CHAPTER 3

As it turned out, Ron was just being an inattentive bloody moron. Well… not that he'll say that to his face when he was THIS upset.

Apparently all the eight years would be rooming together for at most a week since there hadn't been enough time to fix them their own rooms yet. Most of Hogwarts magic had been focused on fixing the more commonly used rooms, halls, stairs and even floors and walls. Ironically, they'd be rooming at the Room of Requirements.

"I can't bloody KNOW if I'd be relieved or happy! Honestly! Can you believe 'em Harry?!" his red-head friend screamed. He rolled his eyes at him and would have scowled if only Malfoy hadn't patented scowling as 'his'.

"Honestly Ron. I hate the smarmy git as well but I'm not reacting this… well… loudly."

"But Harry! You've got to understand! They may not be able to use magic but they can very well stuff a pillow over our faces and suffocate us to death! Look at him!" Ron all but screeched as he waved his hands ever so wildly at Malfoy's direction. "Look at his condescending smirk and that arrogant tilt of his chin and his blasted raised brows! That bloody blond!"

Harry couldn't disagree with his friend on that one. Well he can't very well imagine Malfoy physically trying to kill him… "He's a bloody wimp Ron! He can't overpower Hermione and she's a girl!"

He laughingly avoided Hermione's indignant glare and continued rather seriously. "Although I can agree that I won't be able to able to sleep at that time. Imagine a week practically living with Slytherin's near your bed! They may not try to kill us physically but they can still kill us in our sleep! There are different ways a potion can kill someone."

"You both are being stupid." said Hermione as she slowly ate her dinner. "They won't be trying anything in a room filled with students from every house especially when they are completely defenseless." Hermione's lips were pressed in a thin line as worry marred her features.

"Actually, I think the Headmistress is taking quite a bit of risk with them. They are just four people sleeping in a room filled with those that hate them… all of which are armed and… well… we've all just come out from a war, lost quite a lot of people and no one to throw that hate to."

"You know you're over analyzing things again Hermione." Seamus was eyeing them smilingly as Dean nodded a bit at his side. "Really, you three, you never change. No one's gonna attack them. The Headmistress made sure of it. Actually no one's gonna be attacking anyone it would seem. Everyone seems to be a bit paranoid about what happened to that Flinwin guy."

Harry glared at Malfoy a bit before muttering, "Too bad, isn't it?"

He felt somebody elbow him under the ribs that he glared. "Oh hush it 'Mione. I may not be able to do much to the git but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Isn't the castle a bit more colorful tonight? And swirly too, hmm I better tell Daddy maybe he knows why." said a dreamy voice from behind them. "Oh hello Harry, Ron, Hermione."

"Hey there Luna."

"Oh! Its Loo- ow! 'Mione! You bloody violent- hey!"

"Good evening, Luna. How are you?"

Harry tried to stifle his laughter as Ron glared Hermione. Luna only smiled mildly albeit absently. She looked mostly the same as if she had not been touched by the war nor was imprisoned and tortured in…

"Good evening, Dragon!"

'Wha-?!' In his shock he deftly forgot about the spoon poised on his already open mouth as he blinked owlishly at a waving Luna. Ron wasn't fairing any better. He could belatedly hear Neville's surprised yell as he was sprayed by Ron's pumpkin juice.

'Dragon?!'

Following Luna's gaze he turned back in time to see Malfoy of all people as he appears to recover from a bit of a shock, shake his head a little and smirk. To Harry's complete shock he stood and gave Luna a small bow in greeting as he graced her with a bemused smile.

"What?!"

"What the bloody hell was 'that' Luna?!"

Luna, who was giggling a bit looked back at them as if she hadn't done the weirdest thing- well… granted that she is Luna and she does do and say the weirdest of things as if it was normal.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Ron sputtered a bit while Hemione looked at her like she was loony. The Great Hall didn't fare any better and low murmurs echoed around the hall. Surprisingly, it was Neville who asked the question.

"Luna did you just greet Malfoy?"

"Hello, Neville." She said belatedly as she looked at him with a bit of concern. Leaning in on Neville she proceeded to wave a hand over his face. "Neville, are your eyes failing you? You were looking weren't you?"

"Huh? Eh- No, Luna. I mean… of course not! My eyes are fine!" flustered, Neville looked around the table looking for a bit of support but later on gave up and groaned.

Typical Luna and typical Neville

Everyone just snickered a bit and the event was then shelved as one of Luna's oddities.

…

Harry never thought he'd understand the Dursley's- ever. He always thought that they were beyond comprehensible. Now though, he understands… a little.

If you hated and detested someone, yet you can't do anything about them the best way to deal would be to ignore the problem even exists. And surprisingly, the logic is a completely human concept.

All around him was a flurry of activity. There were the common arguments on which bed they get, which side of the room, which… well many others. The room of requirements was currently divided into two rooms and two bathrooms that connect to one common room. At first, he was surprised that the room still works but Hermione theorized that maybe the 'room of hidden things' version of the Room of requirements was the only one damaged.

Currently it looked like a mesh of all the houses. Absolutely everyone knew everyone to a degree and there were no house separations for everyone had been comrades at one point. Well, except the Slytherins. They kept to themselves and stayed in the common room as everyone picked and argued over their beds, and everyone was more than happy to just get them out of their heads. As long as they were out of the way, they were out of mind and so they don't exist.

Harry, as much as he liked to just forget that they were there, was wary. And apparently, so was Ron, Hermione and especially Neville. Hermione after a while got up and dragged Ron with her. Prefect duties she said. Before leaving she glared at them, warning them to not cause trouble and for Harry to leave Malfoy alone. 'As if.'

After a while, everyone had their own beds and was mostly settling for the night. Well, that is if settling in meant getting on their beds and talking endlessly about everything that happened the past years.

He felt a hand settle on his shoulders and he grinned as he saw Neville sit next to him. "It's nice to see everyone like this, eh? It almost looks like last year when the Carrows were here, except none of us are injured nor are we in hiding."

"You changed Neville."

"Eh? Of course not! I didn't!"

Harry laughingly shoved him in jest. "It isn't a bad change you know. They were lucky to have you here last year."

Neville sputtered at the compliment, red coloring his ears. "Shove off, Harry."

Just then, Harry's attention drifted to the three beds on the farthest end of the room, completely isolated from the rest. The occupants weren't there though.

"Just wish 'they' aren't here. Everyone deserves to be able to sleep in peace after that war; I don't know what the headmistress was thinking."

…

It was a grand hall that opens up to the skies. Without all the clutter, the people, the ghosts, food and lighted candles- with nothing but the darkness and the silence… the Great Hall was nothing short to enchanting. The great expanse of the ceiling reflects all the stars directly above. There was no moon and stars shone so bright.

A single shadow moved. Careful grace moving in silence, a quiet voice fading with the darkness.

Magic flowed… fluid and strong, potent and pure. Ancient magic imbued within the very walls of the castle calls, waking up and yearning. Hogwart's is sentient, the magic ancient… alive and was broken down. Healing is far from over, far from simple and requires sacrifice. Ancient magic created it, only ancient magic can heal it.

Magic was humming, contentedly flowing through the walls, every stone block, every passageway, every nook and cranny.

But there are still gaps and sometimes the magic wavers and most everything felt incomplete and some magic's were clashing. The old and the new imbibed within the walls are not all in harmony. The magic were like blocks stacked together without cement in between and over… the castle was still incomplete. The renovations are far from perfect. And it will not do.

And that is why…

…

Pale hands were splayed upon the cold walls of the dungeon, feeling it's texture as he moved through the halls. It's quiet and surprisingly, no one was out.

It was expected though, it was over curfew. But it is of course not normal. Since when did curfew stopped people from prowling through the halls at night?

"Malfoy." He opened his eyes when someone all but growled out his name.

"Weasley"

"What are you doing prowling about Malfoy?! Are you planning something, Ferret?"

He raised a brow at that, smirking all the while. He ignored the red-head and continued on his way. He could just feel the outrage even though he did not look.

"I'm Head boy, Weasley. I'm doing my job as much as you are so just get out of the way. This isn't even the corridor you should be patrolling." was his droning reply. Weasley really grates on his nerves.

"Watch yourself, Malfoy. We won't be letting you do anything relatively as stupid as letting death eaters inside the castle. We'll be watching. You may have bribed yourself out of Azkaban and somehow hoodwinked the Headmistress but not everyone is so stupid or as forgiving… You'll find Malfoy, you're not welcome here."

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips and he turned to give the Weasel a baleful glare. "Weasel, unlike you, we are not disillusioned nor are we stupid. We know. Now go and patrol on your actual area… The children are jumpy and paranoid enough as they are. They don't need to see your hypocrital face here."

…

"The nerve of that bastard! Still acting all high and mighty just because people can't hex his death eater face within school grounds! Can you believe him, Harry?! Acting as if he did no wrong on that war as if he didn't cause so much grief just for their twisted ambitions! I can't take it!"

He faced Harry and scowled. "And you! Why are you laughing, Harry? You off all people I thought would understand! I mean-"

"Now I know how you felt on our sixth year Mione…" said Harry as he was sat on the couch with Hermione both watching pace about their silenced area around the couch.

Hermione was smirking beside him nodding sagely. "See, Harry? Now at least you'll understand just how ridiculous you sounded to us at the time… how… obsessed." She faced Harry after a while with a false worried look. "Do you think I should be jealous? I mean, the last time with you, all that occupied your mind was Malfoy."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"I thought of other things!"

"Why should you be worried?!"

Then Ron rounded on Harry as he scowled. "And besides, I won't be as bad as you Harry. I mean I won't even consider stalking Malfoy in lieu of playing Quidditch!"

"Oh yes… he says Quidditch. I think I really should be worried." muttered Hermione as she sighed with her eyes glinting evilly in the light. She then stood-up and walked out ignoring Ron all the way out of the room.

Harry sniggered at Ron's scarlet face as he stumbled after his girlfriend, completely forgoing to mention the smirk on Hermione's lips as she winked at Harry as she left.

"So… what happened with the lovebirds?"

Startled, Harry lifted his eyes to Dean and Seamus's curious faces. Apparently the silencing charm wore off with Hermione's absence. He gave them a grin as he shook his head in amusement.

"A distraction…" he said silently.

"What? Come again, Harry?" asked Dean as he dropped next to him.

"Oh nothing. Hermione was just proving that she can be as manipulative as any normal girl. You know how they are."

Seamus sniggered as he dropped on the floor. "What? Girls or those two?"

The rest of the night they spent laughing and playing around as they joked about Ron and Hermione being out late and how they missed their own common rooms and the completely sad fact that the Head Mistress must have been able to enchant or somehow convinced the room to not give them any liquor.

Everyone was in high spirits. High enough to ignore the Slytherins that sat on their own isolated corner and that Draco Malfoy entered just a couple of minutes before midnight. Or the fact that his friends seems to have just waited for him to return before turning in and sleeping on their own isolated corner of the bedroom.

And everyone didn't notice how Harry made every effort for them to not notice or how he made sure nobody would care. Nobody noticed how he frowned and narrowed his eyes as they passed. It was better.

If nobody noticed, nobody would look and nobody would care. One important lesson and it appears to be the only significant lesson he learned from the Durseleys. If you do not care enough to notice, you would not care enough to look. And for as long as you do not look… then the visible would be invisible… and for some…

…invisibility is none existence…

-TBC-

I guess an apology is in order.

I am terribly sorry for the very very late update. I honestly didn't notice. It surprised me when I looked at the date I last updated this story and was rather confused. My first reaction was, "Are you kidding me?" I really thought there were discrepancies in the date. which was silly of me. And so i really am sorry.

I also do wish to extend my apologies to Geny789... I am so sorry dear. I know i mentioned that I wan an erratic writer and updater but i never thought i was this horrible. I apologize for not getting back to you and I beg for your forgiveness! T.T

the next update... would probably not last another year

although i would be focusing on my Naruto fic that I have had problems writing for a very long while