elders.

            "Hey James, come up here," Harry called, "No need to sneak around behind us."

            His eyes and grin brightening, James rushed up to Harry's side.  Harry reached out and mussed up the boy's hair lightheartedly.  With a jolt, however, he withdrew his hand, letting go of Azar at the same time.  Azar also released Draco the same instant, her eyes wide.  Something—it could almost be called a pulsing, but not quite—had surged through all of them, like a wave of electricity, the moment Harry had touched James.  They were silent for a while, hardly daring to breathe, unsure if the others had felt the same thing.

            "Wow, that was strange," Azar laughed, "You must be a magnet for static electricity, James, 'cause that was one powerful shock."

            Harry was about to object, but the meaning in Azar's eyes as she gave him a look made him stop.  At the foot of the stairs, Azar stopped again.

            "You guys go on.  I want to talk alone with Harry a moment."

            "Oh, yeah, sure," Draco said slyly, walking up the stairs, "You want to "talk" with him."

            Draco went through the door, but James hesitated.  He was more than eager to see the right way to kiss a girl, but his bashfulness won over and he left.  Harry turned to Azar and opened his mouth to say something.

            Azar beat him to it.  "That was not static electricity."

            "I know.  So why did you say it was?"

            "I hate those awkward silences," she said, shaking her head, "Besides, I wanted to make sure before I jumped to conclusions."

            "So…what was it?"

            "How should I know?"

            He shrugged.  "I guess I just thought…"

            She rubbed her arms, shivering slightly though the night was still quite warm.  "Should we do anything about it?"

            "Well, it could have been nothing.  We might as well wait and see if anything else comes up."

            Azar nodded, frowning slightly to herself.  "Why when you touched James?  Think maybe he has…I dunno, a power or something about him that made it happen?"

            "Maybe he's just very magical.  Does he do well in school?"

            Azar smiled slightly.  "Let's just say he's Hufflepuff's answer to Neville Longbottom."

****

            "So you think Azar had something with Draco coming?" Ron laughed as he and Harry headed up toward the boys' dormitory, "Ha, figures."

            "She does have a tendency of getting her way," Harry mused, opening the door.

            "Yeah, you better be careful.  You'll have quite a time controlling her."

            "Controlling her?!  I wouldn't even try; I'd go mad.  Besides, she'd make me kiss her shoes just for suggesting such a thing."

            Ron laughed, pulling apart his bed curtains.  Then he yelled bloody murder.  Harry quickly rushed over to him to see what was the matter.  There on his bed sat a very peevish and translucent Percy Weasley.

~*~*~

A/N:  Well, here you go.  Sorry to leave off w/ just meeting up w/ Percy, but I don't feel like writing anymore right now. *grin*  I'm so lazy.

            Thank you all who have reviewed!!!

Taracollowen:  LOL  Oh, it's fine if you take my shoes!  The laces have broken too many times to count and I've got an annoying hole developing in the toe… ^_^  Thanks.

Mrs. Grim:  lol  Can't say anything about Draco's arm yet.  Sorry. ^_^  But I can tell you that Sirius won't reconsider, though he'll, er, be "kinder" about it. *shrug*  You'll see.  Thanks!

jona:  lol  Thanks!

abbey:  *hides in shame*  Yeah, I know.  My stupid word won't do revert the italics into HTML, or something!  Underline works, but not italics.  It really bugs me.  ^_^  Thanks!

Moon Warrior:  LOL  You'll have to tell me what happens. ^_^  Ah, revenge.  Is there anything so sweet? ^_^  Thanks!

summersun:  Thanks!  I know, awfully mean of Sirius.  And though he won't have a change of heart, he will try to make it more "enjoyable".  However… *shakes head*  Yeah, he's so kind it's cruel.  Ga!  I can't explain it very well, you'll just have to see.

sweets:  ^_^  So many questions, and none of them answerable!  Thanks, though! ^-^

Raven of Death:  *grins*  Thanks!  Yeah, book 4 did set me a bit off on Ron.  Of course it was inevitable.  I mean, no friendship can be completely free of fights. *shrug*

chrestomanci:  I know.  Ron's got problems. (And I'm not going to make it any easier for him.)  And Hermione…well, I'm putting her through kinda what I feel.  Going on my senior year of high school, I've caught the dreaded senioritis a bit early.  Not doing wonders for my grades, I can tell you that.  So Hermione's basically acting out the rebel in me. ^_^  Thanks!

Trisana:  Can't tell you about Draco's arm. ^_^  And Azar's been around, but not a focal point.  At least not right now. ^_^  Thanks!

Nallen Riddle:  Thanks!

BlueIce:  Thanks!  lol

suger:  Wow, thanks!  I will! ^_^

            Why in heaven's name am I so tired at 10:30 pm?!?!  Must be school, it's taking it out of me.  Well, I hope you semi-enjoyed this, er, less-than-perfect chapter.  I really need my summer vacation… *groan*  It's so far away!

            Be excellent to each other!

            -Ady