money from it, so please Mrs. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
Please, if you read, take two minutes to review.
AN: Warning, this chapter has scenes of underage drinking. You have been warned.
Chapter 1 Ambush
“Oy, watch it, Alicia.”
“Sorry, George, I can barely tell you two apart in the light much less the dark.”
“Don’t be getting to friendly with my boyfriend there, Alicia,” Angelina grumpily remarked, from the other side of the closet.
“You’re the one who came in here first, Angelina. How did you end up in the wrong corner with Fred?” Alicia snapped back at her.
“Here, George, give me back my girl,” Fred Weasley hissed, shoving Angelina towards his twin.
“Quiet all of you,” George snarled as he pulled Angelina to him. “I solemly swear that I am up to no good!” he muttered, waving his wand over the Marauders Map. “Good thing you two finally found this in Ginny’s and Harry’s new bedroom,” he remarked to the girls.
“I can’t believe she has been stealing potions ingredients from Snape all year,” Fred put in, with more than a trace of admiration for his baby sister in his voice.
“I can’t believe that her and Harry are getting married tomorrow, along with your youngest brother and Hermione,” Angelina whispered quietly.
“Do you remember the first time he caught the Snitch?” she asked a moment later
“Practically swallowed it,” Alicia replied. They all shook their heads remembering back to that first match with Harry as the Gryffindor Seeker.
“He was so little,” Angelina remarked.
“They all were,” Alicia added. “Now look at the four of them. Getting married before they leave school, three of them tasked with defeating Voldemort.” Alicia shook her head.
“Wonder when we’re going to find out who the third friend that will help Harry is?” George asked after a few minutes..
“I think that Harry, Ron and Hermione already know,” Fred replied. “I think it’s Ginny, but they are not telling anyone because it might be too dangerous.”
“Kind of like Harry not telling us everything about the first prophecy you mean?” George asked, comprehension dawning on him.
“Yeah, I think Fred is right,” Angelina whispered into the dark after another minute or two of silence.
“You two are sure about Neville getting their wands switched out for those fake ones aren’t you?” Alicia asked nervously.
“We better hope so,” George replied. “Because if not, we’re all going to be very sorry when we jump them.”
“Oy,” Fred replied quietly. The four of them fell silent again as they contemplated the wisdom of this little venture.
Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to plan a bachelor party for Ron. Harry had been too busy with teaching the DA and then the funk he went into when Ginny had been hurt during the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw. They had planned to tell him about it, but just let it slip instead.
The announcement that Ginny and Harry were getting married in less than a week had been one of the few times in the twins’ lives that they were both left speechless. George had been leaning back in his chair when his mother told him and had fallen right out of it, as if he had been hit by a stunning spell.
Fred had shot firewhiskey out his nose, which if you have ever done with Muggle soda pop you can imagine the discomfort it causes, only this is about a hundred times worse. Not for a few minutes, but for a whole day whenever they looked at each other, all they could do was shake their heads.
Other than Dumbledore, who had always known the whole prophecy, and had been expecting it. Only a few people, namely Molly and Arthur Weasley, had begun to suspect that Harry and Ginny’s feelings for each other went much deeper than the brother/sister relationship they had been displaying for the world to see. Even Remus Lupin, who claimed to have suspected something as far back as October, agreed that neither of them had expressed their true feelings to themselves, much less each other, until Harry’s last night in the hospital.
It was Alicia and Angelina who decided that the party was going to change after the announcement. It was going to be a Ball and Chain, party now, with all four guests of honor suffering the humiliation that only very good friends and family are allowed to dish out. The Room of Requirement made things very easy as far as decorating and providing food and drinks, though Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to liven up the punch a bit.
Fred jumped; as someone knocked on the door to the closet three times, paused, and then once more rapped the door.
“Oy, that’s the signal from Neville that he got their wands,” he whispered.
“Let’s just hope none of them are up to wandless magic tonight,” George remarked dryly, as he watched the little symbol of Neville walk away from their hiding spot, heading to the Room of Requirement.
“Do you see them moving yet?” Alicia asked. George studied the map for a minute.
“Yeah, it looks like they just got up from the table. Wands ready,” he ordered quietly. The four of them tensed as they waited for Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny to reach the closet.
“Now!” George hissed throwing the door open. The four of them burst out of the closet hurling binding spells at the two couples. Their victims had their wands out instantly.
“Protego!” they screamed together.
“Silencio!” Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina cried out.
“Nice chicken, Harry,” George cackled, at what had been the wand in Harry’s hand.
“Oh Ronald, flowers, for me?” Alicia squealed at him as she walked over to take them from him. She planted a big kiss on his cheek leaving a very red set of lips imprinted on him. “I don’t think Hermione is going to like that very much,” she teased him. Angelina walked over and took the bouquet of flowers that Ginny was holding and gave her Harry’s rubber chicken.
“Harry was supposed to get this one. You really can’t get good help these days; remind me not to pay Neville, will you sweetheart,” she said to Ginny while planting a big kiss on Harry’s cheek, leaving him with a set of pink lips. Harry and Ron both turned crimson, while Hermione and Ginny’s eyes went wide in shock, as they watched Angelina and Alicia flirting with their respective fiancés. They were both playing it up rather well, causing both Harry and Ron to shift uncomfortably under the suggestive whisperings occurring in their ears.
“Come now, Ginny, Hermione, you didn’t really think we would let these two get away without a party of some kind on their last night of freedom,” Fred remarked as he carelessly flicked his wand at the girls, transfiguring both of their shirts.
If Harry could have laughed he would have. Ginny and Hermione were now wearing white t-shirts with the words, THE OLD BALL AND CHAIN, written across the front. Ginny and Hermione, particularly Hermione, he could tell were furious.
“Since you two think it’s so funny,” George said offhandedly to Harry and Ron.
“I think it is time we established who wears the pants in your houses,” Fred finished, waving his wand at Harry and then Ron. Ron’s eyes went wide as he felt a cool breeze blowing over his lower legs. Harry felt the same thing happen to him and looked down to see that both he and Ron were now wearing skirts that were cut just above the knee. Harry felt his face flushing in horror, Ron had gone white, but now Hermione and Ginny were the ones who looked like they were about to keel over laughing.
“Oh, I don’t know about those, Fred.” Angelina remarked eyeing the skirts Ron and Harry were wearing in disapproval.
“I agree, Angelina. I think they are much too long. Don’t you, Hermione?” Alicia asked while running her wand about mid way up Ron’s thigh. “Maybe about here don’t you think?” Ron’s eyes opened even wider as he watched the expression on Hermione’s face.
“What about you, Ginny, how much leg do you want to see?” Angelina teased into Harry’s ear. Harry felt her wand run across his leg considerably higher than where Alicia’s had on Ron. Harry joined Ron in struggling fiercely to get loose from the binding spells now. Hermione shook her head no at Alicia. Ron breathed a sigh of relief, only to have Alicia move her wand higher on his leg and see Hermione nod in agreement.
“Just above mid thigh it is, then,” Angelina said brightly. Harry felt the skirt shorten on his legs. It was impossible for him to turn any redder than he was. He just thanked Merlin no one else had come out of the great hall yet.
“Nice legs, Potter, Weasley,” Alicia chided them as she levitated the four of them and started moving them down the hallway. Alicia marched her four victims into the Room of Requirement to the cheers of the whole of the DA, minus Hagrid who had begged out of the party. She set them down on top of the table in the middle of the room. George released them from the silencing spells a moment later.
“Fred and George Weasley, if you don’t get this shirt off of me right now you’re going to wish you were wearing those skirts!” Hermione hissed at them the moment she could speak. George looked at Fred, who shrugged his shoulders in reply.
“If you say so, Hermione,” George flicked his wand at the still trussed up girl, who realizing what she had just said flushed in horror.
“No, don’t you dare!” she shrieked at him. Ron’s mouth dropped to the floor as Hermione’s shirt was changed into a bikini top. The whole crowd roared in laughter, even Ginny was trying to stifle a grin until she realized that she too was wearing a bikini top. Harry found himself trying to avert his eyes, very unsuccessfully. Ginny caught it in a blink.
“I suppose you like this don’t you, Potter,” she growled at him. Harry tried to wipe the smile off his face, but failing miserably commented a moment later.
“Well now that you ask, yeah I don’t mind.”
“Is that a fact?” Ginny replied eyeing him like a lion about to pounce on its next meal. “Alicia, I don’t think that skirt is short enough for Harry.” Harry blanched as Ginny smiled smugly at him before continuing.
“It’s kind of loose too. Maybe you could make it cling to his hips a little tighter. As long as you’re at it, why don’t you get Ron’s also. I think Hermione might like that.”
“I like the way she thinks,” Alicia said grinning and raised her wand at the two guys again.
“No wait,” Ron panicked, “George, put the shirts back on them, plain ones without any words.”
“Always a downer that boy,” George said shaking his head in disgust before flicking his wand, turning Ginny and Hermione’s shirts back into what they had started the evening with.
“Thank you, Ronald,” Hermione breathed gratefully.
“You did look good you know,” Ron mumbled to her. This comment brought a cheer from the assembled DA. Hermione held Ron’s eyes for a moment, then flushing red she looked away from him.
“Is there any chance you’re going to give me a pair of pants instead of this skirt?” Ron asked Angelina a moment later.
“Depends,” she replied.
“On what?” Harry asked.
“That you four will agree not to break out of the binding spell until we have properly prepared you for your wedding day,” George answered. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny regarded the DA warily.
“I don’t know, Hermione. I kind of like the legs,” Ginny remarked as she licked her lips and eyed Harry again.
“Watch it, Gin, or you’ll be back in a bikini top,” Harry snapped at her.
“I never said I wanted out of it. That was Ron’s idea,” Ginny replied grinning at him.
“Ginny Weasley, if your mother….” Hermione started.
“What my mother doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Ginny interrupted.
“Enough, I don’t need to hear this from my baby sister,” Fred yelped, waving his wand at Harry and Ron giving them a pair of pants again.
“Fred, I do believe that Ginny is much more trouble than we have ever been,” George commented.
“Harry, you have our condolences,” Fred remarked. Harry didn’t really hear them; he was too busy trying to control his raging hormones under the looks he was getting from Ginny. Ginny blew him a kiss and then turned her attention to Bridgette as she climbed up on the table with Cho close behind her.
“So do you agree to our terms of being properly humiliated?” she asked as the two of them moved in front of Hermione. Hermione sighed in resignation.
“Considering our position at the moment we don’t have much choice.”
“Good, drink up then,” Bridgette said tipping the cup to Hermione’s mouth. Hermione, who still had her hands bound, had no choice but to drink or have the punch spilled all over her. The crowd started to cheer as she downed the whole glass. Harry watched as Hermione’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
PHHLAAT, Hermione spit the last mouthful out and started coughing in fits.
“What’s in that?” she shrieked a moment later.
“Firewhisky,” Fred replied jovially from the floor. Ron and Harry’s eyes bugged out of their heads again.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ron said as he tried to turn away from Cho.
“Drink it or wear it, Ronald,” Cho said as she tipped the cup in front of him. Ron drank, again the cheers of the crowd started, chanting his name as he drank the punch down. Ron finished the last swallow, and shook his head once.
“That’s not half bad,” he said with a grin, kind of warms you up, doesn’t it?” Hermione looked at him incredulously. Harry heard all of this, but didn’t register it, as his throat was on fire from the concoction pouring down it.
Sputtering and coughing a second latter, he watched in amazement as Ginny drank it down without so much as a blink, licked her lips and asked if they had bothered to spike hers or if they were going easy on her because she was a year younger than the other three.
“Ginny, you have to be the naughtiest girl I have ever met,” Hermione said quietly next to her. Five rounds later, Harry had to agree with Hermione. His insides were burning, and his face was flushed. He thought he would have trouble standing if he wasn’t being held up with the binding curse, and he wasn’t sure if his first name was Harry or Potter anymore.
Ron, he thought, was doing alright; he was mostly just standing there, quietly gazing at Hermione. Hermione looked about the same as Harry felt, but Ginny, other than being really happy seemed totally unaffected. George had even double checked the glasses that she was being forced to drink.
“How can she do that?” Fred asked when George had confirmed that there was indeed firewhisky in her glass. The two of them shrugged their shoulders at each other and regarded their younger sister warily.
“I think it’s time for a little truth or dare now,” Cho called out, climbing back up on the table. She had four boxes with her and was, Harry thought, slightly fuzzy. There will be two rounds for each of you. You must pick dare and truth one time each just so you know. Dare will be opening the box with you’re name on it. Truth will have you answering a question that was determined ahead of time by the group for you. After each turn, which I’m sure will be exhausting and make you very thirsty; Bridgette will have some more punch for you.” This last comment brought another cheer form the DA and caused Harry’s stomach to lurch.
We don’t want any more punch, the voices said to him. They sounded kind of funny to Harry, like they were calling to him through a dense fog.
Quiet, which one do you want to do first, truth or dare? he asked them.
Truth, we might still be able to lie coherently if the question is not one we want to answer, they replied.
“Harry, you’re up first,” Cho said brightly.
“Truth,” Harry replied. If the voices had sounded like they were a long way off, he thought the actual sound of his voice seemed very loud.
“We don’t believe that you and Ginny just got together. When did you first declare your love to her?” Harry smiled, that was not such a bad question.
“I realized that Ginny was the one, the night I came up with the Phoenix charm. Though I think I had started to figure it out before then. But we’re telling the truth about my last night in the hospital. That was the first time either of us said anything.”
“I told you that was a wasted question,” Bridgette grumped to the group before tipping another glass to Harry’s lips. Cho turned to Hermione now.
“Hermione, you’re up.”
“Truthhh.”
“We want to know what physical feature about Ron boils your blood?” Bridgette said loudly
Whew, glad we didn’t get that one, the voices said to Harry as he watched both Ron and Hermione turn red. Which considering the effect of the firewhisky was saying something. Hermione struggled fiercely, her face contorting with effort as she tried not to answer the question. Finally she could resist no more.
“His chest,” she squeaked.
“Let’s here it for vertasium,” George yelled as the cat calls in the room reverberated in Harry’s ears.
“You didn’t?” Ron stammered at the twins, as Harry watched Hermione cursing loudly at them. Her words were cut off as Bridgette started pouring another glass of punch down her throat.
“Course we did little bro, why do you think no one else is drinking that stuff,” Fred replied.
“Best part is, now you’re all too drunk to even think about doing magic without your wands,” George added to them.
“Ronald, it’s your turn to pick truth or dare,” Cho said to him teasingly.
“I’m goin kill two you,” Hermione slurred at Fred and George. Ron looked like he was going to try and get out of picking either by not answering at all.
“Go head Ron,” Harry stammered at him. “Can be all tha bad.” Ron glared at him and then Cho. It didn’t look like they were going to get anywhere until Bridgette stepped up with her face right in front of him.
“You could always get out of it by kissing me again,” she called out loudly. Ron blanched and quickly blurted out his choice.
“Dare.”
“Wise choice, Ronald,” Hermione grumbled. “For both of you,” she added a second later.
“Oh boy, we have a winner,” Cho said as she picked up a box from the pile. She unwrapped it making a big show out of pulling a pair of silk boxer underwear from the box they were bright red with the words, Property of Hermione Granger “Weasley,” inked on the back of them. Cho held them up in front of Ron and the crowd howled.
“Here, Hermione,” she said with a flick of her wrist and Ron’s shirt was gone. “Give you a better idea of what they will look like.” Ron was absolutely purple as people fell over each other laughing at his and Hermione’s reaction. Harry and Ginny were laughing now also, it was really too funny not to especially when they were quite drunk. Bridgette poured another glass of firewhisky punch down Ron’s throat and gave him back his shirt. Harry felt himself cringe as Cho turned to Ginny for the first time.
“I guess that leaves you to make your first choice, Ginny.”
“Dare,” Ginny replied without hesitating. It looked like she might finally be starting to feel the effects of the punch now as her face was flushed a warm pink that had Harry longing to be alone with her.
Cho made another great show of unwrapping Ginny’s package. Pulling out a very short night gown that was definitely not going to hide much of anything, she held it up to Ginny, who while blushing furiously stared directly at Harry.
“Like it?” Harry heard her voice in his head.
“Ginny?” Harry asked in shock sending a thought back to her.
“I think I’m drunk, Potter.”
“Me too, Gin,” Harry replied. “Yeah, Gin, I like it,” he added silently to her a moment later, as he watched Bridgette give Ginny another glass of punch.
“I guess that leaves us with a dare for you then doesn’t it, Harry,” Cho said as she began to unwrap his package. Harry cringed as a second pair of red silk boxer shorts were held up in front of him the word, Tasty, written across the front.
“Guess we better give Ginny a good look too,” Bridgette yelled loudly and with a flick of her wrist, Harry was missing his shirt. She then poured another glass of punch into his mouth, but went a little fast, causing it to pour down his chin onto his chest and stomach. “Oops, maybe we can get Ginny to clean that up for us,” she teased.
“Or maybe we should get it for her,” Cho remarked as she toweled off Harry’s chest. “Ginny looks like she might not be able to control herself if she gets to close to Harry right now.” Harry couldn’t help laughing. He was already as red in the face as he could get and the look Ginny was giving Cho and Bridgette as they cleaned up the mess they had made of him was too much for him.
“Yuck it up, Potter,” Ginny said glaring at him before breaking into a naughty smile. “Make sure you leave some of that for me you two,” she shot at Cho and Bridgette.
“Oh, I think there is plenty of man for you to share, Ginny,” Bridgette teased her. She and Cho moved to either side of Harry leaning in close to his ears and blowing on them. They each slid a hand up into his hair messing it up even more than it already was while they played the fingers of their other hand across his stomach and chest. Ginny’s mouth dropped open and then closed quickly as she recovered from their attempts to make her jealous. Harry, starting to feel very uncomfortable with the attentions of two of the four girls he had kissed in his life tried to direct their attention elsewhere.
“Isn time for to pick on Mione now?” he slurred hurriedly at them. They both sighed and tossed a last look at Ginny. She just laughed at them.
“Oh I suppose.” Cho smiled at him before turning to Hermione. She was really getting good at making a show of opening the packages, either that or Harry was really getting to be way beyond drunk now. He tried to avoid looking at Hermione, not wanting in his inebriated state to have a picture form in his mind of what she might look like in whatever Cho pulled out of the box. Instead he focused on Ron, and judging by his reaction and the renewed cat calls from the DA he was glad not to see what came out of the box.
“Oh and look what else we have here.” Cho said brightly. Harry couldn’t help looking at her. She was holding up a book, Harry tried to focus on the title but his head was swimming too much to do it.
“Now, Hermione, we all know how terrible with women Ron really is, and we thought about getting this for him. But none of us were sure he knew how to read, and we also know that you already do all his reading for him and then tutor him. We figured this shouldn’t be any different. So, we have a copy of, Dr. Ruth’s Guide to Pleasing Your Spouse, for you.” Harry roared with laughter as he watched Hermione standing there with her eyes closed muttering under her breath.
“Think that’s funny do you, Potter?” He shut his mouth quickly when Bridgette spoke up.
Uh-oh, the voices said to him. She laughed as she pulled another copy of the book out of a bag and gave it to Ginny.
“Here you go, Ginny. Harry is not much better than Ron and this is one time we thought it best if Hermione were not giving private lessons to both of them.”
“Here you go, Hermione,” Cho said as she brought up another glass of punch for her. Hermione turned white shaking her head at her.
“No more please, Cho,” she pleaded with her.
“Oh yes, if I had to drink it so do you, Hermione,” Harry shouted at her. As the pace at which they were be forced to drink had slowed, he found himself feeling a little less queasy now. Hermione shot him a look but started drinking as she was about to wear the glass of punch.
“Ronald, we want to know what feature of Hermione’s is your favorite,” Cho said turning to him. Ron smiled.
“I have to pick just one?” he asked.
“No, you can give us more if you want,” Bridgette replied. Harry watched as Ron locked his eyes with Hermione’s and spoke directly to her as if no one else was in the room.
“I love the way she forces me to study, that she is smarter than I am. I love her curly brown hair and the smile that only I get. I love that she demands I be better than I am. I still can’t believe that she loves me, when she could have anyone she wanted to.” Harry saw the light begin to dance in Hermione’s eyes and then he saw the smile that Ron was talking about. He recognized it because Ginny had shown it to him quite a few times over the last week.
“When did he become such an eloquent git?” Fred asked his twin.
“Right about the time Hermione got a hold of him,” George replied in disgust. Ron’s words seemed to have sobered Hermione some because she was able to get her next sentence out without slurring her words.
“Is there any chance you will let me out of this binding spell now?” she asked, as Ron was forced to down his last glass of punch. Fred waved his wand at her, and Hermione walked unsteadily across the table to Ron. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear.
“What you fail to see, Ronald is that you could have anyone you wanted and I still can’t believe you picked me.” She then kissed him deeply before settling down on the table in front of him. People watched her display in surprise. Ron and Hermione were both very reserved in front of other people with their feelings for each other. They might hold hands or be caught staring at each other, but they very rarely displayed more than that in front of even their closest friends, much less this large of a group of people.
“That’s the first time I think I’ve seen them really kiss,” Cho remarked quietly before turning to Ginny.
“Ginny, we would like to know, well mostly Bridgette and I, because we only saw the potential. Just how good of a kisser is Harry?”
Oh bugger, the voices in Harry’s head remarked as he saw a smile come over Ginny’s face.
“If you let us out of these binding spell, I’ll show you, and you can judge for yourself if he is any good.” Harry felt his face heating again and his pulse quickened as Bridgette smiled smuggly at him. She flicked her wand at Harry and Ginny.
Ginny walked quickly across the table to him, her hand came to the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. Ginny’s tongue played across his lips parting them as she searched for his response. A moment latter when Harry allowed her entrance his knees nearly buckled at the heat coming from her. He was vaguely aware of the cat calls starting up, led of all people by Hermione.
Harry struggled to keep some sense of control over the situation, as he was well aware of the fact that he was being snogged senseless by Ginny while three of her brothers looked on with their jaws on the floor. Finally, Ginny broke away from him.
“Very nice, Potter,” she whispered quietly while gazing into his eyes. Harry was lost until Bridgette and Cho smacked him in the arm.
“What’s the matter there lover boy,” Cho teased him
“Really, Harry, you’d think she was a goddess or something,” Bridgette added laughing at him.
“Oy, get your hands of my sister,” Fred said punching his arm.
“Blimey, Harry, at least wait until you’re married before subjecting us to that,” George added giving him a shove from the other side.
“You’re the ones who got us drunk, gave us vertasium and then asked me how good of a kisser he was,” Ginny said biting at Harry’s lip again as she pressed herself into him.
“Oy, knock it off,” Fred yelped.
“We got out voted on that question,” George replied.
“Yeah, we wanted to ask you something a little less….eye opening,” Fred added with a grin at Ginny when she finally turned her attention away from trying to kiss Harry to her brothers.
“This was much more fun,” Ginny replied.
“Quiet, I don’t want to hear it,” George snapped.
“Hey is there any chance of me getting out of this binding spell?” Ron asked, breaking into the discussion. Bridgette waved her wand at Ron, who immediately sat down on the table next to Hermione.
“Hi, Love,” she said, smiling brightly at him. “Why are there three of you, Ronald?”
“Whoo boy is she sloshed,” George remarked.
“Well get her some more,” Fred said grinning at his twin. Hermione turned white again.
“Sorry, Hermione, but you can drink or go back in the binding curse,” Alicia said handing her a glass and then giving one to Ron, Ginny and Harry. Hermione looked at the glass considering for a moment or two and then downed it in one gulp. The three of them followed her lead.
“Such good sports, I think they deserve a reward,” Angelina called out. “Neville, Luna, you want to bring forward our last gifts for the night?” Neville and Luna carried two, rather large, fairly flat packages forward.
“Ok you four. Stand up again,” Hermione and Ginny both glared at George. “Or maybe just sit there, where everyone can see you.” He changed his mind. “Everyone gather round,” he called to the group. The DA moved in close to the two young couples. Neville handed one package to Hermione, and Luna handed the other to Ginny.
“We’ve picked on you all night now, and I guess it’s about time we gave you something serious,” Neville said to them.
“We all wanted to say how right we think you are for each other. And to let you four know how much we appreciate what you have done for us functioning as our teachers over the last two years,” Luna added, her normal dreamy tone gone, replaced with one of deep admiration and respect.
“We hope that these tokens of our gratitude will remind you of our love for you when you have lost your youth and are preparing for what Professor Dumbledore calls the next great adventure,” Bridgette added
“If ever there was one soul living in four people. You are the ones it exists in,” Cho finished the speech for the group.
“Go ahead and open them,” Fred urged. Ginny and Hermione pulled the wrappings off the packages. They were identical pictures of all the DA members from that year. The frames were inscribed.
GINEVRA (GINNY) WEASLEY (POTTER) OUR HEART AND FIRE
RONALD WEASLEY OUR HEART AND GENERAL
HARRY POTTER OUR HEART AND SWORD
MAY WE BE YOUR ARMOR AS YOU LEAD US TO VICTORY
AND MAY YOU KNOW PEACE AFTER THE BATTLE IS WON
DUMBLEDORE’S ARMY
HOGWARTS 1997
Harry didn’t know what to say as he looked at Ron and Hermione and then Ginny. Both girls had tears in their eyes, and his own were stinging with more wetness than normal. Even Ron seemed to be deeply effected, with his eyes shining quite brightly.
“You and Ginny sent us scrambling when Mum told us,” Fred said quietly from behind them.
“Alicia and Angelina decided we needed to change the party to include all four of you,” George added.
“Bridgette decided we needed one serious gift for each couple,” Cho said quietly. “She was the one who got the picture from Colin and had the inscription put on the frames.”
The four of them sat there looking at the pictures and this group of friends, who were more of an extended family for quite some time.
“How did you know I was the third friend, Bridgette?” Ginny asked softly.
“It was a guess. But really who else could it have been? Even if you and Harry didn’t fall in love, you’re the only one who can reach into him and make him respond, Ginny. You did it to me, you do it to all of us.” Ginny climbed down off the table and stood up a little unsteadily.
“Careful there, Gin.” Bridgette said as she helped her catch her balance.
“You’re right, Bridgette, I am the third friend,” Ginny said to her as she hugged her. Harry joined them a second later followed by Ron and Hermione.
“Thank you, all of you,” Harry said loudly for everyone to hear as he broke out of the embrace.
“Yes, thank you doesn’t begin to say what we feel right now,” Hermione added, swiping at the tears on her cheeks.
“Oy, come on this is a party now,” Fred started in
“Yeah enough of the sappy stuff, someone get the other punch out, the stuff without vertasium in it,” George added.
“Definitely, the guests of honor are starting to sober up. We can’t have that, now can we?” Fred kept going. Harry heard the Wizard Wireless Network start up and a fast song start playing. Ginny grabbed Ron by the hand and pulled him up on the table.
“Come on, Ron. Dance with your sister.”
“Hey what about me?” Harry called to her.
“I have to dance with you the rest of my life, Potter. Dance with Hermione,” Ginny teased him.
“Yes, Potter,” Hermione said grabbing him around the neck. “It is your job as best man to dance with the bride.” Harry grinned at her, and with that the party was in full swing.