The Next Dance

THE NEXT DANCE

BY AERIE22

CHAPTER 1

AFTERMATH

Parvati Patil awoke to a mild, but nonetheless jarring pain in her ankle. As she realized she was in the hospital wing, the events of the previous day came flooding back. Harry. Snowflake the unicorn. Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy. Death. Reawakenings. And finally, love.

She sighed in the dim light of the four corner candles of the wing as she raised her head. She had been sleeping on her stomach and now rolled so she was facing right to look at Harry, who was sleeping not more than three feet away in the next bed. He was at peace. She smiled. He was so beautiful. And she knew now. He was her Harry.

Who was he? He was nice looking. Not on par with strikingly handsome, tragic Cedric Diggory. Or the elegant, if stuffy, Justin Finch-Fletchley. He didn't have the down-home wholesome good looks of Ernie Macmillan. Or the funky dazzle of Lee Jordan. He wasn't big and brawny, like Wayne Hopkins, or tall and lanky like Ron Weasley. But he was trim and nice looking, with a smoldering intensity that could dissolve in an instant into boyish grin that could melt a girl's heart.

But he was more than that. He was a quiet, sensitive boy who had sat patiently, listening to her chatter on about her crazy family over ice cream in the kitchens while everyone else slept. He was a boy tormented by slights, real and imagined, as he poured his heart out to her in the common room after hours. He was the selfless friend who tried valiantly to match her up with his best friend Ron despite what she sensed were his growing feelings for her. He was the romantic who swept her into his arms only twenty-four hours ago, when he understood that she was free and interested. And he was the heroic champion who stepped between her and Voldemort and his Death Eaters to save her and, in doing so, brought out the Gryffindor in her as she stood by him during the attack in the Forbidden Forest despite the mind-numbing terror she felt.

And he was hers. She knew that now. She smiled and sighed and she nestled into her pillow. What profit to sleep and dream when her best dream lay not three feet away.

Suddenly, through a muzzy haze of sleepiness, she heard another sound. Someone else breathing. She glanced down at the foot of her bed at the dark figure sitting in the aisle between their two beds. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Professor Snape?" she whispered.

Snape did not move. He seemed to be staring intently at Harry.

Parvati stared through the dim light at the silent, unblinking figure. She didn't know why he was there, or whether to be frightened or not. She continued to watch Snape watch Harry for at least another minute. Finally, she spoke again. "Professor?"

Snape's gaze did not wander from Harry's sleeping form. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you think he is a good man?" he said softly as if in a dream.

Parvati blinked in surprise. "Harry?" she whispered.

After a brief pause, he spoke again. "Do you think he is a good man?" Snape repeated in the same detached voice.

"I love him," she answered.

Snape continued to stare at Harry, his chest rising and falling slowly under his robe.

"I knew his father, you know," he said quietly. "Hated him, actually. He and Remus and Sirius and Peter. Hated them all."

Parvati stared at the Potions Master in growing alarm.

But Snape continued his calm vigil. "Peter was not a good man. Neither was Sirius. But he paid later. Paid a high price. Remus couldn't help it. But I hated James most of all."

Parvati watched Snape warily, aware now that her wand was only a foot away on the nightstand between hers and Harry's beds. "Harry said Sirius was innocent. So did Professor Dumbledore," she whispered.

"Yes," he said cryptically.

Parvati continued to stare at the dark, brooding form.

Harry turned in his sleep, his face lit briefly by the candles. Snape's eyes flared momentarily.

"He looks like his father, you know," he said in a hoarse whisper.

Parvati simply blinked and waited.

Snape continued to watch Harry. "It's all there," he murmured.

Parvati didn't know what to think. "What's all there?"

Snape blinked for what seemed to be the first time since Parvati awoke. His eyes seemed unfocused now. "The arrogance. The aloofness. The ego. The disdain for authority. I'm sure the cruelty is there, too. And the ease of it all. Everything comes easy to him. But he won't have it. He's too good for the rest of us," he said quietly.

Was he talking about Harry? Parvati wondered. Or some ghosts from his own distant past? "No," she said firmly.

"Mmmm?" Snape murmured, not taking his eyes of Harry.

Parvati stared at the Potions' master intently. "No. He's none of those things. If you knew him, you wouldn't even think that," she said in a quiet but annoyed tone.

Snape for the first time turned to look at her in puzzlement.

"He is not his father. He never even knew his father. Didn't even know what he looked like until he got here. Or his mum. Didn't know how they died, or why. He didn't know anything about them. He told me over a dish of ice cream a few nights ago, like it was the most natural thing in the world to be kept in the dark about your parents." Her voice, while still quiet, was now harsh.

Snape was silent, brooding. After a couple minutes, Harry suddenly shifted again in his sleep and Snape's eyes narrowed once again. "He looks like him. His father. It's in his blood."

Now Parvati's eyes narrowed. "Blood again, professor? Pure blood? Tainted blood? Mud Blood? Wog blood? Is that all you Slytherins think about?"

Snape turned slowly to the girl in surprise.

"Oh, I know about all that blood garbage. His blood is fine when the wizarding world needs it to be spilled in their defense. But when it's done with him, then you all start talking about bad blood again. Like his mother being a mudblood. It's the same with me. When Madame Pomfrey has her annual drive for blood for her medicinal potions, wog blood like mine is fine. So is Lee Jordan's. And Su Li's. And Cho Chang's. And Dean Thomas's. But let us get anywhere near one of your precious purebloods and alarms start going off."

Snape was now staring at her.

"And what about Harry's blood, professor? I've heard all the stories about how nasty Harry's aunt and uncle were to him. And Harry's aunt is a blood relation. Next thing you know you'll tell me that he had to spend all those years growing up abused by those wretched relatives of his because of blood relations. It's all a lot of garbage. It's not blood. It's character. Not mumbo-jumbo. Not a lot of inbred nonsense. You asked if he's a good man. He is. A better man that you'll ever know."

Snape blinked at the girl's sudden outburst. His eyes clouded and he opened his mouth as if to say something. But he closed it again and turned back to Harry. He was silent for a long time, as if he were returning to another world, another time.

"He did take Lily," Snape said finally, a slight tremor apparent in his hand. Snape's breathing had taken on a different tone as his chest rose and fell more deeply.

Parvati watched the Potions Master intently and waited.

"Then they were murdered, and he was alone. And so was I," he continued. "And all this time I could not let it go."

Parvati was now watching Snape, her fury spent, with a sudden sense of pity. Blood. It was not about blood. It was about something else. Something much deeper and more personal. She did not understand exactly what he was saying, but she now understood enough. "Are you all right, Professor?" she whispered.

"Is he a good man?"

Parvati blinked. "He saved us, Professor. He saved me."

Snape nodded. Then he sighed deeply. "Being great does not mean being good," he said as if from miles away.

Parvati lowered her head and closed her eyes. "He is a good man, Professor. He never asked for any of this. But he never backed away. He will always be there for us. For me, I think. That's why I love him."

Snape nodded and paused for a long time. Finally, he spoke. "Thank you, Miss Patil. I would appreciate it if you did not share our little talk with anyone."

Parvati nodded as Severus Snape rose slowly and walked thoughtfully down the row of beds and exited the hospital wing.

* * *

Harry woke with a start. He looked around quickly only to realize he was still in the hospital wing. He slowly looked to his right and saw that Parvati was still in the next bed, sleeping fitfully. He rolled his head at get the knots out of his neck and shoulders and flinched from the muscle strain in his left shoulder gained in the confrontation with Voldemort. He reached to lower his blanket and flinched again as the burns on his right hand, now encased in a potion-lined glove, gave him a quick pain.

Suddenly, a freckled arm reached out from behind him to ease his effort to lower the blanket. He turned quickly, only to flinch again as his shoulder knotted up.

"Easy, now, Harry," came a familiar voice.

Harry smiled. "Ron? What are you doing up? Aren't you usually dead to the world at this time?" Harry reached for his glasses, and Ron came into view, carrying a chair. "By the way, what time is it?"

Ron returned the smile. "Well, according to my watch, it's about 5:25 am, although I can't be sure because I've never been up this early to check whether my watch works during the night, or sleeps through like me."

Harry started chuckling and couldn't stop. Ron joined in, laughing quietly. Finally, Ron caught his breath. "Keep it down, you prat. I only got to stay because I promised Pomfrey I wouldn't cause trouble."

Harry finally caught his breath. "And she believed you? She doesn't know you like I do," he said, resuming his quiet laughter.

"Here, come on. Let's move over to the corner so we don't wake Sleeping Beauty," he said, nodding toward Parvati. "Can you walk?"

Harry grinning at waking up to find his friend by his side. "Don't tell me you were here all this time."

Ron shrugged. "Well, I did fall asleep in the chair after a while and Mercy...you know Mercy, Madame Pomfrey's assistant?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, she made me lie down over in the corner for a while. Then I had this dream about Snape and blood or something and I woke up. Maybe he was a vampire or something. Otherwise, I guess you would have been waking me up."

Harry chuckled, then smiled fondly at his friend. "Don't worry. We're going to be fine. I think Pomfrey's keeping us here to keep us away from the press and the Ministry types."

Harry rose, but suddenly felt a little light-headed. Pomfrey had explained that he would be weak for a day or two as his body and his magic slowly returned to normal. Ron grabbed him, but Harry waved him off and walked over to a bed across the aisle and sat up on it.

Harry looked at his best friend fondly. "You didn't have to stay all night. I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

Ron shook his head. "Look, I had a tough enough time sneaking back in here. I came in with Professor Flitwick, who did a song and dance for the Aurors until Pomfrey came out and gave them the nod. Otherwise, I would still be out in the back of the crowd outside," he whispered.

Harry's eyes opened wide. "There's still people out there?"

Ron nodded. "A half dozen reporters were still camped out in the corridor at midnight when I snuck in, along with some minor ministry types and a few students, including a few of your firsties. Sam and Cassie, Willie and Maura, and the Beaver and the Toad have been in and out. The other four hung around until they got chased away by McGonagall. Don't ask me how the rest managed to escape her attention. And just about all the rest of the house has been up to ask about you, along with lots of people from the other houses. And you'll love this. Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini from Slytherin were up here, as well."

Harry chuckled. "Millicent I can understand. She was always the best of that lot. But the Ice Queen, too?"

Ron smiled. "Didn't I hear that her little sister Gina tried asking you out in the library? Maybe insanity runs in her family."

Harry started. "Who told you about Gina?" he said with a small smile. "I never told anyone."

"Oh, a fly on the wall...a Lavender fly on the wall," Ron said with a broad smile.

Harry looked puzzled. "How did she...?"

Ron laughed quietly. "She was in the next row in the library and overheard your little romantic rendezvous. She was so impressed how sweetly you let the poor girl down that she practically swooned...isn't that her favorite word?...Yes, swooned as she recounted the scene for Parvati, Ginny, Seamus and me."

Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. Then his face clouded. "How about Hermione? How is she doing?"

Ron's demeanor changed. He sighed deeply. "Well, now. You really know how to muck up a situation, don't you. She took off out of here in tears and hasn't come out of her room...or at least hadn't before I snuck out of the house to come back here."

Harry lowered his head and sighed. "I was afraid of that." He paused for a long time, contemplating the complexities of the situation. Finally, he looked up at Ron. "I'm sorry, Ron. I guess I did muck things up."

Ron nodded. "How long has all this been going on?" he asked, motioning to Parvati.

Harry looked away again. "Just a couple days, really. It happened so quickly, I can't explain it."

Ron nodded. "That's why you were in such a panic to get me to take Parvati out."

Harry felt terrible about everything. He hadn't planned to fall in love with Parvati. But he couldn't deny it. Harry nodded back. "I told you about our night dancing around in the common room on Wednesday night after lights out. We had such a good time together that, for the first time, I really noticed how nice and how much fun she was. But when I woke up in the middle of the night the next night and came down to the common room for a workout, she was there again. And we talked and laughed and snuck out for some ice cream. That's when I started to realize I had feelings for her. And I couldn't do that to you. So, yes, that's why I pushed you to take her out. Better, and simpler, if you two got together."

Ron nodded. "I guess I was a little put out when you told Hermione and...well told Hermione and I was here to hear it." Ron seemed to pause in thought for a long time. "Actually, I was kind of mad at you at first. Then, after thinking about it, I realized that I almost lost my best friend for the second time in a few months. And I had to come back. Because you are my best friend," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Harry said quietly.

"You know, I really should be pissed at you."

Harry nodded and hung his head.

"I mean really pissed."

Harry's head hung down even farther. Ron was right. He was a horrible person for stealing the girl Ron had been crushing on since the start of the term. Harry rose his head to apologize, as if that would be enough. But Ron was giving him a wistful smile.

"You know how tough it is to be your friend?" he said quietly.

Harry closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "I'm really sorry, Ron. I told you I didn't mean to fall in love with Parvati. It just happened," he said sadly.

Ron sighed. "That's not what I mean," he said quietly. "You're special. People recognize that. You're always there for me. You're the best friend I could ask for. A brother. But you're special. But I'd like to be special once in a while."

Harry gave a rueful sigh. "You are special."

Ron hung his head in concentration. "No I'm not," he said finally. "People look at you and know. They look at me and shrug. Just another Weasley."

Harry looked sharply at his friend. "You are special. Being a Weasley is something to be proud of. I would have loved to grow up with you, with your family. Being a Weasley is the first thing that makes you special. But it's not the only thing," Harry said urgently.

Ron blinked. "What?"

"Ron. You are part of a proud, independent, decent clan. When was the last time a Weasley was ever thought of as less than honest?"

Ron shrugged. "Still, I'd like for someone to see me as something other than just another Weasley or Harry Potter's pal."

Harry closed his eyes in sorrow. "You are special. Look at what you've done. By the end of first year, you'd won 50 points for Gryffindor and helped rub the Slytherins' noses in it when we won the House Cup. Everyone knew your name. In second year, you helped rescue Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. And you are a Hogwarts legend for driving your dad's old Anglia to school. Why do you think Malfoy is always picking on you?"

"Because we're poor," he said sullenly.

Harry widened his eyes in exasperation. "No poorer than half the students here. Look at Colin and Dennis Creevey. Their father drives a lorry. Or what's-her-name, Amy...Hatten in Ravenclaw. Her father's a dock worker."

"Their families are Muggles. They're here on scholarship," Ron muttered.

Harry stared intently at his best friend. "No, Ron. Malfoy doesn't pick on you because you're poor. He does it because he's afraid of you."

Ron started. "What?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Ron. You're smarter than he is. You're bigger. Tougher. Braver. More popular. And you're certainly a lot better looking than old ferret-face," Harry said with a snort. "Draco Malfoy, the albino rat boy."

The two friends chuckled.

Harry turned again to his friend. "And once you get some practice in, I'm sure you'll be a better Quidditch player than him. You're everything he wants to be, but isn't. So he falls back on his family's money and influence to protect him. And when that doesn't work, he's got Crabbe and Goyle. And God only knows what will happen to all that now that his father tried to kill Parvati and me in front about 30 witnesses."

"Azkaban," Ron said matter of factly.

Harry snorted. "If they can find him." He turned back to his friend. "So you see, you are special. Special enough for Malfoy to fear you. And special enough for everyone in the school to know you and respect you and admire you...at least those who don't fear you."

Ron sat and contemplated this. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "I guess you're right. I just wish...well, first I liked Hermione, but she liked you. Then that got bollixed up and then it was supposed to be Parvati and me, but...well."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry," he said in a small voice.

"I should be pissed at you over that...but I'm not, you know."

Harry gave his friend a puzzled and embarrassed look. "You're not?"

It was Ron's turn to look down. "I was never in love with Parvati," he said in a barely audible tone.

Harry gave his best friend a puzzled stare. "No?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't know. I thought she was pretty and all. Then I told her so on the way here on the Hogwarts Express and everyone started to make such a big deal about it and...well, I kind of liked the idea of being with a pretty girl and all. But...I don't know."

Harry pursed his lips and pondered. "I don't know either," he whispered.

Ron sighed. "I kept thinking about what you said about Hannah and Ernie. You know, about just being comfortable walking around holding hands and stuff." Ron paused and frowned in concentration. "But Parvati's...I don't know. She's scary. Like holding hands is okay, but I think like she'd want to be doing things together and all. Like it's a lot of work. I'd have to keep thinking up new stuff for us to do and worrying about whether she'd like it and whether I could keep her happy."

Ron paused again and Harry waited for his friend. "And she broke Dan Turley's nose. And everybody heard her yelling at Kevin Entwhistle when they broke up. They say you can still hear echoes of her screams at him in the Astronomy Tower stairwell."

Harry started giggling again, and Ron had to shush him several times before he could catch his breath and regain his composure.

"Look, do you want to listen or not?" Ron said with a small frown.

Harry looked contritely at his friend. "I'm sorry, Ron. All of a sudden, when I start laughing, I can't stop," he said with a small smile.

Ron snorted. "Well, you'll be laughing if she decides to do a Dan Turley on you," he said with a wry grin. "It's not like you're Wayne Hopkins's size, or even my size. She could probably knock you into next week if she had a mind to," Ron said with an evil grin.

Harry smiled, but this time kept his composure. "Look, Dan Turley made a pass at her. And you know what a jerk he is. And Kevin? Well, he can be a little thoughtless. You've heard some of the comments he's made in Transfiguration. Like he says something, and then thinks, instead of the other way around."

Ron shrugged.

"Is that why you had such a lousy date? Because you were afraid of her?"

Ron shrugged. "No. I just figured I'd always be afraid of doing something wrong," he said with a sigh. "I don't want to go with a girl who...well...never knowing if I'm doing stuff right or if she's going to get mad at me or something. But everyone said we should be together and I guess I went along because she was pretty. But, well...I just want what you said. A nice girl who I can hold hands with and who I can know likes me...and just me. You know. Someone I can relax with, not someone I have to be on guard about."

Harry nodded. "I think I understand."

Ron was quiet for a long time. "But not Hermione?"

Harry turned silent now. He thought for an even longer time. Finally, he spoke. "You know, when I was growing up, I was never allowed to ask questions or stuff. I really wanted to know about my parents, but my aunt and uncle used to scream at me or threaten to take a belt or a paddle to me when I asked about them."

Ron was confused by Harry's sudden shift in conversation. But he was getting used to Harry's recent habit of sometimes going on and on in elliptical ramblings. As he listened to Harry, he allowed himself a small smile. Ron knew that Fred and George would never let him get away with rambling. Nor would the ever-impatient Percy. Nor Bill or Charlie, who always seemed to be in a rush.

Then suddenly, a thought that had been bubbling just under the surface from previous recent conversations with Harry burst through. Harry didn't have a Fred or a George. Nor a Percy. Nor Bill or Charlie to tell him how to express his innermost feelings, about what you talked about, and what you didn't. Harry never had anyone to talk to like this, and probably never before had talked about what he was feeling or thinking. At least not until this summer.

Harry didn't really know how to express himself, Ron thought. So the words just flowed out in a stream of consciousness, a flood, a torrent of 15 years of pent-up emotions, heartaches, fears, and dreams. And all because Harry trusted him, Ron thought. It was often confusing to understand what Harry was going on about or where he was headed. But Ron understood now that Harry was giving him a gift, trusting him with what was in his heart. And Ron would do his best to understand. And when he couldn't, he would just listen.

Ron looked intently at Harry. "They were really bad, those Dursleys."

Harry nodded. "So I never thought it was right to ask people things or talk about yourself."

Ron now had a puzzled frown. "We talk about stuff."

Harry looked at Ron. "That's cause we're best mates. I can talk to you about stuff that I can't talk about to anyone else."

Ron nodded solemnly.

Harry was breathing heavily. "Then this summer, I met Sara. Things were pretty bad. I was having nightmares about Cedric and Voldemort. And my aunt and uncle were being horrible. And I kept meeting nice people who seemed to be interested in me. Then I met Sara. She seemed kind of stuck up at first. But she was so pretty. And she started asking about you and me and Hermione, and seemed real interested in me and what I thought," Harry said with a sigh.

Ron gave Harry a confused look, but waited patiently for his friend to continue.

"Then she asked about, you know, cute boys, like girls always seem to do. I thought about Cedric, and how he was good looking and nice and how she would have really liked him. And that reminded me of how he was killed and everything just sort of piled up in my brain and I told her. And I cried. I felt so stupid. I was embarrassed and wanted to run away..."

Harry was now becoming animated and upset and paused. He took a deep breath and slowly regained a calmer and more thoughtful tone. "But she wouldn't let me run away," he said softly. "She was so nice. And talking to her helped me so much that I stopped having as many nightmares. That's when I realized that it wasn't so awful to be able to talk to people about what you were feeling. That's why I decided to tell you about Hermione."

Ron blushed. "Yeah, and I guess I was a real prat."

Harry shook his head. "No, Ron. You needed time to think. So did I."

"Still..."

Harry shrugged. "I was a little worried. But you and I are friends. And I shouldn't have worried. I know that now."

Harry sighed. "But I also talked to other people I met. I really talked to them, especially after I moved in with the Strowbridges. And I realized that people do talk about what's on their minds and about themselves. I realized that most people don't go through life with their mouths shut and their heads down."

Ron nodded absently, deep in thought.

Harry was now looking off into the distance. "But I was always afraid to talk to Hermione about that things deep in my heart. And she never really talked to us about stuff on her mind. And there were millions of things I would have liked to know but was always afraid to ask, like she would think I was prying or something. Like, I don't even know what her parents' names are. Do you?"

Ron shrugged. "Stan and Maud."

Harry frowned and sighed.

Suddenly, Ron looked up. "Maybe that's not fair. It's not like we talked all that much about stuff we thought about to her, either."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe," he said absently. "I didn't want her to think I was whining or make her upset over the Dursleys. Plus, it's hard to talk to a girl you like. Like I talked about all sorts of things with Parvati on Friday night, after she came to get me when she was upset about your date."

Ron's eyes went wide. "What? You didn't tell me that."

Harry blinked. "Oh..."

Ron was looking intently at Harry. "What happened?"

Harry shifted, uneasily. "Well, she came up to the dorms to get me late Friday night. She was upset that you two didn't hit it off. I told her I would talk to you for her, but she...I don't know. I guess she figured neither of you were interested in a follow-up date. And we talked about a lot of things. And I started to realize that here was a nice girl, someone who I could talk to, who was interesting, who could make me laugh. Someone who I wouldn't have to ask permission from each time I wanted to hold her hand, but who would probably grab my hand first," he said with a small, distant smile.

Ron sighed. "I never thought of her like that."

Harry shrugged. "Neither did I."

"And Hermione couldn't do that?"

Harry face took on a melancholy cast. "I wanted her to be the one. I really did. But every time I wanted to talk to her or anything, something kept happening to stop us." Harry sighed. "I wanted to talk to her on the ride to Diagon Alley, but she kept looking out of the window, and I couldn't seem to get her to talk. Or on the Hogwarts Express. But she seemed more concerned about talking about being a prefect, or Malfoy and what I said to him. Or lots of times in the library. Or when I wanted to go picnicking. And when I finally got up the courage and did tell her how I felt about her in the library, she seemed...well, you know what happened. It was like the Dursleys all over again. Keep your mouth shut and your head down and you'll keep out of trouble. But speak your mind, say what's in your heart and you get punished. It took Parvati to show me that talking about how you feel with a girl you like is okay."

Ron pursed his lips again. "Hermione likes you."

Harry closed his eyes in sorrow. It was several minutes before Harry spoke again. "Ron," he said quietly. "Could you look after her?"

Ron looked at Harry intently.

Harry took a deep breath. "Look, you saw how I was after...the library thing...when I told her, or at least tried to tell her how I felt. Well, I guess I ended up doing the same thing to her when I told her that Parvati and I were a couple. And I think she's probably as fragile as I was. So she's probably really mad at me."

Harry turned sad eyes up at Ron. "And she doesn't have a best friend as a roommate to share her problems with. She never was that friendly with Parvati and Lavender and she sure isn't going to turn to either of them now. So she's going to need someone to lean on. And you're her best friend. I ...I don't know if she's going to want me as a friend anymore. So she's going to need you more than ever." Harry took another deep breath and closed his eyes, wishing for once that things in his life could be simple.

Ron nodded. "I'll try."

* * *

Ron finally left to go back to the dorms to wash up for breakfast. Harry returned to the bed next to Parvati and leaned back against his pillows, shaking his head. 'Why couldn't things be simple?' he thought. He turned to his right to look at Parvati. She was looking back at him with an anxious expression. "Parvati," he whispered. "I didn't know you were awake."

Parvati nodded. "You still care about her, don't you?"

Harry blinked. "You heard all that?"

She nodded. "Enough to understand what you two were talking about. But you didn't answer my question. You still care about her, don't you?"

Harry leaned back against his pillow and thought for a few moments. Closing his eyes, he answered. "Yes, Parvati. I do."

Harry could hear Parvati sigh and then shift in her bed. "Do you love her?" she asked in an anxious voice.

Harry paused again, trying to figure out how to answer this most important question. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

Her turned to face Parvati, whose eyes were wide in fear and anticipation. "No, Parvati. I don't think I do."

"Are you sure?"

Harry leaned back against his pillow. How could he explain all the complexities and emotions running through him at this moment...that had been running through him for the past few days...or for that matter, the past few weeks.

"I thought I loved her..." he began, and paused, still struggling with his feelings. He sighed and Parvati waited patiently, still upset and concerned. "She's...ah...well, you have to realize that Hermione and I were close for a long time. Since the beginning of first year. She was the only girl I really knew...that I really cared about or trusted. Then, when I realized how pretty she had gotten, I started to think that I was falling in love with her."

Harry paused again, and heard Parvati shift in her bed again. He glanced over and she was now lying on her side, watching him closely. He suddenly felt he could tell this girl anything and she would understand, even if she didn't like it. He took another deep breath. "She had kissed me on the cheek as we said goodbye at the end of last year at the train station. And I thought about that kiss all summer. The beginning of the summer was a combination of heaven and pure hell for me. Then, when my uncle beat me and almost killed me, she was what helped get me through."

He heard Parvati gasp. "What?!? He beat you? He tried to kill you? Why didn't you say anything about this? What happened?" she exclaimed, wide-eyed, almost babbling as her questions tumbled out in a rush.

Harry looked at her, feeling the pain of all that had happened in the past summer. He sunk his head into his pillows, closing his eyes and trying to concentrate on how to tell the story. But he knew Parvati needed to know in order to know him. He took another deep breath.

"You have to understand. My aunt is my mother's sister. My aunt always hated my mother. I guess she was jealous of her baby sister. And my aunt was a Muggle. So she hated me and all I represented, like I was there just to remind her about how special my mum was and how ordinary she was. I had the same powers that my mother had. So when Dumbledore left me with the Dursleys after my parents were killed, my aunt and uncle hated and resented everything I was and did everything they could to deny my abilities. I wasn't normal, in their eyes. So I was treated with suspicion. Every bit of accidental magic I performed was looked at as an act of defiance...an affront to what they thought of as respectable. And I was punished severely for anything I did wrong for as long as I can remember."

Parvati grunted in sympathy.

"But this summer, I started to get out of the house more and realized how nice people were. That the Muggle world was not made up of greedy, brutal, suspicious people. Many were willing to help me, to talk to me, to offer advice and guidance, or just listen to me, all the things my aunt and uncle refused to do."

Harry opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment. He was still confused about what exactly had happened in early July. But he felt he had to tell the story as best as he could.

"Well, I was doing all this work for my neighbors, mowing lawns and painting fences and sheds and helping with carpentry and stuff. And I was earning money for the first time. But then my uncle took all that I had earned. Then when one of my favorite neighbors asked me why I wouldn't go out on a Friday night to have fun, I let slip that I didn't have any money to have fun, that my aunt and uncle took it all."

Parvati exclaimed in outrage. "Those nasty people."

Harry nodded and continued. "Well, Mr. Nichol...he's the one who taught me karate...apparently told other people and I guess it got back to the Dursleys. So my uncle hit me a couple times...I don't know how many times because next thing I knew, I woke up in the cupboard, sore and dizzy. And they locked me in there, just like they did when I was young and had to live in there."

Parvati was sitting up now. "You lived in a cupboard?"

Harry nodded sadly. "They only let me out a couple times to go to the bathroom. Finally, Reverend Strowbridge rescued me. I guess people complained that I wasn't showing up to cut their lawns like I promised and he came to investigate. I found out later that I'd been locked in the cupboard for four days."

Parvati had now gotten up and got into Harry's bed to hold him. Harry, almost without noticing, put his arm around her shoulder and continued.

"In the hospital, they told me I would be all right. But I told Dumbledore I would never go back there again. I would run away if they tried to make me go back. But he and some Muggle authorities who know about us agreed to let me stay with Reverend Strowbridge and his wife Mae for the summer. And it was wonderful. They were so nice to me. I wish I have grown up with them, instead of the Dursleys," he said with a sigh.

Parvati, who had laid her head against Harry's chest, sighed as well. "They knew about you? About our world?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. They were told. But it didn't matter. They loved me anyway."

Parvati just lay there, listening to Harry's heartbeat as his chest rose and fell with each breath.

Harry blinked a couple times. "But you asked about Hermione. During all that time I was with the Dursleys and the time I was locked in the cupboard, all I seemed to think about was Hermione. Tony--Reverend Strowbridge--asked me who Hermione was after I came to in the hospital. When he finally found me, all I said was her name before passing out, he told me. Thinking of her was what got me through it all. And afterwards, some of the Muggle friends I met teased me about her, saying she was my girlfriend. I even wrote to Ron, even though I thought he might like her, too, and get mad, to tell him I liked Hermione."

Parvati tried not to react, but she frowned and felt a shiver go down her spine. "And what happened when you told Ron and Hermione about all this?"

Harry paused. "I didn't tell them."

Parvati looked up, her eyes red-rimmed with the tears she had shed over Harry. "Why not?"

Harry gave a noncommittal look. "Well, I told Ron that I had a fight with my uncle and Dumbledore decided I would be better off living elsewhere. But I think Ron knows it was really bad and the move was made to protect me."

Parvati now looked intensely at Harry. "And Hermione?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want to upset her. Look, I figure that people were under enough strain, what with Voldemort back and the O.W.L.s coming up. They didn't need to hear about my problems."

Parvati sighed and lay back on Harry's chest. "You couldn't trust them to handle it?"

Harry looked off to the side. "Well, Ron would get all upset and angry and rant and rave about going after the Dursleys and all that. I didn't want that. And Hermione...well, I don't know. I figured she'd get all weepy and sympathetic and I wouldn't be the same person in her eyes as I was before. I've always tried to be the strong one and I just didn't want them to pity me."

Parvati shut her eyes. "But you could tell me," she murmured.

Harry looked down at the back of Parvati's head. "I guess so. I figured you would understand. I don't know how or why, but I figured I could trust you not to think I was a jerk or a child or something. Just like I could tell you about Hermione."

Parvati looked up at him. "But you still didn't really answer me. Do you love Hermione?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I could have fallen in love with Hermione. And we could have gone along like we have, even being a couple. But I kind of realized when I was with you that I could never talk to her the way I seem to be able to talk to you. I could have gone through life with Hermione, maybe even marry her and have children together, always being afraid to tell her what was deep in my heart, what I felt or was afraid of or things like that...never even realizing that this was allowed. I would always be afraid of her reaction, that she would think less of me and not like me as much. It's like living with the Dursleys. I never realized how nice the Muggle world could be until I was out among the Muggles in the neighborhood. And I never realized that I could talk about what was in my heart to someone special and have her love me anyway. You taught me that."

Parvati suddenly intensified her grip around Harry's chest and began to weep. Harry reached up and stroked her hair. "I love you, Harry," she whispered through her tears.

Harry closed his eyes, squeezing out a tear of his own. "I love you, too."

* * *

The tall gaunt man with the long, unkempt hair walked slowly and cautiously up the road from Hogsmeade. It was dawn and there was very little activity. He saw the lights still burning in the windows of the castle ahead, showing that there were a few people awake. Possibly many.

He approached what he knew was the border to Hogwarts. He knew from when he was in his seventh year, playing with his friends at Apparation games, where the wards started. He knew that they started a good fifteen yards in front of the gate. He was unsure whether this was intentional or simply the fact that those who installed the permanent Apparation wards were sloppy or simply inept.

The man held three parchments in his left hand and his right hand was poised over the handle of his wand. He didn't know if it was a trap. The letter from the Ministry could be a ruse. But the second parchment, a letter from his best and oldest friend, could not be. This he knew. His friend would never consciously betray him. But still, he was wary and slowed his pace as he approached.

Finally, he thought of the third parchment. The Ministry might lie to him. His best friend might be deceived. But not the headmaster. He stopped just steps away from the wards. He looked carefully around. There seemed to be nothing moving among the long shadows on this chilly, early October morning. He took a deep breath and crossed the wards and entered onto the grounds of Hogwarts.

* * *

Samantha Bauman quietly made her way down the stairs with the other pretty Gryffindor first year, Cassandra Young, in her wake. "Don't worry, Cassie. It's past 7:00. We are allowed to be out."

Cassie nodded, but still felt uncertain. They had been shooed away from the corridor around the hospital wing early last night. But the two first years were determined to see their favorite people, Harry and Parvati.

They entered the corridor and Sam smiled as she walked up to the entrance to the hospital wing. "Hello, Ben," she said in a quiet friendly tone.

Ben Chadwick, one of two Aurors on duty at the entrance to the hospital wing, turned and smiled at the two. The two pretty young girls had been there at the entrance to the hospital wing almost constantly from the moment they brought Harry and Parvati in and they had chatted endlessly with the Aurors on duty.

The Aurors were enchanted by Sam's stories of her Muggle fishing boat captain father and her craggy Grampa. And the were enthralled by Cassie's descriptions of her life as the daughter of two of the wizarding world's most famous actors. The ten Aurors now on assignment to protect Harry and Parvati, and the rest of the students at Hogwarts, had virtually adopted to two little charmers.

"Hello, Sam, Cassie. Not yet, I'm afraid. We're all waiting for the families to come in first," Ben said with a smile, then motioned them over with a nod.

Sam and Cassie quietly walked up to Chadwick. "Can't let you in with them reporters here," he whispered, nodding to the group camped out in the hallway.

The most prominent of the group was Rita Skeeter, who was desperately trying to find stories she could sell. She had been fired from the Daily Prophet after disappearing without warning and without a trace for nearly three months during the summer. Now, she was struggling as a freelance journalist, and Harry and Parvati were the biggest game in town.

Skeeter sat there with her fellow reporter and favorite photographer, B.Z 'Bozo' Zorch. They were playing a quiet game of wizard's chess and trying not to look like they were listening in. Skeeter shook her head. Bozo had been a photographer, stringer and hanger-on at the Daily Prophet who had parlayed Rita's absence into a full-time writing job there. And he had learned all her tricks during their years of partnering. She didn't hold it against him. She would have done the same thing. But somehow, his face seemed to be on every pawn that got destroyed on the chessboard.

Suddenly, Cassie's eyes lit up and she got a mischievous look on her face. She leaned toward Ben. "But Ben, we got a pass from a ministry official downstairs," she said in a stage whisper. "He said only Gryffindors and reporters are going to be allowed in, and only with a pass."

Suddenly, the half dozen reporters casually rose and, without looking at each other, began edging toward the staircase down to the ground floor. By the time they reached the stairwell, they were sprinting and elbowing each other out of the way.

Ben and Sam looked at Cassie, who was giving them a sly smile. "My mum and dad used to do that all the time to get rid of reporters or nosy fans." She then turned and gave Ben her sweetest smile. "Can't we just see Harry and Parvati for a minute," she asked in a little girl voice.

Ben smiled at them indulgently and was about to let them pass when he froze and stared. "Donnie," he whispered through clenched teeth to the other Auror standing guard. "Get Cyrus."

Sam and Cassie turned to follow Ben's stare to see a tall, thin stranger approaching at a slow, wary pace. His face was in shadows. He was dressed all in black and, instead of a robe, he was wearing a long, dusty, black overcoat.

Cyrus Jordan, wearing just slacks and a tee-shirt, was in the hall immediately despite just being awakened from his hospital cot next to the hospital wing entrance. He blinked a couple times and then slowly put his wand, which he had palmed in anticipation of trouble, into a loose holder on his belt.

He took one last look at the stranger before speaking. "Sirius Black. Welcome back to the world."

Author's Note: Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed Dance With Me Harry and who encouraged me to continue on with a sequel. This is it. I hope it doesn't disappoint.