AN: Sorry this update took so long, I was observing the Writer's Strike and attempting to get higher pay from But then i realized that they aren't paying me at all and I halted all negotiations to bring you this... enjoy!

Chapter 6

Harry only had a couple of seconds to see that he was in a huge room furnished in black and white, the hardwood floors were covered in shaggy area rugs and there were three doors leading from it as well as a huge ebony staircase up to the other floors. Many pairs of hands grabbed him and Emerson and pulled them to the center of the room.

"Have the rations been secured?" Emerson asked excitedly to the mix of smiling Maniyakal faces and slightly confused Gryffindors.

"You know it! A delightful mix of keg, bottle, and any sort of junk food imaginable," Isabella said with a satisfied smile.

It was at this point that Harry was able to look around and see the tables laden with pizza boxes, chips, cookies, cakes and ice cream amongst many bottles of what could only be alcohols and three silver barrels on ice.

"Okay and what the hell are we listening to?" Emerson asked, referring to the heavily based music that was blasting through the room.

"You got a problem with it?" Mike, the other burly beater asked, a wide smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you to not bump the booty music? My house, my party, my tunes!" She pulled a wand from the depths of her robes and waved it. Instantly the "booty music" was replaced by a fast guitar and drums.

"Punk rock!" Trippe yelled climbing on top of a tall bookshelf.

"Let the gluttony begin!" Emerson yelled, answered by thunderous cheers and people handing out drinks and food.

"What exactly is going on?" Harry asked to anyone who was listening.

"Weekend of gluttony!" Xander said happily, shoving a plastic cup of foaming liquid into his hand.

"Greatest time of the year," Nick said with a nod.

"Maniyakal goes on a crazy diet for training: no sweets, no cheese, no red meat, no refined wheat,"

"So before this craziness begins and ruins the lives of seven people for eight months,"

"One weekend is spent in perpetual party mode, stuffing our faces and getting shit faced drunk with no inhibitions."

"But, you two aren't even on the team," Harry's beer was still untouched.

"Who cares? What's a party with only seven people?" Xander shrugged, demolishing a slice of pizza in two bites. "The whole house parties at this time."

"In face, most of the school does, we here in the Maniyakal house just provide a means for the madness," Nick smiled, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Now do us a favor and enjoy your three days of complete craziness!"

Harry looked around and saw his fellow Gryffindors enjoying themselves. Fred and George were chugging each of their second cup of beer while Lee Jordan was doing a shot with a gangly blond Maniyakal boy. Neville was sipping his drink warily, his face pulling into disgusting contortions with every swallow. A pretty girl in glasses was flirting with him, making him stutter and sweat, something which caused her to flirt even more. The only person who didn't seem to be having a god time was Hermione who looked around at the others, positively furious.

"Ronald! Will you stop being such a pig? We just ate!" she said hotly as the red head stacked two slices of pizza and began eating them at the same time.

"Oh bugger off would you?" he groaned and she flounced off in a huff. "What's wrong Harry? Haven't touched your beer." He took a great gulp of his own cup.

"Butterbeer?" Harry asked hopefully, sniffing the liquid. It definitely did not smell like butterbeer.

"Nah, I think they said it was Budweiser," Ron took another drink and shuddered slightly. "Tastes bloody terrible but enough will knock you off your rocker. Cheers Mate!" He lifted his glass and drained it before moving towards where Xander was filling glasses from one of the silver barrels.

It wasn't long before the room was filled with laughing, stumbling teenagers, falling all over each other and dancing wildly. Hermione, who had vehemently refused to drink watched with disgust as Ron fell out of a keg stand, giggling uncontrollably as Seamus and Dean, who were unable to hold him up, fell over him as they too dissolved into laughter.

"Oi love, you are looking quite sullen," Nick's smiling face appeared beside her as he and Xander sat on either side.

"This is barbaric! Why haven't any teachers been by to stop this?" she seethed, which only seemed to broaden the two boys' smiles.

"Oh they let us go about this every year, figure its better we do it in the school rather than out," Xander shrugged.

"Well it shouldn't happen either way!"

"Now, now, kids are kids. We must let them frolic, play and make bad decisions," Nick smirked.

"And I don't suppose you two have a reason for not participating in this nonsense?" It was true, while they had willingly doled out the alcohol to other students, the two had not taken a drink themselves all night.

"Well, Xander here is allergic and I personally can't get past the taste."

"So instead we watch how stupid they all get and then recount these moments quite loudly over breakfast on Monday morning while they nurse hangovers and bruised egos."

"A cruel job, but somebody has got to do it," Nick's wide smile looked as if he did not find it cruel at all.

"Oh, I do believe our friends from around the campus have arrived," Xander looked toward the door and Hermione followed his gaze to see that many individuals from other houses and schools were entering. There seemed to be no Slytherin representatives.

"Ah yes and our lovely Ryin Shea seems to be turning on the charm again," Nick chuckled and Hermione looked around to realize that a group of slack jawed boys were surrounding the giggling blond girl. Ron was among them.

"Charm?" Hermione asked angrily as Ron flexed his muscles, stumbling slightly.

"Yes, our lovely Ms. Shea is part veela," Xander nodded.

"And of course, as Emerson in her cousin, she is too," Nick added.

"Emerson? But she doesn't look it!" Hermione pulled her eyes from Ron in shock.

"No, I don't suppose she does conventionally, but she is gorgeous, just a bit darker in hair and complexion than most." Nick scratched his chin.

"You see, because Ryin got it on her mother's side and Emerson got it on her father's side, they both got different aspects of it," Xander explained.

"Ryin got the obvious looks and the charm"

"And Emerson got the dancing. Although she has grown into the looks, hasn't she?"

"They both have the rage though."

"Yes, bloody terrifying when angry, both of them."Both boys nodded thoughtfully.

"I want to dance!" Emerson yelled, her words slurring as she stumbled. She could barely walk and Hermione doubted heavily she would do much better at dancing.

"Booty music time!" Mike yelled happily and waved his wand. The room was filled with the sounds of "Now Drop" by Timbaland and Emerson shrieked with delight.

Her drunken stumbles were replaces with a gracefully seductive hip motion that seemed to entrance those boys that were not already occupied with Ryin. All of them seemed inclined to move towards her and dance with her but the first one to do it was one of the Weasley twins who grabbed her hips and began to move with her. There were many looks of contempt shot at him.

"This is ridiculous," Hermione crossed her arms and legs so tightly it looked as if she were trying to tie herself into a knot.

"Now now my dear, its all in good fun," Xander said.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"And nothing beats your proposal to Emerson, George," Xander said loudly, pointing to the droopy eyed twin who flinched slightly at the noise.

"Or yours, Fred," Nick laughed as the other twin rubbed his temples.

"By Saturday, our drunken Emerson was convinced she was marrying both twins,"

"Which neither would have minded," the table laughed feebly, as they all looked close to vomiting.

It had been an hour at breakfast full of Xander and Nick recounting the weekends drunken moments to the mixture of students in the hall, most were only picking feebly at toast and had only come down to breakfast to make sure that they hadn't done anything or anyone that would haunt them later.

Harry was resting a heavy head on his arm next to Ron who had two black eyes from his indoor broomstick race with Trippe that had resulted in him hitting the top part of a door jam. Hermione was fully capable of healing him but had refused, saying that it was his own fault for drinking and flying. He had been scared that everyone else that offered was far too drunk to aim correctly.

"Where is Emerson anyways?" Isabella asked as she looked around drowsily.

"I don't know, hasn't been down all morning," Mike shrugged.

"Awesome, that means I can have one last real meal before she goes all sugar Nazi on us," Alecks the chaser said and began piling pancakes on his plate.

"Maniyakal players, your diet starts today," Emerson had appeared out of no where and vanished the pancakes before Alecks had taken even the first bite. She placed an apple on his plate instead, ignore his groan. "Here are your training schedules. We don't have the pitch today so we'll be doing laps around the school starting at three."

"Flying?" Bridgett asked hopefully as Emerson handed out the schedules.

"No, running," Emerson said and the team groaned. "We will also be doing weight training tonight, all except Trippe who will be meeting with Professor Graciella for flexibility training. We will not be starting with brooms until tomorrow. Any questions?"

"Yeah, when's the wedding?" Nick said loudly and the table laughed.

"Oh, with my twins I suppose," she asked coolly. It appeared that opposed to the rest of the school, she was completely unembarrassed and non-hungover. "Well, I assure you that after we slaughter them this year, they'll be rethinking the engagement."

"As long as you keep dancing, that's doubtful," George said wiggling his eyebrows.

"How do you expect to last matrimony once I break every bone in your body?" she asked cheerfully and was pleased with their lack of response.

"How come she's so awake and happy?" Dean asked angrily.

"She is an anomaly," Xander answered.

"Has never had a hangover," Nick added.

"Gets up every morning before breakfast for Ballet,"

"Goes to sleep long after everyone,"

"Never complains,"

"Lack of sleep adds to the temper though,"

"And it looks like a harsh one this year,"

"Beware Gryffindors, beware."