Chapter 10: Thought Patterns and Pranks
Harry and Hermione broke apart. Tears were still present on Hermione's cheeks, but she was smiling now. Harry reached up and cupped her cheek with his right hand. Gently, he brushed away the pearls that resided there with his thumb. He removed his hand and slowly lowered his arm, repeating the previous action with his other. All the while, he gazed deeply into those hazel coloured eyes.
Hermione looked a little surprised at the gesture, but didn't object. If anything, she looked pleased at what he had just done. When he had finished, he just stood there, staring at her, with her staring back. The urge that he had felt earlier, returned in full force. He found himself drifting tantalisingly slowly towards her, maintaining eye contact all the time. His tongue flicked out and wet his lips.
The moment was broken by a cough from somewhere in the crowd of people. It wasn't loud, but it was still enough to bring them back to their senses.
Harry didn't know what had made him brush away her tears or react like that. If it had gone on any longer, he was sure that he would have tried to kiss her. It was an instinct. Something automatic, that he had no control over. Something unconscious, something that he was struggling to resist. But did he really want to resist it? He shook his head.
"Later, I'll think about that, later," he told himself repeatedly in his head. He kept putting off the moment when he would have to face his feelings. They were there, but he didn't understand what they were. He was terrified, like every sixteen year old male is, when faced with such a daunting train of thought.
He looked around him, feeling awkward. Casting an eye over the various conversations, he saw that the ones involving Weasleys seemed to be quite animated. It was no doubt due to the excitement of the quidditch match.
Then, as he viewed the others, he caught Professor Dumbledore looking at him and Hermione with a soft smile on his lips. Harry was quick to blush, realising how his embrace and subsequent actions must have looked to anybody watching.
"Oh, well," Harry thought, flushing. "He won't be the first one. Luna seemed to think that there was something going on between us as well."
Mercifully for Harry, the headmaster decided that then was the time to move everyone back into the school, masking the teenager's embarrassment.
Everyone trotted back up to the school and through the great oak front doors into the cavernous hallway that lay beyond. From there they proceeded to the cosy anteroom that they had used earlier. The table that had been covered by brightly wrapped parcels earlier, now, lay empty.
Professor Dumbledore walked alongside Harry and Hermione on the way back to the castle. Both of them looked a little bashful. He leant over and spoke to Harry.
"I took the liberty of asking Dobby to take your birthday gifts upstairs to your dormitory. I thought that you might prefer to open them in your own time rather than having everyone hovering around whilst you did so. It also transpires, that Dobby added a present of his own for you." Dumbledore spoke kindly.
"Probably socks," Harry thought, knowing full well Dobby's strange obsession for the items of clothing.
"I have also spoken with the parents of some of your school friends. They will be staying here, with you and Hermione, in the Gryffindor dormitories rather than returning home this evening. I have a feeling that tonight might go on for a while longer yet, so this way there is minimal disruption. They will be returning home tomorrow after lunch, but Luna, Ron and Ginny will stay for an extra couple of days. There are a few important things that Mr and Mrs Weasley have to take care of. I am sure that you understand and will be glad of their continued company." When Dumbledore spoke of the night continuing for a while yet, crow's feet appeared at the corner of his eyes and he flashed an uncharacteristically wicked smile Harry's way.
Harry smiled, as well; glad that he would be spending some more time with his friends. He hadn't had much of a chance to catch up with them earlier.
He wondered how Neville was. It would be nice to talk to him again. He hadn't had the opportunity to thank Neville for the part he played last term in the Department of Mysteries. He was really grateful that the usually nervous boy had followed him there and stuck with him without complaint. He knew that there weren't many people who would be prepared to do that. Neville was also one of the only ones never to doubt him, yet he still didn't know that much about the boy, even though they were friends.
Then Harry remembered the prophecy that had been made by Professor Trelawny all those years ago. It had stated that the subject would be born as the seventh month died. According to Professor Dumbledore, either he or Neville could have fulfilled the prophecy. Did that mean that it was also Neville's birthday today? He decided to check with Dumbledore.
"Is it Neville's birthday today as well, Sir?" Harry asked quietly so that nobody would here.
"As it happens, it was two days ago," Dumbledore replied equally discretely. "I assume that you ask because of what I told you about the prophecy. They tend to be quite vague in their wording and they are usually open to interpretation. The reference to the death of the seventh month only meant towards the end of the month and not just the 31st of July." Here Dumbledore paused and took in the guilty expression that was plastered on Harry's face.
"Don't worry. Neville also had a birthday celebration, although it wasn't quite as extensive as this. He also got to enjoy yours as well. Perhaps you should get to know him better and then you would know about things like his birthday. He could do with a good friend and the two of you are more similar than you realise." Harry knew that Dumbledore was not chastising him, but merely making a helpful suggestion. The idea was a good one and it gave him something to think about.
"Come on, let's say our goodbyes to those who are leaving and then I'll leave you young people to get yourselves to bed. Deal?" Harry nodded and together the two went around thanking everyone and bidding them farewell.
Whilst he did this, Hermione was in conversation with Ron and Luna. At one point, her ears turned a brilliant shade of scarlet, but Harry failed to notice this as he was employed elsewhere. In fact nobody, not even the eagle eyed Mrs Weasley, noticed as Fred, George and Lee Jordan slipped out of the chamber and out of the castle.
Neville, Parvati, Padma, Luna, Ron, Ginny, Fred and Lee Jordan would all be staying in the Gryffindor dormitories with Harry and Hermione, despite the fact that some of them were from different houses and others had left altogether. Everyone else, with the exception of the remaining Weasleys, had already left. That left Harry and Dumbledore to say their goodbyes to the adult members of the red headed clan. They were joined by Ginny, Luna and Ron. The twins were noticeably absent, but this didn't worry anyone too much. They were probably busy goofing around as usual.
Mrs Weasley was the first to say goodbye. She hugged her offspring, before rounding on Harry and Hermione. She also pulled them into a tight embrace and then hesitated slightly, before she hugged Luna as well.
Luna looked delighted that she had been given a goodbye hug. Harry could empathise because he knew how it felt to be given those motherly hugs. They made you feel all safe and cared about. Both he and Luna had lost their mothers, so to receive that kind of maternal love from another source was wonderful. To Luna, the move was quite unexpected.
"We'll have one either Bill or Charlie pick you up in a couple of days, ok," Mrs Weasley said to the teenagers. They all nodded in response.
"You did get the tickets that we sent you, didn't you Harry?" Mrs Weasley checked.
"Yeah, I've got them safe upstairs," Harry replied.
"Excellent. You and Hermione will have to come and stay with us for a couple of days, so that we can all go off together. The other ticket's for her by the way, although I'm sure you already worked that out."
"Thanks a lot Mrs Weasley," both Harry and Hermione said at the exact same time. She chuckled and the two students flushed, neither quite sure why.
"You should have seen Ron when we bought those tickets. He's supported the Chudley Cannons since he was five and is really looking forward to going," Mrs Weasley continued. Now it was Ron's turn to flush.
"Aw, Mum," he complained, running a hand through his hair.
"Alright, I'll stop tormenting you. Be good. I'll see you again soon. Enjoy your holidays, Harry and Hermione." Mrs Weasley moved on from the friends and spoke secretively with the headmaster, in a hushed tone.
Next was Charlie. He shook Harry's hand and said, "Well done during the quidditch match. I really enjoyed competing with you. We should repeat it, when you come to the Burrow. There should be enough of us to have a decent game, especially," here Charlie lowered his voice conspiratorially, "If you can get Hermione up on a broom. There's no better time than this summer, eh."
"I'll see what I can do. No promises, alright," Harry said, holding his hands up as if to emphasise the difficulty of the task he had been allotted.
"Perfect. Ok, I'll see you in a few weeks. Take care." Charlie gave Harry a clap on the back, and departed.
Percy was the next Weasley to say goodbye. He still stood a little stiffly and looked as awkward as he felt.
"I hope that you spend an enjoyable summer," he said, "Before I go, I'd like to apologise again. I was an ass last year. I only did what I did, because I thought that they were telling the truth. You'd think that you would be able to trust the most important wizards in the country, eh."
"Forget about it, Percy. We're fine. Ok?" Percy nodded sheepishly. He couldn't forget it that easily. Not after how wrong he'd been. Well at least Harry didn't hold a grudge. That was something.
"I should see you in a couple of weeks, when you visit the Burrow, but I might be stuck in work. There's been an enormous workload since the incident with Mr Crouch, but lately, it's been astronomical. Most of the people in my department are involved with work in foreign relations right now. They're trying to secure foreign support for the struggle with "you know who". That's left me to do nearly all the routine work. Some of it's pretty exciting though. Last week, for example, I had to do a report on illegally imported commodities for the Minister of Magic. Did you know that……….
Harry was saved from hearing some absolutely riveting statistics by a meaningful cough from Bill.
"Hhumm; yes. Anyway, happy birthday Harry. I'd better be off." With that, Percy took off.
Bill put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Remember what I said Harry. If there is anything that you want to talk about, just owl me."
"Will do," Harry affirmed.
"Ok, I'll see you round," Bill said and walked off. Mr Weasley was the last person to say goodbye. He shook Harry's hand jovially and told Harry that he had something to show him at the Burrow, but he'd have to wait to find out what it was.
After all the farewells, the last remaining guests departed, waving as they left through the open front door. They walked down the path to the gate, then to Hogsmeade and home.
"Not to spoil your fun, but I think that you should probably be heading up to Gryffindor Tower. It's already ten o'clock and the members of staff, which are still at Hogwarts, and myself, don't want to worry about whether you're alright or not. We aren't as young and fit as you lot, so we tire more easily. Therefore, I'll bid you a goodnight," Dumbledore addressed the group of teenagers. As if as an afterthought, he added, "By the way, breakfast will appear in the common room at ten thirty tomorrow morning. I somehow doubt that any of you will be requiring it before then."
He turned and started to walk out of the room, but after a few steps, he paused. Looking over his shoulder, he said, "Enjoy the rest of your birthday, Harry."
Again, the audience saw the corners of the professor's mouth twitch and the definite sparkle in his eye. Then, he turned and, with a swish of his cloak, was gone.
The friends stayed a little while longer, but conversation faltered, as each of them started to feel obliged to follow their headmaster's suggestion. It was Harry who spoke up.
"Come on guys. We'd better get up to the Tower." There were several groans and tired sighs. The prospect of walking up all the stairs did not seem appealing to most of them, especially those who had played quidditch. Despite the tiresome walk, they all trudged slowly up the staircases and down corridors, to Gryffindor Tower. Nobody wanted to betray Dumbledore's trust.
"Ouch! Watch where you are going," Fred hissed at the other two.
"Sorry," George said, not sounding entirely remorseful and a bit puffed. "They're not very easy to carry, you know."
"Bloody awkward in fact," Lee elaborated.
"Yeah, but stop bashing them into my legs, alright?" Fred hissed at them, now slightly peeved.
"Alright, alright. But only because Angelina would come after me for bruising them," George said teasingly. This earned him a playful slap across the back of the head.
"Careful," George said urgently, forgetting to be quiet in his struggle to retain his grip on the crate he was carrying.
"Sshhh, you two. Do you want to get us caught?" When there was no response, Lee continued as if speaking to a couple of naughty school children, "Oh, come on," and started off again towards their destination.
"They'd better not have gone to bed," Lee muttered to himself morosely.
The friends arrived back in the common room. They immediately headed towards the soft crimson sofas in front of the fire. Although it wasn't cold, there was something comforting about the flames. Harry sank into a large arm chair and rested his feet upon a nearby mahogany coffee table. Ron deposited himself on the next sofa and Luna sat close to him. Hermione and the others just took some free close chairs.
The group of friends began talking about their holidays so far. Harry already knew what Ron, Luna, Ginny and Hermione had done, but he learned that Neville had been visiting his parents more frequently. The way that Neville talked, was more confident and open, than Harry had ever seen from the boy. It was a welcome change to the timid and nervous disposition that had been exhibited before. He hoped that his success with the D.A and the friendship of those in the society were responsible, at least in part, for the changes. At least someone would have gained from the fateful day, then.
Parvati and Padma were describing their holiday in the south of France. They had stayed in an old fortified town, by the name of Carcasonne. According to Padma, who was almost as enthusiastic as Hermione in her search for knowledge, it had at one time been governed by the Knights Templar. They heard about the sprawling castle and the steep walled canal that ran through the centre of the town. A history lesson followed.
Hermione was hanging on every word, but as the historical recital progressed, Parvati began inspecting her nails in a slightly bored fashion. She wasn't the only one. Ron didn't seem particularly interested in what he described as "the history of some French town" either. He started discussing quidditch with Harry and Neville instead. Ginny was just staring into space. This left Luna and Parvati to talk.
Luna got up and moved so that she sat next to the only other person who wasn't already occupied. Parvati looked up from her nails and peered at the Ravenclaw girl slightly disdainfully. This didn't faze Luna, though; she just smiled and started talking.
"I like the way that you've done your hair," Luna said honestly, "How do you manage to tie it up like that?" Parvati gazed suspiciously at the other girl for a while, as if trying to fathom whether she was mocking or not. Luna continued to smile in a friendly way and after the moments pause, Parvati began to describe the process that she had used to style her hair. Slowly, they established a rapport and Parvati began to talk more freely.
"Perhaps she had misjudged Luna," the Patil twin thought.
Meanwhile, Ron had been enthusiastically filling Harry in on what he had missed in the quidditch world, whilst he had been back at the Dursleys'. Every now and then, Neville would add or contradict pieces of information. For example, Ron though that the Chudley Cannons were by far the best team in the league that season. Neville on the other hand, was adamant that the Applebury Arrows were going to emerge victorious. One thing that they were both agreed on, though, was that the introduction of a new keeper to the Cannon's line-up had seen a vast improvement in the team's performance. They hadn't won the league for years and Harry secretly hoped that Ron was right because, if nothing else, it would make Ron absolutely ecstatic. He wasn't nearly well enough informed to be able to participate in the discussion that followed between the two. It was full of stats, technical details of plays and immature comments, such as, "The Cannons are so going to whoop the Arrows next time they play."
Harry chuckled softly and turned his mind to the task of deciphering these new and confusing impulses that he was suddenly feeling towards Hermione.
"Why had he wanted to kiss her earlier?" the logical part of his mind asked.
"Because she looked hot," his subconscious shot back at him incredulously.
"No!" Harry instinctively thought. "Well yeah, actually. But that wasn't the point. It wasn't just that, was it?"
"Nope"
"Care to be more helpful," his logical thoughts pushed.
"Well, you've fallen in love with your best friend."
"I haven't," he exclaimed vehemently. Too vehemently.
"Look I'm you; I'm not trying to cause trouble. There's no point lying to yourself, though."
"I'm not."
"Whatever." There was a pause in the internal debate. Harry sighed, coming to see the inevitable.
"Ok, so what if, hypothetically, I've fallen in love with my best friend?"
"Do something about it."
"She's my best friend. I don't want to ruin that."
"Who says you would?"
Harry mulled over this last thought in his head for a long time. Would he ruin their friendship if he told her? Would she like him back? What if she didn't? How would Ron react? He knew that Ron was with Luna, but was he truly over Hermione?
Harry was disturbed from his confused state, by sharp prod in the ribs from Hermione. She had finished her conversation with Padma and had come over to ask him something.
"Have you see Fred and George?" she asked, obviously slightly worried about where they might have gotten to, or rather up to. Harry replied that he was afraid he hadn't seen them since the quidditch match. At this news, Hermione's brow furrowed slightly. Maybe Ginny had seen them.
When presented with the same question as Harry, Ginny didn't respond. It took a second attempt before she snapped out of her trance like state and looked at Hermione properly.
"Sorry, what did you just ask? I was miles away," Ginny apologised.
"I asked whether you had seen your twin brothers," Hermione reiterated for the third time.
"No I haven't," Ginny replied. "They'd better not have landed them selves in trouble, Mum'll go spare if they have." Resuming her vacant expression, she stared at the fire.
"Why was everyone lost in daydream today?" Hermione thought, exhaling loudly, then retaking her seat, she lost herself in thoughts of Harry.
Fred was the first to climb out from the space behind the one-eyed-witch. Soon after, Lee followed, carefully stepping into the Hogwarts' corridor and trying not to make any noise. The crate that he carried bumped loudly into stonework nearby. Lee cringed inwardly, but the sound couldn't be helped.
"Hey, grab this, would you?" a voice came through the entrance of the secret passageway A crate of, what appeared to be, bottles containing a brown liquid was thrust through the gap and was duly received by Fred.
"Damn, this is heavy," he complained.
"How do you think that I felt having to bring it all the way from Hogsmeade?" George exclaimed indignantly as he clambered out from behind the statue. "And all you did was complain when I accidentally knocked into you."
"Come on you two, let's get up to the common room," Lee urged. George sealed up the one-eyed-witch and the three carried their loads up to Gryffindor Tower as stealthily as possible.
They were greeted by the Fat Lady. She was in an excellent mood and was glad to have so many students at Hogwarts over the summer. As a result, she was rather enthusiastic and talkative.
"Fred; George; Lee!" she said animatedly, "How wonderful. I thought that you'd left Hogwarts."
"Yeah we did. We're just visiting Harry for his birthday," Lee responded.
The Fat Lady's gaze flicked over the three boys and then to the two crates that they held. Lee and Fred made an effort to conceal their charges, but the attempt was practically useless due to the large size of the crates.
"What have you got there?" the Fat Lady coaxed.
"Uhmm," Fred said, desperately trying to find a plausible explanation. "Just some stuff," he finished weakly. George snorted at Fred's amazing cover story and earned himself a warning look.
The Fat Lady inspected the crates more closely and noticed that they were in fact filled with bottles. Green bottles, with labels that read…
"Oh! It's that sort of "stuff"," she said conspiratorially, "You'd better get it inside then, hadn't you. We don't want anyone else to notice, do we?" With that, she swung forward on her hinges, leaving the young men slightly stunned. They recovered and stepped through the portrait hole, into the common room. Almost instantly, they were heckled by Ron.
"Where've you been? Hermione's been getting herself all worked up," Ron called. This earned him a whack on the arm from Hermione.
"What was that for?" he retorted.
"For being a smart arse," she said. He poked his tongue out at her and she raised her hand again playfully.
"Alright, alright, I'll leave that to you in future." She punched him softly and plopped down on the sofa next to him. Fred and George were trying to sneak away from the portrait hole, in an attempt to avoid the third degree. It didn't work, though.
"What have you got there?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Just some drinks," George replied. "We thought you guys might be thirsty."
"What type of drinks, George?" she asked, doing a very good impression of Mrs Weasley, as Ron would tell her later. There was no response, so Ron got up and went to investigate.
"Hey guys," he shouted excitedly, "they got booze!" this prompted a reaction from Neville, who got up and went to have a closer look as well.
"Cool!" he exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. Soon everyone, except Hermione, had crowded around the twins and Lee, who were now opening the crates. Fred pulled a green bottle from the first crate and held it up for them all to see. It had a label on it that read:
"Silvereye's Wizard Ale - the premier wizarding alcoholic beverage."
It was then that Hermione decided to voice her objections to the underage consumption of alcohol.
"You guys do know that it's illegal to drink when you're underage, don't you?" she said, with her hands already in place upon her hips.
"Who cares," was Ron's response.
"Yeah, quit spoiling the fun," someone else called.
It seemed that the others were like minded and quickly, the first bottle was opened and the consumption began. Hermione huffed a bit, before she gave up trying to keep them on the straight and narrow and instead just sat down muttering to herself about how irresponsible they all were.
Harry had seen Hermione's attempt to maintain control over the teenagers and its miserable failure. He sympathised with her and knew that she wasn't trying to ruin it for them, but was just worried about the consequences of their actions. He was going to go and sit with her, but before he could do anything, he was grabbed by Fred and a bottle of ale was shoved into his palm.
"Oh, what the hell," he thought and took a swig. It didn't taste particularly good, but for some reason he took another sip. After a moment's contemplation, he came to a second conclusion.
"Hey, maybe it wasn't so bad after all," he reasoned, before giving in and starting to drink properly.
Later, after a few drinks and that ridiculous game that Fred and George had roped him into playing, Harry sank into the comfortable armchair next to Hermione.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Hey, you," she replied despondently. She obviously felt hurt that the others thought that she was being a pain.
"Why aren't you over there drinking with the rest?" she asked.
"Because at the moment, I'd rather keep you company," he replied. "Let them have their fun, they need it. It'll probably be the only chance this summer for them to completely lighten up without the threat of anything terrible happening."
"I suppose, but that doesn't mean that I relinquish my objections to the idea."
"Good, you wouldn't be Hermione if you did," Harry chuckled. Hermione smiled weakly, but still looked a little miserable.
"What's on your mind," he asked quietly, seeing that something was troubling her. For a little while, she said nothing, but then she came out with a question that surprised Harry.
"Do you think that I'm boring and always spoil your fun? Do you think I should lighten up?"
"Nah, you're the sensible one. That's just who you are. Can you imagine where we would be if you were like Ron? We'd probably be dead many times over."
"Perish the thought," Hermione giggled. "You don't mind that I'm not as fun as Ron?"
"You're just as fun as Ron, but in a different way. That's why I love you," Harry said.
Hermione's heart leapt. He loved her. Just as a friend of course, but still, he loved her. That was something, right?
Harry rested his head on Hermione's shoulder, distracting her with his scent. He smelled distinctly manly, after playing quidditch, but she could also make out, what must be his shower gel or de-odorant. It was a lemony, citrus fragrance. There was also an undercurrent of something else that she couldn't make out. She took a deep breath and rested her head on top of his.
He snuggled into her shoulder and sighed contentedly. He could make out the scent of Lavender on her. It was pleasant and soothing. Together the looked at the fire, watching the flames flicker in a comforting fashion, enjoying the other's company. At that moment, there was nothing else in the world that Harry needed. He was as happy as he had ever been.
Parvati looked up from her drinking. She noticed her two friends sitting together on the sofa in front of the fireplace. They looked at perfect ease with each other. It would have made a perfect photo. If only Colin Creevy was here. Ah, well. By the looks of things, there would be plenty more an opportunity for getting those romantic snaps. She pointed out the pair on the couch to her twin and was about to say something to them, when she received a nudge in the side from Luna.
"Leave them be," she said. "They've got some unresolved issues."
Parvati giggled and looked wistfully at the "supposed" best friends. Turning her attention to something else, she looked around at the other males in the room. It was a pity that Ron was spoken for, because he looked hot this evening. She noticed Neville talking to Fred and George. One of them slipped something in his drink when he wasn't looking. She walked over to them and put her bottle down on a nearby table.
"You alright Neville," she asked when he took another sip and developed a rather strained look on his face.
At that moment, Neville froze. He just stood there not moving, stuck to the spot, bottle of ale still held in his hand. Looking around agitatedly, he noticed Fred and George high five each other.
"Oh, dear," he thought, "What've they just unleashed upon me?" The twins just stood there laughing and joking.
"Come on, what did you put in his drink?" Parvati asked.
"Another new invention of ours," Fred replied in between laughs. "It makes the victim freeze until someone gives them a kiss." When this was revealed, Neville turned visibly red, though still unable to move.
"So that'll release him, then," she checked.
"Yep."
Parvati manoeuvred herself so that she stood face to face with Neville, although he was slightly taller than her. She leaned in and planted a large kiss upon his lips. Neville was instantly released from his paralysis, but still stood, rooted to the spot. He was in shock. The most beautiful girl in the year had just placed a kiss on him. This sort of thing could do wonders for a boy's self esteem.
The Weasley twins were taken aback at the speed in which Neville was removed from his state of paralysis. It wasn't supposed to work like that. There was meant to be a long and theatrical discussion about who would release the victim, but here someone had just come along and snogged Neville straight out. Maybe a rethinking in the product might improve the prank.
"If you guys pull that on anyone else tonight, then I'll make sure that you two are the ones to revive the victim, understood?" Parvati said sternly, but she couldn't help but chuckle at the look on their faces.
With that, she dragged Neville over to a sofa. He was now wearing a dazed smile and couldn't quite believe his luck. He was unsure whether it was her or the ale doing the thinking, but when she pulled him into another kiss, he decided that he couldn't really care less. Nobody saw Ginny looking disparagingly at the antics or Ron having a quite word with his twin brothers
The evening progressed with more alcohol being drunk and the playing of more of Fred and George's ridiculous games. From somewhere, a game of twister emerged, but those who played were so ratted that it didn't last for very long each time. It seemed to amuse them, though.
Eventually, everyone was knackered and collapsed on various pieces of the furniture suite. It was Hermione who finally managed to shepherd her friends off to bed, some where more sober than others.
Harry wasn't too bad and he made his way up to the male Gryffindor dormitories with Neville and Ron. Neville was sporting lipstick marks all over his face, trophies from his encounter with Parvati. Ron had become rather boisterous and friendly.
"I love you guys," he slurred, placing arms around Harry's and Neville's shoulders. Harry and Neville, who hadn't drunk as much as Ron, gave each other knowing looks and guided him into bed, before turning in themselves.
As he was getting into bed, Harry thought he felt a prickle run through his scar, but he put it down to the ale. He fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Not even the drunken antics of Fred, George and Lee, as the crashed around the dormitory later that night, in their attempts to get into bed, could wake him.
A.N Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the reviews. It was wonderful to get back from visiting a friend at Southampton university yesterday evening and then this morning to find that I had 34 reviews on the last chapter. It has made my day.
Anyway, as promised, I've got the new chapter uploaded this week. I hope you like it. Again, the plot doesn't move forward much, but I think that the romance with Harry and Hermione does. Now that I've finished Harry's birthday (my god - it took 5 chapters to do!) I can, and will, get the plot moving again. There are quite a few unanswered questions and events that I have put in along the way. Have you noticed them all? What do you think will happen? Tell me in your reviews.
I have started writing the next chapter already, but am only about 750 words in. It should be done in about a week or so, but obviously this depends on my workload. The latest chapter is the longest yet, though I think that I make them slightly shorter in future.
Please review this chapter everyone. The last chapter showed that a lot of people were prepared to review for a quick next chapter. A lot of those people were new reviewers for me. Please will you all review again this chapter, it really encourages me to write more and more quickly. Anyway that said, I'm hoping for another 30 reviews this chapter (hint, hint).
Toodles
Hand of God