The weather was still warm, but the air had a feel of coolness, typical of the weather in September so far north. Ron and Hermione kept leading the way, talking about the troubles of being Prefects in a school with so many unruly children. Harry wanted to listen, but he had to concentrate all his attention on carrying the picnic basket.

The longer he carried it, the heavier it got until his arms were hurting (probably more a result from a week of training than a basket full of food). Finally, when no one was looking, he whipped his wand out and spelled the basket to become lighter, taking half the weight off. However, he must have done the spell wrong because the weight of the basket kept fluctuating. It would be half its weight one second and the next it would be lighter and keep growing lighter until it started to rise up in the air and Harry had to hold the handle tight to keep the basket from floating away.

Draco trudged along, obviously not liking the idea of going along which a bunch of Gryffindors, but not wandering too far off either. Harry thought as he shoved the light basket down a few inches that Draco was really putting it on that day. Even after Draco had declared to Harry that he was not going and they had tussled, the blond had stopped fighting rather quickly. Draco had sneered that if nothing else would make Harry happy then he would go along, but Harry felt that his reluctance was more show than anything else.

"How much farther?" Ron asked as they walked up another round hill, go higher and higher.

"Just a bit more," Hermione replied.

"We've been going on forever," Draco muttered.

Ron turned around to say something mean, but Harry quickly said,

"I suppose we'll have a ruddy good view of things from up here. I've always wanted to go up here, but I never - oh, just wait."

The other three watched as he fought to keep the basket down. But it was growing lighter and lighter, rising six feet over the ground and starting to put Harry up as well.

"What have you done?" Hermione demanded, whipping out her wand. She canceled the spell, and the basket fell down, pulling Harry's arm with it.

"Ugh," Harry grunted as he went down, but he heaved the basket back up. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just carried the basket packed with rocks."

"Too much for your weak arms?" Draco asked smugly.

"Watch it, Malfoy," Ron growled.

"We are not going to fight the whole picnic," Hermione declared. "I didn't go to all this trouble just to hear you bicker. Come on, Harry, it's not that heavy!"

He scowled at her, but lugged the basket with both hands. Fortunately, they were only fifty feet or so from the spot Hermione had picked for them to eat.

And it was a beautiful spot - a grassy flat space that dropped off to overlook the castle and the lake below it. The trees were shorter here because they were so high, and several large birds flew beneath the edge of the cliff, giving the four teenagers the feeling that they were on top of the world.

However, they were all a bit sweaty and winded from the hike up, and they spend several minutes just looking out and breathing hard.

"I'm hungry," Ron finally said.

"I told you," Hermione tried not to look too satisfied with herself. "I knew we'd be hungry after a long trip. But let's play a game first."

The three boys all looked skeptical, and Draco nearly snorted, but Harry decided to play along. After all, there was no point in climbing so high just to eat and turn right back around and go back.

"What kind of game?" Harry asked.

"It's a Muggle game," Hermione admitted.

Draco scoffed again, but Ron looked interested.

"Like those bideo games Harry told me about?"

"Video," Hermione corrected, "and no, I don't have a television up here."

"Harry said they make bideo games small enough that you can carry around and put in your pocket," Ron objected.

"No, Ron, there are no video games," Hermione protested.

"What about board games?" Ron went on. "Harry says they have games like chess but you go round and round past something called Go! and you can be thimble or even a tiny hat."

"I have no board games," Hermione raised her voice a notch, her frustration showing.

"Too bad," Ron sighed. "Those would have been fun."

"This game is fun, too," she persisted. "It's called I Never."

"You never?" Draco asked, confused.

"She never," Harry grinned. "Have you never, Ron?"

"I've never I Never," Ron joked.

"No, that's not how you play the game!" Hermione cried. "Stop fooling around and sit down on the grass."

Once they all sat, she went on to explain how the game would be played. They would take twenty large leaves from a nearby bush. Then they would go around in a circle and say things they had never done.

"Like I would say ‘I've never played Quidditch'," Hermione went on. "Now, the three of you would put a leaf in the middle pile because you've all played Quidditch. Then it would be Ron's turn, and he would say something he had never done. We go around five times, and whoever has the most leaves left would be the winner. Got it?"

"Isn't this a drinking game?" Harry queried as he began pulling off his leaves from the bush.

"Yes," Hermione frowned, "but we aren't drinking alcohol and we don't have enough pumpkin juice. Okay, Harry, you start, and then I'll go and then Ron and finally Draco. Ready?"

"Sure," Harry tried to think of something that he had never done. "Uh, er, I've never . . . traveled outside Great Britain."

Hermione put a leaf in the pile and so did Ron and Draco. Harry was winning, but he tried not to look too pleased with himself.

"My turn," Hermione said. "I've never seen a gigantic spider."

Harry put a leaf and Ron did as well with a shudder. Draco hesitated and then put a leaf in the center pile.

"When did you see a gigantic spider?" Harry asked.

"My father once showed me one, but it wasn't alive," Draco replied. "Did it have to be alive?"

"No," Hermione replied with a small smile, "and thank you for being honest. Ron?"

Irritated to have Hermione smiling at Draco, Ron bristled and said, "I've never been spanked by Snape."

"Ron," Hermione hissed, but Draco was already putting a leaf in the pile. Harry did the same, giving Ron a look that told him to watch it. Ron had forgotten about Harry's secret, and he shrugged apologetically.

It was Draco's turn, and Harry cringed inwardly, expecting the question to be really hurtful. But Draco only said,

"I've never completely read any school textbook."

Hermione gasped, shocked at such information as she put her leaf in the pile. Ron grinned because he didn't have to put a leaf in, but Harry slowly put his leaf.

"When did you read a whole textbook?" Draco demanded.

"Over the summer," Harry admitted. "Two in fact - Transfiguration and Potions."

"I knew you were showing off in class," Hermione protested. "‘I studied a bit over the summer' - likely story."

"Who cares? Harry, your turn," Ron said.

They went around, their statements growing more outrageous as they kept going. Ron admitted that he never learned to tie his shoes - he just spelled them together once he got his wand. Hermione confessed she had never tasted ice cream - her dentist parents had scared her with horror stories about what it could do to people's teeth, and even now she wouldn't touch the stuff. Draco had never been in Muggle car, and Harry had never tasted alcohol, Muggle or Wizard brand.

Ron won the first game with four leaves though Harry was close behind with three leaves to Draco's two and Hermione's one. They played another game, and Draco won though Hermione was close behind.

Then Hermione announced they could eat, and they tore into plates of sandwiches, cold chicken legs, slices of apple, and glasses of pumpkin juice still chilled. Hermione had even gotten them all cups of chocolate pudding, two apiece, and Harry really thought it was the best meal he had ever eaten.

With the taste of chocolate lingering in his mouth, Harry stretched out on the ground and closed his eyes, letting the sun soak into him.

Hermione began packing up the basket, saying, "Ron, why don't you come help me wash the plates off?"

"I'll do it," Harry said, but he didn't move or open his eyes.

"No," Hermione announced, "I want Ron. We'll be back."

Harry grunted in reply and then went back to enjoying the sun. He was feeling wonderfully full and tired and warm, moments from drifting off.

"You know what they're doing, don't you?" Draco suddenly said.

Harry turned his head towards the direction of the voice and opened one eye. "Huh?"

"Those two," Draco nodded in the direction where Hermione and Ron had gone. "They're together."

"Yeah, they went to wash the dishes," Harry nodded.

"No, together," Draco stressed the word as if that explained everything. "Like snogging together."

Harry sat up at that. "Ron? And Hermione? No, they like each other, but they aren't interested in each other that way. He thinks of her as a sister, like I do."

Draco looked straight at him. "This time I think I have every right to call you a stupid Gryffindor. You honestly don't see it? Fine then, I dare you to go find them and see what they're doing. I guarantee they aren't just being friends, washing dishes. Why even wash dishes? - let the house elves do them later."

"You're out of your mind," Harry pulled himself reluctantly to his feet. "I'll go find them and they won't be doing anything odd."

It took a few minutes to track them down - once he heard the sound of the mountain spring, Harry headed towards it and he saw Hermione's blue shirt before he could hear anything. He wondered why they weren't talking, but as he drew near, he could see them talking in quiet tones, Ron facing Hermione and saying something very different than his usual complaints and grumbles because his face was all strange. The dishes were stacked at their feet, completely ignored.

Hermione seemed to be nodding along with whatever Ron was saying, and then she lifted her hand to touch his freckled cheek, the tips of her fingers reaching the edge of his red hair. Ron leaned towards her and kissed her once, very quickly, but on the lips.

Harry froze, sure he was hallucinating. Draco was playing a trick on him, blinding him with some ridiculous vision. But then Hermione leaned forward to kiss Ron, and then they started snogging. They had their hands all over each other - Hermione grabbing Ron's short hair and (to Harry's horror) Ron had one hand in Hermione's hair while the other reached down to grab her waist before reaching up to cup the underside of her breasts.

Harry found himself backing up quickly, not making a sound as he crept away. In a daze, he made his way up the cliff where Draco was still sitting on the grass.

"Well?" Draco asked.

"I hate you," Harry slowly sat down.

"Told you," Draco smirked, but Harry kept staring down at the blades of grass.

After a few minutes of silence, Draco said, "Go on, tell me what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" Harry repeated. "I - I don't know. What can I think? They were kissing - he was touching her, too."

"So Weasel's not a complete prat around girls," Draco smirked again, almost lecherously.

"Stop it," Harry protested. "They're my best friends - but you know, I can't figure it out."

"What's to figure? He's a bloke, she's pretty in a Mugglish bookworm way, end of story."

"It's just - Ron, you know," Harry shook his head. "I always thought I was the more - you know, older of us. I mean, he's smart and a Prefect and capable of handling stuff, but I've done more what with Voldemort and people dying and -"

"You thought you would get a girlfriend before he did?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Think much of yourself, Potter?"

"Says the most arrogant student in the whole school," Harry retorted. "No, I just thought we both would wait - oh, forget it. You're arrogant, and I'm an idiot. Happy?"

"So they're together - no reason for you to go mad."

"But it changes everything," Harry insisted. "They're together, and I'm the odd man out. As least you're not dating."

"Who says I'm not?" Draco challenged.

"You're not dating," Harry declared. "You're all alone and pathetic so I don't feel so bad."

Draco opened his mouth to say something, maybe declare he was in love with someone who loved him back and they were planning to elope, but Hermione and Ron were coming up the path, Ron carrying the clean dishes. Hermione's hair looked a little more messed up than usual, and Harry would have sworn Ron's collar was buttoned before he left, but it was open now.

"Took you long enough," Draco commented. Harry wanted to kick him - Harry's cheeks were turning red and burning as he tried to concentrate on the grass and not think about what he saw.

"How would you know how long it takes to wash dishes?" Ron retorted as he set the dishes in the basket.

"No fighting," Hermione sat down on the grass. "Let's just enjoy the nice weather. Ron, tell them about the thing you told me earlier, the things about the tongues."

Harry thought his face would burst into flames, but Ron said easily,

"Oh, yeah, Hermione and I were reading in the library about the uses of bird tongues in potions. We couldn't figure which bird tongues could be used. Think you could ask Snape about it, Harry?"

"Yeah, Harry," Draco turned towards him, "don't you want to ask Snape about tongues?"

Harry thought he would give anything to throttle Draco right then and there, but he couldn't without arousing suspicion so he settled for glaring at him.

"Uh-oh," Hermione said in a whisper. "I think we have a visitor."

She glanced quickly towards the trees and back at Ron. Harry looked in the same direction, and he saw a little boy ducking behind the trees.

"It's Worty," he whispered to the other three.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"A first-year Slytherin."

"Ugh," Ron made a face at Draco, "you're everywhere these days."

"Should we call to him?" Harry asked Hermione, but Draco had a different idea.

"Worty, get up here, or I'm pushing Harry off this cliff."

Immediately, the little boy dashed up the path, protesting, "No, don't."

"What are you doing up here?" Ron demanded. "First-years aren't supposed to wander so far from the castle."

"I wanted to see where you had gone," Worty drew near Harry, his eyes worried. "But I got lost in the woods and couldn't find you until just now. I wanted to talk to Harry."

"Well, he's busy," Ron told him. "We're having a picnic and you weren't invited."

"Ron, that's not nice," Hermione chided. "Come, Worty, sit down. You can talk to Harry in a minute. We have some food - are you hungry?"

Worty nodded, and Hermione began pulling out the leftover food. For the next while, Worty ate the food, sitting happily between Harry and Hermione, and Ron and Draco looked disgruntled, but said nothing.

Once Worty was finished, he looked up at Harry. Harry smiled, tried to be kind and encouraging to the little boy, but suddenly Worty's face twisted and he fought against tears.

"Oh, what is it?' Hermione asked softly, reaching out to touch the boy's hand. "Don't be sad. We aren't upset with you."

"I'm in trouble," Worty confessed. "Well, not yet, but I'm going to be."

"What do you mean?" Ron squinted in confusion.

"I did something really bad," Worty admitted, twisting his fingers together.

"Like what?" Draco asked.

"I wanted to see Harry and I couldn't find him," Worty said in a tiny voice. "I knew sometimes he goes to the dungeons to see Snape, and I knocked on the door and it was opened. So I went in."

Harry caught his breath, already worried. "You didn't touch anything, did you?"

"I didn't mean to," Worty objected. "I just saw one jar of stuff on his desk and I picked it up, only it was slippery and I dropped it."

Worty saw their horrified expressions, and he stammered on, "I tried to clean it up, but it got all over the floor and then I bumped into the desk and a stack of papers fell into the mess."

"What kind of papers?" Hermione asked slowly.

"I think they were student papers," Worty confessed. "ButI thought I could find something to replace the jar so I went to the door on the right -"

"Oh, no," Harry groaned. "Not the potions store. Please not the potions store."

"I tried to find the right bottle in there, but I knocked two others over," Worty said unhappily. "Then I got scared and ran, but I think Snape heard me."

"You're dead," Draco decided.

"Draco," Hermione scolded, but the blond shook his head.

"No, Worty, Snape is going to use you to chop up and put in his next potion jar. You can't start breaking things in his office."

Worty looked miserable, and Harry spoke up,

"It was his first mistake - he won't ever do it again."

"Like Snape will care," Ron scoffed.

"When did you do it?" Harry asked.

"Early this morning," Worty said. "I ran upstairs and Snape followed me. I hid, but he saw the four of you, only you were going on a picnic. He walked away, and I followed you because I was afraid he would catch me if I stayed inside."

"So you did it before we left," Harry realized. "Okay, fine, it'll work then."

"What will work?" Ron asked.

"I'm taking the fall for this," Harry explained. "I'll tell Snape I did it."

"Are you mental?" Ron exploded.

"Yeah," Draco agreed, "Snape will tear you to pieces."

"Probably," Harry nodded, "but I'll confess and then tell him I'll never do it again. He won't be happy, but I go to his quarters almost every evening so he'll accept that it was an accident."

"What about not telling him?" Draco asked.

"And then running away?" Hermione added.

"I'll make something up," Harry decided. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but I'm not having Worty get into trouble. It's hard enough your first year here and you make so many mistakes and the teachers rag on you. We'll just say Worty owes me one and leave it at that."

"You're actually taking the fall for him?" Draco shook his head. "How very . . . not Slytherin."

"Yeah, welcome to the Gryffindor way," Ron retorted.

Hermione looked like she would like to protest that they were teaching Worty to lie, but she only said, "Well, I guess we can go back. The picnic's over."

As they walked back, Ron handed the basket to Draco who scowled but carried it. Worty kept glancing worriedly at Harry as if he felt guilty for letting Harry take the blame but was too scared to refuse. Going down to the castle was much easier than the hike up had been, and all too soon they were walking into the castle.

They all stopped, and Harry turned to face them.

"Well, here I go. Hopefully I'll see you at supper."

"What if you and Worty went together?" Hermione suggested. "Maybe you could explain -"

"It's the potion store, Hermione," Harry interrupted. "All bets are off when it comes to the potions store. Believe me, I know."

"But he's not even potions master anymore," Hermione protested.

"Still, it's his store," Harry argued. "It'd be like someone trying to destroy your own private library if you had one."

Hermione considered this and blankly said, "Oh, you're dead, Harry."

"Thanks," he gave her a tight smile. "Well, good bye."

They stood together, watching him like he was headed towards execution. Harry turned and walked slowly down the stairs to the darkness of the dungeons.