Wow! It's been so long since I could catch my breath. I have a full-time job now plus overtime and it's been killing me (but I love it). But I've missed writing my stories to share with all of you. Hope I can find more time again very soon. I'll do my very best! I think I'm figuring out a schedule as to when I can write, edit, and upload, so it shouldn't be too long. I work on each story as often as I can and this chapter I just managed to complete. Enjoy this next chapter.

Sam stalked through the night of the forest, following a worn game trail. The scent he was following was horse-like, perhaps a unicorn? He hoped it wasn't the herd of thestrals that lived in the forest. He didn't understand why those horse freaks hated him, but each time he ran into them, they'd give chase. Regardless, he continued on the trail. He had no intention of hunting either the thestrals or the unicorn, but game trails tended to be used by all animals in a forest, and he hoped he'd run into a potential breakfast. His stomach growled at the thought of a crisp rabbit or squirrel.

He neared a clearing when his nose twitched at a familiar scent – Harry's. Frowning, he immediately changed his direction, following Harry's scent into the large meadow deep in the forest. He spotted the boy sitting cross-legged on a rock, his head buried in his hands. Snarling, Sam trotted over to the troublemaker, his tails flicking angrily.

: What are doing here? Sam snapped, his ears flat on his head. You know you are not allowed to be in the Forbidden Forest!

Harry slowly lifted his head, revealing glowing blue eyes. Sam drew in a sharp gasp as he stepped back hesitantly. He felt warmth on is neck and looked down to see the tooth on his necklace glowing the same color blue. A thick fog settled in the meadow, obscuring the surrounding forest. Sam's fur prickled as Harry slowly stood up on the rock, his actions trance like. Sam took another step back as the fog engulfing them morphed into a hideous serpent monster that lunged at Harry, swallowing the boy whole.

: Ahh! Sam's head shot up and he breathed heavily, his heart slowing down from the nightmare he had. He looked down at his necklace, its glowing blue color reflecting in his eyes. He looked around the room, sounds from the kitchen informing him that Severus was present in the quarters.

Stretching briefly, Sam jumped off his dog bed and slinked his way behind the couch. Tapping his nose to the stone wall, a small stone pushed inward and revealed a hidden compartment within the wall. It was a small space filled with various shiny objects, stolen goods, a pair of clothes, and Sam's tanto. Sam shook his head vigorously, freeing himself from the necklace. He gently picked it up and set it in the compartment, the glow slowly fading. It would do him well to take a long break from wearing the necklace. He tapped his nose to the stone once more, hiding his secret stash before retreating from behind the sofa.

Sam paused by his dog bed to lap some water from a bowl. He thought back to when Harry had taken the necklace. It still unnerved the fox, frightened him even. He knew he would never completely understand the power of the tooth or how it is able to do what it does, but he did understand that the magic was bonded to him; it had been since the day he stole the tooth. He could only hope that the tooth's magic did not bond to Harry as well, as the boy was far too young to resist such powerful magic. He knew that even if the magic had bonded to Harry, it would only last a short period, perhaps a week or so, so long as Harry didn't give in to the tooth's demands and extend that bondage. As long as Harry stayed away from the tooth, he would be fine.

"Are you all right, Sam?" Severus's voice pulled Sam from is thoughts. The fox looked over at the concerned man frowning down at him, holding a mug that reeked of coffee.

: I am fine, Sam answered, pulling away from the water bowl. He looked at the couch and for the first time, noticed Harry asleep on it, a light blanket covering him. Why is Harry here? It is nearly noon, is it not?

"It is," Severus answered before taking a sip of his drink. "He was up at dawn and had a trying morning. All of his friends are at odds with each other and he's unsure of how to go about it. He was quite upset about his inability to keep everyone from turning on each other, not that there was much he could have done anyway."

: What happened? Sam tilted his head at Severus.

"A little trouble on the Quidditch field. Your help would have been useful, actually. If you don't mind staying here until Harry awakes, I need to have a word with Mr. Wood and Mr. Flint on the wonders of sharing and taking turns."

: Have fun, Sam remarked as Severus left the rooms. Sam turned his attention back to Harry, stepping closer to the couch and resting his head on the edge.

Harry released a loud yawn and his eyes blinked open. The two stared at each other for a moment. Then, Harry reached out and stroked Sam's head, gently scratching behind an ear.

Draco rubbed his hand before lifting his quill once more and writing in his best print for the seventieth time – I will not use derogatory and offensive language against my friends, peers, and/or adults. This was torture – the line was too long! And he still had thirty more to go. His hand was cramping, and he rubbed it once more. Even his bottom was starting to hurt from sitting in his hard chair. Torture.

Draco glanced over at the clock in his dorm. It was fifteen minutes past noon. Didn't Uncle Sev say he would send him lunch? Had the man forgotten about him?

Just as the thought entered his mind, a house elf appeared with a tray of food.

"Master Snape says Master Malfoy must eat all food and drink all milk but have no dessert," he elf said.

Draco sighed. He would much rather have pumpkin juice and a lot less vegetables, but he accepted the food and began eating, taking a break from his lines. He looked back down at his parchment as he took a bit of the steamed broccoli and carrots. He frowned as he remembered his earlier conversation with Uncle Sev before he had been sent away . . .

Draco had just finished explaining everything that had happened on the field, choosing to be as honest as possible as Severus roughly dragged him down to the man's quarters. He was sure Harry was following behind and he didn't want to be in any trouble for sharing only half the story. Every few statements, though, they'd both pause while he vomited up slugs. Severus had been shown more concern on the field, but now, the man seemed livid after hearing the full story.

"I didn't mean to say it," Draco tried after vomiting up more slugs in the bucket Severus had given him.

Severus said nothing, simply summoned a handkerchief and cleaned Draco's face before grabbing the boy's arm and pulling him down another flight of stairs.

"Really, sir," Draco tried once more.

"While your language certainly is inexcusable, your and your team's behavior on the field leaves much to be desired for," Severus snapped.

"We're Slytherins, what do you think was going to happen when you gave Flint permission?"

"Pride does not mean arrogance."

"What dictionary are you reading?" Draco muttered as the two reached the dungeon level. As the last word left Draco's mouth, he was pulled even closer to the professor and swatted hard on the seat of his pants, the smack echoing loudly. Draco's face turned beet red as he reached back to prevent more smacks, hissing between his teeth: "Professor! We're in the hall."

"Then I suggest," Severus said, leaning so he was eye to eye with the boy, "you shut your mouth until we are in my quarters."

Draco lowered his head to hide a tear of embarrassment that escaped his eye before puking in his bucket, making a disgusted face at the slugs inside, trying to ignore the slight sting in his bottom. Once he was finished and Severus had wiped at his face once more, they walked in silence the rest of the way. Once inside Severus's rooms, Draco was pushed down into a chair while Severus retrieved a vial from his closet supply. He handed it to Draco who quickly downed it, feeling the effects of the jinx lift off him, his stomach no longer swirling in knots. He sighed in relief, then slowly looked up at his angry godfather.

"Er, thank you," Draco offered a hesitant smile.

"Hmph," Severus hummed. He waved a hand, causing a chair to rush up behind him to sit down in. "We will be having a conversation about the atrocious behavior displayed on the field this morning when I have the entire team present. For now, I'd like to talk about your language and attitude towards your friends."

Draco looked down, staring at his hands.

"Look at me," Severus commanded.

Draco snapped his head up, though he couldn't bring himself to look into Severus's disapproving eyes and focused on the bridge of the man's nose.

"I want to know why you said what you did to Miss Granger, and why you were showing off to your friends."

"It was just fun and games," Draco answered. He sighed and looked back down at his hands. "I was . . . I don't know . . ."

"Feeding off your teammates' behavior, perhaps?" Severus suggested with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Maybe. It's hard trying to make all my friends happy."

"I see. Who are your friends, Draco?"

Draco frowned, scrunching his nose. "You know who my friends are."

"I do. I'm wondering if you know who your friends are."

"Of course, I know who my friends are. Harry and . . . Crabbe and Goyle, and Flint and the whole team, and . . . and Fred and George are cool and . . ."

Severus held up a hand to stop Draco.

"Tell me what a friend is Draco."

"A friend is someone you hang out with and . . . someone you have fun with and you stick up for each other . . . er . . ."

"And mock?" Severus added. "Tease? Make fun of?"

"Well, maybe as a joke and if they're laughing too . . ."

"Is that so? Perhaps a friend is also someone who stands by your side – so long as you have money, status, and benefits."

"No, they'd stand at your side no matter what – "

"And someone who only comes to you when they need something from you."

"No, they're always there for you."

"And only makes time for you when it best fits their schedule. Someone who'll tell you their problems but refuses to listen to yours. Someone who stands by your side in your brightest moments but disappears when you need them the most."

"I get it," Draco mumbled.

"Do you? Not everybody can be your friend, Draco. Just because they hang around you and laugh at the same jokes doesn't make them friends. At the end of the day, real situations expose fake people, and in those same situations, we find out who our real friends are. And I think you know who your real friends are."

Draco looked down once more, thinking about what Severus said.

"As for your punishment, I believe a hundred lines of "I will not use derogatory and offensive language against my friends, peers, and/or adults" will suffice, don't you think?"

Draco shrugged, knowing he didn't really have a say in his punishment. Severus summoned a parchment and wrote out the long sentence that Draco dreaded copying a hundred times. His hand ached just thinking about it. Severus handed the parchment to him and he stared down at the words, feeling his stomach clench as he remembered Hermione's face when he had snapped at her.

"I really didn't mean to say it, Uncle," Draco said, a tear welling in his eye, "it just kind of came out."

"We've had a talk about that word before, young man," Severus reminded. "Do you need another lesson?"

"No," Draco grimaced, recalling having his mouth scrubbed out with soap for two minutes a couple years back. He sighed. "I didn't want to call her that. Everyone was just poking fun at me and she was just acting like . . . well, herself, but I shouldn't have said it. I feel terrible. She'll never forgive me and now Harry's going to hate me!"

Draco hated how weak he was sounding. But his godfather's words on true friends really hit him hard.

"He will not. And you need to apologize to Miss Granger. I suggest you find her and do that."

"She won't want to see me," Draco folded the parchment and put it in an inner robe pocket.

"You don't know that," Severus told him softly. "How about this: write a letter of apology to her if it's easier on you. But you will need to make a formal apology in person at some point."

"Yes, Uncle Sev," Draco stood up, Severus doing the same, resting a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"To your dormitory," Severus said. "Straight there and have those lines delivered to my desk in my office before you do anything else today."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, turning to the door to leave.

Draco stared down at his seventy lines, remembering Hermione's reaction specifically. How hurt she had looked. After the fun summer of hanging out with her at Harry's sleepover, all the work they did last year to protect that stone, and their constant bickering over various, inane subjects. Thinking about how Hermione treated him compared to his friends in Slytherin, he had to admit that Hermione would be there at his side for him even when he didn't want it.

He remembered when Hagrid had that stupid dragon that had bitten Ron and they came up with the idea to distract the professors to get the dragon out of the school. It had worked, but Draco had sacrificed himself to be caught, but Hermione and Harry both came to his defense and shared the same punishment with him. No one in his house would have done the same for him. His friends were true – impulsive and reckless Gryffindors, yes – but true all the same. And this was how he repaid that friendship. What was wrong with him?

As he finished his lunch, he was about to pick up his quill and continue writing when the door to his dorm opened. He flipped his parchment over on his desk and glared at whoever may have been entering, annoyed that anyone would interrupt his lines.

To his surprise, it wasn't any of his dormmates but Sam.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked.

: Good afternoon to you, too, Draco, Sam said, jumping up on Draco's bed and facing the boy's desk, tilting his head at the leftover meal.

"Why aren't you with Harry?"

: He decided to go outside. Good weather I must say. Are you going to finish that?

Draco picked up the tray of his remaining lunch and placed it on his bed for Sam to chow down on.

"That doesn't answer why you are here."

: I know, Sam said, licking his lips. But I felt as though you could use my company more than Harry at the moment. I was with him for the past hour. You've been in here alone for a while.

"Which I don't mind," Draco said, turning his parchment over and dipping his quill in the ink once more.

: I know you don't, Sam finished cleaning the plate and gave all his attention to Draco. But I also heard of what happened this morning. I figured you could use someone's company.

"Thanks," Draco aid, unsure of what else to say. He appreciated the fox's concern. What harm would it be to confide in Sam? Surely Harry did the same when he had no one else he wanted to talk to. "Have you . . . Have you seen Hermione?"

: Today? No, I have not.

"Oh. I was just wondering."

: You would like to know if she was still upset from this morning, correct? I can tell you this, she will be upset until you apologize and make things right with her.

"But how do I do that? Do you have any idea what I did? I called her a . . . you know. There's no salvaging that. Have you ever done something to a friend you couldn't repair?"

: I murdered my best friend.

Draco's eyes widened, and he stared mouth agape at the fox. How could someone murder their own friend? Sam didn't seem like someone who would betray his own friends, but what did Draco know about the fox.

: Unwillingly, of course. My sister's life was threatened, and I was ordered to do it. It was probably the hardest decision in my life and I could have chosen not to do it. But I couldn't endanger my sister, so I picked the coward's way out.

"Why do you say the coward's way out? If I had a sister and had no choice but to kill either her or my friend, I guess I would . . . well, err, I don't know if I would kill anyone, but I mean, I wouldn't let my sister die, but I wouldn't want to kill someone like Harry or anything."

: See? Hard decision, but if I had taken the time to think of a better solution, perhaps I could have saved my friend. Maybe I didn't have to kill him. But what's done is done. And you can either run away from your past or learn from it. And you are still young and learning, and I'm sure you'll figure out how to make up with your friend.

"If I can even call her that anymore. How am I supposed to make up with her?"

: Only one way to find out, Sam said.

The fox stood and jumped over to Draco's desk, grabbing something in his mouth, jumping off the desk, and running out of the dorm. It took Draco a second to realize that Sam had snatched his wand.

"Wait, Sam – stop!" Draco jumped out of his chair and chased after Sam. "Come back with that! Where are you going?"

Hermione sat on the edge of the lake hugging her knees to her chest, her toes in the cold water. She stared at her reflection, unsure how to feel about who she saw staring back at her. She remembered her first year at Hogwarts, how so unwelcomed she felt by everyone until Harry and Ron rescued her from a troll. And even Draco had seemed accepting of her, if just a bit annoyed by her "insufferable know-it-all" behavior. She thought Draco and herself had come a long way, especially when they had fun together at Harry's slumber party. He had been a friend, hadn't he? But calling someone a mudblood couldn't possibly be a slip-up. It was such a strong word that evoked strong feelings. She felt a tear trail down her cheek and she sniffed, swiping an arm across her face.

She looked down in the water once more, watching as Harry's reflection joined hers, the boy sitting down next to her, his bare feet joining hers in the water. No words were said, they just sat side by side, staring at the glistening surface of the water.

"Am I nuisance?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Of course not, Mione," Harry said immediately. "What Draco said back there, it was wrong of him. You are a good friend."

"But a muggleborn."

"So?"

"What would you know about it? You're a halfblood, and only because your mother was muggleborn."

"Exactly, my mother was a muggleborns. And my Dad is a halfblood, too. My grandfather was a muggle, and a very unfriendly one. But Dad tells me that my grandmother would have loved me, as would my maternal grandparents. I would have had a great relationship with them if they were still around. Being muggles isn't a problem at all. That would be like saying my mother was a nuisance."

"Draco seems to think I'm a bother. That I'm inferior. Dirty blood."

"You're not. Or I would be, too. I don't know what got into Draco or why he said such a thing to you, but he got what he deserved from Ron. And hopefully from Dad."

The two fell into silence once more.

"I'm sorry for not following after you sooner. I should have been there to comfort you, but I wasn't. I thought about scolding Draco, but then Ron had his wand out and . . . well, chaos happened."

"It's okay," Hermione said. "I kind of wanted to be alone. Besides, you can't be in two places at once."

"True," Harry smiled.

Silence embraced them once more, and they watched Ron's reflection clumsily take off his shoes and join them at the water's edge.

"You guys won't believe all the trophies Professor McGonagall had me polish," Ron said. "And I have a strike against me now for attacking another student. One more and I could be expelled."

"Well you shouldn't have used your wand, Ronald," Hermione said.

"He called you a – !"

"I know. But that doesn't mean you should risk your academic career for me!"

Ron sighed, but said, "It felt good to catch him off guard though."

"He didn't even fight back," Harry remembered. "He never pulled out his own wand. He has good reflexes, but he really didn't want to duel with you. I think . . . he may have really felt bad for what he said."

"Who cares?" Ron said, frowning at Harry. "Still deserved it."

"Maybe," Harry said reluctantly.

Hermione merely stared at her reflection, quiet once more. After a few moments, Harry heard running feet coming the trio's way. He looked behind him to see Sam with a stick in his mouth come to a halt at his side, dropping the piece of wood.

"What are you doing?" Harry frowned, picking up the stick. "Since when do you ever want to play fetch?"

Harry studied the stick closely as Sam sat at his side, his ears perked up. Harry recognized the smooth hawthorn wood.

"Isn't this Draco's?" Harry looked at Sam, who turned his head to the side, looking back at something. Harry followed his gaze.

Draco was running over to them, stopping behind them and leaning on his knees, taking a couple deep breaths. He was exhausted from chasing the fox so far. He seemed hesitant to come any closer to the trio and simply pointed at the wand in Harry's hand.

"Can I have that back?" he asked. "Your dog stole it from me."

: Did you just call me a dog? Sam growled, his ears falling back. That's it!

Sam charged Draco, grabbing a mouthful of the boy's robe and dragging him forward. Draco's eyes widened as he was dragged into the water, his shoes swallowing water and soaking his socks. Once Sam had dragged Draco to ankle deep water, the fox jumped up and knocked the boy down, splashing in the water with him. Draco shrieked at how cold it was, while Harry and Ron laughed. Hermione simply turned her head away, refusing to look at the blonde.

"Okay, okay, you're not a dog," Draco said, pushing Sam off him and standing, walking to the edge and sitting down next to Ron, taking off his shoes to wring out his socks. "Thanks, fox. I didn't need a bath, though."

Draco accepted his wand from Harry and cast a quick drying charm on himself, then set his toes in the water as well.

"Professor McGonagall," Ron began, looking at Draco, "told me to apologize to you the next time I saw you. So, I'm sorry."

"Thank you for your willing, sincere, and totally not forced apology," Draco said, trying hard to keep the sneer out of his voice.

"You deserved every slug," Ron said.

Hermione glanced in Draco's direction without turning her head.

"I know," Draco said. "And I'm really sorry, Granger – I mean, Hermione. As a true friend, I should really start calling you by your first name, shouldn't I? And I mean it, you three are probably more true friends than anyone I know in Slytherin. You've always stood at my side and took the blame with me when I never asked it of you. I realize that now and I should never have called you what I did, Hermione. I can only hope that you'll forgive me, but I understand if you don't want to."

Hermione slowly turned her head in Draco's direction, then looked down at her reflection in the water once more. She studied herself, considering Draco's words. They sounded a lot like her own fears – who were truly her friends? Who actually liked her for being her? Draco seemed to have the same struggles in his own house, but it seemed as though he had come to the same realization as her. Their true friends were all sitting side by side on the edge of the lake, toes in the water, confiding in one another. Hermione had never been one to hold a grudge for long, and as much as Draco's words had hurt her, she wanted nothing more than for those same words to be untrue and for Draco to confess his true feelings about her. And he had. Who was she to deny him her forgiveness.

"I forgive you, Draco," Hermione finally said, offering Draco a smile. "Thank you for being honest with me."

"I shall do my best to always be honest," Draco said. "At least with you guys."

Harry smiled at his cousin, glad the stress of the morning was fading away. The four sat on the edge of the lake for a while longer, enjoying each other's presence.

Later, the four and Sam made their way back inside the castle, chatting amiably to the Great Hall for dinner when a loud annoyed voice stopped them.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Severus's voice cut through the air. Draco flinched and looked up at Severus, who paused in front of them, folding his arms across his chest and glaring down at the blonde. "I believe I had told you that I wanted those lines completed and on my desk before you left your dormitory to socialize with friends. Are your lines complete?"

Draco blanched and shook his head.

"No, sir. I was going to finish them I swear but . . ."

: Relax, kid, Sam said, stepping forward. It's my fault his lines are not finished. I dragged Draco outside to make up with his friends.

"And I did, Professor," Draco smiled, Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiling and nodding as well. "See? You were right about who my true friends are. I did finish seventy of the lines. I can finish the rest after dinner and have them to you before curfew."

"Hmm," Severus narrowed his eyes, then glared at Sam. "You should have at least waited until he had completed his lines, fox." He looked at Draco again. "Though it appears the lesson has sunk in, I expect the rest of the lines on my desk tomorrow by noon at the latest. Merlin help you if they are late again . . ."

As Severus spoke, Sam groaned and looked at the four kids.

: Don't worry, I got this, he said, stepping forward and mouthing over Severus's robes.

". . . if they are late tomorrow, you will be completing another set of lines on the importance of turning in assignments in a timely manner," Severus pushed Sam away briefly, but the fox came at him once more, mouthing at his pocket. "Stop it, Sam. What are you doing?"

Sam didn't respond, just pulled Severus's wand out of the man's pocket and took off down the hall. Severus gasped and shouted, "Sam!"

Sighing, Severus glared at the four snickering kids. He eyed Draco and said, "Do not forget them."

Draco nodded, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Severus rolled his eyes and turned after Sam, not trusting the fox to not break his wand. Once Severus was out of earshot, the four kids laughed openly.

Later that night, long past when everyone had retired for the night, within the hidden compartment of Sam's hideout, the tooth began to glow its blue color once more. A bluish fog trailed out of the hideout and glided along through the air. It flew over Sam's head, ignoring the fox its magic was bonded to. Instead, it traveled out of Severus's quarters and up several flights of stairs, into Gryffindor tower and into the second year's dormitory. The fog grew thicker as it neared its target – Harry.

The fog circled itself around the sleeping boy, its magic bonding with the child in a last attempt to complete its desired demand to complete the task it was asked. Sam's voice echoed softly in the air: Reveal to me the danger I seek.

Then Harry's eyes opened, his pupils glowing an eerie blue.

Remember to review and let me know you are all still reading. =)