PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: pottervader

Story: Harry Potter and the Prophesized Six

Part: 22: Consequences of a break up

Rating: Teens

Setting: AU

Status: WIP

Reviews: 22

Words: 5,705

Updated: December 30, 2007, 6:29pm

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22: Consequences of a break up

Disclaimer: This story was made without any intention of profiting from it. Only the original characters and the plot are mine. The rest of it belongs to JKR.

Author’s Note: Thanks again to all my readers. I hope you forgive me for the length of the wait but it was really hectic these past couple of weeks, giving me little time to write and correct. This chapter is sort of a belated Christmas gift and a New Year’s present to all my readers. Thanks again for reading my story. Now, here is the next chapter.

Hermione managed to catch Ginny after Harry had gone to bed. With Harry asleep, Ginny was able to shield their conversation from him.

Ginny was both shocked and disappointed to learn what had happened between Rose and Ti. She couldn’t believe Ti could act that way but agreed with Hermione that it was his deep desire to have a proper relationship with Draco that drove him to it. She was just sorry that Rose came out second best when Ti was forced to choose between her and Draco. She promised to keep the break up a secret for as long as Rose wanted.

Over the next few weeks, the combination of his busy schedule and Ginny kept Harry from noticing the distance between Rose and Ti. The estranged couple sat far from each other in the Great Hall and avoided each other in the corridors and the common room. It wasn’t a problem during Dueling Club meetings since Neville supervised the third year boys while Rose watched over the third year girls. They even managed to stay on opposite sides of the room during an impromptu birthday party for Ron on the evening of the 1^st of March that the New Marauders threw in the Room of Requirement.

On the other hand, Rose did notice that the dark-haired girl she now knew as Romilda Vane was spending more time with Ti. She sighed and wondered if they were getting close. She missed his friendship most of all and hoped that they’d regain that one day. At night, Ginny would comfort her when she was sure Harry was asleep.

Rose also dreaded her father finding out. James Potter’s temper was legendary, especially after his confrontation with Minister Fudge and his toady, Dolores Umbridge, over their so-called pamphlet on how to deal with Death Eaters the previous summer. Who knew what the leader of the original Marauders would do to someone who had hurt his ‘princess’?

To console herself, Rose threw herself into her seer training with Martha. She managed to master the Backward View skill. She could even rewind the events that occurred in a single place up to a couple of weeks in the past, similar to what one could do with a video player.

Martha then started guiding her through the real challenge, the Forward View skill which was a way of making a real prediction by seeing what could happen in a place in the future. Martha had her start by trying to see what may happen in Dumbledore’s office 10 minutes from the time they were in. Rose found it difficult to see ahead even for a few minutes but Martha reassured her that it was a common problem that could be overcome with more practice.

It was the last day of March, a Friday, when the rest of Hogwarts, including Harry and James Potter, became aware of Rose and Ti’s breakup. On that day, an owl Rose and Harry recognized as belonging to Sirius came swooping into the Great Hall near the end of breakfast, dropping a letter in front of Ti. As Ti opened and read the letter, James came down from the staff table smiling broadly, igniting the curiosity of the rest of the New Marauders. Then, Ti suddenly leaped to his feet, whooping with joy.

“Good news, I hope,” James said, still smiling broadly.

“Yes, the best!” Ti exclaimed. “Sam gave birth last night at St. Mungo’s to a girl. I have a sister.” He was now grinning as broadly as James. “Did you know about this, Professor?”

“Actually, Sirius woke me at two in the morning to tell me through the Floo,” James said. “It was great seeing him looking stunned and so happy. Congratulations, Ti.” He clapped Ti on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Professor,” Ti said. “I’m a big brother.” He had a look of awe and joy on his face.

“Did Sirius mention a name for your new sister?” James asked. “He ended the call before I could ask him. He was very anxious to get back to Sam.”

“Yeah,” Ti said. “They’ve named her Elizabeth Samantha Black. They still haven’t decided on a nickname though.”

Just then, Harry and the others had come up to find out what the excitement was about. Ti told them the news and his friends broke out in cheers, congratulating Ti on the birth of his sister. The guys patted him on the back while Ginny, Hermione and Maggie hugged him.

Rose was the last to approach Ti. “Congratulations, Ti,” she said, looking down at the ground. “I know you’ll be a great big brother to her.”

Ti’s face suddenly hardened on seeing her. “Thanks,” he said in a cold voice. He turned to his roommates who were seated beside him. “Let’s go, guys. We have to get to Charms.” He started to walk away from her, ignoring the tears forming on Rose’s eyes. Paul and Jake shared an uneasy look but turned to follow Ti.

Unfortunately, a lot of people noticed the way Ti had treated Rose, including Harry and James.

“Just a minute there, young man,” James said as he reached out to Ti and pulled him back. “How dare you treat my daughter that way when all she was doing was congratulating you? I thought you cared for her.”

Ti didn’t look at James but looked at Rose with a glare. “Well, sir, I thought she cared for me, too. Apparently, I was wrong. You can ask her about that. I have to get to class.” He turned around and quickly left the Great Hall, Paul and Jake trailing after him.

James turned to Rose who still had tears in her eyes as she watched Ti leave. “What’s he talking about, Rose? Did you have a fight?”

“I didn’t want you and Harry to know, Dad,” Rose said, still looking down at the ground. “Ti broke up with me about six weeks ago.” She wiped her eyes.

James and Harry were stunned.

“W-what?” James asked. “He broke up with you? Why’d he do a stupid thing like that? Six weeks ago? Why didn’t you tell me after it happened?”

Harry looked at Ginny who was standing beside him. “Did you know about this, Gin?” he asked her softly.

“Yes, Harry,” Ginny answered him. “I did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Harry asked. “How could you keep it from me for so long? How did you keep it from me?”

“I asked her not to tell you, Harry,” Rose said. “I didn’t want you doing anything stupid. Ti’s just confused.”

“Confused?” Harry asked. “What’s he confused about? Why the bloody hell did he break up with you?”

“It doesn’t matter why, Harry,” Rose said shaking her head.

James wrapped his arms around Rose. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I can’t imagine why he’d want to break up with you. I’ll owl Sirius. He’ll straighten him out and the two of you will make up. Just you wait and see.”

“No, Dad,” Rose said, pushing herself out of her father’s arms. “Just leave it alone. It just wasn’t meant to be.” She turned her attention to Harry, her eyes hard and blazing. “Harry, don’t you dare do anything to Ti. Just leave us alone and let it be.” She walked out of the Great Hall, her head bowed.

James, Harry and the rest of their friends watch her go, most of them stunned and confused. James shook his head and walked back to the staff table.

Harry turned back to Ginny, glaring at her. “You shouldn’t have kept it from me, Ginny. She’s my sister. I had the right to know what happened and that she’d been hurt.”

“The right?” Ginny asked, her eyes blazing. “If you had known, Harry, what would you have done, given Ti a beating? No, I don’t think so. This is Rose’s personal life, Harry. You said you wouldn’t interfere. She has to live her own life.”

“That’s not the point,” Harry said, his anger rising. “She’s my sister. I should know what’s going on in her life. I want to know what happened between the two of them. Why the hell did Ti break up with her?”

“You’ll have to ask her, Harry,” Ginny answered, defiance in her eyes. “It’s not my story to tell.”

Harry glared at her. “Fine, I’ll either ask her or get it out of Ti. I just wished you had told me. I thought we had a bond.”

“We do, but this is something that is outside of us and our bond. And frankly, it’s none of your business.”

They stood there glaring at each other. The anger they now felt toward each other burned in the Bond between them, causing them a lot of discomfort which they tried to ignore. It felt like a steady smoldering pain in their chests that soon gave them some difficulty breathing. Suddenly, Harry felt himself pulled away by Neville while Hermione did the same with Ginny.

“What the bloody hell did you do that for, Neville?” Harry asked angrily in a whisper.

“Uh, Harry,” Neville whispered, “You and Ginny were drawing attention since the two of you were just standing there, staring at each other without talking. You were talking using you-know-what, your connection, weren’t you?”

Harry looked around and did see that most of the people in the Great Hall were staring at him and Ginny. He looked at Ginny who stared back at him. Their anger was starting to cool and with it, the pain in their chest. They then realized what had happened to them. They now felt bad for snapping at each other.

“I’m sorry for getting angry, Gin. I was just stunned to find out Rose and Ti haven’t been together for a month and a half now and I hadn’t noticed it. Can we talk later?”

Ginny stepped up to Harry and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Harry for keeping it from you but she asked me to keep it a secret. She was my best friend long before we got together. We can talk about it later tonight after the DC meeting.”

“All right,” Harry said. “Well, I’ll see you at lunch.”

They gave each other a peck on the lips before parting to head for their respective classes.

*******

Ti sat down in the Charms classroom and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had pushed it with the way he had acted with Professor Potter. He was glad that he hadn’t been given a detention. However, he was now nervous and worried over the fact that the rest of the New Marauders knew he had broken up with Rose.

Over the past few weeks, he had dreaded their finding out since he knew first hand how close the group was. He just hoped they’d be content with a prank or two rather than hexing him to bit, or worse, castrating him. He shuddered and hoped Harry would understand how he felt when Rose practically accused Draco of lying to him. Ti just wanted Draco to treat him as you’d expect someone to treat a brother.

As he wondered if Harry would see his side and forgive him, he heard a female voice call his name. He turned around in his seat and saw Romilda Vane coming toward him, causing him to smile.

Over the past year, they had been in the same study group and he often found her sitting next to him in their classes. She was pretty and seemed to pay him a lot of attention. At that time, he had felt a little guilty of liking her attention since he was dating Rose. So, he decided to treat her as a good friend.

But then, the night of his break up with Rose, he had gone for a walk after dinner around the castle and had run into her outside the library. She had noticed his agitated manner and asked him what was wrong. He ended up telling her about his break up with Rose and his improving relationship with Draco. She had been very sympathetic and agreed with him that the development with Draco was a good thing and if Rose couldn’t handle it then she wasn’t worth his time. Ti was glad to find someone who agreed with him.

Since that day, they have been spending even more time together though never alone. Now, Ti was finding her quite attractive and wondered if she could be more than a good friend. However, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for another girlfriend after his recent disaster with Rose.

“Hi, Ti,” Romilda said as she sat down next to him. “I heard about your adoptive parents having a baby. Congratulations. I guess that makes you an older brother, huh? I bet you’ll be great at it.”

“Thanks, Romilda,” Ti said, “I can’t wait to see her when I go home for Easter break next week.”

“Well, I’ll bet the week just flies by,” Romilda said, “especially if you spend it with a friend.” She smiled sweetly at him before turning to face Professor Flitwick.

Ti felt his throat go dry when she smiled at him like that. He suddenly thought that it might not really be too soon to think of someone else besides Rose Potter.

He sat beside her in every class that day. They talked a bit more than they had ever before. He even sat beside her at lunch and dinner, trying his best to ignore the glares he was getting from Harry, Fred, George, Ron and Neville. He did notice that Ginny, Hermione and even Maggie sat beside Rose.

At the Dueling Club meeting that evening, Ti kept himself beside Romilda and didn’t stay with the rest of the New Marauders. As he left the Great Hall with Paul and Jake, however, he heard a voice behind say, “You’re a real prat.”

He turned around and was surprised to see Maggie Longbottom standing there, glaring up at him, her arms crossed over her chest. She normally didn’t talk to him; even in the New Marauders’ training sessions though he noticed she sometimes looked his way and blushed. She wasn’t blushing now and the thought that she was cute standing like that passed for a moment in his brain. Then what she had said registered in his mind and he returned her glare.

“What did you say?” he asked her.

“I said you’re a real prat, you git,” she said. “You hurt Rose very badly. You won’t get away with that.”

Ti scowled. “Listen, Mags, you don’t know the whole story.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “She’s like a sister to me and I don’t like people hurting my family.” She then punched him on the right arm. “I also don’t let people call me Mags, especially gits like you.” She kicked him on the left shin before going back into the Great Hall.

Ti glared at her retreating back as he rubbed his bruised shin and arm. “Merlin, that girl can hit.”

*******

Ron grinned as he watched Maggie punch and kick Ti. “Maggie is just as feisty as Ginny. But I agree with her. Ti is a real prat.” He turned to Hermione. “You see, Hermione, he isn’t that much different from his brother after all. I warned you about him.”

Hermione glared at him. “You’re wrong, Ron. Even if he hurt Rose, he still isn’t like Malfoy.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Ron said. “I think I was right the first time. He tricked the Sorting Hat somehow to put him into Gryffindor. He’s probably been playing us all along. He’s devious and manipulative, a real Malfoy.” He turned to Harry. “We should kick him out of the New Marauders, Harry. He’s probably told his father all the spells and things we’ve been learning and good old Lucius passed it on to Old Snake Eyes.”

“How dare you say that, Ron?” Rose asked suddenly. “He may have broken up with me but that doesn’t mean he’s a spy for V-Voldemort.”

“How can you stand up for him, Rose?” Ron asked. “He’s the one who hurt you. Now, he’s avoiding us. We ought to teach him a lesson.”

“Don’t you dare suggest that, Ron,” Hermione said. “We are not going to prank Ti. It’s true that he may be avoiding us. But that’s probably because he’s scared of that very thing. His break up with Rose has nothing to do with our little group. So, leave him alone.”

Ron didn’t answer her but gave Fred and George a significant look. The twins looked at each other and then nodded to Ron. Ron smiled inwardly. This went beyond the New Marauders. Ti had hurt Rose, whom Ron and the twins considered as much a sister as Ginny ever since that first night she and Harry had spent with them after Voldemort’s first defeat by Harry. No one hurt their sister and got away with it.

*******

When he arrived in Gryffindor Tower after the club meeting, Harry went up to his room to get his invisibility cloak. Using it, he and Ginny then sneaked out of the Tower to get to the Room of Requirement which recreated a duplicate of the Gryffindor common room for them. They sat down in their favorite couch in front of the fireplace with Ginny in front of Harry and Harry wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s smaller body.

After a few minutes of silence just enjoying each other’s company, Harry spoke through the Bond. “I’m really sorry for getting angry earlier, Gin. I was stunned to find out that Rose and Ti were no longer dating.”

“I know, Harry,” Ginny replied. “I had the same reaction when I found out.”

“Why did they break up, Gin?” Harry asked.

“You know I can’t tell you that, Harry,” Ginny said. “I promised Rose I wouldn’t. You’ll have to ask her yourself. Just give her a little more time and show her that you won’t hex Ti for it.”

“Okay,” Harry said. “I’ll give her some time. Maybe she’ll come to me on her own. I just wish she hadn’t been hurt. I’m her older brother. I should be protecting her from things like that.”

Ginny took his hand and stroked his knuckles with her fingers. “I know you want to protect her, Harry, just like my brothers want to protect me. But if you want her to be her own person, you have to let her experience life, which includes getting hurt sometimes.”

“I know. It’s just so hard sometimes.” He looked down at her and asked. “How did you get so smart about life all of a sudden?”

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. “It’s something I heard Dad tell Mum and my brothers a couple of years ago when we started dating. I also heard Hermione say something like that.”

Harry sighed. “I just wish it wasn’t like that.”

“I know, love. I do, too.”

After a couple of minutes of silence, Harry said, “I thought they were good together. I just don’t understand what happened.”

“I guess their feelings for each other weren’t as strong as what we feel for each other,” Ginny said. “You have to remember that what we have is something very special, Harry. Most people don’t fall in love so early. At least that’s what Dad told me.”

“I guess so,” Harry said, kissing the top of Ginny’s head. “I’m so glad we did. I’m not sure what I’d do if I didn’t have you.”

Ginny turned around in Harry’s arms. “I feel the same way.” She encircled Harry’s neck with her arms, drawing him into a passionate kiss.

After a few minutes, they had to break off to catch their breath. Ginny snuggled deeper into Harry’s arms.

“So I guess I have to forget thinking of Ti as a future brother-in-law one day, huh?” Harry said.

Ginny shrugged. “Probably, though you never know. I think they’re better off as friends, if they can go back to that.”

“I hope so,” Harry said, “Gin?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Let’s never fight again. It felt so bad when we were angry with each other.”

“I know what you mean, Harry. Let’s make a deal to try to talk about things before getting angry at each other, okay?”

“Deal,” Harry said, leaning down to kiss her again.

The young couple passed the night sharing kisses, happy that they had gotten past this obstacle in their relationship. They soon fell asleep in each other’s arms.

*******

James Apparated into the Entryway of Potter Manor later that night; he went straight to the master bedroom, trying to avoid waking his sleeping wife.

Just as he sat down on the sofa in the room to take off his shoes, he heard her voice.

“James?” Lily asked drowsily. “Why are you back so late? Is anything wrong at Hogwarts?”

James sighed. “No, Lils, nothing’s wrong in the school.”

“Then why are you home later than usual?” Lily asked. “There’s something wrong. I just know it.”

James sighed again and sat down beside his wife. “You know me too well, my lily flower.” He took a deep breath. “I found out today that Ti broke up with Rose.”

Lily gasped. “No! Why? Is she all right?”

“I have no idea why,” James said. “Rose wouldn’t tell me. I think she’s a bit depressed over it but seemed to be handling it better than you’d think. Lils, they broke up six weeks ago and I didn’t notice it. What kind of a father am I?”

“You’re a good father, James,” Lily said. “Our daughter is good at hiding things. I think she takes after you in that department.”

“Ha, ha,” James said scowling at his wife. “Well, you’re right in that. She was always more prone to sneaking around and playing pranks than Harry.” He sighed. “She’s growing up to be a pretty independent and outspoken young lady. I just wish she didn’t have to experience the down side of relationships.”

“As much as we don’t like it, it’s a part of life,” Lily said. “I do hope she gets over it. It’s a good thing they’re coming home for Easter break in a week. Does Sirius know about his son’s breaking up with our daughter?”

“I doubt it,” James said as he lay down beside Lily. “He would have sent Ti a Howler if he did. She’s almost like a daughter to him after all.”

“Are you going to tell him?” Lily asked.

James sighed. “I’ll think about it. I hate to be the tattletale. Maybe I’ll tell Remus first and ask him about it.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Lily said. “Even if he’s Rose’s godfather, I doubt Remus would want to break every bone in Ti’s body.”

“Yeah, just a few of the larger ones,” James said, snickering.

“James,” Lily chastised her husband, slapping him lightly on the arm. “Don’t joke like that. I think I’ll send Artemis with a letter tomorrow, give her some advice on putting it out of her mind.”

“Yeah, you do that, Lils,” James said sleepily as he drew Lily into his arms.

Soon his snores filled the air around them. Lily loved the sound of his snores. She used them to lessen her anxiety over their daughter’s troubles as she followed him into dreamland.

*******************

Rose’s heart was lightened after breakfast the next day by her mother’s letter. Lily sympathized with her and didn’t even ask her for the reason for their break up.

Hufflepuff faced Slytherin later that morning on the Quidditch Field. The Hufflepuff chasers had improved after their game with Ravenclaw the previous December, managing to outsmart the Slytherin Keeper and outscore the green clad Chasers. Surprisingly, Draco managed to get the better of the Hufflepuff seeker without resorting to underhanded tactics, enabling his team to just squeeze past the House of Badgers 190 – 180. Even surprisingly, Draco shook the hand of his opponent after the match. Harry knew the Hufflepuff boy was a halfblood.

Harry and his friends were quite surprised and perplexed by the changes Draco continued to show, none more than Ginny, Hermione and Rose because of the conversation Rose had overheard. The three girls hoped that they could talk to Ti about it. Rose even considered apologizing to him.

Ti attended the game with his two roommates and had gone over to congratulate Draco immediately after the game. Rose didn’t want to talk to him in front of Draco so she decided to wait until the New Marauders’ training session that afternoon.

However, Ti did not come to the Room of Requirement that afternoon. Most of the guys didn’t care but Harry felt himself torn between being a brother to Rose and a friend to Ti now that he had gotten over his shock and anger over Ti’s treatment of Rose. He still remembered the scared and vulnerable boy he first saw at King’s Cross Station two years ago. In spite of Ron’s insinuations, he couldn’t imagine Ti being a manipulative and deceitful person. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to talk to the younger boy yet.

Of the girls, only Maggie was clear on her feelings towards Ti; she was still angry with him for hurting Rose. Like Harry, Ginny and Hermione were also torn between Rose and Ti. They wanted to talk with Ti especially about Draco but were afraid he’d react even worse with them. They hoped a few days of being left alone would let make him more receptive to them.

Later that evening, the New Marauders celebrated the twins’ birthday. Ti wasn’t present either but Fred and George didn’t care. Harry, Ginny and Hermione were again concerned but decided to let the younger boy alone for now. Maybe they could get back together with him during Easter break.

******************

Two nights later, Harry, Ginny, Neville, the twins and Ron were on the Quidditch Pitch having a last training session before Easter break. They’d be playing Hufflepuff on the weekend after the Easter Break. Ti was on the Pitch but stayed away from the others.

Instead of watching them, Hermione had decided to go to the library to continue her revision for O.W.L.S. She was on her way back to Gryffindor Tower, when a voice called out to her.

“Hey, Granger, wait up.”

Hermione turned around and was surprised to see Draco Malfoy approaching her alone.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” she asked.

“Well, hello to you too, Granger,” Malfoy said. “Look, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry that Ti broke it off with Potter’s sister.”

“What do you care?” Hermione asked. “Isn’t she just a halfblood to you?”

“Hey, I just wanted to do something nice, okay?” Draco said, his eyes narrowing. “I thought it was nice to see him liking someone who liked him too, even if it was Scarhead’s sister. I do have a heart, you know.”

“I find that hard to believe, Malfoy,” Hermione said. “I know why Ti broke up with Rose. Rose overheard you and Pansy talking and she clearly heard you tell Pansy that you haven’t really changed. She tried to warn Ti but he wouldn’t believe her and got angry. So, it’s your fault. You’re up to something.”

“Look, Granger, whatever she heard me tell Pansy, she’s got it wrong,” Draco said.

“Oh, how is that?” Hermione said, glaring at him.

“I really want to make up to Ti for all those years I was mean to him,” Draco said. “Pansy just doesn’t get it. So, I told her I was still the same person to make her back off. There’s no hidden purpose to what I’m doing with my brother. Bloody hell, I’m even here apologizing for him.”

“All right, Malfoy,” Hermione said. “I don’t really believe you but for Ti’s sake, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Just be warned. If you’re lying to me and are really just using Ti, you’ll regret it. I’ll tell Rose what you said. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my dorm before curfew.”

Hermione walked on without a backward glance. When she got to Gryffindor Tower, she waited for Rose and Ginny to get back. As soon as Harry was asleep, she told the younger girls of her conversation with Malfoy. The three girls were unanimous in wishing that, for Ti’s sake, Malfoy was sincere.

*******************

As the week wound on, the school buzzed with suppressed energy as the students looked forward to the Easter break. This showed in the two meetings of the Dueling Club with the members successfully learning the Bludgeoning and Cutting curses which they used on the practice dummies.

Harry noticed Ron was hanging around Fred and George more than usual. He often came upon them huddled together whispering and snickering but they would break off whenever he got close to them. He even asked them about it but they claimed that they were just reliving some of their old pranks.

On Saturday, Harry and Ginny came down to the Great Hall for breakfast before leaving for the train station to take the Hogwarts Express back to King’s Cross for the start of the Easter break. Hermione, Rose, Maggie and Neville soon joined them. Harry was puzzled that Ron wasn’t there yet since he was usually the first one to the table and his bed had already been empty when he had gotten up.

About half an hour later, Ron, Fred and George came into the Great Hall with smiles on their faces. Hermione looked up at them with narrowed eyes as she accepted a kiss on the cheek from Ron.

“Ron, what took you so long to get here?” she asked. “Harry said your bed was empty when he got up.”

“Hey, I just decided to take a walk with my brothers,” Ron answered.

Ginny leaned forward. “And what brought this sudden feeling of affection for the twins?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it sudden, Ginny,” Ron said, as he started spooning some eggs onto his plate. Strangely, he was shifting his attention from the eggs to a spot in the middle of the Hall.

Harry looked at the twins and noticed that they were staring at the same spot, looks of anticipation on their faces. Before he could say anything, there was a flash of light similar to the flash of a portkey. When the light cleared, everyone blinked. Standing there in the middle of the Great Hall was Ti, wearing nothing but a towel and still dripping as if he had just stepped out of the shower.

Ron and his twin brothers burst out in loud laughter and most of the students soon followed, including Neville and Maggie. Many of the students in the other tables, especially the Slytherins were pointing at Ti as they jeered and laughed.

Ti looked around, his whole body turning red in embarrassment. He was still thin and short for a male of his age, so he looked like ridiculous. His face froze in horror as he saw the laughing members of the New Marauders. He ran from the Hall as fast as he could. All Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Rose could do was stare after him, so shocked were they.

They were stirred from their shock by James’ voice.

“Harry, I can’t believe you’d do that to Ti,” James said, disappointment clear in his tone.

“B-but we didn’t, Dad,” Harry said. “At least not as the New Marauders. We’d never do something like that to Ti, no matter what he did to Rose.” He turned to Ron, Fred and George who were still laughing. “However, I think they may have had something to do with that.”

“Ronald Weasley!” Hermione thundered, “Did you three cause Ti to appear here in the middle of the Great Hall like that?”

“Yeah,” Ron said, still snickering. “Wasn’t it great? Did you see how he ran out of here like a scared rabbit? It was almost as good as the bouncing ferret Moody turned Malfoy into last year.”

“Why you insensitive gits,” Rose screamed, “How could you do that to him?”

“Hey, Rose,” Fred said. “Why…”

“…are you angry?” George asked.

“Didn’t he….,” Fred said.

“…hurt you?” George said.

“That may be but that’s not a reason to humiliate him like that,” Rose said. “It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault?” Neville suddenly asked.

“How can breaking up with you not be his fault?” Maggie asked.

“Most of you don’t know the reason he broke up with me,” Rose said. “I should have told the whole group the whole story. Then maybe you wouldn’t have done this.”

“What possible reason could be reasonable for breaking up with you, Rose?” James asked.

Rose sighed. “I’ll tell you everything, Dad, when we get home. For now, can you please look after Ti? I doubt he’d want to see any of us right now.”

“All right, I’ll look after him,” James said. “The rest of you better get ready for the train.”

As they stood up, Ginny, Rose and Hermione glared at Ron and the twins who gulped. Harry felt almost sorry for them, knowing the temper of the three girls. However, he felt his sympathy rested more on Ti. He had a feeling that this did not bode well for their little group.

Harry didn’t know how bad it could be. None of the New Marauders had seen Draco as he followed Ti out of the Great Hall while they were reacting to the prank.

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