After their lesson ended, Harry and Hermione stayed behind. Ron on the other hand shoved his books and parchment carelessly and haphazardly into his bag and rushed out of the room as if bitten by a tarantula. Hermione watched his escape woefully, torn between her two best friends. Her Gryffindor loyalty demanded that she stand by both and try to resolve this stupid fight.

Minerva smiled encouragingly at Hermione. She, too, knew what it was like to be caught in the crossfire. It was unnerving and needed a lot of strength. Partly Minerva could understand Ronald Weasley but then again she was a Gryffindor and always stood loyally by her friends. Glaring at the retreating back of the young Weasley, Minerva took a deep breath before turning to her son.

Harry noticed his new mother's glare and the obvious effort it took her to control her anger. Looking around the classroom, and noting that it was indeed empty, he stepped closer to her and shyly hugged her.

Minerva smiled softly down on him and returned the hug. But she had the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Harry didn't feel comfortable showing his growing affection for his teacher and now adoptive mother, not yet. She wasn't sure if it was the still-new situation or his fear of being teased by his classmates. She only knew that Harry needed to get used to being around her and her husband as family and not teachers, which only supported her idea of the quiet weekend in the Highlands. Blinking rapidly, Minerva looked up and caught Hermione's sympathetic and reassuring smile.

Hermione could understand both her best friend and her mentor. Harry had opened up a little to her and Ron about his uncle and aunt and their constant ignorance of his needs and feelings. Worst of all he had shared his memories of Dudley's abuse of him with them. That had hurt Hermione the most. Knowing that her friend had had to go through all this, explained some things about Harry but not all. It explained why he never looked away when others got abused or why he wasn't a spoiled brat like Malfoy because he was the Vanquisher of Voldemort. But the other side of the medallion was that he had a hard time expressing his feelings and trusting others. Only Ron had sparked an instant liking and friendship in Harry but even Ron had had trouble breaking through to his friend at times.

Minerva McGonagall Dumbledore was often mistaken as a stern, strict dragon with no real feelings towards other human beings. Most of her students forgot the fact that she was human too and had feelings. Only a few select students saw the warm-hearted, caring woman she really was. Hermione, as her star pupil, had come closer to her professor than most of her other students. Now she recognized the somewhat forlorn look on her teacher's face. Professor McGonagall wanted desperately to be a good mother to Harry but didn't exactly know how to approach the boy or how to make good all those years she hadn't been in his life and left him to the abuse of his relatives.

And yet both these so different people had linked their lives together.

"He'll come around," she mouthed to her mentor and smiled again her reassuring smile.

Minerva smiled too and nodded slightly, hugging Harry a bit more closely to herself. Harry noticed and disentangled himself from his adoptive mother. Then he grinned up to her. A grin that didn't reach his eyes. Again Minerva was reminded of how much pressure her son was under and that he was forced to face it alone since his best friend was rather listening to the rumours instead of believing his friend.

"How are you, Harry?" she asked gently, stroking his black hair out of his face.

"Fi ..." he started to say but stopped mid-word upon the look Minerva gave him. "I'm ... ok ... or at least getting there," he admitted finally, not really looking at either Minerva or Hermione. Then he mumbled, "It's just that nobody ..."

He couldn't go on because there was a lump in his throat. He was so angry about all the other's unfair treatment of his.

Hermione went over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"They'll know you didn't put your name in the Goblet," she assured him.

Harry just smiled at her and nodded.

"They better ... rather sooner than later," he growled, "and I'm not sure I'll forgive them."

"Oh you will," grinned Hermione, "otherwise it wouldn't be you."

Minerva herself chuckled softly. Harry glared at both of them but had to smile reluctantly as well.

"Oh alright, you two," he growled again but now much more playfully, "but I'm still pissed."

"To make you feel better I came up with an idea," Minerva baited the two teenagers. She continued when she had the two friend's attention, "I thought that you would like to actually get to know your new home ..."

The squealing of Hermione and Harry's excited whoops interrupted her.

"Hey, you two savages, let me finish," she tried to sound mock-stern but failed miserably since she was grinning widely herself. "It's in the Highlands and it was my childhood home. McGonagall Manor is very old and an awfully drafty castle but it has a lot of secret passages so you will have loads of fun exploring. And you can bring a friend besides Hermione."

Harry rushed over and hugged Minerva again.

"Does that mean I don't have to ever go back to the Dursleys?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not, my love," she assured him and made a mental note to have a serious talk with Albus.

----

Later that evening Harry, against his better judgement, went over to Ron's bed and hesitantly touched Ron's shoulder to draw his friend's attention. Ron started terribly and whipped around. Seeing Harry standing over him, his scowl deepened and he snapped, "Yes, what do you want?"

Harry took a deep breath to battle down his own anger. He was here because he wanted to invite Ron along on their trip to McGonagall Manor and try to make up with him there, away from all the other nitwits who thought he had put his name into the Goblet.

"Minerva told me today that she and Albus are planning a trip to their home and they want me to come along. So ..."

"So now you just leave! Is that it? You have a family now so you don't need friends! Is that way you came over to me? To brag about your cool new parents?" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs, startling the other three guys in their dormitory.

"Fine, be that way, you dumb jerk!" Harry yelled back and turned back around. If anything this display clearly showed him that Ron was no longer his friend. Before that stupid fight Ron would have been happy for him.