Disclaimer: This chapter is sort of a bonus chapter, I know the middle of the story is a weird place for that, but I sort of wanted to bring Ron and Hermione in, they're Harry's best friends and it would have been completely implausible to my mind if he wouldn't at least have tried to keep up with them, yet this scene is completely unrelated to the story revolving around Draco and Harry.

Before Harry enters Diagon Alley again the next day, he decides to borrow some of Draco's clothes and hair wax. They are unlike him and will make it harder to be recognised, but somehow strangely fitting to the situation: Draco helped Harry adapt to the Muggle world again, so Harry takes some of his things back to the Wizarding one. Equipped with too tight black jeans, a lose white shirt and gray cardigan as well as Draco's trademark scarf and his new bought square glasses, Harry manages to get as far as Gringott's without being publicly recognised.

The goblins are fairly unimpressed by his wish to enter two vaults – although Harry will never not think their facial expressions are anything less than judgmental – but as soon as he leaves the bank with his bag practically bursting of Muggle money, the first witch asks to touch his scar and have his blessings, and from that moment on, Harry knows he has to hurry if he wants to meet Hermione and Ron on time: Soon a small group has gathered around him, asking him to sign articles they ripped out of the Witch Weekly with their favourite quills, telling him they named their children after his owl, asking when he will start a family and if he could ask this Granger girl whether she could get Viktor Krum for a comment on the Quidditch World Cup again.

Much to Harry's relief, it appears that Ron has taken care of that already by asking Fred to do a trick show around the time of their meeting, so Harry can sneak away quickly while everyone around him hurries to see the newest inventions of Weasely's Wizard Wheezes.

"Hi Harry", the voice of his best friend is music to his ears when he finally gets to hug him in the Leaky Cauldron, "how's it going?"

Ron steps back to examine Harry's general appearance and scrunches his nose. "Really, Muggles bash Wizards for their weird clothing, but what is this half robe you're wearing there? And what's that sticky smell of your hair? Harry, a month ago it was bisexual, not raging homo-"

"Stop it, Ron.", Hermione swats at his arm before she falls around Harry's neck and they sit down, "You never know if you hurt his feelings."

"Yeah Ron, another word and I might stay with the Muggles forever.", Harry presses his lips together and blinks slowly before laughing at Ron for taking him seriously for a moment.

He hands Hermione his notes from his Anthropology classes of the first month and Ron some of Laura's homemade toffee, before asking: "So, what did I miss? Has The Prophet turned on me already? Did I commit any crime while in America, knock any innocent girl at Hogwarts up? I'm sure something like this is next."

The look Hermione and Ron share makes Harry's mocking smile falter a little. "What? Please don't tell me that's it."

"No, it's not.", Hermione says, "Well, yet."

"Ginny is practically interviewed on a daily basis.", Ron adds, "Which must be cool for her, since she gets paid for the interview on top of her salary at The Prophet."

"She got her own column there now, in which she cites the most creative fanmail you got and responds to it in a... very Ginny way."

"You mean she is constantly hinting at all my flaws and therefore implying that the person who sent the letter is blatantly delusional?"

Ron and Hermione nod in unison with sorry faces.

Ginny's excellent sense of humour and wicked way with words was one of the reasons he ever feel for her in the first place, and he knows that he would be able to laugh about every single one of her columns.

"On the other hand, you see people are still pretty excited to see you, last week Dorgan Humold, from the Ministry of Foreign Wizarding Affairs was it I think, suggested they should just make you Minister of Magic, because that is cleary what you're trying to accomplish by this whole hiding act." The best thing about Ron is, that he can say a sentence like that and throws two toffees into his mouth after it as if it was merely a comment like, "The weather is nice today."

"He is very incompetent and not taken seriously, of course", Hermione feels the need to add after a side-glance to Ron, "Nobody would really make you Minister of Magic at only 18..."

"Why not?", Ron asks, "Would make for a truly stunning CV: Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, Hogwarts Drop-Out, Defeater of the Dark Lord, Gap Year, Minister of Magic. He would be our boss Hermione, we could practically do what we want and wouldn't need to fear losing our job!"

"Ron, do you actually know what it takes to be Minister? I mean, err, no offense Harry, but I hardly see an 18-year-old cut out for the job, how would-"

"Guys", Harry laughs and raises is hands from the table, "I don't wish to become Minister of Magic any time soon, okay? To be honest, I don't think I want to become Minister of Magic at all."

"So you'll join me in Auror training soon, yeah?" Ron stops chewing the toffees for a moment.

"We'll see. First I help Hermione get her hands on every information she needs for that thesis that will change the Wizarding World's view of Muggleborns" - the smile on her face might be tiny, but Harry knows she is flattered by that comment - "and I they still want me then, I'll join you. But it's like... I still feel a bit torn apart, like I don't belong here with you, but also not America and not at university either and..."

"It's okay", Hermione interrupts him and covers his hand on the table with her own. "We understand. Take all the time you need."

The look in her eyes is warm and encouraging, but Harry knows that she doesn't understand, and how could she possibly, for she has found her place in this world: Ron's and her wedding is scheduled for January, they decided on a winter wedding, she is doing what fulfills her but could also change her mind at any given moment, her potential leading her the way to doing what is just right for herself. She never needed to take time, and Harry envies her for that.

The smile he gives her is tight-lipped, but appreciative.

"Well, I better get going", he says after a look to his watch, "I still have to go shopping with Draco-"

"Draco?", Ron asks, "Who's that?"

Harry is baffled at first, then remembers he forgot to tell them this tiny important piece of information.

"Oh right, I'm sort of living together with Draco Malfoy now, he had the same-"

"You're living together with MALFOY?" He hadn't really expected Hermione to do her shrieking voice again.

"Yeah, you see, Draco's not that-"

"SINCE WHEN DO YOU CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME?!"

Now Harry is a little scared by the reaction of his two best friends at this revelation. He looks at his watch again and wonders how he can explain this quickly.

"Look, Draco has already been in the student flat when I moved there, he's going under a handle name, so we had a rusty start but I discovered he can be a decent guy actually, I think we're even similar in a way..." He stops when he realises that both Hermione's and Ron's jaw have practically sunken to their chest and their watching him with empty expressions, as if he was a complete alien talking to them. "I mean, he even let me take his money, I think he trusts me-"

"You have his money?", Ron awakes from his trance.

"Yeah?"

"BURN IT!"

"Ron!"

"Sorry."

Hermione bites her lip, but Ron is sitting in the corner of their booth, pouting. "Sorry Harry, it's just a bit... much."

"I know, it was really weird for me at first, but... well, I gotta run. I'll stay in touch, yeah?"

He stands up to hug both of them.

"Don't you dare not to." Hermione blows a kiss to his cheek and then he's off hurrying to Tesco's.

It's late at night, I'm just gonna leave this here and wish you all sweet dreams about Harry and Draco bickering over nonsense and then slowly making out to indie music. More of that later on ;) xxx