A/N: I know I would usually be updating DDNT today, but I had inspiration for this fic and wanted to post it before the site's log-in could be shut down for a few days. Enjoy!

CH26: Something Old, Something New

Harry clutched his godfather tighter than he had ever held anyone before. Oblivious to the stares from the other occupants of the Hall, the pair basked in the presence of one another. Until they pulled away from each other, that is.

Harry barely had time to register Hermione stalking up to him before she slapped him squarely across the face. In a second, his wand was out and pointed at her forehead. Relaxing as he realized that it was his best friend, he lowered it.

She paused, shocked, before launching into a tirade. "How dare you! How could you! Leaving like that! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you! You just left! And we had to find out what really happened from a newspaper! You didn't even have the decency to tell us yourself!" Tears were streaming down her face. "You saw me right before you left, Harry. Why didn't you tell me? I didn't even get to say good-bye." She collapsed into her shoulder, crying.

Harry patted her on the back and softly whispered into her ear. "Hey, there, there. It's alright, Hermione. It'll be alright."

"No, it won't!" she sobbed. "I thought I lost you. I – "

"I'm here now."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she repeated.

"Hermione." He looked into her eyes and Hermione's sobbing hitched. "I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because you're my best friend."

"What?"

"You've been my best friend for five years now," he continued, rubbing her shoulders to try and calm her down. "I knew that, if I told you, you would try to talk me out of doing it. And I would have listened to you."

"But – "

"Shhh. You are the only person who has ever been able to talk me out of doing something that is incredibly stupid. I knew you would ask me to stay and I would have stayed. But I couldn't. I couldn't condemn those people when I had a chance to save them. Do you understand why I did it now?"

Hermione nodded, slowly. "I guess." She reluctantly released him and walked backwards. Ron came up next to her and put a slightly overprotective arm around her waist. A leisurely smirk spread across Harry's face.

"When did this happen?" He motioned to the couple.

Ron smiled proudly, but Hermione looked uncomfortable. "About a three weeks ago," she said, uncertain about how he would react.

But Harry just grinned broadly. "About bloody time." There was a laugh from across the room.

"That's what we've been saying, mate," said Fred.

George lifted a glass in salute. "Good to have you back, Rider dear."

Harry groaned. "You two aren't going to start calling me that, are you?"

"Well, we have to," Fred replied, innocently.

"Your name is just too long for us to pronounce," declared George.

"Just consider it my tribute to melodramatic soap operas." The Twins look puzzled at Harry's statement.

"What?"

"Muggle thing," he chuckled.

"How long will you be with us, Mr. Potter?" inquired Albus Dumbledore, benignly.

He sighed. "Just for the Winter Break."

"You're not staying?" exclaimed Ron.

"I wish I could, but – " Harry winced slightly as a sudden pain shot through his arm. "And Tom just found out I'm gone." Surprised looks met this proclamation.

"You didn't tell him you were leaving?" Sirius questioned. Harry looked sheepish.

"I left him a note."


Voldemort stared at the parchment in his hands until it burst into flame. Months of plotting and planning and molding Harry into a dark wizard could all go down the drain. With one single visit to them.

Oh, yes. He and Harry were going to have a long discussion when he got back.


"I don't suppose you have any objections to staying in the Gryffindor Tower?" Albus asked.

"If you hadn't suggested it, I may just have had to sneak up there myself."

Albus chuckled. "Then why don't you bring you trunk up there and then join us for dinner." Harry nodded.

"I'll come with you," Sirius, Ron, and Hermione proclaimed.

"No, no, you guys wait here and enjoy your Christmas Eve. I'll be back in ten minutes."

After he left, Sirius clapped a hand to his forehead. "I forgot to warn him about Sam!"


Harry whistled on his trip up to the portrait and was finally faced with the Fat Lady when he realized he didn't know the password.

"Any chance of you just letting me in?" asked Harry, startling the woman out of sleep.

"Harry!" she gushed. "I'm so glad you're back! Everyone was all a titter when you left!"

He smiled charmingly and she blushed. "I don't know why everyone was so worried about me."

"Well, I was certainly worried."

"Thank you. And, as much as I love talking to you, I really need to get into the Common Room. But I don't know the new password. Is there any way you could let me in?" He gave her puppy-dog eyes and she melted.

"Oh, alright. But just this once." The portrait swung open, admitting Harry into the brightly decorated room. He smirked. It was a well-known Gryffindor fact that all you had to do was flirt with the Fat Lady a bit and she'd cave.

He didn't get far when he noticed a young girl sitting by the fireplace.

"Hello," he greeted. She glanced up from the book she was reading.

"Hello. Are you one of the Gryffindors staying over break? I don't recognize you." She frowned.

"I actually don't go to school here anymore. Just visiting."

"Oh." She looked at him suspiciously. "Visiting who?"

"Some old friends. What are you doing up here?" he said, changing the subject. "How come you're not downstairs with everyone else?" He set down his bag.

Before she could answer, the sleeve of Harry's robe slid up, revealing the edge of his Dark Mark. She grasped her wand and shouted out a hex.

"Stupefy!"

Harry ducked and pulled his own wand out.

"Expelliarmus!" Her wand flew out of her hand and Harry caught it. He pointed his own weapon at her.

"What was that for?" he bit out impatiently.

"Whatever it is you are here for, I'm not helping you, Death Eater," she spat back at him. Harry's eyes widened. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the boys' dormitory stairs. Neville entered the room, stopping dead at the sight before him.

"Stay back, Longbottom," the girl said, clearly trying to sound intimidating and failing miserably. "We've got a Death Eater in our midst."

Neville squinted at the supposed Death Eater. "Harry?"

"Hey, Nev," he responded, not taking his eyes off the hostile girl. Neville came forward and hugged him. The girl blanched.

"You're in cahoots with him, Longbottom!" she shrieked. "I thought you had more sense than that!"

Neville threw her a withering glance. "He's not a Death Eater."

"He has the Dark Mark on his arm! Ergo, he's a Death Eater."

Harry looked down and swore, pulling his sleeve over the tattoo. "Okay, technically, I am a Death Eater, but I'm not really one."

"What???"

The portrait hole opened and an out-of-breath Sirius ran in. He took in the scene before him.

"I see you've met my niece, Harry."


A/N: Three things I have to talk about for this chapter -

1) The Soap Opera bit is just to explain away Harry having a really long name. Consider it a parody of the shows that I hate, but watch anyway. I gave Harry a long name at the beginning of my fanfiction career and ... well, it seemed like a good idea then.

2) Yes, Sirius has a niece. If you're a self-proclaimed hater of OCs, don't worry. I could lead that fan club (maybe I'll start one ... ) She's not going to be Mary-Sueish. Trust me.

3) I wrote the last line and then realized how much it sounds like Harry seeing Sirius in Grimmauld place. ;-)