A/N: Thank you, everybody who reviewed! The disclaimer is posted in chapter one.
This chapter is dedicated to Perry and her Irishman, Seamus.
Chapter 2: Ludo Bagman's Bet" No, Crookshanks. Geroff."
Ron swiped his hand in agitation at the ginger bottle-tailed cat that had hopped up onto his box marked Ron's Stuff. Crookshanks arched his back threateningly.
" Ron!"
Hermione's voice carried from the foot of the steps. Ron had only made two trips up and down the stairs, and his boxes – both of them – were already settled in the flat. Hermione had arrived an hour earlier than him and she moving her boxes, sweat drops adorning her determined face.
She sighed with relief when she saw Ron's foot appear from the top of the stairs. " Can you please help me carry this?"
Ron smirked when he saw the box she was having trouble with – a very large cardboard one marked Books (#3).
He lightly pushed her aside to pick it up. " Number 3? Am I going to have room to sleep?" He lifted it, only to drop it with an enormous bang on the floor.
A small screamed escaped Hermione's lips. " Be careful!" she shrieked.
A door squeaked open at the end of the hall, and protruding from the opening was a disgruntled round face. " What is all this noise? Bernard is very bothered."
" Sorry," Hermione muttered. When Mrs. Pill disappeared, Hermione shot a reprimanding glance at her friend.
" Well, it isn't my fault her ears pick up every breath I take. When I was upstairs, she banged the ceiling every time I stood up and walked." He sighed.
" Be careful with my books. I think I have Hogwarts, A History in there (Ron groaned), and it's very old and practically deteriorating." She whipped around and started up the stairs.
Ron dug his fingers beneath the box, attempting once again to carry it. " Maybe that's because you had it glued to your hand in all your free time back when we were in school. Why don't you just throw it out? You've already memorized it."
Hermione chose to ignore him and continued up the stairs, leaving the rest of the boxes for him to carry. She entered the flat and glanced around, a very refreshing sense of freedom washing over her. Her stomach flipped over a few times at the prospect of having her own flat, paying the rent, and taking the loads of responsibility that came with finally being an adult.
Ron appeared moments later, completely out of breath. He relieved himself of his burden with a loud thud, causing the dust on the floor to fly everywhere. Just as expected, Mrs. Pill prodded her ceiling from below with something solid only seconds later.
" Ron! I told you to --,"
Ron waved his hand carelessly. " There's two more downstairs. Where's Harry? Shouldn't he be here by now?"
" He's at work," answered Hermione. Ron scowled, expecting another reprimand. However, Hermione turned back to face the dirty windows. She seemed too happy and distant to scold him today. " We have to do something about these windows – they're covered in grime. I'll go to Diagon Alley to pick up a Magical Mess-Remover."
Ron seated himself on the plushy sofa – the only piece of furniture currently in the room. " Where am I going to sleep? I thought we only had two rooms."
" Oh, right." Hermione leaned against the kitchen counter, looking pensive. " I suppose somebody can sleep out here. On the couch, I mean. Now that I think about it, does Harry have a bed?"
" I don't think so," Ron answered, poking some stuffing back into a small hole on the sofa. " He's been staying at the Leaky Cauldron, hasn't he? I think that means he has no furniture for himself."
" Well then, he can sleep on the couch. And I guess you can take the bedroom."
" But, I don't have a bed either," said Ron, turning pink.
Hermione was hesitant to ask why. There were a number of reasons as to why Ron wouldn't have a bed.
Ron answered the unspoken question. " I sold my furniture to pay the rent. All I have are my… Chudley Cannons sheets," he grinned sheepishly, causing a small smile to erupt on Hermione's face, in spite of herself.
" I guess you could take turns with Harry or something… and meanwhile…"
" – sleep in the bathtub?" Ron finished sarcastically.
" Sleep on the floor, Ron. Just spread your sheets out."
With one glance at the nearly rotten wooden floorboards, Ron gave Hermione a horrified expression. " Can't we just share the bed?" he tried, the adorable grin returning to his face.
Hermione's smile dissolved. " Ron…"
" I'm kidding you. Really." He jumped from the sofa. " Let's get the rest of the boxes up here shall we?"
* * * * *
" Harry, Harry, Harry!"
Ludo Bagman's hand clapped on Harry's shoulder enthusiastically. With a forced grin, he faced his boss. " Good morning, Mr. Bagman. How's everything?"
" Good, good," he answered, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Harry was inured to the fact that Ludo had a habit it being very repetitive with his words. Those Bludgers really messed with his mind. " I was thinking Harry…"
Harry nodded, encouraging him to continue. At Ludo's old age, he sometimes forgot he had started a sentence.
" Let's have a drink after work! It's card game night at the Leaky Cauldron!" Ludo's smile grew increasingly wider, practically scaring the wits out of Harry.
" Oh, I can't," he answered truthfully. He had promised to come home straight after work to help settle into the flat with Ron and Hermione.
" Aw, come on. You can come and place some bets, and just go upstairs when you're tired."
" Well, that's the thing, Mr. Bagman. I don't live there anymore – I moved into a flat with my two friends."
Ludo, for whatever reason, looked even happier than ever. " You don't mean Ron and Hermione?" Harry's life was not a very private one, and it didn't help that almost everybody in the office was nosy enough to rival his Aunt Petunia. Also, Ron and Hermione visited his office very often, Hermione to go out to lunch with him and Ron to see if he could somehow mooch Quidditch tickets off of his friend.
" Yeah, we've got a flat out in Muggle London," answered Harry proudly.
" No kidding?" he looked rather surprised. " Does this mean you and Ron are living with Hermione? In the same flat?"
" Yes…" he answered slowly, trying to comprehend the unreadable yet jovial expression of Ludo's face.
The old man chuckled. " Harry, Harry, Harry," he started, shaking his head. " That will lead to trouble, and you know it!"
Harry forced a small laugh. He hoped others would not react this way. In fact, he doubted it. Ludo just didn't know what he was talking about.
Bagman leaned in closer to Harry. " You didn't move in with her for any specific reason, did you?"
" No."
More chuckling ensued. " Are you bothered that Ron's there?'
" No."
" Really, really?"
" Yes," said Harry with a sigh. " I have to get to work, Mr. Bagman."
No sooner had he reached his desk by the window in the far corner when a group of rowdy Irishmen emerged from the side door.
" Harry!"
Harry saw a sandy-haired figure approaching him. He was wearing black Quidditch robes with a scarlet bat pasted across the chest – robes he recognized as those of the Ballycastle Bats.
" Seamus?" Harry laughed and shook hands with his former classmate. He knew Seamus was a player for the Northern Irish team, but had not seen him in quite a long time. He noticed Seamus had sprouted more freckles, possibly a result of playing Quidditch out in the sun everyday. " How're you doing?"
" Good, as you could probably tell." Seamus waved his hand toward his boisterous teammates, who were crowded around Ludo Bagman and shouting jovially. "We're here to negotiate an agreement for the team's advertisement for Butterbeer. Do you work here?"
Harry nodded ruefully. He rarely took pride in his job, and now facing Seamus in all his glory, tanned and wearing the robes of the second most successful team in League history in which he was planning to advertise the most popular drink in the wizarding world, he felt quite self-conscious to say he worked as a lowly office assistant in the Department, growing increasingly whiter for every hour he sat at his desk.
" Harry!" Ludo Bagman shouted within the horde of people. He was clutching a folder, and approaching him. " I'm promoting you!"
" Really?"
" Well, not right now." Harry's face fell, but Ludo hardly took notice. He handed him the folder. " I want you to handle the negotiations between the Ballycastle Bats and Butterbeer."
Harry accepted the folder in utter consternation. He'd never been given any sort of task that was actually worth this much.
" Anyway, I'll give you the raise if you do it." He clapped his hand on his shoulder again. " I have faith in you, Harry!"
He walked away, or rather was carried by the team to his office. Seamus gave a final wave and followed them.
Harry stood rooted in his spot, wondering what sort of work he'd have to do to 'negotiate'. He opened the folder and was greeted with a bunch of unfamiliar documents. He found it ominous that Ludo would just drop this bomb on him. Perhaps Ludo was just lazy and didn't feel like doing the work himself. Scowling, Harry seated himself at his desk and poked his wand at the surface to burn small holes.
* * * * *
Harry stopped by Flourish and Blott's after work, feeling unexpectedly fatigued as a result of the immense workload that had been given to him.
Hermione was shelving several volumes of spellbooks. She spotted Harry and waved.
" Let me get my bag."
Hermione emerged from the back room moments later. Harry saw a large bulk protruding from her bag.
They stepped out onto Diagon Alley. Dusk had fallen upon the sky, and Harry saw several other employees emerging from their stores and lock their doors..
" Did Ron stay home all day?" Harry asked. He lifted up his glasses to rub his nearly closing eyelids.
" Yes," answered Hermione, visibly scowling. " I wish he'd get a job. It's really important that he does now, considering we need rent money."
Harry was reminded of his possible promotion, and told Hermione about it.
" Really? That's great for you, Harry."
" I don't know," he answered, staring far ahead of him. " This isn't what I want to do for a living."
Hermione gave a dry laugh. " Like I said, I don't expect to sell books all my life either. But we've all got to start somewhere, right? What do you want to do then?"
Like every other time he heard the question or asked it to himself, he came up with no clear answer.
They reached The Leaky Cauldron, and went inside to go into the Muggle London street on the other side.
The air inside was very humid and hot. Smoke and the distinct scent of sweat permeated the air. Harry saw somebody wave from the corner - it was Ludo Bagman, some teammates of the Ballycastle Bats, and a few of Harry's co-workers. They were crowded around a single table, where a bunch of cards lay.
" Care to sit down with us?" shouted a very red-face Bagman.
Hermione glanced at Harry, who shook his head. " We have to get back home. Maybe some other time," he shouted over the noise. Hermione looked quite relieved.
Bagman shrugged. An explosion of laughter erupted from the drunken group amassed around him, and Bagman eagerly looked at them to find out why.
Harry and Hermione made their way through the small pub, declining an invitation to drink from Tom, the innkeeper.
When they had stepped into what was now the cool night air, and the door closed behind them, Ludo Bagman leaned forward into the group and in his drunken state, said with wink and a furtive hiccup, " 20 galleons says they'll get together."
* * * * *
Ron jumped when he heard the door open behind him. He had spent the entire day on the sofa, and found himself to be so bored that he began reading Hogwarts, A History. Currently, he was as far as fifteen pages into it.
" Did you bring any food?" he asked the moment his flatmates set foot through the door.
Hermione shot him a scowl. " What do you mean? I said that was your responsibility."
Ron looked pensive, as though trying to recall this. " Did you?"
" Yes."
He shut the book, set it on the sofa, and stood up. " You said on your way out the door, 'I'll get the food'."
" No," she started slowly, " I said, ' Get the food'."
Harry intervened. " Do we have any food?" The other two simultaneously shook their heads. " All right then. We'll go out and get some."
Hermione sighed as Ron hopped over the back of the sofa. As he approached he and Hermione exchanged death looks.
They stumbled down the dark stairway. After being yelled at by Mrs. Pill, they stepped out onto the London street.
The street in front of their run down building was far from busy. It seemed to be a much older section of the city. Gas lamps adorned the corners only, and in the dim light, the three of them could just barely make out silhouettes of the things around them.
" Where do we go now?" asked Hermione. " Do you think we should go to a restaurant?"
" A what?" piped Ron's voice.
" Er --- I don't think we have a lot of money, Hermione," Harry answered sheepishly.
Well, it was true. The meager salaries of Hermione and Harry alone could hardly help pay for a sufficient dinner at a decent restaurant in Muggle London.
" I've got it!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione felt his hand brush her shoulder. " Let's Apparate to the Burrow."
Hermione tutted. " You've got to be joking, Ron. You moved out for a reason, you know."
" Come to think of it, why did I move out? I was getting free meals everyday, I didn't need a job…"
" Because you're eighteen, not twelve!" Hermione screeched. " It's time you took responsibility for yourself, and on your first day of taking care of yourself, you suggest we go back to the place you just left!"
Hearing their conversation didn't in any way sustain Harry's hunger, and he quickly told his friends so to interrupt their petty argument. Ron and Hermione apologized immediately.
" We can just go to the Leaky Cauldron," Ron suggested.
Harry remembered greeting Ludo Bagman just a while ago. No doubt Hermione remembered too, because she said hastily, " Let's just go to the Burrow! But just this once, Ron."
Ron nodded, although nobody saw in the semi-darkness. The three of them held their wands steady, and in a split second, they were gone.
* * * * *
A/N: Hmm… the Burrow. What will happen when they get there? And another question now hangs in the air! Will Ludo Bagman win his bet?