Hogwarts High

By Siriusly Amused

Author's Note: -stands still as people throw rotten food at me- Yes, I know, I know, this chapter is way over due and as always, I apologize. I just got on a role with Harry Potter was an Only Child and I just had to go with it. But that fic is finished now and I can assure you that it still hasn't hit me that I actually FINISHED something. Especially considering how long this story has taken me. I actually think we only have a few more chapters until Hogwarts High is finished, but don't worry, there will be a sequel

Disclaimer: I don't own the HP universe…'Sunday, Bloody, Sunday'…Crash Bash…

Chapter Twenty

Melon and Cucumber

°°°Ron°°°

Let's face it, I'm lazy. And I'm definitely not a morning person. Monday mornings are always the hardest for me and for some reason, I always have some song stuck in my head when I wake up on them. This particular morning, I woke up to 'Sunday, Bloody, Sunday' only my subconscious changed the words to, 'Monday, Bloody, Monday'. I also woke up to Ginny sitting cross-legged at the foot of my bed.

"Gin, wha?" I yawned, attempting to sit up but not managing it.

"I don't feel right," Ginny replied softly.

I knitted my brow in concern, sat up and reached out my hand to feel her forehead. Ginny gently guided my hand away.

"No, I feel fine physically. It's just," she paused and bit her lip, "it's just, what happened this weekend wasn't normal."

I nodded. It wasn't normal. Sirius and Remus had returned with Ginny and Noelle and explained that a very prodigious family had two of their teenaged sons run away and they were out looking for them the night of my party. They mistook Harry and Draco as their lost sons and brought them back. They thought Ginny and Noelle were helping the boys hide, so they took them too. When they got back to this really big building on the outskirts of Hogwarts Hills and found out that they had the wrong boys, they set them all free with deepest apologies.

"I know, Gin. But we always knew that there were some nutcases in this town. I doubt they'll bother us again. Now, what do you want for breakfast? May I suggest pop tarts?" I got out of bed, stretched and looked at Ginny. She had her knees to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs protectively. "French toast it is, then," I said, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen.

I began making the French toast as Ginny glumly cut up fresh fruit to go with it. It seemed like she couldn't get her mind off of what had happened. I put my spatula down and turned toward her.

"They didn't," I paused and swallowed a lump that was forming, "do anything to you, did they?" I asked, wishing that Mom and Dad were home and that I never let Fred, George and Draco talk me into having a party.

Ginny's eyes shot toward mine in shock. "No! I mean, not really. They were a bit harsh when they pushed us into the car and they locked us in a room for awhile at the building but they didn't do anything else." Ginny sighed and gave a slight smile. "I'm fine, Ron. I just haven't wrapped my mind around what happened yet. I just have a bad feeling."

What's with women and their bad feelings? Why do they always have them? And most importantly, what the hell am I supposed to do about them?

I sighed and did the only thing I could think of to do; I hugged her.

"Aww, sibling bonding!" George exclaimed, coming into the kitchen and throwing his arms around the two of us. He hugged for a brief moment before releasing us and slapping me upside my head. "Ron, you're burning the French toast!"

°°°Harry°°°

A loud alarm was threatening to pop my ear drums and I was blinded by a very bright light that flashed continually. I spun around and glared at Draco who was sitting awkwardly on a window sill and wincing slightly at his blunder. A vase that had been sitting on the table next to the window fell as Draco was climbing in. Suddenly, the noise and lights stopped and three very angry adults came in.

"You idiot boys!" snapped a dark-haired woman whom I've come to know as Draco's Aunt Bellatrix. "After two weeks of training, you should be able to climb in and out of unsecured homes without making noise!" Lucius and Peter merely shook their heads disapprovingly and muttered under their breaths as Bellatrix raged.

"I'm sorry!" Draco yelled in his aunt's face as he climbed all the way into the model home used for training.

Bellatrix slapped him. "That's not good enough!"

"Don't you dare touch my son!" Draco's mom exclaimed, joining the rest of us in the house. For some reason Tom allowed either Narcissa or Sirius to accompany us to our training sessions.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please, you little traitor!" Bellatrix snapped back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Narcissa questioned angrily.

Bellatrix came very close to Narcissa face. "We've been watching you, sister, dear! You've been meeting up with our darling cousin, Sirius! You two are friends again, aren't you?"

"That's enough, Bella," came a silky voice as Tom slowly entered the room, his eyes boring into me and Draco like a hawk eyeing a mouse.

"Tom, we should give these boys up!" Bellatrix continued, walking briskly over to Tom and placing a hand on his arm. "They're not improving at all and they're ruining us. Many of our best men are threatening to leave!"

"Let them leave," Tom replied smiling at us. "The boys are going nowhere."

"They're going home," Narcissa said, gently guiding us out of the model home. "It's five and they have a bio test they need to study for." Narcissa briskly led us out of the building and to her car. We drove in silence until she pulled up to the apartment complex. I reached for the door handle, then paused and glanced at the front seat. Draco was giving his mother a worried look and Narcissa was gripping the steering wheel tightly, her eyes lined with tears.

"Um, do you guys want to come up for dinner?" I asked awkwardly.

Narcissa forced a smile. "I wouldn't want to intrude," she said.

"Sirius usually makes more food than necessary," I told her.

She smiled again and parked the car. Remus and Sirius were in the kitchen preparing dinner when we came in.

"Cissa!" Sirius exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen and hugging his cousin. He had ketchup all down his front and he got it on Narcissa's clothes.

"Hello, Sirius," Narcissa said through gritted teeth, looking down at her now ruined shirt. Her eyes then fell upon our living room and she suddenly looked as though she had just stepped into something disgusting. Remus' head appeared from the kitchen.

"Hey, Sirius, where the hell is that thing we use to flip stuff?"

"The spatula?"

"Yeah."

"It's…" Sirius paused. "Harry, where the hell is the spatula?"

"Never mind! I found it!" Remus called from the kitchen.

Narcissa tip toed around random piles of junk that littered the living room floor and came to the dining room table where she sat down after clearing off some old newspapers. Dinner was served soon afterward and it was rather pleasant considering recent events. After dinner, Draco and I broke out my bio book and started studying at the table, vaguely aware of the adults in the adjoining kitchen.

"Si, are these last night's dishes in the sink?"

"They sure are, Cissa!"

Draco nudged me and pointed to my open bio notebook where he had scribbled a message:

'Why don't they ever talk about what's happening to us? About the contract and our training?'

I picked up my pen and scribbled back:

'Our homes are probably bugged.'

Draco furrowed his brow in frustration.

'And they're not going to the authorities because we're constantly being watched?'

'Bingo.'

"You know," Narcissa stated in a loud and clear voice as she found a dirty sock in the dish washer, "this place could use a woman's touch."

Everyone was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Sirius and Remus were staring at Narcissa as if she had mutated right in front of them.

"But," stated Remus dubiously, "you don't cook and clean."

"I can learn," replied Narcissa with a grin.

"She is a fast learner, Remus," Sirius stated with a half smile.

The adults then turned to us with questioning glares.

"Yeah, whatever," I said. "You want to play Crash Bash?" I asked, turning toward Draco.

"Yeah, alright," Draco replied.

And that was how Narcissa and Draco moved into the already crammed apartment.

°°°Hermione°°°

"Did you know that Draco and his mom are living with Harry now?" Ron asked one Thursday afternoon in Study Hall.

Lavender gasped from across the table, obviously shocked that news that big hadn't gotten to her through her gossip yet. "No!" she exclaimed in a hushed whisper, leaning in across the table as if what we were talking about was scandalous. "When did this happen?"

"Earlier this week, apparently," Ron replied nonchalantly. "Draco said that his parents were having problems and were separated. I think they might get a divorce."

Lavender, Seamus, and Neville all gasped.

"Poor, Draco," Lavender sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "Lavender, five months ago, you could have cared less what happened to Draco."

"Yes, but he's different now, isn't he?" Seamus pointed out. "He's all nice and stuff."

Lavender sent me a smile. "It's because of Noelle," she squealed and I couldn't help but to return the smile.

It was now Ron's turn to roll his eyes, but he refrained from commenting. We all went back to our homework for a few minutes before Ron broke the silence again.

"Hey, are you guys coming today after school?" he asked Seamus and Neville.

"What's today after school?" Lavender asked, giving Seamus the eye seeing as he obviously hadn't told her anything.

"The annual Beach Baseball game!" Ron stated happily. "We play baseball on the beach," he added.

"Really, Ron?" Lavender asked, sarcastically.

Ron glared at her as the rest of us laughed.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Seamus stated between laughs. "Dean too, I think."

"I'll be there," Neville agreed. "Harry and I can lament over how bad we are."

"I don't think Harry's coming. He might later, but he has that new job of his so…" Ron said, trailing off at the end. "However, you two lovely ladies are invited if you'd like to come. You can join in on the game or just cheer us on. Either way, there'll be a barbeque afterwards and you know how my mom cooks. But I realize we have that huge geometry test tomorrow, so I won't be offended if you want to stay home and…"

"I'll be there," I interrupted, giving a shy smile to Ron.

Ron smiled back and blushed before returning to his homework. Seamus and Lavender snickered and Neville said something about needing a girlfriend before he got up and joined a blonde freshman with large eyes over on the library's couch.

°°°Ginny°°°

It was almost perfect. It was so warm outside, that we were all barefooted and in shorts. The sun was setting brightly behind the waves, illuminating the game. Bill, Charlie, Wood, Lee, Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Lavender, Parvatti, Ron and Hermione were all playing. I was completely shocked when Hermione volunteered to play. She was only slightly better than Neville, but she seemed to be enjoying herself none-the-less. She laughed as Ron demonstrated how to hold a bat to her. I smiled.

"Not joining in on the game?"

I looked up to find Noelle standing next to me.

"Nah, I don't really feel much like playing today," I explained as she sat down in the sand next to me. "Besides, they would have had an odd number if I played."

We watched the game in silence for awhile. "Harry's not here," Noelle stated.

"He has that new job," I told Noelle dubiously. "Draco's not here either."

"He's been spending a lot of time with his mom. You know, the divorce and everything."

We watched the game a bit more after that, both of us feeling a bit hollow inside. Bill and Hermione were talking in the outfield and Hermione said something that made Bill smirk and throw a bit of sand at her.

"Hermione seems to be part of your family," Noelle commented with a warm smile.

I laughed. "Yeah, she and Ron are soul mates or something."

"Harry's part of your family two," Noelle continued, smirking.

I sent her a look which made her laugh. "Harry's Ron's best friend," I said.

Noelle smirked some more. "Yeah," she agreed. "He likes you too."

I playfully poked her in her side which made her emit a small, 'eep' and fall over onto the sand. We laughed for a bit before Mom came out and called us all to dinner. We rushed into the yard and assimilated ourselves around a rather large picnic table as Mom laid a vast assortment of food in front of us. Lively talk sprung up as everyone dug in and I couldn't help but feel slightly sad that neither Harry or Draco were there. Noelle seemed to be thinking about the same thing. We were both quiet during the meal, even when George managed to get mashed potatoes in his hair.

°°°Hermione°°°

After dinner, Bill and Charlie made a small fire on the beach for the rest of us to roast s'mores. I had only made one before Ron took my hand and led me from the fire to lay out closer to the water and stare at the stars. Fred had called out some remark about making out but Ron merely gave him a rude hand gesture and led me onward. We found a spot and Ron laid down on his back. I laid perpendicular to him by resting my head on his stomach and we just stared up at the stars for awhile.

"This is the first Beach Baseball game that Harry missed," Ron commented after awhile.

The warm wave of happiness that was washing over me evaporated. So I wasn't the only one who noticed the gaping void that Harry's absence left.

"But I'm not completely sad," Ron continued awkwardly, "because this is also the first Beach Baseball game that you came to."

I sat up in shock. Romantic sayings from Ron were few and far between so I was always caught off guard whenever he sprung one on me. He propped himself up onto his elbows as I smiled down upon him. My eyes flickered to the others by the fire for a moment before I leaned down and kissed him. Ron brought a hand up to caress my cheek and I covered his hand with my own; Harry's absence was momentarily forgotten.

"See, I told you they were going to make out!" Fred's voice called out, forcing me to break away from Ron.

"Fred, I'm going to kill you!" Ron bellowed, getting up faster than my brain could register and running back over to the fire. He tackled Fred to the ground and wrestled with him.

"BROTHER FIGHT!" Charlie exclaimed, pulling George into the foray. Bill merely looked over to me and rolled his eyes. Ginny stole Charlie's abandoned s'mores. Minutes later, Mrs. Weasley came out and broke her sons up. She scolded Ron for starting a fight, Charlie for joining in when he was clearly too old for such things, and Bill for not doing anything about it. She seemed to expect such behavior from the twins, however, so she said nothing to them.

I came over to the fire and laughed when I saw that all four brothers had melted chocolate and marsh mellow in their hair.

"What?" Ron asked when he heard my giggles.

"Nothing," I replied. The four of them had the gunk in their hair for the rest of the night.

I finally returned home around 10:30 PM. The house was dark as I made my way into my bedroom. I was going to put my pajamas on when I realized that my parents had put my mail on my bed. Out of curiosity, I flipped through the envelopes. One was from the bank and was most probably my bank statements. One was a postcard from my grandmother who was vacationing in Hawaii. The last one made my heart jump up to my throat and my stomach clench. I sat down on my bed and ran a hand through my hair. I had given up hope hearing from them, and yet here it was, almost a year since I sent out my letter. With shaking hands, I opened the envelope…

End Author's Note: Now, that's a cliffhanger-hides horns and pitchfork- Anywho, there's a few things I want to clear up. Firstly, Harry and Draco can't tell anyone about their 'training' so Harry told everyone that he had an after school job to explain his absences and Draco told them that his parents were separating (which they are, obviously since Narcissa decided to move out of Malfoy Manor and into Sirius' apartment) and that he needed to spend time with his mom. Also, fifty cookies go to whoever can guess the 'blonde freshman with large eyes' that Neville talked to in the library. Oh, and if you guys are wondering about my chapter title...my sister just gave me some body spray that smells like melon and cucumber. Yeah, I didn't know what to call this chapter.