'Watch it, Malfoy!' Harry exclaimed, as a familiar blond shoved past him.

'Sorry, Potter, didn't see you down there. Pity fame can't buy you a few more inches.' Malfoy gazed pointedly down at Harry.

This time Harry's glare was entirely genuine. Draco was now of a similar height to his imposing father, six foot and rising. Harry, on the other hand, never tall, was beginning to realise that his promised growth spurt may not be coming. Draco was about a head taller than him, and as for Ron ... Harry just about reached his shoulder. It occurred to him now that he had simply been glaring at Malfoy for while now, and eventually he was either going to have to move, or respond in kind.

'Pity the famous Malfoy fortunes can't buy Daddy a pardon. Or did they all get spent on it first time round?' There. Sharper than he would have liked, but this is what they expected of him.

Malfoy sneered, then turned his back on Harry and walked to meet his friends. After a slight pause, Harry turned as well, Ron and Hermione following behind. Luna, Neville, and Ginny were all there already. And Harry was certain that somewhere around there would be another DA contingent. They seemed to have the idea that he was in need of protection.

Hermione sat down, and then turned to look at Harry in concern. 'Are you okay?' she whispered.

'I'm fine,' he responded in confusion. 'Why?'

'Draco,' she answered quietly.

Harry ignored Ron's snort. 'What about him? That? We've done it before.'

'I know,' she answered, 'but you haven't seen each other, and then the first time you do it's...Oh fine.' She lowered her voice still further to mutter, 'Boys!'

Harry looked over at Ron to commiserate, but the grin he returned was half-hearted. Harry frowned. Something needed to be sorted out here, but he wasn't at all sure what.

'Mr Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you.' Professor McGonagall spoke quietly, but everyone around Harry heard her.

'What did I do?' he blurted out, prompting a sharp smile from the Deputy Headmistress.

'Guilty conscience, Mr. Potter?' she inquired.

'No, Professor. Just curious. Sorry.'

'Don't look so worried. And as for the rest of you, get to the Great Hall! Mr. Potter will join you all shortly.

Harry followed Professor McGonagall up two flights of, thankfully still, stairs, and up to the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

'Pepper Imps,' she said, gesturing for Harry to enter.

He rode the spiral staircase to the top of the tower, and entered with trepidation. He wasn't afraid of the Headmaster exactly, it was just that their meetings tended to end with confusion, the hurling about of things, or the vague feeling that you'd given away more than you knew. The only possible exceptions to this were the end of year meetings after he had achieved something, but this seemed unlikely on the first day of term.

'Headmaster?' he inquired, softly.

Dumbledore looked up from his books. Harry almost stepped back. The Headmaster looked old all of a sudden, and tired. Then he smiled, and there seemed no reason for concern. Harry was growing up, it was perfectly logical that Dumbledore seemed older.

'Harry, my dear boy!' Dumbledore exclaimed. 'Are you well?'

'Yes, thank you, Headmaster.'

'I suppose you must be wondering why I wanted to see you so early in the term?'

'I was curious…' Harry replied, cautiously.

'I am going to ask you to do something, Harry. It is, of course, open to you to refuse. If you agree, you should know that you have the full support of myself and the staff. All of the staff.'

'Okay…' he answered, in confusion.

'The usual practice is to ask this in a letter, but we felt in this case it would be best to ask you in person. Once again, I assure you, Harry, you need not agree.'

'I understand, Headmaster.'

Professor Dumbledore began again, formally. 'Harold James Potter, in recognition of the services you have given to your school, Hogwarts wishes to confer on you the title of Head Boy.'

Harry froze. When he started again, it was not to say yes or no, rather: 'Don't you need to be a Prefect?'

Dumbledore corrected him gently, 'Your father wasn't.'

'I knew that,' Harry murmured.

'Harry, this is a great deal of additional responsibility, which, as you know, is why I did not appoint you as a prefect. But the older students respect you, the younger ones, of course, idolize you.' Here Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly at Harry's look of fright. 'I feel you are the ideal person to give the students someone to look up to, and to look to in times of crisis. He continued gravely, 'These are dangerous times, Harry. I regret burdening you with this, but you were the clear choice.'

'Not Draco?'

'Mr. Malfoy commands a great deal of respect within his own house, but outside it he is, shall we say, distrusted. Additionally, if I gave him this responsibility, Voldemort would expect him to use it for his own ends. I am unwilling to subject him to a greater risk of danger than he is already suffering.'

Harry smiled slowly. 'Then yes, Headmaster, I would be honored.'

Dumbledore instantaneously lost the air of gravity. 'Excellent! Then I believe you should proceed to dinner. I will announce the news to the school before we eat.'

'Umm…excuse me, Headmaster. One more thing…who's Head Girl?'

The Headmaster smiled brightly. 'I believe you know her. Miss Susan Bones?'

'Not Hermione?' Harry replied, shocked.

'Two Gryffindors, Harry.'

'Then I don't want it, Hermione deserves it more,' he answered, shaking his head vigorously. 'She's wanted this since first year…And both my parents were Gryffindors!'

'Harry, the school has made the mistake before of undervaluing some of its houses. We do not want to repeat history's mistakes.'

He was still shaking his head.

The Headmaster walked to one side of the room, and turned his back to Harry. Harry heard a quiet muttering. He sat silence for a few minutes, and then the door burst open.

Hermione strode towards him, Professor McGonagall trailing in her wake. 'Harry! You have to do this!' He opened his mouth to respond, but she was still speaking. 'The school needs you to be Head Boy. And Susan will be a good Head Girl.' There was a slight trembling to her voice there, but she continued. 'Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall are right, we can't have two Gryffindors. What is it you keep saying about house unity?' Her eyes were bright with disappointed tears, but she smiled teasingly at him.

'I can't...'

'Yes, you can,' she instructed. 'I'm telling you to.'

He met her eyes. 'This is what you think is best?'

'I know it's best,' she answered softly.

'Okay then,' Harry said in resignation.

Dumbledore looked pleased, 'Excellent. Now, dinner time I believe. I will be there shortly, Minerva.'

Dismissed, Harry, Hermione and Professor McGonagall left the room. When they reached the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall put a hand out to halt them before they rejoined the Gryffindors. 'I'm very proud of you, Ms Granger.' She gave Hermione a gentle look, before turning to Harry. 'And you too, Mr Potter.' Harry nodded at her, and then led Hermione quietly to the table.

'So?' Ron asked, excitedly, leaning across the table. 'What was it?'

'You'll find out in a minute,' Harry answered tiredly.

'What?' Ron said, disbelievingly. 'Swore to secrecy?'

'Not exactly,' Hermione responded quietly, before turning away.

Ron frowned in aggravation, but gave up when it became obvious that the two of them were going to make him wait.

Harry was looking around the room. He saw Susan enter, looking excited enough to burst. She gave him a secretive smile, and he found himself smiling back. He liked Susan, he really did. And she would make a good Head Girl. It was just that Hermione would be better, and it was his fault she wouldn't get the chance to show it.

Dumbledore finally entered, and Professor McGonagall brought the room to a hush. The sorting hat was sitting on a stool in front of the High Table. She looked towards the line of nervous first years, and gestured towards it. 'Abbott, Miriam.'

There was a murmur of disquiet.

'No song?' Ron asked.

'RAVENCLAW!' the hat boomed. The cheer from Ravenclaw's table was decidedly half-hearted.

'Doesn't seem that way,' Seamus answered, leaning towards them.

'Maybe it's because we... because we didn't listen last year,' Neville offered nervously.

The first years, who of course hadn't noticed anything wrong, were continuing to be sorted. Gradually the older pupils shrugged off the strangeness, and became more involved in cheering their new recruits. The huddle around Harry still looked concerned.

When the last first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up. 'Welcome, welcome!' the Headmaster proclaimed. 'To those of you returning to us, I hope the summer was well spent forgetting everything your Professors' taught you last term. And to the first years, don't be concerned, you'll have plenty of time over this term to learn new things to forget. Just a few notices before we begin. Firstly, I am pleased to announce that we have retained Professor Metus's service for this school year. This makes her the first Defence professor in over a decade to remain with the school longer than one year.' He paused for the clapping. She may not have been the most popular of professors, but this was undoubtedly an achievement.

'Secondly, it is my great pleasure to announce our new Head Girl and Boy. Susan Bones...'

As a table, Hufflepuff rose to cheer. Various parts of the other tables clapped too – Susan was well-liked. The six and seventh year Gryffindors were silent.

Ron finally spoke indignantly, 'What's wrong with him? It should be you up there!' He reached a hand to Hermione across the table.

She smiled at him, ferocious in his support. 'Couldn't have two, it wouldn't be fair.'

'What?'

'...and Harry Potter!' Ron nodded in understanding, but continued to watch Hermione as Gryffindor screamed their approval of this choice. Harry was surprised at the support he received from the other houses. Even those who might have had a shot if he had said no were clapping enthusiastically. He saw Terry, Ernie and Justin all applauding as loudly as everyone else. At the Slytherin table of course, Draco was either faking disapproval, or out for Harry's blood. His supposed cohorts were equally silent, but some of the younger Slytherins, whether caught up in the moment, or remembering Harry's campaign last year, were clapping as well.

Professor McGonagall beckoned Harry and Susan towards the stage. They shook hands with the Headmaster, received their badges, and then bowed to the students. When Harry had scurried back to his seat, he slung an arm over Hermione's shoulder, and whispered into her hair, 'I hope you're right about this.'

'I know I am,' she whispered back. 'You're going to be great.'

'Thank you,' he muttered in response.

'I meant it. It's going to be fine.'

'That's not what I was thanking you for.'

'I know.'