By My Side

Chapter One.

"So remind me again," said Harry to Ron, "Why Hermione isn't coming to the Burrow this summer."

"She has to spend the last two weeks of the summer with this new girl." Ron explained for what felt like the thousandth time. He hadn't only had to tell this story to Harry, but to his mother, his father and all five of his brothers. Ginny had also wanted to know, but by that time he simply thrust Hermione's letter in her face, he was weary of explaining. "I wish she had just taken out a piece in the Daily Prophet." He sighed.

Harry knew what kind of sigh that was, he and Ron had been best friends for four years now, and he knew not to push Ron any further after that kind of sigh. He decided to move the conversation on to more neutral things. "How are the Cannons doing this season?"

"Bloody terrible." Ron answered as they made their way up to the Burrow. Harry had caught the Knight Bus to get to the little village of Ottery St Catchpole, and Ron had met him by the village square. It was late, around 3 in the morning, Harry guessed (his watch was still not working after the second task in the Triwizard Tournament.) Harry decided to lay off Quidditch as well as Hermione.

"It's nice to be back." Harry thought aloud as they reached Ron's front door.

"Come in boys, come in!" Molly Weasley smiled, opening the door. As soon as Ron and Harry set down Harry's heavy trunk they had been carrying between them, Mrs Weasley rushed to Harry and threw her arms around him. He returned the hug gratefully, remembering how she had comforted him in the Hospital wing when he returned Cedric's dead body to his family. "How are you Harry dear?" She asked, holding him away from her at arms length and studying his face with a sad smile.

"I'm fine Mrs Weasley, thanks." Said Harry, setting his glasses straight on his nose when they had fallen aside in the embrace.

"I've made up an extra bed in Ron's room so the both of you can go straight up. Don't worry about that trunk, I'll get Charlie or Bill to levitate it up in the morning."

With that, a now very tired Harry and an even tired Ron made their way up to the top room in the house and fell into bed and directly to sleep.

******

In the next week, Harry tried hard (as he had been doing all summer) not to think about how he would feel returning to Hogwarts. Voldemort was back, and Harry knew he would be prime target. Part of him felt scared, but he was mostly angry at the way Voldemort had disrupted his little world. Harry knew things would never be the same again, he had been having terrible nightmares all summer about Cedric falling dead beside him, and the duel with Voldemort which resulted in his seeing the ghostly figures of his mother and father. He silently kept remembering the tender way in which his mother spoke and the courageous way his parents had once again shielded him from the wrath of Voldemort.

Harry and Ron played Quidditch in that week, and laughed along with Fred and George as they prepared to set up their joke shop business. It was the twins final year at Hogwarts, yet there was no air of worry or foreboding around the two. Harry was glad of their cheeriness, as it distracted him from his own up-coming exams. Ron was grumpy most days, and Harry assumed it was because he wasn't seeing Hermione this summer. Harry could feel that Ron saw Hermione as more than a friend these days, he had begun to suspect it after the Yule ball, but the way Ron reacted to Hermione seeing Victor Krum in the holidays had confirmed his worst suspicions. He didn't mind Ron and Hermione being together, its just that he wasn't sure Hermione felt the same way about Ron that Ron did about her. In fact, from the few letters Harry had received from Hermione over the summer, he suspected that Hermione thought of Ron very much as a friend, and not only that, but quite an immature friend as well.

They would be leaving for Hogwarts on the Saturday, so on the Wednesday before that, Mrs Weasley escorted Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Ginny to Diagon Alley to get their school things. Ginny met up with her now fourth year friends immediately, so Ron and Harry decided to go off and get their things alone.

"Standard Book Of Spells Grade 5." Harry read from his Hogwarts letter in Flourish And Blotts. The assistant (whom Harry noticed Ron eyeing up) reached up and retrieved two copies of the book by Miranda Goshawk and laid them on the counter.

"Anything else?" She smiled sweetly.

"That's it." Harry nodded, as Ron seemed mentally suspended. The assistant rang up the books in separate piles, and after handing over their recently gained Galleons and Sickles, the two left the shop.

"Seems weird doing this without Hermione." Ron pointed out. Harry noticed how quickly he had forgotten the girl in the shop.

"Well she has to spend her time with this new girl, doesn't she? She's only doing what has been asked of her, and you know Hermione, she loves a good task." Harry smiled at the memory of his friend, and all the ways she had helped them by going to research in the library, especially finding out which creature was in the Chamber Of Secrets in their second year.

"So, you ready for fifth year?" Ron asked a little more cheerily as they settled down for ice cream, throwing their new purchases aside.

"Almost." Harry said glumly, looking down his list, "I think I just need - "

"I don't mean like that!" Ron laughed, snatching the piece of parchment from Harry's hand and stuffing it in his pocket, "I mean, you know, we're all grown up now." Harry pondered on Ron's words for a moment. His friend had shot up over the summer and was now considerably taller than Ginny and Mrs Weasley. Harry had also grown, he knew he would have to get himself a new set of Robes, as his others were now just above his ankles. Also, if Harry wasn't much mistaken, he could have sworn Ron had started shaving. He was about to point this out in a jovial manner when his friend went on, "George got his first girlfriend in fifth year."

"Did he?" Harry asked. He and Ron hadn't talked about girls much since the Yule Ball and he figured now that Ron must be ready for confiding in him about girls. Harry watched as his friend's eyes fell on almost all the girls that went past. Harry tried to hold back a laugh. So Ron had finally found his hormones.

"Yeah, you know, that blonde girl from Hufflepuff. They weren't together long though." Ron began picking absent mindedly at the table cloth. "So," He went on, after a slightly pregnant pause, "how were the Dursleys this summer?"

"As dreadful as ever." Harry smiled. At the time, Harry would never have smiled when thinking of how the Dursleys were treating him, but now, away from them, and sitting in Diagon Alley with his best friend, he could look on the situation with a light-hearted air.

"Did you get many letters from snuffles?" Ron asked, lowering his voice.

"No." Harry shuck his head. "He wrote one, but only to tell me he wouldn't be able to write again in case the letters were intercepted, and because he was very busy. He and Professor Lupin have been working on something to do with Dumbledore and his plans to safeguard Hogwarts from Voldemort."

"Don't say that!" Ron said, with a stricken face, and looked around suspiciously. Harry smiled. It was good to be back with Ron. He only just realised how much he had missed his flame haired friend while he was away. Silently, Harry knew Hogwarts would feel different this year, but, he consoled himself, it wouldn't be all that bad, if Ron and Hermione were there.

"Tell me about this new girl then." Harry looked to Ron, as they started to tuck into their ice cream which had been brought by the waiter.

"Well, Herm was bragging that she got to look after her and tell her all about Hogwarts because she was not only a prefect (which I think we're going to be hearing a hell of a lot about this year, if you ask me) but because she knows Hogwarts : A History from cover to cover." Harry laughed. He too, had been made prefect this year, and although he had told Ron, he didn't want to go on about it as he knew how sore his friend was at being overlooked for the post.

"So did this girl go to Durmstrang or Beaubatons or something?" Harry asked.

"No. She's never been to Wizarding school. Herm was very fishy about it in fact. All she said was, this girl was educated at home by her Grandma since she was a baby. Her Grandma was a Professor when she was young, so she taught her all she knows about being a witch. Her Grandma died last year though, so now this girl has to come to Hogwarts."

"Must be weird," Harry commented, "To suddenly be plunged into Hogwarts in the fifth year."

"Hmm, I suppose." Ron said, wiping a drip of ice cream from his chin, "But Hermione says this girl is a really clever witch. She wasn't too happy when I suggested this girl might be a rival for Herm's position as top in every class. It's a good job term hadn't started, somehow I think she would have taken house points from me if it had." Ron grinned.

"It's gonna be hell with her this year." Harry laughed, agreeing.

"She'll be worse than Percy!"

"We might have to set Fred and George on her." Harry grinned.

"We'll use that as back-up." Ron nodded.

"Use what as back-up?" Ginny asked, appearing between the two. She put her hand on Ron's shoulder, but didn't dare do the same to Harry as her crush still made her colour red at his touch. She still didn't think she had got over the incident in the Chamber in her first year where Harry had saved her life from the evil younger Voldemort, Tom Riddle.

"Nothing." Ron said quickly, "Lads business."

"Don't be a meanie!" She laughed, poking him in the side, leaning in for a scoop of his ice cream with an extra spoon she picked up from the table.

"Oi!" He swatted her away with his hand and she laughed more.

"Here Ginny, have some of mine." Harry offered, "Too much for me anyway." He smiled as he pushed his ice cream towards her. She blushed a little then began to scoop at his ice cream.

"Where did your friends get to, anyway?" Ron asked his sister.

"I could take that as a 'get away, we don't want you tagging along' Ronald Weasley, but I won't, as I'm such a good sister." Ginny giggled, "They had to go back to Muggle London for a few things."

"Looking forward to fourth year?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Definitely looking forward to Professor Lupin being back. Professor Moody really creeped me out, I couldn't figure out his magic eye. He may be a werewolf, but Professor Lupin is much kinder, and he really knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have him back." Ron agreed.

"I bet Dumbledore got some stick when he decided to take him back on as Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher." Harry commented, throwing down his ice cream spoon and sitting back in the afternoon sunshine. Ginny couldn't help noticing how nice he looked when his fringe fell down over his eyes like that.

"Hmm, especially from the likes of Lucius Malfoy." Ron spat.

"Well he couldn't hardly keep Professor Moody on after what happened at the end of last year, could he?" Ginny asked, missing the apprehension which shot over Harry's face before disappearing as fast as it had appeared. Ron, however, knowing his best friend like no one else, did notice, and decided to move the conversation on to happier topics.

"I wonder who will replace Oliver Wood as team captain this year Harry."

"I'd wondered that myself." Harry admitted.

"I think it should be you." Ron observed, also now throwing down his ice cream spoon and sitting back, his face to the sun.

"I hardly think so Ron." Harry said, blushing a little. It would, of course, be his dream to captain his house team at Quidditch, but it was just exactly that, a dream. "There are much better, and older, players than me, Angelina for example, or Katie Bell."

"Yeah, but you're the Seeker, aren't you?" Ron now sat up enthusiastically, his eyes shining the way they always did when he spoke about his favourite sport. "And you're the youngest Seeker we've had at Hogwarts in -"

"A century, yeah, I know." Harry finished, laughing. He had finished that exact sentence for Ron in their first year when McGonagall had appointed him Gryffindor Seeker. Ron smiled.

"You have to promise me," He said, pointing a warning finger at Harry, "That if they ask you, you will say yes."

"But Ron, I -" Harry started in retaliation.

"No 'ifs' or 'buts' Harry, you'll say yes." Ron reclined in his seat once more, "I'll help you, it'll be easy."

"What about strategies and game plans and formations?" Harry asked, a bemused look on his face.

"You can handle it Harry!" Ginny said, speaking up. She had tried to stay quiet through the conversation, but finally had to speak her opinion. "You've got an almost 100% record for Gryffindor. You're the best we've had since Charlie!" Ginny's obvious pride in her brother showed clear when she spoke of his Quidditch triumphs.

"This is all too much." Harry laughed, blushing scarlet and burying his face in his hands. Ron and Ginny then broke out in laughter at their embarrassed friend.

"What's wrong, Potter? Just realised your life can't get any worse now you've taken to hanging around with two Weasleys?"

The cold, cutting voice, broke the jokey atmosphere as the three turned around to see Draco Malfoy snarling behind them. His pristine robes of green were billowing in the slight breeze passing down Diagon Alley and ruining the perfect summer afternoon.

"Get lost Malfoy." Ron said, standing. Quick to defend his family's honour, Ron's hand went instinctively for his wand in his jacket pocket.

"What are you going to do, Weasley? hex me in front of the whole street so you can get done for underage magic and get thrown out of Hogwarts?" Draco laughed coolly, looking at his nails, then back up at Ron. "Now that really would be a bad end to an awful life. Well, if you figure you're not going anywhere in the first place, go ahead Weasley, take your best shot." At this, Malfoy opened up his arms and smiled a sickly grin.

"Forget him Ron." Harry said, going to his best friend and taking his wand out of his hand. "Now push off Malfoy, you're ruining a perfectly nice day." With that, Harry picked up his and Ron's bags, and motioned for the two Weasleys to join him walking back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Mrs Weasley for the trip back to the Burrow.

"I swear, I'll finish him off this year." Ron fumed when Harry had given him back his wand.

"He just wants to get to you Ron, don't let him." Harry replied coolly. "Besides, we have far bigger enemies to fight this year. I suggest we put Malfoy on the back-burner." There was a silent second while Ron let this sink in, realising his friend was right.

"I bet he's been initiated this summer." Ron hissed to Harry when Ginny had dropped back to look in a shop window. "Malfoy would want his son to show You-Know-Who just how loyal a servant he is."

"You're right." Harry sighed. "We need to get a look at his arm. Any trace of the Dark Mark and we go straight to Dumbledore, otherwise Malfoy might be capable of this we couldn't stop by ourselves."

******

The last week or so at the Burrow were happy and easy for Harry. There had been no word of Voldemort all summer, and his scar hadn't hurt once. For a moment, Harry thought the whole thing might have just been a nasty dream, but as the days grew nearer for returning to Hogwarts, the realisation was sinking in. This year the memory of Cedric Diggory would be hanging over the whole school, and Harry felt himself that he would just be waiting, wondering, who would be next. He knew he was the top of Voldemort's Most Wanted list, but it was who the Dark Lord would get to first that bothered him.

Finally it was time to leave for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the bags were packed into the two Muggle taxis Mr Weasley had booked, with the same upset as last year concerning Hedwig and the excitable Pidwidgeon. Crookshanks was missing this year though, so the chaos wasn't quite as bad.

At the station, Ron and Harry were the last to pass through the barrier and when on the magical platform, the first person they saw was Hermione Granger, she seemed to be looking for them in the crowd, and the second she spotted them, she bounded over with a brisk step.

"There you are!" She smiled, her eyes shining. "I thought you would miss the train!" She gave both boys a small hug.

"After second year? You don't think we're that stupid do you Herm?" Ron asked, now the same colour as his hair after the show of Hermione's affection. Harry stifled a laugh, looking at his friend, squirming in his own skin.

"How about I don't answer that one Ron?" Hermione smiled cheekily, her Prefect's badge gleaming in the sun. There was a witty retort on Ron's lips when he was cut off by a girl running over to them.

"Herm, have you seen my dad anywhere?"

The girl was about their age, with short black hair, cut in a boyish but sexy style. She had the most gorgeous blue eyes, Harry observed, and she was, in his opinion, the prettiest girl on the platform. She was wearing flared blue jeans that set off her eyes and a tiny tight red t-shirt. Harry had a hard time keeping his eyes on her face.

"He was talking to Seamus's father last I saw him Eve." Hermione addressed the girl with a warm, friendly smile. "Oh! boys, before I forget," Hermione pulled Eve into her circle of friends. "This is Eve, the girl I've been spending the summer with. Eve, this is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."

The girl's eyes lit up. "Ron! Harry! Hermione has told me so much about you!" She shook hands with both boys and Harry caught a look of Ron's huge grin. He could tell Ron appreciated Eve's beauty as much as he did.

"It's nice to meet you." Ron spluttered out.

"Hope Herm's been looking after you." Harry said, his voice sounding a lot more confident than he felt.

"Yeah, she's a great teacher." Eve laughed, turning her eyes to her new friend and slipping her arm through hers in a link. "Although I think I know Hogwarts : A History from cover to cover now!" Hermione laughed at this, as they all did, and Harry noticed something different about Eve's laugh. Unlike other girls their age (who more often giggled, than laughed) the laugh was hearty and had a throaty quality to it. It was also infectious, and Eve's pure personality seemed to stand out when she laughed. She would throw her head back and smile at the sky. It seemed to Harry that she radiated some kind of feel good factor, because as she hurried away to find her dad, he felt lighter in his heart than before she appeared.

"Have you seen her dad?" Hermione asked, "He looks much better this year."

"What do you mean Herm? Eve is new, and we have just arrived, how would we know what her dad looks like?" Ron asked as they began to mill through the crowd towards the train.

"Don't you know?" Hermione asked, stopping and turning to her two friends, sounding like she had that first day on the Hogwarts Express when she asked if Ron was doing magic.

Both boys shook their heads and Hermione sighed in an exasperated fashion, rolling her eyes. Obviously, her initial glee at seeing her two best friends had worn off already.

"Eve's dad is Professor Lupin!" Hermione shook her head once more and flounced off towards the train again. Harry and Ron exchanged shocked glances.

"But she's so......." Ron started. Usually, Harry wouldn't have asked him to carry on, but he was really interested, for some reason.

"So.....what?"

"Hot." Ron frowned. They both smiled, then their smiles turned to wide grins. "Hey, you don't think this means she's a werewolf too, do you?"

"Nah." Harry shook his head, then laughed. "Well, I hope not!"

"Oh yeah?" Ron poked him in the ribs, "What are you thinking of trying, Potter?"

"Nothing." Harry blushed, pulling Ron to the train. "Hurry up, or we'll miss it!"

****

On the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Ron found a compartment to themselves near the end of the train. Throwing their bags down and collapsing into their comfortable seats, Harry clutched his stomach, "I hope the sweet cart comes round soon, I'm starving."

"Hmm." Ron nodded. He had a kind of faraway look in his eyes, and Harry sensed there was something wrong with his friend.

"What's up?"

"Do you think........aw, never mind." Ron shook his head as though trying to shake off some mental cloud. He looked out of the window, while something caught Harry's eye out in the corridor.

"Hermione." Harry said, meaning she was outside, and he was shocked when Ron carried on talking.

"Yes, I guess it is her."

"No!" Harry stopped him with a smile, seeing Hermione was coming into their compartment. "I meant Hermione, outside, look." Ron turned to the door.

"Oh, yeah." Ron blushed furiously, and pushed his head is his newly bought 'Standard Book Of Spells - Grade 5.' Harry laughed as Hermione came in with a bright smile.

"It's nice to see you making an effort this year Ron." She said, sitting next to him, observing his book.

"Oh, yeah, great." Harry heard him mutter from behind the pages. For a second, Hermione tried to see what he was reading but Ron just moved the book further away and she eventually gave up.

"So! Harry, how was the summer?" Hermione asked, with an anxious look.

"Not bad. The Dursleys were as horrid as usual, but Dudley seemed to have chilled out a bit over the year. He seemed strangely happy actually." Harry frowned.

"Oh! maybe he has a girlfriend!" Hermione giggled.

"No, he hasn't changed that much." Harry smiled, glad to be back in the company of his friends, with whom he can be open and honest.

"Where's Eve?" Ron asked, now obviously feeling ready to come out from behind his book.

"With her dad somewhere I think."

"Is she....."

"A werewolf?" Hermione laughed, "No Harry, she's not. Apparently there is a risk of it passing down in the family, but usually it isn't the case. A bite is needed."

"I didn't even know Professor Lupin had kids!" Ron said, throwing his spell book back in his bag and relaxing next to Hermione in his seat.

"Neither did I until Professor Dumbledore got in touch with me at the start of the summer."

"How come you never said who she was in your letters?"

"Don't know." Hermione shrugged, "Never crossed my mind. I told you she was Eve Lupin, then figured you'd guessed."

"Ron said that she's coming to live at Hogwarts because her Gran died, is that true?" Harry asked, feeling sad for the girl he now knew to be bubbly and full of life.

"Yeah. She lived with her Gran and Professor Lupin all her life, but when her Gran died last year she had no one to teach her except Professor Lupin, and as he's been re-instated as Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, she has no choice but to follow. She can't live alone in the Muggle world, she's not old enough."

"Poor Eve." Ron said quietly.

"Hmm, she's a little scared, thinks she might be sorted into Slytherin." Hermione smiled, "But I'm sure she'll be in Gryffindor, she's been the perfect friend while I've been with her!"

"Did she stay at your house?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Although she has always known she was a witch, she grew up in the Muggle world, so she didn't freak mum and dad out too much. She has a huge love of all things Muggle though," Hermione laughed, obviously recalling an incident in her head, "She loves Muggle music the most, always has heaps of CDs around her, I don't know how she'll cope in Hogwarts without a player."

"CD's?" Ron frowned.

"Discs that play music when you put them into a special machine." Harry explained with a smile. Ron still seemed puzzled, but nodded.

"She sounds cool." Ron nodded his approval, and at that, Eve entered their carriage.

"I've been looking for you three everywhere!" She smiled, throwing herself next to Harry. Once again, Harry felt the relaxed aura she had calm him. She was sitting very close though, he noticed, and smiled at her. She didn't seem to find anything wrong with the proximity though, and babbled on as though she hadn't made Harry quiver all over. "Dad has been fussing. He thinks he needs to protect me from everyone." The infectious laugh they had all witnessed earlier rang out once again. "He thinks I'm five, not fifteen."

"He's probably just worried about you, being in a new school and all." Hermione smiled, "I think its sweet, he obviously dotes on you."

"Oh, he does." Eve nodded ferociously, "And I dote on him too, he says it's like having Gran back, pestering him all the time to take his Wolfsbane potion and checking if he's feeling tired." Eve smiled warmly. "I love him heaps," She picked at the frayed end on her jeans pocket, "But I wish he wouldn't worry so much!"

"What's it like?" Ron asked. Harry could tell that he regretted being so forceful the moment the words were out of his mouth. Eve however, didn't flinch, seemingly used to this question.

"Having a werewolf for a dad?" She asked, and Ron nodded cautiously. Eve considered it for a moment then sighed. "Kind of tiring. When I was small, I was really confused about the whole thing, all I knew was that my daddy was away three nights of the month, and I've always been a daddy's girl," She smiled, "So it was hard. Gran helped out a lot, would try to explain to me as best she could, but it wasn't until I was about ten that I fully understood, and for a while there I think I thought everyone's dad was the same!"

Hermione laughed. She obviously hadn't had the balls to ask this question through the summer, Harry observed, as she was listening intently. He wondered what the two girls had discussed, about him and Ron? he wondered if Eve knew all about the Chamber of Secrets, and about the Triwizard Tournament.

"It was awful when dad came to teach at Hogwarts. I missed him so much!" The sadness could be heard in Eve's voice, and Harry noticed Ron was listening with a small frown. His friend obviously had sympathy for the pretty girl next to him, as Harry did himself. "Sometimes though, with hindsight, I'm sort of glad. The last year that Gran was alive, we spent together, just the two of us, every day. It was nice." With that, Eve sighed, and looked up at the three attentive faces. She cracked a smile. "I talk about my Gran a lot," she apologised, "And quote her quite a bit, so sorry in advance."

"You talk quite a bit, full stop!" laughed Hermione good naturedly.

"Dad's always telling me to listen a bit more." Eve smiled, "And Gran would say - " At this, the girl broke into a fit of laughter, "Opps! there I go again!"

Harry and Ron were smiling. "No, go on," Harry encouraged, "What did your Gran say?"

"Okay." Eve smiled, "She would say to me, 'Evelyn-Jane, how about you hush-up every once in a while and give other folks a chance?'"

All four carriage occupants laughed. Harry and Ron and Hermione laughed at Eve's impression of her Grandmother's voice, and the face she pulled when impersonating someone who was clearly very dear to her.

"She sounds funny." Ron smiled. Harry could see his friend was taken with the new girl, as was he, and he found himself hoping very much that she was sorted into their house.

"Oh, she was." Eve nodded again, "She was always making me laugh with stories from her childhood."

"I bet your dad misses her." Hermione said quietly.

"She kind of knew how to deal with him best." Eve said, sitting up in her chair and swinging her legs a little. "She looked after him since he was a baby and always used to know exactly what to do and when. She would be prepared right through the month for those three days. I heard she was real scared to send him to Hogwarts, she thought people would find out about him being a wolf straight away, and something terrible would happen, but when he met James and Uncle Sirius, she knew he would be alright."

It was only at that second that Harry realised Eve's father and his father had been best friends. He was about to say something when Ron butted in.

" Uncle Sirius?"

"Yeah," Eve looked confused, "Dad said you knew about him being out of - well, you know." She lowered her voice, "Azkaban."

"We do." Harry nodded, "He's my Godfather."

"Yeah," Eve smiled, turning a little in her seat to face Harry. As she turned, their legs made a little contact and Harry felt a tingle run all the way up his body. "He told me all about you."

"Why do you call him uncle?" Ron asked, frowning. Eve broke her eye contact with Harry to answer Ron.

"Well, its polite, isn't it? He's my dad's best friend, and I spent most of last year and the summer with them both so I can't keep calling him 'Mr Black', now can I?"

Suddenly, although the idea had earlier seemed alien, Ron now looked as though everything made complete sense.

"I guess." He nodded, with a smile curling at the ends of his mouth.

Harry now felt as though he had a million questions to ask the girl sitting beside him. Like, why hadn't Sirius mentioned her in his letters, and how much did she know about Dumbledore's plans to organise a group against Voldemort. The question that was up-most in his mind though, was why did she make him feel certain things he'd never felt before, even when he was gazing at Cho across the Great Hall last year, he hadn't felt so..... well, the only words he could find in his brain were 'turned on'. But that made it sound something crass, like in the dirty Muggle videos he knew Dudley had stashed away somewhere in his room. No, he thought, this was something more....gentle, warm, and even a little scary. Harry wondered for a split second that he might just grab her and kiss her. Now what sort of scene would that make? he could just imagine the articles (all written by Rita Skeeter) in Witch Weekly and the Daily Prophet about his 'uncontrollable lust'.

"Harry?" Eve waved a hand in front of his eyes, trying to bring him back to the land of the living.

"Sorry," He smiled, "Mind was somewhere else." He blushed when he noticed Eve's hand was resting on his knee in a concerned gesture. Ron caught the look and grinned at his best friend.

"Bet it was." He said under his breath, but Harry just about heard him and playfully kicked his friend in the shin.

"You two, stop fighting, the food trolley is here." Hermione said bossily, and rose from her seat to inspect the food cart.

*****

When they had all finished eating and drinking, they realised the time was drawing nearer to their Hogwarts arrival, and Hermione took Eve off to change into their robes. Eve explained she just had standard issue ones with the Hogwarts crest on, as she didn't yet know her house. Both Harry and Ron could see her fear slowly mounting, but never once did she stop smiling or laughing and cracking jokes. When both girls were gone, Ron sat back in his seat.

"So," He said with a grin, "What do you think of Eve?"

"She's nice." Harry said calmly, pretending to be engrossed by something on the back of his chocolate frog box.

"You can say that again!" Ron said enthusiastically, and Harry could hold it back no more.

"I know." He laughed.

"She's really funny too." Ron smiled, "I like the tales of her Gran, she's great."

"Hope she gets sorted into Gryffindor." Harry nodded.

"Me too." Ron agreed, then added quickly, "But Hermione is still......." He became lost for something appropriate to say, and began to blush, but Harry stepped in and helped his best friend out.

"Wonderful?"

"Yeah." Ron nodded with a small smile. Then it was his turn to be engrossed by something on the back of a chocolate frog box.