A/n: So here's my lates story. And, i know it may be harsh, but I am gonna kill hint-of-mayhem. She's my mate, is an amazing writer, but has got me hooked on this damned pairing. This is my second new story that features it. Happy now Jess? Neho, hope you enjoy it, it's another attempt.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot, the characters are entirely J.K.Rowlings, the lucky cow.
Story: The Best Things Are Always The Worst For You.
Chapter 1: Hell Hath No Fury, Like A Teenager Woken At The Crack Of Dawn… Ish.
"Er… Harry? Dude, you might wanna get up now." Ron pleaded with his unconscious friend. He knew Harry rarely got a good nights sleep, and that it was best to let him sleep when he could. But alas, he began to poke his friend awake. "MATE! We're gonna miss the damned train."
"Wassa time?" Harry asked, his voice muffled by the pillow that was obstructing his mouth.
"It's eight o-clock. Get UP, Man! We'll be late!"
Harry groaned. Eight o-clock? A truly ungodly hour of the morning. He turned over. "Don' wanna. Good dream. Sleepy." there was a pause as Harry began to drift off. "OW!"
"I said get up!! I won't be late, not this time! And I am not missing a chance to see Hermione before we get to Hogwarts." Ron was already up, dressed and fully packed. And being hugely Hemione-ish as he frantically rushed round the room looking for things he might have overlooked.
Harry gingerly picked himself off the floor. Ron and Hermione had (finally, in Harry's opinion) got together at the end of last year. Far from feeling outcast, the couple had managed, somehow, to become closer to Harry and each other than was surely impossible.
"Alright, lover boy, I'm up."
Ron blushed, his customary red ears just showing under his long ginger hair. "Shuddup Harry." he did another circle of his room, "And for Merlins sake, hurry up!"
Harry stood straight, one hand at his side, the other doing a military salute. "Yes General!" next second he had been hit in the stomach with his Standard Book Of Spells, Grade 7, and Ron was nowhere in sight. Laughing, Harry stood up and got changed in record time. Five minutes to be exact. (A/n honestly, how come it takes men such a short time to get ready? And we women have to be at it from half past six?!)
Ron entered the room and jumped when he nearly ran into Harry going the other way. "You're finished already?"
Harry smirked, a perfect opportunity to exact revenge for being tossed out of bed. "Ron, I, unlike you, am not incapable of being ready before the day we leave. I am organised. My bag was ready last night."
If looks could kill, Harry would have been hung, drawn, quartered, grated, incinerated and buried six miles under. Suppressing a burst of laughter, Harry side-stepped his best friend and promptly collided with another red-head on her way up the stairs, sending them both toppling to the bottom landing. Harry, being the gallant young man, immediately went to help Ron's sister, ignoring his own bruises.
"Ginny? Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't think anyone was coming up the stairs."
Ginny stood up "It's ok Harry." she winced as she moved.
"Sorry." Harry said. He performed a healing spell on her and then realised he was in pain as well. "Ow." Casting the healing spell on himself, he turned to see Ron, laughing his head off, holding onto the banister rail at the top of the stairs for support. "Gin, what was the incantation for that bat-bogey hex?"
Half an hour later, they were in the car speeding down the motorway. Harry sat back in the chair, thinking about his dream. It had been a very strange one. Mainly because it was a good one, but still strange ignoring that. It had been as though he was awake, but unable to see people properly, or to hear their voices, or even recognise a man from a woman. It had been like looking into the future through frosted glass. He'd seen himself (the only figure he could see properly) walking through a house. He'd seen the other him talking to someone and hugging them. He'd felt intuitively, that his future self and this other person were very much in love. Though, no features were distinguishable, not even hair colour, but the figure had definitely been human. It was so difficult to describe, but he had felt… safe. And warm. He knew he knew the other person, but could not place them. He supposed he'd work it out eventually. At least he had got enough sleep.
As they arrived at the station, (twenty minutes early. Ron had got a battering as he'd put the clocks forward) Harry suddenly felt that warm, safe feeling. It vanished however, when he saw they had company.
"Look, it's the Pothead!"
Harry snapped. Within seconds, Harry had pinned Malfoy to the ground, his fist raised, ready to strike.
"Harry, NO!" two pairs of hands pulled Harry off the blonde. Turning round, he saw that the stronger pair of hands holding him belonged to Ginny. She released him and spoke again. "Harry, I know, but you can't hurt him! For one, you may get hurt, for another, you'll loose your badge! Think what Hermione would say if she got stuck with Ernie McMillan as head boy!"
"Head boy? You're not… you can't be!" Malfoy was back on his feet.
Harry leapt forwards, but Ginny beat him to it. Crunch. She'd punched him. Hard. "Don't you come near us! You may have fooled the Ministry into believing your innocent, but we know. We've seen Harry's memory. WE KNOW!" with that they left to get on the train, Malfoy behind them, nursing his fully broken nose. For a moment, as he looked back at the Slytherin, Harry felt it again. That warmth and safety, and happiness, but also a strong sense of sympathy, and a need to help and comfort, when he saw Malfoy wince as he touched his nose. It was almost as though… no, forget it.
"I thought you said I shouldn't." he said, grinning at Ginny.
"Yes, I said you shouldn't. I, on the other hand, can." she said with a smirk to beat any Slytherin's. "Besides, I'm just a Prefect (though God knows why) so it doesn't matter as much! Plus, he can't do anything about me. He lost his Prefect status at the end of last year. Plus, if he hurt me, I wouldn't get blamed, all I'd have to say is that he started it! Who do you think they'll believe? Me, poor, 'innocent'" here she did quote marks with her fingers, "Ginny Weasley. Or him, pathetic, stupid, bastard-of-a-Slytherin, Draco Malfoy?"
"Fair point." Harry said, thanking Merlin that Ginny was on their side, not the other's.
"Harry, Ginny and I'll find us a compartment, you go to the Heads meeting and then you and Hermione can find us there." Ron said, slightly wary of his little sister.
"Ok, see you in a minute." with that, Ron and Ginny set off down the train, Ginny looking back to smile at Harry. It was a shame, but it couldn't be helped. He'd had to break up with her. He'd had to. But now it was all fine. She'd found the perfect guy for her. His name was John Cresswell. He was in Harry's year, and a member of the D.A. Don't get the wrong idea, she still loved Harry, and he her back, but it was a different love. More very close brother and sister love. Sighing, Harry set off down the corridor. As he neared the Head's compartment, he could hear Hermione giving a lecture.
"… after what Filch told you last year, I thought that would be the end of it. I will not tolerate such things as stink bombs. As Head girl, I… Harry!" she flung herself at the boy.
"Hey Mione. Oi, you, give that here. You know you can't have those. Give it over now and it'll be our secret." the second year deposited the blue ball into Harry's hand, then left, smiling.
"Since when did you start setting store by the rules?" Hermione asked as she looked Harry over. God he's tall now, she thought.
"Since I got this." he showed her his badge.
"WOOOOHOOOO! I knew it was you! Well, you or Ron. It couldn't have been anyone else."
"Well, McGonagall sure has the madness thing down. Making me Head boy? Shocking. Now to the meeting." he did the superman pose and set of down the corridor and into the compartment, Hermione behind him laughing.
"Right, now that's done, we better find the others." Harry said, a twinkle in his eye, as though he knew what was about to happen. Hermione squealed and dragged him down the train, proving Harry's prediction right.
"Ron!!!" as soon as they arrived at the compartment where the others sat, Hermione flung herself at Ron and kissed him.
"Oh for the love of Merlin, GET A ROOM!" Ginny said, picking up her newspaper and blocking the kissing couple from view. "Eugh." she said with a shudder.
A second later, John was at the door. "Hi guys." he said "Hey Gin-Gin."
Ginny glared at him. "It's Ginny!! Not Ginny-kins, not Gin-Gin, GINNY!!!" she threw her paper at her brother in an attempt to relieve her fury. By the look on her face, as Ron rubbed his left eye, it worked.
John smirked, leaned over and kissed her gently.
Ginny smiled reluctantly. "Oh alright, your forgiven, just this once."
"Yay!" John said, clapping his hands, his voice childlike. Ginny giggled.
"Meh, I feel lonely now." Harry flopped back in his seat.
"Don't get me started, Potter." Ginny said, sternly. Unfortunately, her lips twitched, giving away the fact that she was, of course, only kidding. Still, she looked scary, and Harry didn't fancy loosing any limbs right now.
"Sorry, Gin." he said, smiling.
"For the love of Pete, it's GINNY!!!!" they all laughed and spent the remainder of the journey teasing Ginny and playing Exploding Snap.
A/n: Well? I know, it's not got much Draco/Harry, but it will have! R&R please, no flames.