Sun shone in a beam down through the dusty air on a quiet form sitting on the window sill. His bag was packed and sitting near his feet on the floor. He was calm, but less than certain as he stared out the window at the warmness of the early summer day. Where would he go from here? What would happen next? What did destiny hold in store for him now? All questions that he would have to wait and wonder about.

"Hey."

Harry turned his head to see Decklan standing a few feet off.

"Hey," he greeted back. It had been a quiet few months since he'd returned from the Dursleys and gotten things straightened out with his grades, though Decklan had remained friendly throughout. Harry was sure now there were no ulterior motives about the boy now, but was still unsure about becoming friends with someone again.

"Everybody's ready to leave. They're all waiting in the Entrance Hall for a teacher to walk them down to the train."

"Oh," Harry said. He turned back to look out the window for a moment, but turned again a moment later when Decklan said quietly, "I heard you're going home with Professor Snape."

"Yeah."  He motioned to his bag on the floor. "Said he lives on a lake somewhere in the woods."

Silence passed between them for a few more moments before Decklan finally worked up the nerve to say what he had to say. "Harry... I told."

For the first time Decklan had seen that year, a small smile passed over Harry's lips, and then disappeared again. "I know."

"You do? Did Professor Snape tell you?"

He shook his head. "I just know the type of person you are. It wasn't hard to figure out you'd tell eventually."

Decklan's face fell, but seeing this, Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't mean it like that. You're trustworthy, really. I mean you're the type of person to do what's right. Besides, you said you'd keep my secret for a week, and you did, longer than that really."

"You're not upset then?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Get to go someplace else don't I?"

Decklan grinned then and said, "Won't it be wild living with Professor Snape? I know the Slytherins say he's got a dungeon in his basement he keeps naughty kids in, but I'd rather think he's got his own pitch in the back yard. He used to fly you know. He was a Beater for Slytherin when he was in school."

Harry's brows raised so high they disappeared into his fringe. "He was?" Hm, that might explain a little more about the rivalry Professor Snape and Harry's father had during their school days. Something similar to himself and Draco he supposed.

"It'll be... different," Harry admitted. If someone had told him even six months ago he'd be living with Snape he would have owled the special ward at St. Mungos to have that person hauled in for examination.

"What about you, where are you off to after this?" Harry asked, jumping off the ledge and slipping on one shoulder strap of his bag.

Decklan shrugged. "Don't rightly know do I? The Arrows are looking for a Chaser. I might go for that. I sort of fancied a job managing one of the teams in some fashion though."

Harry smiled as they began walking down the hall. "Yeah, that would suit you."

"Yeh think?"

"Yeah, I do."

* * *

The Entrance Hall was a flurry of movement and excitement. Students stood in groups of friends chatting animatedly about their summer and exchanging writing addresses and in some cases Muggle phone numbers. Amongst them was Decklan, who stood on the stairs talking with Ethan and Elissa about Quidditch.

The voice of a younger boy from Hufflepuff brought Decklan's attention away from the conversation.

"I bet he's going to an orphanage. I heard they were kicking him out after this year for the trouble he's caused." Looking over to where the boy was pointing, they found Harry following Professor Snape across the Entrance Hall, back pack slung over his shoulder.

Scoffing Decklan crossed his arms and said, "Don't be stupid." He gave a pointed look in Ron and Hermione's direction, seeing as how they were standing just a few feet away. "He had every right to be like he was this year."

"Says who?" the mouthy second year snapped.

"Me!  And Professor Snape," Decklan added as an afterthought.

"Me too," Ethan said.

"And me," Elissa added. Decklan nodded his approval. They knew snippets of what had gone on with Harry, but only because certain things had filtered across the school, none from him.

"Harry's staying with him this summer because last summer his family took him on vacation and then left him there without any money or anything. And when he went home for Easter, they were gone. The whole house was packed up and moved away. So next time you think you know everything about everybody just keep your mouth shut." He gave a glance in Ron's direction to be sure he had heard. He had a feeling that none of Harry's former friends knew the real reason for his behavior, although he had stretched the truth a little to save Harry the embarrassment of coming back covered in bruises.

Thinking on it now, Decklan thought that maybe Harry hadn't handled things well this year, but he couldn't say he blamed him now that he understood some things about him. Decklan might have done the same given the same circumstances.

As Decklan moved off with his friends, Ron and Hermione shared a look of shock and sadness. Their friend had been trying to struggle through something, and instead of sticking by him, they had gone their separate ways.

"Maybe Professor Snape will allow visitors," Ron said after long moments as Harry and Snape disappeared through the great oak front doors, voice low and ashamed.

"What if Harry doesn't want to see us?" Hermione worried quietly.

Ron sighed and said, "Maybe he doesn't. But true friends would try to be there for him anyway." And with that he moved off to find Ginny and tell her what had happened, and what had changed to make him finally understand. Harry wasn't the only one hurt that year, because like ripples in a pond, when one friend hurt, they all did.