Title: On my Way to Save the World

Author name: NaginiSKD3
Category: Action/Adventure, Romance
This Story Includes: Dark Magic, Harry/Draco, and Hermione/Ron
Rating: R for sexual situations, violence, and language
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP
Summary: Post-OotP HPDM Draco becomes a spy for the light and can't stand his old friends though he's unable to show it. A bit of RWHG is making Harry feel isolated. Harry and Draco start spending time together. Being a man of few morals Draco attempts to corrupt Harry. Slash ensues.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: This is Slash! You have been warned if you are still reading it and you don't like slash is your own damn fault.

Chapter Five: About Two Girls

Harry was, by nature, a happy guy. Life with the Dursley had been tough, hell yah, but he could look on the bright side, he could ignore them and they could ignore him and he could keep his mouth shut and they could all fucking roll over and die and he could smile, the end. Nothing would come from sulking around and being depressed so Harry bottled up his pain and regret and his absolute dread of what the future held for him beyond OWLs results and he could just push all that to the back of his head and deal with his problems later because his best friend was here and the Dursleys were gone and the future was close but not so close he had to look it in the eyes.

Voldermort had semi-retreated, no training for the final battle it would just come naturally, Ron was here and everything was going to be fine because he had so much to tell his friend he was about bursting. Hell, he'd even tell Ron about the prophecy, Ron was his best mate right? Ron would help him face his problems and then when he told Hermione she would come up with a brilliant plan and everything would go smoothly for once in his life.

Yeah right, the biggest problem in his life would be the only one to go smoothly. But don't dwell on things like that. And don't get dragged down, and don't think too far ahead. Stuff was here and now. Ron was here and now. Take things as they come because if you stop to let your problems catch you they'll swarm around you like flesh eating flies and pick you to pieces until there's no light left in your life faster than a self administered dementors kiss.

Harry concentrated hard on pushing his problems into a mental trunk and then sitting on it all to keep it from reopening. He wondered if Snape would be proud that he had finally gotten a handle on occlumancy.

"Hey Ron!" he greeted just a bit too loudly.

"Harry!" shouted Ron and Ginny in tandem.

Ron was sitting in his room on the end of his bed with Ginny on Harry's.

"Ron, you'll never guess what's happened today!" Harry thought it best to think of things in an optimistic light.

"Yeah I know it's been crazy." Ron said. "

"Mum was just told us to get our stuff packed cause we're going to Grimmauld sooner than planned and then come to find out we'd flooed right into a meeting!" Ginny said.

"And then you're here!" Ron finished.

"Yeah, okay but – "

Ron interrupted Harry. "So what happened at the meeting? Why are you here so early?"

"Well if you'd both calm down a second..." Harry waited to see if they'd not interrupt him. "I had a spat with the Dursleys and basically kicked myself out before they could."

"What?"

Harry ignored the question. "Then, you know, I had to go to Gringotts and so this place is my new home. No more Dursley's." Harry said thinking he was doing an unemotional third person summary of any old normal day."

"Brilliant! That's bloody brilliant Harry! Hope you gave those bloody gits a good piece of your mind before you left!"

"Oh I did alright. I'd finally had enough of them."

"So now you're here?"

"Yup, place is mine."

"That's great Harry!" Ginny squealed.

"Yeah, I'm done with the Dursleys. Completely through. If I ever see them again it'll be much too soon."

Then it dawned on Ron. "So that's why mum wanted us to be here sooner than planned."

"Probably so, and thank God too. Tonks and I had a time of it finding anything edible here. We had to search through crackers till we found one with a load of candy in it."

Ginny giggled. "They've got crackers here?"

"Ancient ones, they've never been used. Why anyone would buy a pack beats me."

"Me too." Agreed Ron.

"So the meeting Harry?"

"Yeah you'll never guess!"

"What?"

"Malfoy was there."

"WHAT!" Both Weaslys asked in outraged disbelief.

"Draco Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"Yep."

"What's Malfoy doing at a meeting?"

"He's a spy."

"No!"

"Yes."

"That's impossible Harry" Ginny said, "The moldy candy infected your brain."

"It didn't I'm telling you the truth but I know! I could barely believe it myself but he gave a report and everything and he just left but he'll be back in four days, that's when the next meeting is."

"Mum still thinks we're too young to join but both you and Malfoy are in the Order!" Ron said. "Malfoy!" He shouted again, still not believing it.

"Well I don't see the point of you not joining if I'm just going to tell you exactly what went on as soon as the meeting's over."

"Quite right!" Said Ginny.

"Are you sure Malfoy's a spy?"

"Yeah, I know, hard to believe right?"

"Fuck yeah it's hard to believe! I'd believe the story better if you said someone killed Malfoy and was using polyjuice to impersonate him at the Death Eater meetings easier than I'd believe he's actually become a spy! I'd actually like that version of things better."

"Wouldn't we all." Said Ginny in support of her brother.

"Yes, well," Harry forged on before Ron could go off into a rant. "Good news: Voldermort's out by Durmstrang recruiting so he won't be messing with Hogwarts or the ministry any time soon."

"Really? That's great!" Ginny gushed.

"Harry, I've got something to tell you too."

"Not now Ron. But there's bad news too."

"What?" asked Ginny.

"Muggle attacks don't stop. Voldermort still wants us all to think that he's in England."

"Show's him what he knows."

"Yeah."

"Harry – "

"Wait a minute Ron. And guess who else was at the meeting?"

"Who? Crabbe? Goyle? Is Voldermort a spy for himself now too?"

"No Ginny try again."

"Snape! No wait he's already a spy. Hum lets see who else is the least likely person to join the order?"

"Lockhart?" Ron ventured.

"Wrong. Rita Skeeter!"

"Skeeter! That stupid reporter, Skeeter?" Ginny asked.

"Uh-hu."

"Beetles and Ferrets what's the order coming to?" Ranted Ron. "Who next, Umbridge?"

"Oh God don't say that name!" Ginny shrieked and covered her ears.

"She's running the ministry since Fudge stepped down and now she fancy's herself minister of magic. She's planning on running but Rita's going to give her a shit load of bad press."

"That ugly toad deserves it!" Declared Ginny.

"Finally putting the beetles talents to good use."

"Yeah, 'd be good to see someone else get the sharp end of her quill for once." Agreed Harry.

"Brilliant! So Skeeter's on our side?" asked Ron.

"Yup."

"Malfoy a spy, you say?"

"Did."

"Are you sure he isn't like, a double agent?"

"Everybody seems to think it was planned or something."

"Wow, well... Harry I've got something to tell you!"

"What is it Ron?"

"Hermione and I are going out!" Ron said as if it were the latest news of Voldermort's retreat. "Were official. Like boyfriend girlfriend and everything and isn't it great!" Harry caught Ginny rolling her eyes.

"Good going. 'Bout time too Ron."

"Really Ron as if nobody saw that coming." Ginny said sounding utterly bored to death.

"No, that's not all!" shouted Ron.

"There's more?" Asked Harry.

"She and her parents are coming to Grimmauld for the summer too! It's going to be great! I mean we're going out finally but we haven't seen each other yet."

"Are you going to kiss her hello Ronniekins?" Ginny teased.

"I just might!" declared Ron.

"So when's she coming?"

"Two days!"

"Nobody told me she was coming." Harry said quietly.

"Isn't it great?" Asked Ron.

"It's great Ron."

"Yeah, I know, it's perfect!"

"Oh shut up Ron." Ginny sighted. "Seriously Harry it's all he's been talking about for days. 'Hermione and me this, Hermione and me that, can you believe it?'"

"Quiet Ginny, it's just that, well you know Harry, we've been friends since forever and I never thought of her like that but then suddenly I did and who would have thought? I mean, us? It's like the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. One of my best friends is my girlfriend! What more could a bloak ask for? This ought to show Krum not to fraternize with the enemy! Can you believe she still wrote to him? She said she's liked me for ages! Can you believe that? Ages! And all this time I think I've liked her too! Imagine."

"I can imagine Ron." Harry nodded and Ginny gave him a knowing look.

"Believe me Harry," She whispered under her breath as Ron continued babbling on about him and Hermione. "He's just getting started. Lean to tune him out and say 'that's great Ron' at random intervals and it gets easier."

"... And I first think I really recognized her in fourth year during the Yule Ball because, you know, she was just so pretty. Gosh, my girlfriend has to be the smartest and prettiest girl in school! And..."

"That's great Ron." Said Ginny.

"Yeah." Said Harry with very little enthusiasm.

Draco was stomping though the streets of Batavian that night.

Usually he would stroll or saunter, sometimes briskly walk, or if he was in a particularly bad mood he'd trudge or stalk but he had never before stomped. He was stomping now; Draco was causing as much racket as possible and he couldn't figure out why he was stomping. The people of Batavian knew to stay out of his way though.

Batavian was nice little upscale wizarding settlement in Wiltshire. For the most part it was full of large homes but had a few shops and restaurants as well though it was nowhere near as big as Hogsmead. Beyond the towns limit was Hollow Wood and beyond that was the gate to Malfoy Manor. The Manor was surrounded by anti apparition charms much like the ones on Hogwarts and the nearest communal fireplace was located in a local bar named The Bat's Wing Pub. Draco would never again have to use he pub's fireplace and then take the long walk though the woods only to have to take another long walk across the grounds and then another long walk up the many flights of stairs and endless expanses of hallways to reach his room because now Draco was in possession of the signet ring which acted like a portkey directly to the front doors of the Manor. He would still have to walk to his room but there were ways around that.

Draco was glad he'd never have to get home by foot again, he hated walking though the Woods and especially at night. The Forbidden forest reminded him of the Woods a lot. Merlin save the soul of a visitor to the Malfoys who missed the gate when they apparated and found themselves somewhere in the Woods. The first thing that would happen to you was that you would be lured into the deepest parts by Demonic ducks who cut false paths though the trees and enchanted them with charms to give you hope and put you at ease. Of course they weren't really demon ducks, they had a proper and scary name, which Draco always managed to forget, but since knowing their name wouldn't save you from the false paths he didn't really care. He had seen them once with his own two eyes and demon ducks was what they looked like so demon ducks was what they were called.

After being lured deep into the Woods on the false paths the shadows would take form and bite at your flesh. The first time Draco had seen Lord Voldermort it had reminded him so much of the sorties his father had told him about the shadows of the dead that he had run screaming out of the Forbidden forest. The Shadows of the Dead were the left over shadows of those who died in the Woods and they sought to drag the shadows from the bodies of the living so that they could attach themselves and escape but being shadows they couldn't get a grip on the body and instead latched on to the soul and dragged it into the abyss. And if the Shadows didn't get your soul the Zombies would eat your brains and then the wolves would feast upon the rest of your flesh and use your bones as chew toys.

All in all the Hollow Woods was not a nice place to be if you didn't know the paths. Part of the Woods purpose was to protect the Manor from attack and the other part was to hide the Malfoy's secrets. Buried in the Woods and guarded by its inhabitants were things Draco knew he would someday have to discover. Hopefully he would not have to face his ancestor's abominations anytime soon. No, Draco didn't have to brave the Hollow Woods tonight; he was in Batavian for a reason and once he was done he had every intention of using the ring to portkey to the front gate.

Draco stopped his stomping in front of the gates of a large three story Victorian house and held his hand over the latch of the rot iron gate then muttered a few words quietly to undermine the guard charms before easily pushing it open. Once inside the gate he was careful not to stomp anymore but padded stealthily across the circular gravel drive and past gaudy bubbling fountain. Seriously, some wizards didn't know the difference between tasteful and trashy.

Draco snuck across the grass and climbed up the vine ladder. The ladder would have definetly collapsed under his weight if not for the strengthening charms he and Cecile had placed on it the summer before.

Cecile Adams was one of the pureblood inhabitants of the village that Draco was friends with. She was pretty enough, nothing stunning but better than that ghastly product of inbreeding Pansy. Cecile and he had just started getting to know each other the summer before. Draco had never bothered to meet any of the population of Batavian until; unable to stand any more time spent in the Manor wandering from room to room, he had started braving the path though the Woods and then wandering the streets of Batavian.

Of course he had been though the well off village time and again but he had never stopped to get to know anything about it. Whenever he and his parents or him and a servant left on a shopping trip for Diagon Ally, or on the way to kings cross on September the first, or passed though on a visit to a friends house he never though of it as anything other than a place between himself and his destination. Draco had never met anyone from the Village and he was never introduced to any of the children who lived there. He had always had his friends escorted to Malfoy Manor from some far off place or had been escorted to theirs where he would either boss Crabbe and Goyle around or ignore Pansy until she left him alone.

Only the most upper crust pureblood children were allowed contact with the Malfoy's son and heir. From a very young age his father had chosen Draco's friends. Lucius didn't want Draco mingling with the wrong sort and so delegated the duty of setting up play dates with other children worthy of his status to Narcissa. Not being that inventive of a woman Narcissa had simply arranged meetings and then left the children in the care of their nannies.

The first thing Draco had noticed about Batavian was that there were quite a few kid's who lived there just around his age and though most of the youngest ones went to Hogwarts the one's who would be in his year or bellow went to the other schools. Draco found this a little strange but then there were only three children in the small village that were in his year so he simply shrugged it off as an oddity.

All of the families in Batavian were pureblood though obviously not of the same caliber as the Malfoy's. Most had nowhere near a sixth of the genealogy the Malfoys possessed and a few were only third generation wizards and still had many muggle cousins.

Draco hadn't made fast friends with any of the children since they obviously knew who he was instantly, their groups were already formed and he was something else to them, something not real that was just visiting and then would leave so they never bothered to talk to him and the only recognition they gave him was a double take if they caught his white blond hair out of the corner of their eye. Draco didn't really care what they thought of him or if they spoke to him. He didn't come to the village for social interaction. But one day when a giggling group of the girls who he had seen casting glances at him during previous visits finally plucked up the courage to approach him he wouldn't have given them a second glance except for the fact that they were all very pretty and what teenaged boy in his right mind would protest to being surrounded by four pretty girls? After being invited to one of the girls houses Draco had learned that he didn't much like the girls. No matter how pretty they were looks didn't make up for being total airheads and conversations with pretty little fools didn't make angry Durmstrang hailing boyfriends worth dealing with.

All in all there were eight children he knew after the end fourth to fifth year summer. Three were in his year and five a year below. The two boys, Jeremy and William, who were in Draco's year both went to Durmstrang and the only girl, Cecile, went to Beuaxbanton Academy. Out of the younger five two girls, Jamie and Isabel, and a boy, Alex, went to Beuaxbanton and one girl and one boy went to Duramstrang.

Kristy, the girl who went to Durmstrang, was defiantly worth a good fuck. Jamie was desperately in love with him but he couldn't stand her voice, Isabel was no better and both reminded him of the giggly gossiping girls back at Hogwarts who annoyed him so. Jeremy and William both wanted to go out with Isabel and Jamie and had threaded to teach Draco a lesson but since Draco wasn't interested in there would be girlfriends they eventually backed off. Out of all of them only Cecile could hold his attention long enough to have a worthwhile conversation.

Even if Kristy was almost beautiful Cecile was still the more interesting of the two because Cecile was like forbidden fruit. She was practically a muggle having grown up with muggle cousins as friends. She went to the muggle movies and ate muggle snacks and used muggle slang and watched muggle television and wore muggle cloths and most importantly of all she listened to muggle music. This was just why his father had kept him away from the village's children, because even though they were pureblood they didn't show it much. Cecile had tons of muggle music and Draco was fascinated by it. More than Kristy's looks and more than trading Dark Magic knowledge with the boy's from Durmstrang Draco was interested in Cecile and her muggle music obsession.

That summer she and Draco had spelled the vine ladder to hold five times it's normal weight so that he could sneak in though her window whenever he wanted and tonight Draco intended to use it. He wasn't going to pour his heart out to her but he could sneak in and get some Cds.

Cecile had thought it was funny when Draco had started rifling though her collection of shiny circles, which was what Draco had called the Cds for the longest time, so she had pushed a button on a box and then shoved a few of the circles onto circle slots that were indented on a tray that popped out of the box when the button was pushed. When the tray had closed and more buttons were pushed music came from the box. Each circle had a different set of songs it made the box play and the music was ten times better than the Weird Sisters. It was so much faster and louder that Draco hadn't like the muggle music at first but he had eventually decided that the Weird Sisters sounded like total wimps when compared to some of the bands that had Cds. He now considered them to be much too slow for his new taste in music.

Cecile was always trying to explain how the things worked but Draco could never quite catch on to the theory behind the music making circles and eventually she had given up and just let him shove Cd after Cd into the box copying what he had seen her do and listen to the music for hours. Really, muggle musicians were genius.

Draco opened Cecile's window and climbed though.

"Ses." Draco whispered and the sleeping girl turned away from him. "Ses!" he called a bit louder and she made a swatting motion with her hand. "Damn it girl wake up!" He said at normal voice level right into her ear.

Cecile shot up so fast she bumped her head on Draco's chin and then proceeded to become entangled in her bed sheets and fall to the ground. Draco thought she had finally woken up but she was still half asleep. "Mum I already cleaned up the cucumbers, they're ready for spearing so stop bugging me." Her groggy voice said from the foot of the bed.

"The cucumbers are done Cecile dear you forgot to do the kiwi's." Draco said in a high-pitched voice trying to imitate her mother but failing miserably and falling pray to a fit of sniggering.

"'Foy? That you?" Cecile pulled herself up onto the bed and squinted though the darkness. "You bastard!" She exclaimed when she figured out that he had been the one to wake her. "Go home! What are you doing here?"

"Helping you spear the cucumbers?" Draco asked

"What? Never mind what do you want?"

Draco flopped onto the bed and dragged Cecile against him. "You." He said, his hot breath brushing her ears. Draco twined his fingers around a black corkscrew curl.

Cecile giggled and turned her back on him. "Go bother Kristy you horny bastard, I'm tired."

"Could I bring Kristy here? The two of you could split the work..." Draco ginned wolfishly behind Cecile's shoulder.

"We've already discussed this Draco darling and if you recall I told you that strawberry blonde little sluts aren't my type."

"What about bleached blonde's?"

"They're fine as long as they don't wake me up in the middle of the night demanding sex when I'd rather be sleeping." Cecile rolled out of Draco's embrace and fished over the side of the bed for her covers.

"You'd rather sleep that be with me? Did you hit your head when you fell out of bed? Jamie would die of happiness and have three orgasms before anything even started if I snuck into her room demanding sex."

"Then go bother Jamie, I'm not interested." Cecile heaved the blankets and sheets over the edged then curled up under her covers and kicked Draco with her feet trying to get him off her

bed.

"But Sessy!" Draco wined and threw himself on top of her. He didn't pout because that would only be wasted in the darkness. Letting out a puff of air Draco went limp and rested all his weight on her then tucked his head against her shoulder, when all she did was roll her eyes and sigh at her misfortune he really did pout. "I swear you must be a lesbian sometimes."

Cecile just stared at him and frowned. "If I were would you stop bothering me and get off?" she asked sounding annoyed.

"Fine." Draco rolled off her in a huff. "Draco Malfoy dose not have to beg for sexual favors, girls and boys a like line up to suck his cock and you a re obviously a lesbian."

Cecile began to giggle uncontrollably and tried to muffle it by burying her head in the pillows but since Draco was on top of her she was forced to cackle her amusement right into his ear. "And dose Draco Malfoy really have such an over inflated ego that he believes that rot? I mean, seriously Foy. You're defiantly hot, no denying, but that's going a bit far. And for your information I'm not a lesbian but Janice is so maybe you should forget about having her suck you cock."

"Really? Do you think she'd go for a three way with me and Kristy?"

"What is with you?" Cecile asked. "Are you really that randy?"

Draco pursed his lips. "No, not really. Can I borrow some Cds?"

Cecile paused and thought for a moment and Draco might have seen her frowning but then she smiled again. "Cds? What are those? Do you mean the shiny circles, the see these, or the music making things?"

"No," Draco rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I mean the compact disks."

"What?" Cecile sat up in bed shoving Draco off her. "Where did you learn what Cd stood for? I told Jeremy not to tell you! That rat! I'll hex the hell out of him!" Cecile looked about ready to leave her bed and punish Jeremy as soon as possible but Draco was quick to push her back down to her pillows.

"Jeremy didn't tell me, I read it on the picture side of one. It doesn't make much sense to me. Maybe Md's for musical disks but really, they aren't that compact."

"Oh." Cecile went back to hugging a pillow and wishing for sleep even though she now owed Jeremy ten nuts and five sickles. "Maybe there not that small in terms of what you can do with magic but muggles used to use disks ten times the size off Cds called Records before the Cd was invented."

"Why – "

"Because they recorded things now please shut up and let me sleep."

"Why didn't they call them Beds?" Draco asked."

"What?" Cecile asked sounding very put upon.

"Bds for Big disks?"

"I don't know Draco and frankly I don't give a damn."

"Whatever, I don't care anymore can I just borrow some of your Cds?"

"Sure, take the little player too unless you want to haul the big one out." Cecile thought on this. "Which you aren't allowed to do so just take the little on it's on my dresser." Cecile sounded half asleep and started kicking Draco with her feet again.

"Thanks." Draco kissed her on the cheek and rolled off the bed.

"Everything alright." Cecile's sleepy voice asked from the bed a bit worried by Draco's morose mood.

"Not really." Draco admitted and grabbed a few of the disks out of the big box and shoved them into his cloak then grabbed the player from her dresser. "I'll give these back to you in a few days, ok?" He asked as he headed for the window.

Once on the ground Draco said the spell to activate his ring and anger experiencing a tight pull form behind his belly button he was instantly transported just outside the ominous gate so Malfoy Manor.

It was ok to have muggle music in the house as long as his father was dead and gone but before that he wouldn't have dared risk even letting his father know that he had access to muggle musing in the town, he could have put Cecile in real danger. Last summer he had only ever listened to Cecile's music when he was sure his father was away on a business trip and his mother was with friends and he sure as hell would have never taken the music into the Manor but now that his father was gone he could listen to music in peace.

After his conversation in Ron's room Harry, Ron, and Ginny had all headed down to dinner during which Ron ceaselessly insisted on highlighting all of Hermione's stunning qualities and just how surprised he was to find out that she liked him too. And not just like, like liked him. Harry was about to strangle him and Ginny was getting dizzy from all the eye rolling and meaningful glances at Harry.

"Ron." Harry had finally said. "Stop talking."

Ron had given Harry a bewildered look but shrugged it off and stuffed his face with potatoes instead.

That night Harry had slept in a pair of Ron's pajamas. For hours Harry had laid in darkness trying to think of a way to tell Ron about the prophecy but nothing seemed to fit right. But he had to tell Ron sooner or later and now that he was actually there the excuse of 'it's too big a thing to put in a letter.' And 'I'm too much in shock to even accept it myself.' Were no longer holding up. He couldn't just come out and say it, he couldn't just pull Ron aside and say 'look, I have to kill Voldermort or he has to kill me because nothing else can kill us but the other. That said if I don't kill Voldermort he becomes invincible as well as immortal and the entire worlds fucked.' How could you just say something like that? And besides, Ron didn't even want to listen, all he could think about was when Hermione was coming and how he would greet her and how bloody great it would all be. Harry had shared more meaningful glances with Ginny than he had in five years worth of knowing her. Maybe he should wait until Hermione came to tell them both at once.

The next morning Harry had joined Ron at the breakfast table upon which Mrs. Weasley had laid out a most delicious spread of food. Harry had been so hungry at dinner last night that he had completely ignored the magical appearance of food and simply tucked in but now that he was thinking with less of a hungry wolf mentality he had to wonder...

"Mrs. Weasley" Harry started to ask as he sat down.

"Yes Harry?" she replied.

"Er, where dose all the food come from? Did you shop at a supermarket?"

"Super market? Oh no dear, I just owled the regular old market and had them ship over the food." Said Mrs. Weasley. "Super market, their prices must be though the roof and I'm sure none of the foods really worth it."

"There's a wizards food market?" Harry asked astonished as he learned this one bit more about the wizarding world.

"Of course there is. Now usually I just use the vegetables from the garden back at home and only buy the meat and dirks but there just isn't room for a vegetable garden in this place. Anyway, while where here Dumbledore leaves some funds to keep us well fed and I just use them wisely and don't fall for any of those cheap gimmicks like a super market. I'll have to pay him back for the families expenses of course but that'll just have to wait until there's a bit more money to spare."

"Uh, what's at the food market? Where is it?"

"Oh! Dear I'm so sorry sometimes I just forget you don't know these things. Who could blame a woman for being a bit scatterbrained after raising seven children?" Mrs. Weasley laughed and piled eggs onto Harry's plate. "It's located down in Devon. It's probably just liked any old muggle market. They sell fruits and vegetables and snakes, Meat and deserts, basic cooking ingredients like flour and vegetable oil and sugar of course, and then there's the already pre-made meals which you can heat up with a spell, but their expensive and aren't really worth it unless you've got something fancy coming up and you haven't had time to cook. Now I like to cook everything myself, just seems proper for a hostess to do. More sausage?"

"Not thanks." Said Harry

"I'll take some mum!" Ron had shouted.

The next day Mrs. Weasley had gone out with Harry's vault key and gotten him a few pairs of jeans that actually fit, some t-shirts, boxers and undershirts – the last bunch to wear to bed. Harry was immensely grateful.

That had been yesterday morning and today was the day Hermione arrived.

"I can't believe it! She's going to be here in an hour! Do I look ok?"

"You look fine Ron." Harry said without even thinking. Honestly, in just two days it had become almost second nature to tune Ron out.

"Thanks Mate. I can't trust Ginny, she wouldn't even look, and I don't think she was listening to me. Is my hair really ok? You don't think Hermione 'll think it's sloppy?"

Harry looked at Ron's hair, which was looking a lot like his own mop minus half the volume. Harry wasn't sure how his own hair looked because he really didn't care but Mrs. Weasly had been pushing him to get a haircut. Harry told her not to bother it just grew back anyway but he didn't think she was giving up so easily and was just waiting for it to come up again in conversation.

Harry thought Ron's hair looked, well Ron's hair looked cool. It looked really cool and Harry wished his hair could look half as deliberately styled with such little effort but alas, his was the fate of those with absolutely obnoxious hair that offended respectable parents no matter how nice you really were on the inside, Harry was lucky he was a celebrity and so people paid absolutely no attention to his hair or his face or anything other than his scar, which they couldn't see because it was covered in volumes of hair and that's how Harry liked it, right where no one could see it.

"Ron your hair's looks cool now stop acting like a girl."

"I'm not acting like a girl I just wanted to know, I mean, what if Hermione doesn't like it?"

"Ron, Hermione likes you for who you are and she's not shallow, your hair doesn't matter to her." Harry was completely aware that if Hermione thought Ron's hair looked stupid she would insist he fix it so it really didn't matter either way because eventually Ron's hair would end up how Hermione liked it.

"How's my breath?" Ron asked suddenly and breathed a whole lot of hot air into Harry's face fogging up his glasses.

"OH, GOD RON!" Harry shouted pushing his friend back out of his personal space. "What the hell was that for?"

"My breath's horrible isn't it?" Ron asked making the whiney whimpering sounds he did when he got really afraid.

"No. Eugh! Ron your breaths fine but that was just really gorse!"

"I'm sorry Harry I just – "Ron was cut off by the doorbell ringing and he froze. "That's her." He said, frozen to his spot in the entrance hall.

"Well, go open it." Harry prompted his friend. "You had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch didn't you?" Harry scrunched up his face in mild disgust.

"You can tell!?" Ron asked, panicking.

Harry was wiping his glasses off on the tails of his new black T-shirt. "Only because you just got up in my face and fogged up my glasses. God that was uncalled for."

"Oh, okay." The doorbell rang again.

"Well, tha'd be Hermione and her parents so you'd best go get it before they get impatient."

"Wait! What if her parents don't like my hair? What if they think I'm some sort of hooligan?"

"Hooligan?" Harry brushed his hair out of his eyes and put his glasses back on. "You've already met Hermione's parents and they liked you well enough but they're going to think your plain rude if you don't open the door soon." The doorbell rang again. "See."

"I can't do it Harry. You open to door for me!" Ron pushed Harry forward and stood behind him.

"Who put you in Gryffindor? You answer the door."

"Please Harry I can't it's – there's no time to cut my hair!"

Harry shook his head at his panicking friend and calmly opened to door for the Grangers and Hermione.

"Hello." Harry said brightly and smiled. "Hey Hermione."

"Hello Harry." Said Mr. Granger who had shortly cut mouse brown hair.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted and Harry had to give her a look reminding her of Mrs. Black. "Oh." She said in a quiet whisper and winced. "Sorry."

"Come on in." Harry ushered the three people inside like a doorman and then shut the door behind them.

"It's so great that we all get to spend the summer together." Hermione said in a very excited whisper. "But where's Ron?" She asked.

"Yes," Said Mrs. Granger whose face looked much like Hermione's but whose hair was a darker shade of brown and had light waves instead of frizz. "Where is Ron?"

"Mum." Hermione begged blushing.

"Oh don't be embarrassed dear we just want to say hello to your friend."

"Don't be silly darling, you know Ron's her boyfriend" Hermione's dad said jovially.

"Dad!" Hermione said in a loud exasperated whisper.

"Oh, well he was right behind me when we ran for the door." Lied Harry to cover up for how long it took for someone to get the door. "Guess he got left behind. I'm sure he'll turn up very soon, probably right around the corner." Harry said with no shortage of meaning full innuendo in a rather loud whisper to alert Ron of their approach then marched off down the hall leading the Grangers around the corner where Ron was standing against the wall looking as if a Petrificus curse was only half way worn off him.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed as she bound past Harry and brought Ron into a hug after which she pecked him soundly on the lips. "I love your hair!"

"Hey Hermione." said Ron hesitantly, more than a bit shocked by it all.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes

Well, that came along a bit smother than last chapter's update. If you liked this try out the One-shot Post-Hogwarts H/D I've got up. (Shameless self plug...)

About the original characters: Don't get squeamish and think this is going too off into space and that I'll forget about the cannon characters they're just footnotes and they only get mentioned here and in one other chapter, though not half as much, But they do have a purpose I swear! Sorry if anyone liked them or anything.

Next chapter: Guess what, OWLs results arrive! (Bet Hermione will be excited) also Bill, Charlie, the Twins (I'm so looking forward to writing them), and the new DADA teacher (Dun dun DUUN!) drop in for the Order Meeting. But first Draco must attend the Death Eater meeting!

Other stuff: If anyone's wondering they'll be off the Hogwarts by about chapter 8. Fixed some things in chapter two, not like you're gonna re-read it or anything... Are you still reading this? If you read this chapter on my website ) that was a pretty rough draft... hope this is better. If anyone's seen my beta please send her my way I think grrr's dropped off the face of the earth or something...

Thanks to the people who reviewed!!!!! Hope you liked the story please review if you did or if you have any suggestions.