A/N: I'm going to try and make this
author's note asap-as short as possible. This is going to be based on real
life-me and my friends, actually. But don't tell them that, I'm trying to keep
this a secret. It'll be extremely interesting. So, here goes the prologue.
Eight
Weeks in Hell: Life in Hogsmeade
Harry couldn't believe it. Neither could
anybody else. Dumbledore had finally agreed to the "living independently"
program the board of directors was pushing. It involved living eight weeks in a
house with seven or eight other people, cooking and cleaning for themselves,
while they attended classes in a nearby building. The whole school was in an
uproar.
Hermione just shrugged and went on with
reading 'Advanced Transfiguration for the Modern Wizard'. "I don't see why
everyone's making such a big fuss. We're already living away from home. Come
on, this is a boarding school! We'll only have to add cooking for ourselves to
the list-we already practically have to do our own laundry." She said to no one
in particular.
Ron on the other hand, was completely
terrified. "How could they do this to us? I can't even toast my own bread!" he
stared at Harry with wide eyes, panic evident as he grabbed Harry by the arms
as if his life depended on it.
"Don't worry, Ron. We'll all be fine."
Harry said soothingly as he patted Ron on the arm.
"But-but-but we might not be together!" Ron
sputtered, going pale as he voiced one of his many worries.
"We'll be in the same house, don't worry.
Hermione and I will take care of you." Harry said, and Hermione, still with he
nose stuck in the book, nodded in agreement. She shut it and looked up. "In
fact, I might even go as far as to say that you and Harry will be in the same
room." She added. "Or if not, we can always go to Dumbledore and ask whether we
can change rooms." Hermione frowned at that, as if she disapproved. "Never
mind." She said dismissively, and went back to reading.
Ron just stared at her as if she was crazy,
brushing off eight weeks-alone-no teachers- in Hogsmeade as if it were nothing.
***
"And now, the first group of students to go
to Hogsmeade will be announced." Dumbledore said, after many hours of
anticipation. Everyone was on tenterhooks since they put their housing
preferences in a few weeks ago. Some students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons
had stayed behind, liking Hogwarts, and they too were eager to find out whether
they were in the first contingent.
"I will announce the students according to
their bedrooms; no changes can be made to this. Harry Potter and Fred Weasley."
Harry glanced at Fred and grinned. This was going to be interesting. Ron, on
the other hand, sat there in disbelief-a) because there would be no changes as
to bedrooms, b) he wasn't in the same room as Harry. Dumbledore continued on,
oblivious to the fact that one particular student had turned a pale shade of
green. "Hermione Granger and George Weasley." George smiled fondly at Hermione
as she looked up from her book. She smiled back, and patted Ron on the shoulder
consolingly. "Ron Weasley and Fleur Delacour." There were squeals of
disappointment from the Ravenclaw table-it appeared that some of Fleur's
friends had counted on her being in their rooms. Ron, formerly pale green, had
turned bright red. "I'm in a room with…Fleur?" he whispered, as his eyes became
glazed. Only Harry and Hermione, who were sitting on either side of him
prevented Ron from keeling over. "And last, but not least, Ginny Weasley, Cho
Chang and…" he glanced up and looked around. There seemed to be a lot going on
at the Gryffindor table-but he pushed that to the back of his mind. "…Draco
Malfoy. Now, even I sometimes doubt the wisdom of these choices, but I did not
make them-the Sorting Hat did." He finished, and sat back to watch the scene
that unfolded.
At the Slytherin table, things were much
the same. Draco was just sitting there, perhaps a little more stiffly than
usual, Pansy was still fawning over him, and Crabbe and Goyle were their usual
selves-huge, and dumb. Draco doubted they even comprehended what was going
on-he, Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune, was going to be stuck for eight whole weeks in a house
full of Gryffindors-and then there was Fleur.
Fred and George, on either side of Ginny,
were both trying to cheer the poor girl up, fending off Katie and Angelina, who
were both telling them not to get up to mischief with any of the girls. Ginny,
on the other hand, was completely miserable. She knew Harry liked Cho, and that
Draco hated herself, as well as everyone else in their house. Thinking she
would have a terrible time, she burst into tears. All heads at the Gryffindor
table turned to her, surprised, except for Nearly Headless Nick. His head just
sort of tilted to the side. Feeling the attention on her, she abruptly pushed
back her chair and ran out of the Great Hall.
Silence ensued for the next few minutes,
then slowly the level of chatter returned to its usual amount. Harry, Ron and
Hermione exited quickly after Ginny, Ron not quite recovered yet, still a
little stiff, but otherwise okay.
"I hope she's okay." Hermione said
worriedly.
"She'll be fine." Ron managed to squeeze
out.
"Well, at least she's in the same house as
the rest of us." Harry pointed out.
"But Cho? And Draco?" Hermione asked him.
"It'd be too much for me." She admitted.
"Whatever. I think I need to lie down." Ron
said with difficultly.
They hurried the rest of the way up to the
Gryffindor tower to put Ron to bed, then Harry and Hermione went to find Ginny.
Eventually, Hermione found her in Moaning Myrtle's toilets.
"Come in, Harry, it's all clear." Hermione
said after a few minutes' consultation with Ginny.
He entered cautiously. It looked a lot
better than it did back in his 2nd year, now it was all cleaned up.
He looked at the row of stalls. The second one from the end was shut.
"Ahem." Harry cleared his throat. "Uh,
Ginny, are you okay in there?"
"Go away! I don't need either of you! Just
leave me in peace! I should never have signed up for this Hogsmeade thing!" she
shouted, sobbing.
Hermione sighed. "Alright, Ginny. We'll
leave you alone. But if you do need anything, just ask, okay?"
"Mmmhmm." Ginny reluctantly agreed, as she
wiped her tears.
"We'll be going now-I have to read up on
lightening charms so I can carry all my books down." Hermione said, and walked
out.
"Bye, Ginny. See you later." Harry said
quietly, and followed Hermione.
Ginny was left alone again. Well, not
quite. There was always Moaning Myrtle, but she had gone somewhere. She sighed.
It was pretty dismal in here, she thought. So she unlocked the door, came out
of the toilets and slowly walked back up to the Gryffindor tower. Draco Malfoy
and Cho Chang. She'd be sharing a room with them. Eight weeks in hell.
A/N: Well, how about that? Some of this
didn't really happen, but hey, it makes for an interesting story. So come now,
and review. If no one wants to read this, then I suppose I won't write it while
I'm there-more time to write other fanfic…(Mwahahaha)
And another thing-posting fanfic up there
might not be allowed, so I might get someone else to post it, or I might just
wait until I come back. Either way, there'll be a long silence from me. Okay?
