Just old Friends
Chapter 1: Potter's Corner
The war was at its climax the final battle was approaching and for Harry Potter he knew it would be the battle of his life. He had been living for this day his entire life, even before his birth if one believed in prophecies.
Harry had always been the hope of the wizarding world, maybe it was because of the legend of his family. Potters had always done something important for the wizarding world. His great great grandfather had helped to make Quidditch the game of the wizarding world. While his great grandfather had carried on his work and had set up the Wizarding League.
Then there was his grandfather a close friend to Albus Dumbledore and the Minster during the time of Grindelwald and he had been the one to award Dumbledore with his many titles and had insisted on placing his face on the Chocolate Frog cards.
Harry of course had known none of this until his seventh and final year in Hogwarts. However the legacy that was his father was something he had known since the age of eleven. His father had fallen at the hands of Voldemort saving his family.
He had been a great Auror and had captured so many Death Eaters that they had awarded him an Order of Merlin Second Class in life. Not only had his father been an unspoken hero of the wizarding world so had his mother.
A Healer for the wizarding community she had been able to save many lives during the first war including that of the Minster of Magic himself. They were a lot for Harry to live up to but the thing they would forever be remembered for was the fact they were his parents.
In Death they had been awarded Order of Merlin First Class for their aid in the downfall of Voldemort, after all it was their unquestioning love for each other and their child that had saved Harry all those years ago.
It was this that meant that Harry at the tender age of seventeen was the hope of the entire wizarding world. Voldemort was back, he was strong and the final battle was nearly upon them.
He sat quietly in the corner of the common room that nobody seemed to move to these days. It was known as Potter's Corner to the lower years and no-one bothered him while he was there. Well normally.
His green eyes were closed from the world while his hand moved through his messy black hair making it look worse than normal. With his keen hearing he caught the sound of a chair being moved and a sigh from a girl.
He looked up to meet the eyes of one of his best friends in the world. He mentally laughed at how over the years his group of close friends had grown. It had started with him and a red head named Ron Weasley. Soon they were joined by the smartest and bossiest witch Hermione Granger.
Then finally in his fifth year Neville Longbottom somehow managed to penetrate into their group and with him he brought two younger girls Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley. It was funny how friendships changed but before he could really concentrate on that he heard mutters around him.
"She's sitting in Potter Corner, nobody sits there except Potter!"
He laughed lightly as his green eyes locked with brown. The girl in front of him looked troubled and that scared him more than anything. She had always been his rock, always strong and never wrong.
He watched her nervously run a hand through her long brown hair. He saw her fingers move into the curls and the way she was biting her lower lip. It was true she had changed over the years and Harry could no longer say she wasn't famine.
It seemed that everywhere she went Hermione managed to draw the attention of men and she never noticed, or at least pretended she didn't. Harry had spent the last two years telling the males of the school that if they got near her they'd better treat her right or he'd hurt them.
Worry sat in her eyes as small tears made their way through them. She looked more hurt than at any point in her life that Harry had known of. He knew that she had received news from the Order, and that whatever it was had to be key to the upcoming battle.
"Hermione..."
"Shh not yet Ron and Neville are coming now and Ginny's gone to find Luna."
He just nodded as she continued to stare into thin air. It was a nice feeling to be sitting there with her like the old days. Things were changing so fast and he was unsure whether he'd be around to collect his NEWT grades.
Now that could be a good thing. It was another family tradition in the Potter family. Since his four times great grandfather had been in Hogwarts all the Potters had been Head Boy and received maximum NEWT results.
Harry hadn't let them down completely he was Head Boy and he knew that at least nobody could take that away from his family but after sitting the papers he didn't think that he had passed.
The chair next to him moved and a dark haired boy sat down. His grey eyes searched the room as he sighed. He looked worn out and Harry knew that Neville had been working hard. He kept looking around the room before speaking up.
"Where's Ginny?"
Harry smiled he should have guessed that was who he was looking for. It was no secret that Neville was in love with Ginny, and Harry was the only one to know that Neville had a ring hidden up in his trunk for his long term girlfriend.
"Getting Luna."
He nodded to Hermione and leaned back into his chair closing his eyes, he looked peaceful and Harry couldn't help but wonder what was going through the boys mind. He was a good man was Neville and he like Harry had a lot to live up to he was the last Longbottom and his parents had been very much like the Potters.
"Have you heard yet?"
Ron turned the chair backwards and sat down looking around the table, his pale green eyes searched them all as he lifted his hand to his hair and rubbed hard making it stand on ends. Even if Harry hadn't have heard the question he would know his friend was worried by the one movement.
Silence was his answer and as he opened his mouth to ask again he noticed the first years looking at them all. He put on a smile and waved and more muttering started. Harry laughed hard as he heard a girl near by.
"They've invaded Potter Corner, I bet he beats them up!"
Neville's eyes snapped open at the sound and he followed both Ron and Harry's eyes to see the sensation they had caused by joining Harry. Older students didn't look that stunned as it was known by them how close they all were but to the younger it was something new.
A second year came over to their table, she was looking at the floor and Harry could see a blush on her face. She grew closer and finally looked up, her blush became greater as she looked at each boy in turn.
"Umm... Ginny said she'll be a while yet something about a girl named Myrtle."
"Thank you, umm Tiffany isn't it?"
The girl nodded at Neville as she turned the brightest shade of red Harry had ever seen and ran away. Ron and Harry both started laughing and Neville looked at them and shrugged his shoulders before again closing his eyes.
Harry had to admit it was funny how much they had all changed over the years. When they had first entered Hogwarts all four had not been the most popular, the best looking and now in their final year it had all changed.
Every guy would stop whatever they were doing to look at Hermione walk pass. She never wore clothes to enhance what she had but the clothes she did wear revealed her shape. Harry thought she had the figure of an hour glass just like the time turner she had once owned.
Her hair though had not tamed but had a new look of natural curls running midway down her back that enhanced her face making her look even prettier than she was and hadn't Ron picked up on it. Ron had always had a soft spot for Hermione throughout all the fights it was still clear.
Harry had always thought they had a perfect love hate relationship. To the world around them they all knew they liked each other, secretly they both knew it but that didn't stop the fighting.
Harry had noticed though the subtle changed between them and knew it was down to Ron's physical change. He felt more confident around girls nowadays. He had changed a lot from the lanky little red head he had started school as.
He was tall but now he wasn't so thin it didn't look odd in the least. His hair was now longer, to his shoulders but the look suited his new personality it was like he was Samson and his courage came from his hair.
He was also well toned and all the girls knew it around the school. His three years on the Quidditch team and made him more muscular and it suited him well, he now looked like a man and not the child he had come to Hogwarts as.
Harry thought the one who had gone through the biggest change though was Neville. He had lost all the extra pounds he had once held and had gotten himself fit. It was a common sight around the school for the three seventh years to be seen out running first thing at morning and last thing at night.
He had grown and like Ron had grown with confidence. Maybe it was the fact that since his sixth year he had had his own wand and his magical touch had been better ever since. He could now stand up for himself and with Ginny's help had become a stronger person.
This was why the second year had blushed, although Harry wondered if maybe it was the fact the three of them were there. He didn't understand why people thought he was good looking though.
He had grown his hair to the same length as Ron's and the scruffy look now suited it more, his eyes had always stood out and he had grown several inches. He supposed the fact that he had muscles like the others from Quidditch and the running may have helped. But he always wondered if it was the legacy that got him attention.
Finally the portrait flew open and a red head stepped in. Her hair fell in lose curls to her shoulders and Harry could see her brown eyes were sparkling. It was true that Ginny Weasley had grown up, she was a woman now and like Hermione drew attention.
She was tall and could easily stand up to the three seventh years who all stood at around six foot. She was easily taller than Hermione's five foot six and Harry guessed that she was around five foot eight.
Her freckled face drew attention showing off the beauty of her eyes and her figure was a more athletic style than Hermione's. The girl had muscles, a very flat stomach that her time on the Quidditch team had helped.
She always drew boys to her but when she was with Hermione it was more intense, nobody could turn away and they were good at collecting information from the opposite sex just for that reason alone.
Although most boys in the school were drawn to these two women it was the one that followed Ginny in that always got Harry's heart racing. She was the odd one of the group the only one who wasn't a Gryffindor known for their bravery, although she had plenty of that.
She was a Ravenclaw, someone with brains (although Hermione still beat her in that department) she always drew Harry to her, maybe it was her understanding her unusual personality that did it, he would never know.
She was pretty, not as pretty as the other two but still enough to get any guys blood pressure up. Her hair was golden, more so now than ever. Unlike her friends it sat in a straight line falling midway down her back. She was the same height as Hermione, and her eyes were similar only larger and always looked surprised.
Her smile though that had been what had drawn Harry in. Her smile was bright and strong enough to get anyone to copy. She never understood though what had drawn him to her, but Harry couldn't understand what stopped others.
The two girls joined the table as more chatter broke out and their meeting was ready to start, it was one that would change history and one that would forever change the lives of those present.
Well hello, another story for you all and yes I know I shouldn't start another one, but I liked this idea and it sort of began to write itself. I won't be updating very often with this story, maybe once every two weeks, but I really wanted to start posting.
Please review this even, if it is only a flame saying you hate the idea.
Thanks
Kristina.
Oh and because I didn't do it at the top, I own nothing except the plot and maybe one or two people, I'm not making any money and this is all for fun.