I'm glad to see you got your invite and aren't square.
I've been asked if this will stop when they get back to school and I can tell you that it won't. It can't! I won't let it! We're on chapter 11 now and there's still a few more left before the end :) Thanks!


'This is crazy!'

There was a huge riot of sweaty (and tipsy) teenagers in the middle of the living room; everyone in their year had been invited and all were here, there were even some people that no one seemed to know. But who cared?

Music shook the floor, making every object in any room jump along to the beat; it smashed ear drums and vases. No one cared what song was playing, as long as you could dance to it.

You had your stereotypical nerds and misfits dancing like drunken Mums and Dads at a wedding; "popular" kids thinking they were dancing better than professionals; and those people that never danced, they just sat or stood in the kitchen and ate. There were the teenager smokers standing as far from the house as they could, while they could still hear the music. Those who had more than they could handle, sat wherever there was space and swayed along, blaring out lyrics.

Draco was dancing on the edge of the crowd with his new best friends; Smithy kept trying to do the robot, Alfie sang into his, now, empty bottle and Casper did every embarrassing dance move known to Dad kind. They didn't care what they looked like, they were enjoying themselves; they weren't the kind to be invited to these sorts of parties, they were more the social gathering types. It was just those four in a world of their own and they didn't need anyone else.

Ron, on the other hand, was in the middle of it all. He'd lost his four friends ages ago; Travis would be with the smokers, Andy would be trying to stop things from being smashed and trying to help those get to the toilet/sink/garden in time before it was too late, Dumbo and Piper would have taken a girl or girls and found a darken room or space. Ron laughed as he sang along to songs that he had recently become to love, he danced with whoever was nearest, whether they were male or female, hammered or near sober, know to him or not. He hadn't had much alcohol but he didn't care about it; he didn't need it to have a good time.

This was the most fun either boy had had in years.


Ron shook his head as Andy woke him up.

'Time you were up, it had just gone two o'clock.'

'In morning?' Yawned Ron, looking around hazily to see other corpses, Andy gave a small, light laugh.

'No, afternoon. My parents are back at three o'clock and if there is even a trance of a party, I will be killed. And I'm far too young to die, so move.'

Ron made his way to the kitchen, making sure he didn't tread on other zombies on the way; it seemed that people had ignored the end time of one and had just fallen asleep wherever they had been standing.

'Hi Ron,' giggled a gaggle of girls. He just smiled and gave him a small wave.

'Do you know where-.'

'Here,' smiled a blonde one; she was in Ron's maths class and was called Jessica. She handed him over two parasetamol and a small glass of water; he said his thanks and downed them. His head was slowly and painfully killing him. Dumbo soon walked in shooed the girls off, they went to start cleaning the next floor; this manor had three floors and a large garden, all of which were now more dumping grounds than floors.

'Lucky bastard,' smirked Dumbo.

'What?'

'Don't you remember? Those girls?' He said gesturing to the ones who had just left. Ron's head was in no state to try and think about doing such a hard and complex task, he just shook it lightly, fearing it was kill him if shook too vigorously. Dumbo just smiled and refused to tell what he had knew.

They stood in silence until Andy walked, arms brimming with empty bottles.

'Move, both of you! This house needs to be tidy and organised and I can't find Travis or Piper anywhere!' He complained and strode out.

'Have you seen Draco, Dumbo?'


'My head,' moaned Draco as he awoke from his drunken slumber. He stretched.

'Ow!' Called a voice loudly. 'I quite like my face as it is!'

'Shut it,' said a sleepy voice, having been stirred by the voices.

'Ahh, I'm burning!' Yelled another voice as he was hit by brightness. There was a quick flash and laughter.

'I said shut it!'

'Oh, this is classic!'

Draco eye's adjusted and he saw why there was laughter.

He, Casper, Smithy and Alfie were all entangled in a topless, intoxicated litter. Casper had perfectly preserved make up on, lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, blush – the full works; Smithy had a large penis drawn on his chest with the words "real size x 20000"; Alfie's forehead had "virgin" engraved in thick, black, permanent marker and his left cheek read "ne" and his right "rd" in the same pen; Draco had a large kiss mark on each cheek, the shade of which matched Casper's, and he was in the middle of the tangle with an arm around Alfie and Casper.

'This is so going in my photo album,' Ron said and added in a tone so that only Draco could hear. 'I wonder what Hogwarts would think of it?'

Each boy trudged off to wash of their signs of last night and find some elusive tablets.

Ron and Dumbo found Travis lying in a flower bed in the garden and Piper curled up in the bath, wrapped in the shower curtain; each one with no memory of how they'd arrived at their sleeping destination.

With the help of the other zombies who had stayed, the house returned to its normal state but they only had had five minutes to go.

'Thanks Andy.'

'We had a great night,' called Draco and Ron as they left a waving Andy at the door; they were the last ones to leave and as they left, they saw Andy's parents come up the drive. They'd cut it fine.


'What time does the train leave?' Called Ron down the stairs as he shoved the last few things into his case.

'Five, we're leaving at four thirty!' Ron gave a quick glance at his clock, four twenty-five.

'Bloody hell!' He whispered as he rushed around, hoping that he hadn't left anything behind, he dragged his case down the stairs and into the living room.

Draco was sitting there quite happily, reading; he'd been ready for the last hour. He'd done most of his packing before they'd left for the party yesterday and all that had been left were a few small things which took five minutes to pack. He rose as Ron rolled in.

'So this is it,' he said his voice full of misery and regret; he didn't want to leave. This life here was a million times better than his real one, this one had friends who loved him and a family who were happy and cheerful; this life was the complete opposite.

The goodbyes were a blur of embraces, kisses and tears; Brad and Lex had to be dragged off of Ron. Bell stood crying at the door as they left, her two children clinging to her; it had been decided that it would be easier if Jones did the dropping off. With a sad smile, she waved them off.


The departure from the station had been sad and early; Jones had wished them luck and had promised to write to both of them if they wanted and they managed to leave five minutes early, but like all public transport, it would probably be lost.

'It's going to suck back at school,' said Draco, speaking his thoughts aloud. They were just over halfway through the three and a half hour journey. This passage was the reverse to their first one; they talked, joked, laughed and the rare silence was content and hung happily. Ron nodded; he couldn't see anything good about going back. He'd have to stop being friends with Draco, he couldn't speak to his muggle friends, he'd be forced into the Quidditch team, he'd have forgotten loads of magic, Hermione would begin moaning at him about school work and he just didn't think he'd be able to fit with his old friends.

'Draco?'

'Yes Ron,' he looked up with a smile from his book.

'We're going to have to stop being friends, aren't we?' Draco hesitated with his answer; he hadn't really thought it through, but he knew, straight away, that Ron was right. He gave a slow nod. Draco looked back down sadly, thinking that that was the end of that; they probably wouldn't talk through the rest of the ride, they'd never talk again and they'd be yelling insults at each other by the end of next week.

'I won't let it happen,' growled Ron angrily, Draco's head shot up. 'I won't let anyone stop me losing my best friend. We'll stay as strong as we have been and anyone who doesn't like it, can-,' Draco thought the last part of that sentence would make even Voldermort blush, but he just smiled.

'Agreed. Promise, we'll stay friends,' Draco's voice was almost pleading.

'No.' Said Ron shortly. 'We'll stay best friends,' he laughed.


It was just after eight thirty when they got off the train. Snape was there to greet them.

'Dinner has been delayed for your arrival, leave your trunks at the entrance to the school building and they will be in your dorm for when dinner finishes,' his drawl was slow and depressing but Draco and Ron kept happy. They followed Snape, talking behind him.

Snape could not believe what he was hearing and seeing; a Weasley and a Malfoy were talking quite happily together and were actually enjoying each other's company. Maybe being in the presence of muggles for six months with no contact with magic had made them mad. He wondered how long this would last when the rest of the school got hold of it; he doubted very long.

But as the neared the Great Hall's doors, both boys became silent and stood away from each other.

As the doors swung open, all houses began cheering and waving; Slytherin welcomed their Dark Prince back and Ravenclaw, Huffelpuff and Gryffindor welcomed back Ron. Ron smiled as he entered but it was well played and underneath he just wanted to cry and run back to Bell and Jones. Draco gave a small smile to Slytherin and a glare to the rest, acting his part of evil child.

This would have to be the best act of their lives.