Disclaimer: I traded the cardboard box for a trash bag. I still don't own Harry Potter. All your squirrels are belong to Cricket.

Harry Potter and the Strength of Three

Chapter 7, Startling Arrival

Notice 10/23/04 fanfiction isn't displaying my story correctly. There are 11 chapters. I've found a workaround until they fix the problem. When you finish reading this chap, skip back to chapter 7, it should then show the remaining three chapters in the chapter list. Sorry for the trouble. Narishma

Harry stood before the arch in the Department of Mysteries. The room was silent, the only sound the ghostly whispers from beyond the veil. He stared at his feet, to his left and right, but he never once looked at the arch. The large, round room was empty except for him. No evidence remained from the battle that had taken place in its confines. Turning, he took a step away from the arch, away from the whispers that seemed far too loud. And his surroundings blurred.

Flash

He stood atop a hill, a picturesque forest spreading beautifully before him. Golden leaves fluttered softly in the wind as they fell to earth, birds swooping and diving among them as they sang. Small animals and large frolicked amongst the trees, reveling in the glorious splendor of their home. Harry heard whispering behind him, and shuddered. He took a step, and again his surroundings blurred.

Flash

He stood in a muggle street, cars roaring past him, through him. People strolled briskly along the sidewalks, into and out of stores as they went about their business. A woman walked slowly down the crosswalk in front of him, pushing a stroller along. The baby inside giggled, eliciting a laugh from the woman. The veil whispered at him, and he ran. The world became a constant blur of colors and life.

Flash

A pasture, sheep 'baahing' at one another as they grazed.

Flash

A restaurant, the patrons chatting calmly with their friends as they ate. Several burly men yelled encouragement at football players on the telly.

Flash

Daigon Alley.

Flash

London.

Flash

The Burrow. He stopped, panting. The ramshackle house above him looked as if it would fall over any minute, magic the only force keeping gravity at bay. The entire Weasley family sat at a table in the garden, calmly enjoying a meal in the bright sunshine. He screamed at them to run away, to escape, but they didn't hear him. Ron laughed at something Bill said, as Molly raised an eyebrow. Arthur hid a smile behind his hand, coughing to cover his own laughter.

Whispers approached him from behind. Harry whirled, snarling, ready to face anything to protect the family he loved. The snarl left his face as it whitened, and he gave a soft moan, tears pooling in his eyes almost instantly.

The arch stood before him, chipped and scratched, parts of it crumbling before his eyes. The veil hung limply from the top, fluttering gently in a non-existent wind. Only it wasn't black, it was transparent.

Sirius stared vacantly back at him from its depths, tears streaming slowly down his face. Harry's mother and father stood side-by-side behind him, Cedric Diggory, Bertha Jorkins, and Frank Bryce behind them. Countless people, a sea of faces. They all looked at him accusingly, tears streaming from their faces.

"Death follows you everywhere." The wind whispered, and Harry's family nodded agreement.

"Harry," someone whispered, shaking him gently. "Wake up." He groaned, his head felt like someone was beating on it with a sledgehammer. Hard. He opened his eyes a crack, looking around blearily. Even though his glasses were still on his face everything was still fuzzy, soft looking. He waited a few moments for the world to come into focus. Fleeting images of his dream flashed through his mind, but the throbbing in his temples and scar chased them away. Cricket chattered loudly in his ear, and he swatted weakly at the squirrel, groaning. He could swear the little rodent snickered at him in response.

Hermione was kneeling at his feet, pink jumper rumpled and hair slightly bushier than normal. Her eyes were red and puffy, as though she had been crying. Harry moaned pitifully again, as footsteps rumbled towards them from the hallway. Every sound seemed to be magnified a hundred times, each rustle of clothing sounded like crackling thunder, Hermione's slow, even breaths were like tsunami winds. The sounds drilled into his ears, making the sledgehammer knocking him on the head work faster. "Wha's wrong wif' me?" He mumbled, then groaned again as his own scratchy voice added to the terrible noise around him. The lumbering footsteps materialized into the form of Dudley, who walked to Hermione's side and held out a glass of....something. Harry's stomach recoiled.

"Hangover," Dudley boomed, smirking. He gestured to the glass in his hand, pushing it towards Harry. "Drink this, it'll help." Harry weakly wrapped his fingers around the glass, as his stomach did backflips in protest. Dudley noticed the green pallor of his cousin, and backed away a few steps, grimacing. "Take deep breaths, then drink it as fast as you can. All of it." He instructed, flicking his fingers at Hermione to get her to move. She did, looking back and forth between the two boys curiously. Harry took three deep breaths, then brought the glass to his lips and drank the contents in big gulps. It was hot, burning its way down his throat to settle in his tender stomach like a lead weight. It had chunks in it.

Feeling his gorge rise, Harry thrust the glass back at his cousin. He jumped from his seat, hand to his mouth, and ran from the room. As soon as he was safely outside, he removed his hand and spewed over the railing of the porch.

Hermione walked calmly from the house moments later, Dudley in her wake. Harry stood leaning weakly against a support, a dry heave wracking his frame now and then. Cricket had left his shoulder to stand on the railing a few feet away, and was looking at him with a look of pity in her beady eyes. Hermione walked softly up to her friend and put a hand to his back, rubbing small circles while murmuring nonsense under her breath. A few minutes later, Harry let go of the support beam. "Thanks Hermione." He whispered, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. He looked over at Dudley, who was smirking. "What was that rubbish? It was disgusting!" He leaned over the railing again and spat on the ground for emphasis. Dudley grinned, chuckling.

"Dr. Dudley's hangover cure," He intoned, beaming. "Feel better, don't ya?" Surprisingly, Harry did feel better. His headache had lessened, his stomach, while tender, wasn't twitching and jumping alarmingly any more. He nodded at his cousin, smiled weakly, then squinted his eyes at Dudley. His cousin's eyes were bloodshot and his skin seemed to be much paler than usual. A few sweatdrops stood out from his brow.

"You drank some yourself, didn't you?" He asked, and Dudley nodded. "What's in it anyway?"

"You sure you wanna know?" Harry nodded at the question, reached into his pocket and pulled out his smokes. "Tabasco sauce, raw eggs, pepper, jalepeneo powder, a tablespoon of coffee grounds, water, and curdled milk." He ticked each item off on his fingers as he spoke. Hermione swallowed as her face whitened. Dudley didn't seem to notice. "The spices wake you up real quick, helps you get rid of the lethargy you'd be feeling for hours. The eggs, coffee grounds, and curdled milk make you do what you just did." Seeing Harry's frown, he explained himself, accepting the offered cigarette with a nod. "You have to throw up, its the most important part. You gotta get the rest of the junk out of your system, you know? Else, you'd be feeling like rubbish the whole day." He accepted the offered lighter as well, handing it back when his smoke caught fire. The embers glowed brightly in the early morning light. Cricket skampered warily over to Harry's hand, chirping softly.

Harry smiled, reached down and picked up the small squirrel. He set it on his shoulder with a chuckle. "Yeah, Cricket, I know. I'm sorry I swatted you this morning. Forgive me?" He ran a finger up and down it's back as he spoke, and by the time he was finished the squirrel was chirping apologies in his ear. Harry looked over to Hermione, a curious look on his face. "Hermione?"

"What?" She said, giving his cigarette a disapproving glance.

"I know me and Dudley are alright," he explained, waving his hand between himself and his cousin for emphasis. "But are you going to be in trouble?" Hermione shook her head, as a look of sadness welled within her eyes. She looked away before Harry could notice. Dudley saw it, however, but said nothing. "Don't you have to get home?" It was a moment before she answered, and when she turned back to face Harry the look was gone from her eyes, replaced by a look of mild amusement.

"I told...them that I was staying at a friends for the weekend." she frowned at this, looking at the few remaining cars in the drive before turning back to Harry. "I was going to, actually, but it looks like she left without me." Harry grinned, but hid it quickly behind his hand, coughing.

"That's not a bad thing," Dudley exclaimed, grinning at her. "You two can stay here today, we've got another party tonight!" He did it again! He winked!

"Yeah," Harry chuckled, pulling Hermione into a one armed hug. He gave Dudley an evil smirk over her shoulder. Dudley snickered, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "I can show you the park. That's where I spend most of my time, you'll like it." Hermione blushed, but backed away quickly, plugging her nose.

"Sorry Harry.." She began, releasing her hold on her nose. "But your breath reeks!" Dudley burst out laughing, walked in the house and returned moments later with a bottle of mouthwash. Harry took it, eager to get rid of the horrid taste in his mouth. He took a big swig, handed the bottle back, and swished the minty liquid around in his mouth while Dudley brought the bottle back inside. He spit it over the railing as his cousin returned.

Thump!

Out of nowhere, a brown ball struck Dudley in the side of the head, cutting his snickering off with a grunt. It landed on the porch with a screech, where it began bouncing around with happy chirps. Harry burst into laughter at the site of Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, as it continued its hyperactive dance of glee. Dudley looked at it with disgust.

"What's that thing?" He exclaimed, rubbing the side of his head. "And why did it try to go kamikaze and bash my head in?" Harry explained the owl's presence between chuckles, as he untied the parchment from the owls leg. He unrolled it, and tipped it to the side for Hermione to read with him as she walked to his side.

Hey mate,

I don't know how you do it. If someone insulted me as much as your Aunt and Uncle insult you I'd be hexing everyone in sight. It's good to know that you don't have to hand around the muggles though.

I still wouldn't trust your cousin. How could someone change so much in less than a year? Slytherin's are sneaky, you know?

I asked my mum if I could stay at your place for a while. She asked Dumbledore, and after he assured her that it's safe, she agreed. This is going to be great! I've never really been around muggle's much. It's a good thing we won't have to hang around your house though, no offence. I don't think I could stand it. Anyways, Dumbledore did such a good job of convincing my mum of the safety of your place that she agreed to let me come early! I'll be there tomorrow morning, the 17th. Hermione sucked her breath in at this, and Harry gave her a curious look from the corner of his eye. I'll be taking a portkey directly into you living room! I can't wait to see the look on the muggle's faces!

I asked Moody to come and do some scowling for you, but he just looked at me funny. Actually, he always looks at everyone in a funny way. I think he expects us to start cursing him at any minute. Paranoid git.

See you soon,

Ron.

Harry handed the parchment to Hermione when he was finished, who began reading through it again furiously. He grinned at his cousin, pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "Ron's coming to stay," He said, hiding a smile at Dudley's wince. "Don't worry, you'll probably like him...now that you're not being a bloody git all the time." He broke into laughter at this, Dudley following soon after.

"Harry....." Hermione began, before Dudley cut her off.

"That's not one of those guys that gave me that...candy that one time, is it?" He had a slightly wild look about his bloodshot eyes, and more sweat was popping from his forehead.

"Harry?" Hermione said, a little more urgently this time. Harry ignored her, slapping Dudley on the back. Cricket made the odd snickering noise again.

"Nah, those are his brothers, Fred and George. You'd probably like them too, to tell you the truth." He grinned at Dudley's incredulous look. "They're good guys. Ron's my best mate, ever since my first year at Hogwarts. He'll be here tomorrow morning."

"No he wont!" Hermione exclaimed, waving the parchment in Harry's face as he turned to face her.

"What do you mean? It says right on there that he'll be here tomorrow." He reached up and scratched his head as Hermione groaned in exasperation. Her eyes no longer looked red and puffy, but they did look slightly panicked. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" She moaned, the alarm evident in her voice. Harry looked curiously at Dudley, who shrugged his shoulders in confusion. ""He's coming on the morning of the 17th!" The two boys looked at her blankly, and she sighed. "Today is the 17th! He's already there!" Harry's fists clenched spasmodically as he heard this, eliciting a squeak of pain from his left hand, where he still held Pig. Dropping the bird, who landed with a 'thud' on the deck, he turned to Dudley, who's expression matched his cousin's. Surprise, panic, and....fear. Cricket chirped in alarm.

"Dad'll kill im!" Dudley exclaimed, wringing his hands. "What do we do!" Harry said nothing, simply stared into space with a look of horror in his eyes. His mouth opened and closed, but the only sound that came from it was a muffled grunt. "Wait! I've got an idea!" Dudley turned and ran into the house, Harry followed him more slowly. He looked back at Hermione, who was rumpling the parchment in her hands. "ZACK!" They heard Dudley yell from across the room, as he thundered up the steps to the second floor. "Zack, goddamnit! Wake-up!"

They heard a muffled yell from upstairs, followed by a scream and more yelling, then a slam as a door was closed. Dudley came booming back down the stairway, taking the steps two at a time. He lost his footing towards the bottom and hit the floor with a grunt of pain, skidding a few feet on the imitation hardwood. Scrambling to his feet, he blushed, but waved a pair of keys triumphantly. With a whoop of joy, the three ran from the house. "I forgot Steph was up there." He explained, dropping the keys to the ground in his hurry to unlock the door of the red sedan. "They were....busy, so they told me to take the car myself." He chuckled nervously at this, smirking at Harry. "Actually, Steph threw the keys at my head, before screaming at me to get out." With a click, the lock popped up and Dudley jumped in the car, reached over and unlocked the passenger side. Harry ripped the door open and jumped in himself, before reaching back to the door behind him and scrabbling at the lock switch.

"It won't unlock!" He exclaimed, looking at his cousin in panic. Dudley grimaced.

"That door's broke." He explained, jamming the key into the ignition and turning it. The car fired to life with a grumbling roar, and he revved the gas, looking at Hermione with impatience. "Hurry up, we gotta go!" Hermione stood at Harry's door, wringing her hands. She let out a yelp of surprise as Harry grabbed her around the waist, pulled her onto his lap and slammed the door.

"Go!" He yelled, but Dudley was already moving, careening down the driveway wildly in reverse. He spun the wheel as he hit the tar, causing the front tires to screech in protest. Cricket dug her claws into Harry's shirt, chattering madly. Hermione grunted as her head struck the ceiling, and she slapped Dudley on the arm, shrieking. Dudley ignored her, and slammed the shifter into drive. He stomped on the gas, and the tires squeeled again as the car shot off down the street. Hermione almost toppled over the back of Harry's seat, and he hugged her tightly around the middle. "Whoah! You alright?" Hermione simply turned her head and glared, blushing. Harry squeezed her middle with a grin.

"What time is it?" Dudley yelled, swerving around a corner with another screech of the tires. Hermione belted him in the arm again as she bounced about on Harry's lap. "Ouch, what was that for?" He exclaimed, rubbing his arm with a reproachful look. "I can't help it, we're in a hurry!" Hermione huffed, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyone have a watch?"

"Sorry, mate. I had one...but it quit working in my fourth year." Harry shouted over the sound of the engine. "I never got around to buying a new one." Hermione's arms flew open as they swerved around a car, and she grabbed the handle above the door, gasping in surprise. The car honked at them as they sped past, but Dudley ignored it as they careened around another corner. Harry saw the familiar sign of Maggie's Cafe fly by the window. Getting closer...

Dudley turned his head to face Harry, watching the road with one eye. "Mum and Dad are going to freak!" He laughed as he caught the look on Hermione's face, who glared down at him and released the handle. She scooted to the side a bit and put her arms around Harry's neck, carefully avoiding the quivering form of his pet squirrel. "First, someone pops into their living room out of nowhere, and then we show up! I almost look forward t...."

"Watch out!" Hermione screamed, lifting an arm to point out the window. Dudley bellered as he slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, swerving onto the sidewalk to avoid the car that had pulled out in front of him. He slammed his hand into the horn as he stuck his head out the window.

"Learn how to drive you sodding idiot!" He yelled, flicking the other driver off. The old woman simply stared back in open-mouthed shock, before flicking Dudley off in turn. He turned back to the road, blushing at Hermione's scowl. "What! How was I supposed to know it was an old lady?"

Hermione simply 'humphed,' before turning to look out the windshield again. Harry hoped she didn't notice the effect her bouncing was having on him, and loosened his grip slightly. Dudley dropped off the edge of the sidewalk, gunning the accelerator again. Hermione turned to Harry with a look of surprise. Uh, oh.... Her eyes were wide, and a blush was creeping across her cheeks. Harry looked down, mumbled "sorry," and blushed himself. She flashed an evil grin at the top of his head and turned back to face the road. Cricket chattered outrage in Harry's ear.

"We're almost there!" Dudley yelled as they screeched around another turn, narrowly missing a parking meter as they barrelled onto the sidewalk again. Hermione's bouncing seemed to last a little longer than neccesary this time, and Harry squirmed nervously underneath. Dudley caught his blush and Hermione's smirk, and burst out laughing. "You sure you guys want me to stop?" Hermione punched him in the arm again, but he only laughed harder. She gave him a reproachful look, before grinning at Harry again, and squirming around on his lap some more. Harry gasped in surprise, hugging her tightly to hold her in place. He looked at her wide eyed, she wasn't blushing anymore. Bloody hell! What's she trying to do?

"Think dad's killed him yet?" Dudley asked, his laughter evaporating. Harry looked at him blankly, before answering.

"It's not your dad I'm worried about." Dudley burst out laughing again at this, looked at Hermione, and drove up and down the curb again. Hermione bounced happily in response, and Cricket squawked angrily from Harry's shoulder. He did that on purpose! Harry thought, trying to push Hermione a little to the side. She wouldn't budge, but wiggled around instead. Harry gave up, his look of fright turning to a grin. Two can play at this game. He released his hold on her, and layed one of his hands on her thigh, very close to her crotch. She stiffened, gasping in surprise. She turned her head to glare at him indignantly, sniffing. Cricket chattered angrily and jumped from his shoulder and into the back seat.

"Your friend aint going to turn them into frogs or something, is he?" Dudley asked, a note of anticipation in his voice. Harry laughed at him, turning his attention away from Hermione.

"Don't get your hopes up, Dud. His marks aren't good enough for that." Dudley seemed to deflate, and Harry continued. "He could never get that right. He might change them into frog-people though!" Dudley roared another laugh, swerving around more vehicles as traffic became a little heavier. Harry rubbed small circles with his hand, and looked into Hermione's eyes. She blushed, but seemed to be fighting a smile. Turning back to the front, she placed her own hand atop his. She wiggled a little, and before Harry knew what was happening, she had moved his hand so that it was on the crotch of her pants! He ripped his hand away as though burned, gasping in surprise. Hermione laughed in response, smirking at him. Dudley seemed to be trying very hard not to look over at the two.

"Jeesus!" Harry exclaimed, before he could stop himself. He flushed as Dudley's bellowing laugh erupted again from the drivers seat, and he glared at him. Hermione giggled, before grasping his hand in hers once more and hugging it to herself. She bounced and wiggled some more as they made their way around the turn onto Privet Drive. That didn't work out the way I planned.... Harry looked curiously at his friend as she squeezed his hand and hugged his arm closer to herself. What's going on? This is not like the Hermione I know. Hermione was running her thumb slowly back and forth across the back of his hand. This is Hermione...only a side of her you've never seen. Harry blushed, wondering if anyone else had ever seen this side of his friend before. Don't think about it!

Dudley slammed on the brakes and skidded into the driveway of Number 4, jumping the curb again as he did so. Hermione's hand jerked away, still holding his, and grabbed the dash to keep herself from going through the windshield. As they skidded to a stop, she brought it back again, hugging it to her chest this time.

Soft...

Harry gasped in surprise for what felt like the thousandth time, before jerking his hand away, looking at her wide-eyed. Dudley was already climbing from the car, yelling at them to do the same. "We should....erm...go in..yea." Harry mumbled, trying not to look into her eyes. Hermione giggled, bounced a few more times before opening the door and climbing out. Harry followed suit, but turned and leaned against the car facing Dudley, a blush flaming across his face. "Um...I'll be in in just a second..." He stuttered. Dudley looked at him incredulously.

"What!" He bawked, "you think I'm going to go in there myself! You're mad!" He turned towards the house, where sounds of Unlce Vernon's bellering and bangs were coming from. Harry winced as he heard what sounded like breaking glass. "Lets go, why do you have to wait anyways?" Harry sputtered, reddening even more before Hermione laughed from beside him. Grabbing his arms, she wrapped them around herself and leaned into him, whispering.

"Just stay behind me." She giggled, laughing at the look on his face. "No one will see..." Harry sputtered again, before following her as she led him towards the house. Dudley was laughing again, finally catching on. Cricket jumped from Dudley's open window, before running up to Harry and chattering angrily. The two stopped their shambling walk, and Harry held out his foot to the creature. Still chirping in outrage, the squirrel shot up his leg and took its seat on his shoulder. Harry shushed it before the two continued their walk.

"Um..Hermione?" He whispered in her ear. Cricket stopped its chattering, and seemed to sidle closer to his face. Harry glanced curiously at it before continuing. "This...erm..walking like this isn't really helping my..um..problem." His friend simply laughed, wiggling her hips as the two climbed the steps. Dudley stood waiting impatiently, a look of trepidation on his face.

"Here goes nothing!" He exclaimed, before swinging the door open and ducking, as though expecting something to come flying through the door at him. He blushed at the other two's curious looks. "Well...you never know..right?" With a deep breath, he entered the house, Harry and Hermione stumbled along after him. The sounds inside were a lot louder, and seemed to be coming from the kitchen. As the three walked closer they could hear the sound of breaking dishes, along with Aunt Petunia's shrieks and Uncle Vernon's bellows.

"Freak! Get out of my house! Get out!" This was followed by a crash of splintering wood, and a yelp of surprise. Dudley looked back at Harry as they reached the living room, and the three rushed into the kitchen. Well, Dudley rushed anyway. Harry and Hermione tried to rush, but ended up tripping on each other's feet, landing with a 'oof.'" Cricket squealed outrage, chattering madly as it dug its claws into his shirt. They scrambled to their feet, offering apologies to one another, before they caught sight of Dudley's smirk. Resuming their former position, they shuffled slowly to his side. "More of them! In the living room!" Vernon Dursley shouted from the kitchen. A hint of fear tinged his voice. This seemed to bolster Dudley's courage, because he laughed loudly while he opened the kitchen door.

Ron Weasly stood cowering in a corner, wand raised and pointed at Petunia Dursley. His red hair, a little longer than it had been the last time Harry had seen him, was in wild disarray. His breath came in labored pants, and his eyes had a hunted look about them. Pieces of shattered dishes lay on the floor around him, and as Petunia raised a glass for another throw Harry found out why. She threw the dish with a high pitched shriek, and it shattered above Ron's head as he ducked. Uncle Vernon stood at one end of the broken kitchen table, brandishing one of its splintered legs in one blubbery fist. He whirled around to face the newcomers, face purple with rage. His many chins continued to swing back and forth as he stopped in surprise, catching sight of his son. The ceiling fan hung haphazardly above thier heads, making a scritch, scritch noise as it spun.

"Harry!" Ron yelled, ducking another thrown dish as it crashed into the wall at his right. "Bloody hell! Help me, your sodding relatives are crazy!" His eyes widened as he caught sight of Hermione, and before he could stop himself he had stood up fully, a confused look on his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Hermione?" Harry's aunt let fly another dish, then howled in triumph as it clipped Ron in the ear. "Bloody hell!" Ron yelled, ducking and glaring at Petunia. Despite himself, Harry laughed.

Ron Weasley had arrived at Privet Drive.

A/N Sorry this took longer than usual. I wrote on Thursday, but it was chapter 9. I had a great scene jumping around in my head and had to get it out of my system. Then on Friday I went and got drunk, ended up staying in a hotel, and came home with an empty wallet, only to go out last night as well. I'm afraid my credit cards took a big hit last night. Exciting. Anyways, I hope you like this one. Hermione's got a naughty side..eh? I didn't like this chapter as much as the last couple for some reason, but oh well. Tell me what you think. I had a hangover while I wrote it... I have to work in two hours..on a Sunday. Hmmph. I also fixed a few spelling errors in Invitations.

After posting the last chapter, I payed for support services. Since that chapter was posted, I have gotten over 2000 hits on my story...but only got 13 reviews for chapter 7.. :( Extra special thanks goes out to those that reviewed! You're my hero's!

If anyone would like to beta read for me that would be great, I think I could really use a second opinion sometimes. If you'd like to do so, drop me an email.

coolone007-2 Sorry if I update too fast:P I could slow down if you want....lol. Don't worry, Dudley is not the mole. As for your second review, its looking like H/T/HG now. It's fun to write about them:)

snifflers unite lol, what I meant by "felt like Tonks" was that she felt like Tonks...as in a sense, or something. Maybe I'll go back and change it so its a little easier to understand. I wouldn't really know about the college party scene, because where I'm from everyone parties together...The first party I went to was when I was 14, and there were guys there older than my dad, along with every age in-between. Its a small town, so when theres a party everyone goes. I'm 21 now...and I still go to the same parties, lol. Sorry if it seemed a little odd. Next chapter theres another party, I have to get both Ron and Hermione wastedD Glad you liked the fight, and I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer to get posted. I should be back to normal posting tomorrow.

Michelline The story is going to be H/T/HG now, its just too fun writing it not to:) As for Cricket...can you be so sure? Muhuahahaha!

ksmcan Yep, H/T/HG is what its going to be. Everyone might get a surprise about Cricket though...

Shaz124 Although it would be nice if it was true, I doubt the server overload was caused by me:P Glad you liked the fight scene. I think that was the most fun I've had writing this story so far. I meant the dialogue between Lucious and Moldy to be a little confusing. Get you guys thinking, you know.... I wouldn't lose faith in Dudley just yet though. Thanks again for reviewing!

angolascrub Glad you like it! I do plan on introducing some new abilities and shaping Harry up a bit pretty soon. The Dursley's are going to get what's coming, you'll just have to wait and see:) I'M NOT WORTHY! I never imagined in a million years to be mentinoed in the same sentence as RossWrock or Barb. Their writing talents far outshine my own. For you to compare my talents to their's is a huge compliment. I feel honored. Barb is my favorite fanfic author, and Rosswrock is a close second. I've never read Sloth before, I'll be sure to check him out. Thank you so, so, so, so, much! I hope you continue reading and that I can continue to earn your support.

RS106 When I first started this story, I was planning on H/HG...then Tonks turned all sexy, so I leaned towards H/T. But then, Hermione had to show her naughty side and throw a wrench into the whole works. Its looking like Harry's gonna be bounced between the two for a while:)

redhermione Glad you liked it! I'm going to have some more Tonks vs Hermione coming up, so stay tuned. I figure I must be doing a pretty good job if you actually think Dudley is cool. Thanks! As for R/T.....we'll have to see. Once I sit down and start typing my muses take over, and they do funny things sometimes. I already have a vision of 'Ron being held upside down doing a kegstand while everyone cheers him on' dancing threw my head. The next chapter should be fun.

mjk306 I know what you mean. I might get to that at one point, but if I did it would probably be more of a truce between the girsl than anything else. I love the tension too much to do away with it entirely:) Hope you like the new chapter.

Nymph23 hehe. The thought crossed my mind. Thanks for reviewing:) And thanks for adding me to your favorites:P

Drake Smythe Glad you liked it. I'll be updating quickly as usual again starting tomorrow. My calibur of writing? I actually don't think myself that good, but hopefully you liked this chapter as well. It's going to be H/T/HG, I would never in a million years write slash, so don't worry. There's only a few slash stories I'd read as well, like Faith, by dragongirl16. I don't read it for the slash, but for the plot. dragongirl is a very talented writer. Hope you like the new chapter, let me hear any suggestions if you've got any.

Luschor Thanks for the review. You'll have to wait and see about Cricket...but the story is going to be H/T/HG:)

Me262 Cricket is honored by your salute, and says you should do it more often. She's quite demanding, you know. One of my loudest, most annoying muses, in fact. I never thought of mud for the fight, lol, that would have made things interesting...hmm... Glad I found all the problems in that one. If you find any more, please let me know. I cleaned this one up before posting...but I've got a hangover myself, so my writing might not be up to par. Yep, its going to be H/T/HG, hope you like it!

Hope I got everyone. Please review! If you don't Cricket will haunt your dreams!