OOO

When Susan came over to visit Hannah, the girl was sitting on her bed, staring out of her bedroom window with a faraway look. Let in by Mrs. Abbot, Susan knocked on the open door softly and smiled at Hannah when she turned.

"Hey," she grinned. "What's up? You look at bit bummed. Is something on your mind?"

"Hi, Susan," Hannah waved. "Didn't expect you so early."

"My aunt had some business to attend to at the ministry so she dropped me off early. Your mom said she didn't mind."

"Oh that's right; I almost forgot you're staying with her. How's it been?"

"My vacation? Not bad; and have I got a hot tidbit to tell you. But getting back to my question – you look really down." Susan grabbed on of the stuffed animals Hannah kept at the head of her bed and started to play with it. "Is anything wrong?"

"Not really," Hannah sighed and flopped backwards onto the mattress. "It's only… well… I keep thinking about the end of last year."

"What about it?"

"I'm mad at myself," she admitted. "I'm mad that I didn't stick it out with you guys. That I didn't go with you."

"But you got us help and that was equally important!" Susan insisted. "And besides, getting knocked out wasn't exactly a picnic. You weren't missing out on much."

"Even so – you guys are my friends. I should have been there for you. I mean, Cedric was there. Nothing really bad was going to happen. I didn't have to go running back up."

"Nothing bad happened because Cedric and those guys got lucky. And because Professor Dumbledore came in time, which was thanks to you."

"Still…" she sighed. "Oh well. Not that I want there to be the next time. But I still feel bad about not helping and if there's a next time I'll stick by you guys. Loyalty and all, right?"

"That's us Hufflepuffs," Susan laughed, tickling Hannah with the stuffed moose. "And hey! The news I had to tell you. Well, it's like this. So yesterday Auntie Amelia took me into work with her because I said I wanted to see what she did at the ministry."

"Yesterday? Wasn't that the trial of Sirius Black?"

"Exactly," Susan lowered her voice, eyes shining. "I wasn't allowed in, but I managed to listen at the door. Real quiet and everything. Said that I was waiting for my aunt, nobody gave me any trouble. And I didn't catch much, but I did pick up on something interesting."

"Well tell me!" Hannah sat up and scooted closer. "Don't keep me in suspense!"

"I heard how he kept hidden all these years," she whispered. "He's an unregistered Animagus. And you know what his form is?" She paused for emphasis. "A big, black dog. Now does that sound like anybody we know?"

"No!" Hannah gasped. "You don't think…?"

"Dragon's always seemed like a bright dog, hasn't he?" Susan went on. "Bit too bright don't you think?"

"But hiding out next to Draco?" Hannah laughed. "As a pet? You can't be serious! You must have misheard."

"Nope. At least not about his shape. I mean, maybe Draco's pet is just a pet. But I think we should ask him, don't you? I mean, don't you think this is the sort of thing you should tell your friends?"

"Maybe he couldn't," Hannah pointed out as she toyed with a pigtail. "I mean, most people thought he was a criminal! It might have been dangerous – they might have even called the Dementors!"

"Think he'll tell us if we ask?"

"I don't know. You want to owl him? Or wait until we get back to school?"

"I'm not sure I can' wait that long," Susan grinned. "But it doesn't seem like the kind of thing we should put in a letter. I mean, they didn't say anything about him being an Animagus to the Prophet. Maybe they want to keep it a secret."

"Then there's only one solution!" Hannah clapped. "We'll have to invite him over or something!"

"Should we invite Ernie too? A Hufflepuff day out?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

Glancing over at Hannah's desk, Susan gasped. "And is that the new edition of Witch Weekly I see?! The one with Gilderoy Lockheart on the cover?"

"Yes!" Hannah grabbed the magazine and hugged it to her chest. "Isn't he dreamy?"

"I'll say!"

"I thought you got this magazine though."

"Yeah, but it gets sent to my house; I won't get to pick up my copy until Auntie Amelia takes me home."

"Well, here, you can read mine!" She opened it up to a glossy photo of him in the middle. "He gives an interview here, it's really good!"

"Such a dream!" Susan sighed as she perused the article, Hannah looking at it over her shoulder. "And they say he's going to be doing a signing in Diagon Alley when his new book comes out!"

"I'll be camped outside of the store!" Hannah declared.

"You and everybody else," Susan flipped the page and tossed her hair back. "Think he'll talk to us?"

"Oh I'm sure he will! Everybody always talks about how nice he is to his fans. I can't believe we might actually get a chance to meet him!"

"And it's only a few months away!"

Both girls giggled in unison then read the article twice over until Hannah's mother called them down for lunch.

OOO

Unlike the meal that Theo and Ginny prepared, Draco and his mother prepared a French-style picnic with the help of the house elves before Harry even woke up. Although she seemed mildly amused by Draco wanting to help her prepare the tarts, she accepted his help with a light laugh and showed him out to properly make the crust so that it would be light and flaky.

They met again on the hillside, Theodore once more with a book and Luna again with an armful of flowers and a raw liver for Tywyll. Draco began to set out the baguettes, pâté, cheese, fresh fruit and sausages along with a large quiche Lorraine, a plate of croque monsieur and a wide variety of tarts. Then he pulled out a couple of bottles and Theodore quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Wine, Draco?"

He laughed. "Not a chance. Like my parents would set us loose with a whole bottle of alcohol. It's sparkling apple and grape juice."

"If you've got a bottle opener, I'll start pouring," Ginny offered.

"Then here you go," he replied, tossing her a corkscrew then bowing his head so Luna could place another circlet of flowers on his head.

"So what did you bring today, Theo?" Harry asked as he set out napkins and fed a sausage to Dragon. "More of what you read before?"

"This time I thought I'd try something a little more exciting. We'll read the first book then you can let me know if you want me to go on."

"Go right ahead," Ginny grinned as she picked up a croquet monsieur and took a bite. "We're all listening."

Standing atop a hillock, he cleared his throat once again and began.

Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls…

When he was finished, the four burst out into a spate of clapping with a few barks from Sirius.

"But it can't end there!" Draco protested when they were done. "You barely opened the book!"

"That's right!" Harry chimed in. "Does Achilles die? And what is Hera up to?"

"What about the Trojans? Do we get to meet them?" Ginny's eyes were shining as eagerly as the boys'.

"If I continue to read, we'll get to that in time," Theo grinned, sitting down and grabbing some of the food.

"Well I think this is a marvelous idea!" Luna declared loudly. "You have a voice so wonderful that even the snorkacks would stop to listen."

Theo blushed. "Thanks. I mean, I've been practicing."

They continued to stuff themselves for about an hour until nearly everything was eaten. Draco stretched out on the grass, fully and satisfied, and wiped crumbs off of his face with the back of his hand.

"That was really tasty Draco," Ginny sighed as she lay down as well.

"Thanks. Although my mum and the house elves did most of it."

"Then thank your mum and the elves," Theo winked.

"So, then – movies at Luna's?"

"I want to watch Indiana Jones!" Draco spoke up immediately.

"Again?" Theo groaned. "That's all you ever want to watch!"

"Well it is, quite possibly, the greatest trilogy ever filmed."

"I don't mind watching it," Ginny replied.

"I'm good with anything," Harry agreed.

"Will it be the scary one?" Luna asked nervously. "With all the melting flesh?"

"Don't worry, I'll cover your eyes when we get to that part," Draco promised. "Like always."

"We have more than enough time to watch two movies," Theo went on as they started to pack up the picnic supplies. "And I'll agree to one action movie but it's be nice if the second could be something different."

"What kind of movies do you have?" Harry asked Luna.

"Oh, all sorts!" She smiled and began naming them from memory in a long list.

"Tell you what," Harry finally interrupted, "We'll go over and pick the second out when we get there. OK?"

The began walking in the direction of Luna's home and when they were at the base of the hill and near the woods, Dragon went into the trees and transformed.

"I'm going to go to Grimmauld and visit Remus, alright?" He whispered. "I'll see you again this evening."

"Ok, no problem," Draco nodded. "I'm sure he's still got lots of moving in to do."

"Have fun with your movie!" Sirius winked then disappeared with a pop.

"he'll probably be doing that a lot more often now," Harry sighed.

"Yeah, but who are we to be upset about it?" Draco pointed out evenly. "I mean, we'll have a lot of time with him at school. I'm sure he wants to enjoy his time as Sirius as much as he can now."

"That reminds me – he has a wand, right?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, he showed it to me and Harry the other day."

"Excellent." He turned to Draco and Harry. "I think we should begin studying Occlumency. I made sure to bring the book detailing how to train for it from home with me. And now that he has a wand, he'll be able to perform the necessary spell."

Ahead of them, Ginny gasped.

"Theo! Occlumency? Are you serious? Don't you think that's a little bit advanced?"

"I think we have to," he responded gravely. "All signs point to Snape being a Legilimens. It's a skill we'll need to know if we want to defend ourselves against any mental intrusions."

"But from what Draco says, you were wrong to suspect him in the attacks last year," Ginny pointed out. "Are you sure that you really need to be so nervous around him?"

"His guilt in last year's events is immaterial," Theo snapped, causing the others around him to stare. "I don't want him to be able to rifle through my thoughts as he pleases!"

"If it's that important to you, I guess we can bring it up to Sirius," Draco said timidly. "I'm sure if you tell him it's to use against Snape he'll be more than glad to do it."

"I still think you guys are crazy! Who knows what will happen if you try that? It might mess you up something serious," Ginny's voice was concerned.

"I have to say, I'm with Theo on this one," Harry frowned. "I don't want Snape to have free access to my thoughts. He might not be in league with Voldemort but I can't shake the feeling he's into something dark. And he's a nasty piece of work anyway."

Arrival at Luna's tall, rook-shaped house cut off anymore conversation. They piled into the basement, Luna put the tape into the VCR and before long any plans about magical training were cut off as they watched the film.

OOO

"Don't fret so much!" Pansy patted Ron on the shoulder then went back to putting his clothing in the closet. "You did the right thing. They were only dragging you down."

"Mum's probably really upset, though…"

"Well then she should have done a better job caring for you!" Pansy snapped, then softened her look and sat down next to Ron atop the green sheeted bed. "Ron," she sighed, "remember what you told me our first night in the Slytherin dorm?"

"Uh… will you be mad if I say no?"

"You were complaining about the meal that she'd packed for you on the Hogwarts Express ride up. Said that she'd packed you corned beef again, even though you hated it. Now tell me, what kind of mother can't even remember what kind of sandwiches her son hates? She didn't just pack you something that wasn't your favorite – she packed you something you didn't even want to eat!"

"She's busy," Ron said weakly. "She's always busy. We're a lot of work…"

"Oh, Ron, please. You need to stop defending her." Pansy looked at him sympathetically. "I mean, both of your older brothers are gone, right? That means there were only five of you. And I'm sure that your older brothers could take care of themselves if she made them take any responsibility. Although I have to wonder if she does, given the way those twins behave. Besides, if she couldn't handle so many children, why did she and your father have them? Not exactly responsible, is it?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I don't feel right, though!"

"That's because you're dwelling, Ron." She took his hand and tugged him off the bed. "Come on; let's get your mind off of this."

"Where are we going?"

"Out for a flight. As long as we don't use our wands we should be fine. And even if we did – mum and dad are here so they couldn't tell for sure that it was us. There's more than enough time before dinner for a quick spin around the crescent. We'll get mum to put an invisibility charm on us and everything will be alright."

As ever, Ron found himself admitting that Pansy was right. Once he was up in the air it was harder and harder to think about his mother worrying miles away. Besides, perhaps there was something to what Pansy said. How sincere could a mother's pain be when she didn't even remember what he liked to eat or what color of sweater looked good on him? He'd never been a favorite with her, not like Bill or Charlie – not even like the twins who, despite their misbehavior or perhaps because of it, managed to get far more attention than he did.

And there was, of course, the matter of Theo. Thinking about the boy sleeping in his home made Ron's blood boil and caused him to spur his broom a little faster to blow off steam. Knowing his family, they'd probably already moved Theo into his bedroom, eager to forget about their real son for that perfect little git.

By the time he and Pansy landed and went inside to a five course meal, Ron's spirits were considerably lifted and he sat down to the meal with a grin. Nodding respectfully to Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson, he thought about how pleasant it was to have a place at the table, a table uncrowded by a yelling throng of people and set with decent food instead of whatever fare his mother could throw together.

After dinner, they had another dancing lesson, like they did during the winter. Though he was still stumbling, Pansy praised his improvement and Ron flushed to the tips of his ears. He managed to do the last waltz almost perfectly and left the dance floor feeling like he was on a cloud, humming the music as he put his robe away.

When he drifted off to sleep, he did so with a smile on his face and all thoughts of guilt forgotten.

OOO

A/N: So we get to see about Ron – and get a bit of a surprise with Hannah and Susan! In addition to this update, I've also posted a new poll about Draco in my profile. Keep in mind that pairings are NOT set yet. I'm going to keep the results of the poll a secret and I'm not sure if it will influence my ultimate decision. I just want to see what your thoughts and feelings are at this point. Call me curious ;)

Hope you enjoyed, as always, and I'll have the next chapter posted, quickly as I can.