BEYOND SECRETS AND LIES
By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good…..okay fine! I don't own Harry Potter. All original characters/ideas are mine to claim.

AN: THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your reviews! Mimiheart, Jaejae, Krazeyforever, Junyortrakr, Thee-Unknown-Factor, and optimistic girl94 (AU means 'alternate universe'): I can't tell you how much it means to me. Anyway, just to clarify some things:

Cecil Parley is blind, and memorizes his way around the school so as not to appear weak or helpless to others. I have a friend who does that too, and Kojimachi was a huge school with four buildings. He managed to memorize all four floors of every building by the age of 8. . Hopefully that helped.

Warnings: None. Please enjoy!

Chapter 6
- Hogmeade: Memorable Journeys -

The Bothilin paper was done quickly, much to Harry's relief. And even more to his delight, Snape could make no criticism on it. As the Professor had no proof that Hermione had helped him (since they did not seem to be on speaking terms) he had no choice but to give Harry the marks he deserved.

Hermione was just as proud of him, as they exited class together. For the first time ever, Harry laughed out loud as Ron made a ridiculous impersonation of the Potions Master sneering and getting clumsily wrapped in his robes.

The usually dark corridors were now lit up by the sun filtering through the solid glass windows. The school somehow seemed bigger, more enchanted that way, and the students seemed to be more energetic: the holidays were coming.

"Are you heading home, Harry?" Hermione asked, as they entered the Great Hall together. The rows of tables were already occupied by hundreds of students, all talking noisily and happily. The ceiling above had been spelled to look as though fresh snow was falling and even a cool breeze had been added to top off the effect.

Harry pushed his glasses up his nose, and answered, "No. I'll be staying here."

Hermione nodded. "I'll be going home and helping Mum and Dad at their clinic."

"What about you, Ron?" Harry asked, as they took their usual spots.

"I'm leaving too." He said, shrugging. "My older brother, Charlie is coming back home to celebrate it with us this year."

They managed to settle into easier chat after that, Ron wolfing down his meal while Harry mechanically ate through his. It was the usual: carrots, bread and a slice of ham. He was getting sick of the combination but he knew better than to complain: it would be while, the matron had told him, before he could eat anything more.

They spoke of many things, from classes to teachers all the way down to news and sports. While Harry did not join in on most of the conversation, content to listen, he perked up when they touched upon Quidditch.

"Does Hogwarts have a Quidditch field?" He asked, eagerly.

Ron jumped on the bandwagon. "Of course! Every house has their own team, Harry. "We have practices and tournaments every year. My brothers, Fred and George are the beaters on the Gryffindor side." He paused before exclaiming, "Bloody hell!"

"Ron! Don't curse!" Hermione scolded.

He ignored her completely. "You went to Durmstrang, right?" He asked. When Harry nodded cautiously, Ron plowed on. "That means you've met Viktor Krum – one of the best seekers ever!"

Harry glanced at his half-full (or was it half empty?) glass of water, uncomfortably. "Yeah….I've met him…."

The look of envy was very evident on Ron's face. "What's he like?"

Harry shrugged. "He's…well….he's …." He had no idea what to say. When he had been at Durmstrang, Krum had been one of the more popular people whom Harry had not associated himself with. There had been the few times where Krum had spoken to him, but that was only because they had eaten meals at the same table or because they had bumped into each other in the hallway.

Back then seemed like a memory – so unreal and so far away…those were the times when Harry had been a social outcast, despite his reputation as a survivor against the Dark Lord himself. His secret no longer hidden, Harry became an object of amusement amongst his peers in school.

Krum had been there, as Harry could recall, egging him on that night….

"…I don't know him well enough." He said, finally. "We were only schoolmates. That's it."

Ron looked disappointed at the news, but then seemed to put it out of his mind. "I don't reckon you know how to fly? We like to hold mock games during breaks, some of us. You could join us – we don't have a seeker."

That didn't sound like a bad idea. If anything, Harry loved flying, but how good he would be at the sport was something he was unsure of. He didn't want Ron to get disappointed again so he nodded. He left unsaid that he did not own a broomstick to play on though.

"I can't wait!" Dean Thomas was saying beside them, switching the topic yet again, "A Hogsmeade weekend to finish the semester!"

Others heartily agreed, and the talk changed to the town. In no time, Harry found himself wishing that the weekend was not so far away and that the rest of the week could go by faster. Unfortunately for him, he could not stay for the whole conversation, as he had to go visit the hospital wing again, but he did manage to hear snippets.

Once again, he was in a very good mood when he was examined by the nurse, and she proclaimed him 'fit as a fiddle' for any sports he might want to join. She seemed positively ecstatic that he would want to participate in anything and she strongly encouraged him to get involved as much as possible.

Later, he overheard her talking with Professor McGonogall about his progress and she mentioned his enthusiasm to play Quidditch. What McGonogall's reply to that was, he never heard.

Things were looking up for him. Getting through the last bout of classes for the semester - finally, the weekend came. After another final warning to be careful from the Headmaster, the long awaited trip to Hogsmeade began.

Snow now took the place of the brightly colored leaves that once littered the school grounds. Everywhere sat the glistening white, like cotton candy smoothed out over one very large stick. From the window of Gryffindor tower, the outside looked like a classic picture of winter on a postcard.

The boys in Harry's dormitory were hurriedly pulling on their winter gear and wrapping their cloaks about them when he awoke. Settling his glasses onto the bridge of his nose, he pushed his blankets off of himself just as Seamus bounded over to him. "Best get out of bed now, Harry." He said, gaily. "Hogsmeade is waiting for us!"

For the first time in a long while, Harry felt something rise into his chest: excitement. He couldn't remember when he had looked forward to doing anything before. It made him feel giddy and silly at the same time, but he found he didn't care. In no time, he was going down the steps with them into the common room, where most other students were gathered around, making plans with each other on where they were going to go first.

Hermione was waiting impatiently. Neville was looking on with round eyes, twisting his fingers into his robes, wistfully. "Bring me something back, would you?" He implored. They promised they would and soon, everyone was gathered outside the school premises, eagerly awaiting McGonogall's word that it was okay to leave.

"A word, if I may, Mr. Potter." She announced, pulling him to the side while the rest of the house looked on with interest. "Please remember not to wander off on your own." She whispered, sounding a trifle bit nervous. She handed him the dark blue bandana which he had been ordered to take off on his first day of classes. "And you'll want to stay as inconspicuous as possible: if Hogmeade were to hear word of your arrival…." She left the rest unsaid, and Harry blanched, nodding as he took the cloth from her.

As he rejoined his group, he tied it firmly around his forehead as he had done the morning of his classes. Luckily, the Slytherin group was huddled together on the other side of the field so Malfoy wouldn't push his nose into his business like he had before.

Ron and the others didn't question his sudden covering, thankfully, and when McGonogall gave word for them to depart, he promptly forgot about it all together. Trudging down the snowy lane a step behind everyone, he was content to be off.

Hogsmeade was well prepared for the holiday season. The thatched cottages held wreaths and glowing lights, and a bunch of people were standing off to the side of the road, singing carols. The feeling of festivity hung in the air, and everyone admired their surroundings, drinking it all in.

"It's different every year, you know." Fred Weasley was telling his twin. "They didn't have those Fragile Fairies last year." Harry looked to where he was pointing. Hanging on the veranda steps of one of the cabins was a small lantern-looking box. He got a glimpse of it was they passed by and stopped to see exactly what it was.

A small figure was inside it, still and unmoving. It had the features of a human being, but one so tiny and so small that it couldn't possibly have been one. "I think it's dead." He whispered, when the little female did not budge from her position curled on the bottom of the lantern.

"It's sleeping, Harry." Fred told him. "It's usually awake during the nights so it can shine its light."

"Shine its light?" Harry repeated.

"It's a fairy. If you look closely, it has wings. In the daytime they're practically transparent but at night they're something else." The twin explained. So Harry peered closer, and could see a small thin film draped about the figure; wings folded about herself protectively.

It was his first time seeing a fairy. "I think it is dead." He insisted. "How could it breathe locked away in a case like that?" He began to open the top, but Fred's hand came out to stop his action.

"Don't!" The older boy cried, along with his twin and Hermione. He gave them a startled look.

"They're made of glass." Hermione said, taking the lantern away from him. "They're extremely sensitive to air. It would crush their fragile bodies and wings. That's why they're called fragile fairies? If you open this case, it would most likely die." She placed it gently down on to its hook again, leaving it to sway. The fairy moved slightly as if irritated by their noise and their rough handling, before settling down just as quickly.

They moved on to the joke shop, where Ron and Harry amused themselves with the funny gadgets, trinkets and candies that the twins gladly pointed out to them. Harry particularly enjoyed the Vocifest, a small necklace that fit snugly around the neck but could change your voice into that of a girl's or that of a man's. He purchased himself one while Ron bought Rewritable Ink, which would change whatever you wrote into a hilarious insult.

Moneybags considerably lighter, they walked over to the sweets' store, where hundreds of candies of all flavors, shapes and sizes were held. Ones that turned your tongue into every color of the rainbow right down to ones that moved with every lick.

It was here that his friends and he stayed for quite some time, trying to choose which candies they would try and which they would choose to bring back home. Harry looked on with interest, but did not join in. As Ron popped a piece of gum in his mouth, he turned to Harry. "Why don't you try something, mate? Everything's good."

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets beneath his cloak and shrugged. "No thank you. I don't want any." He said. But Ron caught the hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Are you allergic? Will you get sick?" he pressed.

"No." Harry said, quickly. "I just don't want any, that's all."

Hermione came up behind them, showing them her small little stash. "I got some things for Neville too." She informed them. "What did you try, Ron?"

Through his mouthful of bubble gum, Ron replied, "Weeksworth gum! This will last me a while."

"I chose Everflavored gum." She said. "Though it won't last as long as yours, my flavor won't run out."

Ron seemed disappointed. "It must have been a new one I overlooked." He groaned.

"What about you, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Ron answered for him. "He says he doesn't want anything."

She looked shocked. "Everyone knows that Honeydukes has the best candy around. Even the teachers indulge." She tossed her head, sending her bushy locks flying. "I happen to know that Professor Dumbledore has a rather sweet tooth. Are you sure you don't want to try something?"

"Chocolate cavern is pretty good." Ron informed him. "But Bertie Bott's Every Flavored jelly beans are not that bad either. Here, you can try some Crackle Chips, they're loads of fun. Like some fireworks are exploding in your mouth."

Harry held up his hands again, politely trying to decline the offers. "Really, thank you….but…" At the look on their faces, he knew they were thinking he was trying to ignore their offer of friendship again. He desperately wanted to show them that it was not the case, and at the same time he wanted to stay on the diet that Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey had placed him on. If they found out he had sweets, he would get into loads of trouble.

But it couldn't hurt to just have one….would it?

"…A-All right…I guess I'll try something….." He relented, finally. Perking up at that, Ron offered him a chocolate frog he had bought, the first thing his hand had touched. The frog blinked up at him for a few seconds before trying to jump out of the palm of his hand. Harry had to remind himself that it was not a real frog; it was only charmed to act like one.

As he bit through it, it continued to struggle against him. The sweet tangy taste of the chocolate filled his mouth and it began to water for more. It tasted so good….he didn't remember when the last time had been when he had tasted it. He liked it – a lot.

Forgetting the strict rules not to partake in anything but his given diet, he bought himself another two, eating them just as greedily. No one needed to know….

Along with the frogs came the lemon drops, jelly beans, crackers, gumballs and sugar canes. He was too excited to care if other people were staring at him.

"H-Harry..Don't you think that's too much?" Hermione asked, as he finished off his lemon drop and proceeded to polish off a sugar cane. She was embarrassed and surprised by his reaction to the candies. It was as if he had been denied them for his whole life and was just experiencing them now. He completely ignored her, off in his own little world, enjoying the taste. She tried again, tugging at the sleeve of his robe.

"You'll ruin your dinner." She warned. "Professor Dumbledore told you not to overdo it." She tugged at his sleeve again, making her way toward the door leading out.

He pulled his arm out of her grasp though, ignoring her again, his hands going out to get some more lemon drops from the shelf. "Harry!"

She was shocked when he glared at her, a defiant, angry look in his eyes. And even more surprised by the words that came out of his mouth.

"Stop calling me that – my name isn't Harry!"

0-0-0-0-0

For a while no one spoke. Ron and Hermione looked stricken, and they glanced at one another. Finally, Hermione stammered, "W-what?"

"My name isn't Harry," He repeated, crossly. Harry's green-gray eyes flashed as he spoke, and they felt cold goose bumps form on their skin at the strange change Harry seemed to have gone through. His voice had gotten thin and small like that of a little boy's. Again, the two exchanged glances. Ron had blanched visibly, his freckles on his face standing out against his pale pallor.

"Bloody hell - this is it," Ron whispered. "This is the problem he wanted to keep a secret…"

She rolled her eyes, choosing to forget the fact that he swore. "Of course, Ron!"

"What do we do?"

"We have to act normal." She told him, taking a deep breath and turning her attention to the boy before her.

"A-all right then," Hermione said gently as if to appease, "I'm sorry…if you're not Harry, then who are you?"

Harry stuck out his chin stubbornly and licked at his finger. "Lilliana told me not to talk to strangers." He told her, earnestly.

Glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention, Ron was relieved to see that his brothers and the rest seemed preoccupied with their own sweets. He knew, however, that his child-like Harry would scream if they had to take him forcefully from Honeydukes. "We're not strangers, we're friends of Harry." Ron put in.

"Harry?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

The boy smiled and nodded before he ripped open his pack of lollipops and began to suck on one. Both Ron and Hermione were at a loss and they looked at each other helplessly. That their friend had suddenly turned into a child no more than 6 years of age had not been what they were expecting.

The situation got worse as Fred and George were starting to make their way back toward them and alarmed, Hermione turned to face him again, taking his hand in hers and feeling awkward about it. "Look….er…what was your name again?"

Absently the child responded, "Paris." It sounded strange coming from Harry's lips.

"Right, then…Paris…. There are some really good candies over here." She promptly began to lead him toward the back of the store again, where boxes crowded around and where it was fairly empty. Paris went eagerly, still busily sucking away on his candy.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder to keep an eye out for the twins. "Ron," She kept her voice to a whisper so that Paris wouldn't hear. "You've got to distract the twins while I take Harry – Paris – outside. We can't let them see him like this! His secret would be ruined!"

Ron couldn't have agreed more. He nodded and proceeded to talk with his brothers, and meanwhile, Hermione turned her attention to the child at hand, who was pointing to Sweet Foam. "Eating too much candy is not good for you." She told him, frowning.

Paris stuck out his chin again, stubbornly. "I want it…."

She gently shook her head. "You'll get really sick. You don't want that do you? I'm sure Harry wouldn't like it either."

But Paris was not moved. He reached out his hands to get it. "I want it!" He insisted, stubbornly.

Frantically, Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see if Ron had been successful in taking away the brothers. She was relieved to see that they had moved toward a different section of the store, their backs to them. The only problem was that Malfoy and his cronies were standing right by the exit doors.

"All right, Paris…just one more treat, okay? Or else…or else I'll tell Lily that you were being a bad boy." She hoped she got the name correct, as she eyed the doorway. She reached into her bag of treats and handed him a random one. The threat seemed to work because Paris nodded vigorously. Apparently, this Lily figure was one that the child was obedient to.

Glad that he would not raise a ruckus, she began to lead him to the door. "Now listen: you won't talk to strangers, right? If – if you are really quiet, I'll show you a…a Fragile Fairy." She was desperate: if Draco chanced to see Harry as he was, he would waste no time waving it in front of the whole school.

Again, she was relieved to see that Paris seemed interested. "A real fairy?" He was asking.

"Yes." She told him absently. "But only if you keep really quiet."

"I cross my heart." Paris promised, following her.

If only they could step past the Slytherin boy without being noticed, there wouldn't be a problem at all. However, that didn't seem to work out in her favor as all her little ploys with Paris had. To her dismay, Draco went out of the way to block her path.

He looked down at her, scrutinizing. "Well, well, if it isn't the Muggle-born."

"Shut it, Malfoy." Hermione warned, looking to Paris to see if he would keep his promise of not saying a word. Luckily for her, he did, staring at Malfoy in fascination.

"Or else what, Granger? You'll sic your little Weasel friend on me?" He snickered. "Or your famous Potter pal?" He said the last bit with contempt.

Hermione's chest heaved in her anger. How she wanted to slap him, handsome face and all! "I'll be fine to hex you myself." She told him evenly. "Or are you afraid that you won't be able to keep up?"

He stepped dangerously close to her, putting his face next to hers. "I'm ready any time you are."

At that exact moment, the door opened, letting in a few elder people who looked at them disdainfully for standing in the way of the doorway. With one more contemptuous look, Malfoy lifted his eyebrows in expectation before moving aside. "I thought you were too chicken…mudblood." His last words were said quietly, so that none but Hermione could hear them.

Opening her mouth, she decided it better not to answer him. Paris looked near to bursting with questions and now that the Slytherin was out of the way, she could get out without being stopped. Haughtily, she held her head high as she stalked out, Paris trailing her closely.

"Was that your friend?" Paris asked, innocently, glancing behind him at the bright purple doors of Honeydukes as it closed behind them.

"Draco Malfoy will be the last person I want to be associated with." Hermione said, vehemently. She forced herself to calm down, despite the fact that she was upset that she had had no response to Draco's last taunt. "He's not a friend, Paris. He's a stranger you must never speak to, understand?"

Eyes lingering on the store they had just left, Paris nodded. "Can we see the Fairies now?"

Hermione glanced at the store too, seeing Ron's figure still with his brothers through the window. She hoped that Harry would come to, and soon. As fascinated as she was with his transformation into a child, she did not want to keep skirting people any longer. And she was not looking forward to playing a babysitter all day.

'Hurry and change back, Harry!'

0-0-0-0-0

To her dismay, Harry did not come to, but rather, remained as Paris. She had gone so far as to buy him a Fragile Fairy, as he so wanted one, but when he had decided to throw a tantrum at the three Broomsticks because she had denied him Butterbeer, she brought up her earlier threat of tattling to Lily.

So, Paris resigned himself to watch his sleeping fairy, very similar to the one that they had seen earlier in the day. This one, however, was a tad bit bigger than the last, and her skin was so pale, she looked almost sick. She had settled on the bottom of her jar, fast asleep, and Paris was waiting impatiently for her to wake.

Ron had joined them, later, his face pink from the coldness of the outdoors. "I've been looking all over for you two." He said, breathlessly. "Been all the way to the Shrieking Shack and back….is Harry…Harry again?"

"It's still Paris." Hermione sighed, taking a sidelong glance at the boy who was poking at the lantern in which his Fairy was concealed.

Ron ordered himself a mug of Butterbeer and took a seat across from them. "Well, it's almost time to get heading back: maybe Madam Pomfrey may know something…."

That had been in Hermione's mind for a while. Was it normal for him to be like this for so long?

She waited for Ron to finish his drink before getting up. "We'd better go." She told him. "Parvati has already come by with her friends, informing everyone at the Post Office that Harry was around. I had to get out of there fast, or else we would have been mobbed!"

Paris looked up suddenly. " 'Mione! My stomach hurts…"

She shrugged. "I told you, you'd get sick if you ate too much junk food."

Paris stuck out his bottom lip. "But…it hurts real bad…" Tears had come into his eyes at that point, and he opened his mouth to bawl, but Ron covered it quickly.

"Um, Paris…don't cry…let's go outside…"

But the child struggled against the restraining hand and fat teardrops fell out of the corner of his eyes. Between them, Ron and Hermione managed to get Paris outside and toward the clearing close to the Shrieking Shack.

The woods surrounding the area grew dense and the trees sprouted tall and old, their branches covered in glistening white snow. The place was empty of people – who would be so bold and daring as to spend their time outdoors in the winter weather when Hogsmeade provided warmth?

Glad for the solitude, they lowered themselves onto a rock after dusting it clean so that they could sit with Paris between them. He had taken to crying now - pressing his face into Hermione's shoulder, still not trusting Ron's presence. She patted his back and looked helplessly at Ron: there was no way they could bring Harry back to the castle like this.

Their day hadn't turned out the way they had expected at all. They waited for a while, wondering what to do, while Paris hiccupped miserably and continued to cry. In the distance, they could make out some of their classmates, heading back and Hermione was reminded of dinner and Harry's curfew.

She was surprised to see that Paris' crying had slowed down, and that he seemed to be calming.

"Paris?" She kept her voice soothing. "Are you okay?"

He never answered.

"Paris?" Ron ventured, casting Hermione a nervous glance.

Again, there was a slight pause before they heard him say, "God…how embarrassing…" his voice was muffled against Hermione's shoulder, and it sounded strained and tired. Gone was the high, tinny quality, replaced with a measurably lower one. Slowly he raised his head up, trying to push away, his cheeks tinged with pink. He could not find the courage to look up at them.

Finally, Hermione squeaked, "Harry…?"

He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Yeah…it's me…." He put his hands in his lap, and trained his eyes on them, as though they were the most fascinating objects in the world. As he studied them, he was relieved to see that Hermione did not take hers from his back. It was a comforting gesture, and he accepted it thankfully.

"Are you all right?" She asked, flicking some snow that had accumulated on her lap off.

Wordlessly, he nodded, but then rubbed at his stomach. "How long was it?"

Ron leaned forward. "How long was what?"

"My spell? How long was it?" He sounded grim.

"Um…." He thought. " A couple of hours or so…" he trailed off and watched as Harry got to his feet. The wind picked up just then, making their cloaks billow and bringing a stinging cold with it.

"Now you know the truth." Harry said flatly, hands clenching into fists by his sides, ignoring the sudden chill that had decided to penetrate him all the way down to his bones.

Hermione tried to catch Ron's eye, to ask him whether or not they should tell Harry that they had known his secret for a while already, but Ron was too busy staring up at Harry in wonder. So she blurted, "The truth about what, Harry?"

"Don't pretend Hermione!" Harry snapped, turning to face her. At his constant rubbing of his forehead, the bandanna had become partially undone and it fell lopsidedly on his face, his lightning bolt shaped scar peeking through the blue folds. His hair was as unruly as ever, so he looked quite terrifying as he barked those words. "You know…my secret…."

Pursing her lips, Hermione glared right back at him. "We've known your secret for a while now, but we haven't spoken a word of it to anyone."

He had paled at her comment and stared at her, stricken. She ploughed on though, oblivious to his reaction to her words. "I asked my parents what that medicine was that you overdosed on was used for. They told me it was for schizophrenia." She got to her feet too. "But it doesn't matter if you have to take pills or if you're schizophrenic…"

He took a step forward, his boots crunching in the snow beneath him. "I'm not a schizo!" His voice rang out over the clearing, echoing off the trees.

Taken aback, Hermione blinked. She had been so certain that her assumptions had been correct.

"It's called Multiple Personality Disorder." Harry said, pulling his cloak about him, closer to his body. "I tend to switch personalities suddenly." He no longer sounded angry, but tired. "And those pills are to maintain my psychic balance," He looked at Ron, ruefully, "they're not vitamins."

A long silence followed, as the two companions drank in his words. The thoughts of returning to the school were temporarily forgotten as the two groped for words to say. But Harry beat them to it, saying in a cracked voice, "Now that you know…I know that you guys won't want to hang around someone like me." He gave them a brave smile. "But I'm used to that already. I just thought I'd try it once…."

"You sound pathetic." Ron could hardly believe the words came out of his own mouth. "If you think that's enough to get us to hate you, you'd better think again."

"If you're just trying to be friends out of pity - " Harry began.

"-We were your friends before we learned this about you." Hermione interrupted. "Oh Harry…don't you see? We don't care if you have this problem! If you can cope with it, then we can too!"

Harry did not know what to think. The last time someone had found out about it, the whole school had ganged up on him. He did not want that again, and he definitely did not want to bring Hermione or Ron down with him. "But…"

"I have never had a friend with Multiple Personality Disorder before…" Ron thought aloud. "We'll keep your secret safe, Harry."

Hermione nodded, helping Ron get to his feet. "We'll help you as best as we can – it's not fun to go through something like this alone…it's too lonely."

Something inside Harry twisted.

I don't like being invisible…

No, no! His mind screamed. They'll betray you! They'll betray you just like he did! But as he took a step forward, the wall of invisibility he had built around himself began to crumble. One more try…just one more…

He could hear Cecil's voice very clearly in his mind saying, 'People with problems just have to come up with their own solutions instead of living in fear of them for the rest of their lives.' He could do it. He was tired of living in fear.

A small smile spread on Hermione's face, as she held out a hand to him. "Let's head back…or Professor Dumbledore will start to worry…."

He almost forgot about school.

His stomach gurgled unhappily at him, and he winced at the slight pain in his side. He was going to get an earful from the superiors, and he was not looking forward to it.

As they made their way back to the school in relative silence that, for once, was not uncomfortable, he wondered how he would explain to the nurse when he got there. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Hermione say,

"Harry, Paris is sooo cute!"

He wished he could disappear on the spot.

Unfortunately for him, not all his personalities were 'cute'.

He found himself grinning, as though it was the funniest thing in the world. They're friends now…. "Yeah, I'll let him know you said that, Hermione."

One more try….

To Be Continued…..

AN: Oh my, that was a very hard chapter to write, but I hope you all enjoyed it! And I hope that it answered some more questions that some of you may have. A big shout out to Severitus who, because of her challenge, inspired me to write this fanfic. I'm excited to hear your opinions so please, before you exit this window, leave me a review, and I'll update faster! Don't forget, leave me a review (begs).