Author's Note: A couple of weeks ago, my husband suggested that I write a few missing moments from Cassie's and George's dating life hinted at during the "letters" chapter of Return to the Wizarding World. I agreed, but it dawned on me a few days ago that my first one should be the story of Lee's Halloween Party, the one where Cassie got drunk and George got in trouble. And that meant I had to hurry, because it was only appropriate that it come out on Halloween. So, here it is. It was a fast write for a very long story, so there may be a few boo-boos in here, but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway.
Just a reminder, this is six months before they get engaged, and less than a year before they got married. Their relationship has progressed nicely, and as this story is from George's point of view, it may be a bit more earthy than we are used to from Cassie's viewpoint. Then, of course, there is also the mention of alcohol and getting drunk, so be aware of that. I've given the story a PG-13 rating for a reason, although it is mainly suggestion.
Lee's Halloween Party
George Weasley appeared in the office with a satisfying pop and then laughed as his girlfriend launched herself into his arms. He loved it when she waited for him here, where they could be alone for a few brief moments of snogging before they went out to see the rest of her family. He pulled her close and kissed her very thoroughly, forcing himself to let her go after a moment or two.
"Hey, Cassie. You look beautiful." And she did, even more than usual, which was saying something in his opinion. She had on some really nice jeans. And a sweater he had never seen before. It clung to her in all the right places and he forced his eyes up to meet hers. She flushed slightly, but then teased him even more by smoothing the sweater over her hips.
"You like it? I bought it just for tonight."
"Oh, yeah. It's . . . brilliant." He wanted to say something else, about how it would probably look even better if she took it off, but he didn't. She wasn't that kind of a girl. Damn it. His mind flashed momentarily to the other blokes that would be at the party tonight and felt a surge of jealousy that anyone else would see her in that sweater. But then she smiled and kissed him again, pressing her face against his shirt in the way she had that made him just want to hold her tightly for the next 40 years or so.
Cassie grabbed his hand. "I think you look really great, too." He was wearing a blue shirt that exactly matched the color of her eyes, which is why he had bought it. Cassie had mentioned before how much she liked it, and he had worn it tonight specifically because it was her favorite. "Come on. Mum's anxious to see you. You haven't been here in a while."
They left her dad's office, where everyone Apparated when they were coming to visit the Robinsons, and went into the living room. John, Cassie's 10-year-old brother, immediately attacked him with some sort of toy gun. This was his usual practice, partly because George would almost always get into a good game of what John called "Dodge the bullet." George instinctively threw up a quick shield spell, and the soft dart the gun fired bounced off. This amused John to no end. Normally, they could play this game for hours, but Cassie scowled at her youngest brother and he shrugged, picked up his dart, and hugged George around the waist instead. "Hey, squirt. Where's Matthew?"
"With friends. He says hi." Mrs. Robinson had come out of the kitchen by then and smiled warmly at him and asked him how things were going at home. George smiled nervously back as he answered her questions. He liked Cassie's mum well enough, but there had been quite some time where she didn't like him, and he was always afraid he would displease her somehow and she would forbid them from seeing each other again. So, despite Cassie's reassurances that was all forgotten now, George still was very careful not to do anything to upset her parents. The problem was that it was fairly easy to do, without even meaning to, and so it was hard to relax around either of them, although it was worse around Mrs. Robinson. He certainly couldn't admit how he really felt about Cassie. She was still too young in their opinion for a serious boyfriend, and the fact that he was a wizard, and three years older than she was to boot, made things even more dicey. He was awfully glad when he was at their house that Muggles couldn't do Legilimency. If Cassie's dad or mum could have read his mind, he would have been shot with a real gun long before now, shield spell or not.
"So, Cassie said you're going to a Halloween Party?"
"Yes. A friend is throwing it. I think she'll have fun." Mrs. Robinson nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly and George swallowed.
"Where does this friend live?"
"Well, he lives here in London, actually, but the party is going to be in Wales. At this castle he rented for the night." She didn't respond to this, so George felt compelled to explain more about the situation. "See, his dad knows this old wizard who owns the place . . ." Mrs. Robinson raised her hand and shook her head, the classic sign that meant she didn't want to hear anymore. She wasn't afraid of magic, exactly, but whenever George talked about whisking Cassie off somewhere via Portkey, she got agitated. He didn't understand why. They had all traveled via Portkey several times for one reason or another, and although he didn't think anyone but John really liked the sensation, it wasn't something to be frightened of.
"How can I get in touch with her, should I need to?" George suspected this was part of the problem, although he had been too cowardly to ask. She couldn't really drive to where they were going during these times, and it made her nervous that Cassie was so far away and so dependent on someone who in her opinion (George felt) was untrustworthy and lecherous. If he decided to be fresh, she would not have the option of stomping to the nearest phone box and calling for reinforcements from her parents.
Before he could answer, though, Cassie stepped over to her mother. "The same way as always, Mum. Your sticker is right here. And I've got mine. I don't know why you always act as if we haven't gone through this every single time before." Mrs. Robinson pursed her lips and slipped the sticker into her pocket.
George had made a set of stickers for himself and Cassie when they first started a serious relationship, even though they were living in the same house at the moment. The spell worked as a very primitive sort of communication device. If one person grabbed their sticker, the matching sticker the other person had would make a small noise. When that sticker was in turn touched, they would both get warm to indicate that the message had been received. George's and Cassie's set had been to indicate "I love you" and George remembered falling asleep many, many nights clutching his warm sticker in one hand, knowing that Cassie was clutching hers at the same time. Rebecca's and Cassie's stickers were more of a "I need you, phone home" or "I'm in trouble, I'll be calling in a minute" sort of thing. They had never been used yet, but her mum didn't like them to leave without knowing that Cassie had hers and the matching one being tucked firmly in her own pocket.
This paranoia frustrated George, as he was always the unnamed but threatening enemy in these encounters; but he tried to understand Mrs. Robinson's point of view and could see (to a small degree) how nerve-wracking it would be to have your child several hundred miles away in situations you couldn't control and with people you didn't know. And unlike his parents, the Robinsons lacked all ability to follow, help, or to even find Cassie if something should go awry. Almost all of their dating destinations were hidden from Muggle eyes. So, George never said anything to Cassie about how bad he felt that Rebecca still didn't trust him, and just thanked Merlin and his beard that her parents even let him take her out at all. Because quite honestly, he did not know how he would handle things if they didn't. As her hand slipped into his again and he pulled out the Portkey they were taking to Lee's party, he realized again how much he loved this girl. He smiled down at her and she up at him and then the familiar tugging feeling started and he closed his eyes against the whirling backdrop of color and noise.
They landed a moment later on the soft dirt and grass of a lawn and George opened his eyes to see what he had expected, Cassie falling onto the ground. She always did and she always got embarrassed about it, too. George pulled her up and did a quick Scourgify on her butt, but not without taking a moment to admire the soft curves under her jeans. He willed down the rush of lust that pulsed through his veins and took a deep breath. "You ready to go in?"
"I don't know, George. Are you sure we're in the right place?" She stepped back into him and he almost groaned as her butt made contact with him. His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her a little closer, taking a hopefully-inconspicuous sniff of the shampoo she always used. He looked up at the castle, recognizing the description from Lee's last owl post.
"Yeah, this is definitely it. It does look a little spooky, doesn't it?" And it did, but that was the point. The castle was ancient, not as old as Hogwarts, but close. It was also haunted with one of the largest collections of family ghosts and ghouls in the British Isles, according to Lee. Apparently, due to the violent history of the region and the multiple wars fought over this little spit of land and the subsequent deaths therein, there were nearly 100 identified specters, ghosts, and ghouls, not including those who preferred to remain anonymous, at least two full-time poltergeists, three hags, and one vampire. George decided he should probably downplay that aspect, though, or she may want to go home right away, and he didn't want that. Besides, if she were a little nervous and stuck close to him all night, he wouldn't complain. "It is haunted, Cassie. Lee made sure of that. But don't worry, I'll take care of you."
She grinned and then turned in his arms. "And I bet you wouldn't be unhappy if I never left your side all night, would you?" That so mirrored his thoughts from just a moment before that George's eyes opened wide in shock.
"Does that sound like something I would think?"
"Yes, it does. And I know what you were thinking earlier, George Weasley, about this sweater."
He gulped. "You do?"
"Yes, about how you didn't want other people seeing me in it."
"Oh, yeah. That. Well, you can't blame me, can you?" George relaxed slightly. That was only a part of what he was thinking, and he was just as glad she hadn't guessed the rest. If she had, she'd have probably slapped him.
Cassie flushed slightly, stepping even closer. "I could. But I won't. I love it that you think every person I see must be knocked over by my stunning beauty. It's not true, of course, but I'm glad you feel that way."
He kissed her again quickly and then let her go when she shivered slightly in the cold night air. "Come on. Lee is counting on Fred and me to help get things organized before everyone else gets here." They trudged up the long slope of the walk toward the dark castle, Cassie gripping his hand tightly.
"How many people are coming?"
"I have no idea, really. I think Lee invited half of wizarding London, but some may have had prior commitments. I know he asked Fred and me to supply some of the candy and we brought about 100 pounds."
"A hundred pounds! You're kidding? That's like . . . enough for an army!"
"It's not that much, well, if you have two or three hundred people eating it."
Cassie stopped suddenly and George's grip on her hand forced him to stop, too. "Two or three . . . hundred people?"
"Something like that. What's wrong?" Cassie looked even more nervous suddenly.
"I just . . . will they expect me to be a witch? I thought it would be mainly people I already knew. And I didn't . . . ."
"They're not going to notice whether you are or not. It's going to be crazy in there. Don't worry about it." He tugged her close and lifted her chin up so that her eyes met his. "I don't know why you are always so worried about this whenever we meet new people. So, you're a Muggle. No one will care."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Now come on before I freeze. You, at least, have a sweater on." The door to the castle was slightly ajar and as he pushed it open, it gave a satisfactory groan of protest and Cassie pushed closer to him. George felt the gentle swell of her breast brush his arm and he moved it quickly. Bloody hell, she was tempting tonight. And she didn't even know it. That was the really incredible part of it.
"This is creepy. Like in a movie or something of a vampire castle. Where the evil vampire's servant invites the maiden with the long white neck to stay for the night as she is so lost and it's raining outside, and then she gets pounced on a few minutes later by someone with very sharp teeth.
"I think that's the effect he's going for. But don't worry. You're not lost, it's not raining, and there's no way you're staying overnight. Your mum would kill me. Right after mine had her turn." Cassie chuckled nervously as footsteps echoed through the stone entry. Fred's smiling face appeared from behind a dark velvet curtain.
"Thank Merlin you're here, George! Lee's freaking out about the haunted room thing he's trying to get set up. Hermione was supposed to be here to advise him on the food for the ghosts but she's late, and Harry seems to have misplaced the Headless Hunt group. So basically, I think Lee's about to lose his own head."
"Hermione's probably just been detained by her loving husband in bed. I'm sure she'll be here soon." George snickered. Ron and Hermione had been married for less than a month and the family was getting rather used to them turning up late for things with slightly mussed hair and clothes that weren't quite fastened correctly.
"George!" Cassie sounded scandalized, but George just shrugged as Fred guffawed.
"It's true. More power to them, I say. I never really pictured either of them as real randy dogs, but they sure seem to be enjoying themselves."
Only a second later, there was a loud pop and both Hermione and Ron, looking expectedly flustered and disheveled, appeared in the entryway. That made Fred laugh even louder and George tried to control himself so as not to upset Cassie further. Cassie covered her mouth with her hand and George could tell she was trying not to giggle. He allowed himself a smile.
"I'm sorry we're late," Hermione stuttered. "We, uh, Ron, that is, had something come up." She tore off frantically toward the main party room and Ron looked sheepishly at his brothers.
George raised an eyebrow, practically biting his tongue to avoid saying the obvious thing. Fred, however, had no girlfriend present to keep him in check, so he just blurted it out and Cassie's eyes got huge and her cheeks blazed bright pink. She turned to George with wide eyes and he could tell that she was about to burst out laughing, but was holding it in to avoid embarrassing Hermione even more. Ron hexed Fred thoroughly, and stalked after his wife, calling back to them, "Well, at least I get some. You're just jealous!" Fred hurriedly ended the hex and ran after his youngest brother, threatening him with spiders. George laughed at the two of them then tried to take Cassie's mind off the crude conversation his brothers had just been having right in front of her. He thought some humor might help.
"See, no creepy vampire servant. Let's go find Lee."
"What did Ron mean by that?" George swallowed. He hoped he didn't have to explain that Ron meant sex with his wife.
"He meant he was -"
"No, I mean, aren't Angelina and Fred getting along?"
"What? No, I mean yes." George took a breath and collected his thoughts. All this talk about what husbands and wives did together in bed was sending his mind down paths it really could not wander down tonight. He glanced down at his girlfriend's concerned expression. "I'm sure they're fine. She's just gone to France for some extensive healer training and Fred isn't allowed to visit. She's been gone two weeks and I think has another two to go, and Fred's slowly going insane. He happened to mention that a few days back to Ron, and that's all he meant."
"Oh, that makes sense, I guess."
"Yeah."
They had come to the end of the corridor and entered a huge room full of candles and hollowed pumpkins. Cassie was thrilled. "Wow! This is fancy." George smiled at her enthusiasm for the decorations. They were completely kitschy, but that was Lee for you.
"These will all be lit before everyone gets here in an hour, Cassie. Then it will really look nicely tacky. I see our candy over there. Maybe you could arrange it somehow on those platters. I may need to help Harry with the Headless Hunt thing."
"What is that, anyway?"
"You'll see them later, hopefully."
"And what's ghost food?"
"That, is really disgusting. See, ghosts don't usually -"
"Oy! George! Get your sorry self in here. I need help! You were supposed to be here a half hour ago." Cassie shook her head at Lee's panic and let go of George's hand.
"Go on. He needs you. I'll do the candy."
"Great, but don't eat any of it, okay? I'm not sure what he brought."
"I'm not an idiot, George. I won't." She kissed him briefly and walked toward the three tables in various stages of being filled with food. George followed Lee into the "haunted house" area, watching her walk away for just a minute. He was in big trouble tonight. He could already tell.
An hour later, an extremely aggravated George walked back into the main party room, his gaze automatically darting around to find Cassie. She waved at him and he headed over to her gratefully. "I was wondering when you would surface. I think the party's officially started now."
"I'd say so. Gah, Lee was driving me nuts. Then he left and I had to deal with things myself."
"Poor baby. Was it too dreadful?" He smiled back at her gentle teasing.
"Better than having him there sniping about one thing or another. What have you been doing?"
"Visiting with people. Ginny got here a few minutes ago and Harry's been around here somewhere. Hermione was here but then she went to chase Ron away from the cake. Then, I saw some people I recognized, but didn't know their names. But we still visited for a few minutes. About you."
"Great. Did you tell them too many embarrassing stories about me?"
"Not too many. What have you been doing? Harry mentioned something about the ghosts again."
"Like I was telling you. Ghosts can't actually eat anything because they're, well, disembodied."
"Right. I seem to remember Nearly Headless Nick mentioning that while he watched me eat dinner one day at Hogwarts."
"That doesn't surprise me at all. He mentions it quite often. Because he remembers what food tastes like and misses it. So when ghosts have parties, I understand, they have food there that they can sort of . . . pass through. And since their senses are dulled because of their lack of body, I suppose, the food has to be really strong."
"Like spicy?"
"No. Like rotted."
"You are kidding me!"
"Wish I were. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had the experience of attending a ghost party in their second year, so they told Lee how to make it appealing to the ghosts. Anyway, I was setting up the nasty stuff. Really foul." George looked over at the WWW candy stacked nicely on a platter. "That looks good, though. I'm going to grab a piece or two. Do you want any?"
"No, I don't think so. Get some punch while you're at it, though. It's really good."
"All right." George walked over and picked up a couple of chocolates and then grabbed a mug of punch. He took one swallow and knew exactly what was in it. It was good, but it was definitely spiked. "Um, Cass?"
"Yeah?"
"How much of that punch have you had?"
"Just a little bit. This is still my first mug. Why?"
"No reason." George thought for a minute. One cup wouldn't really hurt her and he knew she was tense about all these people she didn't know. As long as she didn't drink much more than that, she wouldn't really get drunk, just slightly buzzed and maybe relax a little. "Do you want to go to the ghosts' room for a few minutes?"
Cassie just looked at him, obviously surprised at the question. "I thought you said it was disgusting."
"Well don't eat anything in there! He's just got it set up like a Muggle Haunted House, and it's kind of fun." Cassie's eyes lit up at his response.
"I've always wanted to see one of those." She looked hesitantly over at the doorway he had come through some moments before. "Is it scary?"
"It's supposed to be, yeah. I'd say it's a little spooky, not too bad."
"You'll stay with me?"
"Of course. I'll protect you." He chuckled at the look that passed over her face, but he tucked her little hand into his and pulled her gently through the dark curtain that separated the two rooms.
The room was dark and extremely cold, and it was full of both living people and ghosts. The ghosts were dressed in the clothes they were wearing when they died, so there was a large mix of styles, most unidentifiable peasant-type rags, although there were a few ghosts wearing what George would consider aristocratic clothing, looking a little worse for wear now, of course. They were the rude and demanding ghosts, generally, complaining that the room was too warm, that the food wasn't rotten enough, that the blue flame on the candles wasn't blue enough. Cassie shivered and snuggled closer to him. George slipped an arm around her, kissing her gently on the temple.
"This is really, uh, nasty." She shuddered as a ghost brushed by her.
"Yeah. Oh, there's Ginny. Let's go-"
Just then, there was a big commotion and the front feet, followed by the body and back feet, of a ghostly horse erupted through the wall. George sighed but then smiled as Cassie threw herself against him. The Headless Hunt had arrived. They both watched with interest, although Cassie kept burying her head in his chest and turning away, as the members of the Club threw their heads around with abandon. They had come because of Harry and it took Harry to chuff them out of this room and into the main party area where they were scheduled to provide some entertainment for the living. When they finally left, Cassie was still pressed to George as tight as she could be and George kissed the top of her head, breathing deeply. "That was terrible, George. I didn't like them at all." Her words were muffled against his shirt but he thought he understood her.
"Because they were ghosts?" He bent his head closer to hear her response.
"No, because they were nasty ghosts."
He laughed softly in sympathy, keeping his arms tight around her. "Come on, let's go finish up in here. Hopefully by then they'll be gone completely and you don't have to see them again." He led her through a narrow corridor, pleased when she stayed right next to him again. They entered into the "Vampire room" which was more scarcely populated than the other, but had a few guests. This room was warmer, with red light rather than blue, a series of quite comfortable-looking upholstered coffins for the vampires to rest in, and food that vampires would enjoy, mainly consisting of a lot of warm raw meat and a "punch" that George would not have touched with a 20-foot wand. Cassie was shivering quite openly now with shock and George decided they should probably pass up the ghoul area which would have been the next room. George did visit very briefly with a couple of vampires, just out of curiosity. While they were visiting, Cassie stood close to him but kept glancing around in morbid fascination. They heard one of the other female party-goers say with a shocked expression, "That vampire told me I have a nice neck." It was then George noticed another vampire eyeing Cassie with interest and George beat a rather hasty retreat at that point.
By the time they returned to the now-Headless-Hunt-free zone of the main party room, George was actually happy the punch had been spiked. He pressed a small cup of it into her hand and she drank it down greedily. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"
"No, not at all. That last room was enough to give me nightmares, and I've known about vampires my whole life." She shuddered.
"What if they decide to come into here and bite some of the guests?"
George smiled, "It won't happen. Not with all of us and our magic. They couldn't withstand all of the curses we could hit them with if they tried anything."
"Oh," Cassie didn't seem too convinced, but tried to put on a brave face. "Just hold me for a minute, okay?"
"Definitely." He kept his arms tight around her and glanced around for somewhere they could sit down. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and comfort her that way, but there weren't any chairs nearby. Then he had another thought. "There's dancing in that room. Do you want to give it a try?" He moved one arm from around her and pointed at yet another doorway leading from the main room. The idea of slow dancing with her, when she was in a cuddly of a mood as she was tonight, was vastly tempting.
She lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him. "I didn't know you liked to dance. That sounds really nice."
"Oh, sure. Love it." That was an overstatement, but whatever sounded nice to her, sounded nice to him as well.
"We don't need to dance, I mean unless you really want to. I feel better now." Cassie stepped back a bit from him and he reluctantly let her go.
"Are you sure?" Damn, he thought. Holding her that close had been pleasant to say the least. Then George chastised himself for wanting her to be scared just so he could hold her tighter. She was driving him crazy anyway. He had to calm down. "I really do like dancing, so if you want to, we can."
"All right, if you're positive." They moved into the next room, which was full of swaying couples in varying degrees of embrace. Different parts of the room had different music, ranging from upbeat and fast all the way to formal waltzes and Welsh folk-dances, meant to appeal not only to the living young people attending the party, but also the ghosts from past centuries. There were quite a few transparent couples also, even some dancing to the modern stuff playing from the WWN, which made them both laugh when they saw it. George steered them steadily through the mass of both living and ghostly, and made sure that the corner they danced in had slow music and the candles were down nice and low. Cassie moved easily into his arms again and they danced for a quite a while, swaying together without really saying very much beyond occasional conversation about a couple or two that drifted into their line of sight. Cassie enjoyed looking at all of the couples and couldn't get over that she was actually dancing among ghosts. She looked up at George with a grin.
"My friends wouldn't believe me if I told them about tonight. Most of them don't even celebrate Halloween and they certainly don't believe in ghosts, vampires, and the lot."
George laughed and then was embarrassed and annoyed when his stomach rumbled just as another new dance started. "Sorry, Cassie. I think I'm a little hungry."
"A little? It sounds like it would be hard for your mum to fill you up. Why don't we go on out to the food tables, and you can get something to eat. I'm a bit hungry myself, actually."
They both found something to eat on the tables, Cassie ladling herself a nice bowl of stew and George helping himself to some finger sandwiches, which he thought looked quite clever as they were cut into the shape of actual fingers. Cassie just smiled weakly at his amusement and dug meaningfully into her bowl. They were looking around for a table to sit at when Lee came striding over to them with a determined look on his face. "George, is there anything you can do to help with the ghouls? They're running amok among the ghosts and the vampires and driving them away. And people are angry cause the vampires are a big hit."
"Lee, I don't want to complain, but isn't there anyone else, like Fred for instance? He isn't here with his wife, trying to have a date, or anything. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you."
"He's just egging them on. You know him. He has a hard time being serious for even one moment."
George sighed in frustration. "Fine. I'll come for a few minutes. But not for long. Personally, those vampires were giving me the creeps and if they all went back to where they came from, I wouldn't be sorry to see them go."
Lee grinned, "That is the idea, you know."
"Right, right." George looked at Cassie. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"
"Of course. Go ahead. I'd offer to go with you but I really-"
"No. Just stay here. I didn't like the way that vampire was eyeing you earlier." Cassie shuddered in remembrance and slid further back in her chair.
"You're right. I'll definitely stay. Have fun, George, Lee."
George returned to check on her about a half hour later. Things hadn't really calmed down that much. In fact, they were getting worse in his opinion. The people now filing through the ghost, vampire, and ghoul rooms had had quite a bit of punch, and were a little tipsy. But, the vampires had also gotten a bit crazy with the fermented stuff they were drinking and most of them were getting a little too friendly with the guests. Lee and Fred had disappeared to Merlin knew where, and George was just trying to keep order so that no one wound up seriously hurt by the festivities. Cassie smiled happily up at him. "Are you done?"
"No. In fact, I don't know how much longer I'll be. Have you seen Lee or Fred, or Harry even?"
"Sorry. Hey, have you ever met Hannah Abbott?" Cassie waved at the young witch sitting across the table from her. She was in Harry's year-"
"Yes. Hi, Hannah. How are you?" George glanced down at Cassie's mug of punch, which was almost as full as when he had left her earlier. "How much of that have you had tonight?"
"Just this one. Well, plus the bit I had earlier. Why?" George thought about telling her the punch was spiked, but figured that little amount wouldn't really hurt. She really had barely touched it in the time he'd been away. And she was eating. Plus, he told himself, she did look quite a bit happier than she had earlier, so he guessed that the drink and the food were cheering her up.
"I was just curious. You really like it, don't you?"
"It's very good. You better get back and keep working. I want to go dancing again. Soon."
"I'll hurry." As George moved away, he heard Cassie asking Hannah why she hadn't had any of the punch, but he was too far away to hear Hannah's answer. He pushed through the crowd now filling the doorway into the dark blue room with the ghosts, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the rotting food.
By the time George got another break, when Lee had suddenly appeared and taken over the duties of trying to get the crowd more quickly through the three rooms, he estimated that about another 45 minutes had passed. Honestly, George thought as he emerged from the sweaty mass into the relative coolness of the main party room, that could pose a serious health hazard if something went awry. Maybe he should just tell Lee to send the creatures back home, and get everyone living and human out of those rooms. Then, he could spend more time with Cassie. He found her at a different table this time. The bowl of stew was gone and she had a plate of small pastries in front of her now. Her mug was sitting by her and he glanced in as he passed. It was still about half full. He looked around the table, full of people he didn't recognize. But they were all laughing and Cassie seemed to be enjoying herself. He pulled up a chair and Cassie slipped her hand into his as he sat down.
"Done yet?" she whispered.
"No, just briefly reprieved. I think Lee is going to have to close down his attraction. It's insane in there." He whispered back, trying not to interrupt a rather pimply-faced boy who was telling some yarn about a Halloween he spent with his Muggle relatives. He leaned a little closer to her. "Is that still the same mug of punch?"
"What? Yes, it is. I . . . haven't really had very much, have I?"
"I guess not. Are those pastries good?"
She pushed the plate close to him and he grabbed something that looked like a chocolate cream puff. He tried to laugh with the boy as he finished his story, but as one of the girls started into another, he stood again. "I better get back there. I'm sorry. This-"
"Don't worry. I'm fine. Having a great time." She took a quick bite of pastry and waved him off. George smiled weakly. She was very relaxed now, and her skin was pleasantly flushed with heat. He wanted to do nothing more than take her in his arms and snog her like crazy. Preferably in a dark corner. And hopefully, she wouldn't complain if he managed to slip his hand under that incredible sweater and feel the smooth skin of her back and stomach. But now, instead, he got to go back where he could deal with dead people who had no skin and who stunk unpleasantly of blood. He was going to have to kill Lee later.
George had put his foot down with Fred, who was now supervising the traffic flow, and insisted they stop letting people into the back rooms. The ghouls were beside themselves with frustration from all the noise and chaos, and in turn, that was only aggravating the other problems. The ghosts were getting agitated because of the crowded conditions, the hot press of bodies and sweat was driving the vampires even more insane than usual, and George felt like any moment the whole thing could explode. When Harry pushed up against him a few minutes later, George almost lost it, barely managing to control himself. "What do you need, Harry? I've got my hands a bit full!"
"It's Cassie, George. I should rightfully hex you into next week!"
"What are you on about, Harry? I've checked on her and she's been fine."
"Fine?" Harry looked incredulous. "Fine?! I just left her and she's drunk!"
"What? She can't be, she's-"
"Drunk! She's slurring her words and she almost fell over when she tried to get up from the table."
"But she's only had one mugful of punch, and that was with food. Over the course of an hour or more. I know she's small, but-"
Harry looked closely at him, as though he was trying to decide whether George was telling the truth or not. "Is that what she told you?"
"No, it's what I've seen with my own eyes. She said it was her only glass, that she wasn't drinking much of it."
"She's drunk about eight or ten glasses, George. She may not even know it. Lee's got people going around and refilling any mug they see."
"What!"
"Yeah, I've seen her glass getting topped up at least five times myself, and I've been busy doing other stuff, with, er, uh, people."
George scowled. "I know you mean my sister, Potter. Are you serious about the punch?"
"Yes! Why would I lie about this?"
"I don't know. She'd know if she'd had that much."
"Fine. Don't believe me. Go out there and take a look for yourself. I'll deal with the last of this lot. If you hurt her, though, George – well, just don't forget who it was who killed Voldemort, okay?"
"I'm not going to hurt her!" George stalked out of the room, not even apologizing as he stepped on one woman's foot and shoved another one into a ghost. He forced his way into the crowd that now filled the main room, scanning the tables as best he could, searching for Cassie's hair or the pink of her sweater. It took him a while to find her and he was starting to panic, but he finally saw Hermione sitting next to her. She had a very upset expression, and when George finally got a good look at Cassie, he understood why. She was smiling, but it was the smile of someone who had sort of zoned out of reality, usually because they were drunk. Very drunk. Damn, damn, damn.
"George Weasley, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Hermione's voice was loud to carry over the crowd, but George waved her down.
"Calm down, Hermione. I-"
"Hey, George, I . . . Her-mon-ie said I . . . " She looked confused for a minute. "What did you shay?"
"I said you were drunk!" Hermione scowled again. "How much punch did you give her?"
"I didn't give her any, except for a small sip after we left the vampires. She told me she only had one cup."
"Yessh, 'cause that issh all I have had, have had. And, 'sides, itsh only punch. I can't be drunk."
"It's spiked, Cassie." Hermione said angrily. "You can tell from a mile away. And she's obviously had more than one cup. But I'll leave that for you to decide, George Weasley! If you lay one finger on her-"
George just shoved his way over to Cassie and squatted down by her chair, ignoring his sister-in-law completely. "How much do you think you drank, Cass?"
There were tears in her eyes and George felt a renewed stab of guilt. "You don't believe me, either. I . . . I only had this one cup." She waved her hand at it, and George looked in. It was almost full.
"I believe you, sweetheart. I do. You just didn't know it was being refilled all the time."
"Oh, well, that . . . ." She never finished the sentence, instead studying him closely. "Are you a vampire?"
"What? No, I-"
"You smell like blood." She pushed away from him and George cursed Lee again under his breath. She tried to stand up, lost her balance, and practically fell over. She really was completely gone. George helped her to her feet, even though she was still pulling away from him.
"Stop it, Cassie. You're going to hurt yourself." Ginny appeared at his side, and punched him in the arm.
"You have a lot of explaining to do!"
"I do not! I did not do anything to her." His eyes appraised his sister, noting a mark undoubtedly made by Harry's teeth on her neck. "I'll tell you what. We'll make a bargain. You help me sober her up, and I'll conveniently forget to tell Mum about that love bite Harry gave you."
Ginny clapped her hand over her neck and then glared at him. "Fine. How much did she have?"
"I have no idea?"
"Well, then you can't do a sobering charm on her. It's too risky if you don't know-"
"I know all about the sobering charm, Ginny. If I could have done it, I already would have. Any other suggestions?"
"There's some sort of potion, right?"
"Yeah, but I don't have any of it!"
"No. Well then, I've got nothing. Maybe you better talk to Fred. He may have an idea."
"No. I'm just going to take her home and face the music. It's not like I did it on purpose. How angry can they be?" But he knew they could be really angry, and George's stomach was churning in nerves now, at the thought of facing her parents.
"I'm sure that will go over really well with her mother." Ginny smirked and melted off into the crowd. George pulled Cassie's arm gently. He really wanted to get her outside. Maybe the cold air would help a little. They stood outside for a few minutes, George even placed a cold wet cloth on her neck, which Cassie struggled against, but she was still drunk.
The thing that bothered George the most is that she really was just as cuddly and sweet as he knew she would be if she had a bit to drink. She was snuggled right up against him, humming quietly to herself, and she was kissing his neck when she forgot the tune. But the thought of what her parents were going to do to him in a few minutes made him keep his mind on more serious matters, namely doing something to counteract the alcohol. "What do Muggles do when they get drunk, Cassie?"
She blinked for a few seconds. "How would I know? I don't drink."
George cursed under his breath. "But if I had too much to drink at your parents' house, what would they give me?"
Cassie laughed drunkenly and almost fell over backwards. George caught her again around the waist. "They'd give you the boot. Out the door. Get it?"
"Funny, very funny. Seriously. Is there a pill or something?"
"No, no pills." She was silent for a moment. "I think black coffee. Oh!" Her eyes got wide and George had a feeling he knew what was happening. He quickly conjured a stool and she immediately sat down on it, then bent over and threw up. He helped her clean her mouth with a glass of cold water and then patted her back for a minute while she recovered.
"Is that better?" She just shook her head in response.
"My head hurts. I want to go home."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll-" George was wondering if he could get her to the Burrow, fill her full of black coffee, and then take her back to her house all without his mum noticing, but when Cassie interrupted his thoughts with another plea,
"George, I want to go home now. I don't feel very well," he knew he couldn't procrastinate any longer. It was cruel to keep her out here in the cold when there was nothing he could do for her. He sighed. Time to face the music.
An hour later, he Apparated back to his room at the Burrow, well and truly chastised. Rebecca had been furious. Andrew had been angry as well, but George suspected that her father had at least believed it was an accident. Which was fortunate, because it was only Andrew's logical, calm conversation that had convinced Rebecca not to ban him from the house completely, and his pat on the back that had convinced George all was not lost, even though he would probably mind himself more carefully in the immediate future. Cassie had been shuttled away from him almost instantly and he hadn't seen her again since, even though he heard her protesting for a few minutes as Rebecca got her cleaned up and into bed.
He rubbed his forehead and sat heavily on the bed. Damn. The evening had started so well. He was going to kill Lee, slowly. Maybe he'd even hire Harry to do it for him. After all, they were practically family.
He was undressed and under the covers before he realized it would probably be wise to send an apology to Cassie, who would undoubtedly suffer for most of the day tomorrow, and whom he hoped would forgive him for the lousy evening. So he got up and penned a quick note.
"Cassie, I'm so sorry about last night. I knew the punch was spiked, but like I tried to explain to your mum and dad, I really thought you had only had a little bit of it. I didn't know, and neither did you, that the mug was being constantly refilled. I really just wanted to have a nice relaxing evening with you and wanted you to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that isn't how it worked out. I hope you'll forgive me, though. I love you. I'll be in touch soon. Love, George"
He tied the note to Icharus' leg. "Okay, Ich, take this to Cassie tomorrow. Make sure she gets it directly, okay?" The owl blinked his approval and George crawled back under the covers and fell into an uneasy sleep.
George smiled the next afternoon when he got her return letter. She wasn't exactly well, but she forgave him, and that was the most important thing after all:
"George. I am writing this in a dark room so excuse the scrawl. My head is still throbbing. I think you should kill Lee slowly, or maybe use Cruciatus or something on him. Or at least Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex. I am going to pay Harry to do the same to you, though. Lee shouldn't have spiked the punch with Firewhiskey. But you shouldn't have pretended you didn't know. Now you know that getting me drunk does not make me more romantic. It makes me sick. My mother was not impressed with your excuses. I better be feeling better by tomorrow or she may hunt you down in Diagon Alley and kill you. She is nagging my dad to yell at your dad. I keep telling her that it was Lee's fault. Again, she is not impressed. From now on, I'll bring bottled butterbeer anytime I am with your friends. But yes, I do forgive you.
And just for your enlightenment the next time you know I'm hung over (assuming I ever drink again) don't you dare send Icharus at 6 a.m. to inquire after my welfare. I almost strangled him. Seriously."