"Are we all here?" asked Mrs.Weasley loudly. Yes, they were all there. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and even Draco. Ron wished that after all these years she'd have finally stopped making them all line up and do the roll call. He braced himself for a scathing remark from Draco. He waited for something along the lines of, "Oooh... Ickle Ronniekins... does your mummy still make you wear diapers as well?" but it never came. In fact, Draco hadn't really spoken much at all since he got there.

Ron placed his hand on the small of Hermione's back as she took a step forward towards the door. The garden was still as unkept as it was before the Order came to use it. Dumbledore said it would be better that way... in terms of secrecy. At least it only looked a little bit dirtier than the Muggle houses along the street. Ron also began to wonder how much longer they were going to be able to stay in Number 12 Grimmauld Place safely. Now that Dumbledore was dead, it didn't have a Secret Keeper so any witch/wizard was theoretically able to enter. There was also the fact that all the safety enchantments that Dumbledore had placed on the house were gone. Of course, there were still some safety measures from the Blacks, but to what extent, Ron didn't know.

The Blacks had a Floo Network connection installed in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, but the Order almost never used it (with the exception of Sirius when he held conversations with Harry through the fireplace in 5th year) as yet another safety precaution. That meant they were taking the Knight Bus. Ron imagined his head was already spinning.

"Are you alright, Ron?" asked Hermione earnestly as they boarded the blue triple-decker bus.

"Fine," Ron nodded weakly. Mrs.Weasley was handing Ernie Prang, the Knight Bus's driver a handful of coins. Ron knew he should have felt a little more sympathetic towards Prang. After all, his best friend, Stan Shunpike (the conductor of the Knight bus) was sitting in Azkaban, but all he could think of was the eleven seconds flat it was going to take for the bus to go zooming from Grimmauld Street to London.

Oh shit. Malfoy... I forgot. Must... look... cool... WHOHOHOA!

Before the doors had closed, and just before Ron's second foot had stepped onto the bus, it was already dricing away at lightning speed .

"Do you mind slowing down, old man? No one's dying, " snapped Draco, after collapsing on top of a seat. Ron would never have admitted it, but he agreed with Malfoy on that one.

"Oh yes, there is," barked Prang back, "176 blocks away there's a stranded witch bleeding pints of blood per second. I'd like to see you have that on your conscience."

Harry's biscuit, which was heading towards his mouth, stopped in mid-air.

"You're not just kidding, are you?"

"No boy, I'm not." Prang's tone softened as he recognized Harry.

Ron, meanwhile, was looking dangerously purple. Draco looked him up and down with disgust, then resumed scowling out the window. With a sudden lurch, the Knight Bus stopped and an elderly witch slowly made her way up the steps. Ron noticed that Prang waited until she was seated.

Customer favoritism, that's what it is...

Ron also noticed, with great shock, that the old lady's leg was bleeding freely through her stockings.

"Bitten by a dog, you see..." the witch told Prang, " and me being a Squib too... say, how far is St.Mungo's?"

It was, at least, much easier to hang on to yourself in the Knight bus, during the morning. This was because the chairs were stuck to the base of the bus and a small gate enclosed each seat. Of course, once in a while, there was the unfortunate accident of someone flying over the little gate, but that only happened a few times a day, and thankfully, not this time.

Before they knew it, they were in Charing Cross Road. Everyone made their way out. Mrs.Weasley entered the Leaky Cauldron first, while the others followed her in a line through the door like a group of ducklings.

"Hullo Mrs.Weasley," said Tom, the old bartender, "won't you have a drink?"

"Not today Tom, but we'll be back sometime," said Mrs.Weasley quickly. Tom bowed his head and continued rubbing a glass with a piece of cloth.

"I will, if you don't mind, Mrs.Weasley," said Draco suddenly. Ron, Harry and Hermione immediately turned towards Mrs.Weasley, alarmed.

"V-very well," she answered, "I suppose you're old enough to take care of yourself."

"What, and we can't?" asked Ron, but only so Harry could hear him.

Draco ignored the rest of them and ordered a glass of red wine. When they all disappeared through the brick wall, Draco purposely overpaid for his glass and leaned over towards the bald and toothless old man.

"I'll be wanting my privacy,do you understand?"

"Of course, sir," answered the grateful bartender.

Draco then made his way through the parlors until the last one where a man in black expensive-looking robes sat in a corner, also carrying a galss of red wine. The man pointed his cane towards the doors of the parlor, which slid shut. They were quite alone.

"Hello father."

"Son."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Indeed. I want your progress report."

There was a pause.

"What do you want to know, father?" asked Draco.

"Tell me about the Headquarters... future plans... members... anything relevant."

"Twenty-four hours isn't enough to find something worthwhile. All I know is that Mrs.Weasley cooks better than our house-elves--- so can we please give them some clothes or something--- and that Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley are going to be tying the knot, but nothing with 'very important information: TOP SECRET' stamped on it."

"Draco..." said Lucius warningly, "don't."

Draco threw his hands up in surrender.

"Dumbledore. Snape tells us he was the Secret Keeper, is that true?"

"Well it figures, doesn't it? Anyway, what does that mean... for us."

"It means, non-members of the Order can enter Number 12 Grimmauld Place," answered Lucius scowling at the hint of arrogance in Draco's voice.

"What are you planning to do?" Draco's back tensed.

"Just make sure they stay entertained in Diagon Alley for a while." Lucius drained his glass and walked off leaving Draco feeling more then a little bit suspicious.

Author's Note: I want you all to know that I'm keeping all your suggestions in mind and I will try to work them in. Hermione/Ron interaction and Harry/Ginny as well as Harry/Gabrielle and, of course,Draco/Hermioneis coming up, no worries. Also, the last two chapters were revised for anyone who hasn't noticed. I'm really trying to make this story believable and I agree with those who said that I was coming in a little too fast with the Draco/Hermione scenes, but I just can't wait to start writing about them, you know? Please Review. Be well. Miss Extraordinary.