Thanks again for the reviews, I've read everyone of them. This chapter has been helped by such reviews and I hope this satisfies them. Also thank you for the Favs and Follows, You lot keep me motivated, I still can't believe that so many people like this.

Disclaimer: I do not own the sandbox that is Harry Potter. That's J.K Rowlings. I'm just trying to build a sand fort in it.

Chapter 3

As Harry made his way through the entrance hall, the loud voices of students in the great hall reached his ears. Realising suddenly that it must be the middle of breakfast and now would be the best time to get his stuff in order to avoid the majority of the Gryffindor's. He made his way as quickly as he could to the Gryffindor tower. As he did, he thought of the night before. He had never shared those things so openly with someone before, other than Ron and Hermione, let alone someone who he hardly knew and even then his first impression of her hadn't been a good one. 'Hopefully I might have gained a friendship of a certain French veela' he thought with a slight smile, as he started to scratch his right shoulder blade.

After taking the many secret passages, hidden corridors and making sure to jump over vanishing step he finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Upon reaching the portrait, that was giving him a dirty look, he said the password. "Respect" snorting at the irony of the password.

"Sorry, that is not the password anymore" said the Fat Lady as she gave Harry a withering look.

"How can it of changed, it's not due to change until the end of the week?" Harry said angrily, he had a sinking feeling to why it had been changed and was starting to get fed up with it all.

"The Gryffindor prefects got the head boy and girl to change it last night after you left, so take it up with them." she snidely replied, turning her back within the painting.

"But you know me, you know I'm Gryffindor, so can't you just let me in?" He got no reply, "How am I to get my stuff now if you won't let me in?" He still didn't get a response from the portrait. This caused Harry's anger to spill over and to finally lash out, he let out his anger and frustration in the best way he knew how. "Shit, buggering assholes" he said as he punched the wall a few time, cutting open his knuckles. Not that Harry noticed, as all he could feel was his anger rolling around inside him.

Suddenly the portal opened and out stepped Neville Longbottom, which effective snapped Harry out of his anger. Hope in Harrys heart started to bloom at the sight of the shy Gryffindor. 'Neville wouldn't turn his back on me, surely, I mean, he didn't attack me yesterday?' he thought. 'In fact, I didn't see him there at all'

"Neville, thank god you've come out, the bastards changed the password and now I can't get into the tower to get my things or a change of clothes." He said gestering to his torn and bloody clothes "What's the new one?"

"O... Hi Harry, S...sorry Harry, I d..don't think I should tell you it." Neville stuttered, clearly taken back at seeing Harry. "L...look, if I go against them and tell you, or even be friendly to you, I'll be an even bigger outcast, I'm sick of being picked on as it is."

"Neville, please, don't be saying what I think you're saying, it's me Harry. I've always been there for you and I've never picked on you." Begged Harry.

Neville looked uncomfortable and conflicted for a moment, then sighing heavily he replied. "It's 'Traitor'."

"Thanks Neville," Harry sighed with relief, though feeling the slight jab of pain in his heart at the new password. "I won't forget this, maybe we can hangout more and do homework together, or just relax by the lake?" Maybe not everyone will turn on me' he thought with a little hope. As Harry turned and stepped through the door, he suddenly felt, what could only be described as a blasting hex, hitting him in the back. Gritting his teeth from the pain, he rolled on to his back, whipping his wand out and pointed it in the direction he was just struck from, only to see Neville with his wand out.

"That's what you get traitor. You are not one of us so stay away." Neville said it loud enough, so that the few people in the room looked up from what they were doing. Those who were in the common room started laughing and jeering at Harry, from seeing the attack from the shy Gryffindor. Neville lowered his voice so only Harry could hear. "This is my one chance to no longer be an outcast. I'm really sorry Harry." And with that Neville heading down the stairs to breakfast.

Harry just laid there for a moment. He couldn't believe what just happened. Never in a million years did he think Neville could turn on him like that. It was something he expected from a certain blond Slytherin to do, offering friendship, then cursing him in the back.

As he got to his feet, Harry hoped that this would be the last confrontation he'll have this morning.

"Harry?" A tentative voice called out.

'Damn, spoke to soon' Looking up, Harry was met with a bushy haired witch he once thought as his best friend. Now he didn't know what to class her as, even though she hadn't been like Ron and cursed him, she still had taken his wand away when he needed it. 'Well, one way to find out, I suppose.'

"Yes Hermione, can I help you?" Her eyes widen at his cold response, even he himself was caught by surprise at how his voice came out.

"H..Harry, a...about y...y..yesterday" She stuttered, wringing her hands together as she cast her eyes down, nervously biting her lip. Only yesterday he would have thought that the way she was acting would be cute. Now it only chilled the little affection he once had for her.

'What is it with people stuttering around me lately' Harry thought slightly impatient, his back was really starting to hurt. 'Damn, the one time Neville pulled off a curse, and it had to be the one aimed at me'

Hermione seemed to try and build up courage, though it was easy to see she was fearful at the question she wanted to ask. "Harry, you didn't put your name in the cup did you?"

"Finally someone asked me." Harry laughed, although it was hollow, no warmth could be felt in it. "Although, I wished you might have known me better than having to ask that question. Do I look like i need eternal glory?" She shook her head "Do you think I would want the money?" Again she shouck her head negative, her eyes welling up with tears. "And do you think, after 3 years of the shit we've been through, that I would chase after danger and potentially death?" At that, Hermione burst in to tears and threw herself at Harry, giving him a bone crushing hug. Pain flared up from his back, but he ignored it.

Harry almost felt hope, however, there was something he needed to clear up before he'd let himself relax around her.

"Hermione, why did you take me wand away from me yesterday? I know you didn't curse me, but you just stood there, watching. Hermione stiffened at the question and slowly let go of Harry. Stepping back from him, the fear and uncertainty was back.

"Well... I didn't want you to get into more trouble with everyone. They are all so angry with you, and if you fought back then you would've made things worse. Also if you cursed Ron, then it would be harder for us to make up. So I did what was best and took your wand away." She said with a slight arrogance at the end.

"Bugger me Hermione!" She recoiled like she'd just be slapped "So you let me be cursed by most of the house just so it'll be easier to make up later?" He said angrily.

"But it makes sense." she cried out, tears now running down her cheek. "Now they have it out their system you can just go say sorry to them and everything will be back to normal."

"I'm the one that needs to say sorry? How'd you work that out?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing from someone who has always been the logical one out of his friends.

"All you have to do is go up to them say sorry, even if you don't mean it. Then everything will go back to the way it was. It's the quickest way" She said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing" Harry's voice lowered to almost a growl "Christ Hermione, you haven't even apologies to me yet and you know I didn't put my name in."

"Because I have nothing to apologise for."

"And nor do I. Goodbye Hermione, come find me when you want to apologies. Until then, don't talk to me."

With that, Harry headed off to his dorm room, leaving behind a distraught Hermione crying to herself. It broke Harry's heart even more to walk away like that, but he knew he had to do it. Hermione had always thought that she knew best, and in a way he could see how she could think she's right now. Why wouldn't she, she had been right in the past about most things, however, her biggest flaw was that she never saw when she was wrong. The Firebolt, for example, she had been right that it was from Sirius that sent him the broom. However she had gone about it completely the wrong way, ending up stealing from a friend, just to match what she thought was right, completely ignoring the morals of her actions. Yes, he had to walk away and let her realise that she's not always right.

As he reached the dorm room of the 4th year Gryffindors, Harry heard his name being called out behind him.

"Harrikins!"

"Goddamn it! What now!?" he shouted as he turned around.

"Woo Harrikins, easy, you might-"

"-want to shout louder, I don't-"

"-think everyone in the tower -"

"-heard you." The two pranksters of Gryffindor, Fred and George Weasley said in their twin talk.

"Fred, George, what can I do for you?" Harry said stiffly. Harry always got on well with them, however, he had a healthy fear of them too. When they went after someone with their pranks, they could make that person's life a living hell. Even though they only targeted those that deserve it, after the reception he got from last night and how his so called friends acted, he wasn't sure if he made their target list.

"Look Harry, we're sorry that the Gryffindors are acting-" The one on the right started.

"-the way they are, and the way you was cursed last night. We wasn't-" The other one said.

"-here, but we heard about it when we go back from the kitchens. We-" Here the right twin looked slightly worried.

"-just wanted to say that we don't think you put your name in." The one on the left finished, looking slightly worried as well.

"Guys, first of, can you cut that out for a moment, I'm not in the mood for it. And second, thank you. I think you two are the only ones that believe me without having to question me." It really did make him feel so much better that there was someone he knew that believed him. "But why do I have a feeling there's a 'but' there?"

"Because, there is mate." Said one.

"We're going to try and date Angelina and Alice this year." Said the other.

"Let me guess, they don't like me and so to get with them you can't talk to me." Harry could kind of understand this, though he wished he didn't. "So much for 'bro's before ho's" he laughed bitterly.

"Sorry Harry. We won't prank you if that makes you feel any better." The one on the left, laughed ruefully.

"Yeah mate, we won't target you, and will try and give you heads up if we hear anyone try to as well. Is there anything we can do for you while we can?" The one on the right looked hopeful.

"Yeah, there is one thing." Harry suddenly saw an opportunity to find something out which he always wanted to ask "Can you tell me how I can tell which one of you is Fred and which one is George?"

The twins both smiled at each other "Even we don't know which one's which Harry, we just make it up as we go along. Anyway, thanks for understanding, we'll be cheering for you" They said as they ran down the stairs to the common room, leaving behind a slightly happier Harry.

'Well that went better than I hoped' he thought.

As Harry entered through the door, he found his bed curtains and the bed itself, had been the subject to a couple of Incendio's. There was writing on the wall above where his pillow now laid burnt.

"You were never one of us. LEAVE!"

Harry felt such a finality upon seeing that. He realised that he would need to leave. There was nothing in the tower for him now and staying would only make his life worse. 'Maybe I'll stay in the forest? That would be too dangerous,' he thought discarding the idea. 'And no telling what else is in there, let alone Aragog and his family calling that place home. 'Chamber of secrets? No to cold and I'll have to go in and out of the girls bathroom. What if I stay in one of the unused classrooms, though Filch might catch me. I need to learn how to ward the room and that might take too long.' He muttered a Tempus. 'Don't have much time before class. Unused classroom it is.'

Harry quickly packed his possessions into his truck. Luckily his dorm mates hadn't burnt any of his things when they burnt is bed, and after a quick check in his trunk, he found that his personal belongings hadn't been touched. After a few minutes, Harry stood at the door way with his trunk. After a quick glance round the room, he stepped through the door and towards the common, trying to not let the grief that he felt, overwhelm him.

As he entered the common room, Harry noticed that there was more people here now. Obviously they had returned from breakfast to get their school things. The room suddenly went quite as people started to notice that Harry was there, still wearing his torn and blood stained robes from the night before, with his trunk pulled behind him. Harry pulled his wand out from his pocket slowly, straightened is back and started to make his way through the common room, scanning the people around him as he did so, looking for any signs he would be attacked again.

Nobody said anything, not at first. Weary at the fact that Harry had his wand out. The look in his cold green eyes and the tension in his shoulders, spoke clearly of the warning it meant. They had caught him unawares last time, but this time he would fight back. The Boy-Who-Livied who was once considered 'The Gryffindor Golden Boy', now saw them as a threat. As Harry neared the exit of the common room, the braver students of Gryffindors started to shout insults at him.

"That's it traitor, we don't want you."

"Bloody scum, can't believe we were happy that you were one of us."

"You're a disgrace to Hogwarts."

"Can't believe I thought you was cute."

Harry didn't look back. As he walked through the portal of the Fat Lady, the colours of Gryffindor faded from his school uniform.

Well that's it for another chapter. I hope that's cleared up some of the questions people had. Also I am looking for a Beta, so PM me if you have experience, as apparently I seem to be missing grammar mistakes, even when I proofread my writing (thanks to those that pointed some out, they have been corrected). Some people have mentioned that my Hermione isn't believable to canon. Sorry guys but if I kept her completely to canon then my story wouldn't take the direction I want. Hopefully this chapter has made her slightly more believable. Neville was hard to write, though I think I did make him still believeable. Don't forget he's been pretty much alone and he's seen a chance to be a part of the 'in crowded'. I did steal Gred and Forge excuss to why they can't be friends openly, but I can't remember where from.

Anyway, please keep the reviews/favs/follows coming as I would love to know what everyone thinks.

Until next time.

Peanut.