A few days later, Harry was true to his word and had another party. This time, just with a few of the old members of the DA. George and Angelina were impossible to reach. However, the Patils were back from visiting relatives in India and they came along with Dean, Seamus, Ginny, Luna and Neville. Ron and Hermione set up a sort of bar in the corner of the parlor while Harry tried to clean a bit. Really, it seemed like no matter how much a person cleaned Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place though, it'd never be clean.

They started out by sitting around and talking and sipping drinks. Meanwhile, Luna conjured butterflies and fireflies to fly around the room. It didn't take long for the boys to break off from the girls and head down to the kitchen—Seamus and Ron were hungry.

"So, how was India?" Hermione asked Parvati. They were sitting together on a smaller sofa off to the side of the room while Luna danced to the music amongst her flying bugs. Ginny and Padma talked a few feet away.

"It was nice. Same thing every year," Parvati shrugged. She was watching Luna dance. It was hard not to—she was trying to catch her butterflies as she moved. They didn't want to be caught. "Hey, is Harry with Ginny again?"

"No, I think they've decided to be friends," Hermione said with a question in her voice.

"Really?" Parvati said, her jewelry jingling a little as her gaze found Hermione again. "That's interesting. I always thought they'd get back together."

"They may still."

"Mm. You know," Parvati said, leaning toward Hermione, "I always had a thing for Harry."

"Really?" Hermione tried to sound more interested in this than she was.

"Why do you think I went to the Yule Ball with him in fourth year?"

"I thought he put you off when he was totally rude to you the whole time though?"

"Well," Parvati shrugged and her jewelry jangled again. "He was only fourteen then. A lot has changed."

"Well, that's true."

"Speaking of, congratulations by the way on getting engaged. I always knew Ron had a thing for you. The way he always looked at you."

"Thank you…"

"So I think we ought to do another drinking game, just us blokes," Seamus said.

"I'm not playing that 'Never Have I Ever' again," Harry said immediately.

"Alright, fine, not that one," Seamus said, "No, what we should play is Beer Pong."

"That's just a regular muggle game," Dean said.

"So what? What's wrong with a muggle game?"

"How about let's play Sack," said Dean.

Seamus immediately conjured paper bag and pointed his wand into each, muttering under his breath.

"Sorry, what's 'Sack'?" Ron asked, watching Seamus.

"You pick a strip of paper from the bag. You have to do what's written on the paper or take the consequence," Dean explained. "If you don't follow the dare exactly, huge ugly boils will sprout all over your face and body until you do the consequence or the dare."

"Oh, you know I saw a bottle of Horasinthe somewhere in one of these cabinets," Seamus said, grinning wickedly. He paced down the kitchen and opened a few of the cabinets as he spoke. "The consequence will be that you have to do a shot if you don't do your Sack." Seamus found the bottle of Horasinthe and wiggled it.

"If it's been sitting for years, I don't know how safe that'd be," Neville said, shaking his head, "I wouldn't want anyone ending up dead."

"Ah, Horasinthe won't kill you," Seamus said, "It just makes you hallucinate."

"No, it definitely can kill you. It's made from the Moldovan Horasco plant. It's pretty strong stuff and if it sits it can become concentrated," Neville said, raising his eyebrows. "Though, there is a spell to do to test it… let me think…"

"Got the bag ready?" Dean asked Seamus. Seamus nodded as Neville did the spell to the Horasinthe.

"Well," Neville said, shrugging, "It seems safe. It didn't turn green…"

"Horasinthe it is, then," said Seamus.

Upstairs in the parlor, there were tens of butterflies and fireflies. Also, it appeared that Luna had also conjured some strange pink and purple glowing flowers. They were sitting on the mantle, on the piano, and floating overhead all over the room. The candles had all been extinguished. Also, there was now Weird Sisters music playing—this last was Ginny's doing.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Padma said to Ginny.

"I'm surprised there's even any food down there, what with Ron living here. If they're not back soon, maybe we'll go down and make sure they haven't poisoned themselves on molded cheese or something. Just in case."

Padma laughed.

"Are we sure we don't want to involve the girls?" Ron said as they all sat down at the kitchen table around the paper sack. "Might make things a bit more interesting."

"Nah, Sack can be sort of dangerous," Seamus said.

"Dangerous how exactly?" Harry asked.

"Not scared are you, Harry?" Seamus said.

"Don't be thick," Dean said to Seamus.

"I'm just not keen on unnecessary risk," Harry shrugged.

"Since when?" Ron laughed.

"Right, I'll go first," Seamus said. He picked a strip of paper from the first bag. "Run naked," he said, "around this house for two minutes."

"Damn, Seamus, no one wants to see you naked," Dean said shaking his head. Seamus had already stood and was taking off his clothes.

"Then avert your eyes, mate. I didn't make it up." He was already mostly naked. "Who's timing this?"

Neville shook back his sleeve and revealed his wizard's watch. "I'll start timing when you start running."

"Right, bye!" Seamus said, smiling and he ran upstairs, pulling his pants off as he did.

"Should someone follow—" Neville started but then the girls all screamed. The boys laughed.

They listened as he thudded through the house. Hermione yelled something at Seamus and then he came thudding back down the stairs.

"That's two minutes now," Neville announced as Seamus reached the table again and started pulling his clothes back on.

"Right," Seamus said, buckling his belt, "Shall we go in a circle then?"

A few of the boys shrugged or nodded.

"Clockwise? Am I next?" Neville said.

"Yeah, you go," said Dean who would have been next if counterclockwise.

"Right," said Neville. He reached into the bag. "Do a strip tease for Mrs. Black's portrait for one minute."

"Seamus, do these all involve nudity of some sort?" Harry asked.

"Possibly. I don't know. That spell you do on the paper sack makes up possibilities based on the circumstances and people playing. Pretty wicked, huh?"

"Yes, wicked," Harry said flatly.

"How will anyone know that I'm even doing it?" Neville said as he stood.

"Right, should we send someone to watch?" Seamus wondered aloud.

"I suspect Mrs. Black will let us know when he's started," Ron said. Neville left.

"Going to use the loo, be back in a tick," Ginny said to Padma. She started upstairs and heard someone ahead of her. Looking up, she saw Neville reaching the landing of the first flight of stairs. She continued up, assuming that she'd simply have to wait for Neville to use the toilet first.

But then, as Ginny reached the first floor landing, she saw that Neville had drawn open the hangings to Mrs. Blacks portrait. As she'd just witnessed Seamus steak through the house, she immediately knew that Neville was about to do something at best humorous, and at worst mildly odd. She hung back in the shadows and waited a moment. Neville was about two metres away but didn't seem to have noticed her.

"Right," Neville said to the painting. Mrs. Black's portrait eyed him beadily. He started to sway his hips.

"What foul mockery is this—" started Mrs. Black. Neville reached for the hem of his shirt. Ginny pressed her fingers against her mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

Downstairs, the boys listened as Mrs. Black began screeching and wailing about besmirching this most ancient and noble house. A short moment passed before Mrs. Black was muffled, most likely by the drapes.

Neville ran down the steps with his shirt in his hand and his trousers unbuttoned.

"How'd it go?" Ron said, laughing as Neville buttoned his trousers again.

"That was so embarrassing," Neville said, shaking his head. He pulled his shirt back on. "Ginny had followed me up and saw me. She said she had to go to the loo…" Neville's cheeks were crimson. "Come on, Harry, your turn."

"Fine," Harry said, shrugging. What was the worst that could happen? "Drink a swig of Veritaserum and answer any question for three minutes."

"Oh that's boring," Ron said immediately.

"Yeah," Harry said, "I agree."

"You could pull another one," Neville offered.

"No he can't," Seamus said, "the sack only lets you have one until you've had the consequence."

"I'm not drinking Veritaserum," Harry said, "Especially stuff that's been sitting around in a pantry here."

"Well, it doesn't go bad as far as I know," Neville said slowly. Harry glanced around, thinking fast. He thought he should just drink the Horasinthe, but would that be too obvious that he was hiding something? Of course, if he drank the Veritaserum, then it would be completely obvious that he'd been hiding something, assuming that they asked the right questions.

"Well, Harry?" Dean said. "Pick your poison then."

"Ha-ha," Ron said sarcastically.

"Er, Horasinthe," Harry said finally.

"Really?" Seamus said, surprised. "I thought famous Harry Potter was an open book."

"He probably doesn't want to answer questions about Ginny in front of Ron," Neville said. Dean looked away as though he hadn't heard this.

"I wouldn't have asked," Ron said.

"I might have," Seamus said grinning. Harry had an overwhelming urge to punch Seamus, who was pouring a shot of Horasinthe for him.

Harry gazed at the murky-white liquid, lifted it in a sort of cheers-salute to the others and then downed it. It tasted like milk that had gone bad and burned his stomach.

His vision blurred for a moment and then came back into focus, though he hadn't taken his glasses off.

Ron was next. "Take the hand of your favorite person in this house and Apparate to Big Ben and come back."

Everyone watched Ron for a moment. "But," he said, "but… I don't think I should Apparate when I've been drinking."

Harry suspected that Ron wasn't sure whether he was supposed to take Hermione or him along. He was relieved that no one else seemed to notice this as a possible problem.

"Ah, you have to drink a shot of Horasinthe then, too," Seamus said.

"Fine."

Everyone watched as he drank it.

"See? I'm fine," Ron said, gritting his teeth.

"How's it?" Dean asked, glancing between Harry and Ron.

"It's kind of strong," Ron said, the bitterness still evident on his face. But then he stood up. "I want to fly."

"You don't have a broomstick," Harry said, standing up, too. Ron then lunged to the ground and did a handstand.

"I can walk on my hands, look!" He did. He walked the length of the room on his hands and then walked back to the group on his hands. Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"That'll be the Horasinthe kicking in," said Dean unnecessarily.

"I really think I can fly without a broomstick, Harry," Ron said as he sat cross-legged on the floor.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea."

"Why won't you let me?"

"Let's finish our game first, shall we?"

"Oh, yeah. Alright."

"I wonder why Harry isn't acting strangely," Seamus said.

"Everyone reacts differently to it," Neville said.

"It's time to fly," Ron proclaimed from behind Harry and stood and hurried up the steps. Harry followed Ron up the steps, as did (by the sound of it) the rest of the boys.

At the top of the steps, Harry saw Padma and Ginny standing in the doorway to the parlor.

"Excuse me," Harry said loudly. He felt like he had just drank Liquid Luck and was under the Cruciatus Curse simultaneously. "I have an announcement to make," Harry said. He moved to the middle of the darkened parlor, next to Luna. A butterfly landed on his shoulder. "No, I don't. Yes, I do. No I don't."

"What's wrong with him?" Ginny asked.

Harry wanted to explain but instead he said, "I need to tell you that—no I'm not going to say that out loud." It was as though his brain had a mind of his own and every secret wanted to come flooding out of him.

"He's fighting the Horasinthe he just drank," Neville explained to the girls. They all looked to Neville with varying degrees of fear and surprise.

"I don't have time for this. I need to fly," Ron announced and left the room. Harry made himself try to follow but it was as though his feet were trying to wade through water. He pushed himself with every step.

"Ron, what do you mean by that? Fly? Whose broomstick—"

"No broomstick, 'Mione. Don't need one."

"What? No. That doesn't make sense."

Ron kept walking even though Hermione was trying to stop him by grabbing and dragging his arm. He quickly broke free of her. "Please don't. You could break your neck," Hermione said, running after him. She pulled her wand out from her pocket. Everyone else followed behind her. Ron was walking determinedly out the front door and down the steps.

Out in the street, where Death Eaters had once stood watching this house, Ron stood and flapped his arms.

"Not enough wind," he said glancing around him. Seamus laughed. Harry finally made his way outside behind everyone else.

"Are you looking for feathers to help you fly, Ron?" Luna asked.

"Yes, of course I am, Luna," Ron said, shaking his head. "But there aren't any. I need to get somewhere up high. Then I'll have enough wind."

"Oh Merlin," Ginny said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ron, no!" Hermione said at the same time. Sparks shot from her wand. Ron was already hurrying back toward the house and attempting to climb up the gutter. He was making surprisingly good success.

"No, if I petrify him now, he'll fall… You shouldn't petrify someone on Horasinthe…" Hermione said to herself, she was looking down at the pavement as though she was trying to read words written there. She held her wand aloft, pointed at Ron.

"Could I have your attention please?" Harry asked aloud. "There's something I need to say. No there isn't." Parvati and Padma were both standing with their mouths agape.

"We'll have the muggle police on us if we're not careful," Dean said.

"We are going to toss that stupid alcohol out," Hermione said. She still had her wand pointed at Ron. Harry supposed it was in case he fell.

Ron had made it to the second story windows.

"Ron, get down, you stupid prat," Ginny called, though it was clearly useless.

"Ginny!" Harry yelled. She startled.

"Harry, keep fighting it," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Are there any spells you can think of that we can do now? As a sort of preventative measure?" Hermione muttered.

"You know," Neville said, standing with his hands on his hips as he gazed up at Ron, who was continuing to climb up the third story drain pipe, "My family punted me out the window when I was just a baby to see if I'd bounce. It's an old test to see if a child is a witch or wizard. I bounced. Maybe he would too."

"From three stories?" Padma asked.

"I'll do arresto momentum," Hermione said.

"He's going to be fine," said Seamus, "Look at the bloke! He's having the time of his life."

Ron had reached the roof. He was four stories up.

"Don't do it, Ron!" Hermione called. Her eyes were shining with tears.

Harry was rethinking his friendship with Seamus… "Seamus you're a prat!" Harry spat.

"I can fly!" Ron shouted and then jumped from the roof.

He seemed to fall in slow motion for a second and then seemed to sort of float like a cloud to the ground.

"Who was doing that?" Ginny asked after Ron safely reached the street again. Ron lay down on his back and looked up at the sky with his hands tucked behind his head.

"I didn't," said Harry. Everyone else shook their heads.

"The alcohol uses the magic you already have to make you do things that you wouldn't normally otherwise do. It makes you bolder but also stronger. He saved himself," Hermione explained. "I'm just surprised that… well I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…"

"Interesting," Ginny said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I think I've had enough fun for one night," Padma said. "G'night. See you at school." She and Parvati Disapparated.

"Yeah, thanks for having me, Harry, but I think I'll turn in as well," said Dean. He too Disapparated.

"Right. Well," Seamus said, smiling, "Before Hermione decides to hex me, I'll be off as well. G'night all." And with that he Disapparated as well.

Everyone else started back inside.

"Wait! Ginny! There's something I need to tell you!" Harry yelled. And then, "No there isn't!"

Ginny turned to face him. "I think I'm going to head home too, actually. For your sake Harry." She Disapparated.

With that, Luna and Neville headed off to a pub and the party was over. Once she magically bound Ron and magically gagged Harry, Hermione led them back into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

After an hour in the kitchen with Hermione drinking tea and staring at the two of them, the alcohol seemed to have worn off: Harry had stopped trying to shout at her and Ron had stopped struggling against his bindings.

They had a quiet cup of tea, apologized to Hermione and then went to bed.