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halothenthehorns · 3 years

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TLTNL- THE UNBREAKABLE VOW

"What's the point of having friends if you can't take your problems out on them?" Sirius still didn't seem to get her problem. "Harry did it all last year," Harry looked properly shamefaced for that being brought up again, "Ron was just returning a bit of the favor."

"This isn't about Harry having a temper! Ron was being horrid to everyone around him, and for what? He could have asked out Hermione ages ago if that was his problem."

The other three had only watched them bicker about this the past five minutes only to get it out now. Harry'd had enough arguing in his life though, and requested, "I'm sure if you ever meet the two, you will happily tell them what idiots they were about it all. For now though, can we continue," and he pointedly gave the book to Remus.

The two graciously agreed, they weren't changing each others minds on the maturity of those who were once sixteen.

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already singlehandedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors.

"Which all of the students were completely mature about, I'm sure," Remus snorted.

Sirius caught quite the roguish look in remembrance of practicing, and perfecting, every type of kissing available in one night as a challenge under each. It had been his favorite use of the cloak by far.

Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, Harry's frequent nighttime wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways,

James clucked his tongue, thinking of the trips his son had made and convinced there were other students who had done even more, and not even the Marauders. He wished his son would indulge in this more for fun or not so wholesome things, rather than the other life-or-death matters they usually were.

so that he was often, without too much difficulty, to navigate the mistletoe-free routes between classes.

Lily giggled a bit and Sirius was eyeing his pup with a pout, both clearly refraining from saying something in regards to this.

"If Ginny was under one of those you think he would?" Sirius muttered to Prongs, clearly not completely able to hold himself back.

James snickered slightly but clearly decided against answering.

Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours excuse for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks,

Sirius couldn't help but snort enthusiastically at such a comparison, immediately telling James, "do we get the chance to upgrade models often? I wouldn't mind trading Prongs in for a more lively version every now and again."

"Excuse me, I'm sorry I don't always have the energy to go gallivanting with you when my newborn had me up at all hours," James returned with pure indulgence.

the improved Ron came at a heavy price. Firstly, Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted;

"Ugh, the horror," Remus agreed, thankful Prongs and Evans really weren't ever so flamboyant in that department.

and secondly, Harry found himself once more the best friend of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.

No one could muster up even a smile for that, it was never fun to hear in the first place, and this time more than any as the argument didn't even have any clear sides. Both of those kids needed to talk to each other to fix this, and at this rate, that didn't seem likely.

Ron, whose hands and forearms still bore scratches and cuts from Hermione's bird attack, was taking a defensive and resentful tone.

"I can't even blame him," Sirius sighed.

"Hermione always has been the violent one, wish Ron would shout back what his problem was and then they'd be on even ground again," Remus agreed.

Ron was often telling Harry how she couldn't complain, having done the same to Krum. Now someone wanted to snog him, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Did he ever even tell her that was his original anger with her?" Lily demanded. "As far as she's concerned, she's been attacked for ages before Lavender even came around."

Harry remained silent now as he was then, he really had no want at all to get in between his friends lives, love-lives to be specific, at any point in time.

Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning (Quintessence: A Quest). Determined as he was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, he was spending a lot of time with his mouth shut tight.

"You don't have that problem in here," Sirius heavily hinted.

Harry just gave a shrug, trying in vain to put into words for him, "I really have no more want to say anything about it. I wish they'd make up, but even if they did, they'd be right back where they started, especially with Lavender around now."

When Harry didn't respond this time as well, Ron continued in a lower mutter he hadn't promised Hermione anything, sure he was going to that party with her, but she'd never, it had just been as friends. He was a free agent.

Lily's brow creased as they did finally get an answer for that, and Ron's actions seemed more deplorable by the moment. Had Hermione outright said as friends, or was it simply implied because the meaning wasn't clear? Ron really should have done more to clarify what he was going with Hermione as before he hooked up with Lavender, but then, so should have Hermione, as she'd spent the past years never giving Ron a clear answer either.

Harry turned a page of Quintessence, aware that Ron was watching him. Ron's voice trailed away in mutters, barely audible over the loud crackling of the fire, though Harry thought he caught the words "Krum" and "Can't complain" again.

Hermione's schedule was so full that Harry could only talk to her properly in the evenings, when Ron was, in any case, so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what Harry was doing. Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Harry generally joined her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.

Hermione insisted he was at liberty to kiss whomever he liked, she didn't care, while raising her quill and dotting an 'i' so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment.

"Hmm, yes, she's perfectly all at ease here," James muttered.

Harry said nothing. He thought his voice might soon vanish from the lack of use. He bent a little lower over Advanced Potion-Making and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the prince's useful additions to Libatius Borage's text.

Hermione added on a few moments later Harry needed to be careful as well.

Harry testily said for the last time he wasn't giving up his Potions book. It had taught him more than Slughorn and Snape together-

All four of them got a good laugh out of that, though the boys were just smug Harry's independent studies were doing him some good like theirs had, Lily's laugh still felt a bit more knowing than she'd let on.

Hermione gave the text a nasty look before correcting she'd meant about Slughorn's party. She'd overheard some girls, including that Romilda Vane, slipping Harry a love potion so he'd invite one of them.

Harry spluttered with indignity while the others just looked sorrowful for that situation. "Surely that's not allowed?!"

"Not particularly, at least, no more than using magic on students is in the corridors," Lily said carefully.

"Still, a detention seems mild, considering all one could do under a love potion, as opposed to just jinxing someone else," James was on Harry's side, he didn't like the idea of his kid being forced to take someone to a party he didn't even want to go to.

"The effects wear off just like any magic, it's really not even that powerful, the range is usually exaggerated and while under the influence of one it also depends on how susceptible you are. Much like the Imperius curse I suppose, though that all depends on the brew." Lily seemed rather mild about it all, but her lips were tight with distaste as she remembered Merope and the extreme that had gone on there. Perhaps some sort of regulation should be put in place more, just because people generally didn't use them for more than harmless fun didn't mean there weren't those who couldn't.

Harry demanded why she hadn't confiscated them, it seemed extraordinary that Hermione's mania for upholding the rules could have abandoned her at this crucial juncture.

"What makes you think she didn't?" Remus asked in confusion, it had been his first thought she would.

"She'd just said she's sure they worked and I should be careful," Harry protested.

"Which makes me sure they have more, not that Hermione didn't step in to take what they did have," Sirius shrugged.

Hermione scowled as she explained they hadn't had them with them, otherwise she would have. So unless that half-blood prince could dream up an antidote for a dozen love potions,

Lily snorted softly, muttering something about not tempting her to try. James chuckled lightly for that, knowing it was a challenge his wife would love.

he should invite someone himself. It was tomorrow, and they were getting desperate.

"Why does he have to invite anyone at all!" James protested. "He didn't even want to go!"

"He could just be like Prongs and go stag everywhere," Sirius smirked.

"It's the Yule Ball all over again," Harry groaned in disgust without even hearing him.

"Why not try something of the same tactic then, invite Hermione now as a friend, or even Ron. Lavender wouldn't be able to go, it could be a way to get you all talking again," Remus offered.

"Merlin do I hope I think of that," Harry sighed.

Harry muttered there wasn't anyone he wanted to invite, while trying not to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.

Sirius snorted out a laugh while Harry's misery only grew, that wasn't something he'd ever wanted anyone to hear.

Hermione grimly finished he'd best be careful what he drank then. Romilda Vane had meant business.

"I don't think Hermione looks anything like me," Sirius said pointedly.

Harry got a small laugh out of that, wishing that was all that ever went on in his life, puns from his godfather.

Harry's attention caught on something else to do with that conversation, hadn't Filch banned the Weasley's products?

"And?" All four of them demanded in surprise, looking at Harry like he'd lost his mind.

Harry shushed them, looking at Remus intently to continue his train of thought for them.

Hermione reminded since when did anyone in this school pay attention to what Filch banned.

Harry pointed out those had gotten into the school despite owls being searched.

Hermione explained it was part of the twins service, they ship it in as cough medicine.

Harry was unintentionally derailed, asking why she knew so much about it.

"She was looking at them in their shop," Lily recalled with an odd look at him, clearly wondering like the rest why he was bringing this up. "She'd have read the labels, probably seen some of the deals on how they got around."

"If the twins could smuggle that into the school, what else could be getting in under Filch then," Harry replied absently, finally letting them in on why he'd barely heard her response anymore than Hermione's, but easily catching the others up where his mind was.

"Still on Malfoy then," Sirius snorted. "I gave up on his waste of a life when he missed a Quidditch game!"

"You know, when I said invite a friend, I didn't think that's what you'd have in mind." Remus offered with a smirk.

Harry scowled at both of them making light of this, when he was still convinced there was something going on there. Because Malfoy clearly hadn't done anything yet, they seemed to be just passing the whole thing off by now, and it was driving him nuts.

Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just given his copy of Advanced Potion-Making, coldly replying it had been on the labels for the bottles she'd seen in their shop this summer. She'd didn't go around putting potions in people's drinks, or making others think she had, which was just as bad.

"Eh, I still thought that was brilliant," James chuckled.

Harry waved her off and went on to his idea about Malfoy slipping in that necklace past Filch disgusted as something else.

Hermione was exasperated at once, but Harry demanded a reason this couldn't have worked.

"I don't see why she's being so impatient with you, it's good having this explained to you," Lily sighed.

Hermione reminded him of the Secrecy Sensors, which were also checking mail. They'd detect such a thing as that necklace,

"You both are missing something really obvious," James said with a frown at Harry.

When his expression didn't change, James insisted, "the secret passages. If Malfoy wants something going in and out of the school, that's the best way I can think of."

"Malfoy probably doesn't know about those," Harry said dismissively at once.

"Malfoy's not the only one who needs to know about them," Sirius frowned in understanding as he cottoned on to Prongs at once.

Harry chewed thoughtfully on the idea, which quickly grew into a gnawing worry. They'd taken his Death Eater idea at word, and of all the available Death Eaters, he did know of at least one that could fit exactly what they worried about.

Lily cleared her throat hard before grabbing their attention back, "yes, well, we still have nothing concrete to worry about. If," she stressed the word with worried eyes on her son, "Malfoy is up to something this year, and all that talk from Narcissa at the beginning wasn't just worried about something going on much later, then yes we can worry about it then."

All the boys sighed, not at all liking to the idea of their secret passages being boarded up for any reason, but suddenly the very real risk to the school was present and could no longer be overlooked.

but those love potions weren't considered dark or dangerous.

"She can speak for herself on that one," Sirius sniffed.

Harry huffed that was easy for her to say.

Sirius got a good laugh for mimicking Harry, and so did he.

Hermione ignored him and continued Filch wouldn't know the difference between a cough potion and a love potion, he just wasn't a good enough wizard, but he didn't need to be to-

Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulture like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.

"Lovely descriptions as always," Remus snickered. He'd never much cared for her either, what with the rants she always gave him for drooling over the books he had a tendency to fall asleep on.

She breathed at them the library was now closed- then shouted at Harry what a depraved boy he was and lunged for his book.

Lily sniffed, those notes improved that book, something Pince would never understand.

Harry quickly snatched it away, defending it wasn't a library book but his own!

Her hands turned clawlike as she told him he'd desecrated it!

"It's a bloody textbook, some teachers even encourage us to write in them," Sirius huffed, wanting to chuck one in her face.

Harry had to tug it out of her grip.

She looked as though she might have a seizure;

"Is that all it takes!" James popped himself on the forehead, "and there I was, wasting away my time trying to convince Padfoot to just chew on one."

"I'm sure it would have had the same effect, if I'd ever bothered," Sirius sniffed. He'd tried it once, and the feel of it had been weird enough he hadn't tried it again.

Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frog marched him away.

She scolded he'd be banned if he wasn't more careful.

"Can she actually do that?" Sirius got a dreamy look on his face. "Think the teachers would go for an, 'I couldn't do my homework,' excuse if so?"

"I sincerely doubt it, considering you never bothered cracking open a book to begin with," Remus snorted.

Harry protested it wasn't his fault, she'd probably heard Hermione being rude about Filch, he'd always suspected there was something going on between them.

Harry smiled as he again managed to get everyone around him laughing for that idea.

Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.

"Finally, a normal conversation between you two!" James cackled. "I was beginning to wonder if you had it in you."

The second he walked through the portrait hole, Romilda was waiting,

Lily clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes, she knew that feeling.

offering him a gillywater.

Harry denied, and undeterred, Romilda thrust a box of Chocolate Cauldrons on him that had firewhisky in their center.

"Subtlety is clearly not her Charm," Remus snorted.

Unable to think of anything else to do, he accepted them and quickly followed Hermione away. She began with an 'I told you so',

"Anything that stops an 'I told you so,' has to be a good thing," Sirius huffed.

but her face suddenly turned blank; she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were intertwined in the same armchair.

Hermione quickly excused herself to the dormitory without another word.

Harry went to bed comforting himself that there was only one more day of lessons to struggle through, plus Slughorn's party, after which he and Ron would depart together for the Burrow. It now seemed impossible that Ron and Hermione would make up with each other before the holidays began, but perhaps, somehow, the break would give them time to calm down, think better of their behavior...

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Remus sighed.

But his hopes were not high, and they sank still lower after enduring a Transfiguration lesson with them both next day. They had just embarked upon the immensely difficult topic of human transfiguration; working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the color of their own eyebrows.

James and Sirius had scoffed at the use of 'immensely difficult.'

Hermione laughed unkindly at Ron's disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar mustache;

"Don't really know what she was laughing about then," Sirius snorted.

"I personally think they look dashing, was going to grow one myself," James agreed, smoothing non-existent hair down on his chin.

Lily made a face and refused to commentate, afraid it would only encourage him no matter what she said.

Ron retaliated by doing a cruel but accurate impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, which Lavender and Parvati found deeply amusing and which reduced Hermione to the verge of tears again.

"Eesh," Remus winced and made a face.

"Those two really know how to hit each other's buttons," James sighed.

"I'm a bit surprised that's what almost made her cry, she should be used to Ron making fun of that," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"It's a difference when they're friends and you know it!" Lily snapped.

Sirius put his hands up defensively and stopped arguing the point, but clearly nothing had changed and neither still saw the others side.

She raced out of the classroom on the bell, leaving half her things behind; Harry, deciding that her need was greater than Ron's just now,

Sirius winced then, he wasn't entirely cruel and wished Ron wouldn't provoke her that bad. He just hoped she didn't run into another troll.

scooped up her remaining possessions and followed her.

He finally tracked her down as she emerged from a girl's bathroom on the floor below.

Sirius winced even harder his little joke almost came to pass.

She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back.

She greeted him by pointing out one of his eyebrows was yellow.

"Congrats Harry, you got halfway there on your first lesson," James tried to say with chipper.

He greeted her back as he held out Hermione's books.

Hermione took them, thanked him in a choked voice, and she hurried off, without ever giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any.

Luna said she was a bit upset, something about Ron Weasley.

Harry agreed they'd had a row.

Luna decided he was funny sometimes, but a bit unkind.

"That about sums Ron up," Lily sighed in agreement.

Luna was demonstrating her usual knack of speaking uncomfortable truths; he had never met anyone quite like her.

"Nor have I," Sirius agreed with genuine disappointment, but then he supposed, that's why he liked her so much.

He instead politely asked how her term had been going, and she began by saying rather pleasant, as Ginny had gotten many people to stop calling her Loony-

Then Harry burst out, interrupting her to ask if Luna would go to Slughorn's party with him.

James busted out laughing in surprise. None of the others were really any better, but he still took a moment to catch his breath around Harry's stammering, "don't want to think about Ginny that much eh?"

"Wha-no! It's not like that, I mean, I just didn't, I used a friend-"

They were still happily snickering at him, so Harry reached forward to snatch the book away from Remus. He held it protectively, but shook himself off and kept going nonetheless, after pacifying, "we know Harry, but glory you always find a way to make asking anyone out the most interesting thing."

The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could stop them; he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.

Luna turned her protuberant eyes to him in surprise.

Harry quickly made his intentions perfectly clear, saying just as friends only, and of course if she didn't want to, as he mentally finished he was already hoping she didn't.

Luna was already beaming though, saying she'd love to go as friends.

"Nawh," Lily cooed softly. As she'd just said, clearly Luna had little to no interaction with any friends, so suddenly this seemed like the best idea in the world to her! Why couldn't Harry fall for a nice girl like this, instead of one who caused trouble or his best mates sister? Then again, she'd demanded of the world for ages why Potter had decided he was in love with her, and that had all worked out for the best, so she kept that idea to herself.

Nobody had ever asked her to a party before, as a friend. Should she dye her eyebrow for the event?

"I really love there's just no hesitancy in offering this," Sirius said sincerely, "honestly, whatever party involves that would be better than Slughorn's anyways!"

Harry firmly corrected this idea, saying that had been a mistake, and he'd meet her down in the entrance hall at eight.

A shout of joy came from above, Peeves had overheard the whole thing and at once began chanting that Potty luurved Loony!

Harry scowled even more at their renewed laughter, but at least it was dying down now. Remus did that a little too accurately.

"Got to love Peeves!" James insisted.

"What's your problem Harry, if you're just going with her as a friend why the bother?" Sirius demanded.

"You lot laughing and knowing I don't mean it is grating enough, think how the whole school's going to take it and refusing to even consider the same," Harry said slowly as if to a dim child.

Sirius needed no such help to grasp the situation, but it only caused his lips to start itching again with amusement. He was as well aware as anyone what rumors that school spouted, he just wished his pup would learn to laugh them off a little more than get so uppity about them.

Sure enough, in no time at all the whole school seemed to know that Harry Potter was taking Luna Lovegood to Slughorn's party.

Ron was as much in disbelief as anyone, stating he could have any girl in the whole school, and he chose Loony Lovegood?

Lily huffed and wished Hermione was around to smack him again. Was it really so hard to believe? Ron himself had said she wasn't so bad last year. She didn't understand why none of them had made an effort to hang out with kids outside their circle, outside their house, since they'd made all those friends in the D.A. last year.

Ginny had heard as she was passing by and snapped at him not to call her that, then turned to Harry and encouraged how great this was, she'd never seen her friend so excited. Then she moved to go sit next to Dean.

Harry tried to feel pleased that Ginny was glad he was taking Luna to the party but could not quite manage it. A long way along the table Hermione was sitting alone, playing with her stew. Harry noticed Ron looking at her furtively.

Harry reminded he could apologize any time he liked.

"Tell me whose side you're on again?" Sirius chuckled.

"Whichever one gets them talking again," Harry sighed.

Ron snapped he'd just get attacked by canaries again.

"I like to think Hermione's a little more original," James offered. "Maybe she'll use toucans this time."

"Or perhaps summon a clowder of cats," Remus agreed.

"What?" Harry muttered.

"A group of cats is called a clowder, keep up Harry," Sirius waved off.

Harry said he was only making things worse, why'd he imitate her in class?

Ron snapped she'd laughed at his mustache!

So had Harry, it had been the stupidest thing he'd seen.

"Damn, so that's a no on my own?" James pouted.

But Ron did not seem to have heard;

"A shame, he bloody needed to," Lily groused.

Lavender had just arrived with Parvati. Squeezing herself in between Harry and Ron, Lavender flung her arms around Ron's neck.

Parvati greeted Harry with much less enthusiasm, looking faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends.

"Oh good, I thought it was just me," Harry huffed.

Hermione passed by then, and Parvati gave a very bright and cheerful greeting, positively beaming. Harry could tell that she was feeling guilty for having laughed at Hermione in Transfiguration. He looked around and saw that Hermione was beaming back, if possible even more brightly.

"Girls," all four boys muttered, causing Lily to shake her head in disbelief.

Girls were very strange sometimes.

Lily then added an eyeroll to boot while Sirius got a snicker out of that.

Hermione asked if she was coming to the party tonight, and Parvati sighed she hadn't been invited, wasn't Hermione?

She agreed yes, with Cormac, they were meeting at eight-

Then Lily let out a whistle of surprise as she at once saw what Hermione was doing. If she'd wanted to make her feelings plain, she'd just found the perfect way.

James huffed and grumbled a bit, muttering how grateful he was no lads around school had ever had the gall to say yes to his Lily Flower, even if he was aware she'd tried going out with a few others for a short time. Snivilius' treatment over the years had been more than enough of a deterrent for most though.

There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink, and Ron surfaced.

Sirius burst out laughing this time, his pup really did just have the best descriptions for everything!

Hermione acted as though she had not seen or heard anything.

"I can not imagine how," James cocked his head to the side.

Parvati confirmed Cormac McLaggen!

Hermione sweetly agreed that was the one, you know, the lad who had almost become the Gryffindor Keeper.

"Hermione's being really low here," Sirius huffed.

"I think she proved her point quite nicely," Lily giggled, before frowning slightly as his statement really sunk in. "I find this just as equal as what Ron's doing, and it's better than attacking him again. That really wasn't fair of her, so this is the better of the two."

"No one going to say anything about poor innocent McLaggen getting used?" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Harry, smack him for that stupid comment for me, will you?" Sirius leisurely stretched to indicate why he wasn't.

Harry didn't, he was still to busy making faces at his friends furthering this rather than just talking again.

Hermione, gave a very un-Hermione-ish giggle.

Parvati pointed out Hermione must really like her Quidditch players.

"Irony," Remus muttered, considering Hermione had made it as plain as Lily how she felt of the sport, but that girl did tend to get around with the lot.

Hermione corrected she liked good Quidditch players.

"Ouch," all five of them muttered, before James wound up with a defensive look in place, "well by her own statement that doesn't hold. Ron beat out McLaggen in tryouts, and Ron also has won two of the four games he's played. Therefore, Hermione deciding McLaggen over him-"

"James," Lily tisked before he could keep going, he knew as well as any of them what Hermione was doing and was just trying to get himself into a topic of stats again.

He pouted at her, but relinquished he'd have to interrogate his son later for numbers on who could really be the better player. His money was still on Ron, even if McLaggen might have more experience.

She left. At once Lavender and Parvati put their heads together to discuss this new development, with everything they had ever heard about McLaggen, and all they had ever guessed about Hermione. Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing.

"Ron's own words coming back to bite him," Lily said wisely. If he could go around snogging whoever he liked, Hermione was clearly going to indulge in the same.

Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.

"You've no idea," Lily agreed. "This really isn't even so bad."

Harry looked even more dumbfounded now, not entirely sure he wanted to know what else his mum could have gotten up to in school.

When he arrived in the entrance hall at eight o'clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice. Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her butterbeer cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs.

"What a shame," Sirius sighed. "Such conversation starters left behind."

They headed up to Slughorn's office, Harry asking if she'd heard the rumor there was a vampire coming.

"I'd prefer the werewolf," Sirius huffed.

Remus rolled his eyes heavily, he'd been suckered into going to those parties by both him and James more than once and had regretted every one.

Luna asked if it was Rufus Scrimgeour?

"Eh?" James muttered in confusion, wondering if they'd missed something in his brief introduction at that first chapter.

"Probably another of Luna's, ah," Lily trailed off while playing with a bit of her hair.

"Fantastic ideas," Sirius finished for her with chipper.

Harry looked on in confusion this was the same Minister of Magic they were talking about.

Luna agreed the very one. Her dad had tried to publish an article over it, but the Ministry had stopped them so the truth couldn't get out.

"Obviously," Remus agreed while trying to fight back a laugh, while the others didn't even bother.

Harry, who thought it most unlikely that Rufus Scrimgeour was a vampire, but who was used to Luna repeating her father's bizarre views as though they were fact, did not reply; they were already approaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.

Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study.

"Magic," Sirius impatiently explained, "he's always been one to make himself seem larger. Unnecessary really, you couldn't overlook him anymore than Hagrid."

The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson , and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house- elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

"That's intentional, I'm sure," Lily sighed. She hadn't heard anything about Hermione's SPEW tactics in a while, she sort of missed that, rather than this recurring problem with Ron.

Slughorn beamed the moment he caught sight of him, grabbing hold of him and already trying to introduce him to everyone in sight, so many he needed to meet!

"Just as many I'd like to avoid," James huffed.

Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party; Harry seized Luna's hand and dragged her along with him.

"It is the reason you invited her along, to suffer with you," Sirius agreed with a sigh.

They first met Eldred Worple, who wrote a book on Vampires thanks to his friend Sanguini.

Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry's hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded.

"Now picture having to stare at that in a classroom every day as a first year," Remus scoffed. "It's a wonder everyone thought Trocar was a vampire."

"Or why we insist Snivellus is one as well," James agreed.

He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited.

Worple met him cheerfully, and continued he'd just been saying to Slughorn where was the biography on Harry Potter everyone was waiting on?

"Have we?" Sirius asked dryly. "I don't recall, must have slipped my mind!"

"The amount of books you've ignored, I can imagine you wouldn't even notice if one was done about you," Remus shot at him.

Harry just muttered these seven were as close as anyone was going to get.

He continued seriously,

"Apparently there is one!" Sirius went wide-eyed with delight, before his eyes glazed over at the thought. "Nah, Moony's right, still not worth it."

"He's impossible," James told the others conversationally.

he'd be happy to be of service with this. A few four hour interviews, no real effort on Harry's part at all, they'd have it together in a matter of months- the he snapped at Sanguini to stay close. The vampire had been edging towards the girls with a hungry look in his eye.

"Shouldn't be letting himself get so distracted," James huffed, already wishing to steer Harry away from this.

Worple sized a pasty from a passing elf and stuffed it into Sanguini's hand before turning his attention back to Harry.

"I feel like that's not actually going to satisfy him," Lily muttered, still a bit concerned.

Harry firmly said he was not interested.

"Here's hoping he takes a hint," Remus said in disgust, picturing another Skeeter like wannabe now after Harry.

He excused himself then, spotting Hermione and dragging Luna along with him again after her.

She was relieved to see him, saying she'd just escaped- err, left Cormac.

Lily stiffened with unease and all of the boys frowned, wanting to corner McLaggen themselves now. No lady should ever have to feel like she escaped a date, that was just wrong.

Under mistletoe, she explained to his questioning look.

"What a wanker!" James yelped, very much wishing now he could dissuade McLaggen from ever going near mistletoe for any reason again. His friends and son's expression made it clear they'd help.

Harry told her it served her right, coming here with him.

"Harry!" Lily scolded.

"She brought it on herself," he began grudgingly defended, before he sighed and relented with the same look he'd given his friend at the time, "but I'm happy she didn't have to spend anymore time with him once she realized it."

Hermione dispassionately said she'd been sure he'd annoy Ron the most, she'd even considered Zacharias Smith,

"Wow, Hermione was really trying to prove a point," Sirius grumbled, thinking it was all pointless anyways, if she'd just talk to the idiot she clearly had feelings for.

and she wished she had now, McLaggen made Grawp look like a gentleman.

Lily scoffed and hoped some of Hermione's temper had come through, taught that rotten boy a lesson about how to treat others.

The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, realizing too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there alone.

"Finally, we're in need of a laugh," Remus sighed, they hadn't really anything fun to chat about in ages, Trelawney was usually good for that, or, she had been. Now none of them could think of her without wincing anymore than Dumbledore.

James' expression had gone purely sour, none of them had forgotten it was her ruddy prediction that would get them into this mess very, very soon, and had already ruined Harry's life.

Trelawney greeted Luna with difficulty, her breath smelled of sherry as she said she hadn't spotted her in class lately.

Luna said she had Firenze this year.

"Why am I not surprised Luna took Divination," Sirius nodded, he could imagine these two getting along well.

Trelawney continued in a drunken titter about that horse, it was a insult. So far she seemed too tipsy to recognize Harry.

"Yet," James sighed. "Give it a few moments, the death omens will commence."

"As inaccurately as ever," Sirius agreed with chipper.

Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, Harry drew closer to Hermione and asked if she was going to tell Ron about her interference in the Keeper tryouts?

Hermione said she wouldn't stoop that low.

Harry was relived, saying all it would do was make him fall apart again, they couldn't lose the next match-

"Yeah, I can see how that would backfire, again," Lily heaved a heavy sigh. She liked to think Ron would see the kinder side of her act, she was only trying to help her friend, but really it only showed she had no confidence in Ron, again.

Hermione angrily spat that's all boys cared about was Quidditch. Cormac hadn't asked one question about her all night, no, it was 'A Hundred Great Saves by Cormac McLaggen.' Then speak of the one, she spotted him and vanished so fast she could have disapparated away.

Harry scowled, his hand twitching for his wand anyone made Hermione run off like that.

He at once asked Harry if he'd seen Hermione, and he said no at once and turned back to Luna, forgetting for the moment who she'd been talking to.

"The windbag's better than the blowhard," Remus sniffed.

"Curse him Harry, Slughorn won't do anything to you!" James mock whispered.

This caused Trelawney to finally take notice of him. She at once began of the rumors and stories around him, the Chosen One and all, of course she'd known for a very long time before that.

"Oh yes, of course she has, so kind of her to warn us of it all!" Sirius graciously spewed out while holding back wanting to crush her skull.

Why had he not returned to divination? He of all people must see it as the utmost importance!

"Yes, I do miss tea time in the middle of class," Lily said sweetly, unable to completely hide her clipped tone.

Slughorn arrived then, chastising all of the teachers found their class the most important. He'd never seen a more natural Potioneer, just like his mother!

Lily gave a real giggle of affection, sometimes she missed Slughorn.

Even Severus could hardly rival! To Harry's horror Slughorn seemed to pull Snape right out the crowd from nowhere to join the conversation,

All five of them groaned heavily, it really had been nice going so long not hearing a word of his nasty habits. Seemed getting the DADA job really had put him in a better mood, as he'd yet to really be shown insulting Harry anymore, this was not a kind return they were looking forward to!

Still going on about Harry's exceptional work, of course credit went to him, teaching him the past five years.

James suddenly blinked in surprise, giving Lily a funny sort of look as her laughter increased, though now she was trying to cover it with her hand. He opened his mouth to ask her, for the thousandth time it seemed today, just what was so funny, but Remus hadn't noticed a thing, and James sat back with a calculating look in place, for now merely content on watching her laughter, a noise he knew he'd never grow tired of.

Trapped, with Slughorns arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed as he said how funny that was, he hadn't thought he'd taught Potter much of anything.

Lily had schooled her features quickly enough and was scowling along with the rest, honestly agreeing with Sirius' statement, "not like you ever tried!" Even if she was the only one to appreciate the irony.

Snape eyes were boring into Harry, who felt a certain disquiet. The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his newfound brilliance at Potions.

Her lips twitched again, to a frown this time though. She wouldn't much enjoy it either if Snape found that old book, she didn't like to think what it would bring up, or the problems Harry would have with Slughorn and the school if it did.

Slughorn asked what he was going on to do, and Harry said Auror.

Luna unexpectedly jumped in to say Harry shouldn't do that, they were part of the Rotfang conspiracy, who were planning to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using Dark Magic and gum diseases.

James blinked slowly at such a random insertion into the conversation, as if coming back from thinking of something a long ways off, but quickly jumped in, "see, this is why I'm so glad you invited Luna along! This is exactly what we needed to liven this party!"

"I think it's all the more reason for Harry to join," Sirius quickly agreed with a happy little chuckle. "He can tear that Conspiracy apart from the inside out!"

"I'd honestly like to hear more about this first, see what we can learn from such a secretive organization living right inside the Ministry," Remus chuckled.

Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh.

"The whole party was worth it just for that," Harry rubbed his nose in remembrance.

Really, it had been worth bringing Luna just for this.

"Least we're safe in the knowledge you haven't changed," Sirius chuckled in agreement.

Emerging, from his goblet, coughing, sopping wet but still grinning, he saw something calculated to raise his spirits even higher: Draco Malfoy being dragged by the ear toward them by Argus Filch.

"That honestly never does get old," James started grinning at once, the idea of McGonagall doing this to Malfoy again the only thing that could make it better for whatever Malfoy was caught doing.

"Oh!" Harry yelped in pain, pressing hard to his temple which did nothing to alleviate it. Too late to do anything to resist it, the feeling arose again of something important was about to happen, and he ground his teeth together in pain to stop himself thinking at some stupid party!

Remus gave him an anxious look beside him, they all did, but all they could do was go on with that bitter disappointment of again one pure fun moment being snatched away by the never-ending problems in Harry's life.

Filch wheezed out he'd caught this one a floor above trying to sneak down here, saying he'd been invited.

Harry had a hard time for a moment just struggling to remember how to swallow. It was all right there, he was sure of it, crowding around his mind and pressing loudly for his attention, when all he could do was groan in misery and clutch at his head.

Malfoy finally managed to pull himself away to snap he'd lied, he was gate crashing, happy?

"He was probably indignant, this is the first time a Malfoy's ever had to gate crash a party," James muttered without any real attention.

Filch said he wasn't,

"Now why don't I believe him?" Remus rolled his eyes, at least trying to act like this was all normal.

"A student's in trouble, I'm surprised he hasn't pissed himself in pleasure yet," Sirius sniffed.

which didn't quite match the glee on his face as he declared the punishment this was worth!

Slughorn tried to intervene, saying it was Christmas, and of course Draco could stay.

"Urgh, I can't even be mad," James huffed. "The amount of times Slughorn's actually covered for us, doing the same! Course, he often used it to guilt us into going to more of these, so we were never too grateful," James trailed off unhappily when he realized Harry wasn't paying one word of attention, still rubbing furiously at his temple.

Filich's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and . . . was it possible? ... a little afraid?

Now all four of them were twitching with just as much unease as Harry. Maybe they had been too dismissive of Snape's opening, maybe Malfoy was trying to do something this year, much sooner than they'd been thinking.

But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.

"Malfoy's never been good at hiding anything, Snape on the other hand," James trailed off unhappily.

Slughorn waved this off, saying to think of it as a return of favor for his old grandfather.

Malfoy quickly agreed his thanks, he had always said he was the best potion-maker he'd ever known!

"Flattery is still getting him everywhere," Sirius scowled.

Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.

"What on earth does that little prat have to be so stressed about?" Remus sighed, but not as if he really meant it. Suddenly that conversation with his mother was at the forefront of all their minds. What exactly had Voldemort asked him to do? It was now very clear it was happening right now, what else could be going on?

Harry would have been far more smug if his head wasn't hurting so badly.

Snape interrupted he'd like a word.

They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute,

"Why the hesitation?" Lily asked in surprise, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. "By this point, I'd have thought you'd be following them before their cloak swung around the door."

"I'll admit, I was starting to feel a little paranoid," Harry answered distractedly, only the sound of his mother's voice able to penetrate the sieve of his pain filled mind right now.

then said he'd be right back to Luna, excusing himself to the bathroom.

"There's my boys subtlety, always shining through," James tried for sarcasm, but he was leaning forward too eagerly to mean it. He was far to curious if Harry could actually hear something of use for all this.

He thought he heard her, as he hurried off into the crowd, resume the subject of the Rotfang Conspiracy with Professor Trelawney, who seemed sincerely interested.

"Oh look, I was right," Remus said distractedly.

It was easy, once out of the party, to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, for the corridor was quite deserted.

Sirius almost wanted to burst with excitement. Finally, something completely uncontested Harry was using that old cloak for, to spy on Snape!

What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor, the noise of his feet masked by the music and loud talk still issuing from Slughorn's office behind him. Perhaps Snape had taken Malfoy to his office in the dungeons ... or perhaps he was escorting him back to the Slytherin common room. . . . Harry pressed his ear against door after door as he dashed down the corridor until, with a great jolt of excitement, he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.

Snape was saying Draco couldn't afford such mistakes or he was going to be expelled.

Draco protested he didn't have anything to do with that Bell girl! She must have some enemy out there no one knew of!

Remus' hand ached along the page with tension. Where as before he really hadn't known how Malfoy even could have a hand in that, suddenly Snape suspecting him of as much made the possibility seem as if it were back open again. Malfoy's return was certainly ridiculous, what would an average Hogwarts student have to do with this.

"What exactly is Malfoy supposed to be doing?" James hissed for what felt like the thousandth time. "If Snape thinks for a second it involves anything to do with Katie, this all became so much more terrifying!"

Then Malfoy told him to stop, that Occlumency wasn't going to work on him!

Snape grudgingly said his Aunt Bellatrix had been giving him some lessons.

Harry scowled anew, but more for the idea Malfoy picked up on something he never had. It was hard to believe on principle.

Snape asked what thoughts was he concealing from his master?

Sirius shivered in disgust, as far as he was concerned, that officially meant Malfoy was a Death Eater. It was despicable, how this kids life was now ruined, just like his brothers.

Malfoy shouted back he wasn't keeping anything from him, just trying to make Snape butt out!

Harry pressed his ear still more closely against the keyhole. . . . What had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like this; Snape, toward whom he had always shown respect, even liking?

"Malfoy's gone off with an ego apparently," Remus muttered, it wouldn't surprise him if Malfoy now thought himself better than his old teacher and fellow Death Eater.

Snape said this was the reason he was being avoided this term then? Fearing his interference? If anyone else had ignored his summons to come to his office-

Malfoy jeered to give him a detention then.

Snape paused before saying he did not wish to do that.

"Wow, Snape can't even pretend to have control over this anymore," James muttered, his mind on that Unbreakable Vow Snape had made. What if he couldn't fulfill requirements outside of his control, what were the circumstances of it not being his fault?

Snape instead offered help, he'd made the Unbreakable Vow to do so.

Malfoy protested he didn't needed help, it was his job, it was just taking longer than he'd planned!

Harry pulled his fingers through his hair in frustration, some small part of him still wanting to cheer and jeer he'd been right and everyone else had been either downplaying, or completely ignoring his suspicions. The larger part of him was too hard to ignore, that feeling of dread, that whatever Malfoy was doing he wanted to prevent at all costs.

Snape insisted he was making foolish mistakes, wandering here after hours-

Malfoy said that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't put Crabbe and Goyle in detention!

"You mean he actually puts his own students in detention?" Sirius mock gasped while James pretended to faint in shock.

"Purely for motivational reasons I'm sure, he could dig through Crabbe and Goyle's mind instead to find out what they're doing with Malfoy," Remus said as he glared down at this.

"Yes, heavens forbid he not be bias for one moment," Lily scowled at the lot of them. As far as she was concerned, Snape was trying to help. Narcissa, Malfoy, even Dumbledore, if Draco was the one doing this, so why couldn't they just lay off him for one moment and listen.

Malfoy cut off none of that mattered! Besides, he had better people besides those two to help him.

Remus swallowed convulsively with worry, he still despised the idea of just what other help that was.

More Death Eaters, with much more knowledge of the castle? More horrible people, like his Aunt Bellatrix? Or some even more unspeakable, like a threat Malfoy had already used once, that Remus still feared to this day.

Malfoy knew exactly what was going on, Snape wanted to steal his glory!

"Wow, and this impertinent child is the one we're all so afraid of right now," Sirius snorted in disgust that could be on anyone's mind right now. Nothing about what was going on was glorious.

There was another pause, then Snape said coldly he was speaking like a child.

"Because he is," Lily sighed, still knowing that didn't excuse all that was being implied here.

It was understandable his father's imprisonment would-

Snape couldn't' get out another word, Harry had barely a second' s warning; he heard Malfoy's footsteps on the other side of the door and flung himself out of the way just as it burst open . Malfoy was striding away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office, around the distant corner, and out of sight. Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. Harry remained on the floor, hidden beneath the cloak, his mind racing.

"With?" The others asked excitedly.

"I had my proof," Harry said quietly, finally settling his endless fidgeting now that such an important memory was returned and he could think again. "Malfoy's up to something, and I'm the only one that can stop it."

HPHPHPHP

This chapter right here really does prove my point about the second one being pointless. It's all repeat information now, what was the point of Spinner's End? Without that chapter, this would have been a much bigger reveal, as we wouldn't have even gotten confirmation until this point at half-way through the story something really was going on.

#Harry Potter #fanfcion #The Life That Never Lived #reading the books #Marauders #James Potter #Remus Lupin #sirius Black #Lily Potter

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