"Evicted?"
Harry Potter stared blankly at the notice in his hand as beside him, his best friend Ronald Weasley spluttered in indignation.
"How the hell can we be evicted? We never even moved in!"
A valid point. Harry looked up from the notice and gazed at the fat, bald man that owned the small apartment building the three of them were standing in. "Mr. Bagman, surely there's been a mistake."
Ludo Bagman wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and shook his head. "No mistake, my boy. I had to give your apartment to someone else."
Harry stared blankly as Ron glared at Bagman. "I know how you play, scumbag. Dad and old Crouch said you used to work with them. Someone offered you more money for the place."
When Bagman did not deny the accusation, Harry felt his own anger rise. "We have a contract! You can't do this!"
"Can't I?" Bagman said, now smirking.
Ron swore beside him. "Bagman has big connections, Harry. Suing won't get us anywhere. We should have seen this coming."
Growling, Harry slammed his palms onto the counter, causing Bagman to step back. "We won't forget this, Bagman. Mark my words." He turned and left, Ron following in his wake.
When the two were outside, Harry's furious expression quickly turned into one of misery. Ron, having a similar expression, groaned. "What do we do now?"
Harry sighed and looked east. There, its odd medieval structure clashing horribly with the rest of the town of Hogsmeade, stood the main building of Hogwarts University.
Hogwarts was the most prestigious university in all of Britain, famous both for its unorthodox structure and its many famous alumni. Harry had dreamed of going to Hogwarts his entire life, ever since he was old enough to understand his parents' fond memories of the place. He and Ron, though not the best students, had taken their studies seriously when reaching high school and had actively participated in many extracurricular activities in order to achieve entrance. When they had received their acceptances letters, Harry and Ron, along with their friend Susan Bones who had also applied and gotten accepted, had celebrated by going to the bar and getting absolutely smashed. Harry had no idea how he'd gotten home and Ron had been chased out of the Bones home half-naked the next morning after he and Susan had enjoyed each other's company, an incident neither of them had mentioned ever again, though their playful teasing with innuendo had gotten considerably bolder even since. Since that day, the three of them had been looking forward to the day they'd attend Hogwarts.
"We rented this place months in advance," Ron moaned again as he sat on the sidewalk.
"Good thing we didn't pay a deposit," Harry said grimly.
Ron looked up. "Think your parents can help us out?"
Harry shook his head. "Dad said we were on our own when we entered college, remember? Besides, I bet him that if I asked for help, he wouldn't get me a Firebolt."
Firebolt, the greatest car in existence and what had been promised to Harry at the end of his first college semester. Together, he and Ron looked at the miserable Comet Ron owned before shaking their heads in unison. They were not giving up a Firebolt.
"What about Sirius, Peter, or Lupin?"
"Considering they're all pitching in for the car, I'd say the promise is universal."
Ron swore again. "Damn. And we can't ask Bill or Charlie, they're living out of the country. Shitty time for the twins to temporarily move to America as well." Ron's parents were out of the question as well due to their financial status.
Harry sighed as he walked towards their parked car. "We'll just have to find another place and soon."
Ron took out his keys and unlocked the car. They both got in and Ron turned it on as he asked, "you think we'll find something else in our budget?"
Harry sighed. "Probably not."
That was another thing about Hogwarts. It had no dorms. Rather, the town of Hogsmeade had many communities and apartment building to accommodate its rather small selection of students. And said places were expensive. Bagman's Wasps' Nest was about the cheapest place anyone could find, and it was barely affordable to the duo.
Harry and Ron drove silently through the town, not quite knowing what to say or where to go. Absentmindedly, Harry studied his surroundings. Hogsmeade was a small town, existing more than anything else to provide the 1000 or so students of Hogwarts a place to live. The narrow streets were allotted with all sorts of colorful stores and displays, filled with college age students walking up and down the sidewalks, laughing and having no care in the world. The buildings, most made of wood, captured heat enough to give the town as permanently toasty feeling. The many windows reflected sunlight, giving Hogsmeade a golden glow when the sun was rising or setting. All in all, it was a pleasant effect.
"So, where to?" Ron finally asked.
Harry shrugged. "Three Broomsticks, I suppose."
Ron pondered it. "Or the Hog's Head. We could actually probably find someone willing to give us a cheap deal."
Harry laughed. "Only because the place they'd rent to us would be absolute trash."
Ron grinned. "Three Broomsticks it is."
Harry snorted at his friend's enthusiasm. It was obvious that Ron fancied the patron, Rosmerta, and wanted nothing more than to bed her. However, it was also Ron's insistence that got the two of them a job at her restaurant, a job they started on Monday. He was jolted out of is thoughts as Ron parked the car.
Opening the door, Harry exited the car and entered the Three Broomsticks. He had not gotten tow steps before a loud voice called, "Harry! Ron!"
Harry turned. There, sitting on a table by the fireplace, was Susan Bones. He smiled at her friend as she waved energetically towards them, her red hair tied in a ponytail as she wore a tight yellow shirt that showed off all the right places, Harry's male subconsciousness noted. He heard Ron shout, "Susan!" in joy the two hurried over. When they approached, Harry managed to look at the three other people Susan was sitting with.
The first was a broad, brown-haired boy with a slightly pointed nose and kind brown eyes, an easy smile on his features. The other was a stout-looking boy with blondish hair who had an air of smugness, though not cruelty. Finally, the last was a pink-faced blonde girl. Catching Rosmerta's eye and nodding, Harry and Ron pulled up to chairs and joined the group.
"How are you guys?" Susan immediately gushed. "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you." She waved her hand at her companions. "These people are my roommates. Justin Flint-Fletchley," the brown-haired boy smiled, "Ernie Macmillan," the blonde-haired boy nodded, "and Hannah Abbot," the girl gave a small wave. "Guys, these are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, the guys I told you about."
Ernie immediately stuck out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you both," he said pompously as the two shook his hand, "Susan's told us much about you."
Ron grinned and Harry had the distinct impression that he wanted to say something about Ernie's pompousness, but refrained from doing so.
"Sit down and tell us how you two have been! How's the apartment?"
Susan frowned as she saw Harry and Ron's faces fall. The two began explaining the situation to the group and by the time they were done she looked furious.
"He can't do that!"
"He can," Ernie said darkly, "Bagman, loser that he is, has some pretty big friends."
"But in the courts?" Justin asked. "Surely they can't be that corrupt."
"You'd be surprised," Ernie replied.
Meanwhile, Hannah was staring at the Harry and Ron with pity. "My grandfather Tom owns the Leaky Cauldron in London and he could have helped you guys find a spot here if it had happened earlier."
"That's just our luck," Harry assured her.
"Your luck, you mean," Ron said, slightly teasing, "my life was pretty good until I met you, you git."
Harry swung at his head and missed. Susan stared at them fondly. And then, her face broke into a mischievous grin. "You know, Ron, you're always welcome to share my bed."
Ron let out a bark of laughter. "Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"
Harry chuckled and noticed that Ernie was suddenly paying Ron a lot more attention. He grabbed a glass of water that Rosmerta had just placed on their table and began drinking it.
"So," Ernie said, trying to sound casual, "you guys know each other well?"
"Oh yes," Ron said, slightly imitating Ernie's pompous manner, "I believe I have a very thorough knowledge of Susan."
Harry snorted into his drink as Susan grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks. He knew that Ron had obviously picked up Ernie's interest in Susan and was simply riling him up. However, feeling they had more pressing manners, he emerged from his water and asked, "You guys know of any place?"
Susan, Ernie, and Justin all said "No," but Hannah looked thoughtful.
"Well," she began. She rummaged into her purse and pulled out a flyer. "I was actually going to go give this to the Daily Prophet tomorrow. It's from Neville. My boyfriend," she added for Harry and Ron's benefit. Harry and Ron grabbed the flyer and read:
ROOMMATES WANTED AT GRYFFINDOR HOUSE
8 ROOMS, 4 BATHROOMS, POOL, BACKYARD
TWO ROOMS STILL OPEN
Harry couldn't believe his luck. "Look, Harry, we'd pay 100 less than with Bagman because the bill's split 8 ways," Ron muttered excitedly. "I've heard of Gryffindor House before, but I can't believe it's open!"
"It's usually for upperclassmen, but since the same seniors kept the place for all of their years, it was left wide open and some freshmen picked it up," Hannah explained.
"We live by Gryffindor Hall," Justin added. "It's in the Founders' Villa."
"Founders' Villa?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Ernie picked up the conversation, "a small community in the sense that it only has 4 houses, though the land itself is very large. It's usually terribly expensive, but seeing as how there's 7 of us, we managed to pick up Hufflepuff House."
"Hufflepuff House?"
"There's four houses in the Founders' Villa," Susan explained. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. All large, expensive houses. They belonged to the Founders of Hogwarts."
"Then why aren't they considered relics and left untouched?" Harry asked, brows furrowed.
Susan shrugged. "The Founders left in their wills a note saying to use them as housing. They're usually not open to freshmen but Headmaster Dumbledore overturned that rule when he came to the chair."
Harry opened his mouth to ask another question but Ron thumped him on the back of the head. "Stop questioning this, Harry. We just caught a break!"
Harry grumbled as he readjusted his glasses. "You know my luck, mate. I'm just being cautious."
"It's college, Harry! A brand new start!" Ron turned to Hannah. "Can you tell your boyfriend you've got potential roommates?"
Hannah smiled as she pulled out her cellphone. "Of course. This works better for them anyway, since the ad wasn't going to be printed until tomorrow and they're really desperate to fill up the last two spots."
"Who else lives there?"
"My boyfriend Neville, two other guys, and three girls."
"Excellent."
Ron was grinning from ear to ear as he turned to Harry. "Can you believe this?"
Despite his reservations, Harry couldn't help it. He grinned too.
Preview:
Harry and Ron rang the doorbell and were startled to hear a lion's roar echo throughout the house. As they waited, they heard movement inside and a shout of "No, Lavender, I didn't take your shampoo!"
The door was wrenched open and a short, bushy-headed teen stood in front of them. She smiled, showing two slightly large front teeth, and ushered them inside.
"You must be Harry and Ron. Nice to meet you! I'm Hermione Granger."
A/N: And it begins.
This one should be an interesting ride for all involved.
Pairings? It's college, there are no set pairings, except for Neville and Hannah. Harry could be spending the night with Cho Chang one day and be going out with Luna Lovegood the next. Expect a bit of everything.
Granted, I'm not too aware of how college life in Britain works, but I didn't do much research because this isn't a serious fic in the sense that it requires so much accuracy. If you're turned off by this, I understand completely. If not, welcome aboard!
Review please! Constructive criticism is always welcome.
