This is especially for the two people, PissedBeyondRecognition13& SailorHecate, who reviewed chapter 6 yesterday and asked for a quick update. I'm hoping that makes up for the huge delay in between chapters 6 & 7. This is a shortishchapter, sorry, but it was kind of complete the way it was, adding in more made it seem forced.

Chapter Eight: Of Rats and Toads

Dear Harry,

Congratulations for getting into Gryffindor – not that there was ever any doubt in my mind. I know you would have done well in any House you were placed in (even the dreaded S!) but I know the hat has placed you correctly. You are a true Gryffindor – I've always known it.

Now I'm going to start this letter with a warning – I love to hear from you, I miss you so much, but you mustn't write to me too often – once a week at most. Unless, of course, it is an emergency, you know I will always be there for you if you need me. And you mustn't keep my letters either. It's too risky that someone might come across them and work something out. But you are a sensible boy; I know you know that.

Be careful of that Malfoy boy. If he is who I think he is, his mother is one of my cousins – and I know I told you all about my family. And his father paid a lot of money to stay out of jail when they were arresting Death Eaters. I won't say don't get into a fight with him – you've got to do what is right and I know you will. But don't provoke him. Never start a fight, but always end one – a good rule to live by; one I wish I'd known when I was your age. Now how irritating a thing for me to say is that? Sorry, I can't help it. Somewhere over the years with you I seem to have grown up. It's a tragedy, really it is, and I'm sure it's all your fault!

I'm glad you've made a friend; I can't wait to hear more about him, and all the other people you meet. Serious note here though, Harry. Don't worry about it if people don't seem to like you at first. You know what we talked about, how people will have these preconceived notions about you, simply by what they have heard, or read, about me. Don't let it get to you; ignore it when you can. You just go on being the wonderful boy we both know you are, and they'll come round. It may take some time, but, although it may not feel like it, you do have that time.

Now, as for the pink hair thing, my best advice is to go for a time delay, and make sure you are nowhere near the boy when the spell takes effect. I know, that means you miss the moment, but it also means they can't blame you – well at least, not so easily, especially because you are not supposed to know how to do that sort of thing yet. Remember, the best prank is one that they know you did, but can't prove it! You can add the time delay by using the word "Mora" on an upward flick before saying the rest of the spell. It doesn't work on all spells (in fact, have fun working out which ones it does work on!), but it will on this one. When you get more practice, you'll find you can adjust the delay by varying the wand flick, initially, however, I think you are going to have to trust to luck on the timescale.

I love you.

I miss you.

Snuffles

Sirius sealed the letter and attached it to the owl, before sitting back and thinking. Malfoy, he hadn't thought of that. It was a possibility. From what he had gathered, the Death Eaters were still pretty upset with Wormtail, blaming him for Voldemort's disappearance. Malfoy was pretty high up in their ranks, it is just possible that he might know something. Smiling at the irony that the Death Eaters might actually be able to, unwittingly, help him capture one of their own, he transformed and headed off. It was a fair hike to Malfoy Manor, but at least he had a potentially useful destination in mind.

Harry sat down on his bed to write his letter. The first week at Hogwarts had been hectic. The first year boys were a mixed group. Dean, being Muggle-born, had been absolutely fine with Harry. Of course it hadn't taken long for someone to fill him in, but it seemed Dean was prepared to give Harry the benefit of the doubt, judging him on his behaviour rather than on what others said.

Ron and Neville, being both pure-bloods, had had their own ideas. However they had come to a sort of uneasy peace. Even if it was because they were worried about what Harry might have learnt from Sirius, at least it meant that they were polite. Neville had actually started talking to Harry on his own after an incident with Malfoy the previous day, an incident for which Harry had sworn revenge on Neville's behalf.

Seamus was a bit harder. It seemed his mother had warned him not to get too close to "that Potter boy" just in case. When the others were there he was polite enough, but he avoided being alone with Harry.

Harry didn't really talk to the girls much. He'd come to the conclusion that girls were kind of weird when they were eleven. It seemed the feeling was mutual because they didn't talk to the boys much either. Except Hermione Granger who seemed determined to corner him. She was a bit irritating about it to be honest. She would not stop trying to ask Harry questions about things she had read and he had taken to deliberately avoiding her.

Dear Snuffles,

Am settling in OK here. Most people are being OK with me. I know it is going to take some time though, just like you told me. Some people are being dead stupid about things but I think they'll get over it.

Potions is horrible. You will never guess who the Professor is. I heard so many stories about him from you and he is just like you said! Sallow skin, hooked nose and greasy hair – you guessed it yet? I'm having a hard time not referring to him by your old nickname for him actually. But he is horrible enough to me without me calling him Snivellus. He took five points off me in our first ever lesson just because I hadn't memorized the textbook – although Hermione obviously had and he refused to ask her anything! According to the older boys he hates all Gryffindors, but we think he hates me especially.

The boys in my dorm are all right.

The door opened and Harry hurriedly hid his parchment under his pillow and turned round. Dean poked his head round the door and said "Have you seen Trevor?"

"Has he gone missing again?"

"Yeah, Neville's frantic so I said I'd help look."

"Give us a second, and I'll come too."

Harry put his inkbottle and quill away and went out the door to help. Soon all five Gryffindor first-years were scouring the tower for Neville's toad. When he was finally located (under one of the beds in the fifth year boys dorm) the boys were chased back to their own dorm by an irritated Percy Weasley.

"You really need to get a cage or something for Trevor you know, Neville." Dean pointed out, "We've been here less than a week and I can't remember a day when he hasn't gone missing."

"It's no good, he'd just escape. He doesn't like cages." Neville said gloomily, clutching the toad to him.

"Wish Scabbers would escape or something." Ron said, "He still refuses to come out of his box. I've got him some fudge flies from Fred, he likes those." Ron knelt by the cage and started trying to coax his rat out with a fudge fly.

The other four boys exchanged a glance. "Ron, you are sure he is, you know, actually in there aren't you?" Seamus asked.

"Of course! What do you mean?"

"Well it's just that …", Seamus trailed off uncertainly.

"It's just that none of us have ever seen so much as a whisker of him." Dean added, "It's like he's, I don't know, invisible or something."

"I think he might be ill." Ron said, "He is usually a very friendly rat. Maybe he really misses Percy."

"Does he always turn invisible when he's ill?" Seamus asked. Ron merely glared at him in response.

"Well, perhaps Percy could, you know, visit him or something." Harry suggested, not quite believing he was saying it. Dean looked at him with raised eyebrows. Harry just shrugged in response. It had been the best idea he could come up with.

Ron opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the commotion outside. The boys looked at each other puzzled. Dean poked his head outside the door. "What's going on?" He called.

Harry couldn't hear the whole response; he just heard something about Slytherin and Great Hall. Suddenly he remembered. "Come on!" he shouted, "Let's go see."

The five boys ran down towards the Great Hall. There was a crowd of laughing people. They pushed their way through and there, in the middle, was Draco Malfoy, shaking with fury, with bright pink hair.

"It worked." said Harry in awe, "It actually worked!"

"Cool." Dean said grasping Harry's shoulder. "Dead cool."

"Wicked!" said Ron from Harry's other side.

Harry looked across at Neville. "No one messes with my dorm-mates." he said. Neville didn't say a word. He just stood there while the biggest grin Harry had ever seen, slowly spread across his face. 'Job done.' Harry thought delightedly.