Chapter 19

Harry rounded a corner only to promptly fall onto his back side.

'Ouch, that'll hurt tomorrow.'

Draco snapped out of his reverie and put a hand down to help the raven haired beauty off the stone floor, 'Sorry about that, head was elsewhere.'

Harry laughed as he allowed Draco to help him back to his feet, 'No problem, just so long as you promise not to laugh, no matter what house I'm sorted into.'

Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow, 'Did you hit your head in that fall? Because, you know, we've already been sorted.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Right, sorry, I forgot I hadn't told you yet. Ready for a bit of a story?'

Draco looked at Harry with curiosity and said, 'Sure, so you better start your explanation.'

Harry smiled and clapped Draco on the shoulder in a sign of camaraderie, 'Ok, here's the short version. Gryffindors have huge egos, I can't take that, it has come to violence. In order to avoid suspension I have asked to be resorted. The Headmaster agreed, and so I shall be resorted, tonight.'

Draco took a moment to digest all the information, 'So you could be sorted into Hufflepuff.'

Receiving a playful punch from Harry, Draco laughed while trying to apologize. And that was the scene Elizzabeth encountered when she rounded the same corner Harry had just come around.

Smirking she asked, 'Now what are you two laughing over? I could do with a laugh.'

Harry smiled, 'Seeing as Draco is unable to tell you his joke, I will. Tonight I'm being resorted, so Draco thought it extremely funny that there was a possibility I could be sorted into Hufflepuff.'

Elizzabeth tried to turn her laugh into a cough, but was laughing too hard to do it. Harry smirked and said, 'Wait until we tell the rest of you guys.'

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Ron sat on the leather sofa, staring unseeingly into the common room fire. He had half a bottle of Grindy Gin. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in several days, and he had some stubble that was poking out on his chin. His eyes were blood shot, and his face was really pale.

'Ron, what are you doing? Do you realize if you get caught with alcohol they'll give you a week's worth of detentions? You're just being so stupid over this whole Harry thing. I mean, everyone knows he has to come back around. He's Harry.'

Ron looked blearily up into the face of the female Gryffindor he had considered a friend for many years.

''Mione. Do you even know what yer talkin' 'bout?'

Hermione sighed and said, 'You're even slurring. Jeez, how am I supposed to cover this up? I don't know the charm for sobriety.'

Ron shrugged his shoulder and slurred, 'Dusn' matter. I'm not goin' to supper.'

Hermione looked at him a bit startled; after all, the boy never missed a meal.

'Ron…what do you mean you're not going to supper? Why wouldn't you go to supper?'

Ron turned his head back to staring at the fire, ''Cause…'Arry's getting' resorted. He dun' wanna be in da shame house as me anymow.'

Hermione sank down into a chair and said, 'But….he can't. Who would fight You-Know-Who?'

Ron put out his arm that had the Grindy Gin. Taking the bottle she chugged back a third of what was left. Grimacing as the alcohol burned down her throat she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her robe.

Ron monotoned from beside her, 'It numbs it after a bit.'

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Draco smirked and said, 'If I'm not mistaken, I believe you had agreed you wanted your eyes fixed, no more glasses. Tonight would be the perfect time to show up without your glasses.'

Elizzabeth nodded eagerly and said, 'Right, put a shock to their systems. It would definitely make everyone look twice.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Alright, let's go get my eyes fixed.'

Draco smirked as Elizzabeth took Harry's arm and began to walk to the hospital ward. Walking behind them, he was suddenly struck by how normal Harry seemed. He wasn't at all like the other Gryffindors, with their high and mighty morals that they themselves never followed.

In fact, Harry seemed nothing at all like any of the houses, other than Slytherin that was. Draco smirked at the thought of the Golden Boy being placed in Slytherin. He would bet any money that would take the twinkle from the infuriating Headmaster's eyes.

'…so if you guys are from Canada, how does your sister know Draco?'

Draco snapped out of his reverie at hearing his name.

'I dunno. Why?'

Shrugging Harry said, 'I ran into her earlier, literally, and she said she was looking for Draco Malfoy. I offered to help her, but then she said she had to go talk to you.'

Elizzabeth gave a crooked smile and said, 'Well…we haven't talked today.'

Draco moved up to walk on Harry's other side, 'So what are we talking about?'

Harry laughed and said, 'Nothing, we're here now.'

Elizzabeth laughed and Draco sneered, 'Right.'

Harry said in a joking tone, 'Come on Draco, Lizz can fill you in while I get my eyes corrected.'

Elizzabeth looked at Harry and said with a pout, 'Why can't we come in?'

Harry laughed and said, 'I don't need you guys to hear me screaming. I mean, come on, I may not have as big an ego as the Gryffindors, but I still have my pride.'

Lizz laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek, 'We'll be out here.'

Draco gave a grunt and said, 'I wouldn't have laughed or anything.'

Lizz elbowed him and said, 'Go ahead Harry. Draco and I will wait.'

Harry laughed at his two new friends and walked in to see Madame Pomfrey taking care of a first year who had tried to hex their pimples off. Smirking slightly, as it seemed to be a Gryffindor. He walked up to Madame Pomfrey and waited for her to turn her attention to him.

'…Now Penny, next time you get a pimple, come to me and I'll take care of it.' Turning around, she let out a soft gasp and said, 'Good grief Harry. What did you do this time?'

Harry laughed and said, 'Don't worry, nothing serious, I was just wondering if you could correct my eyes for me. You know, that way I don't have to be fumbling with glasses all the time.'

Smiling at the younger male Madame Pomfrey said brightly, 'Of course Harry. But I have to ask you, why have you never asked me before now?'

Harry shrugged, 'I guess I never really thought that much about it before. But with some stuff I do it really would be better off without glasses.'

As Harry had been talking, Madame Pomfrey had been rummaging around in a shelf filled with potions. Grabbing a flask filled with an electric blue liquid she walked back over to Harry with a small cup full.

'You wouldn't try and poison me now. Would you?'

Laughing, the beautiful blonde said, 'Of course not. After all, with you always in here, I would lose my main source of entertainment.'

Harry quickly shot back the potion and gave a grimace, his eyes squinting closed in disgust.

Laughing again, the slender woman put away the bottle and said, 'That face was just too priceless.'

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Draco leaned against the wall as Elizzabeth sat on the floor. His fingers were toying with the edge of his sleeve, 'Do you think he'll be alright?'

Elizzabeth looked up at him and said, 'I think he should be. After all, she did re-grow all his bones didn't she?'

Draco nodded his head and said with a slight smile, 'Yeah. You should have seen it; his arm had looked like rubber before she fixed it. That soft git Lockhart had tried to fix a broken arm, but had succeeded in making all the bones disappear.'

Elizzabeth looked slightly horrified and said in a soft voice, 'Was the man fired?'

Draco snorted and said, 'No, although he should have been several times. All the staff hated him, and yet Dumbledore kept him on.'

Elizzabeth's eyes flashed with anger and she said, 'Even after the retard mangled Harry's arm they didn't do anything? That's fucked up!'

Draco laughed at her anger on Harry's behalf, 'Well, if I ever need someone in my corner, I know who I'll call on.'

Elizzabeth smiled and said, 'hush it Malfoy. I'm allowed to feel anger on behalf of a friend.'

Draco smiled and said, 'Yeah, but this happened five years ago.'

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Harry opened his eyes again, only to notice everything was blurred. Taking off his glasses, he let out a whistle and said, 'I should have done this earlier.'

Turning back around to look at him Madame Pomfrey smiled and said, 'You look good Harry. You'll be in here next time, asking me to help you to hide from all the girls that will be chasing you.'

Harry laughed and pushed a lock of raven black hair away from his emerald eyes, 'Sure, sure. I'm still me, nothing special.'

Looking at him, the woman pulled him into a hug, and said, 'Darling, you underestimate yourself.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Next thing you'll be telling me is that I'm perfectly handsome, just like my father.'

Madame Pomfrey smiled and said, 'No, I'd never do that, for you have your own beauty.'

Harry pretended to wipe at a fake tear, 'Thanks so much. I feel so happy.'

Laughing, the woman pushed at his shoulder affectionately and said, 'Get out of here you little scamp.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Sure, just wait a second. I want to take the lenses out of these glasses.'

Confused, Madame Pomfrey asked, 'Why would you want to do that?'

Harry smirked and said, 'Well, I don't very well need the lenses anymore, do I?'

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Hermione waved her arms wildly, sloshing more of the Fire Whiskey down her front, 'I don't see why I have to be expected to know everything. I just happen to like to get good grades, and compared to my studies in the muggle world, this is all pretty darn interesting.'

Ron smiled over at her, himself just as drunk, if not further gone, 'It'z da shame az me isn' er? I'm da one everone expects to be 'Arry's corny shide kick!'

As Ron had said it his voice had risen steadily so the last part was shouted angrily. Hermione meanwhile nodded her head vigorously in agreement. On the other side of the room, several Hufflepuffs looked on with eyes full of sorrowful understanding, the Ravenclaws with disgust, and the Slytherins with amusement.

Hermione tried to stand up and succeeded for a moment before falling back into the leather chair. Giggling she pronounced, 'I do believe we are officially 'sloshed'.'

Ron began to laugh uproariously, slapping his knee.

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Harry walked out of the hospital ward and Draco looked up to him. Elizzabeth jumped to her feet and walked over.

'What? Did you wuss out? I thought you'd wanted to get rid of your glasses.'

Harry smirked and put a finger through the eye slot of the glasses, 'I didn't wuss out Malfoy, I just thought it would be best if I kept my appearance as that of which all those expect. Then, when I want to be me, and not the freaking Boy Wonder, I can take off my glasses and actually be different.'

Elizzabeth smiled understandingly and ruffled the fringe that fell down into his eyes, 'Next thing you need to do is get a tattoo, or a piercing, or both!'

Draco laughed while Harry gave a snort, 'Yeah, I can just see that. Me getting a large tattoo of a Phoenix or something, or maybe I could get my ear pierced?'

Elizzabeth shook her head and said reprovingly, 'Of course not, you nitwit, you would get a small tattoo in a place where you can hide it if you want, and maybe get…I dunno, your eyebrow pierced.'

Harry's smile grew into one of thoughtful acceptance and said, 'I could do that.'

Draco smirked and said, 'Yeah, all of us should get a tattoo or something, so that this, our best year, will never be forgotten.'

Harry smiled and motioned with his head, 'Come on, we better change and get ready for supper.'

Elizzabeth smiled and said, 'And your resorting into Hufflepuff.'

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Harry walked through the portrait hole laughing at the antics of his two friends. But his laughter quickly died as he spotted the two sloshed Griffindors.

'Merlin. What time is it?' Draco looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows.

Elizzabeth snickered as Hermione stood wobbly, her hand on the chair steadying her, ''Arry. We've been waitin' for you to come back. You shee there are deez nasty rumors goin' round that yer bein' resorted.'

Harry walked over, his face blank, and he helped her to sit back down, 'They're not rumors Hermione. They're true.'

At her astounded face, mottled due to the alcohol, he continued on, 'I can't stay in Gryffindor, Hermione. I need to be my own person, not the person everyone wants me to be.'

Turning away from the frizzy haired girl, he saw Elizzabeth and Draco's nods of approval. But all eyes quickly turned to Hermione as she stood back up, swaying ever more precariously and shouted at him.

'I'm not 'Hermione' I'm ''Mione', and you are a Gryffindor through and through 'Arry Potter. You are jus goin' through a faze. You'll come back to ush with time.'

Harry gave a sympathetic smile as the girl fell back onto her bottom at Ron's feet. Turning to Draco he said, 'Let's hurry, I want out of this friggin' house as soon as possible. Otherwise I may go daft like those two.'

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Haha, hi, I hope not too many people wil ltake a drunk Hermione the wrong way. I'm trying to get through that she's more thanjust a brain, that she also gets down like the rest of the students.
But thanks to those of you who reviewed, I love to hear from you.
And once again, huge props to my favourite, and only, beta!