A/N: Here it is, folks! Sorry to keep you waiting for more than a week.
Let me tell you, my life has been crazy. I'm sure you don't want to hear
about it. Next chapter should be soon. Hope you enjoy! ~Sylvia
"Harry, train's almost here." Draco told Harry. Harry closed his book and uncurled himself from the window seat that he had been using as his base of operations in hiding from the reporters. They were allowed to stay the first whole week of school, and Harry was already tired of them. They were everywhere, and had even tried to sneak into Gryffindor tower more than once.
"When is your new Sorting ceremony?" Harry asked as he straightened his tie. Draco smiled as Harry brushed away the wrinkles in his robe.
"I'm going to Dumbledore's office right now. Want to come with?" Draco asked. Harry smirked.
"Afraid of a talking hat?" Harry asked, throwing his arm around Draco's shoulders. "All right, I'll come along to protect you from it." Draco rolled his eyes and elbowed Harry.
"Back to acting normal, prat?" Harry shrugged and led Draco to Dumbledore's office. "Great, now we just need to wait here until we are let in." Harry shook his head.
"Headmaster Dumbledore's passwords are always sweets of some kind. It's just a matter of finding the right one." Harry told him. Harry faced the gargoyle and took a breath. "Sugar quills!" The gargoyle didn't move. "Wrong one."
"Blood pops!" Draco said, finding the fun in guessing the headmaster's password.
"Eww." Harry made a face at Draco's choice and went for the next obvious one.
"Sherbet lemon!" The gargoyle hopped aside. "Got it." Harry led Draco up the stairs and to the door. "You ready?" Harry asked.
"Draco fears nothing." Draco said, knocking on the door.
"Oh, good. You can face Voldemort for me." Harry commented as the door swung open. "Hello, Headmaster. How's Tom?"
"Harry, Draco. Tom is doing well, and the evidence of him not being the Dark Lord is starting to mount up, especially considering that Muggles have seen a man who easily commanded several others to torture some of their neighbors, and leave a sign hanging in the air that looks remarkably like the Mark on Draco's arm." Draco smiled over at Harry.
"Maybe we won't have to go to court after all." He said, smiling about the news.
"Court date is in four days. You will both be excused from classes, but you will have to make up the work that you will miss." Dumbledore told them. Both boys nodded. They knew that Fudge wouldn't give up without a fight if he really wanted to take someone down for being the Dark Lord, even if he had evidence to the contrary.
"Well, Draco. Are you ready?" Draco nodded and sat down in a chair. Dumbledore pulled out the hat and placed it on Draco's head.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, back again?" The hat said inside his head.
"I'm not a Malfoy anymore." Draco told him.
"Yes, I can see that. You want to leave the House of Slytherin, I am guessing. Now it's just a matter of where to put you." The hat fell silent, causing Draco's nerves a large amount of grief. "Hufflepuff is definitely not for you." Draco silently agreed with him, as he didn't think that he could stand Hufflepuff. "Ravenclaw would suit had that been your first choice, but not now." He paused. "I think that you should go into Gryffindor. It will help you become who you were to be." Draco told the hat that he would go where the hat thought best. "GRYFFINDOR!" Dumbledore smiled and removed the hat.
"Let's go move your stuff." Harry told him. "There'll be a bed for him, right, Headmaster?" Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course, boys. Get going." The two boys ran down to the dungeons to retrieve Draco's things from Severus's rooms. The man himself was waiting for them.
"What is your House now?" Severus asked as Draco and Harry tumbled into the room. Harry grinned at him.
"Don't know, Draco. Should we tell him now?" Harry asked as he helped Draco pack up his few things.
"Why don't we wait until we are out the door?" Draco said. Severus looked as though he wanted to shout at them, but held himself in check. Harry lightened Draco's trunk and got ready to run. Draco turned to Severus. "I hope you'll still like me now that I'm a Gryffindor." Draco told him.
"Of course I'll still like you." Severus finally processed the word Draco had said. "Gryffindor!" Harry gave a mad laugh and dashed off. Draco smiled at Severus, who was staring down at his charge with a face that was oddly proud.
"Remember that you still have a room down here with me, should you need it." Draco nodded. Severus stepped forward a put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'll see you in class." Draco smiled and turned to Harry, who was waiting at the end of the hall, out of the reach of Severus.
"Thanks, Severus, er, Professor." Severus watched until the boys were out of sight.
"Bloody Gryffindors." He muttered. "Now I'm going to have to deal with more than two clever ones." Severus went up to the Great Hall for dinner when he realized that it was time for dinner. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces." He muttered to himself when he realized that many Gryffindors were going to have a fit.
"Harry, I don't think I can do this." Draco commented as the two made their way to the Great Hall. "How do you stand everyone staring at you all the time?" Draco fussed with his new tie and stared at the Gryffindor patch that had somehow made it onto his uniform. Harry shrugged.
"You get used to it." Harry answered, looking his friend over. "We'll just sit by ourselves and let the others sit where they want. It doesn't matter what they think, remember? I'll be there to keep them from killing you." Draco took a deep breath and sighed.
"All right, let's get this over with." Draco muttered, moving towards the doors. "They probably already know anyway, with those newspapers. Too bad Severus wouldn't let us see one." Harry smirked and pushed open the doors. Most of the students were already seated and turned as one to stare at Harry and Draco. There were definite threats from the Slytherin table the moment the blond boy showed his face. "Death is certain over there." He muttered. Harry nodded slightly and led Draco to the Gryffindor table. He chose a place were there were fewer students and pulled Draco down next to him.
"Harry, he can't sit here! He's a Slytherin!" Harry shook his head and smiled at Colin Creevy.
"He's in Gryffindor now, Colin. Draco, meet Colin Creevy. He likes photography. Colin, this is Draco, a Quidditch nut if I ever saw one." Colin looked at Draco hesitantly before sitting down across from Harry and Draco.
"Hello. Welcome to Gryffindor." Colin extended his hand and offered it to Draco. Draco reached out and shook it, smiling at the brave little Gryffindor who had welcomed a Slytherin into their house.
"Thank you." Draco said, "It's nice to be here." Colin started questioning Draco on what he liked to do, drawing the boy into conversation and generally reminding Harry of what Colin had been like before he had gotten over the Harry Potter mania that he seemed to control him his whole first year.
"Harry!" Harry turned and saw Ron and Hermione coming straight for him. Oh, Merlin. Not in the Great Hall. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Ron asked, his face growing redder by the minute. "You just off and disappear and then we find out you've been living with Voldemort? Do you have the Dark Mark? Are you a proper little Death Eater now? Do you enjoy torturing Muggles?" Hermione began pulling Ron away, fearful that the boy might remember he had a wand and use it on Harry, Death Eater or not. Harry sighed and put up his hand.
"Silencio!" He muttered. Ron continued to shout abuse at him, not knowing that he had been silenced.
"Harry, how could you?" Hermione asked. Draco stood from the bench and looked over at Hermione. He knew he couldn't do what he really wanted to do to her, but he could talk to her, and maybe even swear at her. Draco took out his wand and silenced her too. Ron looked ready to kill Draco, and tried to launch himself at the boy, but Harry stopped him. Harry reached over and took hold of Ron's and Hermione's arms and led them out into the hallway.
"Ron, Hermione, you both misunderstand-" Harry started, only to find himself silenced. He looked over at Draco as the boy was tucking his wand away.
"Listen, the two of you." Draco started, "Harry is not a Death Eater of anyone. He has had to face the Dark Lord once already this year, and signs point to him having do it again before the school term is over." Draco watched as Ron tried to start talking again. "You're silenced Weasley, now shut up. Fine pair of friends you are! The minute the papers say that Harry is something he isn't, you both lose faith in him. You'd better both think of whether or not his friendship really means something to you, because when the time comes, Harry's going to need support that he might not be able to get from you." Draco advanced on them, his face growing colder by each step.
"You have no idea of what he has gone through this holiday, and you'd never be able to imagine his pain." Draco took out his wand and took off Harry's silencing spell. "I'm going to terminate your spells now, and you'd better leave Harry alone until you have both thought through what I've told you." He waved his wand and ended the spells. Hermione was very pale and Ron completely red. Both left the pair of friends standing there and went into the hall. Draco turned to Harry.
"You okay?" He asked, taking in Harry's face.
"Yeah. Why didn't you let me handle them?" Harry asked, bunching his hands into fists. His hands were starting to shake, and he didn't know whether or not it was from withdrawal or anger at his newest friend.
"I've wanted to do that since third year." Draco said, immensely satisfied with himself. "Do you hate me?" Harry shook his head.
"I'm just happy to hear that someone else has had those thoughts." Harry said. Snape materialized beside the pair as they readied themselves to re enter the hall.
"Your dose, Potter." He said as the doors opened and Hermione came out. Harry shuddered at the taste and handed the vial back to Snape. Hermione was eyeing Snape suspiciously.
"Harry, I'm sorry." She said, her bottom lip trembling just a bit. "I was stupid." She said, not knowing how to take her apology any further. Harry stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.
"It's all right." Hermione hung onto him for a minute before pulling back.
"Ron will come around. Percy was home, and you know how he is." Harry nodded and sighed.
"Whatever the minister says goes. I wonder what he will do when he finds out that I was right all along." Hermione shrugged and looked over at Draco.
"You're in Gryffindor now?" She asked, going over to him. Draco nodded. "Welcome to Gryffindor." She said, offering her hand. He took it and shook it. "Come on, dinner is about to start." She grabbed both of the boys and led them into the Great Hall. She ignored Ron's pointed glares at her, Harry, and Draco. Ron glared at the group the entire time, and seemed to want to do something to them, but was wary about going against the person whom he had considered his girlfriend for all of the school year so far. He wasn't even sure what he was to her right now. She had told him that Draco was right and left him sitting at the table while she went to make up to the little Death Eaters.
The three teenagers joked with the others around them throughout the entire meal and even planned a few jokes together. Draco found himself surprised at Hermione's scheming capabilities. He guessed that she was more than a bookworm, and her ideas about how to prank Crabbe and Goyle without getting caught were amazing. She giggled as Harry predicted their reactions.
"They could act like my cousin did when he angered Ha-, er, someone I know. He received a pig's tail for his troubles. Now, whenever he sees another wizard besides me, he grabs his rear and runs for all he's worth. He's big like one too. Not for reasons of disorders or anything. He's just lazy. So he fits the pig thing rather well." Harry jumped when Draco almost fell off his bench laughing. Harry reached out a hand to steady his friend, who clutched his sides as he fought for air.
"Let's do that!" Draco howled. "Please, let's do that." Hermione giggled at seeing the usually restrained Draco Malfoy break down in laughter at the idea of hexing some of his old housemates. Perhaps there was more than met the eye with annoying Slytherin. Draco caught his breath and sat up back at the table. He smirked at Harry and discreetly pointed a finger towards the reporters who were busy taking pictures of Harry, Draco, Hermione, and the Creevy brothers. Harry sighed. Only this week, and then he would never have to see reporters again. Or so he hoped. Hermione nudged him and smiled. He got her message. Ignore them. "So, when do we want to do it?" Draco asked, bring Harry and Hermione back to the matter at hand. Pranks.
Harry and Draco stayed in the common room with Hermione and fine- tuned their plans. They wanted to get started right away and start of the new term off with a good prank. The trio descended into whispers as they figured out where to ambush the two Slytherins, how to keep them from seeing the pranksters, and how to get out without getting caught. Ron sat across the room from them and glared the entire time, as though wondering why the three of them were so chummy together. Draco wanted to throttle him, and Harry continued to practice the art of ignoring someone. Hermione hadn't noticed his glares, or hadn't cared. Ron finally got up and stormed from the room up to the dorm. Harry counted mentally to himself. A scream broke everyone out of their little group talks. Ron came back down the stairs and looked over to Draco. Ron had found Draco's bed in the sixth year's dormitory.
"I refuse to sleep in the same room with that Slytherin!" he said, storming back down the stairs and glaring at Harry and Draco. Harry fought back a sarcastic comment on Ron's stupidity and sighed.
"Looks like you'll be finding the common room very comfortable tonight." Harry said, pulling Draco to his feet and leading the other boy to the staircase. "I'm going to bed." Draco followed Harry, ignoring the incredulous looks that he was getting from Weasley.
"That was interesting." Draco muttered to Harry. Harry shrugged. Let Ron be a prat, he didn't care. "Sure you want to do this? I can sleep in Sev's rooms." Harry shook his head.
"You're a Gryffindor now. They should all get used to it." Draco nodded and took his pajamas to the bathroom and changed. He returned a few moments later but stopped when he saw Neville Longbottom talking to Harry about Draco.
"He's a Gryffindor, Neville. Just give him a chance." Neville nodded.
"All right. The Creevy brothers like him." Harry patted Neville on the shoulder and motioned Draco to come out of the bathroom. Draco crawled into his bed that had been placed next to Harry's and crawled beneath the covers before drawing the curtains shut.
"Night, Draco." He heard Harry whisper.
"Night, Harry." Draco returned before closing his eyes. A soft voice made him sit up for a second before laying back down again.
"Night, Harry, Draco." Neville Longbottom had said before pulling his curtains shut. Both Harry and Draco answered back at the same time and Draco smiled. This Gryffindor thing might just work out. Of course, he may have to curse Weasley a few times to get the prat to shut up, but then again, Harry might beat him to it. He sighed and fell into a deep sleep, ignoring the danger of nightmares that night. Harry would not be that lucky.
A/N: I know, I'm evil for the cliffy. You have no idea how hard this part was to write, and I'm still not happy with it. *sigh* I felt that you guys would have wanted it, though, so I posted.
Reviews:
Correspondence: Thanks! Don't worry. I stopped working on the other to finish this. I used to think that I would go past thirty chapters, but it's not working out that way. Thanks for reviewing!
Sweet Morpheus: Thank you for the wonderful compliment! And thanks for reviewing.
Andrea10: Thanks for your review. I enjoyed it. She's starting to wake up a bit.
HoshiHikari4ever: Yeah, they're getting along. Too bad things are still up in the air about everything else. School will never be the same, or Harry's life for that matter. Poor kid.
CrazedGurl1291: Glad you liked it. I hope their reaction was adequate. I'm still not happy with it. Grr. Perhaps more in the next chapter.
SilverFated: Thanks!
Haden: (gasp!) Thank you!
Allison: Thanks. Those pictures will have more of a presence in the next chapter. Glad you liked them.
EriEka127: Ever have writer's block? Nasty stuff, and very frustrating. I updated, and I should be able to do so in another week. Thanks for the encouragement.
Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Ah, I see. My name comes from my ability to sneak up on people, as well as some of my original fiction. Offline friends will know which story. I tend to pop up behind people and scare the living daylights out of them for some reason. My friend asked if I was nothing more than a shadow, and well, the rest is history, as they say. Glad you like my story. More to come soon.
SheWolfe7: Thank you! Don't worry, it'll continue to develop. As to freeing Tom, Fudge is an idiot! Enough said. The trial will be very interesting. Thanks for reviewing!
Nphipps: Thanks! He's very angry, and still plotting. I have no idea where I come up with these things. I have an evil Muse, I'm guessing. Next chapter will be up soon!
Catherine Tavington: Oh yes! Gah, killing them off? After I went through all that trouble to get Harry to trust and confide in them, building their relationship little by little. Harry still flinches at the sight of Tom's wand. And it's been almost seven months since he's actually started trusting Tom. Girlfriends? I don't know... Hmm. Much to think about. (ducks as Muse swings a baseball bat at head) Right then, I'm going to start the next chapter right after I'm done posting. (grumble) Thanks for reviewing!
Suzanne of Dragon's Breath: You are evil. Pure evil. You sure you aren't a Slytherin?? Lol, just kidding, Sue. Oh, I'm going to start sending you more of that other story, now that I've re-worked the beginning. You know, the one I sent you before. Interested in looking over the Shadows story? Let me know, but don't let it interfere with your schoolwork. I'm still your RA. (glare) Thanks for reviewing! (Legolas!) Haha. I'm such a Slytherin.
Hermione Green: You deserve a hug, or applause, or something. Thank you for your constant reviews and encouraging words. Your reviews mean a lot to me. The next chapter will be out soon.
To Anyone I Missed(which I highly doubt): Thank you for your reviews. They encourage me to write. Thanks! ~Sylvia
Poll Time: Should Ron and Harry continue to be friends? Or should they break off completely? I'm torn. Let me know in a review, okay? ~S.
"Harry, train's almost here." Draco told Harry. Harry closed his book and uncurled himself from the window seat that he had been using as his base of operations in hiding from the reporters. They were allowed to stay the first whole week of school, and Harry was already tired of them. They were everywhere, and had even tried to sneak into Gryffindor tower more than once.
"When is your new Sorting ceremony?" Harry asked as he straightened his tie. Draco smiled as Harry brushed away the wrinkles in his robe.
"I'm going to Dumbledore's office right now. Want to come with?" Draco asked. Harry smirked.
"Afraid of a talking hat?" Harry asked, throwing his arm around Draco's shoulders. "All right, I'll come along to protect you from it." Draco rolled his eyes and elbowed Harry.
"Back to acting normal, prat?" Harry shrugged and led Draco to Dumbledore's office. "Great, now we just need to wait here until we are let in." Harry shook his head.
"Headmaster Dumbledore's passwords are always sweets of some kind. It's just a matter of finding the right one." Harry told him. Harry faced the gargoyle and took a breath. "Sugar quills!" The gargoyle didn't move. "Wrong one."
"Blood pops!" Draco said, finding the fun in guessing the headmaster's password.
"Eww." Harry made a face at Draco's choice and went for the next obvious one.
"Sherbet lemon!" The gargoyle hopped aside. "Got it." Harry led Draco up the stairs and to the door. "You ready?" Harry asked.
"Draco fears nothing." Draco said, knocking on the door.
"Oh, good. You can face Voldemort for me." Harry commented as the door swung open. "Hello, Headmaster. How's Tom?"
"Harry, Draco. Tom is doing well, and the evidence of him not being the Dark Lord is starting to mount up, especially considering that Muggles have seen a man who easily commanded several others to torture some of their neighbors, and leave a sign hanging in the air that looks remarkably like the Mark on Draco's arm." Draco smiled over at Harry.
"Maybe we won't have to go to court after all." He said, smiling about the news.
"Court date is in four days. You will both be excused from classes, but you will have to make up the work that you will miss." Dumbledore told them. Both boys nodded. They knew that Fudge wouldn't give up without a fight if he really wanted to take someone down for being the Dark Lord, even if he had evidence to the contrary.
"Well, Draco. Are you ready?" Draco nodded and sat down in a chair. Dumbledore pulled out the hat and placed it on Draco's head.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, back again?" The hat said inside his head.
"I'm not a Malfoy anymore." Draco told him.
"Yes, I can see that. You want to leave the House of Slytherin, I am guessing. Now it's just a matter of where to put you." The hat fell silent, causing Draco's nerves a large amount of grief. "Hufflepuff is definitely not for you." Draco silently agreed with him, as he didn't think that he could stand Hufflepuff. "Ravenclaw would suit had that been your first choice, but not now." He paused. "I think that you should go into Gryffindor. It will help you become who you were to be." Draco told the hat that he would go where the hat thought best. "GRYFFINDOR!" Dumbledore smiled and removed the hat.
"Let's go move your stuff." Harry told him. "There'll be a bed for him, right, Headmaster?" Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course, boys. Get going." The two boys ran down to the dungeons to retrieve Draco's things from Severus's rooms. The man himself was waiting for them.
"What is your House now?" Severus asked as Draco and Harry tumbled into the room. Harry grinned at him.
"Don't know, Draco. Should we tell him now?" Harry asked as he helped Draco pack up his few things.
"Why don't we wait until we are out the door?" Draco said. Severus looked as though he wanted to shout at them, but held himself in check. Harry lightened Draco's trunk and got ready to run. Draco turned to Severus. "I hope you'll still like me now that I'm a Gryffindor." Draco told him.
"Of course I'll still like you." Severus finally processed the word Draco had said. "Gryffindor!" Harry gave a mad laugh and dashed off. Draco smiled at Severus, who was staring down at his charge with a face that was oddly proud.
"Remember that you still have a room down here with me, should you need it." Draco nodded. Severus stepped forward a put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'll see you in class." Draco smiled and turned to Harry, who was waiting at the end of the hall, out of the reach of Severus.
"Thanks, Severus, er, Professor." Severus watched until the boys were out of sight.
"Bloody Gryffindors." He muttered. "Now I'm going to have to deal with more than two clever ones." Severus went up to the Great Hall for dinner when he realized that it was time for dinner. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces." He muttered to himself when he realized that many Gryffindors were going to have a fit.
"Harry, I don't think I can do this." Draco commented as the two made their way to the Great Hall. "How do you stand everyone staring at you all the time?" Draco fussed with his new tie and stared at the Gryffindor patch that had somehow made it onto his uniform. Harry shrugged.
"You get used to it." Harry answered, looking his friend over. "We'll just sit by ourselves and let the others sit where they want. It doesn't matter what they think, remember? I'll be there to keep them from killing you." Draco took a deep breath and sighed.
"All right, let's get this over with." Draco muttered, moving towards the doors. "They probably already know anyway, with those newspapers. Too bad Severus wouldn't let us see one." Harry smirked and pushed open the doors. Most of the students were already seated and turned as one to stare at Harry and Draco. There were definite threats from the Slytherin table the moment the blond boy showed his face. "Death is certain over there." He muttered. Harry nodded slightly and led Draco to the Gryffindor table. He chose a place were there were fewer students and pulled Draco down next to him.
"Harry, he can't sit here! He's a Slytherin!" Harry shook his head and smiled at Colin Creevy.
"He's in Gryffindor now, Colin. Draco, meet Colin Creevy. He likes photography. Colin, this is Draco, a Quidditch nut if I ever saw one." Colin looked at Draco hesitantly before sitting down across from Harry and Draco.
"Hello. Welcome to Gryffindor." Colin extended his hand and offered it to Draco. Draco reached out and shook it, smiling at the brave little Gryffindor who had welcomed a Slytherin into their house.
"Thank you." Draco said, "It's nice to be here." Colin started questioning Draco on what he liked to do, drawing the boy into conversation and generally reminding Harry of what Colin had been like before he had gotten over the Harry Potter mania that he seemed to control him his whole first year.
"Harry!" Harry turned and saw Ron and Hermione coming straight for him. Oh, Merlin. Not in the Great Hall. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Ron asked, his face growing redder by the minute. "You just off and disappear and then we find out you've been living with Voldemort? Do you have the Dark Mark? Are you a proper little Death Eater now? Do you enjoy torturing Muggles?" Hermione began pulling Ron away, fearful that the boy might remember he had a wand and use it on Harry, Death Eater or not. Harry sighed and put up his hand.
"Silencio!" He muttered. Ron continued to shout abuse at him, not knowing that he had been silenced.
"Harry, how could you?" Hermione asked. Draco stood from the bench and looked over at Hermione. He knew he couldn't do what he really wanted to do to her, but he could talk to her, and maybe even swear at her. Draco took out his wand and silenced her too. Ron looked ready to kill Draco, and tried to launch himself at the boy, but Harry stopped him. Harry reached over and took hold of Ron's and Hermione's arms and led them out into the hallway.
"Ron, Hermione, you both misunderstand-" Harry started, only to find himself silenced. He looked over at Draco as the boy was tucking his wand away.
"Listen, the two of you." Draco started, "Harry is not a Death Eater of anyone. He has had to face the Dark Lord once already this year, and signs point to him having do it again before the school term is over." Draco watched as Ron tried to start talking again. "You're silenced Weasley, now shut up. Fine pair of friends you are! The minute the papers say that Harry is something he isn't, you both lose faith in him. You'd better both think of whether or not his friendship really means something to you, because when the time comes, Harry's going to need support that he might not be able to get from you." Draco advanced on them, his face growing colder by each step.
"You have no idea of what he has gone through this holiday, and you'd never be able to imagine his pain." Draco took out his wand and took off Harry's silencing spell. "I'm going to terminate your spells now, and you'd better leave Harry alone until you have both thought through what I've told you." He waved his wand and ended the spells. Hermione was very pale and Ron completely red. Both left the pair of friends standing there and went into the hall. Draco turned to Harry.
"You okay?" He asked, taking in Harry's face.
"Yeah. Why didn't you let me handle them?" Harry asked, bunching his hands into fists. His hands were starting to shake, and he didn't know whether or not it was from withdrawal or anger at his newest friend.
"I've wanted to do that since third year." Draco said, immensely satisfied with himself. "Do you hate me?" Harry shook his head.
"I'm just happy to hear that someone else has had those thoughts." Harry said. Snape materialized beside the pair as they readied themselves to re enter the hall.
"Your dose, Potter." He said as the doors opened and Hermione came out. Harry shuddered at the taste and handed the vial back to Snape. Hermione was eyeing Snape suspiciously.
"Harry, I'm sorry." She said, her bottom lip trembling just a bit. "I was stupid." She said, not knowing how to take her apology any further. Harry stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.
"It's all right." Hermione hung onto him for a minute before pulling back.
"Ron will come around. Percy was home, and you know how he is." Harry nodded and sighed.
"Whatever the minister says goes. I wonder what he will do when he finds out that I was right all along." Hermione shrugged and looked over at Draco.
"You're in Gryffindor now?" She asked, going over to him. Draco nodded. "Welcome to Gryffindor." She said, offering her hand. He took it and shook it. "Come on, dinner is about to start." She grabbed both of the boys and led them into the Great Hall. She ignored Ron's pointed glares at her, Harry, and Draco. Ron glared at the group the entire time, and seemed to want to do something to them, but was wary about going against the person whom he had considered his girlfriend for all of the school year so far. He wasn't even sure what he was to her right now. She had told him that Draco was right and left him sitting at the table while she went to make up to the little Death Eaters.
The three teenagers joked with the others around them throughout the entire meal and even planned a few jokes together. Draco found himself surprised at Hermione's scheming capabilities. He guessed that she was more than a bookworm, and her ideas about how to prank Crabbe and Goyle without getting caught were amazing. She giggled as Harry predicted their reactions.
"They could act like my cousin did when he angered Ha-, er, someone I know. He received a pig's tail for his troubles. Now, whenever he sees another wizard besides me, he grabs his rear and runs for all he's worth. He's big like one too. Not for reasons of disorders or anything. He's just lazy. So he fits the pig thing rather well." Harry jumped when Draco almost fell off his bench laughing. Harry reached out a hand to steady his friend, who clutched his sides as he fought for air.
"Let's do that!" Draco howled. "Please, let's do that." Hermione giggled at seeing the usually restrained Draco Malfoy break down in laughter at the idea of hexing some of his old housemates. Perhaps there was more than met the eye with annoying Slytherin. Draco caught his breath and sat up back at the table. He smirked at Harry and discreetly pointed a finger towards the reporters who were busy taking pictures of Harry, Draco, Hermione, and the Creevy brothers. Harry sighed. Only this week, and then he would never have to see reporters again. Or so he hoped. Hermione nudged him and smiled. He got her message. Ignore them. "So, when do we want to do it?" Draco asked, bring Harry and Hermione back to the matter at hand. Pranks.
Harry and Draco stayed in the common room with Hermione and fine- tuned their plans. They wanted to get started right away and start of the new term off with a good prank. The trio descended into whispers as they figured out where to ambush the two Slytherins, how to keep them from seeing the pranksters, and how to get out without getting caught. Ron sat across the room from them and glared the entire time, as though wondering why the three of them were so chummy together. Draco wanted to throttle him, and Harry continued to practice the art of ignoring someone. Hermione hadn't noticed his glares, or hadn't cared. Ron finally got up and stormed from the room up to the dorm. Harry counted mentally to himself. A scream broke everyone out of their little group talks. Ron came back down the stairs and looked over to Draco. Ron had found Draco's bed in the sixth year's dormitory.
"I refuse to sleep in the same room with that Slytherin!" he said, storming back down the stairs and glaring at Harry and Draco. Harry fought back a sarcastic comment on Ron's stupidity and sighed.
"Looks like you'll be finding the common room very comfortable tonight." Harry said, pulling Draco to his feet and leading the other boy to the staircase. "I'm going to bed." Draco followed Harry, ignoring the incredulous looks that he was getting from Weasley.
"That was interesting." Draco muttered to Harry. Harry shrugged. Let Ron be a prat, he didn't care. "Sure you want to do this? I can sleep in Sev's rooms." Harry shook his head.
"You're a Gryffindor now. They should all get used to it." Draco nodded and took his pajamas to the bathroom and changed. He returned a few moments later but stopped when he saw Neville Longbottom talking to Harry about Draco.
"He's a Gryffindor, Neville. Just give him a chance." Neville nodded.
"All right. The Creevy brothers like him." Harry patted Neville on the shoulder and motioned Draco to come out of the bathroom. Draco crawled into his bed that had been placed next to Harry's and crawled beneath the covers before drawing the curtains shut.
"Night, Draco." He heard Harry whisper.
"Night, Harry." Draco returned before closing his eyes. A soft voice made him sit up for a second before laying back down again.
"Night, Harry, Draco." Neville Longbottom had said before pulling his curtains shut. Both Harry and Draco answered back at the same time and Draco smiled. This Gryffindor thing might just work out. Of course, he may have to curse Weasley a few times to get the prat to shut up, but then again, Harry might beat him to it. He sighed and fell into a deep sleep, ignoring the danger of nightmares that night. Harry would not be that lucky.
A/N: I know, I'm evil for the cliffy. You have no idea how hard this part was to write, and I'm still not happy with it. *sigh* I felt that you guys would have wanted it, though, so I posted.
Reviews:
Correspondence: Thanks! Don't worry. I stopped working on the other to finish this. I used to think that I would go past thirty chapters, but it's not working out that way. Thanks for reviewing!
Sweet Morpheus: Thank you for the wonderful compliment! And thanks for reviewing.
Andrea10: Thanks for your review. I enjoyed it. She's starting to wake up a bit.
HoshiHikari4ever: Yeah, they're getting along. Too bad things are still up in the air about everything else. School will never be the same, or Harry's life for that matter. Poor kid.
CrazedGurl1291: Glad you liked it. I hope their reaction was adequate. I'm still not happy with it. Grr. Perhaps more in the next chapter.
SilverFated: Thanks!
Haden: (gasp!) Thank you!
Allison: Thanks. Those pictures will have more of a presence in the next chapter. Glad you liked them.
EriEka127: Ever have writer's block? Nasty stuff, and very frustrating. I updated, and I should be able to do so in another week. Thanks for the encouragement.
Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Ah, I see. My name comes from my ability to sneak up on people, as well as some of my original fiction. Offline friends will know which story. I tend to pop up behind people and scare the living daylights out of them for some reason. My friend asked if I was nothing more than a shadow, and well, the rest is history, as they say. Glad you like my story. More to come soon.
SheWolfe7: Thank you! Don't worry, it'll continue to develop. As to freeing Tom, Fudge is an idiot! Enough said. The trial will be very interesting. Thanks for reviewing!
Nphipps: Thanks! He's very angry, and still plotting. I have no idea where I come up with these things. I have an evil Muse, I'm guessing. Next chapter will be up soon!
Catherine Tavington: Oh yes! Gah, killing them off? After I went through all that trouble to get Harry to trust and confide in them, building their relationship little by little. Harry still flinches at the sight of Tom's wand. And it's been almost seven months since he's actually started trusting Tom. Girlfriends? I don't know... Hmm. Much to think about. (ducks as Muse swings a baseball bat at head) Right then, I'm going to start the next chapter right after I'm done posting. (grumble) Thanks for reviewing!
Suzanne of Dragon's Breath: You are evil. Pure evil. You sure you aren't a Slytherin?? Lol, just kidding, Sue. Oh, I'm going to start sending you more of that other story, now that I've re-worked the beginning. You know, the one I sent you before. Interested in looking over the Shadows story? Let me know, but don't let it interfere with your schoolwork. I'm still your RA. (glare) Thanks for reviewing! (Legolas!) Haha. I'm such a Slytherin.
Hermione Green: You deserve a hug, or applause, or something. Thank you for your constant reviews and encouraging words. Your reviews mean a lot to me. The next chapter will be out soon.
To Anyone I Missed(which I highly doubt): Thank you for your reviews. They encourage me to write. Thanks! ~Sylvia
Poll Time: Should Ron and Harry continue to be friends? Or should they break off completely? I'm torn. Let me know in a review, okay? ~S.