Mud
The school was opening in just two days and the last thing they were fixing was Hagrid's hut. They even planned to make it a bit bigger than the old one, not so much that it would be questioned but enough to give the groundskeeper a little more space for when he had visitors. After all he hadn't really had many visitors before Harry came along. The students liked him of course but his size did tend to scare them a bit.
Hagrid was the first person to seem to treat Harry like a decent human being. He showed him the first really kindness that he could remember and so instantly Harry had loved the half giant. Hagrid had become a dear friend to them all since then. Hermione, Ron and Harry more than anyone.
"Heads up Hermione!" Ron's voice called moments before a lump of dirt hit her on the side of the head.
"Ronald Weasley!" she shouted. "If all you're going to do is play in the mud instead of help then perhaps you should go and play elsewhere." Ron had quit the auror training after just three weeks when he realised that the paperwork for the job was just as important as the physical part. He had since been helping to repair Hogwarts with the others and also working with Bill to repair the twins shop. Ron burst out laughing as a pair of hands from behind her smeared wet mud onto her cheeks. She squealed and span to find a grinning Charlie behind her.
Grabbing a handful of mud she threw it straight for the dragontamer's face before throwing a second handful towards the younger Weasley.
By the time Draco came to bring them in for lunch Ron, Charlie, Hermione, Ginny and Luna were covered in mud.
Draco had become an almost friend in the last couple of months, he had been helping to rebuild Hogwarts and had been taken on as an apprentice by McGonagall to take over teaching transfiguration in a year or two now that she was Headmistress. Ron was still pretty short tempered around him but Harry seemed to have switched to an almost teasing friendship with him rather quickly. Hermione thought that perhaps it was more to do with the fact that Snape had turned out so different than they first believed that Draco was getting a second chance.
"Draco Malfoy you lifesaver!" Ginny announced in an overly loud cheery voice as she approached him. He barely had time to blink before she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides and pressing her mud smothered self against his pristine clothing. He protested and struggled but didn't throw a full on temper tantrum, instead when she released him to charge up to the castle he charged straight after her.
"I'm not sure Harry and Malfoy are going to stay friends for long." Charlie commented.
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"I think they might have issues when it comes to our little sister."
"What? Ginny and Malfoy? As if! Yuck!" Ron frowned.
"I wouldn't worry about Ginny." Luna spoke up calmly. "I think that Draco and Harry will make a lovely couple."
"No, Luna that wasn't what we-…meant…" Ron trailed off when he realised that the blonde had already walked ahead and wasn't listening to him. "I'm not sure which of those concepts is more worrying."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much Ronald. You just concentrate on how your muddy handprints ended up on Luna's backside." Hermione grinned.
"Me? So who put handprints on yours?" he asked. Hermione went bright red in response.
"Well it's definitely a man's hand." She replied cheekily.
"Well it wasn't mine." Ron replied defensively. There were a few moments of silence as they continued to walk up to the castle. "Hey!" Ron piped up elbowing his brother in the ribs suddenly.