"Hit the floor!" Danica screeched as the front wall of the Room of Requirement caved in from the blast of wands, rubble flying across the room, creating a storm of dust to engulf Dumbledore's Army. She lay on the floor, her hands over her head, having been closest to the target point where the pink fluffy monster entered with her band of buffoons, their wands pointed at each of them. This couldn't be happening. How were they caught? Or was Umbridge just that desperate?

Umbridge slowly cantered into the room like a proud piglet with a full belly and a smug smile on her face. Oh, how Danica wanted to smack it right off when she ordered Malfoy to pick Danica up off the floor. She slapped his hand away when he reached down for her.

Dusting off her robes, Danica glared at Draco who glared back. But Harry noticed something odd. A conversation, silent and only meant for those two pairs of eyes, passed between Danica of Gryffindor and Draco of Slytherin. The two hated each other. Why would an exchange between them need to be said in silence? Danica usually says as she pleases when and where she wants to. Taking a stab at Malfoy's ego surely wasn't hard for Danica.

Harry's questions died down when everyone, guarded by Umbridge's club, was led out into the hall. He, along with everyone else, groaned and growled beneath their breath as the new headmistress decided detention with her would be proper punishment. Where could Dumbledore possibly be? He knew that he had fled from Fudge and the other ministry officials once they issued an order of arrest. But how could anyone in their right mind make Dolores Umbridge the headmistress of a school? Danica sure did not like that. Harry knew that his choppy haired and gray eyed best friend hated that woman with a burning passion. So it came to no surprise when Danica grinned at the sound of Umbridge issuing her a consequence twice as bad as everyone else's.

Then he saw her. Cho Chang had stood quietly in a shadowy corner of the corridor, only coming into sight as everyone was about to pass through. Everyone knew. She endured the last interrogation from Umbridge. Surely, and Harry had no doubt in his mind, she gave Dumbledore's Army away. Once, long ago, before the problems started stacking up before him, he had found himself infatuated with the girl. But now as she approached him, looking for an apology to say to him, he brushed past her, not even meeting her eye. Harry left her standing there in the middle of the hallway, wringing her hands together and on the verge of tears.

When he felt the guilt start to twinge in his stomach Danica threw her arm around Harry's shoulder. She looked ahead, focused on the back of pink fluffy head's head, a burning look in her eyes, she said to Harry in a low voice,

"We'll get her back. Don't worry, Harry. The twins and I have something planned for her."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. But that would pass soon enough.

"My hand hurts, mate. How in the bloody hell did Danica do this to her hand more than once? And purposely too?" Ron rubbed the raw and now scarred skin on the back of his hand gently, wincing slightly as the flesh still stung at touch.

"Actually, Ronnie, I now have them on both hands." Danica said, a chuckle intertwined with her voice as she skidded to a stop beside Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes. But only after glancing at the hands that Danica had covered in black and white striped gloves. Harry shuddered at the thought of the back of her hands scarred for the rest of her life. And now that he thought about it, Harry realized those scars would remind her of two people for as long as she lived. On her left hand, the words 'I will not listen to a damn word Professor Umbridge says' remains carved into her skin for Remus who she had almost flipped a desk over for. On her right hand, 'I will not participate in Dumbledore's Army again', more sloppily, permanently tattooed her because of Harry.

The thought of the memory of him living forever in her mind made him think. Did he want to become just a memory to her? Of course not. But what next? What happens when he job is done and he is stuck at Hogwarts, still learning when she would be out fighting off Voldermort and his followers? He glanced at Danica as she conversed with Ron and Hermione, flashing the Lorenzo smile when the two girls ganged up on their Weasley companion. Could he live with her disappearing from his life like that?

"Danica, O.W.L's are only in a few days and you haven't even started studying?"

"Hermione, relax. I have it all under control."

Turns out she didn't.

For the next couple of days, Danica stressed probably more than anyone to cram all that information inside her head. She spent every spare minute she had when she wasn't eating or sleeping to study. During class she would have notes for another course out, repeating facts to herself and answering her own questions. Some of the Gryffindors thought she would lose it anytime soon when she actually showed up to Potions with no make-up and her hair wavy and untidy. Ron and Harry couldn't say there were any better off then she was. But then again that's typically expected of the boys.

In the common room the night before O.W.L's, all was quiet. Every single 5th year fidgeted nervously as they buried themselves in notes and textbooks, trying as hard as they could to memorize as much information as possible.

Danica sat on the floor with books and almost illegible handwritten index cards surrounding her. She leaned back against Fred's legs as he absent mindedly ran his fingers through her tangled hair as he talked quietly with George about "tomorrow's plans." Harry decided he really didn't want to know what that was. He found himself too busy to even care. Danica, surprisingly, also seemed to refuse becoming involved which was unusual. But Harry knew, everyone suffering from anxiety and recent sleeping disorders because of O.W.L's knew, that neither she nor anyone else had the time for pranks.

"I can't do this anymore!" Danica barked as she threw her Divination book across the room, almost taking Seamus' head off. She smiled apologetically to him as he muttered an acceptance, clumsily running into the wall as he blushed. Harry laughed under his breath. Poor Seamus. The lad never had a chance.

"Relax, love. You'll get it." Fred leaned down and kissed her hair, flipping through some notes for tomorrow's surprise. Bringing up her knees to hug them, Danica sighed, closing her eyes. Setting down his papers, Fred began to rub her shoulders as he made fun of Ron who had fallen asleep in a comfy arm chair with his potions book over his face and started drooling.

"Jeez, Danica you act like you've never had to study in your entire life." Harry said, smiling at her, fighting for her attention. But he regretted his selfishness the moment that look had returned to her eyes. The cloudy, ghostly gray colored her irises as Danica picked up her head and looked at him. The girl that Harry had feared, the one who walked around the Burrow like a zombie had returned. Her face drained itself of color and Fred glared at Harry from the other side of the couch. Even Hermione had stopped her reading to look up at him, a warning look on her face that told him he was sailing into uncharted waters.

"I never went to school, Harry." She said blankly, the stress and emotion suddenly gone from her voice as he saw her begin to dive into memory's depths. Harry cursed at himself and bit his tongue.

"Oh. I didn't know that."

She attempted a smile, only to cringe at her failure. Fred slid down onto the floor and wrapped his arm around her, still glaring at Harry from over the top of her head.

"I was homeschooled my entire life."

"But isn't it a law for all wizards to attend school?" Ron asked, completely oblivious to the fact that Danica was thinking about him. Him. The topic that was off limits even when Danica wasn't around. Harry had tried to bring Professor Lupin up several times but Danica would just get up and walk away without even sparing Harry a second glance.

"Yes, Ron. But when I received my letter," She swallowed as if some huge object or piece of food keeping her from breathing was stuck there. It was hard just to say his name. "Remus made a deal with Dumbledore. I would train as an Auror and remain at home with him."

"You started training that early?" Harry asked, the old feeling of incomprehension at how a girl so small and young could ever be what he had wished to become all his life. The day she turned 18 she would become an official dark wizard catcher.

"Harry, I started doing spells a first year would have difficulties doing when I was 5. 6 years younger than the age magic starts to appear and have the potential to be controlled." She looked at Hermione who locked eyes with Danica for a mere second. Then just as quickly as the glance came, it was gone. Hermione returned to her book while Danica painfully continued retelling her past. "Remus explained to Dumbledore how I was…special. Advanced even. Putting me in a school where I would be far ahead of everyone else would give me an unfair advantage. Plus, I'd have a hard time fitting in with a werewolf for a father and not to mention I would be doing 5th year work by the time I even got to Hogwarts."

"So Dumbledore let it all slide? Just like that?" Harry asked, not able to believe what his ears were hearing.

"Yes. He allowed me to stay homeschooled and train for my Auror career. But Dumbledore knew, in my theory that I would end up here one day."

Harry could see the fine print in all this. Yes, all she said was true. But Harry knew Remus and Danica well enough to know that that wasn't all there was to the story. Lupin wouldn't want Danica to leave, to have to endure life with kids capable of damaging her. Kids are mean. He knew that all too well. So why would he want to expose his beloved Danica to all that when they would know she was being raised by a werewolf? Danica also didn't want to leave Remus. She couldn't when he was living with his condition.

"So all this studying business is unfamiliar to me. So if you excuse me, I think I need to head to bed. Big day tomorrow."

Everyone watched in silence as she gathered her things, piling them up in her arms. Her face remained blank, no emotion seen in her eyes. Fred got up and walked her up the stairs to the girls dormitory, pulling her in close when the disappeared behind the corner. They could hear Fred's faint voice telling her to ignore Harry and focus on tomorrow. Guilt just punched him in the stomach and he found it hard to breathe.

"Some questions are better off left unasked, Harry." Hermione said softly, leaning down to kiss his forehead affectionately before heading upstairs, following Danica.

Ron shrugged his shoulder, returning to cramming for Potions while Harry sat, staring at the fire. His hand traveled into his pocket, fingering the ring deep within the folds of his robe. He wondered why he hadn't given it back to her. Maybe because she wanted him to mention it so he could surprise her with the return of her cherished Christmas gift. Maybe he didn't want to upset her with the memory of an angry Lupin throwing the silver ring into the snow.

But he knew there was another reason why.

Maybe Harry didn't want to return the ring because he didn't want Fred and Danica to get that serious with each other. A ring for her to flash around would defiantly move things along.

Because it's quite possible that Harry Potter is in love with Danica Rae Lorenzo too.

And seeing her with that apathetic look in her eyes punched a hole in his chest that only the Lorenzo smile and those gray eyes could fill.