Privet Drive

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.

"You are an underage Wizard Harry," Hermione said nervously after they appeared at the end of Privet Drive. "I do not want you to get your wand snapped." It was twilight, when most people were concentrated on the news reports. Harry and Tonks looked around them. Something was not right.

"Calm down Hermione, the ministry can't tell who did the magic," Harry stated pulling at his trunk toward Number four. "As long as I am in the company of a Wizard that is of age, they can't do anything."

Both Harry and Hermione looked at Ron, as he sulked behind them. "I've lost my left trainer." Ron muttered as he walked towards his friends in only one shoe.

"At least you didn't loose a leg," Hermione said coming to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Yeah, but it doesn't get me any closer to getting my license does it?" he answered wrapping an arm around her.

From behind them Tonks Yelled. "Expelliamus!" Harry turned to look at what she had aimed that hex. There were a group of Death Eaters coming around the corner on the other end of the street. They were not ones that he had seen before. They were younger. I am guessing new recruits.

Harry, Ron and Hermione armed themselves for a fight. They dodged a few hexes and began their attack. "Impedimenta." Cried Hermione hitting one girl fully on the chest. These were not good fighters, Harry noticed, and would take no time to take down.

"Petrificus Totalus," Ron shouted hitting the tall Death eater to the right.

"Stupefy." Harry followed up. They fought for fifteen minutes before they were done.

"Harry, you go on inside while I contact the Ministry of Magic," Tonks said, pulling out a device Harry had never seen. "If I take too long at the ministry, someone from the order will drop in every once in a while. You're safe for now." She started talking to the item as he turned away.

When they got to number four Privet Drive, Harry knocked at the door. Aunt Petunia answered and screamed her disbelief. "What are you doing here? Term is not over yet." Then she looked from Harry to Ron and Hermione, "What are they doing here?" She asked horrified.

Growing tired of their attitudes Harry pushed her aside and entered. Without a word he headed up the stairs with his trunks. Uncle Vernon sped towards the stairs; he had been eating his supper, and dropped his fork in outrage. Uncle Vernon had turned his usual shade of puce as he yelled. "You can't just barge into my house like this,"

"Come off it Vernon, you know what I have to do here so stay out of my way." Harry rounded on uncle Vernon his anger at the world spilling out onto him.

Uncle Vernon stepped back knowing what Harry could do in a fit of anger. He patted himself as to make sure he wasn't growing horns or blowing up like a balloon or something.

As Harry started back up the stairs with his friends in tow, uncle Vernon shouted. "Well you better find a way to fit everything in that room, because you and your lot are not welcome anywhere else in my house." His statement was punctuated by a slam of the door of the smallest room in the house.

Ron and Hermione looked around the room. It was a rather small room, with all of their trunks and Hedwig and Pigwigeon's cages. The three friends could hardly fit in there. Not to mention the mess that was still left there from Harry's hasty retreat last summer. "Well this is it," Harry said kicking a pair of his underwear under the bed.

"Wow," Hermione says looking completely uncomfortable.

"Sad thing is, more than half the things in here are not mine," Harry said looking bitterly at the junk that Dudley had rendered useless. They had all been thrown haphazardly into the small room.

"Well…I suppose I could try to enchant it so that we fit," Ron said. This would be the first bit of magic he got to do as an adult Wizard, outside of Hogwarts of course.

"Wait Ron… Do you know what you're doing?" Hermione intervened.

"I do," he started a bit defensively, but then he looked at his girlfriend and his gaze softened, "I guess I could use a little help."

With a little guidance from Hermione, Ron conjured an elegant suite with three beds and enough room for all three of them to fit comfortably. The smallest room in number four Privet Drive, had become the largest.

"Much better," Hermione stated. Harry just sat in one of the beds and kicked off his shoes. Ron and Hermione sat on another.

"Harry," Ron said thoughtfully, "What are we going to do for food? I thought your uncle said we were to fend for ourselves here."

"I am starved," Harry said matter-of-factly as he lay out on the bed. "I could do something about it, but Hermione, please don't be angry."

"Why would I be angry?" Hermione said leaning against Ron.

"Kreacher?" Harry Called.

"Harry no," Hermione said looking at Harry crossly as Kreacher appears with a loud CRACK

"Are you hungry or not?" asked Ron looking at his girlfriend with a cross look of his own.

"Master called me?" croaked Kreacher through clenched teeth bowing low

"Yes Kreacher, I will be needing you during my stay at this muggle house."

"Filthy muggles, Kreacher must be reduced to serving in this house." Kreacher mumbles loud enough for everyone to hear. "Look there is the mudblood master insists on being around."

"Kreacher," Harry states barely concealing his anger, "Never say the word mudblood again," he commands. His house elf turns a deep shade of red trying to erase that word from his vocabulary. "We need some food all three of us. You will serve us all equally, but you will not come in contact with any muggles, don't talk to them don't walk amongst them if you must go elsewhere to get our food so be it. You got it?" Harry commanded

"Yes master," Kreacher said bowing low almost kissing his gnarled toenails.

"The food better be good. There will be no poisons or potions or any sort of magic in it. Also if you would find me some Baezoars in Diagon Alley." Harry hands him A few Galleons.

"Kreacher will find your Baezoars master," said the creature looking at his master with all the rage his eyes could muster.

"Tell no one where we are. That will be all Kreacher" Harry said.

With a soft, "Master always thinks of everything." he disapparated. A few minutes later a table with food appeared in front of them. They ate until they were full, and Kreacher stayed out of sight.

That night Harry lay awake on his bed brooding about Snape and Voldemort and Dumbledore's insistence on trusting Snape. Harry did not really want to be, but he was angry with Dumbledore for leaving him behind.

In the moonlight he could see Ron and Hermione on another bed. They were holding each other and murmuring to one another. So he closed his eyes and dreamt of Ginny.

During the three weeks that they stayed on Privet Drive, the three friends spent little time apart. It was hard for Harry to watch his friends and their budding relationship. Ron and Hermione fought constantly, and made up again just as passionately. Harry spent hours on his own out on the front yard, speaking with whichever member of the order happened to be near by. Or he would go to Mrs. Figg's house and visit leaving the two fully adult wizards alone to fight and make up as passionately as they wanted. He half expected the house to crumble to the ground when he returned.

He did, however, enjoy the effect of his friends on his aunt and uncle. They were afraid to say anything to Harry about it, since they knew those adult wizards could do magic, and didn't want to face their wrath. So Harry went about his daily routine with a silent threat to destroy the Dursleys. Through it all, however, Harry missed Ginny terribly and could not wait until Bill's wedding to see her again.

Just before they got the invitation, for the wedding Harry sat sulking at his window trying to figure out where he would look for the next of the Horcruxes. Hermione and he, grudgingly thought that whomever R.A.B. was, did him a great service, because he wouldn't have to worry about that Horcruxe anymore.

"How do you know that Voldemort himself didn't take that Horcruxe, knowing that Dumbledore was going to try and fetch it?"

"That would be a waste of his time Ron," Hermione started, "because Voldemort didn't think anyone could ever get past his defenses."

"All right, so not the locket, what else could it be," Ron conceded.

"Dumbledore said there might be something from Gryffindor, or something from Raven Claw. Also the Goblet of Hufflepuff, and his snake." Harry repeated.

"Maybe he's got a hold of the Ravenclaw staff," Hermione said after a moments thought.

"That's too obvious," Ron Retorted.

"Ron, the staff of Ravenclaw has been missing for ages," Hermione said taking a bite of a tart

"So has her ring," Ron said sitting behind her, placing his chin on her shoulder. "Why not say that one is the Horcruxe."

"For the simple fact that it was buried with her on her death," said Hermione leaning back.

"Since when has that ever stopped Voldemort," Harry said looking out of the window. He reached out to open the window he saw Hedwig coming.

"He wouldn't do a ring again," Hermione insisted. "It wouldn't be very original, would it."

The snowy white owl swooped into the room landing neatly on Harry's bed "Hello there girl," he said feeding her a vole. He retrieved his mail, which was tied to her leg.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked changing the subject. They had gone over this long enough. Harry needed a distraction.

"It's our invitation to Bill and Fleur's Wedding. It's in three days. They have arranged for us to leave by flue Powder tomorrow at noon."

"Excellent!" Ron said and they all began to pack their bags. They were all exited to leave. The Dursleys had been as ungracious as ever, especially since Dudley arrived from Smeltings early. He had got himself expelled from the school. Now uncle Vernon was in the process of buying Dudley back into the school for his seventh year.

Dudley had been relentless in his treatment of Harry whenever they ventured outside of the room; that is until he saw Ron walk out of the room. Harry had introduced him to Dudley making sure that he understood that Ron and Hermione were already seventeen.

Yes they were all glad that this would be the last night Harry would spend in the smallest room of number four Privet Drive. Yet none were happier than Harry was.