I'm baaaaaaaack! Read on and enjoy.

Anonymous- I surely will; thanks! =)

Mrs. Maggie Alice Rose Weasley- Thanks, I'm glad you like it! ;D

Guest- I will!

Vampbooklover3000- Sorry for the wait; thanks for reviewing!

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The day before break, an unexpected thing happened. I'd just finished lunch and was heading back to the common room to feed Belle. However, my three least favorite Slytherins turned the corner just as I reached the mostly empty corridor. Despite my attempts to shrink into the wall while passing them, I was about as invisible as a shark in a fishbowl.

"Look who it is." Crabbe drawled, nudging Goyle.

"How's it going, Rav—?"

"Drop it."

The two sidekicks seemed to be more shocked than I was.

"I thought—"

"Shut it!" Malfoy growled, not even looking at me. "We've got more important things to do."

I stopped to watch them depart around the bend.

He never passes up a chance to make my life miserable…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Before too long, I was back home. Mum and Dad welcomed me with open arms as usual. Still, as happy as I was for the period of respite, part of me wanted to be back at school. With Neville…

"We're been so worried, love."

"It's fine, Dad. Dumbledore's protecting us."

"We know," Mum said with a smile. "But it's still comforting to have you nearby."

"Will you be ready for Neville's by tomorrow, or d'you need help?"

"No, I'll be ready. Why?" Dad seemed hesitant for a moment, but then shrugged.

"Just checking."

With that, they tucked me in, like when I was young. It wasn't too much longer before my eyes finally shut from exhaustion.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A loud noise from downstairs jolted me from my slumber. Once it had been silent for a few more minutes, I got dressed and started gathering my things. While making my way out of the bathroom, Dad nearly crashed into me.

"Morning, love."

"Good morning. My stuff is ready to go."

"Oh, let me bring it down for you."

"Where's Mum?" I asked, looking around upon reaching the bottom of the staircase.

"Hold on, she's in the dining room." Anxious to say good-bye, I saved him the trouble and set off. "Lace, wait…"

I was surprised by what awaited me in the dining room. My mother was in there, all right, but so were Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Alastor, and a few others.

"What's going on?"

"Just having a meeting."

"Oh, you…?" Mum looked at me with pity.

"You're just too young right now."

"I see."

Alastor suddenly got up from where he was sitting.

"Your parents are running things today," he said in his usual gruff voice, "so they asked me to escort you to Longbottom's house." I nodded, looking at Mum again.

"He's the best Auror alive; we're not taking any chances with your safety."

"All right, then. Have a good meeting, everyone." I left the house with my trunk, followed by the "professor."

"How will we be getting there?" His eye twisted a few times.

"Flying. D'you have your broom?" Nodding, I retrieved my broomstick from the garage. By the time I returned, Alastor had magically fastened my trunk to his own perch.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

And we were off.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After about half an hour, my escort signaled for me to fly down behind him; our feet were back on the ground within a few minutes. There weren't a lot of houses around our landing place.

"We're about three miles from his house."

Why so far?" He leaned in a bit closer.

"If the Death Eaters had a whiff of your plans, they could've snatched the lad and tricked you into coming. It's best not to be obvious about your destination." I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

"Okay." As we proceeded down the street, a question burned in the back of my mind. "Alastor?"

"Yeah?"

"When did you become so…?"

"Paranoid?"

"I was going to say overly apprehensive, but…" He didn't seem offended.

"Wasn't one occasion as much as a long stretch of time, lassie. Aurors have curses thrown at them daily; I'm not fond of it."

"I see."

"And I was too trusting in the early years. You should be careful of that."

"But—"

"No buts. It's best to depend on as few people as possible." Part of me didn't blame him for having such opinions. "The ones you trust often make you feel the weakest."

"Oh."

"I might be guilty of prying, but you should be careful about your…friend."

The smallest of smirks stretched across his face.

"What?"

"Your mother might've mentioned something about Longbottom." My heart skipped a beat as I tried to find a response.

"Well…what're you saying? Is he a Death Eater in disguise?"

"No, I'm advising you to be careful, especially with matters of the heart." He gazed at the road with a small expression of sadness.

"I'll plead guilty of prying: did you learn that the hard way?" Though we didn't stop walking, he took a moment to glance at me.

"It depends on how you look at it. There was…someone in the Order, much younger than me at the time. Still…I admired her spirit." My insides warmed up at the thought. "She ended up feeling the same way, but we thought it best to not tell anyone." As his expression darkened, my heart sank. "You-Know-Who killed her not long before he vanished; I couldn't save her."

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't be, it was a while ago."

We eventually stopped in front of a very nice-looking house.

"Thanks for coming along."

"It's nothing." I turned towards the house with my things, pausing when he spoke once more. "Remember what I said, hear me? Just…be careful."

Taking this in, I nodded.

"Right, I'll remember."

With that, he took off into the sky.

Poor Alastor. No wonder you're so mindful…

The front door suddenly opened behind me.

"There you are!" Neville almost knocked me over as he lifted me into an embrace. "I can take your trunk. Come on in!"

"Thanks."

As I followed him into the house, I thought about Moody's words.

I'll certainly enjoy my holiday, but…I'll try not to get hurt.

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I hope everyone liked it!