A/N: I am so sorry. I really meant to update this earlier, really I did. Just real life caught up with me, I lost my book and therefore my plot and half of the long hand that I had written out. I have changed my mind about a lot of the relationships both platonic and romantic, as well as people that I wanna kill off.
I also want to apologise for the fact that I did not even get around to sorting out these messes until someone flamed me. Flamed me. My first flame. I doubt Marta is reading this as he/she/it didn't like it, but I talked her flame over with a lot of people and we decided that she was in fact talking a load of rubbish for only reading one chapter. So there.
I will try to update this soon. However, as a realistic date I will try to get the next chapter up within a month, if anyone likes this at all.
On with the fic!
Chapter 3: Friends' Feelings
'Harry!' squealed Hermione, and the combined effect of his dizziness and her hugging him was enough to knock him over.
'Hermione, at least let him stand up.' Said Ron's voice from behind Hermione. As he stood up he saw the gangling form of his other best friend grinning at him, but Harry noticed that there was a slight flicker in his grin.
'Hey mate, er where are we?'
'This Harry? Oh yeah, "we are proud to present the newly renovated Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix". We spent the last month working and um… well…'Ron tailed off looking embarrassed.
'We hope you approve, Harry. It was, um, part of Sirius' will that we finish what he started if he couldn't, we hope you don't mind…'
And Harry finally managed to really look at where he was. He was in drawing room that they had worked on so much last year, but it was so different. The more Harry looked at it the less he could remember about how it used to look. Now it was like a more dignified version of Gryffindor common room, with sofas, tables and a writing desk. The family tree was replaced with a list of members and there was an air that everyone was welcome.
'Do you like it?' Hermione ventured, and Harry suddenly realised why they were being so timid. This time last year he had barely got to the Headquarters when he had started shouting about being left out. But something in him had changed since then.
'It's great.' He said, and when they still didn't quite relax fully, he added, 'I'm not going to start shouting this year. So, you know, you can breathe if you want.' And he sat down on one of the tight looking sofas.
Harry was delighted to find that it was one of the comfortable types that make it almost impossible to not like sitting on them. He remembered a phrase from Sirius' will. Rather a standing tribute to me… Harry thought that Sirius would have loved what they'd done with the place, and when Hermione blushed and mumbled about being unsure about something. Ron had almost looked sheepish himself, but then Ginny and the twins came into the room talking animatedly.
Fred and George seemed slightly less gangly, but they were only just eighteen and had become Order members only last month. But Ginny did seem different. Her hair was thicker and looked a little blonder than the rest of the Weasleys', and Harry couldn't help but noticed that "little" Ginny was looking curvier without the shapeless robes that they wore at Hogwarts. Harry silently thanked the fact that he had been practicing Occumency over the holidays, or Harry felt sure that we would have blushed at these thoughts. George noticed Harry first.
'Harry! How are you? I-'
'-trust that you enjoyed our gift?' finished Fred beaming.
'Yeah thanks, it was really funny, he didn't even realised that something was wrong until I couldn't stop from laughing, and the box is really useful too.'
The conversation turned to Harry's presents, and the extra books that had been bought. The expressions were all almost exactly the same as he had guessed, except Fred and George tried to pretend that Harry had been abducted by aliens and Ginny, surprisingly, quietly asked to borrow a few of them.
There was a gap in the talking when Mrs. Weasley came into the room, briefly said hello to Harry and told the twins that a meeting was starting. Hermione decided to fill it.
'So how many OWLs did you get Harry?' she asked. 'Ron refused to tell me until you got here, so I have no idea whether I did well or not, so-'
'Of course you did well Hermione.' Said Ron in an offhand way, 'you just want to get worried for no reason and compare class choices with Harry, because I refused to let you and no one else has the time or energy.'
Harry and Ginny burst out laughing and even Hermione grinned, but eventually Harry said, 'I got 11 OWLs, ok? Ron, let's just get this over with, yeah?'
'Fine, fine, I got ten OWLs, same as Charlie did. Go on then Hermione, say it.'
'Shut up Ron, I got 16 OWLs, but I did take two more subjects than you two.' And she produced her parchment and started to compare grades with Harry while Ron seemed to choke and Ginny laughed.
'This will be you next year, pay attention.' Grumbled Ron. 'So do we know who the new DADA teacher is going to be? I imagine it will be an Order Member…' He tailed off at the look on Hermione and Ginny's faces.
'What? What aren't you telling us?' Harry said suspiciously.
'Well, it's that after Umbridge, Dumbledore felt that he really needed a teacher he knew already, and they say DADA is cursed and…' Hermione looked miserable, so Ginny finished for her. 'Dumbledore finally gave Snape the job and found a new Potions teacher instead. It's a woman, but that's all we know. That's why if you got an E in Potions you'd still be accepted this year, because of the new teacher. Maybe you could ask about it when you talk to him next? Harry?'
Harry quickly snapped back to the present and found that he was disgusted. 'Great. Just great. So now Occumency and DADA with Snape.'
Luckily there weren't any other nasty surprises for Harry, that evening which consisted of wizard chess, exploding snap and mini Quidditch on the board that Ron gave Harry for his Birthday and then thanking Tonks, Moody and Remus properly for their presents and ending with an amazing meal from Molly. But when Harry went upstairs to their bedroom he found that Malfoy's owl was waiting for Harry on his bed. And Ron had spotted it before Harry could shove it into the closet. Harry waited for the explosion.
'Oh my god! Isn't that Malfoy's owl?' Ron just had to yell as Hermione and Ginny were going by. They came in just as Harry, who had decided that in this case honesty was the best policy, nodded.
'But why is Malfoy writing to you?' Ron spluttered. 'Can't he insult us enough at school as it is?'
'Ron-'
'Has he written to you before?'
'Ron-'
'He has hasn't he?'
'Ron-'
'What are you yelling about, Ron?' said Hermione
'Malfoy,' Ron spat his name out like it burnt his tongue. 'Has been writing to Harry. And Harry must have been writing back to that piece of shit, when he won't even write to us!'
'Will you at least listen to me Ron?' Harry practically screamed. 'For your information, Malfoy-'
But Ron never knew what Harry had been about to say, and maybe it was a good thing, because it could have destroyed their friendship for ever, and not just with Ron but with all the Weasleys in a moment of anger. Sometimes Harry also wondered what he would have said, but didn't because at that moment Fred and George apparated into the argument.
'Are you two fighting again already?'
'And about a boy no less?'
'The son of a known death eater.'
'And a known prat as well?'
Ron faltered, and Ginny stepped into the fray.
'Ron is angry because Malfoy has been writing to Harry, and he's been writing for a while, and Harry must have been writing back, and Ron thinks that Harry hasn't really bothered to write to us.' Ginny spoke so clearly and calmly that Harry suddenly thought how weird this must feel for Ron.
'Why has Malfoy been writing to you, Harry?' asked Hermione in voice that said she was really interested but didn't want this to get any worse.
'I don't know, do I!' Harry said as he sat down on his bed. 'He just wrote to me on my birthday, and sent me a gift, and it was so weird that I wrote back to him, I even charmed his owl to fly ten times faster to see if he would notice, and he wrote back, and we just kept going in this crazy code thing and, and it just helped, ok?'
It was Ginny that asked first. 'When were you going to tell us?'
'Were you going to tell us?' said Ron roughly.
'Ron.' Said Fred warningly.
'Not today, but the next time he wrote to me. Its just all I've been dong is hanging out with Mark all this time, and studying, and trying to count the people that were following us and I thought was doing quite well, but there was something left over, and I've just been writing it down with crazy impulsive crap, and sending it to Malfoy. And he's been doing the same to me, except most of mine is real, whereas his is probably mostly lies.'
There was a dangerous silence, until George said quietly, 'Who's Mark?'
The next silence continued through the entire night, as Ginny, Fred, George, and Hermione had to go to bed then. Ron just said, 'well you may as well read what ever is in the envelope then.' Before going to sleep himself.
Harry felt irritated that he hadn't planned what to say to Ron, but he couldn't even describe it to himself. A part of Malfoy's first letter came to mind: Maybe it's easier to talk to someone you really hate? Don't answer that. But Harry had answered, and the answer had been yes, and look where it had got him. Harry sighed and opened the envelope.
Dear Pen Pal,
We are both crazy, but you are also weird. Have you heard that the death eaters are planning to break out of Azkaban soon. I doubt you did know, but now you do. I wish I knew why I keep writing to you but I do.
Is the rumour about the Weasleys' and their son Peter cutting himself off from them true? They seem like such a strange family to me. We're just so different in Slytherin.
The Firebolt 2000 has come out. I hope that the Malfoys' buy a set for our team, but I can't help but think it must be a burden to have to keep buying more and more brooms to make a team that could be so much better if they just learned to fly. Their seeker can, but the rest look like gorillas on flimsy branches. Your team can usually fly, but never have any decent brooms, and if Potter hadn't been discovered they never would have one the Quidditch cup. Then again, maybe Hufflepuff would have won, so maybe it's a good thing that we came second instead of last.
I heard that some of the people who signed up for this project never wrote to each other, or will stop when they go back to school. But our very special relationship actually seems to be working. What do you think?
Your Slytherin Pen Pal
Harry dearly wanted to go to sleep, but he had to tell someone that the Death Eaters were planning to escape, so he went back downstairs, were he found that Tonks, Moody and Dumbledore were talking. Harry opened the doors so he could come in, but as they didn't seem to hear him Harry cleared his throat.
'Harry!' Tonks began. 'I thought that you were asleep.'
'Um… can I talk to you, professor? It's important.'
'Of course Harry.' Said Dumbledore, and Tonks and Moody suddenly disapparated, leaving them alone.
'Well… I think the Death Eaters are going to try to break out of Azkaban soon, but I'm not sure. I don't know when, or whether its right now, and my source isn't very reliable. I thought I should tell you anyway. I'm not sure though. I didn't have another dream...' Harry added quickly.
'May I ask Harry, how you came to think you know this, but you're not sure?'
Harry glanced at the clock. This could take a while.
'Well sir, you remember what the Sorting hat told us last year? Um, about uniting the houses? Or crumbling from within?' Harry began uncertainly.
'Of course Harry.' Dumbledore prompted him.
'Well on my birthday, well, Malfoy wrote to me, and he sent me something, and the letter was just so funny, and, I replied to him, but we were using this strange code, and well, just now he sent me a letter that said that they were going to try to escape. But I don't know if he's telling the truth or not.' Harry finished somewhat lamely.
'I see. Ah, Kingsley, could you check on Azkaban for me please? Perhaps find some spare Unspeakables and take them out to strengthen the wards?' Kingsley who had just come in, nodded wearily and disapparated. 'So Harry, why have you been writing to Draco?'
'Well Professor, he wrote to me first, and I thought it would be funny to write back, but I used this really weird, code thing, I didn't think that he'd write back again, but then he did, and he used my nearly a code. And all the time I've just been well, hanging out with Mark, and studying, and counting the people watching or following us, and after Sirius, I thought I was doing so well, but there was something left over, and I guess I've been writing it down and sending it to Malfoy.'
'Ah. Have you told him anything?'
'No!' said Harry hotly. 'And until this evening he hadn't told me anything either. There was like this mutual agreement.'
'Thank you Harry.' Said Dumbledore, standing up. 'I suggest that we continue this tomorrow, when I was planning to talk to you anyway.'
And with that Harry went up to bed, wondering slightly if he'd done the right thing.
The next morning Ron was still glowering at Harry, but everyone else was perfectly nice. They did all seem to want to talk to Harry alone though, and didn't stop until they accomplished it. Hermione managed it first.
'Harry can I see one of the books for this year, I haven't got them yet?' she said, but as soon as they were in Harry's and Ron's room she asked him to charm to the door to stop Extendable ears.
'Harry, this thing with Malfoy, I understand it completely, but, did it have to be Malfoy? I mean of all the Slytherins to choose to talk to-'
'Hermione, that's the entire point. I'm not writing to Malfoy, not really, and he isn't writing to Harry Potter. Look I'll show you-'
And Harry pulled out a couple of their letters. 'I invented this Pen Pal thing so he wouldn't get caught by his parents, and it's like we're completely different people, we can write about anything except the war, that's like an unspoken rule.' Harry took a deep breath, and found he was grinning. 'We even talk about each other, and ourselves, and, I don't know why, but it feels ok.'
'Well Harry, I for one think it would be a good idea in practice, but when you go back to school, what are you going to do then? Have him insult you, and Ron and me, and then just keep writing to him? It might be a good idea, but how's it going to work?'
'I don't know Hermione, but it feels ok now. I guess I'll sort that out when it happens.'
Hermione stood up, and Harry picked up one of his books, then she said suddenly,
'You thought I wouldn't notice, right? You didn't want us to be jealous? That's why you didn't tell us?'
Harry was thrown back into confusion. 'What?' he asked completely lost.
'You silenced this room! You did magic, and didn't get in trouble! Dumbledore twisted the law for you, didn't he, Harry? Oh this is great, Ron will totally forgive you!'
Harry really didn't know what she was talking about, and gave her a look that said this, so she continued.
'We wanted to learn to defend ourselves and stuff, and Ron asked his mum if she could talk to Dumbledore and try to let us do magic outside school, but she said Dumbledore wouldn't let you and that you were in more danger than us, so she didn't see why we should be allowed. But if you're allowed she'll have to talk to Dumbledore, and if you do as well, we might be allowed!'
'Ok…' Harry said, smiling slightly. Hermione went to tell Ron, and Harry decided to start reading about Animagi before anyone else decided to lecture him. He became so absorbed that he didn't notice Ginny come in until she sat next to him.
'Are you thinking of trying it, Harry?' she asked quietly, making him jump.
'Well… I guess I'd like to try, but not on my own. I don't want to be 'Harry Potter: good at everything', but I'd love to try it with you.'
Harry had meant it to sound like 'Ron and Hermione and Ginny' you, but after he said it he realised that she thought he was trying a lame attempt to spend time with her. He tried to look away, but couldn't, and could feel that a hot blush was creeping up his face.
Ginny looked away and said, 'I dumped Dean, you know,' she started. 'And I'd like to try to become Animagi, but I think we can both think of a more romantic date. Anyway, Ron and Hermione, as well as Neville and Luna would want to as well.'
And smiling slightly, she left the room, leaving Harry to his mixed thoughts.
After lunch, Harry had planned to have a first try at apparition, but that was when Dumbledore had some free time, and he asked if he could talk to Harry.
They went to a room two floors above Harry an on the eastside, which turned out to be a kind of office. There were some comfortable chairs, and Dumbledore asked Harry to join him sitting in them.
'So Harry,' he began, 'you have chosen your NEWT subjects yet? I hear you did quite well in your OWLs.'
'Yeah, I guess I did quite well. I'm planning to take DADA, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration and Potions.'
'And?'
Harry blushed slightly. 'And if you'll let me try to learn, I'd like to try Apparition, Animagi, Metamorphmagi, Elemental and Wandless magic, and continue with Occumency. But I'm not sure how I should.'
'Do you think you could fit all that in with the DA, NEWT homework and Quidditch practice?'
'Will I be allowed to continue the DA? Isn't professor Snape a competent teacher?'
Dumbledore smiled slightly. 'You have heard about that, then? Yes he is a competent teacher, but not everyone will prefer his style to yours. And you were a very good teacher. I believe I am correct in thinking every one of your students that took their OWL that year either achieved an E or an O.'
Harry grinned.
'What I suggest is this: Professor Snape will teach you Occumency, Professor Flitwick will teach you Apparition, and Professor McGonagall will try to teach you to become Animagi. You must be accepted by the element, there is nothing that I can help you with for that, and you must master basic wandless magic on your own before anyone can start to help you shape it. As for Metamorphmagi, either you can do it or you can't, I'm afraid there is not much middle ground.
'Do you want to try any of this?'
Harry nodded, and then said, 'Sir, can any of my friends do this as well? Only, it could get a little isolated, and I know that they're like to try, and-'
'Of course. Who do you think should join you?'
Harry had been about to say Ron and Hermione when the Department of Mysteries came to mind. They were his true friends.
'Ron and Hermione, and Ginny and Neville and Luna as well, if they want to.' Harry answered firmly, knowing that he had made the right choice.
'Glad to hear it Harry!' Dumbledore answered enthusiastically. 'Was there anything else you wanted to mention?'
'Um, yes, do you think Ron and Hermione and Ginny would be allowed to use magic as well as me?'
Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.
'Already happening. Tell me, did you er, have a chance to talk to Mark Evans over the summer?
'Yes.' Said Harry simply. Then he added, 'Did you know we were related?'
'I suspected that there was a chance, but I really did not know. But when we accepted him to Hogwarts I thought maybe you could talk. I hoped it helped you, Harry.'
'Thank you. It did.'
Well, there it is… I spent several hours giving this to you, won't you give me thirty seconds to review?
