Chapter Twenty—
The Party

"After you," Fred said, grinning widely at Meril. He bowed and swept his arm out before him, signing that she should enter the room—Hall Number Two. Meril did so, feeling a bit numb.

"What is this?" she wondered, her voice so soft she was nearly silent. In the center of the room there was a large, long table filled with a various array of foods. There wasn't very much, but it was enough for Meril to know that they would be soon joined by others.

The normally stone walls had been covered completely with photos. All the pictures were black and white and were of Meril doing various things. Some had her with her friends; others she was with her family; but mostly, she was alone, doing some crazy stunt or another that someone had decided to photograph.

She turned then and saw that there was a strip of photos that were not black and white. There were about thirty of these photos. Fifteen were her on her birthday, alone, blowing out the candles on her cake (well, except for the first one, where she was laying still, sleeping). Under that row, which took up the whole wall, there was a photo of her surrounded by the people who had spent the occasion with her. The only ones without Heather in them were her actual birthday, and then her thirteenth and fourteenth birthdays, when she had been away.

She slowly approached these photos, running her fingers along them. She felt something prickling in her eyes, and her throat was constricting. Quickly, she looked away and smiled brightly at Fred.

"What is this?" she laughed, staring up at the gold, red, silver, and blue streamers.

"Take a guess."

Meril laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is amazing; thank you!"

Without any warning, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. She stayed there for a while, burying her face into his chest, breathing in his scent. She liked his scent. It was a sort of mixture of firewood and laundry detergent. She had difficulties describing it, but that didn't make her like it any less.

"You're welcome," Fred answered after a long pause. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling slightly awkward, but soon found comfort in resting his chin upon her head.

Taking one last whiff of Fred's sweater, Meril pulled away and continued to look around. It was then that she found the two doors in the back. Curious, she turned back to Fred. "What's in these rooms?"

"Go ahead and have a look. I have to go check on some things."

Meril turned the knob on the first door and found another long table filled with food. Every square inch of the table was covered with food, covering most of the brilliant blue table-cloth that covered the long wooden table. Plates were floating magically above others so to give more room. She had to wonder why it was all back there and not in the front, but no one was there for her to ask.

Although her stomach was grumbling and her mouth was watering as she stared at the delectable treats served there, she stepped back and closed the door. It would be better if she waited for someone to give permission for her to eat then for her to simply assume it was alright for her to.

The second door was already slightly ajar. Thinking nothing of it, Meril gave it a little nudge until the gap between door and wall was wide enough for her head to stick through.

A small pile of presents sat in one corner. She grinned excitedly as she looked at them. So now there was no doubt that this was a birthday party. She was in the middle of wondering how they had had time to pull all of this together when she spotted movement in the corner of the room. Curious, Meril slipped into the room to see what had caused the rustling sound.

A tremendous amount of crepe paper sat in a heap there in the corner, moving. Meril closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fearing the worst. What if a giant moth was under there, moving its wings, just waiting for her to…

With a great shudder and a scream, Meril kicked at the crepe paper.

How easily she got carried away with her thoughts.

"Ow! What the bloody hell was that?!" a voice, muffled by the huge mass of crepe paper(which no one knew what to do with, anyway), screeched. Not a moment later, a head popped out from underneath that horrible mess. Her dark hair was covering her face, but Meril recognized her anyway. Her former happiness at the prospect of the party ebbed away, and she felt suddenly betrayed.

What was Jennifer doing at her party?

Instead of saying something, though, the two stared each other down, neither bothering to mask their fury with one another. Jennifer's reasons were that she had just been kicked rather hard with the toe of a boot, and Meril's was simply because Jennifer was poisoning her air with her existence.

"Why did you kick me?!" Jennifer snapped, slowly rising to her feet. She had such a snobby voice Meril wanted to kick her again—harder.

"Well why were you hiding under a mountain of crepe paper?"

"Why were you even in this room?"

"Why are you here at all?"

Jennifer narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. "You want to know why I'm here? Well so would I! I shouldn't have wasted my time on such an ungrateful little brat like you, but I did! And I am going to regret it. So if you don't get why I'm here, just go ask your annoying friends. I'm sure they'll tell you all about it!"

And with that, Jennifer Crisp whirled around, her long, black wavy hair whipping into Meril's face. And that was that. Meril resisted the urge to reach out, turn her around, and slap her senseless. She held her breath to contain her scream and exited to room, just as Fred was re-entering Hall 2.

"People are going to start coming, so can you go stand out there so you can be surprised?"

"Sure. But, um…could I ask you a question?"

"Yes, sure. In a bit. Come along."

Fred seemed distracted as he guided her back out into the busy main quarters of The Three Broomsticks. Out there, Lee and George were sitting at a table by the entrance. Fred pulled out a chair for Meril to sit, but didn't pull one out for himself. Instead, George got up to join Fred outside. Meril looked over at Lee and grinned.

"So it's just the two of us again, huh?"

Lee sensed the bitterness in her voice and smiled sadly at her. "They're just trying to make sure everything is right. They aren't going to abandon you at the party they threw for you."

"Well, you never know," was Meril's answer. She sighed and drummed her fingers on the table, looking around absently. She remained silent, and Lee did the same, not sure what to say exactly.

"They've spent a lot of time on this," he finally said, cringing as he did so. He wasn't supposed to say anything about the planning; the twins were supposed to be the ones who finally told her.

However, Meril didn't seem to put two and two together. She merely looked over at Lee with a soft smile that didn't reach past the corners of her mouth. "I'm very grateful. It seems very nice."

"It will be a lot of fun; you just wait and see."

"I never doubted it will be. Anything those two have something to do with is a blast. And you, too, of course," she added hastily. Lee grinned. She breathed deeply—not quite a sigh—before continuing, "I just hope they aren't going to be busy making sure everything is 'right' the whole time. I'm sure I will be. All I want is for them to hang out with me."

"Yes, yes I know…"

Silence. Again. Lee wasn't used to things being quiet where Meril was concerned. Meril wasn't used to it, either. She usually had plenty to say, but not nearly as much as Lee did. Yet there they sat, silent and unaware that people were spilling in through the doors in tight groups, heading straight for Hall 2.

"George came up with the idea for this party back at the end of last year, though he'll never admit it. He wanted something special to welcome you back; something huge. He told Fred about it, and Fred put it to action. That's how these things normally go, you know. They're a good team. Anyway, the two started scheming, trying to think of different places it could be and what could go on. Only a few of those original ideas stuck, though, when…" He stopped dead.

"When what?" Meril urged.

"Nothing. You'll find out soon enough."

"No! Come on! Tell me!"

"I can't!"

"Can't, can't, can't! Is that all any of you know how to say?"

Lee chuckled, shaking his head so that his dread locks gently whipped his face. And then there was silence again. Even though people were chattering excitedly all around them, neither heard anything but the silence at their table. Meril could hear her heart beating lightly in her chest and her thoughts pulsating in her mind, so loud and yet so quiet at the same time.

"So…George came up with it all?"

"Who else would have?"

Meril sensed that these words had a double meaning.

"It does seem to work that way…most of the time…."

"Yeah…He's gone through a lot to make this work; far more than he usually has to do. They were both so desperate for it to be perfect—especially George—that they decided to get help. But I am not saying anymore than that."

Meril stared down at her hands folded in her lap. Her stomach was in knots and her heart was beating far faster than it should. She could feel the blood rushing to her face and pressed her forehead against the tabletop so that Lee couldn't see the way she had reacted to that.

George wanted it to be perfect; he was afraid it would get messed up. George had come up with it all. It was disturbing how her heart reacted to the name alone.

This was bad.

The door opened again, bringing in two red-headed boys this time, the crisp air following quickly after them. Meril and Lee both looked up and stood. Meril rubbed her cheeks vigorously so that no one could see the blush she had still in her face.

"There are a lot of people in there now. Let's go make your entrance," Fred said, smiling down at Meril.

"Okay."

The four moved towards the party. The three boys completely encircled her. And, seeing as each was taller than her, even when she was wearing her heels, she was hidden. No one so much as caught a glimpse of her until they had entered Hall 2, when the boys disbanded, leaving Meril standing alone in the center of the room.

Now balloons were up, as was a banner which had been expertly drawn and designed by someone Meril didn't even know. Now there was also a small fountain with bubbles riding from the surface, and a bandstand. She had to wonder how it had gotten there so quickly, and also how it all fit with still some room to dance and move about freely.

Fred casually moved to the second door, the one Jennifer had been in, and knocked lightly on it twice. Then, moving back, he rejoined George and Lee and waited as at least two dozen people—and Jennifer—piled out into the room.

"Happy birthday, Meril!" they all belted, some far more enthusiastically then the rest. Meril smiled widely at them all.

"Thank you!" she called back to them. Her stomach grumbled again. Spotting the filled food table—which no one was touching for some reason—she moved forward and grabbed a plate. There were some nice looking sandwiches there. She reached for one, but before she could take it, someone grabbed her hand.

Without even looking up, Meril know who it was. Slowly, she turned her eyes on his smiling face.

"I wouldn't eat any of this, if I were you," George warned. His voice was completely serious, but his eyes were sparkling mischievously and there was a smile hidden in the corner of his mouth.

"Why not?" Meril demanded. Her stomach roared loudly, earning her some curious stares. George smiled down at her, his eyebrows raised. "I'm hungry."

"I see that," he laughed. He was still holding her hand, she noticed. "But still, you shouldn't eat that."

"Are you going to just keep saying that or will you explain why?"

George sighed loudly, as if the very idea caused him pain. However, he led her aside, his hand still grasping hers tightly, and, making sure no one was listening, he began to explain why she couldn't eat the food in the center of the room.

"We put that food there for those who are not invited to this…shindig, but decide that they would like free food."

"That's surprisingly nice of you guys!" Meril exclaimed, looking him up and down as if she didn't know him. Her tone hinted at her being both impressed and disgusted by this.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?"

Meril stared at him curiously. "What, is it poisoned or something?"

George laughed. "It's something like that."

"Wow, someone is letting me use my imagination today. Come on, tell me!"

"Patience is a virtue, child," the Weasley teased, poking her playfully in the nose as he did so.

"I'm no child! Tomorrow I am going to be fifteen."

"You're the youngest in the year; you're a child. Now are we going to argue about your age or shall I tell you what we did to the food?"

"The food."

"That's what I thought. Okay. We decided to test out some of our new products on these moochers. All of these have a spell or something on them, except for a few. They will turn you into things, make things happen to you, or just make you do things. We thought it would teach them a nice lesson. Don't you agree?" He smiled again at her; it was a malicious smile covered in sweetness.

"Oh, yes I do. And did you come up with that idea, too?" She smiled softly at him and gave his hand—he still hadn't pulled away, and she certainly wasn't about to; not when it felt so nice—a small squeeze.

"What do you mean?" he asked, truly puzzled. He tugged his eyebrows together as he always did when he was confused or thoughtful.

"It was your idea to throw me this party. It's always your idea. You are the man with the plan. The plan-man. The brains."

George blushed scarlet, making it difficult to distinguish the end of his face and the beginning of his hair. "Who told you?"

Meril rather hesitantly replied, "Lee."

"Yes, of course he did. What else did he tell you?"

"Nothing, really. Just that you thought of it and really want it to be perfect, and Fred was the one to get it all started, as usual. Oh, and that you got some help. But he refused to tell me anything else."

"How good of him."

"What else is there to tell though?"

George smiled down at Meril again. Every time he did that she swore her heart was going to melt in her chest. "You'll find that out soon enough."

Rather than say anything more, Meril wrapped her arms around his middle. She buried her face into his sweater and took in his scent. He smelt different from Fred. There was no firewood in his scent, but he smelt more like rain—or morning dew—with just undertones of laundry detergent. It was a natural scent, and Meril inhaled it as if it were oxygen.

"Thank you," she whispered into his chest, squeezing him tightly.

"You're welcome," he croaked. His voice cracked in several places, and it was more than obvious that he was uncomfortable, but he didn't want to move.

However, he had to when Jennifer stormed up to the two of them and tapped him demandingly on the shoulder. Groaning, since he already knew who it was, he untangled himself from Meril's grip and turned to face her.

"What do you want?" he sighed, defeated.

"Fred sent me to ask you what I should do now? Everything is set up and things are going well, I think. Do you need anything else, or am I free to go?" Her tone was sharp and heavily hinted at the leaving part.

"As much as we would love for you to leave, there is something you could do for us," George replied in hushed tones, glancing quickly at Meril, who was staring at them inquisitively. Sighing, he pulled Jennifer to the side. "You made a list of all the people we invited; I remember. Could you please go around, checking off the people who have come. And then, once you finish, go stand by the door. You could be like, a bouncer."

Jennifer glared at him, her lips tight and her light brown eyes narrowed. "Fine," she curtly replied. She whipped the invitation list from her pocket and set off on her task, muttering profanities to herself as she did so.

"What is she doing here?" Meril insisted when George turned back to her.

"We'll explain later. Why don't you go circulate, hm?"

"Circulate?"

"You know…talk to the guests. They're all here to celebrate your fifteenth. And for free food and entertainment. But, all the same."

With a final squeeze of the hand and a wink, he disappeared, giving her no option but to 'circulate' as he had suggested.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Meril hadn't a clue who most of the people in the room were, though they all knew who she was. She supposed that that was a good thing, considering they were at a party thrown for her, but still it scared her a little. How many stories had been told about her? How often had someone mentioned her name without her even knowing it? A million thoughts like these flitted through her mind as she pretended to listen to the chatter going on around her.

"Excuse me for a moment, please," Meril interrupted. She smiled slightly at the two people she was 'talking' to and then slipped off to find someone who she could really talk to.

Angelina and Alicia were by the stage, staring up with eyes full of wonder at the boys setting up. Meril didn't recognize any of these guys, either, though she did have to admit that they were rather dashing.

"Who are they?" she inquired, pushing in between Angelina and Alicia.

"We aren't sure. All we know is that they are the band that will be playing today. And they go to Hogwarts." Alicia glanced at Meril and flashed her a sly smile. Meril rolled her eyes and laughed.

"What?!" Alicia exclaimed. "Wouldn't you like to be able to see these gorgeous specimens of the male body again?"

"I wouldn't mind," Angelina muttered from Meril's other side. Immediately, Meril whipped her head around and stared, her eyes wide with shock, at her friend.

"Angie! That is so unlike you!"

Angelina merely shrugged, her eyes still following the members of the band as they set up their instruments. Although each dressed in a different way, they all wore a little pin on the collar of their shirts. Each pin, however, was also different.

The lead singer/guitarist wore a pin of green and silver; the bass player wore blue and bronze; the drummer wore red and gold; and lastly, the keyboardist wore yellow and black.

Meril eyed the singer again and frowned at the green and silver pin he wore. He looked up and smiled warmly; then, seeing where her eyes were looking, he frowned.

"Yes, I'm in Slytherin, if that is what you're wondering," he said loudly, his voice carrying the same sort of pride that all Slytherin's were expected to have.

"Oh, I know." She gave him another long look and then walked off, leaving the two Chasers to admire the band members on their own. She didn't want anything to do with that; not when there were plenty of people she still needed to talk to.

Like Oliver.

Her stomach twisted into knots as she looked at him, standing with just one other person. He was making small talk, but it was obvious to Meril that he wasn't even paying attention.

She had barely uttered two words to the guy since…the incident. She just didn't know what to say. That sort of thing had never happened to her before, and she just didn't know how to react. It would be too awkward for her to just walk up to him and act as if nothing had happened. She wasn't a good actress, and she would more than definitely mess up.

So Meril hovered between walking up to Oliver to talk and just walking away. But she wasn't the one who got to make the choice; Oliver caught her eye, and from there, it was all up to him. Whatever he decided, she would do.

"Excuse me," Meril saw Oliver mouth. He slipped between two people and made his way over to Meril cautiously.

Meril waited patiently for him to get to her, her mind whirring and her stomach twisting. What was she going to say? What was she going to do? She still liked him, but not enough. What if he still wanted to kiss her? Would he try again?

Her fingers unconsciously flew to her lips. She couldn't reject him twice; that would bruise his ego, and she wouldn't want to do that. He was, after all, her friend. And she had a crush on him; though she wasn't going to do anything about it. She wasn't.

"Hey," Oliver greeted rather huskily. Meril felt herself swoon as she listened to his accent. It had been too long since she had heard it; she already wasn't used to it anymore.

"Hi."

"It's been a while since we've talked," he commented, half-smiling at her. It was nice how he didn't take notice to the way these things affected her. It comforted Meril to at least be able to think that it wasn't that noticeable.

"Indeed." She tried to stick to one-word answers so that her voice had less chances of cracking.

"So are we…are we okay?" Oliver was so earnest that Meril was shocked. Finally, she smiled warmly and nodded.

"Of course we are."

"I'm sorry that I—I shouldn't have...without knowing if."

"Ollie—Ollie! Don't worry about it; there's nothing to be sorry about." Meril smiled warmly at him and touched his arm gently. "We're cool."

Oliver smiled brightly at Meril, his whole face lighting up. "Good. I'm glad." He paused and looked Meril over discreetly. "You look nice."

"Thanks. You do, too." And he did. He wore a tan, tight-knit sweater and jeans. His light brown hair was messy, and he was smiling a lot. Meril smiled slightly at him and turned to look around, already feeling the awkwardness sinking in.

"So, when is the first Quidditch game of the season again?" she eventually asked. Quidditch was always a safe subject with him. He could go on for ever and ever and not once would any awkward feelings settle in. Not with Meril anyway.

"Oh! The seventh of November, I believe. Either that or the fourteenth…"

"Oh! So it's pretty soon! You guys ready for it?"

Oliver seemed almost offended that she should even be asking that. "Of course we are! We've been training since before the season even officially started! We've known our strategy for just as long, and our opponents even longer than that! I think that the game will go just as we want it to."

"So do I," Meril agreed, smiling again at the Keeper. He returned the gesture, staring at her oddly, but when he was about to open his mouth to say something more, Meril's ears caught onto another conversation going on in the background.

A voice, so familiar--though Meril had only heard it a few times—that it irked her, said in a dull way, "Name?"

"Jennifer, you know my name."

"Just tell me, would you? I need to mark it."

Sighing heavily, the other girl answered, "Heather Louise Scarlett. Should I show you the invitation, too, or will I be permitted to enter now?"

"No, no; go ahead in now. I just need to find you on the list…alright!"

"Excuse me," Meril said, barely giving time for Oliver to respond before rushing to the door. She slowed as Heather entered, suddenly unsure of herself and what she was going to do. For so long, she had been wanting to make up with her best friend, and now here she was at her birthday party; surely that was a sign that she, too, wanted them to be on speaking terms again. If it wasn't, what would be?

Heather also seemed hesitant. Both hovered slightly where they stood, not sure whether they should move forward or not. Smiles flickered on and off of both of their faces.

"I was invited," Heather said at last. She fingered a small square of parchment as she spoke, as if to prove to herself that she had been, and she hadn't simply imagined it. "So, I hope it's alright that I…came."

Meril nodded. The smile she wore felt cautious even to herself. She touched the corners of her mouth and laughed, hoping to feel the change in the way she held her mouth. She did feel it; it was more relaxed, the way she always used to smile around Heather. She laughed again, nodding.

"Are you alright?" Heather guardedly inquired. She held the invitation closer to her and dropped her canvas bag on the flagstone floor.

"I'm perfectly fine! I'm just…don't mind what I'm doing!" Meril's grin widened, and she could feel how sincere and relaxed it was. "I'm just so glad you're here!"

Without a second thought, she threw her arms around Heather tightly. Not a moment later, Heather was hugging her back and both were babbling at one another, saying how stupid they had been and apologizing profusely.

"I never should have pushed you like that! It's all my fault!" Heather gushed, clinging onto Meril's shoulder and staring pleadingly into her face.

"No! I should learn to control my pride!" Meril insisted, staring just as ferociously into Heather's face.

"Either way, I am so sorry! If you don't want to admit that you're gorgeous, then that's fine with me! There's nothing wrong with modesty! I could learn from you!"

"Are you kidding me?! I could learn from you! I could learn everything from you!"

Heather's face dropped and she stared at Meril, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know! I can't explain it! It's just that…I am so blinded when I look at myself, and then I get annoyed because other people can see what I don't see; what I don't want to see! And you! You work that to your advantage! You know that people are watching you, so you just flaunt it and…I can't explain it, but I envy you! I wish that I knew how beautiful I was; or I let myself pretend I was beautiful or whatever! Just…you know?"

"Oddly enough, I do!" Heather laughed. "I understand what you're saying, even though no one else would!"

"That just proves what a special bond we have, that you could understand the nonsense I spew!"

"Yes; it does!" Heather agreed, giggling and nodding vigorously. Collecting herself, she glanced down at the canvas bag sitting at her feet. "Hey, where do I put the present?"

"Oh! I think that I saw some in the second room…over there." Meril pointed to the corner, where the two doors were located. There was quite a crowd surrounding the first, but the second with basically clear. Heather grabbed Meril's wrist and dragged her to the second room. Inside, the stack of presents had grown tremendously. Meril could understand why they got a room all to themselves. Treading carefully, Heather entered the room, leaving Meril staring in awe from the doorway.

"Where should I put mine?! There are so many bloody presents in here I can barely move!"

"It's unbelievable…"

"Who knew you were so loved, right?" Heather grinned widely and winked; Meril blew her a raspberry in return. "Now, seriously, where should I put this?"

"Anywhere, as long as it isn't fragile."

"Well, mine isn't fragile; I'm just hoping those ones on the bottom aren't! I just want you to be able to find mine and open it! Not first, but just at some point I want you to be able to find it. I'm afraid it will get lost; eaten alive in here!"

"Oh, don't be silly! Just put it down and let's get back out to the party! It looks as if the band is starting!"

"The band?!" Heather shrieked. Immediately, she dropped the canvas bag and jumped back to Meril's side. "My, those boys really did go all out, didn't they?"

"They sure did! I mean, look at this! It's fabulous! The food, the decorations, the entertainment! It's fantastic!"

"I know! They didn't over-do it with anything. Everything is just right to please you. They certainly know you well, wouldn't you say?"

Meril looked around at the room and nodded slowly. "Yeah…yeah, they do." Slowly, she moved towards the bubble-fountain. The bubbles kept floating up out of their; they never popped. Some wandered off to join the party, while others remained at the fountain. The brunette smiled as she leaned closer. Inside each bubble there was a quote, she noticed. Some were funny; some were wise; and others were just plain stupid. She even recognized some.

"Do you like the fountain?" someone whispered in her ear. Meril jumped, nearly whapping Fred and Heather in the face.

"Fred!" she shrieked, punching his arm; he grinned.

"Ha! I scared you!"

"No! You startled me! There's a difference."

"Oh, my! Startled! My bad, I'm sorry!"

Meril smirked. "We've had this argument before, I believe."

"Yes, I think we have…"

"No matter! It was just a reminder!"

"Yes, yes…So, you like the fountain?"

"Oh, yes! It's very nice. Smells good, even."

"Yes, yes. But what about the quotes?"

"Ah! The quotes!" Meril grinned widely. "They're very nice. Some seem familiar…"

"That would be because some are from your shirts."

"I would never put any of those stupid ones on my shirt!" She was truly offended by the mere thought.

"Ah, yes…Those are quotes from you, me, George, Lee, Heather, and other various people. There are even some from people we don't like. Those people always say the dumbest things, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, they do…And the wise quotes?"

"Well, clearly none of them are from any of us; or the people we don't like. Most are from famous people. Dumbledore...Merlin…you know."

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Well, I best be going now! People to see and such. The band seems to be having some difficulties, so I am going to patch those right up." He winked. "No doubt we'll run into each other again, fair maiden...and Meril." He winked once more. "Ta-ta!"

And with that, he was off.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Some time had passed, and the party was going excellently. Several moochers had wandered into the party for some free food and entertainment; they all quickly learned from their mistakes.

The first such people were Ron Weasley and his friend, Hermione Granger. Meril had been standing right by the door when they came in, so Ron quickly wished her a happy birthday and handed her a small parcel before rushing off to the food. Hermione, a bushy-haired girl, blushed, muttered a brisk "Happy Birthday" to Meril, and hurried off after him.

Meril moved to go warn Ron about the food, but then the twins and Lee appeared, evil smiles on each of their faces. They grabbed her arms and pulled her back, then dragged Heather back as well.

"Don't; this is why the food is there."

So they watched. Hermione, ever the polite girl, hung back as Ron filled his plate. He seemed to be saying how odd it was that so much food was there and no one was by the table; the food was delicious!

Fred and George seemed more than a little annoyed by the fact that he was eating and nothing as of yet had happened to him. This, however, relieved Hermione. She grabbed a small biscuit and carefully placed it between her teeth. The five huddled by the doorway watched with baited breath; each second awaiting what would happen next was torture. Finally, though, Ron's luck wore out. He popped a biscuit into his mouth and, not a second after swallowing, turned into a red rooster.

Hermione had swallowed her biscuit just as Ron had transformed. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream—but nothing came out. Her hands flew to her mouth, but she made not a sound.

The five burst into hysterical laughter, watching as Ron fluttered angrily about. Hermione looked mortified; she chased Ron around the table, still trying to make sounds with her mouth. She was bright red, whether it was from embarrassment or from trying to scream, no one watching was sure.

"Prime entertainment, that is!" George exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Genius!" Fred agreed.

Despite that fact, however, both brandished their wands and muttered a few words, pointing them at the poor third years. Slowly, Ron returned to his human form. Hermione's face was beat red, buried in her hands. She didn't even try to say anything at first, too embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Ron was on the floor, his long legs stretched out before him. His hair was all tousled and he looked angry and embarrassed all at once. As soon as he realized he was human again, he jumped to his feet and glowered at his brothers.

"You...you…"

"What is it, Ronnie?" Fred taunted, a large grin fashioned on his freckled face.

"What are we, ickle Ronnie-kins?" George cooed.

Ron's ears were so bright they appeared to be on fire. He pressed his lips tightly together and shook his head, knowing full well that whatever he said, his older brothers would find fault in. Hermione, on the other hand, furiously stomped towards them.

"What kind of horrible trick is this?" she shrieked, pointing at the food table. She was red in the face, and Meril could have sworn that her temple was throbbing. "All Ron came in here to do was give Meril a birthday present! So he was hungry, and so he went to grab a little something to eat! You didn't have to turn him into, into a rooster!!"

"Calm down, Miss Temper," Fred chuckled. "We didn't do it to him, or you. The food did."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "The food? Really? And who, who made the food do that?"

"We did." Fred indicated George, Lee, and himself with his fingers, a proud smile on his face.

"And yet you didn't just humiliate your brother in front of a room filled with older students?"

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione! You clearly don't get it. See, that food is for the moochers who come in uninvited. Yes, he did give Meril a present; I see that. However, you two were also uninvited. And I would have stopped you, honestly, but see, George and I wanted to see how it worked out. So now you two are free to get some of the real food; it's in the back, where everyone is, and then leave!"

"Sounds good to me," Ron grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Meril smiled sympathetically at him; he shrugged in response, then went to go grab some food. Hermione cast the twins one last look before sighing and following him.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"I want to see the invitation," Meril decided. She, Heather, Cedric, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie Bell were all sitting in front of the stage, listening to the obscure music that 'The Hogs' were playing. The three Gryffindor chasers were going back and forth between staring admiringly at each of the band members and staring longingly at Cedric, who seemed awkward and out of place. Heather clung to his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were relaxed shut, and it appeared that she was sleeping.

"I didn't bring mine," Angelina and Alicia both said, barely sparing her a glance. Katie couldn't even be brought to look away from the 'beautiful musicians' on the stage.

Heather grumbled something, but didn't move. Cedric carefully stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a square of parchment. It had clearly been folded a few times, but Meril smoothed it out on the floor before her.

"Thanks, Cedric," she said, smiling up at him. He nodded in reply, absently playing with the ends of Heather's hair.

"'It will begin at ten in the morning, and will end at whatever time you leave,'" Meril read to herself in a whisper. Her lips barely parted, and her fingers traced the words.

"Hey, Cedric?"

The boy slowly lifted his head to look at her. "Yes?"

"Why does it say that the party started at ten o'clock in the morning? I didn't even leave Hogwarts until eleven. And then I didn't get here until, like, one or something. And no one was even here then."

Cedric smiled. "Jennifer made these invitations, as you can probably tell. But then she made the mistake of giving them to the twins to send. They wrote some notes on all of the invites." He pointed at the bottom line, and then turned the invitation over. In the middle of the square, it said 'Party will really start at two-fifteen in the afternoon.'

"How did they know that everyone would look at the back?" Meril wondered. Cedric cocked an eyebrow.

"Obviously, they didn't. And there were those that didn't look at the back. I heard people muttering about that. Jeez, Meril, you know them better than I do. You should have known they would try to trick people."

Meril grinned. "Yes, I should have…"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

What time was it? Meril had no clue, but she knew that the party had been going on for a few hours now, and most people had gone back to the castle for the day. But not those who were at the party.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please!" George said loudly, stealing the microphone away from the Slytherin singer. "We noticed that most of the food in the back is gone—and quite a good deal from the front, as well." He paused, grinning as he thought about where that food had gone. "So we decided that it's time to bring out the birthday cake—and the presents. Fred; Lee!"

On cue, the two came out of the two attached rooms. Lee carefully carried the huge birthday cake out into the room, placing it on a table directly in front of the stage. Fred followed behind him, pushing a wheel-barrow of gifts in front of him.

"Candles?"

Lee pointed at the cake, and fifteen candles appeared out of nowhere, making a border for the sheet-cake.

"Incendio!" he whispered fifteen different times. One by one, the candles were topped with little flame hats that shimmered and danced, casting a dim light all about the cake.

"Meril?" George called out, searching the room for the petite girl.

"Present!" she called in response. Her hand shot into the air and she was grinning like mad.

"Come on up to the cake now!"

The sea of people parted as Meril and Heather made their way to the front of the room. George jumped down from the stage to join them, narrowly avoiding landing in the cake. He dragged a cushy chair over to the table, placing it right beside it. Then, gently, he took hold of Meril's elbow and led her to the seat.

"Your Majesty," he murmured. He held her hand as she sat, kissing her fingers tenderly and then winking. Meril's face burned and her heart was beating so fast and loud she was afraid that everyone could hear it.

Fred, George, and Lee surrounded the sheet cake, each holding up a wand. Meril glanced at the cake before the destroyed it. It was extremely long and covered in brown icing. The Gryffindor crest was in the center of the cake, surrounded by small symbols representing Meril; a broom, a needle and thread, a cauldron, potion ingredients, a Dungbomb, and a smiley face. Underneath the crest there was a silly quote that she had worn on a shirt once.

She smiled softly at it. They put so much work into this whole thing. It was so unexpected of them; yet, because of that, it was expected. They were always surprising her.

The three boys lowered their wands, and as they did so, the band started up again. What they played was a horribly familiar tune to Meril, and she felt her breath catch in her chest.

Oh, dear God. Please tell me that they didn't! Meril desperately thought. She shook her head violently, but no one paid her any heed.

The band continued playing the intro, though it was a little longer and a little more rock-and-roll than normal, and then the singer leaned into the microphone, his fingers still strumming on the guitar.

"Happy birthday to you," the Slytherin sang; his voice was beautiful and silky, but even he couldn't make this song sound good. "Happy birthday to you!" He paused, rocking out with the guitar as his bandmates continued. "Happy birthday dear Meril, happy…"

He stopped, the keyboardist played a solo filled with happy, yet hardcore, notes.

"To."

Here, the drummer got his chance to shine.

"You."

The bass player shook the walls with his rocking strings.

But the song didn't end there. As soon as the bass player's solo ended, the guitarist/lead vocalist picked it up again with the other three echoing everything he sang. "I said happy, happy birthday!...Happy birthday to you!...It's your fifteenth birthday!...Happy! Birthday! Tooooo…"

But before the Slytherin boy could finish up, someone else stole the limelight. "You!"

All the heads turned to the older man who had just stepped through the doorway. He had longish blonde hair and was dressed in clothes that looked a bit dirty, but Meril had never been so happy to see him in her life. She jumped from her chair and ran to him, pushing everyone aside as she did so.

"Bradley!" she shrieked.

"Meril! Come here!"

She leapt to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's been too long," she commented.

"Yes; it has." Gently, he pushed her away and grinned. "I stumbled in for a drink and I heard these fellows crooning away. It reminded me that tomorrow is your birthday, so I came to check it out. A lucky thing I have been carrying your present around for a while now, eh?"

Meril grinned. "You didn't have to."

"And trust me, he wouldn't have if I hadn't reminded him," Heather said from behind Meril, smirking. "Hey, Brad."

"Come here, sis!" the man ordained Bradley called out. The blonde girl, grinning widely, stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're disturbing the festivities; come on and settle down, join us!"

"Are you sure that's alright? That uptight chickie by the door was giving me a hard time. I had to force my way in."

"It's fine; right Fred? George?" Meril stared expectantly at the twins. Slowly, they nodded assent. It was obvious, though, by their expressions that they weren't exactly pleased by it.

Bradley and Heather sat down by Meril's chair as the ceremony continued. Cake was passed around—the largest hunk, of course, going to Meril. And then, as they all indulged themselves, Meril received more gifts than she had ever even dreamed of.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Lee had gotten Meril an astronomy set, with star charts, zodiacs, a telescope, and clips from muggle newspapers on horoscopes. Scott Gunderson got her something similar—a divination book on reading the stars to tell your future.

Shane O'Gorman got Meril a whole potion set. There were at least a hundred different ingredients, two books filled with all sorts of potions, a collapsible table with a built-in stove for easy potion-making, and a cauldron.

Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie Bell all chipped in and bought her a broomstick.

"It's not a Firebolt, but it is the second best broom out there right now," Oliver said as Meril stared in awe at the Nimbus 2001. She ran her hand over the smooth wood and grinned.

"It's perfect."

Then, they each got her another, smaller present. Alicia bought her a cute pair of pajamas—"So you don't have to walk around in boxer shorts and a tee anymore," she explained. Angelina bought her a book of all sorts of short stories. Katie had gotten her a beautiful necklace, and Oliver decided that she should own some stuff to care for her new broom.

Hayley Dobson, Meril's roommate who could sleep through anything, gave her a set of pills that allowed you to control your dreams, as well as a book filled with pre-made dreams. Caitlin Haelstrome, Meril's final roommate whom she always forgot about, got her a set of encyclopedias.

Wow, I'm sure my trunk will like these, Meril thought, forcing a smile at Caitlin, who then left the party, just as the other people whom Meril wasn't friends with were doing.

She ended up getting a lot of the same things; items from Zonko's, the best chocolates and candies from Honeydukes, and a lot of other stuff she was sure she would never use, but appreciated anyway, like teas from Madam Puddifoot and weird knick-knacks.

Most of the party had disappeared by now, leaving only a few people who had decided to stay to see her open her last gifts. There was a sea of wrapping paper and tissue paper around her feet, as well as a couple large sacks of gifts she had received.

The only gifts left were those from Heather and Bradley.

"You go ahead first, Heath. I want mine to be last," Bradley said, giving his sister a little nudge forward. Heather snorted in reply and flipped her hair into his face.

"It doesn't matter if it's last; it won't be special," Heather teased, sticking her tongue out at her older brother. He smirked in response.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

Heather grabbed her canvas bag and extracted two parcels from it. One was a rather large, box shaped wrapped meticulously in sparkling paper. The other was smaller, rectangular, and looked like it had been crushed a bit, going by the wrinkled paper.

"Here is your birthday gift," she said softly, handing over the large box. Meril smiled back and slowly tore off the paper, dropping it onto the heap on the floor. It was a box, just as she had thought, but inside there was fabric and thread and designs and a How-To-Design-Your-Own-Clothes book. Meril's grin broadened as she looked all through it.

"Heather! This—this is amazing!" she croaked. "I've wanted to do this for so long! I…thank you!"

"Not a problem; I can tell you where I got it all later. But first, you have to open this." She handed her friend the smaller parcel, a sad smile taking over her face.

"It isn't a birthday present," Heather warned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Meril was confused. "Then…what is it?"

"Just open it."

So she did. Meril tore of the paper and removed the small books from the remains, holding it carefully in her hands. The top one was a book filled with wonderful quotes from all sorts of people and occasions. The second was a beautifully bound journal. She opened it and read the note written on the inside cover.

"'To fill with your own thoughts and quotes. Hopefully one day these will be published in a book like the one I gave you, and people like you will wear them on their shirts.'" Meril felt tears prickling in her eyes. She swallowed hard and simply stared at her best friend.

"Heather--" she began, but the blonde cut her off, crossing and uncrossing her arms over her chest.

"I got them both for you in September—when you hurt your arm." She indicated to Meril's still-bandaged arm (why it was still wrapped up, Meril had no clue). "I came to the Hospital Wing, but you were awake and hanging out with the guys, so I…I just couldn't give it to you. I left, but you followed me out anyway." She laughed, rubbing her forehead. "I am such a chicken, aren't I?"

"No; you're not." Meril placed the gifts on her chair and hugged Heather. "Thank you so much; I love it all."

Heather smiled. "I knew you would." Then, turning to her brother, she smirked. "Can you top that, Bradley?"

Bradley sighed. "I am not sure. But hey, I can give it a try." He strolled forward, holding his parcel loosely.

"Here."

It was a photo album. Only half of it was filled. All of the pictures were of Meril and Heather, and their families and friends. Fred and George were in a number of them; Lee was in some; Cedric was in a couple; and Angelina and Alicia both made an appearance or two. But for the most part, it was dedicated entirely to Meril and Heather over the years.

"You guys get to fill in the rest," he said. "And maybe, some of those pictures will be taken--" he paused, digging in his pockets for an envelope, "—here."

Inside the crumpled envelope he handed her were two tickets. Meril stared at them curiously, Heather gazing over her shoulder, and then gave out a loud gasp.

"Oh my gosh! Bradley!" she shrieked, throwing her arms in the air. She jumped to her feet and danced over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and pecking him on the cheek. "I can't believe that you—Brad, you are amazing!"

"I know," he wistfully responded, staring into the air.

"Meril—what is it?" Fred asked, cocking an eyebrow and making his way over to them.

"Brad got me and Heather tickets to the Weird Sisters for the end of June! Isn't that amazing?!"

Meril and Heather were absolutely glowing; Fred flashed a smile.

"That is nice," he agreed.

"Well, I hope you two will enjoy them. But I need to go now; the party is ending anyway, it seems." He grinned. "Come here, Heath—give your big brother a kiss."

Heather hugged him, pecked his cheek, and then turned away to go talk to Cedric, who was waiting patiently for her, half-asleep, in a corner.

"Thanks Brad."

"Not a problem."

"I can't imagine what you must have gone through to get them."

He laughed bitterly. "You have no idea. But I thought you deserved a nice birthday present; more than just a scrap book, anyway."

"The scrap book is nice!"

"Well, yes; it is. I take pride in it, but yeah. You know…"

"I do."

"Kiss?"

"Of course!" She pecked his cheek again. "I hope to see you again soon."

"Same here, darling." He smiled. "Good-bye, all! Thanks for having me here! The cake was delicious!"

Fred, George, Lee, and all the others waved good-bye. With that, he apparated right out of there, leaving nothing but some smoke and a ringing in everyone's ears.