New, you're so new

Harry sighed, again. The bickering had been going on for sometime now, but the end of it didn't seem to be approaching. Harry resisted the urge to snap at his friends to 'shut the fuck up'. After all, he didn't want to be included in the fight.

It had started when Ron had absentmindedly brushed some bread crumbs off the table at breakfast. Hermione had immediately jumped into reproaching him about living like a pig and adding extra to the workload of to the poor house elves.

Hermione had laid off about the SPEW stuff this year. It was probably out of respect for Sirius's death and trying to avoid pissing Harry off, too. And she had been right. Talking about the liberation of house elves still got him thinking about the duplicity of Kreacher. Rationally thinking, Harry understood that the two things had nothing to do with each other.

But now Hermione had obviously decided that the subject wasn't a taboo anymore and the pair of them had dived in to a heated argument. There was nothing that Ron and Hermione disagreed on more. They absolutely couldn't see each other's point of view. But Harry could. He understood that Ron didn't support the ill-treatment of elves, but saw the house elf system as a normality. Ron was a pure-blood wizard, after all, he had been taught to this. Hermione was seeing things in black and white.

"Harry, help me mate" came Ron's plea and Harry cursed, realizing too late that he had not averted his eyes soon enough. Ron and Hermione were both looking at him, expecting him to choose a side.

Harry decided to voice his thoughts. "Hermione, I know you stomach poorly injustice" he said. "But if you really want to do something about it, you have to start looking at the big picture, and not pester Ron about it."

Hermione looked offended, and Ron looked like he was regretting asking Harry to participate. Harry decided it had come out too brashly.

"I'm sorry" Harry tried to make up for it. "What I meant was, you have to find a way to convince wizards that they have something to gain from setting their elves free. And on the other hand, you have to find to educate the elves so that they understand their right to freedom. You can't force it on them, they won't know what to do with it. If you succeed in making the house elf system illegal, it'll just go underground, because the elves are going to continue seeking masters."

Hermione's eyes were shining with excitement, and Harry realized he shouldn't have let his friend know he had given the 'house elf paradox' some thought over the summer. Honestly, he had no intention in becoming a spew activist.

"Oh Harry, this is great. You're absolutely right" Hermione started. Harry was just about to interrupt her, when the post owls started pouring in. 'Saved by a flock of birds' Harry thought while scanning the owls for Hedwig. She wasn't there, which wasn't surprising.

Another owl caught his attention. It suspicion was confirmed when he heard Ron mutter "Bloody hell" on his side. It was Errol. The whole Gryffindor table watched in apprehension as the decrepit owl approached with high speed, wings flapping wildly as it tried to make it to the table.

"I think you better move the porridge pot, Ron" Hermione said urgently.

Finally the owl came crashing down, but due to the slipperiness of the table, the poor thing didn't manage to stop. Instead it continued sliding towards the end of the table, making students grab their plates and goblets as he went. Errol reached the end of the table, went over the edge and landed on the floor with a sad thump.

The whole Great Hall burst out laughing, Harry along with them. Harmione was trying to prevent herself giggling. The two Weasleys at the Gryffindor table were hiding their red faces in their hands.

"I'll go get him" Harry said between laughs, patting Ron on the back. He walked to the end of the table and crouched in front of the pile of feathers and cereal.

"Are you still alive, old boy?" Harry asked as he gently picked the owl from the floor. Errol gave a pitiful hoot as an answer to Harry's question. Harry extracted the letter tied to the owl's leg and read what was written on it. He walked back to his friends.

"It's for you" he said, as he handed Ginny the letter. Then he turned his attention to Ron and Hermione. "I'll take Errol to the Owlery" he said. "I'll see you at class" he added before they could propose coming with him.

"Okay, thanks" Ron said, looking surprised.

Harry walked out of the Great Hall and headed towards the Owlery, Errol cradled in his arms. Why did he feel like he was suffocating when he spent time with his friends? It was like he and his friend were on a different page, or maybe in a whole different book. No matter what he said, he always managed to hurt or worry them.

That's why he hadn't said anything about Draco either. Well, that wasn't the only reason. He also just didn't want to tell them. What had happened at Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, was their business and nobody else's. It had felt special to Harry. It had been his first real kiss, and then some. His first kiss with a boy.

Harry wasn't really surprised about that, though. In retrospect, Harry guessed he had always known he could be a homosexual. He just hadn't ever been attracted to anyone, so it hadn't come up. That wasn't completely true, there had been Cho Chang. He had really been attracted to her. But now, Harry couldn't imagine kissing her, or any other girl for that matter, ever again.

But what he couldn't believe was that he had done all those things with Draco Malfoy, of all people. And he couldn't believe Draco Malfoy had done all that with him. It was Draco Malfoy, for Merlin's sake!

If he had been a little uncomfortable after the good night kiss Draco had given him on Tuesday, he was bloody climbing up the walls now! He couldn't look at the pale boy, or go anywhere near him. If he did, Harry was sure everybody could see what he was thinking; that he wanted more. Had it been anyone else, Harry would have... done something about it. Asked them out or something.

Harry couldn't guess why Draco had done all that. 'You can't trust Malfoy' he reminded himself.

It was Friday morning. Harry hadn't been in 'the room' the day before since the gryffindors had their quidditch practice every Thursday. But he was going to return there tonight. He could feel little butterflies fluttering in his stomach just by thinking about it.

Title of the chapter from New by No Doubt