Among Friends and Chocolate Frogs

"I don't know what's worse, how old this compartment looks or how old it smells," Ron Weasley said falling onto the dark brown train seat. He propped his long legs up on the rest of the seat, spreading out across it but still leaving plenty of his body dangling off.

"Move your feet Ron!" scuffed his best friend, Hermione Granger, as she walked into the compartment. She pushed Ron's legs off the seat and sat down herself, running a hand through the waterfall of brown curls that were now in her face.

"This place doesn't smell nearly as bad as Vernon's old socks," Harry Potter, the third friend in the group, entered the compartment, shutting the door behind him and sitting across from his friends. His broken glasses slide down his nose and he carelessly pushed them back up in front of his green eyes.

"Did you break them again Harry?" Hermione asked with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"I guess," Harry shrugged, he never really did bother caring about the state of his glasses. Hermione, on the other hand, fixed them almost weekly while they were at school. That's where they were heading now, Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Why don't you just magical fix your eyes or something?" Ron asked reaching for his bag that he had dragged in and started to search for something to eat.

"I don't know, I've had glasses for as long as I could remember," Harry started, taking them off for a better look. They were very simply round glasses with thick black frames, held together by a bit of tape. Hermione reached her wand over at Harry's hands.

"Oculouse Repero," she mumbled the simple charm. Harry smiled at her.

"Thanks," he returned the glasses to his face. The three best friends looked happily at each other. Each of the three had changed remarkable over the last 7 years of their lives. Hermione went from the bucktoothed, curly haired girl into one who was now just starting to look like a young woman, who wowed everyone she met. Ron's feature remained some of the same, but now his large hands and nose, seemed to fit perfectly into his tall frame, and bigger features, but still covered in the same red hair and freckles that bridged his nose. Harry too, had just finally started to become more grown up in appearance. Jet-black hair still wildly flew around his face, which held green eyes over shaded with black glasses, which now was long and thin, a prefect picture of a young man starting his life.

"Can you believe it's finally 7th year?" Ron said chewing on some candy from his bag. "Wasn't it only yesterday that Mione stormed in here all sassy like," he laughed.

"Oh Ron, you are so immature!" Hermione responded smacking his shoulder.

"Good to know some things never change," Harry added, getting a mean glare from Hermione, who then started to laugh herself.

"I'm glad you've finally gotten a sense of humor," Ron added addressing Hermione.

"Can't help to get one hanging around you two clowns," she returned. The group broke out into laughter.

"Oh I have something to show you to," Harry went for his bag, and pulled out two boxes, both rapped in newspapers. "Sorry I couldn't get better rapping paper," and tossed the presents at his friends.

"Harry, you didn't have to get us anything," Hermione said unwrapping her gift.

"Speak for yourself Mione," Ron grinned, ripping his open also. The two finished at the same time and both took out a picture, framed in a brown frame.

"Its from first year, the picture that is. I almost forgotten all about it, but when I was cleaning out the cupboard I found it. It's from one of the days we were looking up information on Nicholas," Harry said as the two looked at the picture. Just as Harry said, the picture was of not the three as they looked now, but from when they had just came to Hogwarts school. They were sitting in one of the back tables of the library with stacks of books lined up behind them. Harry remembered the picture was taken with Hermione's Muggle camera by Seamus, just for the heck of it.

"Oh, Harry it's wonderful," Hermione gasped, stood up and gave Harry a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Very thoughtful of you," she smiled and sat back down next to Ron.

"Yeah Harry, thanks, it's great mate," Ron grinned at the picture then at Harry. "Reminds me of the good old days when we were innocent,"

"We were never innocent Ron," Harry grinned.

"Speak for yourself, I was until you saved me from that blasted troll, which I must remind you, was your fault in the first place," Hermione added with a sassy grin.

"We did mange to save the world a few times, in the end it all evens out," Harry finished with an amused voice.

"Yeah I mean sneaking out to get more Éclairs was only to save the world," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Can't beat the Dark Lord on an empty stomach," Harry replied not missing a beat. Ron and him started to laugh, while Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You two are bloody helpless," Hermione added shaking her head and placing the picture into her bag.

"You know we are just joking around with you Mione," Ron said placing his picture into his bag and reaching his arm around her. She smiled and relaxed into his arms.

Just then the door to the room swung up open and Draco Malfoy strolled in with an air of ignorance just fighting to get loose.

"My, my what a love feast we have in here?" he grinned crossing his arms over his chest. Which was broad and muscular, a change from his appearance seven years ago. His blonde hair was now long and shaggy, falling down his face over his gray eyes. Harry shot him a disgruntled look, "Is little Potterwatter feeling left out?" Draco walked over to the sit besides Harry plumped down next to him, imitating the way Ron had his arm around Hermione. "You know, you have beautiful eyes," he said blinking his eyes at Harry.

"Geroff Draco," Harry said pushing Draco off he's shoulder. Draco removed his arms.

"Gosh, you are fickle Harry," Draco's arms went back to across his chest.

"What do we owe this infringement for?" Hermione asked him.

"Just wanted to see what my favorite Gryffindors are doing, is that a crime?" his face read the normal and now famous "Draco Malfoy Smug". He was able to make many other faces, but his smug was the one most worn, in almost all situations.

"Well, you've discovered we were just sitting here, so you can scuddle off now," Ron grinned and nodded at him, opening a chocolate frog package.

"Yonk!" Draco reached over and grabbed the chocolate frog from Ron before it could jump off and shoved it in his mouth.

"MALFOY!" Ron hollered.

"Vermy Mgood Measley," Draco said chewing the chocolate with his mouth open.

"Ugh, eat with your mouth closed Draco," Hermione rolled her eyes.

The trio had grown accustom to Draco by now. If he would have walked into their compartment only four years ago they would have kicked him out by now and sent him off with as many hexes as they could muster. Yet, time does change people, and during their last two years at Hogwarts, Draco turned from enemy to friend. Well, if you call someone who steals most their candy and pokes endless jokes at them, their friend, then indeed Draco Malfoy was their friend. A few minutes later Draco had successful exited the compartment with most of Ron's chocolate frogs. The second the compartment door slammed shut Ron sighed.

"The way he acts now, almost makes me wishes he still hated us," he said reaching in his bag for what he hoped for was more candy.

"Cheer up mate, this is our last year at Hogwarts, and after that we can never have to see him again," Harry said smiling at the thought, but truth be told Draco wasn't half as bad as Ron thought he was.

"Can you make that a promise?" Ron pleaded with a laugh. Ron had never grown a liking to Draco but for the sack of Harry and Hermione he put up with him to a point.

"I was thinking about our future," Hermione sudden interjected. "I mean what's going to happen to the three of us when we leave?"

"Well, we'll get jobs.." Harry started, then paused, he hadn't really thought about it that much.

"I know that, but what will happen to the three of us? Will we be friends?"

"Of course Mione!" Ron said quickly. "I mean after all we've pretty much done everything together, I don't know what could cause us to not be friends,"

"Yeah Hermione, there are just some things you can't walk away from without being friends for life. Without you guys who knows how many times I would have died?" Harry said looking seriously at his friends. "I mean it. I don't know how often I get to tell you guys this, but really you guys mean the world to me. I'd be devastated if we lost contact,"

"Oh Harry," Hermione burst into tears and left Ron's arms to go over to Harry's.

"Hermione," Ron said, "don't cry, why are you crying?" he asked softly, walking over to seat besides Hermione. The three were squished together on the little bench in the compartment.

"I don't know Ron; I just get so sad when I think about my life without you two in it. You guys were my first real best friends. You saved my life, I owe you so much," she cried onto Harry's shoulder. He had his arm around her and was rubbing her back, he looked up at Ron, who was sitting with is hand on her knee.

"I feel the same way Mione. I know we all feel the same way about each other. I'll make sure we all are friends, even if I have to hunt you guys down," Ron replied smiling. "Now come on, dry your eyes, no need to cry," Hermione took her face from Harry's shoulder and whipped her eyes. She smiled at her two best friends next to her and stretched her arms around them both, and the three gave in to a big group hug. They broke apart with grins on their faces.

"Now will the two of you get off my space," Harry said playfully pushing Hermione.

"Since when do you own this part of the compartment?" Hermione said back.

"I'm the Boy Who Lived, I own anything I want," Harry sassed back.

"Really now? In a second you'll be the Boy Who Got Beat Up By His Best Friends," Ron said back pushing Hermione into Harry.

"That was really lame Ron," Harry laughed.

"Oh shut up you," Ron laughed back.

Just then the compartment door flung open and once again Draco Malfoy was in the doorway, this time he was pushing a cart into the room. When he spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione on one bench leaning on each other he raises his eye brow.

"Shouldn't you wait till you get into the Astronomy Tower for this?" he asked.

"Shut up Malfoy, what are you doing back here?" Ron said.

"Well, Weasley, I was going to let you have some of the sweets I've brought us but now if you are going to act all mean and such then I think I shall be taking my leave," Draco said starting to back out.

"DRACO!" Ron shouted once his eyes fell upon the cart of sweets before him, he got up and put his arm around Draco. "Come sit, sit," he walked Draco over to the seat besides Hermione and dove into the sweets.

"He's so easily won over. Was You-Know-Who aware of the fact that he's this fascinated with sweets? That could have been damaging you know," Draco said smiling at Hermione.

Before anyone could reply the door once again swung open and in crammed Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, & Dean Thomas.

"'Ello mates!" Seamus said walking in. "Saw Draco here pushing a cart of sweets towards your compartment thought we all might join you for some good eaten'" he said reaching for a box of Every Flavor Beans. Before he could take it Ron's hand shot out and covered the box, he looked up and growled at Seamus. The room was silent for a minute, then everyone burst out into laughter. Everyone went and grabbed some sweets off the cart.

"What? Didn't you see my reaction?" Ron said looking at everyone. "Aren't you in the least bit of fear of me?"

The room once again burst into laughter. Ron's face went red.

"Weasley I wouldn't be scared of you if you were holding a man eating.. well a man eating anything," Draco replied. Ron sent him a face that could kill, if only it wasn't covered in chocolate.

"If it wasn't for this cart full of sweets I'd hurt you for that remark," Ron replied shoving some more sweets into his mouth.

As the train went along it's way to Hogwarts, somewhere between the clicking of the train's wheels and the below of laughter, the group of old friends realized that life's best moments can come from sitting in smelly, old train compartments, just as long as you have chocolate frogs, and friends to be with.