All right for all of you people who like this story here is the 11th chapter coming at you. Thank you for all the lovely reviews!

Attention! I am putting out a challenge! I'm calling it the destiny challenge. Here are the rules.

Harry was not raised by the durslys.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione become friends but do not end up in Gryffindor.

They don't fall for Dumbledore's Manipulations.

Severus Snape is their friend and likes Harry.

They don't technically have to like Draco but I'll leave that up to you people.

Also at some point in the story they must go back in time to either the Founders age or to the Marauder's time.

This is the destiny challenge! If any one would like to participate in this challenge please let me know I'd love to read it.

As always the same questions apply that are at the beginning of just about every chapter.

Chapter 11

The four friends were sitting out side by the lake, enjoying the nice weather while it lasted. True it was cold but for the first time in a week the sun was shining. There may be snow on the ground but it was a bright day and that helped to lift their spirits. The Janen had been in rather dismal moods all week, they had even started snapping at each other only to say sorry a moment later. For the life of them they couldn't figure out what was wrong with them.

They each seemed to have something different that was bothering them. Honoo seemed to always be cold; he said it happened every winter. He just couldn't warm up. One could always see him wrapped up in a warm cloak with gloves on. Even when they were in potions over the warm cauldrons he still had his gloves on which mad him kind of clumsy when it can to cutting up his ingredients. Indeed he had cut up his ginger root so badly that it was useless.

Ryuu was the exact opposite; he loved the snow and cold. He was rather snappish but he just said it was just fatigue. Honoo just thought Ryuu had lost his mind when Ryuu suggested they go skating.

Toushi was again different; she kept getting caught in little drafts of wind that would knock all her papers to the ground. She was furious that she kept getting caught in the drafts. It mixed up her papers; she at one point had turned in a potions essay into Professor Flitwick. When the teacher asked her if she had mad a mistake she had felt so humiliated.

Arashi kept getting shocks. He'd touch something and a shock would pass through him. He kept getting a particularly large shock when he would toutch anything metal; he found it so annoying. It only accomplished making his hair stand on end even more then it had been before.

This put all four in a dismal mood, in turn their teachers had noticed the change but hadn't said anything. They had a feeling Severus would have but they kept avoiding him because they didn't want to snap at him. The entire group had a dull headache from their problems but didn't really mention it. They all made sure to be quiet so as not to make them worse.

But as today was so nice they just lounged around the lake lazily. They discussed their classes and homework for the academy quietly. Ryuu was playing with a snowball throwing it back and forth between his hands. Honoo was leaning against a tree his cloak wrapped firmly around him. Toushi was watching a few other students that were across the lake playing snow tag. Arashi was laid back in the snow with his arms improvising as a pillow.

"If I ever see another cauldron again it'll be too soon. Sure Snape likes us but we still have class with the Gryffindors. Snape must have this fascination with having your cauldrons absolutely spotless…" Honoo laid his head back to lean against the trunk of the tree. "Did you hear him? I didn't clean out my cauldron as well as I should have and he was all over my case!"

Ryuu rolled his eye sarcastically, "Did you ever stop to think what would happen if two potions got mixed together? It would create a reaction that not even Longbottom could top. To put it quite frank, it would be very bad!"

"But still he could have just had me wash it out…" Honoo muttered.

"He was giving the rest of the class a lesson as well, he used yelling at you for it as an excuse to teach them not to do it again." Toushi glanced over from the game she was watching.

"Look at it this way it's like in charms if you mispronounce the words you end up with either no result or something that that you weren't expecting. Take "Wingardrium Leviosa" for example if you didn't make to o in Leviosa nice and long you would probably wind up stuck to the ceiling or something close to it." Arashi rolled onto his side to look at Honoo.

"I guess that makes sense, but I still don't like Snape yelling at me. He's still scary." Honoo grumbled in defeat.

"Could be worse, Longbottom is so terrified of Snape he almost wets himself when Snape so much as looks at him." Ryuu tossed the snowball up in the air.

"I feel sorry for him, he doesn't really have any friends to help him out. He's a master at Herbology but he needs help in almost every thing else." Toushi pointed Neville Longbottom out across the lake sitting by himself when a few other Gryffindors started to pick on him.

"Should we help him?" Honoo watched as they stole one of his books and were playing keep away.

"Let do it, we need the help in Herbology, and he could use our help too." Ryuu replied getting up.

Arashi rolled to his feet. Ryuu staggered to his feet clumsily. Arashi climbed to her feet and started leading the way to the Gryffindor-who-should-have-been-a-Hufflepuff.

Arashi being the fastest, from years of out running Dudley and his gang, ran up and caught the book before Paravati Patil caught it. "I think maybe you should leave Neville alone, he never did anything to any of you."

Ryuu, Toushi, and Honoo had their wands out incase the bullies tried to do anything stupid. Glaring and complaining that it wasn't over yet they left to terrorize some other poor student.

Toushi smiled a little. "Figured you could use a hand."

Arashi handed Neville his book back, "We saw them from across the lake… you didn't deserve that."

Honoo grinned, "should have hexed them right into the water."

"But it's covered in ice." Ryuu looked at him then at the lake and back to Honoo.

"Like that would have stopped us." Honoo smirked.

"True," Ryuu agreed grinning.

"T-thank you…" Neville stuttered.

"Not a problem, if they get on your case anymore just tell us alright?" Arashi smiled just a bit.

Neville nodded.

"Would you be interested in a study group? You're great at potions and we could use work in that area. We aren't too bad at the other classes so we could help you out." Toushi suggested.

"Really… you'd help me?" Neville looked almost afraid to ask.

"Sure would, but might as well worn you know we're in rather grumpy moods lately. But we're still nice enough to help out and know when we need help." Honoo nodded slightly.

Neville smiled a little, "Thanks I could really use the help. How about a 6:00 pm we have study times?"

"We could have a different subject for every day of the week… I'll type up a schedule." Toushi nodded making a mental note to do so.

"I kind of wanted to ask… is it easy to use those… whatchamacalits?" Neville eyed the laptops curiously.

"Once you get used to them your homework and notes fly by." Ryuu smiled proudly.

"Do you think you could get me one? I can ask Gran for however much you need." Neville asked nervously.

"Sure no problem. Just have her get 1,500 galleons to use as soon as possible. I'll put in an order for you and once you have the money you have yourself a Laptop computer with printer, scanner, and copier, with Internet and messenger hookup. We'll have Toushi do the spell so it can all work at Hogwarts." Arashi smiled, secretly happy that at least someone had caught on to their ideas.

"Thank you, I'll go write Gran right now. She'll be so happy if my schoolwork improves she won't care about the price." Neville ran off clutching the book he had gotten back close to his chest.

"He's a little rough around the edges but I think he'll be a nice asset to our group." Ryuu nodded watching the slightly pudgy boy run up to the castle.

"We had better head in, I have to get a letter to Raz to order another Laptop." Arashi starts walking casually up to the castle.

"I wonder if he'll be a friend or just a study partner. If he turns out to be a friend he'll get a big shock this summer when we don't answer his letters." Toushi caught up to Arashi.

Ryuu and Honoo sighed and jogged to catch up to their two friends. Once they all reached the castle Professor McGonagall met them at the door. "The Headmaster would like to see all of you."

Arashi sighed like that was the last thing he needed. Toushi rolled her eyes, thinking it had something to do with the Christmas break. Honoo wondered what they had supposedly done now. Ryuu thought his father had done something to get him out of Hogwarts; his father absolutely hated the headmaster.

But as a group the trudged up to Professor Dumbledore's office behind McGonagall. As soon as the got to the office she ushered them in and told them to wait.

TBC

I hope you all liked that. It's a bit longer then normal but that's what I was shooting for, granted it's not as long as I would have liked. But once again don't forget about the questions and the new challenge!

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

I hope to hear from you all soon.

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