Harry looked at his reflection briefly in the hallway mirror on his way to the front door, glad that he had taken his friends' advice and gotten his eyes magically corrected. If only he could sort out his hair though... He was never one to keep up appearance, but he still wanted to look decent for his friends. He didn't want Hermione harassing him on bad hygiene right when their summer vacation was going to start.

Their seventh year was over and Voldemort was finally dead.

Now, only one year later, Hermione decided that their first war-free as well as adult-free summer would be extra special. She made plans to spend one month living in a rented summer house in Bali, Indonesia. It was supposedly the perfect spot; surrounded by lush forests, clear water lakes, and white sandy beaches. And they were leaving tonight.

The-boy-who-lived opened his front door and was instantly greeted with two familiar friendly faces. "Ron, Hermione, glad you could make it guys," he said, grinning and pulling each into a hug.

"Hey mate, how have you been?" Ron asked.

"Good. You? All packed and ready?"

"Yeah. This one showed up bright and early at my mum's house to make sure I remembered my toothbrush." Ron rolled his eyes playfully at Hermione, who only rose one neat eyebrow at his behavior.

"If I hadn't showed up, you would have forgotten it," she lectured. Ron smirked.

"That may be so, but..."

"Oh, stop it you two," Harry sighed. "This is our first Voldemort-free vacation. Let's make the best of it, yeah?" He watched as both Ron and Hermione traded guilty looks.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

"Good, now Hermione, were you able to reserve the summer house?"

Hermione brightened. "Oh, yes I did. The summer house is great, guys. I checked it out and everything."

"Where is it?" Ron asked.

"Oh, Ronald, I told you already. In Bali."

Ron snorted. "I still say the Bahamas would be a better choice."

Both Harry and Hermione shook their heads in amusement as well as in irritation.

"It's a three bathroom, four bedroom house with two floors. Lots of space and privacy, I made sure of that."

"Does it have floo access?" Harry asked her, while shrinking his suitcases and placing them into his pocket.

"Yes. But I made it so only the six of us have access to it. We wouldn't want others intruding—" She stopped, noticing the boys' expressions. "What?"

"You said, 'the six of us,'" Harry replied, his eyes narrowed warily.

"Who else is coming, Hermione?" Ron asked sternly. "It was just supposed to be the three of us."

Hermione suddenly looked sheepish. "O-Oh, y-yeah..." she said shakily. "I forgot to tell you guys."

"Tell us what?" Ron asked, his face beginning to turn red with anger.

"Now, Ron, calm down. There's nothing to fret about," she said, growing more confident with each word. She placed her hands on her hips and stood her true height. "I decided to invite some friends over."

Ron relaxed slightly. "Oh," he said, smiling. "Friends. Like Dean and Neville? I'm not too keen on that idea, but it'll be nice... What?" he questioned, seeing Hermione's distressed face.

"It's not Dean, Ron. Or Neville. They're not Gryffindors."

"'They're not'... Well then, who are they?"

Hermione gulped down a fresh lump in her throat. "Well, you guys know I've been dating, right?" The boys nodded. "Well, I—and don't you dare get upset about this Ronald Weasley—I've been dating Theordore Nott."

Harry's jaw dropped to the ground. "Hermione! Nott? A Slytherin? B-But—"

THUMP!

"Oh for goodness sakes, Ron, that wasn't even the worst of it..." Hermione mumbled, glaring at his unconscious body.

"What! Hermione, what else could be worse?"

Hermione whipped around to stare at her other friend. "I can't believe you, Harry! We're adults now, not Hogwarts students anymore. It's time to grow up. So what if he's a Slytherin? He's changed. They're not bad any longer, Harry."

"B-But...he was friends with M—"

"If you even dare say Malfoy, Harry, I'll cut off both of your legs right now. And maybe something else." Harry cringed. "Great Merlin, Harry, you went to his hearing! You helped prove Malfoy innocent so that he wouldn't have to go to Azkaban. You told me yourself you think he had changed. You helped prove that he hadn't even taken the Dark Mark."

Harry hung his head. "W-Well yeah, but..." He trailed off at the look on her face. It looked as if she was about to explode any minute. Harry sighed, shrugging as he swept a hand through his cluttered hair, making it appear more messy than before. "Ok, Hermione. I'm sorry. I guess old habits die hard, you know. I suppose you're right. If you believe Nott and all the rest of them have changed, I guess... I guess people can change, even if they are Slytherins." He forced a grin, and was relieved to see her return the smile. Although it was genuine.

"So, you don't mind if I date him?"

Harry shrugged. "No, I...I don't think I mind." He paused. "Ron, on the other hand, though, I'm not so sure... I thought he liked you..." Hermione shook her head.

"Oh, don't worry. We talked about it last month. We only like each other as friends."

He grinned. "Well, in that case, go for it. Nott can come along if he wants to."

Hermione brightened. "Really?"

He laughed. "Well, he was coming along anyway, right? There must have been some reason you brought him up minutes before we're leaving." Suddenly, he had an armful of Hermione and her long brown hair, no longer frizzy and untamed mind you.

"Oh, Harry, you are such a best friend!"

He laughed harder. "Could say the same for you. Except..."

"What?" Hermione asked, still grinning.

His laughter died quickly as he looked at Hermione again. He pulled away from her. "Well, you said, 'the six of us' remember? Who are the other two that are coming?"

Hermione grew shy again and began fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Well, Theo decided to bring along two of his friends..."

"No..."

"And since I'm bringing two of mine..."

"Oh no."

"And well, I already asked them..."

"Hermione, don't you dare."

"And they said yes."

"Don't you freakin dare"

"Blaise Zabini and Malfoy are coming too."

"WHAT!"

THUMP!

"When did he wake up?"

"Probably right before you said that Zabini and Malfoy are coming too." Harry glanced at Hermione, his eyes narrowed. "Are you sure about this? I mean, do you really trust them?"

"Of course not, Harry. But they're his friends. And I really like Theo. He treats me—"

"Okay, don't wanna know!" Harry exclaimed, growing red.

She giggled. "Oh, Harry, honestly, you're so childish sometimes."

"Oh shut it."

Hermione stepped closer to her friend and put her hand on his arm. "Seriously Harry, I like him. And I want you to get along with him. That means getting along with his friends."

Harry groaned. "What is up with you women always wanting us to befriend everyone? Honestly, can't you date Theo and leave it at that? Why do me and Ron have to get involved?"

"Because, Harry," Hermione pressed. "You're my best friends." She paused, and then she began to smirk. Which was entirely creepy since Hermione—sweet, smart, bookworm, brave, naive, kind, shy Hermione—never smirked. "Besides, if you two decide not to come, then I'll be all alone...with three Slytherins...all the way in Bali...with no one else to hear me..." She paused. "All alone..." she emphasized.

"Ok fine, we'll come."

"Great!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck again. "I'd knew you'd agree."

"Only because of that creepy smirk," Harry mumbled playfully. "Honestly, if it wasn't for the books I'd say you think like a Slytherin sometimes."

"Why thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Harry!" she exclaimed and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Uh, guys...?" Hermione and Harry stopped their teasing and looked down to see Ron as he sat up, holding the back of his red hair. "What happened?"

Hermione hesitantly bent down beside her other best friend, cautiously holding onto his arm so that he wouldn't fall again. "Well Ron, you...you kind of passed out."

Ron's eyebrow rose. "Really? Well, can't imagine why. But hey! I had the weirdest dream. Hermione, you were dating Theodore Nott, and you said that Malfoy and Zabini were coming with us to our trip to Bali. Crazy, huh? I knew that it was a dream since that would never happen in real life, right guys?"

. . .

"Guys?"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione muttered, shaking her head in silence. "Please don't faint on me again, but what you heard wasn't a dream. I am dating Theo. But, Ron he changed! They all did. They're not the evil snakes they were before. Well, not as much. But they are coming, Ronald Weasley. Whatever you say won't change it. They're Theo's friends, and you're mine. If you don't agree, you don't have to come. Although, I really wish you would."

Hermione and Harry waited in silence as Ron took his time answering. In fact, his face turned into several different shades so fast. He went from being as pink as his freckles to a dark scarlet and then to a deep shade of violet. His blue eyes even turned a darker shade or two. His fists clenched tight until only the white of his knuckles showed through.

Harry frowned a bit in concern. "Ron, mate? You okay...?"

"And I suppose you really like him, huh?" Ron asked through gritted teeth. "And he likes you too?" Hermione bit her lip.

"Yes, Ron. We really do like each other. It's been about eight months now, but I really do think I'm quite taken with him. He's really smart and he likes to read too. He's even quite nice. When I saw him last year during the battle, he was in the Hospital Wing helping a fifth year Hufflepuff after the little boy had broken his leg." She smiled softly. "Please Ron. He means a lot to me."

Ron scrunched up his face, which almost looked hilarious despite the situation. He almost looked as if he was in pain as he thought, and Harry and Hermione waited with bated breath.

Finally, he sighed in defeat. His face color began to grow back to its original pale shade. "Well, if he means that much to you..." He paused. "I'll try to get along with them, then."

"Oh Ron!" Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him in the same fashion that she had done to Harry. "Thank you so much, Ron. You can't believe how much this means to me, having the six of us there, chatting and talking around a campfire. It'll be so much fun!"

Ron tried not to puke when he winced. "Honestly, what is up with you women trying to ruin men's lives?" Hermione scowled at him while Harry let out a laugh.

"Well said, mate," he chuckled, which earned him a dark scowl himself.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, both of you are so childish."

Ron was about to make a snide comment about that, but he was saved the trouble as Harry's grandfather clock suddenly struck ten.

"Oh Merlin, we're already late. And it's already dark out. Hurry Harry, the floo."

"What do I say?" he asked as he grabbed a handful of floo powder from the mantle and prepared to throw it in.

"Say Notre Maison d'été. It's French for Our Summer Home."

Harry nodded and stepped through the fireplace. "Notre Maison d'été!" he shouted, and then he was spinning through the fire and stumbling out into a warm room. But Harry had always had a problem with Floo travel and that's why he would always hate it. As soon as he stumbled through, Harry soon felt off balance and began to fall forward.

A gentle pair of arms caught him before his face could collide with the floor, though. "My, Potter, even after one year you're still as clumsy as ever," the voice above him chuckled. Harry scowled and pushed himself away from Malfoy's awkward embrace.

"Malfoy," he greeted with a forced nod, looking at him with one raised eyebrow. Malfoy hadn't really changed all that much since the last time he saw him, which was at the trial, Harry noticed silently to himself. His blonde hair fell around his face gracefully like always and he still had that aristocratic aura around him. Even his sense in rich material for clothing hadn't changed. But Harry never really thought it would. They were just spending their summer out on the beaches and in the forests, yet Malfoy just had to bring the most extravagant clothing along.

Harry looked away from him and glanced around to see Zabini and Nott standing off to the side. They hadn't changed all that much either, he noticed. Although the smirk on Zabini's face was fairly absent.

Before he could see more of the summer house, there was an urgent shout behind him and then a heavy weight fell against him.

"Oh, sorry Harry," he heard Ron say above him. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Ron, just please get off of me." His voice was muffled since his face was squished against the wooden floor of the house.

"Oh! Oh yeah..." Ron chuckled awkwardly and got to his feet, helping Harry too. "You alright there, mate?" he asked.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he turned around to see Hermione walk gracefully out of the fireplace. He nodded. "Yeah I'm okay, Ron."

Hermione walked up to them, a smile on her face. But Harry quickly noticed that the smile wasn't for them. Her eyes were focused behind him where Nott was standing near the window. She quickly went over to him and he enveloped her into a tight hug. "Hi there," he breathed to her.

Her grin grew as she kissed him, and Harry didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy. He sighed. Well at least one of them had found happiness, he thought dully. Thought he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind when he turned to Ron. Only to find him glaring at Malfoy through slits for eyes.

"Malfoy."

"Weasel."

Ron's face turned a faint tinge of pink, but he managed to tame his anger. For now.

"Have a nice summer so far?" Harry decided to ask, trying to make a light casual conversation and distract Ron at the same time. After all he was going to be stuck with both men for a whole month. He did not want to deal with Malfoy and Ron's temper when he was supposed to be relaxing.

But Malfoy sighed. "It would be so much better if I hadn't decided to come here. Honestly, why would I want to spend my summer alone here with the three of you Gryffindorks? I do have a life, you know."

Ron saw red. "That's it!"

Harry barely had time to grab a hold of Ron before he could make his move on their arch enemy, but he did and he grabbed Ron backwards against him. "Stop it, Ron. Forget about him. This is supposed to be a nice summer vacation."

"It'll be nice once he leaves," Ron growled, glaring at Malfoy, who only sneered back at him.

Harry tightened his grip. "Listen, we're doing this for Hermione, remember?" he whispered, careful to not let anyone else overhear. "If we want to make her happy, we'll forget our stupid childhood past with him and move on." His words, to his great relief, seemed to slowly have an effect on Ron. His body slackened in his grip and he let go of Ron, who merely shrugged.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Harry only nodded.

"Are you two fighting again?" Hermione asked from behind them, her voice betrayed her disbelief. Harry sighed.

"No, we're not." Then he glanced at Malfoy, who merely stared back with a raised eyebrow. Harry tried not to glare, if only for Hermione's sake.

"So what now, Mu-Granger?" he asked, his steady, confident voice almost masking his little slip. Harry almost wanted to go over and strangle him for that, but he didn't. "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. So where's my room?"

Hermione reached inside her pocket and pulled out her wand. "This used to be a muggle house, so there are muggles around," she carefully advised as she walked around the house and down a long hallway. "This area is warded so we can use magic whenever, but once we leave the house our use of magic is limited. We can't risk others seeing us."

Malfoy snorted. "Please, Granger. We are not toddlers, you know."

But Hermione seemed unfazed. "That means," she pressed on, ignoring him. "That any campfires we make have to be created by hand."

That seemed to shut Malfoy up.

"Now," she continued. "There are only four bedrooms. That means that four of us will have to share two rooms." She looked around before her eyes landed on Theo. "Theo and I can share a room."

Theo wore a soft blush on his face, but didn't say anything.

Harry looked around and instantly knew that the other two Slytherins would want their own room. Selfish prats.

"I'll share a room with Ron," he spoke up.

Hermione looked at Ron, who nodded in agreement. "Okay then. One bathroom is on the other side of the house and two are upstairs. The kitchen is in another section. All of the bedrooms are upstairs." As she spoke she climbed the stairway.

"Wait," Malfoy asked. "No house elves?"

Harry coughed to mask a laugh, but Malfoy heard him and sneered. "What, Malfoy? Afraid to finally get your perfect little hands covered in a bit of dust?" Ron laughed along with him.

Malfoy opened his mouth to speak but Hermione cut him off. "No, Malfoy. There aren't any elves here to clean your messes. You'll have to just get by without them." Then, with a wave of goodbye towards Harry and Ron, she disappeared behind one of the bedroom doors.

Theo stepped forward to follow her, but paused with his hand near the door knob. "Goodnight guys," he said to Malfoy and Zabini, nodding to them. Harry was surprised when Nott nodded to him as well. Then he went inside the bedroom with Hermione.

"Think she'll be safe alone with him?" Ron asked from beside Harry as they walked off, leaving Malfoy and Zabini behind to find their own rooms.

Harry shrugged as they turned a corner. "He seems okay. Acts a lot nicer than Malfoy so far."

Ron nodded curtly in agreement. "Did you see how happy she was?" Harry nodded. "Maybe she was right. Some Slytherins do change."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Harry replied back as they approached a door farther down the hallway. They opened it and stepped in. Instantly, the two boys felt relaxed in the large bedroom.

The walls were painted a soft, light blue with empty picture frames hanging off the walls, along with a few landscape paintings. Two four poster beds were in each corner, both having black sheets and covers with soft gray drapes. There was no other furniture inside the room except two lamp tables on either side of the beds, and two desks on opposite sides of the room at the foot of each bed. The only other door in the room was on the right, which led into a walk in closet. A window on the left wall overlooked the white sandy beaches, the soft looking sand glowing in the moonlight.

Harry sighed. "It's perfect." Ron's sigh of approval echoed his.

"Yeah, I like it too. Almost makes me think it's possible to live the rest of this month without killing Malfoy and Zabini." Harry laughed and began unshrinking his suitcases. Ron did the same. Once they had their clothes hanging and their pajamas laid out, the two decided to get ready for bed.

They slipped out of their clothes and into their bed covers. Harry took the bed nearest to the window while Ron took the other.

In just a few minutes, Harry could already hear the soft snores of Ron in the other bed. He sighed, turning over to get more comfortable.

Hopefully, he thought before he fell asleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Hey this is the first chapter of Summer Ecstasy. This is also my first story on this site. :) Hope you all like. Please review and leave any comments.