Alteration (Book 3 of The Corruption Sequence)

Chapter 11. Friends and Consequences

Neville stepped into the room looking a little awkward, so Harry gave his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He could never be quite sure these days if he looked pleasant or demonic.

"Um, the portrait said I should just come in," his fellow Gryffindor said nervously.

"Yeah," Harry replied, trying to decide if it would make Nev feel better if he walked towards him or whether it would put his friend off even more, "Jeremy will let you in whenever you visit unless I'm really busy with something."

It had taken a lot for Harry to make that decision, but his first visit with his friends had left him feeling it was necessary. Since then it seemed to be working.

"Oh," Neville replied sounding quite surprised.

Finally deciding that the pair of them hovering on either side of the room was making the whole situation worse, Harry walked over to his friend.

"Easier that way, don't you think," he said as cheerfully as he could manage.

His companion nodded and looked around the room.

"You have windows," Neville commented, shocked again.

"Hermione's idea," Harry explained with a grin, "you know what she's like when she gets an idea in her head. Took us an hour to get them right when she and Ron came over this morning; she decided I needed some natural light, so we spent our time asking the room to provide different types of windows."

Talking about other people seemed to help with Neville's nervousness, and Harry was pleased when some of the tension appeared to run out of his friend. He could still feel the anxiety running through the other Gryffindor, but it was dimming by the second.

"But don't you have trouble with light, what with..." Neville trailed off as if he suddenly realised, he might be broaching an uncomfortable subject.

"The vampire and other nocturnal creatures in me?" Harry supplied, hiding any trepidation the topic of conversation caused him. "Yeah, we had a few problems to begin with, but I'm not that sensitive to make it a real problem; it just makes my eyes hurt if it's too bright too long. Hermione played with some complicated filtering ideas to get everything right."

"We can always rely on Hermione, can't we?" his friend responded, obviously relieved he hadn't put his foot in it.

Harry laughed. He knew they could always rely on Hermione for several things, whether it was nagging about their homework, or the answer to the universe. It was so true that she was always there for all of them.

"You're making sure she's not working herself into a frenzy over this whole business, aren't you," he said, becoming serious for a moment. "I know she's probably trying to solve the puzzle that is me and this time I don't think there is a solution, so I'm relying on you and Ron to make sure Hermione doesn't kill herself trying."

"Ron confiscated her text books last night and made her play exploding snap," Nev said with a perfectly straight face, "she hexed him with green hair without him even noticing, didn't take it off until he apologised at breakfast," his friend confided, breaking into a grin. "You should have heard him when he saw himself in the mirror this morning, and Colin has pictures."

For a moment Harry just stood there as the mental images attempted to make sense in his brain, and then a laugh bubbled up from deep in his chest.

"Green?" he asked, not quite believing it.

Neville nodded.

"And they never said anything earlier," Harry said, grinning broadly.

"I think they've come to an understanding," his friend replied, much more relaxed now.