Disclaimer: This story is based upon something that isn't mine. Harry Potter and all other characters belong to JK Rowling.

A/N: Well, I have good news, after much ado, I have finally gotten a Beta, so the mistakes will drop off rather quickly. You should have noticed in the last chapter. And if you need to do a re-read through the last 15 chapters, they will be all new and improved, grammatical speaking that is. On another note, I'm sure you want to see what happened on the stage with Patricia, right? Good. You better. Or else… Patricia heard the gun go off and felt a pang of pain… on his arm. He gazed at it with sheer disbelief; there was blood. "THAT'S IT PLOT MONKEYS! You are going DOWN!" he screams. He turns around and glares at the plot monkeys. Then he runs towards a straggler, far outside of the pack. He starts to beat the little monkey violently, and they eyes of the other monkeys all open wide in terror. They fear for their lives. So, they begin their retreat. They hastily run in the opposite direction towards the wall… But wait, how will they escape?

HEHEHE! Ok, now I would like to thank the people who kept me writing:

silversshadow: You think my story is a gem! Well, you are a diamond, dear. Glad you found it!

glam4us: I almost forgot; you haven't reviewed in so long. We have to kill them! YAY! Thank you for reviewing! LaLa, like the one by Ashley Simpson with the line, "You can dress me up diamonds…" Hmmm, that is funny.

IcyPurpleDoorknob: I am keeping on writing for reviewers like you. Thank you for liking my story.

fifespice: Thank you for liking my writing and the encouragement. You never falter when you review. Thanks.

Silly little 13 year old: You have a nickname! Silly! I like it! And thanks for calling me the best author that you have had the pleasure to read. I appreciate the praise! Day after day, well I don't know if I have the time for that anymore, but I am trying to keep on creating chapters. Love your axe! AND YOU BETTER REVIEW ME AGAIN! YOU COOL, SILLY! YOU COOL! YOU OFF THE CHAIN!

yunchen: I didn't stop because of you guys. Thanks for the support. And I love your gun (caresses it). Don't worry, it'll be back where it belongs soon. And so far so good; I haven't being going against my parents' wishes.

Livi2: Okay, you have to seriously tell me, what happened to Livi # 1! Did they die? Thanks for being my beta.

RisuMusume: THE STORY MUST GO ON! And it has. Thank you for the support, time and time again. And no more being sad. AND I LOVE SHANIA TOO! LET'S HAVE A PARTY FOR TWO! I thought I was the only one.

Amok and Poe: What ever happened to you two? I always enjoy your reviews! They make me laugh, really.

Ameinias: Chapter 16 already, I know! Hey, even Steinbeck had his haters. The critiques loved The Grapes of Wrath, while the public did not like it quite as much. The opposite was true for East of Eden. Go figure. Well, I can't please everyone. This story caters to a smaller crowd than many of the flashier sex/rape/child abuse/drug stories, but all the reviewers are dedicated to it. I am thankful for that, and I am glad you enjoy the story as a whole.

dracomalfoyus: In typical fashion, I am thanking you. I appreciate the thanks. And I'm sorry to hear that your family isn't very understanding. I know exactly how that is. And it's easier for you to get a guy? This is very interesting. Well, here is another chappie! And sorry I confused you.

nameundecided: YAY! Keep reviewing! And I love drama queens, lol. And poor Ron, we will get him to come around…eventually.

LuzEterna: It flows like a river! WOOT!

bellartix-voldielocks0o: You thought my story was amazing… Sorry it was a little confusing. It's just Harry realized what was happening with himself rather quickly and was not predisposed to see it as bad.

DUNDUNDUN! It is time my pretties, for the next chapter! Hopefully, the evil plot monkeys stayed away…

Chapter 16: Please

Harry and Draco returned to their quarters, where they were sheltered from further attacks from Hermione. They sat on the lower bunk, pondering over what happened. They knew they had ruined any progress Hermione had made with Ron, but they had other things on their minds.

"Harry," muttered Draco, breaking the silence, "that kiss, it was amazing!"

"I know, I know," responded Harry, letting his hand move through Draco's hair. Draco gazed at him for a moment, and their eyes locked. The emotion swelled up inside of them once more, consuming the two.

Harry let his hand drop out of Draco's soft hair and to his back, pulling Draco in for a kiss. Draco did not resist; he came towards Harry eagerly, wanting another taste of the divine sensation. However, the kiss would have to be postponed for now, because right as their lips touched, Hermione burst into the room.

"You two have ruined everything!" she yelled, apparently still infuriated at their actions.

"Hermione--" pleaded Harry, trying to get Hermione to stop yelling.

"Harry!" she bellowed, "you really ruined it! I thought I had Ron convinced! But then when he went out to take a walk around to think--," she paused, trying to gain strength, "--YOU HAD TO BE KISSING IN THE LIVING ROOM!" A wisp of hair fell over Hermione's eyes, and she quickly pushed it aside, exposing an angry glare. "You should have seen his reaction! He was livid!"

"Well, we did," replied Harry, unable to convey his reconciliatory nature. Hermione was not at all appeased. On the contrary, she became even more vehement.

"You have NO idea!" she screamed. "He came back to the room and yelled at me, told me to leave him at once! He started mumbling to himself once I left. Can you even begin to grasp what you have done? Ron may never speak to you again. Ever. Just because of your crude actions."

"Yes, we realize," responded Harry. "We saw how mad he was. We didn't mean for that to happen."

Hermione's eyes opened in exasperation and opened her mouth to commence another tirade. Draco interrupted her before she had a chance to speak.

"Hermione, we truly are sorry. And it was immensely stupid of us to do that out in the living room. We just wanted a bit of a change of scenery," said Draco. Hermione's demeanor changed from angry to sullen, her energy drained.

"Just—don't do it again," she murmured. Please."

Harry made one final mistake before the conversation was over.

"There may not be a next time," he said gloomily. Hermione shot him an angry glance, but rather than yelling, simply stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

After a moment of pondering what he had done, Harry thought back to the kiss. Hermione's interruption had kept him from the full experience. He glanced towards Draco to hopefully spark the love anew, but was only disappointed: Draco had fallen asleep.

They would have to wait until later to make up for their lost time.

Harry decided to go to sleep himself, right next to Draco. He climbed over him, careful not to wake him, and lay down on the other side, facing Draco's back. He cuddled up against Draco's body, letting his arms drift across his still, angelic body, and fell into a light slumber.

Harry awoke suddenly to a growling sound beside his bed. He rubbed his eyes and gazed upwards to see none other than frizzy-haired Hermione.

"What did I tell you two about getting a new hobby?" Hermione asked, her voice echoing a hint of fury.

"Well, we did," responded Harry, trying to outsmart Hermione.

"This is a new hobby?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Harry, blushing as he realized the absurdity. Hermione began laughing, which was a welcome sound to the pair's ears.

"Thank you," said Hermione.

"For what?" asked Harry.

"That was just plain funny!" she said, beginning to giggle once more.

"Oh, yes. Anytime Hermione, anytime," answered Harry, trying to be as pleasant as possible.

"So what brings you to our corner of the house?" inquired Draco. His face changed from light to questioning.

"Ah yes, well, believe it or not, it's finally dinnertime. And you know what that means," she told them, rather ominously. "That's right, we cooked more of the butterglys. And I made sure to keep a close eye on Mrs. Weasley as she cooked them. I think only two got away this time, but there's no way to be sure."

"Hermione--" Draco interrupted.

"Yes, I know. Ron may have finally come to a decision," she said, calming down.

"I'm ready," said Harry. Hermione nodded to him and guided them out of the room. They waved to Mrs. Weasley as they entered the kitchen. They peered ahead to the dining room where they saw…

Nothing. Except for food, that is, the table was empty.

No surprise there. Hermione let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. However, it only augmented the tension in the room. They ate in silence, waiting for the inevitable.

On the bright side, the butterglys had been cooked properly and were absolutely decadent. Draco had over three servings. He even went as far to say, "They're as colorful as they are tasty." The others at the table agreed, although they were taken back by the enthusiasm in his voice. They sank back into silence; the rest of the meal was quiet except for the occasionally "emm," as someone took a bite.

Supper was over, so the three decided to settle down in the living room, talking about what was in store. But before they could commence the discussion, someone interrupted them.

"Hullo," said a sultry voice, coming from behind Harry and Draco on the couch. Harry did not have to look to see who it was; he knew that voice extraordinarily well.

"Hullo Ron," answered Harry blandly.

"It's a pleasure to see you," said Hermione, trying to smooth things over. It seemed to work. Ron sat down in the chair beside her.

There was a long, awkward pause before any of them spoke. Draco and Harry scooted away from each other on the sofa, trying to make sure Ron was comfortable in their presence. Again, he seemed to be. But, looks can be deceiving or at least, this was what Hermione was thinking. She assumed that underneath his callous exterior Ron was seething with rage. She hoped he would at least have the decency to hold a civil conversation with Harry. She tried her best to initiate a dialogue.

"So Ron, how has everything been going?" she asked.

"Good, I guess," said Ron, passing up the opportunity to decry Harry. Hermione knew he could have easily said that everything had been going well-- except for his friend being gay. Fortunately, he chose not to do so. If anything, he had shown that he wanted to talk.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat after she deduced that Ron might actually be coming to his senses.

"Great," said Hermione, but she needed to keep the conversation moving. "So you told me earlier about how you wanted to ameliorate the relationship between you, Harry and Draco. Remember? Before you wanted to go walk around the house?"

"I wanted to improve our friendship, if that's what you mean," admitted Ron.

Hermione smiled and said, "That's exactly what I meant. But," her smile dissipated before she continued, "you said you wanted to. Do you still want to?" She had finally reached untrodden ground. There was no way of knowing how Ron would react. She waited while Ron thought.

"At first I was completely against it," admitted Ron. "After seeing the kiss, I had had enough of Harry and wanted to be left alone. But I tried to cool down before I made a final decision. So I sent you away 'mione, so I could think some more. And I got to thinking how everyone else would treat me if I turned sour on my best mate. Everyone else seems to be okay with Harry, right? Well, despite the fact I still don't completely accept-" he paused searching for a word, "everything about you, I still want to try to be friends."

"Oh, Ron!" shrieked Hermione, overjoyed. Although Ron was still not yet convinced that being gay was acceptable, he had at least wanted to continue his friendship with Harry and even forge one with Draco. It was progress and that was something to be glad about. Hermione gave him a large hug in gratitude.

"Thanks mate," said Harry, giving Ron the nod. Ron glanced up from Hermione and did the same. Finally a sense of understanding returned.

"Just one thing," said Ron, pulling himself away from Hermione.

"ANYTHING!" cried Harry anxiously. Anything, that is, to make the situation easier for Ron.

"For the time being, can you and Draco please not…" Ron trailed off, trying to put it into words.

"We won't do anything in front of you," said Harry reassuringly. "We know you are dealing with us being-- gay. And you've already made a great leap, mate."

"He's right Ron. You've done great," said Hermione, embracing Ron again. Not that he minded. On the contrary, Ron was eating it up. He hugged Hermione back, running his hands up her back. To Hermione's relief, he didn't go anywhere higher or lower. He let his hands massage Hermione's central back, crinkling her burnt orange shirt.

This fond embrace persisted for quite some time, leaving Harry and Draco high and dry. They were about to have a chat, but Mrs. Weasley scurried into the room, flushed with joy.

She gazed upon Ron and Hermione with her hands clasped together and a smile on her face. "Oh Ron, I heard the whole thing!" she told him in glee.

He looked up from Hermione in shock and quickly pushed her aside. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to make it seem as though he hadn't done anything, acting nonchalant and suave. Fortunately, Mrs. Weasley was rather apathetic about their romance at the moment; she was much too ecstatic about what Ron said.

"We didn't know if you'd come around, dear! It's just so wonderful! You and Harry should still be friends… I do think this calls for a celebration. What would you like to eat?" she asked, doing her best to thank Ron for being so understanding.

"Wait, Mum, you were eavesdropping? And no, I don't want…" said Ron, disrupted by Draco's unusually perky response.

"Oh! Can we have those butterglys again! They were absolutely delectable. They were so buttery and so sweet…" said Draco, trailing off dreaming about the tiny, colorful things.

Ron rolled his eyes and played along, but before he did he murmured "Blimey."

"What was that, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh," said Ron trying desperately to cover up, "I think I'd like a cake."

Mrs. Weasley's smile transformed into an ear to ear grin and her eyes glinted in excitement. She truly was overjoyed.

"I'll get right on it!" she told them, upbeat. "And don't you four get into any trouble," she added in true Mrs. Weasley fashion.

They all smiled at each other as Mrs. Weasley strolled back into the kitchen. They all heard the same thing; Mrs. Weasley had called them "you four." That had made it official: they were a unit. Soon they forgot, as the newly formed unit began a conversation about what was to come.

"So Hermione," began Harry, "how is the research going?" Hermione lit up like a brightly lit bulb and pulled away from Ron.

"Great. You know the updating Portkeys?" she began, flashing Harry her ring. She was trying her best to remind him of the two rings he had given to Ron and her as the Portkeys, to transport them to wherever Harry was. She continued, "I finally figured out how they work. Although it is quite a complex incantation, it only needs to be said once. So all I need is the master ring so I can fix them up." Harry looked around anxiously before he took off and went to his room, searching his dresser for the ring. After flipping through various garbs, he uncovered a green shirt that had a small bump in it. He opened it up and peered at the ring.

It was a gold ring, set with a large ruby in the center. Even when compared to the other rings, it was amazingly divine, outshining them in its beauty. He grabbed it and ran back to the living room and the chatting trio.

"Here, Hermione," said Harry panting.

"Thank you. Well, why you were gone, I was talking about the Horcruxes," Hermione informed Harry.

"You mean..." said Harry, his eyes open wide with excitement.

"Yes, I think I have found Rowena Ravenclaw's bracelet. I had been completely wrong before, about the black hole that is," said Hermione, catering to Harry's excitement.

"What do you mean, exactly?" asked Harry. He had thought for sure that the clue that Draco told them referred to a black hole.

"It turns out that it isn't a Muggle black hole. It is some complicated Dark object that entraps light," explained Hermione.

"Couldn't there be more than one?" inquired Harry.

"Harry! Let her finish," said Ron, patting Hermione on the back.

"Thank you," said Hermione, "As I was saying, it is complicated Harry. I have only been able to find records of one. And they are recent, at that."

"Good," praised Harry. Hermione beamed.

"But there's bad news too. Venturing inside this cavern has killed people. It is extraordinarily dangerous, treacherous in fact. It is in a very dark and misty valley in the north of England, bordering the sea," said Hermione, her glee gradually ebbing away.

"I guess the proximity to the sea explains the mist," said Harry, trying to be smart.

"Not necessarily. I think that it might be evidence of the presence of a creature within the cave," corrected Hermione.

"Bloody hell," said Ron.

"I know," said Draco, rolling his silver eyes. He looked towards Harry's green eyes for comfort and found strength. Harry was not the slightest bit abashed.

"I'm ready," he said, trying to reassure his friends. But before any of them could answer, Mrs. Weasley walked back into the room.

"I'm glad to hear it!" she said. All four of them rolled their eyes at Mrs. Weasley and smiled. She waved for them to follow her into the dining room. As they passed threshold to the dining room, they were astounded at what they saw.

Apparently, Mrs. Weasley hadn't only cooked, but had also decorated.

The dining room was sparkling with a shiny white material lining the walls. The floor was a glimmering red river. But the floor wasn't liquid, they soon discovered as they stepped onto it. It was just like any normal carpet, except for the fact that it really shimmered, setting the mood for the party.

The table was pushed against the back wall and covered with a tablecloth the same color as the walls. On it was a bowl of punch seated by cups, a plate of butterglys with toothpicks forked in them, and a towering, multi-layered, pink cake with plates beside it--not to mention there were streamers and balloons everywhere.

"Wow," said Draco, his mouth agape.

"How did you find the time?" asked Harry. It couldn't have been more than a quarter of an hour since they last saw her.

"I got caught up in the moment. Well, you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun!" she said excitedly, pointing across the room into the air. Lo and behold, a small clock was flying across the room. It even had small, angelic white wings. Ron's head fell into his hands in embarrassment, and he desperately tried to shift the topic. Unfortunately, he was about to fall further into a pit of humiliation.

"So, Mum," commented Ron, "these decorations are great."

"Why, thank you Ron. You know, I used to throw quite the shin-dig back in the day," she said, acting like she was cool. Ron turned from his normal shade to a bright red, embarrassed to the very core of his being.

Harry tried his best to prevent giggling at this development, but still wore a huge grin on his face. Hermione and Draco did the same, trying their best to not humiliate Ron further. They did surprisingly well at holding in the laughs.

"I'll go get the rest of them," said Mrs. Weasley, leaving them alone in the room.

"You ready?" asked Harry, looking at Draco.

"Of course," Draco answered with a smile.

The rest of the jubilee was quite satisfactory. The only disturbance that came their way, besides a few of Fred and George's practical jokes, was Ginny. While she was passing by Harry and Draco chatting, she "accidentally" spilled her glass of punch on Harry. Needless to say, Draco was ready to pounce on her right then and there. Luckily, for Ginny that is, Mrs. Weasley stepped in and led her outside of the room, where she was scolded for being so juvenile. Before they knew it, two hours had passed and it was time to go to bed.

But before they dispersed to their ends of the house, Mr. Weasley proposed a toast. "To the foursome!" he bellowed, and they all clashed their glasses together and took a sip of the punch.

"Goodnight," said Mrs. Weasley, who was still smiling.

Harry and Draco thanked her and left for their room, eager to be alone.

Harry opened the door and they went in. "Where did we leave off?" he asked. Draco smiled and pushed him down onto the bed.

Draco pressed his sweet lips against Harry's, initiating another marvelous kiss…

A/N: Wheeee, another chappie! I held this one for a while, sorry. But if you must know, I have a computer limit impending upon me. So I am trying to spread out the chapters for you all. PLEASE REVIEW! I wrote this one extra quick because I got twelve reviews in one day. That must be a record! So keep showering the love. I implore you. Thank you for reading so far! You all should be my crew. We could strut around the city-lol. Okay, well, please review, I write more quickly that way. Thank you again. The next chapter is called The Cave Pt. 1