Author's Note: I hope you're enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it. By the way, I know that writing about what's happening with almost of them was very ambitious but I really want to the readers to (this means YOU) to be able to visualize the scenarios clearly. I just hope I'm succeeding....anyway, please don't forget to review and for those who have - you have my sincerest thanks!

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Chapter 8 - Discovered...Almost

For the first time in his life, Harry experienced the wonderful feeling of being accepted without having the weight of the world on his shoulders. True, his life at Hogwarts had been fun. He learned a lot of things. He had made several friends who cared for him too much. But the cross was just too heavy for him carry. He had to go.

'It is better this way.' he uttered softly, more to convince himself than anyone else. But who was he kidding? Day after day since he accidentally discovered his new friends' connection to the wizarding world, he felt more guilty. How he wished that after he saw the Potions book he did not attempt to find out more...How he wished he could be unconcerned enough not to spare a glance at their daily dose of the Daily Prophet.

Especially that morning.

There, printed in ink so red that it could be mistaken for blood, a shocking headline about the previous day's assault at Honeydukes gnawed painfully at his conscience. The article plainly stated that the Death-Eaters attacked the place because two of his friends were visiting there. Apparently, they were looking for the-boy-who-lived and resorted to hexing them when they failed to locate him. A number of bystanders were brutally murdered and his friends students were severely injured - Ginny and Neville.

Vaguely, he wondered why the 'danger detectors' he sent them did not work and more mystifying was their presence there. They were not supposed to be there. The article implied that it was not a scheduled Hogsmead visit sanctioned by the school. Perhaps, he could ask Ron about that later. And what about that damn parchment. It had taken him lots of effort to enchant it to perfection - the quartered parchment should have alerted him immediately when his four closest friends were in danger - why didn't it work? Maybe they did not receive the letter...maybe the owl could not find the address...or what if it was intercepted?

'No..' He silently berated himself. 'I refuse to dwell on those thoughts...It's too alarming.' But somehow the thoughts that went along the lines of -- He should have been there. He could have done something to help them but he was unable to -- just would not go away. The guilt was killing him. Last year might have been a living nightmare but at least he was able to save and protect some people.

Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, would be able to cure the injured students in no time but he still wished he never saw the article. Now he needed to psyche himself more than usual and pretend to believe that what he did was right.

'It is better this way.' He uttered the mantra repetitively until he got tired of it.

It did not work.

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Hermione's eyes were gleaming with excitement as she tried to explain some things about the muggle world Ron. Her fears about Harry and possible expulsion the school were easily pushed to the background as she struggled to keep up with Ron's endless questions. He could be worse than his father at times.

"But how are we going to find out where the band is?" queried Ron eagerly, forgetting for a while that they were supposed to speak in hushed tones to avoid being accidentally overheard.

"We can check out the local cybercafes for that." replied Hermione confidently.

"A cyber-coffee?!?"

"Cybercafe, Ron. We can rent computers there to surf the Internet. It's like a huge library where we can find certain informations at a click of the mouse..."

"Wicked! Dad's right. Muggles are really very ingenious. It never once occurred to me that coffee can be used for more than a hot beverage. A pity we don't have a mouse that can swim though." said Ron almost regretfully.

Hermione could only roll her eyes in exasperation at her friend's naiveté but she tried her best to further explain about that. It would simply be catastrophic if he would suddenly blurt out some unusual comments when they enter one.

"Mind you, it's still highly amazing even if they don't really use coffee and mouse to operate that thing. Hogwarts students would surely appreciate having something like that at our school. I, for one, would not mind getting my homework done without having to go through dusty and voluminous books at our library." commented Ron when he had finally grasped the idea behind that 'very inventive muggle contraption'.

"Yes, I completely agree with you though in our case, it would also be dangerous if you-know-who and his clowns would have unlimited access to magical books. Some are highly confidential, you know." said Hermione, back to being the voice of reason.

"But I'm sure Dumbledore could enchant it so that only those with the correct password could view the data." argued Ron.

"I suppose but it's very complicated and not entirely fool-proof. But it wouldn't work anyway because we don't have electricity at school." replied Hermione and this time, Ron could not find a more appropriate reply than a mumbled "Too bad..."

Suddenly, the bus jerked to a stop and the loud voice of the conductor could be heard echoing around the vehicle. "Leaky Cauldron!"

Hermione promptly stood up pulling Ron with her as she did so. "I believe this is where we get off, Ron. Come on." she urged.

Ron nervously glanced sideways before stepping off the bus. Thankfully, it appeared that no one was there to stop them like what happened to Harry a few years back. But of course, the situation was entirely different then...

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione when she noticed his unusual stillness.

"Err-- N-nothing. I'm just wondering...This was just too easy, wasn't it? I mean 'too easy'. It's freaking me out." said Ron as they walked side by side to muggle London.

Hermione considered this for a while then granted Ron a half-smile. "Of course, we won't have difficulty...yet. No one knows we're gone as of now but I expect we'll have trouble later on." she said calmly then paled as the full impact of what they had done just dawned on her. She stopped, heaved a deep breathe and walked in pace with Ron. "Anyway, it's worth it."

Ron smiled at her and they continued their journey peacefully.

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At the Castle...

"My God, what happened!" asked a trembling McGonagall as two most notorious alumni of Hogwarts entered the Great Hall, this time not playing pranks but carefully levitating two unconscious figure wearing muggle clothes. She would have questioned their presence there had she not noticed the features of the injured -- they were undoubtedly Hogwarts students from what she could see from her view.

"A-attacked by Death-Eaters, Professor" exclaimed an alarmed Fred, whose serious face was so in conflict to his usual expression. Had the situation not been too severe, some Gryffindors would have made a crack at him by now.

"We went as fast as we possibly could when we noticed the commotion..." the same was true for George who was almost trembling as he levitated the only girl in their family to safety.
"Unfortunately, the attackers disapparated before we could retaliate..." added Fred as they got nearer.

"It was a good thing we opened a branch near Honeydukes..." remarked George almost tearfully and the other students could not help but make way for them.

Professor Dumbledore reached them and quickly issued orders to avoid increased commotion. "Bring them to the Hospital Wing immediately. We can continue our conversation there. Students, please continue eating your breakfast."

Madam Pomfrey looked at the two students who were gradually coming around as the effect of the spells faded. "What were you thinking? Sneaking out like that and on a school day, too!"

The Headmaster just surveyed the scene silently and allowed them a few minutes more of rest before he started questioning their actions. "Miss Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, do you feel all right now?" The two nodded nervously. "Very well, so you won't mind me asking you a few questions?" Again, the two nodded again as they somehow felt at a loss for words now that they were so near the kind and wise Headmaster.

"Let's see. As far as I'm aware of, we have no scheduled Hogsmead visit this morning so could you please enlighten me as to why you made such a trip without asking permission at least from your head of house?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"I --um..." began Neville, anxiously licking his lips as he struggled to find the right words to say. He tentatively looked at Ginny's directions, hoping to find a clue.

"Why was so urgent that you had to sneak out this particular morning?" demanded Professor McGonagall sharply. She was quite irritated that the erring students came from her house.

Ginny and Neville looked at one another and a silent agreement passed through them. There was no way that they were going to tell what Hermione and Ron have done unless it became absolutely necessary for them to do so. It was Ginny who found an alibi first.

"You see, Professor. I had a sudden craving for sweets and Neville here nicely volunteered to accompany me. You see, he and I have been really close these past few days and well..." she let her voice trail off, letting the teachers arrive at their own conclusions and putting on her sweetest and most angelic expression in an attempt to convince them.

Neville went scarlet immediately and tried to explain further so there would be no misconceptions to the nature of their relationship but Professor Dumbledore beat him to it, perfectly miscontruing Ginny's meaning.

The Headmaster broke into a half-smile, his eyes twinkling mischievously though a trace of concern could still be seen there. "Ahh...young love...so sweet and innocent. This, I can understand but nevertheless, next time you feel such a compulsion, Miss Weasley, I'll have you know that I have a wide variety of sweets in my office and that you're welcome to them anytime you want. You don't need to go to Honeydukes to get them." he said then on a more serious tone, he added. "And of course, I don't have to remind you that this minor escapade should never happen again for any reason, do I? We're in a very perilous situation right now. I hope you understand the need for security."

Ginny and Neville nodded again and felt a little guilty for not mentioning Ron and Hermione but they made a resolution that they would wait for the mean time. If the two did not turn up the next day, then they would definitely tell the professors about them no matter what the consequences were.

Draco stared in confusion at the injured students brought by the infuriating Weasel twins (In Slytherin's view of course for the others just simply adore their jokes that never failed to bring life to the otherwise dreary atmosphere at the castle especially during Umbridge's time). Vaguely, he wondered why the red-haired brat and the fat, brainless git became the victims - what about Potty's loyal sidekick and the mudblood? His eyes casually scanned the Gryffindor crowd and quickly noted the famous duos' absence. Again, he wondered why no one had noticed it yet.

'Idiots! Just as expected...' he mumbled to himself with a malicious smirk and an air of superiority. 'Father's allies must have blundered again.' he thought disdainfully and was just about to owl his father owls started to arrive at the Great Hall. A small parchment bearing the familiar Malfoy crest was dropped to his lap. He carefully opened it and read.

Draco,

Things are going to happen soon. Don't get in the way but remember to keep your eyes and ears open. Don't owl me again if it's not absolutely necessary.

Lucius

He scowled at the short and uninformative missive and without heeding his father's advise, he went straight to the owlery.

Father,

This is just to inform you that your stupid allies have failed - Weasel and the mudblood escaped.

Draco

Draco was feeling particularly smug as he sent the owl on its way, no doubt anticipating a letter of approval from his father. Unfortunately, he had been to quick in his assumption. Instead of the praise he had expected, a harsh message was delivered to him several hours later.

Draco,

I never realized I raised such an idiotic child until I read your note. Didn't I specifically instruct you not to owl me about unimportant things? The attack went as planned and if you have any sense left in your pathetic head, you would act appropriately at what's about to happen soon. Never ever insult my colleagues again and don't even begin to question the Dark Lord's plans.

Lucius

After he read the letter, the parchment immediately burned itself. Draco stared at the ashes in disbelief. How dare his father accuse him of stupidity! If it weren't for his information, they would not have known about the Gryffindors' plan to find Potter. Come to think of it - they had not even thanked him for that! Ungrateful bastards! With that rebellious thought, he stormed off to his room much to the surprise of his loyal bodyguards, namely Crabbe and Goyle, who were just dumbly watching the flicker of emotions on his face, unable to figure out what was wrong.

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Harry was restless the whole day. Much to the surprise of his new friends, he volunteered to clean the whole house, cook their meals and even wash the dishes, all the while not saying anything else. He even busied himself with the laundry but nothing succeeded in keeping his mind off what happened to Ginny and Neville. His bandmates noticed this too but decided not to mention anything out of respect for his feelings until his behaviour dominated his performance during band practice. He kept striking the wrong notes and even the more or less error-tolerant billy could not ignore his mistakes anymore.

"Hey, Jeric, what's up? You've been acting really weird the whole day!" commented Billy casually when in truth, what he really wanted was to pressure the boy for information.

Harry looked up suddenly, his startled expression betraying the fact that his mind had indeed been wandering the whole day. "My friends. They were attacked." he replied quietly.

"Attacked? By whom and how did you know?" asked Chuck curiously.

Jeric looked confused for a moment but came up with a realistic excuse in time. "Some criminals who have nothing better to do with their lives. Heard it in the radio this morning."

"Oh!" the three said at once.

"Why don't you visit them then? It's no big deal. We could even go with you if you want..." offered Billy kindly while Matt appeared to be lost in thought.

Harry smiled at the generous offer but politely declined. "No, I'd rather stay here. The people I'm avoiding are likely to be there, too. Besides, we have a show tonight..."

"No, really, it's okay. You could go if you want to." pressed Chuck with a slight frown. He could not understand the hesitation in the boy's voice. He clearly wanted to go and his restlessness evidently showed that he was worried for his friends so why the reluctance.

Jeric sighed deeply. "I don't want to return. If they see me, they won't let me go and would make sure that I won't be able to escape again. I could not really explain further because doing so would bring back some very painful memories that I rather want to forget. I hope you just take my word for it. It's better this way."

No one said a word. Everyone was lost in his own thoughts. Finally, they've decided that they have practiced enough and started to prepare their equipments for the show. The bar was only a few minutes away so small talk was not necessary. No one was in the mood for that anyway. It seemed that what Harry had said made the other three reflect on their own decisions. Whatever that was, Harry did not know. They never talked about serious stuff. It seemed that the past was a usual taboo topic.

He never thought about it until then but he realized that maybe they have scars too and like him, they have no desire to bring it in the open. He had deduced that they were wizards but aside from that, he knew nothing. Even in their drunken state, they never mentioned their past. They've never even mentioned their surnames to him or their families or even their previous school. It seemed that they all have a thing in common -- they all have the present, perhaps the future too if they were fortunate enough....but no past....definitely without a past. And Harry could live with that.

They reaced the bar without any mishap, prepared their stuff on the stage methodically and waited for their turn. Harry glanced sideways at his bandmates and was surprised to see their expressions so haunted -- especially the jolly-faced Billy who always appeared without a care to the world's opinion. Somehow he reminded him of Sirius...

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you ---- VOLDIE'S DOWNFALL!!!!" shouted the emcee and everyone broke into a welcoming applause.

The band gave a polite smile to the audience and started to play their own rendition of Unforgiven II, a song of another famous band called Metallica.

Lay beside me tell me what they've done

You feel the words you long to hear

And see those demons run

The world is locked now

But it's open if you're true

Black heart scarring darker still

But she'll be there when I'm gone

Dead sure she'll be there....

What I've felt, what I've known

Turn the pages, turn the stone

Behind the door, should I open it for you

What I've felt, what I've known

Sick and tired I stand alone

Would you be there If I'm the one who waits for you

Coz I'm unforgiven too...

As they played, Harry pondered on some lines of the songs. He never paid attention before but somehow, it caught his attention then...perhaps because he was feeling so vulnerable at the moment.

.....black heart scarring darker still...

Yes, indeed the scar given to him by Voldemort still remains....a painful reminder of what he'd lost and what he had given up because of him.

.....sick and tired I stand alone...

He was sick and tired of his life and preferred to stand alone if that would make his friends safe...but he had fled already. Why were they still attacking his friends? Wasn't that what Voldemort wants? For Harry Potter, his sworn and perennial enemy, to be gone? What more did he want?

He scanned the crowd before him and wondered how it felt to be just an innocent expectator. His life before Hogwarts seemed such a long time ago that he already forgot how it felt. The girl at the nearest table downed another round of tequila but she was still laughing whole-heartedly at something that her companion told her. At a table behind her, a rowdy bunch of young men, perhaps there to relax after a hard day's work kept their noisy conversation while listening to the song and nodding from time to time in approval. He was glad people were starting to appreciate them.

Then something caught his eye that almost made him lose a beat....there at the far end of the bar, near the bar's exit, stood two very familiar figures -- one bushy-haired and the other a tall and well-buit red-head. They appeared to be arguing...he could not keep his eyes from them. This was simply not possible!

Then a soft nudge from the back broke his concentration. Chuck, the basist, whispered to him what the next song would be and as he prepared, his eyes strayed once more at where the two figures were standing a while ago.

There was no one there. Maybe he was just imagining things...maybe he was just missing them too much that he thought he saw them there. Of course, they were not there. It was simply ridiculous. They were at Hogwarts to finish their education and Dumbledore would definitely not be foolish enough to let them go off on their own.

'Yes, I must have been hallucinating...' With that conclusion, he struck the final note that marked the end of their performance.