So sorry for the utterly horribly long wait, guys. I cant believe it's been over a year.. But I'n not dead! Harrah! Thank you very much to anyone who reviewed!! heres the Chapter:

( Expect another /fairly/ soon! )

/love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate/

Harry was sitting under the old oak tree beside the lake the next morning when Hermione found him. He was thinking back to his lessons in skating when the frizzy haired girl crept up on him and looked over his shoulder at the opened book that was lying on his lap.

" What in the world in a triple Lutz?"

Harry jumped and snapped his scrapbook shut, glaring at the girl leaning over his shoulder for a second before his gaze softened at her apologetic expression. He sighed slightly.

" It's a figure skating move."

Hermione's eyes lit up slightly. She smiled radiantly. " Oh!"

Harry smiled. Oh indeed he thought. Mentally preparing himself for the interrogation he knew would soon come.

Hermione sat down beside him on the grass and looked sideways at the light blue covered book in his hands.

" What's that?"

Harry smiled half smugly at his thoughts a few seconds before but his smile also held sadness. " My skating scrapbook."

Hermione settled herself down beside her friend properly and leaned against his shoulder, peering over his shoulder at the book sitting on the raven-haired teens lap.

" Is that you?" Her eyes widened as she took in the photograph on the front of the light blue book.

A short raven haired-little boy was standing at the side of a rink with a smile on his face as he looked up slightly at the tall woman standing behind him. The smile shocked Hermione more than anything else. It lit up his whole face, making his eyes sparkle and his face held a light blush.

Sure, Hermione had seen Harry smile many times before… but it wasn't a true smile. It never reached his eyes.

Hermione studied the woman who was standing behind the younger version of her friend. The woman also had a smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling happily, holding love and kindness as she looked down at the eight-year-old boy. She wore a simple blue fleece jumper and dark blue training trousers with a light blue stripe down the side of them. On her left side was the same badge as the one that Hermione had seen in the room of requirement.

Hermione's brow creased slightly as she looked at the photo once more.

" Is the badge your team badge?"

Harry nodded and silently flipped the book opened to the first page. Hermione studied the larger picture of the badge and looked at Harry quizzically. The raven-haired teen smiled slightly at her unasked question.

" The star was our sign. Our group was one of the smallest but best in our ages in Britain."

Hermione's eyes widened.

" Wow. How many was in your team?"

Harry smiled and pointed to the three stars in the background. Hermione didn't catch the look of sadness in hr friend's eyes as she stared in disbelief.

"Three? Only three?" Hermione was beyond impressed. She shook her head slightly.

" How ever could you give it up? You look so happy..."

Harry sighed and turned the page of the book. The next had various pictures of three young children. Harry and two girls. Hermione read the side note to one of the pictures.

" Gabriella and Sara?" Hermione looked at Harry quizzically once more.

" My sisters in all but blood. We were a team and because we were so close we were unbeatable in spirit. It was something no other team had…"

Hermione smiled softly. " Do you still speak?"

Harry shook his head solemnly. " No. We parted ways long ago now."

Hermione would have usually gone on and asked more questions but there was something in her friend's eyes that stopped her. It was beyond sadness or pain…

It was true sorrow. Something Hermione had only seen once or twice in her life and she felt her expression become concerned as she read her friend's expression.

" Are you alright?" It was a softly spoken question. Hermione was worried by Harry's sudden mood change. Usually he kept his past and true emotions behind a masked smile. It was something Hermione hated; but she knew Harry was the boy-who-lived and he needed to make everyone to think that everything was all right. It was his part. His Role. As their saviour.

But still Hermione hated it.

Harry shook his head as if to clear it at Hermione's question and closed the scrapbook softly.

" I'm fine." He glanced at his watch and sighed slightly. " We'd better get a move on. We have transfiguration in ten minutes."

Hermione nodded in agreement, glad that Harry was cheering up slightly. The two walked up to the tower together before heading off to Professor MacGonagal's class.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting for the heavy wooden door to the transfiguration to open when there was a shout from the back of the line that made the three groan inwardly.

" Hey, Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes at his friends and turned around silently to face Draco Malfoy, who was elbowing his way through the small crowd. Most of the conversation had stopped and almost everyone was watching the two as Malfoy folded his arms and smirked down at his rival.

" Heard you landed yourself in the hospital wing last night, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes and held out a hand when he felt Ron bristle beside him. Harry simply smiled at Malfoy's smug face.

" Yes, I was in the hospital wing last night. For no reason that concerns you. Don't act all smug and smart, Malfoy because I can bet ANYTHING you don't even know what I was in for."

Malfoy's smirk faltered slightly and Harry turned his back on the blond. His hand on his wand in case the taller boy decided to try something. Fortunately, at that moment, Professor MacGonagal opened her classroom door and ushered them all inside.

As they began the lesson on conjuring, Harry almost forgot all about the dance competition until Pansy Parkinson leaned over the gap that separated their tables and spoke in a snide voice.

" Going in for the dance competition, Granger?"

Hermione didn't even look back as she answered.

" Yes, of course. What about you?"

Harry smiled slightly. Trust Hermione to be civil to everyone.

" Well, good. That'll make it even better when Draco and I beat you. We're a pair." Her voice was so smug and snide Harry began to wonder exactly how Hermione managed to stay calm.

" Really? That's nice. What form of dance are you going to attempt?" Harry nearly laughed out loud. Hermione was making fun of Pansy in her own way. Only thing was, the Slytherin girl was too thick to see it.

" Oh, so you want to know? So you can cheat, Mudblood? Steal - "

Pansy was cut off by a commanding voice behind her.

" Pansy Parkinson! Fifty points from Slytherin for that atrocious language to your classmates and detention with me for a week!"

Harry had to duck his head to hide his laughter. Professor MacGonagal stood behind Pansy, hands on hips, looking absolutely vivid. Hermione also ducked down over her work and Harry could hear Ron trying to contain his laughter. Harry had finished working on the questions that Professor MacGonagal had put on the board and he quietly walked to the front and handed her it. He had just turned away to head back to his seat when Professor MacGonagal voice drifted up from the parchment she was marking.

" Potter." Harry turned around and smiled slightly nervously.

" Yes?"

Professor MacGonagal looked up over her glasses at him. "Professor Jamieson asked me to tell you that she wants to see you in her classroom after classes. Miss Granger also." She nodded towards Hermione, who had looked up her name. The brunette had opened her mouth to ask what was going on when Harry shook his head slightly.

He didn't want the rest of the class knowing what form of dance they were doing. Taking the hint, Hermione nodded slightly and returned to reading the second part of the theory book, having covered the questions already. She waited until they had left transfiguration before she asked Harry what MacGonagal was talking about.

" Professor Jamieson wants to see us after classes. She didn't say why but I think we can work out that it's something to do with the dance competition, anyways."

Hermione nodded and Ron looked slightly peeved. Harry read his expression quickly and sighed slightly.

" The meeting probably wont take long, Ron. You can go and hang around with Neville and Ginny while we're away or you could even come with us but don't pass blame if Professor Jamieson sends you away."

Ron nodded slightly but Harry could see that his friend was still feeling left out. Harry exchanged a worrisome glance with Hermione before they continued on to their next class, both wondering exactly what the dance Professor wanted to talk about.

Surely, it was too early for practices? After all, most of the others hadn't even made their minds up about which form of dance they were doing!!

/love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate//love/to/skate

Again, so sorry about the wait. ( Anyone reading Music camp : I'm working on it! Dont give up hope. I just hate the way I wrote it so I'm going over it and making it better. I have a lot of ideas right now all bouncing in my head.)

Review? Please? it might help me write the next chapter if you do!

Lil Lotte xx