The Carefree year

By Dueler312

Note: I Do not own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 12

Slughorn's Christmas Party

The rest of the first term was going by quick. Unfortuantely because of that, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione weren't able to have a good snog except before when they went up to bed. Otherwise, it was, Quidditch practice, hall patrol, or doing the mountains of homework that Flitwick, Clearwater, Lupin, or any of their other teachers had assigned. Harry and Ron had it easier than the girls, considering they had the same number of classes. Of the girls, Ginny had a little easier on the amount, but Hermione was able to finish her homework in either a day or two. Harry and Ron dare didn't try to ask her for help, because they knew Hermione wouldn't allow them to copy off her. Ginny knew that her brother and boyfriend were about to break apart from not asking Hermione for help.

December finally entered at last, with an early light snow that turned into a blizzard. That turned the castle into a white wonderland. The four were finishing up their homework they had from Lupin, as they had a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, when Ron looked at the window closest to them, hearing what were sounding like snowballs hitting it. Ron had enough and walked to the window and opened it.

"EXCUSE ME, I AM HEAD BOY AND IF I HEAR ONE MORE SNOWBALL HIT THIS WINDOW, I'LL- oomph," Ron withdrew his head with an angry and snowy look. "Those Slytherins are starting to be a nuisance," he rumbled as he closed the window and cleared his face of snow.

"Let me take care of this one," Ginny said as another snowball hit the window. She withdrew her wand and shouted, "Impervius," and waited. Sure enough, another snowball came up to the window, but it didn't hit it. Instead it went the other way and hit what sounded to be like Pansy in the face. She started cursing under her breath as she ran away, along with Crabbe and Goyle following her, as Ginny could see.

"I don't think we'll be bothered by the snow snakes anymore," she said. Harry and the others laughed as they finished Lupin's essay on how to spot a werewolf.

"Hey, why don't we go out there and have a little fun? And no, I don't mean getting revenge on the Slytherins," Ron said quickly as Hermione looked at him weirdly.

"Yeah, why not?" Harry asked.

"I'm with you guys. I need a break," said Ginny. Hermione just shook her head. She knew they should be studying for a mid-term, but she knew a break couldn't hurt. Finally she said, "All right, let's go outside and have some fun." It wasn't a second for Harry, Ron and Ginny to run to the dormitories to get their cloaks. Hermione just laughed as she went up to get her cloak as well.

The snow still hadn't melted as the four went into Hogsmeade the next day. Hagrid did something good though so the students could get through easier. From what they heard, he took a "Big" shovel, and plowed through the snow, making a clear path to and from the gates and the castle. They were glad he did that.

When they got into Hogsmeade, they went over their plans again

"Okay, we are all separating so we can do our Christmas shopping, then we meet around one at the Three Broomsticks, right?" asked Hermione.

"Don't worry, love," said Ron. "We got it in our heads." Hermione just smiled and pecked a kiss on Ron's cheek. Then he said, "All right, let's get moving. We don't got all day."

Harry and Ginny agreed as they split up, to buy their gifts for their families, and for each other, except Harry, who bought Ginny her gift during the last Hogsmeade trip.

Ron wanted to get something special for Hermione, so he went into the shop that Harry went into on the last trip, even though Ron didn't know it was the shop Harry visited.

Ron was looking around when he saw a beautiful bracelet that he thought would fit Hermione's wrist perfectly. Unfortuantely, he wasn't aware of the Permanent Sticking Charm that was placed on everything so it wouldn't get stolen. Ron tried to lift it off the shelf, but he couldn't get it off. He just then thought that a spell (which was true) was holding it there. He then went to the clerk and asked him.

"Excuse me, but I'm wanting to buy that bracelet over there," he said as he pointed to the bracelet.

"Sure thing, sir," the clerk said as he cast the spell canceling charm on the bracelet box. Ron lifted the box and took it to him.

"It costs 11 galleons and 3 Kunts, son," the clerk said. Ron didn't have any trouble with that. With his dad now the Minister of Magic, he had a good amount of money. He paid for the bracelet and had it put in a bag. Then he headed out of the store, where he saw Harry in another store, possibly shopping for his family and Hermione. He went in to see how much he got done.

"Got almost everything, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Sure do," said Harry. "And, no peeking. Got it?" he said to Ron seriously. Ron just held his hands in surrendering. And he looked around the store to see what he can get the rest of his family, and Harry.

Ginny was in the other part of town. She got presents for everyone except Harry. She still didn't know what to get him yet. She was thinking about it so much that she wasn't looking where she was going until...

"Oomph," she said. "Sorry. I didn't mean to, HERMIONE!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw whom she bumped into.

"You got to be a little more careful on where you're walking, Ginny," Hermione said.

"Sorry. I was just trying to figure out what to get Harry," Ginny explained. Hermione just sighed and said, "I got the same problem with Ron."

"Man, they get it easily because they know what we would like," said Ginny, "but we have trouble trying to figure what they would like."

"I know," said Hermione. She was looking around until she saw a ring shop two buildings from where they were. That's when Hermione's brain went to work.

"Ginny, I think our problem may be solved," Hermione said as she pointed to the shop to show Ginny what she was talking about.

"Hermione, are you talking about promise rings?" Ginny asked. Hermione just nodded, which made Ginny smile. They went in to the shop and up to the clerk.

The clerk, who was a woman, noticed Hermione and Ginny as they set their bags down and went to her. She asked, "Hello. What can I do for you, ladies?"

"Me and my friend are wanting to get some promise rings for us and our boyfriends, please?" Ginny answered.

The clerk raised an eye and asked, "I take it the rings are for their Christmas presents?"

Ginny and Hermione nodded with a little giggle, then the clerk ducked behind the counter, then reappeared with two small boxes of promise rings, both of them one for the male and for the female.

"What do you think?" the clerk asked.

"They would definitely love these, Hermione," Ginny said. Hermione couldn't disagree with her. They both paid for the rings and went out of the shop to rejoin Harry and Ron.

On the way however, the girls noticed that Neville and Luna were a little close to each other than they usually were.

"Do you think those two have gotten together?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe," said Hermione. They both made a mental note to not say anything until they told them, and when they got all the facts.

The days were starting to fly by fast. Before Harry or the others knew it, the last day of the term arrived, with it, the Christmas party that Slughorn invited them to come.

Of course, Flitwick let them play games because he couldn't get the Christmas cheer out of them. The only one who was working in the class was Hermione. The other teachers weren't so joyable on letting them play. They kept them working. All though Professor Lupin and Professor Clearwater were a little joyful and didn't give them homework.

Harry and Ron were waiting for the girls in the common room. Harry was wearing plain blue wizard dress robes, while Ron's dress robes were a darker blue. They were almost tempted to wear their dress robes that they had bought for the graduation ball, but pulled out of the idea right then and there.

The girls finally came down. Hermione was wearing plain silver dress robes, while Ginny was wearing light green dress robes. They couples linked together and went off to Slughorn's party.

It looked like everyone who was invited when they arrived. The dungeons were lit up with lights and there was laughter all around.

"Hey, there," Slughorn called over to them," don't just stand there, come on in." They all laughed and entered the party.

They started to have fun when they walked in.

"Hey, appetizers" Ron said as he went over to the food table. Hermione just shook her head and said, " I better follow him before he eats everything," and went off after Ron.

Harry and Ginny just laughed and shook their heads, wondering if there was a way to calm Ron's stomach.

"Looks like Hermione's on the food watch," Ginny said, smiling. Harry agreed with that.

"Hey there, I haven't seen you in a while," a voice said behind them.

Harry and Ginny turned around and saw that the voice was coming from Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunted the girl's bathroom on the second floor.

"Myrtle, didn't see you there," said Harry. Ginny was surprised that he knew her.

"How do you know each other?" she asked.

"Long story. I'll tell you later," Harry whispered in her ear. Ginny nodded.

"What are you whispering about?" asked Myrtle.

"Ginny was just wanting to know how you and me knew each other and I said I'll tell her later," Harry explained.

"Oh," said Myrtle, " Well it better be that, because I hate people to talk about me behind their back." And she floated away to meet the other guests.

"She's definitely sensitive about her feelings," said Ginny.

"Hey, just be glad its her instead of Peeves," Harry said as they heard a little racket of what sounded like that poltergeist messing around in a upstairs classroom.

He and Ginny decided to get to the food tray before Ron decided to eat it all.

"Ron, save some for the other guests," Hermione was saying to him.

"Hey, I am. It just taste so good though," said Ron. Unfortuantely, Ginny grabbed him around the waist and said, "Alright brother, time for your snacking to stop," as she pulled Ron away from the table. Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron was losing the battle against his sister.

"I'm going to have be careful with that appetite of his," said Hermione.

"Yeah, I'm wondering how his mom deals with it," Harry added as he and Hermione both laughed. They decided to take pity on Ron and rescue him from Ginny.

They actually had a good time. Slughorn actually had a professional Quidditch player as a guest as well; something Ron took interest with real quickly. Although he made sure to tell Harry that he was still going to be an Auror with him. Harry didn't mind. He actually got interested in it as well, at least a little. Ginny and Hermione knew that they couldn't keep the sport of Quidditch out of their boyfriends' minds, even though Ginny plays it as well.

Harry and Hermione were getting drinks for the four of them when they saw Neville and Luna in a corner, really close together.

"Hey, do you think that they got together?" Harry asked Hermione, nodding his head toward Neville and Luna.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Ginny and I saw them like that when we were heading back to you guys." That was partially true, because she and Ginny had Harry and Ron's Christmas present when they saw them, and Hermione didn't want to give him or Ron any clues about the rings.

Harry just shrugged it off, but made a mental note to keep an eye on those two friends of theirs.

It was nearly eleven when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went back up to Gryffindor Tower. They wanted to be up and ready so they can take the train ride back to London. Then they were going to apparate to the Burrow. Ron sent Pig a message earlier that day to let his dad and mom know what they were going to do.

They gave the password to the Fat Lady, manticore, (the password got changed two weeks ago) and went in sat down on the couch. They were really tired and wanted to get to bed.

"That definitely was a good party," said Hermione.

"Oh, yeah," Ron agreed. "It was good. I mean, we got to talk to a another Quidditch player," he started.

"Who was the first?" asked Hermione. "Krum," answered Ron. Hermione knew he got her on that.

"Ron," Ginny called.

"Of course though, the food was good as well," Ron continued, as he hadn't heard Ginny.

"RON!" all three of them yelled at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Pig is here with a letter," said Ginny. Ron turned around and sure enough, Pig was flying around the window. Ron ran over to it and opened it, and grabbed Pig before he fell down. Then he closed the window and brought Pig to them, and untied the note from him. Pig started to fly away, with Harry this time opening the window and letting him out before he caused too much racket.

Ron unfolded the letter and read:

Dear Ron and Ginny (and Harry and Hermione if you're there),

I got the note you sent and that would be good for me. I actually have got some shopping to do later on that day so it should be good. Bill and Fleur are staying with us for a while because of her pregnancy. They wanted to let you guys know that you're getting a new niece. You're father is a little surprised because mostly it just boys on the Weasley's side. Don't ask me. I don't know. Well, I got to go. See you tomorrow.

Love,

Mom.

"Looks like we're all set," Ron said. Ginny was a little shocked still.

"You okay," Harry asked to her.

"Yeah," said Ginny, "I'm just surprised that me and Ron are going to be an aunt and uncle to a girl." And she hugged Harry like Mrs. Weasley would. But luckily, Harry just hugged her back as he looked up and saw Ron and Hermione just smiling at them.

(A/N: Okay, Time for reviews everyone. I hope I get some good ones. One question though, do you think Neville and Luna will get together? A little mystery I'm planning to reveal in a while. In the mean time, you know what to do.)