The upstairs aroma of the Leaky Cauldron triggered something in Harry's mind, enough to make him forget momentarily who he was and who he was with.

He was sitting on the edge of one of the beds in the Inn, and there was a growling, biting noise emitting from underneath. It was a bit funny, Harry thought to himself. Here he was, the boy who lived…about to be eaten by a book!

"Harry."

"Harry."

He felt someone tugging at his arm and her touch brought him back to reality. It was Ginny. Ron and Hermoine both stared at him a bit worriedly.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked shaking his head.

"Don't worry guys, he does that sometimes. But I think it's okay. I think it's a bit healthy to tell you the truth," Ginny said. Of the four of them, Ginny was the one that would most fit in a muggle career, as a psychologist. But she had insisted on staying at home and being a proper mother and housewife.

Hermoine had of course protested saying something along the lines of, "but we've reached a time where we don't all have to be 'proper housewife's. You can do more with your life!"

But Ginny had quickly silenced her saying, "of course we don't all have to be them. It's just what I desire. I don't find anything wrong with that." The way she worded it could have come off as a snap, but Ginny wasn't one to snap or retort without good reason, and she had actually said this quite calmly.

"So what was it you two needed to tell us?" Harry asked.

"Well, Luna said-""Yes we know what Luna said already, Ginny. Sorry to interrupt," Ron said, "But why is it such a big deal. Do you two have any more information?"

"Well…" Here the girls exchanged a glance before Ginny finally said, "not exactly."

"What do you have exactly then?" Ron said, growing a bit frustrated even though he knew the girls were only trying to help.

"We have our gut feelings and if you haven't noticed, those are rarely wrong," Hermoine said finally snapping. "But if you two don't want to listen it's fine, we've defeated one dark lord I suppose we don't need a head start on the next."

She knew she was exaggerating and making bigger points than necessary but it was frustrating!

"Okay, tell you what. If or you know, when you find more information that would make this whole thing relevant and stoppable, let us know. In the meantime, I simply cannot justify standing around worrying about it. We've worried enough in our lives. Okay?" Harry said, diffusing the tension.

"Oi, there you are!" George said suddenly clapping Harry on the back. "Throwin' a party and not inviting the fun, how do you figure that's wise?" he plopped down on to the bed they'd all gathered with a laugh.

The four friends locked eyes, all silently communicating to not say a word about what they had originally come up here to discuss.

"We really just invited our class," Ginny said, "mostly only Gryiffindor's showed up from what I could figure."

"When was the last time you looked?" George asked.

"Harry and Hermoine went over to the staircase and peered down, George was right. There were many more people there than last they had seen.

"Who's the oaf at the bar by the way?" he asked in his usual mocking tone.

"Dunno," Ron said, "but he's got a bit of a temper. I don't reckon anyone like that would be related to Hannah for her to pass it on to."

"I don't think so either, but you know how she was after the divorce." George said whispering. "never quite the same. It's awful for both her and Neville because you know he meant no harm. He was just doing as he always does, selling himself short and settling for less. Not that Hannah Abbot wasn't a catch in her own respects, it's just that Luna was so much more so, to Neville at least. If you know what I mean."

For having never seriously dated anyone, George did seem to understand relationships and love quite well. So the group listened and nodded and wondered out loud at whom the Inn might belong to now.

Harry's heart felt odd as he watched the newest addition to the informal class reunion walk through the door. Draco Malfoy. Enemies throughout all of school, they had come to a bit of an agreement in what would have been Harry's seventh year, but never quite a friendship. It was hard to say what the two felt of each other. They seemed to neither want the other alive or dead.

But perhaps feuds and the like were from a time when Voldemort was attempting to reign. Perhaps the doors were opening on a friendship with the boy from his past, Harry thought.

For a brief moment he planned to indulge in this fantasy, but then he remembered all the reasons he hated Draco even before he knew he was a Death Eater. The boy was rude, and selfish, prejudice and racist. While it was true, Draco very well could've turned over a new leaf, Harry refused to give him a chance.

"What's wrong?" Ginny said, noting the way Harry gripped the banister until his knuckles were white.

"Just old faces I hadn't hoped to see is all," Harry said brushing it off and standing.

"We've been hiding from our own party as long as I think is fair," Hermoine said suddenly. "We invited them all here, isn't it time we go and join them?"

She didn't wait for an answer before she was headed down the stairs. The awkward know-it-all from their early school days was gone and in her place stood a beautiful, confident, brilliant woman who knew how to make someone's entire face light up.

"Isn't she something?" Ron whispered to Harry before going down as well.

Harry, Ginny, and George stood at the top of the stairs watching their two best friends wind their way through the crowed.

When the music started, Ginny refused to stand still any more. "Oh, we must dance!" she cried happily, pulling Harry by the arm.

George smiled and watched them go, thoughts of his school days playing in his mind.

The dance was beautiful, and everyone had been preparing for weeks. The girls had fixed their hair and the boys had done the best they could to find well fitted suits for the occasion. The girls lined one wall and the boys lined the other, as is typical at any young dance. But George and Fred were not to be found on either wall, because they were under the punch table. "Tell me when," Fred whispered as George kept watch. If the planned prank hadn't been so funny, George might have felt bad that the first person to come to the table was Neville. After all, that kid had enough bad luck as it were, without he and Fred tormenting him. But that's not something present in a fifth year's mind, and so when Neville got close and poured himself a drink, George nodded to Fred and Fred whispered the spell, pointing his wand at the cup.

The potion the twins had already mixed in counteracted with the spell as had been the plan and the drink erupted into a purple paste which covered Neville and immediately thickened.

Neville coughed and spluttered and stepped backwards, straight into the open arms of the girl who was dancing alone.

George and Fred were still howling with laughter even as they were sent to Dumbledore's office, and their smiles were so contagious that even the headmaster found it humorous.

The best part of school for George was definitely Fred, and without Fred, the makeshift reunion felt entirely empty. Not wanting to bring anyone's mood down, he left quietly a bit later.

"Stop worrying," Hermoine whispered to Ron, noting the way his brow furrowed. "You're right okay, it's probably nothing. What Luna said? We're just being paranoid because of what we've been through. We'll be fine," she said leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Ron looked over her shoulder instead of at her and said, "I certainly hope you're right.