Harry scanned over the parchment in his hands one last time, making certain every line had an answer. He was fairly certain he had at least 90% of the exam right, but it was that last 10% he was unsure of unfortunately.

"All finished there, Mister Potter?" his Runes professor asked with a raised brow.

His eyes darted back to question five. Was that the home rune? Or . . . Frowning, he snatched the nearby quill and completed the final swoosh in its symbol. There. Now that was right. He hoped.

Professor Babbling's brow raised even more as she stared at him.

"There, Professor. I'm done now."

She rolled her eyes before she snatched his exam and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. He didn't need to be told twice. He left soon after, noticing that Hermione had already been dismissed and was heading to her next class.

"Hermione, wait," he called out, jogging to catch up to her.

When he fell in step beside her a moment later, she gave him a sideways smile. "You forgot the diagonal again, didn't you?"

"No." He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant about the whole matter.

"Harry," she said with a disbelieving laugh.

"All right. Fine. Yes, I forgot the stupid diagonal again, but I remembered before Babbling saw it." He snorted when he saw his friend's amusement. "Oh, like you didn't forget anything?"

She shrugged. "Unlike you, Harry, I spent all my time studying."

"Yeah, when you weren't snogging Draco, sure." He smiled inwardly when he saw her faint blush. Served her right.

"Draco and I are just—"

"Friends, yeah, I know," he drawled. "For the hundredth time, you've said that." He heard her slight huff but said nothing back as they continued through the halls. It didn't matter if she and Draco weren't snogging. Harry knew at some point they would. He had after all seen his parents do that a lot lately unfortunately so the fate was inevitable for Draco and Hermione as well.

As they turned the corner and headed across one of the courtyards, Harry noticed Ron up ahead of them. He frowned in response. He had tried to talk to his ex-friend, but Ron clearly hadn't wanted to at the time as he only brushed Harry aside and kept walking. It was strange to thing that it hadn't been too long ago that he and Ron had been battling it out over Wizard's Chess going on about the latest essay they both had done poorly on.

Maybe it was better this way, Harry thought glumly. Ron had chosen is way, and Harry had chosen his. He just wished it was different. That they could still be friends even though he had decided to become his own person. After all, didn't a best friend want that for their friend?

"I'll see you later, Harry," Hermione said with a wave before she broke off and headed towards her next class.

Harry continued walking behind Ron for a few more minutes. Maybe if he talked to Ron . . .

"Hey, Weasley," a voice suddenly called out from their right.

Harry turned towards where he had heard the voice and narrowed his eyes on the young man approaching Ron. Michael Corner? What was he doing hanging around a Ravenclaw?

"You coming tonight?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. I'll be there." Ron's head then turned right then left before his voice lowered. "You have it, don't you?"

"Of course I have it, Weasley." Michael then noticed Harry standing not too far away and frowned. He jerked his head towards Harry. "Think that's for you."

Harry winced inwardly, but held his ground as Ron whirled around and stared at him.

"What? Now you're eavesdropping on me too?" Ron glared.

"I'm not eavesdropping on you!" Harry shouted with his own glare. Why did everything with Ron turn into a fight nowadays?

"Says the guy standing behind me with his head craned towards me," Ron shot back.

Harry frowned outwardly and glanced towards Michael. "What does he have that you want?"

"None of your damn business, Potter!"

"It is my damn business, Ron, because you're my best friend! So that makes it my business!" Harry yelled. "Or are you too dense to realize that?"

"Dense? Oh sure. Insult the bloke when he's—"

"Um, do you two need a moment or something?" Michael interrupted before he found himself being glared at by both Harry and Ron. "Never mind. I'll just, you know, go elsewhere." He then quickly left them alone.

"You've been acting like a self-righteous git all damn year, and I'm tired of it, Ron! I nearly lost my family last year! Do you remember that? When my mum was taken?"

"Of course I remember that!" Ron shouted back. "My mum was taken too! Or don't you remember that, Harry?" When he said nothing, Ron continued. "You moped for months about her to anyone who listened. And then when you got her back, you didn't so much as even ask how my mother was? My mother . . . who was taken because of Sinistra!"

"I did too!"

"No you didn't, Potter! All you cared about was your perfect little family. The rest of us were cast aside like yesterday's news. You didn't care. You didn't even think to care. Not when you could have a family for once and be treated like a little prince!"

"Oh, yeah, Ron, because my life has been so freaking perfect!"

"Maybe not before, but it's pretty great now!"

"Screw you, Ron!" Harry growled. Why had he even considered trying to fix their friendship? It was clear Ron didn't care about it anymore.

"Enjoy your perfect little life, Potter!"

"Right back at you, Weasley," Harry snarled before he whirled around and headed in the opposite direction. Oh, his blood was boiling. Of course he had cared that Molly had been taken. She was like a mother to him as well. In fact, it was she who made certain he got aboard the train all right the first time he had traveled. Not that Ron had noticed. He clenched his teeth before he stopped and turned back. "What are you doing with Corner anyway? You hate Michael!" He couldn't stop himself from asking that question. Ron couldn't have changed that much over the past year.

"None of your business!"

Well, then, if he was going to play it that way . . . "Maybe I'll your mum then since you seem to think I don't care about her." He saw Ron blanch and felt his curiosity increase. Was he wrong or did Ron seem to really not want his mum to know about that? "Fine. Have it your way." He shrugged and headed back towards the general direction of the owlery.

"All right. Fine. You win. Okay, Harry?" Ron called out, clearly not happy. "I'm asking him for help with some my classes."

"Help?" Harry repeated, turning back. Ron never asked others for help. Unless that was Hermione and him that was.

"Yeah, okay, let's not make a big deal out of this."

"Why are you asking him for help?" He caught Ron's glare instantly and frowned.

"Because some of us aren't bookworms like you and Hermione," Ron replied snottily.

"Well, is it helping?" Harry asked.

"What do you care?"

"We played Wizard's chess almost every night together. Remember that? So, come off it with your 'What do you care?' crap. You know why I care. But in case you don't . . . you were my first friend, Ron. My best friend. I considered you my brother."

"Yeah, well, considering how you treated me after—"

"Treated you?" Harry scoffed. "How about all the fights you picked? The lying to Hermione? The backstabbing? Remember that, Ron?"

"What? So I was supposed to just roll over and lose her too?" Ron replied.

"Lose her?" Harry rolled his eyes, wondering if this was how his dad felt some days. "Ron, we don't even know what half of that stuff you're supposed to do with a girl is. So, how can you lose her?"

"Hey! I grew up with older brothers. I saw how they are with girls!"

Harry snorted. "So you saw them snog them?"

"Yeah . . . and take them back to their room sometimes when Mum and Dad weren't looking. But that doesn't matter. Hermione deserves someone much better than Malfoy."

"How do you know that? I mean, do you really know him?"

"He's a Slytherin, Harry."

"So are my parents!" Harry pointed out.

"Your dad at least, sure, but Professor Sinistra isn't your mum, Harry."

"She's as good as my mother." Why was Ron always pointing that out? He knew she wasn't his real mother, but she sure as hell did everything a mother would do. After all, a mother was a title that had to be earned. As his grandmother liked to point out, anyone could give birth. It took a special person to put her child, flesh or otherwise, above herself and her needs.

"If you say so."

"I do say so," Harry shot back defiantly. Aurora was his mother regardless of biology.

"Whatever," Ron said with a scoff before he turned and started to head away from Harry.

"She's my mother, Ron. You can piss and moan—"

"She nearly got all of the pureblood women killed!"

"She didn't! It was her mother that—"

"Oh, you mean, your grandmother?" Ron said snottily. "I mean, come on, Potter. If you claim Professor Sinistra, you have to claim her mother as well!"

Harry clenched his jaw.

"What's wrong? Only want to have that perfect family of yours, Harry?"

"Screw you, Ron!"

"Face it! You're no better than the rest of those prats in Slytherin. Always trying to make yourselves seem better than you really are." Ron's eyes narrowed when Harry took a step towards him. "You're just as pathetic as she is. In fact, life would have been better for all of us if she had died!"

Harry lunged towards Ron, fully intending to rip his ex-best friend into pieces. However, he soon realized that he was suspended in the air just a few feet from Ron, who had a surprised look on his face.

"I suggest you return to your common room, Mister Weasley, before curfew."

Harry felt his blood run cold the moment he heard his mum's voice. Had she heard what Ron said? He kept staring straight ahead and watched as Ron's face morphed from surprise into pure fury.

"I meant what I said, Professor! It would have been better for all of us—"

"Yes, Mister Weasley, I heard you the first time," Aurora repeated quietly. "Now, do as I say or I will be having a discussion with your parents concerning your recent behavior with me. And I'm certain Molly would have a few things to say about that. Wouldn't you?"

"You nearly killed her!" Ron yelled back at her.

"No, Weasley, you're mistaken!" Harry could hear the control that she had slowly breaking. "I did nothing to your mother. She was an innocent—"

"Yeah, she was, because you had to get some sort of super juice injected into—"

"You think I wanted that? To be tortured? Treated like a lab rat? Kept from my family?"

"Harry's not your son!" Ron screamed.

"You're precisely right, Mister Weasley. Ten points to Gryffindor." Harry swallowed as he heard Aurora's voice harden and become almost icy. "Both of my children died. One as a result of me being beaten by a group of my fellow housemates because I spoke out against Lord Voldemort corrupting Slytherin house." Ron's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't know that, did you? After all, there hasn't been a witch nor wizard who wasn't bad in Slytherin." She gave a dark laugh when he glanced down at his feet guiltily. "And my other child died because I was stressed beyond all belief. You see, there was a war going on at the time. So, right you are, Mister Weasley. Tell me, though. Does it make you feel better to point that out to me? Does it make up for the pain your mother underwent? If so, then do carry on. If not, then kindly shut your mouth and go back to your common room as I suggested earlier."

"My mother—"

"Is a wonderful person who would be so ashamed of her son right now if she heard you," Aurora interrupted instantly, cutting him off once again.

Ron glared at her one more time before he huffed after deciding whatever more he was going to say wasn't worth it and took off running towards the moving staircases.

Once Ron was gone, Harry felt himself be lowered back down to the ground slowly. He instantly turned back around to look at Aurora.

"I'm sorry for—"

"Don't apologize for someone else's actions, Harry," she stated quietly. "Otherwise, you'll find yourself apologizing a lot," she said with a faint smile.

"He shouldn't have talked to you like that."

"No, he shouldn't have, but he's hurting and doesn't know how to deal with everything he's feeling right now."

"That doesn't excuse him, though, Mum."

"Maybe not, but you've seen me on my worst days too, Harry, and I'm certain I wasn't all roses and sunshine then either." She sighed quietly. "Thank you for defending me, though. Not that I needed it, but I appreciate your kind words."

"It's true, though. You are my mum. Maybe not by blood, but—"

"Shared blood doesn't make a mother," she said, quoting Harry's grandmother Eileen. "I know."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah." He fell in step with her as they headed for the dungeons. It was so easy being around her. He couldn't explain it. It just was. And he wouldn't have traded it for the world. "I don't care what anyone says. You're a good mother, Mum." He felt her arm wrap around him a moment later as she gave him a sideways hug.

"Thank you, love."

He nodded jerkily, not sure of what else to say. Well, he knew of things to say, but he was sure that she didn't want to hear him ranting about Ron and how dense he was being.

"Well, what do you think, Harry?" He glanced up at her. "Do you think your father's managed to finish his stack of essays or do you think he's still hitting his head against his desk?" Harry laughed. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Well, let's go see if he wants some company."