After Hogwarts . . .

Chapter 2: Long Lost Friends

A/N: ARGH! It's been so long! It's ironic, really; the one everyone likes the most and has the most potential, and I get writer's block on. It's JUST been lifted. Or, shall I say, I've finally gotten around to writing it, writer's block or not. So just read. And if it's crappy, forgive me. Please! Blame the muses! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~

Ron Weasley squinted for the black-haired boy. Was that . . . Harry? Ron, taller than the rest of the Diagon Alley crowd by far, still could not find him. Where was that guy? Ron finally found him, entering a pub. That really was Harry!

"Harry?"

--

Harry Potter looked up to see his old school friend, Ron Weasley. "Ron?"

"It's actually you!"

Harry and Ron did one of their 'man embraces.' (You know what I'm talking about here, right?)

"Here, sit down," Harry told him, motioning to a chair by his table.

Ron sat, grinning. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, er," Harry began. What was he supposed to say? He had no job, no house of his own: he was living in a pathetically unfinished apartment for dirt-cheap in the worst district imaginable. "I've been up to a lot of things."

"Here you are, sir," the waitress said politely, setting Harry's drink on the table. "May I get you anything else?"

"Ron, did you want anything?" Harry asked, thanking the waitress mentally for saving his pathetic explanation.

"No, I'm fine," he said.

Harry cleared his throat. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, uh," Ron started. He was living at home, in his old room, and had been searching for a job. How could he tell Harry that? Harry was, no doubt, a top --- something. There was absolutely no way he could let Harry know that.

"I thought I saw Hermione today," Ron said instead.

"Really?" Harry asked, sounding interested. "I haven't seen her for the longest time."

"Me neither. I was going to talk to her but she was gone by the time I went to look for her."

"That's ---"

"What, Harry?"

Harry stared into the crowd of Diagon Alley. "That's her!"

Harry stood up and hurried quickly out of the pub, leaving a small tip and the required amount. He saw the same, familiar, recognizable bushy brown hair. "Hermione!"

The girl turned around to see her Harry James Potter, one of her best friends. She even saw Ron Weasley behind him. "Harry! Ron! I never expected to see you two here!"

Hermione Granger hugged the two of them and looked at them. "So what have you been doing since school?"

"Well, uh . . ." Ron scratched his head and Harry ran his hand through his hair, as he always did when he was worried or trying to think of something.

"Never mind what we've been doing, what about you?" Harry finally said.

Hermione bit her lip. "Oh, I'm doing great," she fibbed.

Ron felt his heart sink. He was right: he was the only one without a point in life. They had to know.

Hermione felt submerged in guilt: she had just lied to her best friends! This wasn't like her. At all.

Harry was inwardly crestfallen. He was not doing well, and both of his friends were. This was terrible. And he completely ignored the questions. But maybe they could help him.

"Alright. I'm doing horribly."

The three looked at each other: they had all said it at the same time!

The group burst out laughing. They had been worrying over nothing. But none of them still had work . . .

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Alright, I know, I know. That was dreadful. Please look past it! IF ANYBODY HAS ANY PLOT IDEAS TELL ME! I'm in desperate need of them! SMF! Save my Fic!

Oh, and I'm thinking of putting Draco Malfoy in the next chapter. *wink* Do y'all want to see more of him? (And my friend Eva says I can write good in- character Evil-Draco, so factor that in: I can do fluff-Draco too though! Whichever you want. ^_^ All for the readers.)

LAHAK,

Serenity