Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The main characters belong to JK Rowling (at least, their names do), but the setting, plot and some other characters are mine.

A/N:I probably should have written this note before the actual chapter, but oh well, live and learn. Here it is, one chapter, as requested. It's not great, in fact I think it's rather boring. I was running low on ideas. But I've been beta-ing as well, and I've got some new stories coming up soon. I'm planning another AU, a seventh-year one-shot, and a post-Hogwarts one. But fear not, progress will continue with this fic.

I am so sorry about not replying to individuals, but I really don't have time. I have to email off my beta-ed chapters and I might start one of my new fics. I've been working all day as the first bit of my vital Chemistry coursework is due on Wednesday, and I have a pile of stuff to learn for Spanish. Individual replies will be back next chapter, and keep an eye out for any new stuff with my name on it!

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On Saturday morning, Harry couldn't face breakfast. Pretty much as soon as he and Draco had got together, he'd realised that he would have to break up with Melfin. Again. This was getting to be something of a habit.

He called her after lunch. He had toyed with doing the job over the phone, but decided that was too cruel, even in circumstances as dangerous as these. So he arranged to meet her in town.

He was exactly on time and found Melfin already there. She looked delighted to see him, and he felt a stab of guilt. No one deserved this. But he had to do it. He fixed his words in his mind and walked up to her.

"Hi Melfin."

"Hi Harry!"

Before she could say anything, he started to speak. "I, um, I wanted to talk to you. I'm really, really sorry about this; I hoped I'd never have to do it, but I… I don't think we should see each other any more. I hope we can stay friends, I really do." He finished his speech and looked up to see her reaction.

"Harry Potter, you unimaginable prick!" She yelled in response, loud enough to get some very weird looks from people walking past. He cringed. Maybe an amicable split had been too much to hope for. "I can't BELIEVE you're doing this again! That's the LAST time I give you a second chance! You've had more second chances than… than… I can't even think of the WORDS!" She turned to go, still looking furious. Then she added, with a hint of sadism, "By the way, I heard your sister's turned schizo. Have fun with that."

"Do whatever you want to me, but don't you DARE insult my family!" Harry shouted back. "Leave my sister out of this!"

"Ooh, touched a nerve, have I?" She spat viciously.

Harry stared at her and spoke in a low voice. "You bitch. Forget being friends. Forget I ever spoke to you or looked at you. Right now I wouldn't touch you with a bargepole. You might want to fix those issues of yours before you try returning to the civilised world." With that, he turned and left Melfin fuming in the middle of the sidewalk.

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He tried to act normal for the rest of the day, but couldn't suppress his temporary tendency to get annoyed at the smallest things. After dinner, he planned to stay in his room in order to avoid biting everyone's heads off whenever they spoke to him. Then he remembered that he'd lent one of his CDs to Deb, and decided to go and get it back.

She wasn't in her room, but he didn't feel like conversation so decided to risk her wrath by going in to get it. After all, what could happen?

He found the CD on the desk, picked it up and was about to leave when he saw something, in a corner of the desk, that caught his eye. He looked closer and saw a small collection of items, namely a candle and some matches, a small drawing of a girl's face, a pair of scissors and a quite long, battered piece of string that looked oddly like it had been washed several times and was nearing the end of its natural life.

"What the hell…?" He muttered as he looked at the objects. He felt the temptation to just find out what was going on. All he had to do was glance at her diary… He knew she kept one. He also knew he could find it, if he had the inclination.

Or he could tell Lily. Then she could find out the whole story. Deb would be more likely to talk to her. He could try himself, but that had already failed once, and there was nothing to prove that she would be any more forthcoming now.

Harry made his decision, and quickly started thinking about how he could do it.

That was it! He'd put the CD back, bring the vacuum cleaner up here (the room hadn't been vacuumed for a while, so his plan was plausible), and tell Deb to stay out for a bit while he vacuumed. He helped with the chores occasionally, so it was believable. He could then vacuum really quickly, and leave the machine on while he found (and looked at) the diary.

He wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for one single thing. Running through his mind were the words 'My sister knows you're gay – What? How does she know?'. If she'd been nosy enough to find out about Draco for no apparent reason, he was well within his rights to do this for her own good. He wouldn't dream of it if he wasn't worried about her.

He put the CD back, went downstairs and told Deb he was vacuuming her room. She gave him a somewhat forced smile from her place on the couch, and he exited with the vacuum cleaner.

He did the real work quickly, and left the machine running with the door closed as he looked around. Then he smiled slightly. Poor, trusting girl… the diary was on her bedside cabinet. It had no lock; it was just a simple notebook-type design. He opened it to about a week before and started looking for a clue of what was going on.

Two minutes later, he shut the book, none the wiser. There were a few fleeting references to the girl she'd told him about, who he gathered was called Sam. But nothing else.

Maybe there was nothing else. Maybe he was just blowing this out of proportion. After all, teenage girls are inclined to be ratty at the best of times. He'd got a bit irritable before he and Draco had got together, and nothing else serious had been bothering him then.

He put the diary back exactly as he'd found it, switched off the vacuum cleaner and took it back downstairs, taking the CD with him. He'd just have to keep his ears to the ground.

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A/N: Again, I'm sorry for not replying to all your lovely reviews. But keep on reviewing (please)! Nothing cheers me up on a vile Monday morning like reading my emails and seeing your reviews in my inbox. And please, if you think you know what's going on with Deb, don't be all mysterious – tell me! Promise I won't laugh :-) Farewell for another week, and don't forget to review!