Disclaimer: tis not mine. I don't own the characters, or for that matter, much of anything. The Winter Solstice is the time of this story because of the lovely talcumpowder and her challenge. By the way, if you don't like slash, please don't read. Homophobia is very unappreciated. I mean it. If there are a few things you don't understand, I am currently writing another fic that is partially incorporated into this story. Sorry. I have issues.

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Nothing but the longest night can give you such amazing results.

Occasionally people fall in love under strange circumstances. Usually, however, people do very stupid things under strange circumstances. But you can do both if you have really awful - or maybe its lovely - luck.

Anyway, insane things happen on the Winter Solstice. After all, it is the longest night of the year. Oh, the possibilities are endless.

You see, people are often quite foolish when it nears the holidays, so it seems perfectly reasonable to have a Christmas party on the Winter Solstice. Well, it does make sense if you consider that some people need to go home for Christmas. So it makes sense that the annual Ministry Christmas Ball was on the 22nd of December.

Though it may have been a little depressing considering that it was the first Christmas after the War with Voldemort had ended. Many families were still grieving, the season wasn't helping much. But life goes on.

Under the circumstances, it is simple to assume that many people weren't exactly feeling up to the holidays. For the sake of this story let us say that the Final Battle ended in May (ignore the fact that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense). So it is six or seven months afterwards that this little snippet takes place. The following people are important people who attended the luxurious event at the Christmas Ball:

George Weasley, Percy Weasley, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, and many others who are fairly unnecessary in the telling of this tale. In fact, most of the people just mentioned aren't particularly important, for this story at least.

First, the Hall where it was held looked incredible. Floating mistletoe for people to kiss under, beautiful wreaths, amazing decorations and, of course, refreshments. Don't forget the spiked eggnog, or the eggnog that was soon to become spiked. Either way, it was going to get people drunk and giggly. They needed the release anyway.

It is important that you understand that this ball was the unofficial Ministry Ball. So none of the annoying wizards were there unless it couldn't be helped.

Anyway, this ball was a little more private than the official one that had been held the night before. Many of tonight's attendees didn't want to be there. Alicia was seven months pregnant with Fred's baby, because of renewed tension with Angelina and George. She was there with Charlie Weasley who was trying to take care of her because Fred was just a little bit dead. Oliver was just there because he was visiting old friends for Christmas. Percy was being Percy. Katie and Lee were smitten, so they were being silly and in love.

Six:

Percy was the kind of person who didn't quite like parties. Or anything that was annoying, like non-stop Christmas music. Shudder. Being the kind of person that he was, he wasn't listening when Alicia was being told not drink the eggnog. Busy being prissy probably, as many people used to say. Yet that wasn't the case this time.

He still held himself responsible for the death of his brother, so he was drinking. And once someone starts to become drunk, they usually cannot stop until they have done something utterly ridiculous, embarrassing and stupid. tis the season for such stupidity. No one likes to defy tradition.

On the other hand, Oliver was actually one of those people who had helped with the spiking of the eggnog. Thus, he was obliged to drink some it himself. Then, he danced a bit. The Scots are supposed to be good dancers, well, at least at their own dances. Oliver wasn't exactly the most talented person dancing, but he was quite amusing to watch.

Seven:

Oliver broke up with his boyfriend. Or, at least, his "boy-toy" anyway. He didn't take it very well, but Oliver knew that his days of being with his lover were numbered anyway. After all, Oliver was a Quidditch player, just because had accepted that he was gay didn't mean they were going to be tolerant of Marcus Flint being his boyfriend. Seriously, Flint was evil. Really evil.

Oliver was slightly saddened, they had had some excellent sex. But he didn't much enjoy the angry-practically-rape-sex that they had any more. So, of course, he had been drinking before he broke with Flint. He drank even more after he broke up with him. It was quite depressing. And funny. You can't forget that it was quite amusing to watch act like a dork.

Percy spent quite a bit of time pondering why the eggnog made such pretty swirls when you stirred it. Oh, the hilarity. They recorded it.

Eight:

Why does it have to go hour by hour? People got drunk. Percy moved on to trying to convince a Christmas ornament that it didn't really want to hang of the tree it was on. It would be much happier if it were to take a swim in the eggnog. Seriously.

Nine:

Oliver begins singing Christmas carols at the top of his lungs. They beg him to stop. He doesn't.

Ten:

Percy joins Oliver and starts singing.

Percy can't sing. Oliver can't either.

Everyone else can't stop laughing,

Eleven:

It is no longer a laughing matter.

Eardrums start bleeding. George takes Alicia home. Angelina and Charlie start to wonder why they hadn't started drinking yet. They immediately correct their mistake.

Katie and Lee finally crawl out from underneath a random table and profess that they are going home before Oliver and Percy start singing again. (They had taken a short break in order to have another drink. The happy feeling had almost started wearing off. They could not let that happen.)

People start leaving in hordes, but some stick it out. Those who stay are either drunk or deaf. Or possibly both.

Twelve:

This really was the longest night of the year.

Oliver and Percy end up having sex. Again. And Again.

One:

And again.

Eventually:

Oliver and Percy profess their love to each other. And, wait for it . . . They have sex yet again.

A little after eventually:

Oliver and Percy leave the Ball in order to find someone who let them marry each other.

Applause erupts the second that the rest of the people there realize that they aren't going to come back. There had been a few depressing false alarms.

For anyone who doesn't understand how Oliver and Percy decided that they loved each other so easily, an explanation may be necessary. They had known each other for quite a while. Plus, there was the drinking. And the mistletoe.

In other words, their love wasn't exactly new. Though, for some reason, a lot of people seemed to think that it was. But those people had never walked in on Oliver and Percy "arguing."

TwistedSky: It is absolutely horrendous. It sounded better in my head. Review, please.