Welcome to The Hellmouth Harry Potter!

Prologue: On the Knight Bus.

Professor McGonagall stood up, a hard thing to do while riding the Knight Bus. She spoke clearly and loudly, so that all of the students on the bus could hear her. "There are a few things you need to know before we reach our destination. But first let's make sure everybody is here: "Cho Chang?"

A beautiful girl, with long shiny black hair smiled. "Here!" McGonagall wrote something on her clipboard.

McGonagall continued down the list muttering to herself: "Granger is here... Luna Lovegood?" McGonagall searched the bus with her eyes.

Luna lowered her copy of "The Quibbler" and nodded when McGonagall caught her eye.

"Malfoy? You're here... And Potter, Weasley and Weasley."

Ron and Ginny watched as Ron's queen beat up Ginny's pawn. Her king surrendered a second later. They diverted their attention towards McGonagall. "Well as you all know, we will be spending the next couple of weeks in a muggle village, as guests in their homes."

"I still can't believe Dumbledore expects us to spend all our time with pure muggles!" Malfoy muttered under his breath.

"Well, if you hate them so much then why are you traveling about a thousand miles to see them, eh Malfoy?" Hermione snapped back.

"Well I suppose you'd be happy you filthy mud -"

"That's enough!" McGonagall cut Draco off, with a severe look on her face. It's a lucky thing she did so - Harry and Ron were already holding their wands. "In case it hasn't been made clear, you are required to display perfect behavior around the muggles. I'll say it once more. It is vital that we sustain a healthy relationship with the Muggle world."

Malfoy snorted.

McGonagall flashed him an intimidating glare and continued. "Whether or not you agree with this point of view, you signed on to this trip and you will behave your best. I can still dock house points from way out here. Questions?"

**********************

"I still don't get it," Ron said as he added another card to his game of exploding snap. "Why should Dumbledore bother with this whole trip if he's only sending seven measly students?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? A large group of wizards might draw too much attention. That's also why he insisted on students with top grades and good behavior," Hermione answered matter-of-factly, "Professor Prometheus sent his best student's from each year - me, Cho and you, Ginny. The trip is a reward to the best in his Muggle Studies class. Harry's here because he knows all about muggles, Luna's here because her father financed a part of the trip, you won the raffle-"

"And Malfoy?" Ron interjected.

"I have no idea," Hermione answered, as she eyed Malfoy curiously.

"What? You mean you guys don't know?" Ginny said, slightly amused.

"No," Ron answered.

"Well, he was pretty much flunking half his subjects, so he had to make an assignment in some topic in order for him to stay in school. Since most of his teachers hate him -"

"Mainly because he keeps calling them names in class -" Hermione added.

Ginny smiled and continued. "No one wanted to give him the chance to improve his grades. Except Snape, who couldn't help, since Malfoy has an "O" in potions anyway. Malfoy isn't here for fun. He needs to write 10 feet of parchment about "The ways in which muggles avoid the need of magic"." When she finished all three of them burst into laughter.

"Harry has to hear this!!!!" Ron looked around searching for his mate. "Where is he anyway?"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "I thought you knew him."

"I do know him, I just don't know where he is," Rom answered, a bit peeved.

"Well, guess then."

Ron was just about to retort, when comprehension dawned on his face. "Ohhh..."

Ron saw Harry, sitting a couple of feet away from Cho, who was looking out the window, transfixed.

"I don't understand why he's still chasing her. All they ever caused each other is a headache," Ginny said, with nothing but a trace of resentment in her voice.

"I'd say someone's jealous..." Ron said, smiling.

"Oh, as if! Believe me Dean made me forget all about him. Though I'm happy he isn't on this trip. Dean didn't take our break up very well. He still stalks me a bit."

"Do you want me to kick his arse?" Rom asked politely.

"Naaah. It doe's nothing but good to a girl's ego."

"Probably why Cho still flirts with Harry," Ron said.

Hermione lowered her book. "Lay off them you two. They like each other. They just made a few screw ups along the road."

"More like they made a whole road out of screw-ups," Ron said, just as Harry stood up and approached Cho.

**********************

"Hi."

"Oh hello," Cho answered.

Harry looked out the window she was looking through. The Knight Bus was on a ferry, taking them from the English shore to the American one. It was raining. "I've never been on a ferry before. Have you?" he asked Cho.

Cho gave him a questioning look.

"Oh right!" Harry was mentally beating himself. Cho grew up in an all wizard environment. Why would she ever be on a ferry?

"So, how did your O.W.L.S go?" Cho asked.

"Okay. Better than I expected."

Actually they were WAY better than he expected. He got an "O" in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. He got an "E" in Transfiguration, Herbology and Potions, the latter being especially gratifying, since it was bound to piss Snape off. But, of course, Harry didn't want to brag. "How is N.E.W.T year so far?"

"Oh pretty much like O.W.L. year. Only ten times worse," she smiled.

Harry gave a nervous laugh. For a while there they were quiet. It seemed they didn't have anything to say.

"Harry..." Cho hesitated. "Look, I'm really happy you approached me. I was beginning to think we were never going to talk again after the fight."

Harry smiled. She was happy he approached her.

"But, lets not ruin this trip like we, er, usually ruin stuff ok? Let's save all the serious talks and soul searching stuff till we get back to Hogwarts?"

"Sure, no problem," Harry said, even though he felt like all his innards have disappeared. "Bye, then," he said and walked away. Cho looked as if she didn't mean for him to leave, but Harry took no notice of that fact. As a matter fact, Harry thought this trip was the perfect for them to make amends. Maybe a romantic muggle setting would do them good. It was already January and at the end of this year Cho would leave. Harry wanted some closure. And he wanted to make up for the stuff he said, at the heat of the moment, last time they met. Harry sat down on a sofa next to where Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat.

"Why so blue?" Hermione asked, as she noticed Harry expression.

"Oh nothing. Hate the rain. Like the sun," Harry lied, not very convincingly.

"So Hermione, I bet you can tell us all kind of uninteresting stuff about this place we're going?"

Harry knew Ron changed the subject in order to avoid a conversation about the last move in the everlasting dance he and Cho were doing. He was very grateful for it.

"As a matter of fact, it's a rather well known city. I found information about it in lots of wizard books. I haven't read most of them - saved them for the trip - but here's what I do know. When the first settlers came, they called it "Boca Del Inferno" -"

"Come on Hermione! What do I care what people called it a hundred years ago? What do they call it now?"

Hermione consulted her book for a second.

"Sunnydale."