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Pub Night By Tawny Spitfyre Part Eight: Extendable Ears "What took so bloody long," Ginny answered, her hands flailing in the air, "was that the bloody queue went all the way out the bloody door!" Ron rolled his eyes, clearly not satisfied with this vague explanation. "That and…well, we did have a little bit of girl talk." She wiggled her eyebrows at Hermione with a sly grin. Hermione gaped slightly at Ginny, her eyes widening with a you-said-you-wouldn't-tell sort of expression. "Girl talk…" Ron said, rubbing his chin and nodding his head with interest. "What about?" "Are you daft? Unless you've become my older sister, Ronetta, in the past fifteen minutes, I think there's a certain…part…that disqualifies you from participating in girl talk." "But that's not fair!" he whined loudly. "No? Well, we left you alone plenty long enough to have a…a boy chat," Ginny replied, waving her hand dismissively. "And besides, we didn't ask what you talked about while we were gone." "We're not boys!" Ron protested brashly with his chest puffed out, looking at Harry and Seamus for reciprocation. "We're men! And we don't 'chat!'" He folded his arms and huffed. "Of course not." Ginny rolled her eyes. Harry and Seamus, however, couldn't help laughing at Ron's little tantrum. He was unmistakably at the "loud and obnoxious" stage of his drinking, which always came just after "silly and flirtatious" and right before "emotional and affectionate." In just a little while, Ron would most likely be telling Ginny what a wonderful sister she was and thanking Harry for being such a great friend over the years with damp eyes. Ron grumbled under his breath and leaned closer to Seamus, whispering loud enough for everyone within three meters to hear, "Bloody girls drive me nutters! I swear…one day I'll sneak in there and hear what it is they talk about. Maybe I can borrow Harry's…." But before he could get the words out, Harry nearly leapt across the table (thanks to his seeker reflexes) and clasped his hand over Ron's mouth, eyeing him warningly. He knew what Ron was about to say, and he'd really rather the whole Wizarding World not know about the particular item his father had left for him in Dumbledore's care. "Borrow Harry's what?" Seamus asked. Although he had been Harry and Ron's school roommate and friend for many years, there were plenty of things he didn't know about, and this was one of them. Harry - having spent a large part of his life covering up for things he wasn't supposed to do, or say, or know - was thankful for his ability to quickly come up with an answer. "My Extendable Ear," Harry answered quietly, giving the impression that it was a guarded secret. Seamus looked confused. "Well, can't you just get one from your brothers?" he asked Ron, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. In fact, Harry realized too late that it was the most sensible answer…however, having now started this fabrication, he knew it was too late to back out. He sat back down in his seat and removed his hand from Ron's face. He shot Ron a desperate plea with his eyes, silently asking him to back up his story. "Right, but…well…Harry's is different. He's got a…a prototype model," he said, making it up as he went along. "It's special because it…well, it.…" He was stammering, obviously trying to come up with a reason, but falling short. He looked at Harry intently, and then at Hermione, who smirked and spat out a sharp, "Honestly, Ron. You shouldn't drink so much that you forget common things." She reached across the table and took his glass away, then looked at him sternly, faking the whole bit to help Ron out of the hole he was digging. But Ron seemed to have momentarily forgotten they were talking about and he winced, as if she was truly scolding him. Harry nearly laughed out loud at Ron's reaction. Hermione turned to Seamus and leaned in, whispering, "They made a prototype for Harry to try out back when the Death Eaters were all about. There's a tiny pin you can attach to someone's clothes, and then no matter where they are, as long as they're wearing the clothes with the pin, you can hear what they're saying by inserting the Ear Extension into your own ear. It was an espionage tool…and a lot less conspicuous than the original Extendables." "Cool," Seamus said in awe. Ron looked shocked, and equally impressed, by Hermione's quick and creative rescue. Hermione sat back in her seat, completely unmoved, as if the whole thing had been the truth. Seamus turned to Ron and quickly shot off a firing line of questions about Fred's and George's other products and prototypes. "That was brilliant," Harry whispered, leaning close to Hermione. "Thanks for covering up for me," he added. She smiled and nodded at him. Ginny leaned in, too, and grinned at the two of them. "She wasn't covering up for you. She was covering up for my git of a brother and his big mouth. You should tell Fred and George your idea, by the way. They could make millions off something like that." "Yeah, why didn't you think of that years ago? The Order could have really used that against the Death Eaters," Harry said, grinning. The three laughed, and before long they had come up with more than a dozen crazy gadgets and tricks they could suggest to Fred and George. Among their favourite ideas were: Snitcheroos - little golden fairies that Harry could release during a Quidditch match to distract the opposing team's seeker; AleMints - mint flavored, hops-injected candies that would quickly and quietly intoxicate the unsuspecting person who ate them; and Cupid's Kissticks - a line of lipsticks that made the kissers fall madly in love…Ginny's idea. They were just trying to come up with a name for Hermione's favorite - a glass that lets the liquid spill from the bottom as soon as the drinker's lips touched the rim…which resulted in a large, wet spot on his or her crotch - when suddenly, and without warning, Harry felt himself being pulled to his feet by Seamus, who had somehow gotten himself up on top of the table and was motioning for everyone in the pub to gather 'round. He just caught the look on Hermione's face, which he knew all too well; it was the "Oh, dear…not again" face. Harry was quite certain that he knew what was coming too, and even more certain that Ron had invoked it. "Ladies and gentlemen…" Seamus called, swaying a little, "and Ron." He looked down at his red-haired friend, who raised his glass in the air and bellowed a hearty "Hurrah!" "If you will join me…it is time for our traditional pub sing-a-long!" There was an uproar of cheers from the crowd. "What'll it be tonight, Seamus?" one man yelled. "Tonight," Seamus replied, one finger raised in the air, "I think we'll start with The Curse of Queen Maeve." The crowd obviously knew the song, as they cheered once again. Hermione looked a little reluctant, biting her bottom lip with a furrowed brow, but in no time Harry had Ginny and her up out of their seats, arms wrapped around each others' shoulders, swaying to the music and singing loudly. Together they belted out the harrowing tale of a poor Irish lad who learned magic from the legendary Queen Maeve, but got more than he bargained for when he tried to woo her with a love potion. The second song of the night was It's a Long Way to Hogwarts, one that always got them laughing. Since most everyone present had attended Hogwarts, and all had their own memories of the train ride to school, it was always a crowd favourite. Ron requested the final song; his personal favourite - Three Drunken Witches. After the rowdy round of singing, the crowd thinned and returned to their tables and perches, leaving the group of five friends to their own small table. Although Hermione had initially been reluctant to join in, she was smiling and laughing with the rest of them by the time they had finished the songs. Harry had heard her complain on several occasions that she couldn't sing well, but he quite disagreed. She may not be the lead singer of DivaNation anytime soon, but she definitely sang much better than he did. A/N: Thanks to Excalibur for the bottomless goblet idea!! |
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