Like A Star

"Thank you for bringing your son here to me," the cold voice pierced the warm summer night. Three black robed figures stood huddled together at the edge of a forest. A large field spread out before them, with a weather-beaten shack off in the distance. The two smaller figures cowered in front of the tallest. The taller figure reached out a long, pale, bony hand and placed in the head of the smallest figure. The hood of the cloak the boy wore fell back revealing a

"Harry, are you dreaming again?" Ron's voiced dragged Harry out of a deep sleep.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"You're such a master of the English language when you first wake up," Ron teased.

"Sod off, Weasley," Harry mumbled.

"At any rate, what were you dreaming about?" Ron asked.

"What makes you think I was dreaming?"

"Something about the whole hands to your scar, thrashing about wildly in bed is quite the dead give away," Ron replied with a shrug. Harry reached up and ran a finger along his scar. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was quite tingly.

"Okay yeah, I was dreaming," Harry replied.

"It must not have been too bad, you didn't do the 'someone's ripping my toenails out one by one' scream that usually accompanies your bad dreams," Ron half-laughed. Harry glared at his friend. "Care to tell me what it was about?" If Ron saw the look on Harry's face, he pretended not to notice.

"Voldemort has a junior league," Harry replied.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Voldemort, some guy in a black cloak and a boy in a black cloak were all standing at the edge of a forest. Voldemort said something about thanks for your son, and then he reached out and touched the boy. I didn't get past that part, thanks to someone." Harry flashed a very pointed look in Ron's direction.

"Sorry, it's just that I wasn't sure the Grangers would appreciate the Harry style wake up you manage to subject your dorm mates to at least once a year. And it looked as though it was fast headed towards that," Ron said sheepishly.

"For your information, my scar doesn't hurt, it's just tingly," Harry replied. He traced his scar with his fingers again.

"Has it ever done that before?" Ron asked.

"Not that I can recall," Harry replied. Ron looked suddenly intrigued. "What do you think this means?"

"Ron, we don't necessarily have a handle on exactly what it means when my scar hurts, much less tingles," Harry said. Ron rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Harry, you can't just ignore it."

"Morning guys!" Hermione exclaimed running into their room. She dove on Harry who was still in bed.

"Morning Hermione," Ron said.

"Oomph!" came Harry's reply from under both Hermione and the bed covers.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked. Hermione moved herself from Harry to Ron's bed.

"She's still getting ready," Hermione replied.

"I wonder what's taking her so long," Ron said. A cough that sounded too much like "Braeden" for coincidence came from Harry's. Hermione looked over at him with a smile on her face, while Ron's look leveled on a death glare.

"Harry's been dreaming again," Ron announced to get the subject away from Ginny and Braeden. An alarmed look crossed Hermione's happy face and she turned to look at Harry for the second time in about five seconds.

"Nothing bad, Hermione," Harry assured her.

"If it wasn't anything bad, Ron wouldn't have told me about it," Hermione countered.

"Well, it wasn't as bad as some, as he didn't scream," Ron replied hopefully.

"What was it about, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry went through the same brief explanation he had just given moments before Hermione had come into the room.

"Have you had any dreams since, since," Hermione searched for the right words to express "Cedric's death" without actually using those words.

"Since the end of school?" Ron supplied the words for her.

"Oddly enough, no," Harry replied he sat up and gathered the covers around his waist.

"What do you think that means?" Hermione queried. The laughter that had filled the room moments before was replaced with a more tense mood.

"I think it means I smell pancakes, we'll discuss this later!" Harry exclaimed. He sprang from his bed and ran out into the hall in only his boxers.

"HARRY!" Hermione called. Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked.

"Oh right," Harry said, and he went back into the room. He walked straight over to the dresser, picked up his glasses and put them on his face. Then he proceeded with his run down to breakfast.

"HARRY!" came Hermione's insistent cry.

"What now?" He asked.

"PANTS!" Hermione insisted. Harry laughed sheepishly and stepped into the jeans he had been wearing the night before. Then he pulled on a tight black wife tank-top style undershirt.

"Better?" He asked, running his fingers through his hair and making it stand up more than usual.

"I'd say!" Ginny exclaimed. She had just come out of the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"Oh Gin, you missed it!" Hermione laughed, "Harry was just running around here in his boxers!"

"Too bad," Ginny didn't sound like she minded missing the spectacle in the least.

"CHILDREN! BREAKFAST!" Weston called from the kitchen. Harry was first on the stairs, followed closely by Ginny, then Hermione and lastly, Ron. Braeden and Brantley were already in the kitchen when the four friends skidded in. Ben had magically enlarged the kitchen table so that all nine people could sit comfortably. Jo already occupied her seat at the end of the table. Braeden sat to her right. Ginny instantly took the seat to his right. Hermione dropped into the seat across from him, and Harry sat to her left. Brantley had been standing in a corner waiting for Harry to sit, so when he did, Brantley jumped into the seat on his other side. Ben came sliding into the kitchen and jumped into the seat next to Ginny, so Ron was stuck sitting between Brantley and Weston, a little far away from Ginny and that boy, in his opinion. Weston served the pancakes.

"So kids, what are your plans for today?" Jo asked. The three previous days had mostly been spent hanging out at Hermione's house, teaching Ron and Ginny about the non-wizarding world and generally lounging by the pool. Ginny had done quite well in her studies of the non-magic items at Hermione's house. Hermione and Harry half suspected it was mostly due to her desire to impress Braeden. Ron, however, was a completely different story. He still insisted on yelling at the TV when programs didn't go the way he thought they should, and he jumped every time the phone rang. He questioned the photographs Jo had decorated much of her house with, as they didn't move, and he was quite sure the vacuum cleaner was a first cousin to the dementors.

"We're going to see a movie," Hermione replied. She, Harry and Braeden had decided it was time to take Ron and Ginny out to the real Muggle world. Hermione had suggested the movies, and Harry had spent the time since trying to figure out how to make Ron not yell at the screen. Hermione was more concerned with keeping Ron away from Ginny and Braeden. As it turned out, Braeden really wasn't a bad guy at all. Ginny had fallen hard for him and he didn't seem to mind her company at all. Ron, however, minded the idea of any male besides Harry and Neville getting within twenty feet of his sister. Hermione thought his logic was pretty skewed, as Ginny had been obsessed with Harry and only Harry until the event of Braeden Granger. But for all of the time Braeden spent with Hermione and her friends, Ben spent an equal amount in the basement watching videos and generally refusing to associate with anyone. Luckily enough the black eye Braeden had given him right after they met Harry, Ron, and Ginny was enough to keep him from messing with his cousin and her friends.

"Which movie are you going to see?" Jo asked.

"They're showing Star Wars at that one theatre," Hermione said. Everyone but Weston and Jo was a little confused, but Weston and Jo knew which theatre their daughter was talking about.

"What time are you going?" Weston asked.

"It plays at one," Hermione replied.

"I'll tell your cab to be here at twelve-fifteen," Weston said, "I would take you myself but I just can't fit all five of you in the Porsche." A withering look in Ben's direction accompanied his last statement. Ben pretended not to notice, but the sudden attention he paid to his pancakes told everyone he had. Jo scooped the last bite of her pancakes into her mouth and looked at her watch.

"Wes, we've got to go, my first appointment is in thirty minutes," she said. Weston wiped his mouth on his napkin, straightened his tie and pushed back from the table.

"You children can clean up the kitchen," Jo said as she followed Weston out to the garage. Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Harry clamped a syrupy hand over her mouth to silence her.

"This could be interesting. Do you think Ron has ever seen a dishwasher before?" Harry could feel Hermione's smile forming behind his hand.

"You guys heard Jo. The children have to clean up the kitchen. I'm a fully qualified wizard now, and we don't fall under the label of children," Ben said. He, too, pushed back from the table and headed back downstairs.

"We're just as well off without him," Ron mumbled. He had just started in on his third stack of pancakes. Everyone but Braeden was still on the first, and Braeden had just started his second.

"I want to go watch TV!" Brantley squealed.

"Go for it," Harry urged. Brantley had turned into something of a more annoying Colin Creevy, and tried to shadow his every move. Brantley jumped up and ran into the den. Sounds of Muggle cartoons quickly filled the kitchen.

"So how do we clean up the kitchen?" Ron asked. Hermione, Harry and Braeden shared a mischievous smile. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Ron, you act like you've never left the Burrow except for school!" she exclaimed.

"Neither have you," Ron spat. Ginny rolled her eyes again, but her face turned a lovely shade of pink, as she couldn't deny her brother accusation.

"First you have to take all of the dishes off of the table and stack them next to the sink," Hermione instructed to call a cease-fire in World War Weasley. She looked pointedly at Ron, who reached for his wand.

"Without magic," Harry amended. Ron stood up and grabbed his plate and the three nearest him. When he reached for Hermione's, Hermione deftly stabbed his hand with her fork.

"OUCH! What was that for?" Ron asked, rubbing the spot on my hand.

"You should have asked if I was finished," Hermione instructed.

"You're either finished or you're taking your own plate to the sink," Ron said. Hermione took a very small bite of pancake.

"Okay, I'm done," she said, and flashed Ron a sweet smile. Ron grabbed her plate and Harry's too.

"I'll get this stuff," Braeden said. He jumped up and grabbed the syrup and butter. Ginny reached for the silverware and Hermione stacked the glasses. Harry leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. As he had just had a dream the previous night, Hermione and Ron didn't bother him, and Braeden and Ginny were too caught up in their flirting to notice he wasn't helping. He thought back to his dream and was just beginning to review it more closely when a shriek from Hermione interrupted his silent reverie. He opened his eyes and allowed the front legs of his chair to hit the floor hard.

"Hermione, are you all right?" he asked.

"Someone just discovered the water sprayer on the back of the sink," Hermione replied. Half of her hair was soaking wet. Water ran down her forehead and off her nose in tiny rivulets. Harry had to laugh. She scooped a handful of soapsuds from the sink and rubbed them on Ron's chest, as she couldn't reach his head. Harry had to laugh at them. Ron reached for the sprayer again.

"Guys, isn't this a bit cliché? I mean really, her parents leave you alone to do the dishes and you end up rubbing soap all over each other!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione and Ron both turned to look at him. Hermione shrugged her shoulders and Ron dropped the sprayer to his side.

"Where are Braeden and Ginny?" Ron suddenly asked. Harry took his turn at shrugging his shoulders while Hermione looked around the kitchen. Sure enough, Braeden and Ginny had disappeared. Harry looked out the glass doors over to his left and the missing teenagers were suddenly found. Braeden and Ginny had snuck out of the house and were back at Hermione's swing set from when she was a child. Ginny sat on the swing and Braeden pushed her. Hermione caught Harry's eyes when he looked away from the pair in the back yard. She had a questioning look on her face. Harry nodded towards the window and Hermione tried to look out without seeming suspicious to Ron. She didn't do a very good job of it.

"That is the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen" Hermione gushed, clasping her hands to her chest in a slightly over dramatic fashion.

"He's. Touching. My. Sister!" Ron muttered.

"Down boy!" Harry exclaimed. Before he or Hermione could say anything else, Ron had stalked out of the kitchen towards the den. Harry and Hermione suspected he was headed upstairs, so Harry went over to help Hermione with the dishes. They wordlessly finished washing the few dishes that had to be hand washed, and then Harry helped Hermione load the dishwasher. She had just added the soap and closed the door and was about ready to press the start button when a scream from outside made her forget all about the dishes.

"RONALD! ALROY! WEASLEY! YOU'RE DEAD!" Ginny screamed. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, surprised. "Alroy?" Hermione voiced the question on both of their minds. Ginny screamed again and they both instantly turned their attention to the spectacle taking place just beyond the kitchen window. Ron had somehow found the water hose coiled next to the garage and figured out how to turn it on. He had dragged it around to the back of the house and was spraying Ginny and Braeden mercilessly. Well, actually, just Braeden. Ginny had taken refuge behind Braeden and was escaping most of the water.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked. Harry reached over and grabbed the sprayer from the sink. He turned the water on and pointed the sprayer right at his face. He pressed the trigger and blasted his own face with cold water.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked. Harry reached over into the sink and grabbed some of the left over soapsuds. He fashioned a quick mohawk for Hermione and then stood back to admire his handiwork.

"What did you just do?"

"Now we run outside and make it seem like we've been having a water fight," Harry instructed. Hermione looked at her friend with a huge smile on her face. "Harry, sometimes I wonder why people think I'm the genius." He turned and ran out of the glass doors with Hermione close on his heels.

"RON!" Harry shouted.

"What are you doing, silly? We ran back inside!" Hermione cried. She jumped on his back for effect. Ginny peeked out from behind Braeden and almost fell out of cover laughing at her two friends. Hermione had almost pulled Ron to the ground, but more than that, she had made him stop spraying Braeden.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked. Harry wrenched the hose out of Ron's hands and pointed it at his friend's chest.

"We're saving you from the ass-kicking of a lifetime," Hermione whispered.

"Play along," instructed Harry. He pulled the trigger of the hose and delivered a jet of ice-cold water right to Ron's chest. Ron was smart enough to turn around and put Hermione towards Harry and the hose, so she ended up receiving most of his punishment for him. By that time, both Braeden and Ginny began to ignore the fact that they were dripping wet. Hermione screamed loudly in Ron's ear as the spray of water hit her in her back.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"Boy does that sound familiar," gasped Ginny. Hermione let go of Ron and charged towards Harry. Harry dropped the hose and ran towards the corner of the house. Hermione grabbed the hose and chased him with it, but ran out of length before she got very far. Only then did she notice Ginny and Braeden's hysterical laughter. She turned to them, left hand angrily on her hip.

"What are you two laughing at?" she demanded. She brandished the hose before her.

"Uh, nothing," lied Braeden. Ginny couldn't control her laughter. Hermione sprayed the pair, but didn't notice Harry sneaking up behind her until his arms were around her and she was two feet off the ground. She tried to turn the hose on him, but only succeeded in blasting herself in the face. This caused another round of hysterical laughter on everyone's part.

"Shouldn't we go get ready, now that even those of us who were closed to being ready are now back to where we started, only clothed?" Braeden asked when the laughter had finally somewhat subsided. They all took a minute to survey themselves before Hermione spoke up.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea. And don't drip on the floors as you go in." Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes at her comment, and Harry reached over and poked her in her sides. She squealed with laughter.

*****

"Hermione! What should I wear!" Ginny squealed from her room. Both girls had showered and were now in the process of picking out outfits. Harry and Ron had taken over both of the upstairs bathrooms. Hermione hurried out of her room and into Ginny's, still rubbing a towel over her wet hair. Ginny stood in the middle of her room surrounded by clothes and wearing a pair of short orange and pink plaid shorts and a blue and green striped halter top.

"Certainly not that!" Hermione exclaimed before she could stop herself. Luckily, Ginny laughed.

"I know, silly. I'm in the middle of outfits!" Hermione looked at the clothes scattered about.

"What look are you going for?"

"I don't know," Ginny admitted.

"If I had to guess it's somewhere between 'Braeden look at me' and 'Braeden rape me,'" Hermione mused.

"Hermione! Don't say that too loud, you wouldn't want to give my guard dog any ideas!"

"Oh come on, doesn't Ron at least rate body guard?" Hermione joked.

"Body guards don't turn water hoses on people or want to tear them limb from limb. Those are animal instincts," Ginny explained.

"Oh really? I've never seen Crookshanks use a water hose," Hermione laughed. Ginny ignored her friend and continued with her statement.

"Those are animal instincts. Therefore, Ron is my guard dog." Hermione picked a pair of faded jeans from the pile in the floor and handed them to Ginny.

"These?" Ginny asked, looking warily at the jeans in her hands.

"Yes those," Hermione said, "and this." She picked up a yellow halter-top from the pile and handed it to Ginny too. "Come see me when you're dressed." With that Hermione went back to her room and set about picking out her own outfit. She had finally settled on baggy overalls and a tight red spaghetti strap tank top when Ginny walked into the room.

"Hermione, you're a genius!" the younger girl exclaimed. The low-rise flares didn't quite meet the bottom of the tight yellow halter so Ginny's belly button showed slightly. The shirt hugged her in all of the right places. She spun around several times so Hermione could get the full effect of the outfit.

"Gin, its great," Hermione said.

"You're awesome!" Ginny exclaimed. "Now what do I do with my hair?" Hermione looked at the younger girls long red hair for a moment before speaking. "Pull it up in a messy bun." Hermione instructed. Ginny did as she was told, as she had a hair tie around her wrist. When Ginny's hair was pulled up, Hermione reached over and pulled two shorter strands down to frame Ginny's face. Ginny looked in the mirror.

"IT'S PERFECT!" Ginny squealed.

"Ginny, quiet! He's going to hear you all of the way downstairs!" Hermione commanded. Ginny clapped her hands over her mouth and ran back to her room. Hermione quickly changed clothes and braided her hair in two pigtails over her shoulders. She slipped her feet into her brown clunky Doc Marten sandals and surveyed her reflection in the mirror. "Hermione Granger, you're gorgeous," she murmured to the reflection.

%%%%%

"Harry, what should I wear?" Ron asked. He surveyed the clothes neatly hung up in his closet.

"You're asking me?" Harry asked. Ron turned to look at his friend like he was crazy. Harry was wearing green pajama pants and a bright orange t-shirt.

"Note to self, don't ask for fashion advice from Harry," Ron muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear him. Harry glared at him and pulled the t-shirt off. He pulled on a black t-shirt with the sleeves ripped out that wasn't too tight, but wasn't necessarily baggy either. Ron turned back around and surveyed his clothes again. He finally settled on a pair of maroon cargo pants that were made out of wind suit pants material, and a tight grey t-shirt. After a summer of moving boxes at a local Muggle warehouse, Ron was built. The tight t-shirt accentuated the firm muscles in his arms and chest nicely. Harry pulled on a pair of baggy faded jeans and held them around his hips with a black belt. He stuck his feet in black boots, and rubbed a towel across his hair, causing it to stick up in every direction, as usual. Ron had gelled his forward but didn't stick the front up a la Braeden. Harry pulled on a silver chain and Ron stepped into a pair of brown sandals. He moved over to survey himself in the mirror.

"Ronald Weasley, you are a sexy beast," he said to his reflection.

%%%%%

"Gettin' ready for your date with Ginny?" Brantley asked from where he had flopped across Braeden's bed.

"It's not a date, Brant," Braeden replied.

"I think it is," Brantley replied.

"It's not," Braeden insisted.

"Yes it is. The two keys to a date are food and entertainment. You will have snacks at the theatre and the movie is entertainment. Therefore you're going on a date with Ginny," Brantley explained.

"Brantley, what are you smoking?" Braeden asked. He looked past yet another shirt in his suitcase and finally came across the one he was looking for.

"I'm not smoking anything but all that aftershave you put on is making me dizzy." Braeden pulled the tight blue muscle shirt on over his head, being extra careful not to mess up his hair.

"Is my aftershave too strong?" Braeden asked. Brantley rolled his eyes and glared at his older brother. Braeden reached for a pair of khakis and pulled them on. They were his favorite pair, as they were tight enough to show off his butt but not too tight to show off everything else.

"How do I look?"

"Braeden, do I look like a magic mirror?" Brantley asked. He rolled over on his back and hung his head off of the edge of the bed, making Braeden seem upside down. "You looked kind of like a piece of hypothermic crap if I look at you this way."

"BRANTLEY AARON GRANGER!" Braeden cried.

"Boys you've got 1 minute to be in the den!" Hermione yelled from somewhere upstairs. Braeden clasped a puka-shell necklace around his neck and tripped into his Reef sandals as he ran up the stairs. He paused at the top of the stairs and resumed a casual walking speed before going into the den to meet Hermione and Ginny.

"Hey Braeden," Hermione said.

"Hey girl, hey Ginny," Braeden replied. He couldn't believe how gorgeous Ginny looked. Ginny waved shyly at him.

"Make way for Alroy Granger, the sexy beast!" Harry announced, half running half falling into the den.

"HARRY POTTER I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"You know, Alroy, something about dealing with you after Voldemort just doesn't scare me too badly," Harry laughed.

"Sexy beast?" Hermione queried.

"Ron's been standing in front of the mirror growling, flexing, and calling himself a sexy beast for the last 10 minutes," Harry gasped.

"Well, it won't talk so I have to talk to it," Ron said, looking slightly dejected. A horn sounded from somewhere outside.

"Our cab is here. Ron, please stay quiet on the way to the theatre," pleaded Hermione as she headed towards the door.

"What?" Ron asked innocently. The five teenagers headed out to the cab parked in the driveway.

"HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE!" Brantley squealed from the basement. Luckily, as he was the last one out of the house, only Braeden heard him.

"Get in the backseat," Hermione coached Ron.

"I've been in a taxi before!" Ron exclaimed indignantly. The two Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione all immediately remembered the disastrous taxi ride to Kings Cross before their fourth year. Ron climbed into the backseat and motioned Ginny to follow him. Unfortunately for him, she and Braeden jumped in the front seat next to the driver and Ron was stuck sitting next to Hermione.

The taxi ride to the theatre was rather uneventful; however, buying tickets was a complete different story. Braeden and Ginny stepped up to the ticket window first. Braeden attempted to pay for both of their tickets but was stopped by Ron's strong hand on his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ron asked.

"I'm paying for movie tickets," Braeden responded calmly.

"Why in the wo-," Ron's sentence was cut off by Harry's hand clamping over his mouth.

"You'll have to excuse my brother," Ginny began.

"Yes, he really didn't escape, he's got a day pass," Harry quipped before Ginny could say anything else. His statement was from a Muggle t-shirt he had seen in a shop window. Ron turned red and glared at Harry, but as Harry wouldn't move his hand, Ron couldn't say anything. Braeden paid for Ginny's ticket and they headed inside the theatre. Harry finally let Ron go and stepped to the counter. When his ticket was paid for, he turned to watch Ron.

"One please," Ron said. He pushed the correct amount of money towards the lady behind the counter. She pressed the button and a ticket popped up out of the little metal slot in the counter.

"WOW! How did they do THAT!" Ron exclaimed as he picked up his small ticket in his big hands.

"It's magic, Ronnie," Harry said sweetly. He took his friend by his elbow and led him into the theatre to meet Braeden and Ginny who were already in the food line. Hermione quickly caught up with them.

"Okay Ron," she began in a low voice, "the movie we're about ready to see is a lot like TV, only on a much larger scale."

"But there will be other people in the room with us, so, under no circumstances are you to yell at the screen," Harry continued. Ron nodded mutely. He was honestly paying more attention to the soda machine. Braeden stepped up to the counter and ordered snacks for himself and Ginny. Harry did the same for himself, Ron and Hermione, to save them all the embarrassment of Ron trying to order food. Braeden had chosen popcorn and cokes for himself and Ginny. Harry bought an assortment of candy and Mt. Dew's for himself and his two friends.

"Let's go find seats!" Hermione exclaimed when everyone had purchased their food. She led them all into the theatre and chose seats near the back. Ginny sat on one end, with Braden to her right. Hermione sat to Braeden's right with Harry on her other side and Ron on the opposite end. Harry handed Ron a Milky Way bar. Ron opened it and peered at the inside of the wrapper.

"Where is the card?" he asked.

"What?" Harry asked.

"The card! You've given me chocolate, now where is the card?" Ron asked.

"No cards," Harry replied. Ron's disappointment showed brightly on his face, but he ate the chocolate anyway.

"I need something to drink," Ron whispered. Harry handed him a Mountain Dew and then tapped Hermione on her shoulder. Hermione got Braeden's attention and the three of them looked expectantly at Ron. Ron took a sip of the soda and before anyone could stop him, the people sitting three rows in front of them had a Mt. Dew shower courtesy of Ron's nose.

"What was that?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.

"Mountain Dew," came Harry's reply.

"My nose hurts!" cried Ron.

"Don't drink so much at once next time," Hermione instructed. Ron took a much smaller sip of the drink.

"Why don't we have this at school? This stuff is amazing!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione and Harry exchanged a knowing smile, but they were both wondering if anyone was up to dealing with a caffeine-buzzed Ron. After all, pumpkin juice wasn't much for having addicting ingredients.

"Quiet you guys, the movie is starting!" Ginny hissed from the end of the row. The lights in the theater dimmed. Harry handed Ron a bag of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. After about ten minutes of previews, Ron leaned over to Harry.

"Why don't we have these? They're much safer than Bertie Bott's!"

"SSSHHHH!" the admonition came from the people who were still trying to get the soda and Ron boogies out of their hair.

*****

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Ginny cried as the five of them staggered out of the movie theatre about an hour and a half later.

"What?" Ron asked sheepishly.

"We TOLD you not to argue with the screen!" Hermione shouted. Ron glared at his friends and started walking up the road. Ginny was particularly pissed because Braeden had just gotten up the courage to put his arm around her when Ron got his third and final warning and got them all kicked out of the theatre.

"Seriously Ron! 'HE CAN'T BE!?!' Not something you want to yell when Darth Vader announces that he's Luke's father," Harry said. Ron shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet.

"No matter Ron, we still love you," Ginny half lied. She could tell her brother felt bad about his actions.

"Yeah we do," Hermione squealed. She ran over and jumped on Ron's back. Harry ran over and jumped on them both, causing the three of them to fall to the ground. Ron's face instantly broke into a grin and he rolled over and wrapped his arms around both of his friends. He knew he'd never survive in the Muggle world alone but as long as he had friends like these, he'd be perfectly okay.