A/N: Lots and lots of music will be used in this, and I will own NONE of it. In this first chapter, there is a line from RENT! If you can find it and tell me, I'll use a song of your choosing in the story!
Disclaimer: I make $7.75 an hour working as a pharmacy assistant. While this is really great for a college student, it does not make me as rich as the queen. Therefore, I am NOT JKR. Nor do I own Summer, Highland Falls. That would be the great Billy Joel
The Siren
Prologue: Summer, Highland Falls
They say that these are not the best of times,
But they're the only times I've ever known.
---Summer, Highland Falls; Billy Joel
The three stood together on the train platform, preparing to cross the barrier after bidding farewell to the Weasleys who were Portkeying straight to Romania. Hermione turned to Harry and wrapped him up in a fierce embrace. "Take care of yourself! And don't let the Dursleys bully you around! Remember, it's only for two weeks! Then Draco and I will come get you for the rest of the summer!"
The blond wizard beside her laughed, "I don't know Hermione. I don't think he can survive without us!"
The green-eyed wizard flashed him a grin, "Hey! I survived eleven years before I met Hermione and sixteen before I became friends with you! I'm pretty sure I can handle two weeks."
"Sure thing Scar-Head! You are the Boy-who-Lived after all! Come on, admit it! You know you'll miss us both desperately, especially me!"
Harry faked a swoon, leaning into Hermione. "Oh yes! Two weeks without your ferret face! Whatever shall I do?"
Hermione laughed and shoved him off her, saying, "Oh you! How in Merlin's name will I survive an entire summer alone in a safe house with only you two for company? Perhaps I should just put myself out of my misery now!" The boys laughed.
"Come on now, Granger," Draco drawled. "You know you love us and can't wait to spend your summer with these two gorgeous, sexy, utterly desirable men." He and Harry posed a bit, looking as sexy as possible. Hermione burst into a fit of laughter, trying to control herself, for the other students were beginning to stare.
"Well come on, you sex gods! It's time we re-entered the Muggle world!" She quickly passed through the barrier, followed closely by Harry and Draco. They stopped and looked to where the Dursleys were waiting for Harry, glaring at the trio.
Draco glowered back, before turning to Harry. "If they mess with you, just send an owl and I'll come hex them for you."
Hermione wrapped him up in a hug again, whispering in his ear, "Do be careful Harry. It's only two weeks." She turned to Draco. "Come on Draco, we need to hurry. My parents should have left my car in the parking lot!" Harry watched the two of them head off, dragging their trunks behind them.
It still amazed him how much they had changed in the last six years. Draco Malfoy had been transformed from a pasty, scrawny, sneering first year to a tall, pale, sarcastic soon to be seventh year. If the physical change in Draco was noticeable, it was nothing compared to his personality change! At the beginning of Harry's sixth year, Draco had approached Hermione Granger, of all people, for help. He had done the thing Harry had never thought possible: he'd grown a spine and finally stood up to his family. Apparently, his mother had tried to force him to take his father's place in the Dark Lord's circle. Draco had refused after the death of Cedric Diggory and seeing the things the Death Eaters had inflicted on mere students at the Department of Mysteries, he knew he wanted no part in it. She'd cast him out, disowning him entirely. He'd spent most of his summer living in the Muggle world, working in a bookshop and renting the flat above it. He'd returned to school to be shunned by most of the Slytherins, save a few lone souls who had to be careful how close they became to him. They couldn't risk a falling out with their own families.
So, completely alone, Draco turned to Hermione. He'd apologized for his attitude, explaining how his summer had changed his entire outlook. Upon seeing his sincerity, she'd immediately accepted him and the two spent hours discussing Muggle literature, Draco's new found hobby. From that day on, Hermione and Draco were nearly inseparable. They shared similar class schedules, and could be found studying together. Soon, they roped Harry into joining them, not that it was difficult. After Umbridge and OWLs in his fifth year, he'd re-arranged his schedule, managing to get himself permission to join NEWT-level Ancient Ruins and Arithmancy, with Hermione and Draco.
Harry and Draco soon found out they had more in common then they ever realized. They'd formed a tentative friendship, which grew stronger as the year went on. Draco had more or less become a Gryffindor. He sat with them in classes, joined them in the library and occasionally in the common room, and he even ate his meals with them, much to Ron's chagrin. He still didn't like Draco, but he tolerated him, for Harry's sake. The only two things he did with the Slytherins was sleep (with one eye open, or so he claimed) and Quidditch. He had relinquished the captain position to Blaise Zabini, preparing to quit the team completely. However, Zabini was one of the few Slytherins who still liked Draco, and he'd insisted he remain the Seeker. Their friendship had actually made Harry and Draco more competitive, if it was possible. But when Harry narrowly beat Draco to the Snitch yet again, Draco was the first to congratulate him.
But Draco wasn't the only one who had changed. Harry watched Hermione walk away, thinking back to when he'd first met her. She'd been a bushy-haired, buck-toothed, bossy, know-it-all little girl. She was none of those things anymore. Her teeth had been shrunk in her fourth year, something she had actually thanked Draco for. Her bossiness had faded with time and age. She still loved rules and liked to be in control, but she'd lost the bossy tone and found more subtle ways to get people to do what she wanted.
And as for being a know-it-all—well, maybe she hadn't really lost that. She was still incredibly clever, and more intelligent than most of the professors. But she'd gotten bored with classes and studying, being so far advanced. She'd begun studying things on her own, things that interested her and few understood. She'd begun formulating ideas and theories, becoming a near expert in experimental magic and magical theory. She'd begun serious research and even began publishing papers in academic journals under a pseudonym. Only three people knew of this, Harry, Draco, and her research partner and co-author, Severus Snape, who had finally admitted she was no longer a "silly little girl." Her intellect was so far advanced that she'd finally stopped showing off, finding no joy in it anymore. As for her bushy hair, well, it was a thing of the past. She'd grown it out, nearly to the small of her back. And as it grew, the weight of it pulled it down into loose, wild curls, as opposed to the tangle of frizz she'd had in her earlier years. True, it was still unmanageable, but now it made her look sexy and wild and earthy.
But her hair wasn't the only thing that made her sexy. Hermione Granger was no longer a little girl. She'd been a bit of a late bloomer, her body developing during her fifth year. She tried to hide beneath baggy clothes and robes, but it was hard to hide her full breast, flared hips, and svelte body. She was a woman, and a very attractive one at that. Not that Harry had been looking. She was his best friend, after all. He shouldn't be looking at her and comparing her to the Greek and Roman goddesses of old. That's poetic! Harry thought. Then he berated himself, NO! That's pathetic! She's you're best friend, and you're perving after her! It was wrong. No matter how long her legs were nor how tan and tall she was. No matter that she was deliciously curved where other girls were slender. No, that was no excuse.
But had Harry himself changed? That he didn't really know. True, he was certainly taller than he was his first year. And he wasn't thin any more as much as lithe, his slender build covering for the hard muscles beneath. He was the perfect build for a Seeker. His hair was still a mess. He'd quit trying years ago and let it grow. It now brushed his collar, but it still persisted in sticking up at odd angles. He still wore his glasses, though he probably could've fixed his eyes with magic. He was rather fond of the stupid things. He supposed he'd changed mentally too. He was no longer the moody, scared, talentless boy he'd been. In his place stood a quietly confident, powerful, brilliant young man, a born leader, whether he wanted it or not.
But that's why he, Hermione, and Draco balanced each other, he supposed. They were all born leaders, but while Harry had to be forced to lead, Hermione naturally took over when needed, and Draco had to be forced to relinquish control. All three were brilliant and powerful in different ways, yet they still seemed to have so much in common. They were the only students who could keep up with the other two. They'd often gotten themselves into brilliant debates that only they (and a few professors) could understand.
That's why Ron had grown apart from them. He just couldn't keep up anymore. It's not that they weren't all friends. Ron had just devoted himself completely to Quidditch, which Hermione hated and Draco and Harry worried more about their futures, without Quidditch. So he'd become better friends with the other boys in their dorm and willingly taken Fred and George's place as prankster kings, along with Dean and Seamus.
Harry was drawn from his thoughts by the rough voice of his uncle saying, "Come on boy! Don't stand there gawking all day! Get your shit together and let's go!" And without waiting to see if Harry was behind him, Vernon left the station. Harry sighed as he hefted his trunk and Hedwig's cage. Two weeks he reminded himself. Two weeks 'til I'm where I should be! Somehow, he knew those two weeks would be the longest of his life.
