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I hope you guys all enjoy the chapter. I want to say thank you for everyones continued patience and support.

"To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." – Dr. Suess

Chapter 27

New & Old Friends

Harry stood frozen in the center of the room; his gaze looked at the three paintings in clear surprise. When he'd 7u/been following the feeling of strong magic, he wasn't sure what he was expecting to find, but whatever it was it definitely hadn't been this. Remus and Sirius shared an equally surprised look as Tonks slipped around them to get a closer look. She ran her fingers along the frame holding Lily and James, clearly searching for any signs that could give them a hint on how to activate the magic that was keeping them asleep.

"Harry how did you know these were in here?" Remus questioned, looking down at the teenager.

"I…I didn't. I didn't know. I just felt this…magic that was calling me, like it wanted me to follow it, to find something…to find them." He finally whispered. It hadn't been something he'd ever felt during the time they'd been living back in Potter Manor and since entering the room it had seemed to disappear.

"Something doesn't feel right. This isn't a section of the manor that is normally used but I feel like one of us would have stumbled upon this before." Tonks commented, glancing at the three wizards of her shoulder. Izzy stood in the doorway; her arms crossed as she seemed to be glaring at nothing. While her little master hadn't been harmed in any way, the strong magical pull he had felt caused the house elf some worry. He hadn't seemed like he had been in control, mindlessly following the pull without listening to any of them when they'd voiced their objections and concerns.

"Izzy was someone else in the Manor while we were gone today?" Remus questioned, turning to face the house elf. She frowned for a moment, shaking her head. She hadn't allowed anyone entrance and none of the other elves would have let anyone on the grounds without informing her. All four magic users jumped when there was a loud, audible pop, startled as they stared at the second house elf standing in the room. Dobby dropped into a bow, his ears brushing against the floor. Sirius couldn't help blinking as he took in the elf's appearance, knowing if the situation would have been different, he would have been laughing at the stack of hats or mixed matched socks.

"Dobby?" Harry whispered as he caught sight of the freed Malfoy House elf.

"Master Harry." The excitable elf exclaimed, straightening up so fast it was a surprise he didn't lose any of his hats.

"Who are you?! You not Potter Family elf!" Izzy exclaimed; fury evident on her face as she stalked forward. Remus and Sirius couldn't help chuckling, knowing how protective the house elf could get if she felt her family was in any kind of danger.

"I Dobby, friend to Great Harry Potter." Dobby stated, flashing her a wide smile, clearly missing the anger being directed at him. Harry quickly stepped between the two elves, looking down at the elf that he hadn't seem much since the end of his second year.

"Dobby what are you doing here? Do you know how the portraits got in here?" Harry questioned, hoping to have some kind of answer. Since Tonks had made the comment, it was bothering him that they seemed to show up just after they started to learn some of the truths about what Dumbledore had done to the group of Marauders. It didn't make any sense that he wouldn't have felt the magic before since he was sure this was one of the rooms he'd explored with Draco, but it had simply had old furniture that hadn't held any of their attention.

"Dobby find at Hogwarts. Dobby find in the Come and Go room, so Dobby bring to Master Harry." Dobby explained, tilting his head as if to ask to consider the question. Harry looked at his godfathers in confusion, finding himself wondering if they knew what room the house elf was talking about. He could guess from the matching looks on their faces, they knew exactly what it was. He sighed in frustration, sitting on the ground as he once again found himself thinking about just how much of a joke his 4th year had become. Between finding out the truth behind his true heritage, discovering just how much damage and manipulation Dumbledore had done to the wizarding world on top of being forced into a stupid, dangerous tournament that he hadn't wanted any part of, it felt like the hits just continued to come.

"It still doesn't tell us how we wake them." Remus muttered, crossing his arms. Sirius walked closer to his godson, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. Of what, he wasn't completely sure.

"If I'm reading this correctly, I think…the spells that are keeping them asleep will be released once certain conditions have been met. But we have no way of knowing what those conditions are. Unless they left some type of letter or note?" Tonks suddenly questioned, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. Izzy couldn't help the concerned feeling that continued to grow as she saw the depressed expression on each of their faces, knowing they were all trapped in their own thoughts of what to do.

"Come eat dinner. We figure out later." Izzy firmly stated, reaching out to grab both Harry and Sirius' hands.

Later that night Harry found himself lying in his bed unable to fall asleep because of all the thoughts and doubts running through his head. He pulled the blankets tighter as he shifted in his bed just enough to lie on his side facing the window. He'd spent the last several months worrying about how the Potters would take him accepting the Malfoys as his family and finding out he might have that chance made him worry. He was both scared and excited for the chance to get to talk to them, to get to learn about them from more than just the stories he heard from Remus and Sirius.

"Everything is just so messed up." He whispered, finally giving up on the idea of sleep. He shoved the blankets aside, carefully climbing out of bed. He slipped on his glasses before reaching down to grab his shoes. The hallways of Potter Manor were silent, the only moonlight casting shadows as it streamed through the occasional window. The familiar strum of family magic caused him to smile for a brief moment before he continued towards his destination.

Fireflies flew around the small pond of the garden, their faint lights reflecting off the rocks. The calming magic from the runes surrounded him as he sat on the ground near the water. His grandmother's pond had seemed to become a type of refuge when he got too overwhelmed, feeling like he could actually calm his nerves and sort through his thoughts. Hedwig landed on the ground next to him, her soft hoot easily heard in the quiet night.

"Hi beautiful. Have you been enjoying being able to hunt and spread your wings?" he questioned, reaching out to stroke his fingers across her head. While there was many things that he would want to change, going to Diagon Alley with Hagrid and getting Hedwig would always be one of his happiest memories.

HOGWARTS

Draco was silent as he sat at Slytherin table, his gazed occasionally wandering to the Gryffindor table as he searched for any signs of Heir Longbottom. Daphne was flipping through one of the books she'd borrowed from the Malfoy family library, though he wasn't completely sure if she was actually reading it since she hadn't flipped the page in several minutes. He sat up straighter when Longbottom finally walked into the Great Hall, however, the timid Gryffindor wore an annoyed expression as he was followed closely by Granger and Weasley.

"It seems like two of the Golden Trio have moved on from one heir to another." Blaise commented as he sat down. He reached out to start piling eggs and bacon onto his plate as he continued to watch the trio. When Daphne and Theo had originally suggested they asked the Longbottom Heir about possible plants that Harry could use in the task he'd thought they were out of their minds, but now he simply wanted to try talking to the boy to irritate the two Gryffindors. He glanced at his best friend when Draco suddenly stood up from the table, raising an eyebrow as he started towards the Gryffindor table.

Severus sat in his chair at the head table, watching his godson walk towards the trio of fourth years, a frown on his face. He hadn't had a chance to speak with either of the Malfoy twins since having the blocks removed at Gringotts. The last several days he spent locked in his rooms in the dungeons, attempting to both avoid the headmaster as well as sort through the uncovered memories and feelings. The only reason he was having breakfast in the hall that morning was because he wanted to keep an eye on his Slytherins, having heard from Narcissa some of what Draco and his group of friends were planning on doing.

"What do you want snake?" Ron sneered as Draco stopped behind Neville. Hermione glared at the blonde-haired boy for a moment before turning her attention back to whatever book she was reading. Dumbledore had asked her to read up on different defensive spells that would be of use to Harry during the third trial, so she was ready for when he ultimately asked her for help.

"I'm not here to speak to you, Weasel. I was wanting to speak with Heir Longbottom for a moment." Draco sneered, glaring at the two people that had used his brother for their own personal gains. While he had been horrible to his twin since their first year, the two Gryffindors were far worse by pretending to be his friends simply to gain access to his money. Neville glanced up from the book he'd been buried in, confusion clear on his face. Both boys had grown up attending the same social gatherings, however, neither of them spoke more than was deemed acceptable. Even then he'd often kept to himself at those gatherings because he didn't have much in common with people his own age. His love of herbology often had him labelled as odd and seen as an outsider on top of how little his grandmother seemed to think of him.

"What can I help you with Heir Malfoy?" Neville questioned, closing the book.

"I was hoping perhaps we could speak outside this afternoon. I have someone that is needing a little help with herbology, and I thought since you were the top of our year in the subject that you would be the best person to help." Draco stated, easily twisting his words just enough to tell the truth without revealing to much of what they were needing.

"Of course. I can meet you at Greenhouse 2? I'm usually there most afternoons helping with the plants." Neville suggested, confusion clear in his voice. Draco simply nodded, turning around to head back to his table without sparing Granger or Weasley another moment of his attention.

Harry glanced around the rooms that his father had finally managed to get approved for him to use, though he'd had to go through the Governors since Dumbledore had refused. From what he'd hear Lucius complaining about, the meddlesome headmaster had tried to say he could return to his room in Gryffindor tower, that there had been no reason to give him special treatment because he'd managed to get himself into the tournament. It caused his stomach to twist, knowing that clearly the headmaster and several of the Professors at Hogwarts honestly thought he'd entered himself into the tournament somehow, even after he'd repeatedly voiced his objects even after being forced to participate in the first task.

"It'll do thankfully. I was a little worried about what rooms Dumbledore would allow us to use. We will still do your defense training outside since I doubt Dumbledore would approve of some of the spells you've been working on." Remus stated as he sat next to Sirius on the couch. Both older males still had some reservations about staying inside Hogwarts because they worried about whoever had actually entered Harry into the tournament somehow gaining access to the rooms to cause his godson harm.

"I doubt there is many things the headmaster would approve of that we've been working with him on this year." Sirius muttered, crossing his arms. Harry knew he was still stressing out about visiting Gringotts and leaving him at Hogwarts. Even though he'd already attempted to assure the both of them that he would be safe, they still had their reservations. Izzy had already taken to constantly following him around unsee to ensure that nothing happened on the off chance he was found wandering around alone.

"I need to meet Draco and the others at the green house, and I know both of you have a meeting with the goblins. I will be fine so don't stress out too much. I know not to wander around Hogwarts by myself." Harry commented, grabbing his bag from where he had left it near the door. Sirius and Remus shared a look, both looking like they wanted to object to the thought of him leaving the safety of the rooms but ultimately knew attempting to force him to stay would just cause him to do the exact opposite. Even though he wasn't James' son by blood, he still took after the late Lord Potter more than they would have guessed possible.

"Please just be safe." Remus requested before both wizards disappeared through the floo that had been connected by Lucius to the fireplace in the common area. Harry couldn't help the small smile that slipped onto his face for a moment as he thought about how much the people around him showed the cared. He quickly shook his head before he slipped out of the room, walking through the familiar halls of Hogwarts. He'd been surprised when Draco had sent him a note with Hedwig that Neville had agreed to meet with them, sure that his fellow Gryffindor would have been more reserved about meeting with a group of Slytherins without more knowledge on what it was they were actually needing from

"Well, if it isn't Hogwarts false champion. Surprised the chosen one would decide to walk with us common people." A voice sneered as he stepped into the courtyard. He couldn't help sighing in annoyance before he turned to face the student. The student was leaning against one of the trees, dressed in Hufflepuff robes that he might have recognized from their quidditch team, but he wasn't completely sure. He hadn't gotten much of a chance to know any of the students outside of his own house over the last three years at Hogwarts between the constant danger that always seemed to surround him and how often Ron and Hermione kept him secluded.

"Just couldn't let another house have the glory, could you Potter? You just had to sneak your way back into the picture and play the powerful hero." The Hufflepuff growled, stepping forward. Harry glanced around, seeing that the confrontation had caught the attention of students from all three schools. He found himself hoping for one of Draco…one of his friends to show up to help.

"Fleet that's enough." A voice called from behind him. Cedric offered him a smile as he walked towards the two wizards. Harry hadn't had much of a chance to interact with the Hogwarts Champion but from what he remembered about him he'd always seemed to a good guy.

"Yeah Fleet, might want to." George suddenly stated, catching Harry off guard.

"Listen to Cedric." Fred finished. The Weasley twins stood on either side of him, their normal, unsettling grins in place as they watched the other Hufflepuff. He found himself smiling at the familiar feeling of their matching chaotic magic, the tension easing from his shoulders. He felt comfortable with the knowledge that the Weasley Twins always seemed to have his back. The other Hufflepuff glared at the four of them for a moment longer before he turned away, storming back over to his group of friends.

"Sorry about that Potter. There's been a few people upset since you got more points in the 1st task. I'll talk to my house again." Cedric stated, turning to look at the youngest champion.

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to…all of the hate and rumors by this point." Harry stated, managing a shrug even though it wasn't the complete truth. He did hate how much everyone at Hogwarts always seemed to jump to conclusions and believe rumors instead of listening to any of his objects or explanations.

"I'm not sure if you've figured out what the next task is yet, but if you haven't, maybe take a bath with it." Cedric suggested before walking away, not giving him a chance to form a response. Fred and George shared a confused look before looking down at their honorary brother.

"Thank you for the help you guys but I really need to get to the Greenhouse. I'm supposed to be meeting some friends out there to attempt to come up with a plan for this next task." Harry sighed.

"Well, then allow us- "

"To escort you out there. Keep anymore- "

"Nosey students from trying to – "

"Pick a fight." Fred and George stated, bouncing the sentence between themselves. Harry couldn't help but laugh, feeling some of the worry ease from his shoulders as he listened to the two pranksters. The three wizards continued through the grounds, talking about how the school year had been going since he'd unenrolled from Hogwarts.

Draco leaned against the outside of the Greenhouse, watching for his twin with an annoyed expression on his face. He knew that Harry would have gotten his note about what time to meet, and he couldn't help worrying about the fact he was running late.

"Draco, I'm sure everything is fine. He probably just got distracted working on something with Professor Lupin. They were talking about some defense spells the other day remember?" Daphne offered softly, stepping out of the greenhouse. She was still dressed in her Hogwarts robes since she'd decided it was a waste of time to go down to the dungeons when her last class of the day had been Care of Magical Creatures. Both Slytherins turned their attention towards the castle when the sound of laughter reached them. Draco bristled for a moment when he saw Harry walking between the Weasley Twins, relaxing when he remembered the letter he'd received during the Yule holidays, voicing their support.

"Sorry I'm late. I ran into some trouble with some older years." Harry called when he caught sight of his brother. Draco only nodded, not trusting himself to say anything that wouldn't come off as snobbish.

Neville glanced up when the greenhouse door was pushed open, faltering for a moment at the sight of Harry walking in with Draco and the Weasley twins. He'd overheard Ron and Hermione complaining about Harry spending more time with the Slytherins, but he hadn't realized how close they had gotten.

"Hey Neville. Draco told me he asked for your help?" Harry questioned, standing next to his past housemate.

"He asked for help, but he didn't really explain what exactly it was I'm helping with?" Neville questioned, picking up one of the watering cans. There was a small spark of jealousy at how easy the other two wizards his age seemed to get along. He was still considered the outcast in Gryffindor House, though he found Ron and Hermione's sudden obsession with him odd.

"I need to know if there is a plant that will let me breath under water for at minimum an hour." Harry explained, faltering when he saw the confused expression that crossed Neville's face for a moment. Fred and George shared an expression before turning their attention back to their honorary brother, listening as he launched into an explanation on what they were thinking he would have to accomplish for the next task of the tournament. Neville frowned as he watered the plants Professor Sprout had asked him to, mentally sorting through the vast knowledge he had of magical plants that could be of possible use.

"There's quite a few that would maybe work but the task is so close the only one you might have any chance to get soon enough to practice with would be Gillyweed. But I have to warn you, it has a very…slimy texture to it." He finally stated. Draco only nodded, crossing his arms as he started debating on asking Professor Snape if he happened to have any on hand or if he just wanted to send their father a letter and have him deliver it to Harry.

"Thanks Neville." Harry responded, offering a smile. Neville returned it, enjoying the feeling of being useful for once. He'd been pushed down by nearly everyone his entire life so getting the chance to use the knowledge he enjoyed learning made it feel just a tiny bit worth it.

"Classes are over for the day. We were all planning on spending some time down by the lake. Why don't you join us?" Daphne suddenly questioned, reminding all five boys she was still in the greenhouse. Neville shared an unsure look with Harry for a moment before finally nodding in confirmation. He knew that if any of the Gryffindors found out he was spending time with members of the Slytherin house he'd never hear the end of it, but somehow, he couldn't find himself caring in that moment.

Professor Sprout couldn't help smiling, watching the group of students from where she stood behind one of the rows of wilder plants. She'd cast a faint notice me not spell when she'd realized Neville wasn't alone in the greenhouse, not wanting to cause the young boy to lose that spark of confidence he'd gained in the moment. Daphne's offer warmed her heart, finally turning away to her own tasks after she figured that it would be safe to leave the group alone.

Once Neville had finished taking care of the section of plants that had been assigned to him, he grabbed his bag from where it had been safely stored. The Weasley twins had said they would wait outside for him while Draco, Harry and Daphne went ahead to the lake to meet up with the rest of their group. He couldn't help the feeling the settled in the pit of his stomach that the invitation had been a prank, thinking about how often he was ditched by his own housemates. In the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't something that Harry would have done while he was still a student at Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure about how much he had changed since being unenrolled.

"Ready?" George suddenly questioned. Neville jumped nearly a foot at Weasley's voice, having been lost so deep in his thoughts he hadn't noticed either of them leaning against the greenhouse wall just outside the door.

"We were beginning to think you'd changed your mind." Fred teased, attempting to lighten the sour mood that had settled over the younger wizard.

Harry sat leaning against the trunk of one of the trees closest to the lake, watching the ripples the cool breeze caused in the water. Daphne was leaning against his side, her head rested against his shoulder as she read over one of the chapters that had been assigned as homework. Draco and Blaise had a chess board placed between them on the ground, neither looking away from their game to acknowledge the three Gryffindors that had joined them.

"Heir Longbottom." Theo stated, looking up from the piece of parchment he had been reading that Neville could guess was notes from one of their classes.

"Heir Nott." Neville muttered in response, absently shifting slightly from how nervous he was feeling. Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped, the sudden unusual sound managing to startle all three Slytherins. Daphne didn't bother attempting to hide the smile, turning the page of her book.

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Until Next Chapter,

Snowbeam12