Back to writing after Winter break.

Thanks for sticking with me.

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"Good, I thought that you'd never wake up."

I slowly open my eyes and see Hermione frowning in front of me. I push myself to a sitting position, momentarily forgetting that I was on the couch.

"Hey," I say wiping my eyes. "What time is it?"

"About 11:45," she answers. "How's your eye?"

I bring my hand up to my left eye and feel around it. "Doesn't hurt in the least, why, it look like it does?"

"A bit of an understatement."

"Yeah well, Fred's a lot stronger than how he might look." I reply.

Hermione frowns at me. "You should really talk to him, he hasn't spoken to anyone all day, not even Angelina, and he's been awake since 8:00."

"'Mione," I start. "Fred doesn't want me to talk to him right now. Believe me, unless I want another black eye, I'd do best to stay clear of him."

She sighs and takes my hands, pulling me up from the couch. "What do you say to brunch then?"

I smile and kiss her forehead. "I'd say it sounds pretty good." I make to walk out of the common room when Hermione stops me, waving her wand at my clothes, cleaning up the blood from last night.

"Thanks," I state awkwardly, taking her hand, leading her out of the common room.

"Are you and Fred going to be okay?" Hermione asks as we reach the grand staircase.

I shrug. "I think it's going to take a while. I really messed up."

Entering the Great Hall, Hermione and I take seats across from Ginny who immediately gasps upon seeing my face.

"Jesus, George. What the hell happened to you?"

"Nothing," I shrug, grabbing a piece of French toast.

"So the fact that you have a black eye and Fred has taken to cursing anyone who comes close to him are completely unrelated?"

"Looks that way," I say with a scowl, stabbing at a bit of sausage on my plate. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my knee and look quickly to Hermione who is hiding a smile through her goblet of orange juice.

"I don't find this funny," Ginny states. "You do realize that we'll be stuck at Grimmauld place as of tomorrow, right?"

Placing my hand on top of Hermione's I look to Ginny and sigh. "I'll fix it, okay? After the dance tonight, when he's hopefully in a better mood."

"Thanks Georgie," she says, smiling. "I hate seeing you two upset."

I decide to not tell her off for calling me 'Georgie' and finish my plate of food. When I'm done Hermione turns to me. "I have to go research in the library for a bit, are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"Of course," I reply as she kisses me on the cheek, earning a series of comments from Ginny. When Hermione leaves the Hall I turn back to Ginny. "Don't you have some older guy to be snogging?"

She glares at me and turns bright red as Harry chooses that moment to sit down next to her.

"Why hello there, Harry," I state still looking at Ginny. Ginny mutters something about meeting someone and quickly leaves the table.

Harry watches Ginny in confusion and then turns back to me. "A concealment charm can probably hide that," he states, gesturing towards my black eye.

I shrug. "Too much of a hassle to reapply ever thirty minutes or so. What brings you here all alone?"

I watch as he smirks. "I could ask you the same question."

"Touché."

"Ron is finishing a paper that McGonagall told him he could turn in before twelve today for credit and Hermione's in the library." Harry pauses to look up at the enchanted ceiling. "So where's Fred?"

"No clue," I reply. "No where near me is for sure."

"I take it you're the cause for his lovely mood?"

"You could say that."

Harry studies me and then stands up. "What do you say to a game of chess?"

I shake my head with a smile and stand up as well. "Why not?"

Walking to the common room, Harry tells me of everything I missed during the last Quidditch game after I had been hit with the Bludger. We walk into an almost deserted common room, most of the House enjoying the time left before the dance tonight. I sit down at a table and wait for Harry to come back downstairs from getting his set.

Placing the board down in front of me Harry studies my face. "Are you okay?" he asks, voice ridden in concern.

I start to set up my side of the board and shrug. "Whenever Fred and I have fought in the past it's never been about anything remotely serious, and it's never lasted very long."

"You're brothers," Harry states. "It might take some time but you'll be fine."

I watch as he moves his pawn, and I and just about to send one of my pawns out when Fred comes through the portrait hole. Making eye contact with me he glares, causing me to look down quickly. I wait until I hear his steps ascend the staircase to our dorm before making my move.

"You'll be fine," Harry states once more, sending me a reassuring smile.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I ask suddenly.

Harry looks at me in slight confusion. "Where?"

I shrug. "Hogsmeade?"

He thinks for a moment and then grins, picking up his chess set. "Okay, but let me grab something first?"

I nod and watch as he runs up the staircase to the boy's dorm. He comes back down in a few moments holding the Marauder's map that Fred and I gave him and a silky looking cloak.

"What's that?" I ask, gesturing to the cloak.

He smiles at me, "just a touch of invisibility."

I can't help but shake my head at him. "A true Marauder, I see. Where'd you get it?"

"My father gave it to Dumbledore to give to me. I've had it since first year."

"And you hid it from me for all this time?" I ask, standing up. "I'm hurt Harry, very hurt."

He laughs at me and starts walking to the portrait hole. "If I let you and Fred know, I'd never have it to myself."

"Probably," I state, following him out into the corridor. "What way are you going?"

Harry shrugs, "I thought we'd take the path that lead through Honeyduke's, it's rather cold out."

"Right you are, good thinking."

I watch Harry as he looks up and down the corridor and then throws the cloak over himself, disappearing. A second later he covers me as well. "McGonagall's patrolling today," he states.

We walk through the corridors carefully checking the map as to make sure not to bump into anyone, and carefully make it to the statue. Once we are within its concealed path Harry throws the cloak off of us and places it in his school cloak's pocket.

"Lumos," I mutter, and light shines through the tip of my wand, illuminating the dark tunnel. "You've done this before, I take it?"

"Yeah," Harry replies. "I didn't have my permission slip signed third year."

"Muggles wouldn't sign it?"

"Not after I blew up my aunt, Sirius wrote a letter giving me permission."

I start laughing, "I forgot about you blowing up your aunt. Way to keep your temper Harry."

"You've met my relatives," he states. "Picture their attitude but multiplied."

Reaching the end of the path, Harry carefully pushes up on the ceiling, revealing a trap door in the cellar of Honeyduke's. He pushes it all the way open and jumps out. "Coast is clear," he states.

I follow him up the stairs and we quickly run out of the cellar into the store. Being about holiday time, it was relatively crowded.

"So what do you want to do?" Harry asks as we exit the store, stepping out into the crisp winter air.

"I need to get some potions materials, but besides that, anything. I just don't feel like being cooped up in the castle."

"Alright then," he replies. "Let's go to the potions store."

Harry and I walk up the road for a bit, looking into the store windows as we past, and turn left onto a side road. When we get to the second store on the right, Harry opens the door, "After you."

"Prat," I mutter, walking in with Harry behind me.

I stop short and Harry collides into me. "Oomph- what's up?"

He walks around me and stops as we come face to face with Professor Snape. Frozen in our steps Snape smirks at us.

"What do we have here?" he asks, holding the bad that he had just paid for. "I don't recall a notice saying that students were allowed in Hogsmeade today.

I shake my head, "no Sir."

"So what," he starts. "Are you two and Potter doing here?"

I gulp. "It was my idea Sir. I needed new potions material to study over break and I didn't feel like being in the castle right now."

"Very well," he says. "I suggest you use more care when returning to the castle."

Harry and I watch as he leaves in utter amazement.

"What was that?" Harry asks. "Did that really just happen?"

"I think so," I state. "But let's hurry up here in case we're wrong."

I make my way to the shelves and grab everything needed for N.E.W.T. level potions, and some extra seeing as I gave all my left over to Ginny, thinking that I wouldn't be using them. I pay at the counter and Harry decides to use the cloak just in case Snape or other professors were still in the area.

Walking slowly so the cloak remains over us both we stop at the Shrieking Shack.

"That was built for Lupin, you know."

I turn to Harry. "What?"

"Dumbledore had it built so Lupin could transform when he went to school here. Lupin was the noise that people though were ghosts."

"That certainly explains a lot, how'd you find that out?"

"It's where we found Sirius. Lupin later told me."

"Interesting," I state. "What do you say we get back? It's got to be about 3:30 now and the dance starts at 6:00. I still need to find McGonagall too."

"Sounds good to me," Harry states and we begin walking towards Honeydukes. I breathe in deep, thoroughly enjoying the chilling air.

As a witch exits the shop we sneak in behind her before the door closes. Careful not to bump into anyone we make it back down the stair and under the trap door to the dark tunnel leading back to the castle.

"George," Harry states pulling out the Marauder's map after taking the cloak off of us and placing it back in his pocket. "Did you and Fred ever figure out who the Marauders were?"

I sigh. "Other than 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs' no, why?"

"What if," Harry states, "I told you that you personally know two of them?"

I snatch the map from his hands. "What are you talking about? Who?"

Harry laughs. "Maybe 'Moony and Padfoot' mean more to you than just nicknames."

"You know who they are?" I ask as we exit through the statue and find ourselves back in the halls of Hogwarts.

Harry takes the map back and places it with the invisibility cloak. "As do you," he replies. "Think on it," he says turning left towards the Gryffindor common room.

I glare in his direction and turn right, towards the grand staircase to McGonagall's office. Standing outside of the portrait I realize that I don't know the password. I am about to turn around when it swings open. "Come in Mr. Weasley."

I walk inside and the portrait closes behind me. "Professor," I state.

"Please sit," she says, pointing towards the seat in front of her desk. I look around the room, this being only the second time that I'm in her office without being in trouble. The other time was when we were talking about career choices, and if I remember correctly, she had kicked me out of her office shortly after I had entered.

McGonagall reaches behind her desk and picks up three books, placing them on her desk. "Professor Sprout left these two for me to give to you," she says, handing me two books. "And Professor Snape gave me this one." I take the book and study its warn cover, confused. I run my hand over its title 'Lost Procedures.'

"What for?" I ask.

She shrugs at me. "I do not question Severus' motives; I assume he believes it will help you."

"Thank you Professor," I state standing up. As I turn to the door, she stops me.

"Mr. Weasley?"

I turn to her. "Yes Professor?"

She pauses, looking at me closely through her glasses. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

Getting back to the common room with at least an hour and a half to spare before I had to get ready for the dance, I choose to sit down in an armchair off in the corner and begin to read the book that Snape left me. Opening its cover a small piece of parchment falls out. Written in neat red script, it states, "Sometimes the outdated procedures are the best. Keep this book for your personal collection; it might just come in handy one day, Severus." Smiling, I tuck the note into the back of the book, and slowly turn to the first page.

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