A/N: Hey, I know some of you who have been reading my other fics want me to continue working on SoaW, but I'm ready to post the 8th chap, and I got a good idea, so I had to start this one. PotRS has pretty much been discontinued, if anyone reads it and tells me to continue it, I'll leave it up. Otherwise, I'm taking it off the site at the end of Feb. I got good reviews on CSomTSUL, so I'll leave that one up and work on it on a rainy day, but not anytime real soon. I think I'm going to try to focus on SoaW and this one if anyone likes it.

Disclaimer: (I really hate these things) I don't own HP. I don't own NY. I DO own Suszie, though. She's my character (even though she doesn't show up for a few chapters).

Cultural Confusion

Chapter One: Introduction

"What? You have got to be kidding me! This is awesome!" Harry was in the hospital wing and Hermione and Ron were standing around him telling him about Dumbledore's decision to have an end-of-the-year trip for the seventh years.

"Yeah, he's going to post the list of groups and destinations on Friday."

Hermione was really excited, and she couldn't wait for those three days to go by.

"I wonder if we're going to France, or Belgium, or, oooh! Maybe we're going to Australia!"

"Calm down there, girl! We'll find out in three days!" Her excitement was infectious and soon all three of them were thinking about which country they'd like to visit most.

"I just hope we're all together." Ron mused after a short while.

"Of course we will be, silly!" Hermione playfully slapped him. "Dumbledore is of course going to keep us together. Our group may have a few extra chaperones, but we'll be together."

Both boys laughed at this, and Ron stopped worrying.

"Well, bye Harry, we'll see you again after afternoon classes. Don't forget to work on the essay for potions."

"Hermione, I don't wanna do that now," Harry started whining in high-pitched voice. "Can't I do it tonight?"

"It has to be done by tomorrow so that I can turn it in for you. See you later!"

With that, Ron and Hermione left the Hospital Wing and rushed to their classes.

Harry was left alone in the Infirmary with his thoughts. Picking up the assignment for Transfiguration, he glared at the Potions assignment and barred his teeth at it for spite. He started reading it, but then his eyes glazed over slightly and he started to nod off.

He dreamed about chocolate bunnies hopping up to him and handing him baskets full of jelly beans and colored eggs, until he had too many to carry. "Stop!" he cried out in his sleep. "No more!"

Someone sniggered elsewhere in the room, but Harry was fast asleep.

"I hope he finishes that assignment. Snape has just been looking for a reason to get him in trouble." Hermione was saying to Ron on the way to Herbology. Ron was preoccupied, on the other hand, with looking for the Slytherins. Seventh year Herbology in the afternoon was a small class (most people had been smart and taken it in the morning), so it was composed of students from all four houses, including Malfoy and his crew. As of lately, Malfoy had taken to pulling pranks on the trio whenever he could. Since Harry was in a carefully guarded Hospital Wing, he took his vengeance out on Ron and Hermione. Ron had gotten the full blast of a repetitively cursing jinx, in which he started jinxing those around him uncontrollably. It had taken seven Gryfindors, four Hufflepuffs, and a Ravenclaw to pin him down. Ron was still skittish and afraid of being suffocated.

"Oh, come off it, Ron. It couldn't have been that bad."

"You'd be afraid, too if you'd had twenty people all jump on top of you at once."

"It wasn't twenty, Ron. There were only twelve."

"Only twelve? ONLY TWELVE! YOU TRY HAVING TWELVE BLOODY PEOPLE JUMP ON TOP OF YOU, AND THEN TELL ME IT WASN"T THAT BAD!"

Hermione cowered visibly beneath this onslaught, and seeing this, Ron seemed to calm down. He stopped, counted to twenty, and started to talk more quietly.

"Okay, I'm sorry Hermione. Okay? I'm sorry."

She was still cowering a little; after all, if there was one thing she learned being around harry and Ron, it was never to anger either of them. He hugged her and suggested that they continue on to class. Neither of them saw Malfoy mutter something from behind them and dash away around a corner.

They arrived in Greenhouse four, got their instructions from Professor Sprout, and move to the far side. Unfortunately, Malfoy and his cronies moved right near them and started sniggering.

"Hey, Mudblood! I see you and the Weasel were really getting it on together."

"What do you mean, Malfoy?" Hermione spat.

"I mean those hickeys all over your neck. Don't try to hide it, I saw you and the Weasel come in to class almost late, and there you are with hickeys on you neck. He must have gotten really good to do that many just on the way here." All of the Slytherins started laughing out loud as Hermione's eyes widened in horror.

"I… do not have… hickeys… on my neck." She stammered. Hannah, who was sitting next to her, quietly handed her a pocket mirror and some cream concealer. Hermione grabbed the mirror and looked in horror at the red marks all over her neck.

With Ron seeming fit to burst, and the Slytherins laughing like there was no tomorrow, Professor Sprout came over to see what was going on. Lucky she did, because Ron had his wand out and was half-ready to strike.

Professor Sprout took in the situation and sent the Slytherins back to another corner before turning to the others at that table. "Ms. Granger, would you like to go to the bathroom and clean yourself up?" This sent the Slytherins into another fit of laughter and Professor Sprout turned and gave them a stern look before turning back to Hermione. Hermione looked humiliated and ready to cry, before she jumped up and ran out of the room, sobbing. Ron jumped up after her, as did Hannah.

A few others went to, but Professor Sprout stopped them and they resigned to giving the Slytherins deadly glares and muttering under their breath. Malfoy was a little worried that his prank might have worked too well. He swore to keep his cronies with him at all times- that prank had really angered the other three houses, and he really didn't want to be alone with the three other houses ganging up to kill him.