Harry woke shivering. It had been into the small hours of the morning when he'd made it to bed and yet the sun was barely peeping above the eastern horizon now. He tried to pull the covers tighter around himself, not feeling their warmth.

On the other side of the room Ron snored on, oblivious to everything that had happened. He realised he didn't even resent Ron anymore for how he had been acting. It was almost as if he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Realising that sleep was not going to return, Harry sat up. He pulled the blankets with him and pushed his glasses onto his face. He was about to pull the map out of this trunk, just for something to do, when he realised someone was watching him. Neville. The boys dark hair was messy from sleep but his eyes were wide and alert.

"What are you doing awake?" Harry whispered across the dorm. Neville rose an eyebrow, clearly meaning that he could ask the same thing. After a moment Harry responded to Neville's unasked question. "I couldn't sleep."

Neville smiled wanly. "Neither could I." He climbed out of bed and went to sit in the window Harry himself had often occupied. "Besides, I like this time of day. It's peaceful." And Harry had to admit, with the birdcall drifting through the glass, that it was peaceful. But he didn't feel a part of it somehow.

Harry felt the urge to go and join him, pulling the top blanket off the bed before he'd realised it.

The view from their tower room really was spectacular. It looked out over the main part of Hogwarts and behind it all, glittering in the morning sun, was the lake. Even further out the mountains rolled into valleys carpeted in green. What drew his eye however was the spindly little tower barely in view where Harry had spent so many of the last nights.

"I thought that was where you were going." Harry was pulled from his thought with a start, and as he processed what the other boy had said he felt his stomach sink. How much did Neville know, or suspect? Harry was about to deny the claims but realised he'd already confirmed them. His shoulders slumped.

"Do you mind if I pry?" Neville whispered cautiously. Harry let out a low, humourless laugh.

"I guess it doesn't matter now. Go ahead."

"Was it Draco you were meeting?" Harry's mouth hung open. He hadn't expect Neville to hit the nail on the head like that.

"What makes you think that?" He was genuinely curious. He thought he'd been hiding it all so well, he wondered what he'd let slip.

"Well it was hardly a secret that the two of you were getting along, not after Ron's explosion about it and how you caught him at the quidditch match. Then when he disappeared and stopped attending any lessons was the same time that you started to vanish every night. You'd often come back smiling. I thought at first you had a secret girlfriend or something but the pieces didn't quite fit. Then I noticed a candle burning up in that tower, late at night. Even when you weren't there. I just sort of put two and two together." Harry was taken aback. That was the sort of perceptiveness he'd expect from Hermione, not Neville.

"You notice a lot more than you let on." Neville just grinned slyly.

"Do you want a game of wizard chess down in the common room, since we're up?" Harry nodded uncertainly, he hadn't expected Neville to be willing to leave the conversation there. Still, he was grateful. He was worried enough about Draco and Krum as it was; Kreacher was yet to make an appearance.

He pulled on a Weasley sweater and followed Neville out of the room. The common room was empty, a low fire smouldering in the grate. They took the plushest seat next to it and Neville set up the game. It was quiet between them, but of the comfortable sort.

"You can start." Harry said, once they were ready.

"Oh, thanks. Pawn to E4."

"Pawn to E5. How have you been Neville? Seems like a long time since we've properly spoken." Neville shrugged as he surveyed the board.

"Alright. My Mum and Dad haven't been too well lately. Queen to H5." Harry wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He knew that the fates of Neville's parent wasn't common knowledge, and having only heard about it from Dumbledore he was unsure how much to let on that he knew.

"Um, Knight to C6. What's happened?" Harry was paying close attention to Neville. His face was open, Harry could see that he was clearly worried about them.

"A bout of Dragon Pox has spread through some of the wards at Mungo's. Apparently they'll be fine soon but I haven't seen them since before Christmas. They were put into quarantine. Bishop to C4."

"Do you know when it will be safe to visit?" Neville shrugged.

"They don't want to give any dates and then decide it's not clear. I did get a Christmas card, mum made it. I'm not entirely sure how she got it into the mail, but it was nice. I'm grateful you know, people always say how sorry they are to hear about my parents, but then I think, well at least they are alive. They may not always know who I am but they are happy." As though realising then who he was talking to he started to apologise.

"Don't worry about it Neville. I think I understand what you mean." Weakly, Neville smiled at him. He was clearly abashed by what he'd just said. Harry turned his attentions back to the board, trying to show the other boy he'd not been upset by his comments. "Knight to F6."

"Queen to F7. Checkmate."

"What? Oh." Harry looked closely at the board and realised he had been well and truly beaten.

"It's called a scholar's mate, when you win in four moves."

"You're full of surprises this morning." Neville blushed. He was about to say something modest when a loud crack interrupted him. Dobby stood before them, the pompoms on his hat still wobbling from his student appearance.

"Master Harry sir! I have a message for you from the house elf Kreacher." Dobby's eyes flitted to where Neville sat stunned, then back to Harry, waiting for permission to carry on. Harry nodded at him. "Kreacher says Mr Krum and Mr Malfoy made it to the house in the early hours of the morning. He says that Mr Malfoy got hurt on the way but it's all fine now, as Mr Krum fixed him."

"Got hurt on the way?" Harry's stomach sank. What in Merlin's name had happened out there in the open sky? When the little house elf did not reply at once Harry spoke again. "What happened Dobby." When Dobby flinched at the steeliness in his voice he immediately regretted it but was too worried to dwell on it for long.

"Dobby does not know sir, Kreacher was not saying anymore." The house elf squeaked out. Harry dropped his head into his hands. He shouldn't have let them go on their own, he should have protected Draco.

"Thanks for finding me Dobby." Dobby bowed lowly then vanished with another crack. When Harry felt a hand on his back he all but jumped from his skin. He'd completely forgotten about Neville.

"I know… I know it's hard when you don't have all the answers, or even half of them, but at least you know he's safe. That's what is most important." Harry rested his head against Neville.

"I know." He said quietly.

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.

Once Harry and Neville had been joined by some of the other sixth year Gryffindors they headed off for breakfast. It was starting to blow a real sleet storm outside, its dreariness reflected in the great hall's ceiling. Even in the great hall it felt a little draughty.

Not long after they'd all sat down and Harry had pulled a plate of omelettes towards him there was a loud exclamation from the end of the table.

"No way Seamus, you cannot beat me at chess. Football maybe, but chess?"

"Oh ey, chess is a muggle game too ya know, you just have to move the pieces yourself." And just like that Dean and Seamus were trying to get a chess tourney running to prove their superiority.

"You should sign up." Harry said, elbowing Neville in the side. Neville shrugged.

"I'm not really that good Harry, it was just a four move trick I beat you with this morning."

"I've been playing against Ron for years and he's never pulled a trick like that over on me. I think it's worth a shot." Harry smiled encouragingly and saw the other boy blushing with indecision.

"Ok." Neville said after a moment more. "I want in." He then managed a little louder. Dean looked up surprised but wrote Neville's name down anyway.

"What about you Harry?"

"Oh I don't think so, I'm betting 5 galleons on Neville though." With a cheerful clap on his friend's back, trying not to laugh at Neville's stunned features, Harry grabbed two bits of toast and headed back to the dorms.

It didn't take long for him to find who he was looking for. The bushy mane of hair collided with him as he rounded the corner.

"Harry! I've been looking for you! Have you heard anything?" Harry pulled her by the elbow into the nearest classroom and pushed the door shut.

"Yes, Dobby came to me this morning with a message from Kreacher. They made it there this morning, but something happened along the way. Draco got hurt, I don't know what happened only that Krum had to heal him." Hermione let out a shuddering breath.

"At least they are safe now. Do you think it was death eaters? Or maybe order members?"

"I don't know what to think. Lucius was here last night, he could have told Voldemort, but for all his faults I don't really want to believe he'd sentence his own son to death like that." When Hermione made to interrupt he pushed on. "I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if he did but I hope he didn't. As for the order, well. They are all in Dumbledore's pocket, if he ordered them to bring back Draco they wouldn't object to using a little force to do it. There wasn't really anyone else who crossed my mind. I did think dementors at first but they wouldn't leave any healable wounds."

"I'm afraid Mr Potter, it is Lucius you must be disappointed in." Harry spun round to the door, feeling as though he heart had stopped. Professor Snape quickly entered and shut the door behind himself. "If you must have these conversations in public do not be as imbecilic as to have them were they might be overheard. You are meant to have no knowledge of any of this."

"Professor Snape!" Hermione burst.

"Silencio." Snape lazily waved his wand at Hermione who fell silent at once. "Some basic silencing wards would not go amiss Mr Potter. Nor would Occlumency shields, if you intend to make an enemy of Albus Dumbledore." He raised an eyebrow, looking very meaningfully at Harry. He then turned to leave before Harry had chance to say anything else. Pausing at the door he turned back. "Oh and thirty points from Gryffindor for stupidity and sneaking around."

The door echoed loudly around the room. Harry turned back to Hermione who was moving her mouth furiously with no words coming out.

"Fancy a day in the library, 'mione?" She nodded slowly. Harry was almost glad she was yet to regain her voice, he wasn't sure he was ready to discuss Snape's increasingly confusing behaviour.

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.

Snape allowed himself a rare smile as he headed into his private quarters. He'd wanted to use that particular spell on the Granger girl since his very first lesson with her. The look on her face had been well worth it.

His smile did not last long. Severus Snape was a man with too many worries to be able to smile for long. He had hoped to get out of Potter where he had hidden his godson, but it was enough for now to know that he was safe.

Still, he would not remain that way for long if Potter didn't get a hold on his damned thoughts. It had been all too easy to find him in that room, and if he was listening in then Albus was undoubtedly too. He couldn't offer the boy direct lessons without drawing the old man's attention, but there was plenty of material in the library and he could probe the boy in lessons to see if he was working at it.

It was so like Potter, he thought snidely, to try and see the best in everyone. Lucius hadn't wasted a moment before telling the Dark Lord all that had happened, uncaring what would become of his disgraced son.

He gritted his teeth together as his mark burned. He'd have to pull his thoughts together quickly. Out of the lion's den and into the vipers pit he went.

Hello! It was lovely to hear from so many of you with the last update. Thank you for all of the reviews. For anyone who was curious, the scholar's mate is a real chess move. It has a couple of different names but that's most common. I discovered it last summer when I suffered an unexpectedly short chess match.

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