Hi.

There are no words for being so late. I've had such lovely reviews for this fic and I'm so sorry for letting you all down. I promise, pinky promise, to update as much as I can. I've just been dealing with a lot of personal and mental issues that I need to sort through… currently got some help with some lovely professionals, so this is a lovely distraction from all my worries and stresses.

Please keep reading and reviewing.

Lots of love to everyone xxx

Chapter 12: Diagon Alley - Part 1

Harry and Hermione entered the common room to find, unsurprisingly, that everyone was still up and waiting around the fireplace for the two of them to come back from their meeting.

'No doubt eager to find out what had happened,' Hermione thought heavily as she briefly glanced at Harry's face, which was still closed up and pale from the revelation a few minutes ago.

Harry met her face at the same time and they held each other's gaze for a few minutes as if to convey their support and love to each other reassuringly, but still searching for the desperate answer… the guarantee that they wanted… that they would survive this war together.

Hermione reached out to put a reassuring hand on Harry's arm but before she could, Harry flicked his glance to the others sitting around the fire and not wanting to face the inquisition, strode and disappeared up the stairs to the dorm room. Hermione winced as she heard a slam of the door and her heart broke at the pain he would be going through.

'Just like with the tournament and Cedric's death,' she thought darkly.

Wanting to find some sort of solace in the silence of the darkened room, Hermione followed suit to the girls room and disappeared around the corner, her mind whizzing with ideas and plans to ensure the death of Voldemort as well as the survival of Harry, knowing that there would be no sleep tonight.

With the others…

James and Lily had looked up from where they were conversing in civil and quiet tones about the transfiguration homework due in tomorrow to the sound of the portrait door closing but immediately could see that something was wrong.

James and Lily nudged everyone around the group and they all watched silently as Harry and Hermione looked at each other, one pale and the other saddened, before Hermione reached out tentatively to put a hand on Harry's arm. Before she could, he had ripped himself away abruptly and, with barely a glance at their group, stormed up the stairs to the dorm, with Hermione's eyes lingering on where he has disappeared for a few seconds before following suit and they waited until they heard the doors slam shut.

"What do you think happened there?" Alice said breaking the silence a few seconds later.

"Obviously something bad," Sirius said and James snorted.

"Way to state the obvious Paddy," James said and Sirius shoved him slightly.

"Do you think that Dumbledore gave them some news they weren't expecting? Maybe their family members?" Lily said concerned for both her friends.

"We'll have to wait till morning to find out," Remus said, curious about wanting to know but also not wanting to know at the same time.

"They didn't even have their normal good night kiss," Peter pointed out and everyone murmured in concern. The same question on everyone's minds… What had happened?

And if Lily and Alice noticed Hermione scribbling like crazy with all sorts of books and parchment scrolls laid around her desk with a quill in her hand and another sticking out of her thick plait as they got ready for bed… and if the boys entered the room just in time to see Harry dive out of the window with his trusty Firebolt in his hand and perform some of the most daring stunts and crazy flying skills that James and Sirius had ever seen against the inky black starry night sky with no care in the world… well, no one would mention it the next morning.

Because something big was happening - and it concerned their two new friends.

The next morning…

"Hermione?" Lily called as she poked her head around the dorm room door to find out why the normally punctual witch was not already up and waiting for the others so that they could head down for breakfast.

Lily walked over and shook Hermione's shoulder from where she was slumped over the desk, dark circles under her eyes and a pot of ink tipped over, nearly empty, dripping onto the floor.

"Hermione!" Lily said a little louder and jumped back when her head shot up and she brought her wand up, looking around blearily before she caught sight of Lily and after a moment put her wand on the desk and let out a yawn, one hand covering her mouth

"Li-Lily," Hermione yawned in greeting before stretching her arms to the ceiling and wincing as her back cracked.

"Why don't you freshen up and we'll meet you downstairs to go to breakfast?" Lily asked in concern, bustling the tired girl through the bathroom door, thrusting a towel in her arm, and moving back to the desk to start tidying the parchments and stack the books up.

Hermione nodded gratefully, and with another yawn, closed the door behind her and Lily nodded to herself as she heard the shower turn on and with a wave of her wand, laid out Hermione's uniform on the bed before striding out to join the others in the common room.

"How's Hermione?" Remus asked.

"She's in the shower, the poor dear was up all night," Lily said and Remus opened his mouth to respond but shut it as they were joined by Peter and Sirius, with James talking to an equally tired Harry, who was trudging down the stairs to join them, his hair damp and untidied as always from his morning shower.

"Morning Harry," Lily said with a smile, which fell slightly as Harry nodded stiffly, still disturbed from last night's revelations.

Hermione joined them a few moments later and everyone made their way to the Hall for breakfast. As they moved to sit down, Hermione broke off to walk up to the staff table and to stop in front of Dumbledore. Everyone watched as she leaned down slightly to exchange a few words before Dumbledore nodded and Hermione turned to rejoin them. Harry moved to sit and mechanically grabbed some toast and started to butter them as Hermione sat down next to him.

Harry exchanged words with her quietly and the two nodded before turning back to their plates and pouring some tea for each other.

"So… what happened last night?" James asked eagerly after a few moments of silence as everyone munched on breakfast foods.

"Just a regular meeting with Dumbledore about how we're finding Hogwarts and the lessons and such," Hermione said after a beat.

"At 10pm last night?" Sirius scoffed and immediately recoiled at Harry's glare.

"So?" Harry challenged him.

"So we were just wondering if it was something else? You seemed pretty upset when you came back? Everything alright back home? You looked quite upset when you came back," Alice asked concerned.

Hermione shook her head, "no everyone's fine and everything's fine."

Everyone took that as "shut it and stop asking questions", which they did.

"C'mon. We've got Transfiguration with Minnie now," James said and everyone reached down to grab their bags and were in the process of leaving the Hall when they turned to see Harry and Hermione still sat at the table.

"Um guys?" Peter asked.

"We've got a meeting so we'll catch up at lunch," Harry said and Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure you're both fine?" Sirius asked.

Hermione nodded and smiled at them.

"We're ok… Harry's just got some business at Gringrotts and I'm just accompanying him. Dumbledore's given permission," Hermione reassured and everyone nodded relieved.

"We'll walk you to the Entrance Hall," Lily said and everyone set off together.

The boys hung back and Remus slipped an arm around Harry's shoulder smiling mischeviously, making Harry groan internally.

"Hey Harry, would you be a pal… " Remus said,

"… a chum…" Sirius added to Harry's amusement,

"… and get us a few things from Zonko's?" James finished and all three boys looked at Harry pleadingly.

Harry shook his head as he smirked and plucked the list from Peter's outstretched hand and looked over it once.

"A few," Harry asked in disbelief, "this is practically the whole store," he snorted.

"Minor details," Sirius said waving his protest aside.

Harry folded the parchment and pocketed it with a wink. Tipping an imaginary hat to them in parting, he joined Hermione, who linked arms with him, and the two of them set off towards McGonagall's office to use the Floo.

Once they reached the office, they met Professor McGonagall and she moved aside for them to enter. She handed them their travelling cloaks, which they fastened, and Hermione took a pinch of Floo Powder and shouting her destination with her wand drawn, she disappeared in a whirl of green.

Just as Harry was about to follow suit, McGonagall grasped his arm and in his hand dropped a gold medallion with the engraving of a certain Phoenix on it. As he closed his hand around it, Harry heard a faint song in his head and looked at McGonagall questioningly.

"This is a portkey," the Professor replied to the silent question, "you hold it and think Hogwarts and it will deposit you here in the office. Professor Dumbledore has made sure it can bypass the wards."

"It's not that bad is it?" Harry asked and McGonagall nodded.

"You never know when they may catch you off guard, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers frequent Diagon Alley frequently," she warned and with a nod, Harry entered the fireplace and whooshed away in green flames to be greeted by a worried Hermione, who flung herself to him and checked him visually.

"I'm fine honey," Harry chuckled softly and Hermione nodded relieved.

Together they pulled their hoods over their heads, and proceeded to exit the Leaky Cauldron, not noticing the eyes trained on them, belonging to a dark cloaked figure who swept up and followed the couple, dropping a few Galleons on the bench in front of the barkeeper.

"That amount of power… I wonder," he thought to himself, drawing his cloak around himself and subtly casting a Notice-Me-Not charm on himself to avoid detection by the two he was following.

"Is it him?"

Duh Duh Duuuuuhhhhh…