AN: I would recommend a bathroom-break now, this is long. Pretty much Bill in here, I'm not sure why... And I don't own any of the brands, music or stories brought up here, I just fiddle around with them.
"That's all?" Kevin asked the two brothers as Charlie was fastening the clasps on the backpack.
"Blankets, drinks, CDs, hot-dogs... Yeah, sure," Bill said where he was sitting on the kitchen table of the Burrow.
"Then let's go," Kevin said with a nod and they went out the door, Charlie with the backpack. "Bill, how is it to have graduated?" she asked and Charlie snorted.
"Great," the eighteen-year-old answered as they headed towards the forest and just for fun he levitated a twig.
"Show-off," Charlie muttered.
"Hey, I can legally do it and if you keep whining I'll un-invite you," Bill retorted.
"When did you invite me? I invited myself and you wouldn't have let me come unless you were too lazy to carry this yourself." Charlie lifted the bag off his shoulder and threw it to Bill, who dodged it with a grin. It didn't take long before the older redhead was trapped in a headlock.
"Guys," Kevin tried as Charlie ruffled Bill's hair, tugging parts out of the band. The girl sighed before jumping up on Charlie's back, gripping one arm around his chest and the other around his head.
"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed as she wriggled on his back, making him laugh as she hoisted herself higher and reached down on Bill's head. The older brother was fighting to get loose, but Charlie had him too hard and he gave up, panting.
"You can let me go now," Bill said after a moment.
"Nope," Charlie answered and Kevin tightened her legs at his sides.
"Maybe you should, he's turning purple," she said and shook her golden hair back. Charlie let go and Bill stood up, feeling his pulse in his temples as he fixed his pony-tail. "And now he have to take the bag." She laughed, the motion carried to Charlie's ribs and he smiled at the tickling.
"Why?" Bill asked as he placed the backpack over one shoulder.
"'Couse Charlie can't carry both me and that," she said and twisted her hands to hold better.
"And what make you think I'll carry you all the way?" Charlie inquired and tried looking into her face, but she was too far behind.
"You're a gentleman," she said teasingly. He rolled his eyes, of course he was happy to have her close, her cool skin almost burned him as he took hold under her thighs. "Who's actually coming to this party?"
"Not sure, Francis, Eddie, Jason and Gerry at least and probably a whole lot of others," Bill said and stepped over a fallen tree.
"Hope we have enough beer," Kevin said with a snicker.
"They should bring some themselves and Gerry stands for the music-thing," Bill told them.
"Boom Blaster," Charlie said.
"Almost, Boom Box or Ghetto Blaster," Kevin corrected him.
"Anyway, it have two speakers and plays music," Bill said with a groan.
"Some of them have four speakers," Kevin said with a sly smile. "Do they know I'm coming? I kinda got the impression it was a boys only party."
"I told them and they should know you're a girl," Bill said and his eyes got misty for a moment. Unlike most rumours and gossip the story of him and his daughter had ceased off and most had agreed Kevin had been with several men at the same time and just put the blame on Bill or even that he had been lying and hadn't slept with her at all.
"Do they even know where it is?" Charlie asked. "I mean, I don't want to use the night running around and finding lost idiots in the woods."
"No, several of them have been up there before so it should go fine," Bill said.
Soon they arrived in the clearing and Kevin jumped down, hit a sharp rock and swore before sitting down on the grass-clad ground to inspect her foot.
"You just had to go barefoot," Bill sighed as he opened the backpack to take out and return things to its natural size.
"No, I just had to hit the one sharp stone here," she retorted as she got up again and stared out over the lake. It wasn't where they usually were because the water was murkier and muddier, but the shore had a thin strand of sand instead of just rocks and more grass to party on. They heard foot-steps from the other side of where they had come out and soon Eddie Hammock, Jason Steed and a couple of others joined them.
"You found it?" Bill asked and got to his feet, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.
"No, we're still stuck at my place," Jason retorted as he put the black bag down on the ground. "Merlin, you have some plans." He had spotted the well over thirty green bottles of beer.
"Well, I have a feeling we're gonna be more than this," Bill said, still with a grin, he didn't mind if they all got really pissed.
In the course of an hour they were suddenly twenty young men in the clearing, the bonfire had been lighted and Def Leopard was booming in the warm summer air. Most had taken a beer and Kevin and started up some dancing.
"Pour some sugar on me!" At least five guys were singing with her, trying to prove they were loudest. She shook her head amused and ran over to put her bottle down beside Charlie.
"Come!" She insisted and took his hand loosely before heading down to the water. She had wrenched off the t-shirt and skirt before he came up behind her. He was about to say something to her when she got rid of the knickers, someone wolf-whistled and she was in the water. "Come on!"
"Why?" he shouted back, not seeing the hastily stripping threesome behind him.
"Because it's good! You haven't gotten shy, have you?" She grinned and he unbuttoned his jeans just as three of his friends run past him, stark naked, and threw themselves out. Kevin laughed as Jason lifted her up and threw her farther out. She swam back and tried tickling his ribs.
"That won't work on me, sweetie," Jason told her and bent down to make her sit on his shoulders. She didn't protest and squealed as he shot back up. Charlie walked towards them, trying not to stare too long at her at a time, still unable not to glance at her tits every few seconds.
"Hey, can we get some Kiss here?" Eddie shouted to the guys nearest the Boom Box.
"Yeah, I'm sure Tommy can kiss you," someone shouted back as the CD was changed.
"Oh, this is good," Kevin said as the music started.
"Can you sit still up there?" Jason reached up to hold her hands as she did a wriggle of her hips and Charlie caught himself staring again.
"Nope, too good a-music," she retorted. A second later Jason let himself fell back, taking her with him under the surface. When they emerged she was mad and he was laughing. "Are you crazy?"
"Crazy, crazy, crazy nights," he sang and she joined his laughter as she made her way to between Eddie and Charlie.
"I'm safer here," she stated.
"Sure about that?" Charlie looked over at Eddie for a moment and got a small nod. They took hold of her elbows at the same time and she tried tugging free before they hurled her forward. She dived in almost willingly and stayed under for a while.
"Where did she go?" Eddie asked as they began looking around for where she could have surfaced.
"Dunno," Charlie said, about to get worried when a searing pain shot across his left knee. "The hell!" he shouted and bent down to drag her up by the wrist before she could swim away. "Did you bite me?" he asked as she coughed and spluttered.
"No, I'm not insane," she said as she attached herself around his neck. "I scratched."
"That's much more sane," he muttered as he wrapped his arms around her. He felt her cool breasts and nipples to his chest, her flat stomach to his and her crotch just inches above his own. Thankful the water was way up to his waist he swallowed hard.
"You have some strange spots here," Eddie said and ran two fingers over her back.
"Oh? I thought I had masked most of them."
"Yeah, they're pretty faint. Some lines, too," he commented as his hand reached the small of her back and Charlie cleared his throat.
"Yeah, just so you know, never complain about detentions to me," she said with a giggle, even though she didn't find it funny. "Actually I have something to show you." She let go of Charlie and he released her, accidentally brushing her against his erection. He blushed, but she didn't notice as she had turned towards Eddie.
"What is it?" he asked and took a step towards her.
"You'll see when we get there," she retorted and bit her lip, making him grin.
"Fine, where is it?"
"Just around the corner here." She began swimming and Eddie followed, almost passing her before they turned around a bend.
"Well, then we won't see them for a while," Tommy said airy.
"Why?" Charlie said dumbly, still thinking about her touch.
"Five galleons they're gonna shag," Jason said, startling Charlie for a moment. Of course that was what she wanted. With his friend, not him. Never him.
"I'm going up," Tommy told them, hoping he wasn't the only one.
"Yeah, beer would be nice," Jason agreed and they headed up on the shore. "Coming, Char?"
"Think I'll chill here some more," he said.
"You're hard, aren't you?" Jason snickered.
"Fuck you," Charlie retorted as his friend was very right.
"Nope, you can't," Jason said as he began dressing. Charlie began swimming, soon arriving at their usual bathing spot and sat down on a rock. He still had water up to his waist and looked down on his erection.
No one was around and he could just hear the music had gone over to Sex Pistols as he gripped around himself. Kevin could have been with him now, sitting across him and burying his shaft deep in herself. He held the picture of her chest and bouncing breasts in his mind. Her eyes burning with desire as she moved on him, her hip rocking them hard together. His hands on her firm bum as she gripped his biceps. He was panting, he just needed to come, just needed to get it out of his system. Pressure was building up in him and he took a deep breath as she shouted his name in ecstasy.
She planted her lips to his and moved down to his chin and neck before leaning back again and he started rubbing her soft breast hard. Played with the nipple. She moaned and rocked faster, making him groan and tighten the muscles of his back.
His semen mixed with the water and he absently wondered if it could fertilise frog- or fish-eggs and create some sort of mutant. No, that's stupid, he thought as he rubbed his forehead and leaned back a bit.
"Are you sitting here all by yourself?" Bill said and Charlie jumped before seeing his brother walking towards him.
"Guess I am," Charlie answered. "What are you doing here?"
"Thought you may be here. They have started with the food, interested?" Bill sat down and crossed his legs.
"You bet." Charlie crawled up and Bill handed him the balled-up clothes. The younger grabbed around until he found the briefs.
"Merlin, I can't wait to move out," Bill said as his brother stood up to pull them on. "For one I don't have to have my name on my underwear."
"Well, this is just the initials," Charlie argued and pulled out the waistband to show off the CW written by their mother in permanent ink.
"Still," Bill muttered. It was the whole deal with living with eight other people, it was always noisy, always crowded. On the other side, he would probably miss it, especially Ginny, she was so young and sweet now and she may be as old as he was now before he got to spend some real time with her again.
"Coming?" Charlie asked when he was clothed again. "Hello?" He snapped his finger and Bill came out of his thoughts again. "Where were you? Egypt?"
"Not for another couple of weeks, little brother," Bill retorted and got to his feet. They didn't talk as they went back to the rest of the party, most of them huddled together the fire and attempting not to scorn the hot-dogs. Charlie went to the backpack and got out a knife, ripped off a fitting birch-branch and made it sharp before looking down in the backpack again.
"The sausages're over here," Jason called to him and he nodded, ripped open a plastic bag and took a couple marshmallows with him before heading to the fire. He took a hot-dog and threaded pieces of that and the marshmallows on the stick.
"Dude, it's good like, one by one, but together?" Johnny said in disbelief as Charlie found a place with hot ember to cook it.
"It's even better with beer," Charlie said and easily caught the bottle Rob threw to him. Since no one knew exactly where the bottle opener was Charlie decided to use his teeth, almost chipping one, but got a small applause as he took the first swig. The music started hacking and Tommy, sitting closest to it slammed his fist to the Boom Box.
"Yeah, that'll help," Bill said sarcastically as he got up and turned it off, taking out the CD to see if it was scratched. He held it towards the light of the fire and shook his head. "It should be fine." He put it back in and turned it on, hearing it was just as bad.
"Maybe the batteries are bad," Johnny shot in.
"Can't be, I changed them today and I've played it at max volume for three hours or something before and it have been fine," Gerry said.
"We'll just let it rest for a while," Bill decided. Charlie saw his food was ready and lifted the stick up, hearing someone taking a bite of it over his head.
"Hey!" he shouted and whipped around to see Kevin, still naked.
"It's good," she said. "Now, who took my clothes? I would like them back as I want a smoke... Which is in the backpack anyway." She sat down and half-crossed her legs, hopefully covering herself a bit.
"Accio smoke," Jason said, whereas he was rewarded with a face-full of the smoke from the fire. "Not accio smoke," he coughed.
"More like accio cigarettes," Bill said and the pack soared into his hand and took one before passing the pack towards Kevin. "And can't you get in trouble for that?"
"Nah, turned seventeen in March, you know."
"When?" Kevin inquired as she got the pack, much more empty than she had expected, several of the guys had allowed themselves one.
"Twenty-second," Jason answered as Charlie finished his marshmallows-and-hot-dog mash.
"I'm twenty-third," she said exited.
"Sweet. How old are you?"
"Not nice to ask a woman about her age," she retorted with a grin.
"You work with dragons, don't you?" Eddie asked, remembering Charlie had mentioned it more than one time.
"Yep, and this pal is completely crazy when he get to come with me," she said and hit Charlie friendly on the arm.
"I'm not crazy," he said as he lighted a smoke.
"Not? 'Kay, see there, did you see that? It almost killed him! So cool!'" she imitated her friend and his ears turned red, it had been pretty accurate. "But it is cool. Not the almost being killed part, mind." Several heads was being nodded slowly. "What happened to the music?"
"Battery's flat," Johnny said with a shrug.
"Try it again now, please! I wanna rock and roll all night," she said with a wicked smile and the blond boy got up, turned it on and the music started. He stopped it to change CD and Kevin bounced up to dance as the song she had requested started. Charlie grabbed for his beer, but didn't find it and turned to see if Kevin had it. She did, but Jason had a bottle of something else he now sent around and it landed in the hands of the redhead.
"Vodka?" Charlie asked before taking a big gulp.
"Yesh," Jason said as he got to his feet to join the dancing. Charlie turned to watch them and warm his back as his face had gotten rather hot now. It took a while for his eyes to get use to the dark and someone snatched the vodka from him, but he didn't mind as he saw Kevin rub her naked, pale body to Johnny, then Bill, the latter gently pushing her away and she moved to Jason.
"So, you're crazy about dragons?" Gerry said in his thick Irish accent as he sat down beside Charlie.
"I'm crazy about her," he muttered back and regretted it the moment the words were out.
"So I've heard," Gerry agreed. "She looks good."
"I've known her practically all my life," Charlie said absently and drank from whoever's bottle stood next to him.
"Why don't you make a pass?" Gerry asked, not seeing what good it was to just drool over her.
"I have, she just doesn't want me." Charlie was getting gloomy and looked down on the grass he pulling up strands of.
"Why not? You're handsome enough," Gerry said and Charlie had to see if he was kidding or not. No, Gerry wasn't flirting with him, just commenting. Charlie knew some girls had been interested in him, he just hadn't returned it at all. "But if she doesn't want to, why don't you just move on?"
"Easy for you to say," Charlie muttered darkly and went back to pulling at the grass. Bill came and sat down beside his brother, passing a bottle of rum to them. "Jason's?"
"Uh-hum. It'll be strange not going back to Hogwarts," Bill said and leaned back on his arms.
"It'll be strange not having you there," Charlie told him.
"You'll get Fred and George instead," Bill said and chuckled.
"I'll be committed to the mad house before Christmas." Charlie barely dared thinking of how much trouble his brothers would get into and how hard he would have to work to convince their mother it wasn't his fault.
"Mum's survived eleven years, I think you can do two," Bill said and took another smoke. Charlie stretched for it, but his brother took the pack out of his reach and they used a minute on a play-fight over it before Bill gave it to him.
"I won't survive two days with those snot-rags," Charlie said and shook his head before lighting the cigarette.
"Okay, who is these hell-makers?" Gerry asked at last.
"Our younger twin-brothers," Bill told them.
"The kind that thinks see-through plastic-wrapper over the toilet is hilarious," Charlie filled in.
"It was fine when it was just plastic, it's worse now they have learned a shield charm that won't let water through, but everything else," Bill said. "You don't know it's there before piss is splashing everywhere."
"Sounds fun," Gerry said.
"No, it isn't when you have a date and are already late, she's downstairs and your one good pair of trousers are soaked. I had to borrow Percy's, our other brother, and just make them bigger first. To make matters even worse said hell-makers was with my date and Mum in the kitchen, telling stories I don't want shared about my childhood. It's a miracle I scored that night." Bill chuckled again.
"So you're five brothers?" Gerry asked.
"No, we're seven in all," Charlie told him. "Bill, me, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and our sister Ginny."
"Is that her full name?" Gerry asked, fascinated by their family.
"Nope, it's Ginevra Molly," Charlie said. "Middle name after our mother."
"Unusual, but pretty" Gerry commented.
"So thinks William Arthur." Charlie glanced over at his brother.
"Yes, I do, Charles Eugene," Bill retorted. Charlie summoned the marshmallows and found his stick before he turned and began piercing them. Gerry couldn't keep himself from laughing.
"What's so funny?" Charlie asked as he stuck the white sweets into the fire.
"Your names," Gerry said and turned too. "Not that I have a right to laugh at them." Still he couldn't stop. "Charles Eugene!"
"It's after Mum's father," Charlie retorted a bit annoyed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Gerry said and tried sobering up.
"And why don't you have a right to laugh at them?" Bill asked, feeling it was something juicy behind it as he turned and took the first marshmallows from Charlie's stick, which was now sticky and a bit burned.
"My name isn't any better, in fact it's much worse."
"Let's hear it," Charlie suggested with an evil grin.
"Fine, but promise not to laugh."
"You laughed at mine, hell too if I'm gonna laugh at yours!" Charlie dragged two pillows of the stick with his teeth and looked at their friend.
"Fine... Gerard Valentine." For a short moment the two red-haired brothers just stared at him before they all began roaring with laughter.
"Valentine," Charlie choked out where he was laying on his back, clutching his stomach. "Gerard Valentine!" Bill too had put his arms over his stomach, he was laughing so hard it hurt.
"It's right, your birthday is the fourteenth," he got out as he doubled over.
"I know, my parent's are idiots," Gerry said. "My sister's Magdalena Clamydia!"
"No!" Charlie shouted where he was writhing, if he didn't stop soon he would wet himself. But he couldn't stop, it was too hilarious! "Seriously..." He gasped between cramps and finally regained enough control to sit up.
"I think we'll stick to calling you Gerry," Bill said and rubbed the stitch in his side.
"By the way, why Bill and not Will?" Gerry asked.
"Will Weasley? Don't think so," Bill said him with a smile.
"But you could do a really cool signature-thing, just one W and..." Gerry was cut off by his own yawn.
"Can still do it, if I use William," Bill said. Honestly he only used it to formal things as that was just what it seemed, too formal for every day use. Someone kneeled down behind Charlie and two arms went over his shoulders.
"Hi," Jason said, sounding like he had had enough to drink.
"Hello to you too," Charlie answered as Jason put his cheek to his.
"I have to shit," Jason informed them.
"So go into the woods there," Charlie said and waved his hand in the general direction.
"Can you go with me?" Jason asked.
"Why?"
"It's dark and what if I meet some animal?"
"They would hear you and run away."
"What if it's a really big animal, like a bear? Or a Grim, I don't want to die!"
"It's neither bears or Grims here. Seen a dragon a couple of times, though." Charlie couldn't keep himself from grinning.
"Then you have to come with me, you're gonna be a dragon tamer with Kevin and I can't ask her."
"Okay," Charlie groaned, not bothering with the whole deal that it was called Dragonologist. Jason released him and Bill summoned the paper they had brought.
"Kinda small?" Jason asked when the roll was handed over. Bill tapped his wand to it and it returned to its original size. "You're coming too, Gerry." The three boys got up and disappeared down the thin trail.
"It's dark here. Lumos," Gerry said and made a thin beam they could walk by.
"It's the middle of the night, what d'you expect?" Charlie commented.
"Far enough," Jason decided and pulled down his jeans.
"Jay, that's the middle of the track! Can't you go a couple of feet off it?" Charlie said and Jason backed up to a tree.
"Damn, it's hard to shit when you're drunk," Jason told them after a minute.
"Nice to know," Gerry said.
"And do you have to stare at me?" Jason said in a strained voice.
"Not staring," Charlie said and looked away for a moment before planting his eyes on Jason with a mad expression, making the hunched down man snort in amusement. Charlie turned around and opened his fly.
"Hey, you didn't need to turn away," Jason said.
"No, but I'm gonna piss, wanna watch?" Charlie retorted and let his head fall back. The stars were just visible through the canopy.
"Something I've been wondering, what is it with girls and going to the bathroom together?" Gerry asked after a moment.
"I don't know," Charlie said and sighed.
"'Couse I don't really have any desire to see you pissing and shitting," Gerry continued.
"I don't think they go together to shit," Charlie said and closed his jeans again.
"Do girls shit at all?" Jason asked. "Not the pretty ones?"
"'Fraid they do," Gerry said in mid-yawn. "Are you done soon?"
"Don't stress me," Jason snapped.
"Valentine," Charlie muttered with a chuckle. The conversation had stopped and the other two just waited until Jason took up the paper. Soon he was dressed again.
"Oh-huh," Charlie said as he stared into the forest.
"What?" Jason asked alarmed.
"I think it's a dragon," Charlie told them.
"What do we do?" Jason's voice had gone shrill.
"Run!" Charlie shouted and that was just what they did. He was last of the three, Jason was scared out of his mind and tripped several times, but in the end stumbled into the clearing, making Gerry and Charlie run into him, the latter knocking them all over.
"It didn't get us," Jason panted.
"No," Charlie said and Jason realised he was laughing.
"It was no dragon, was it?" Jason rolled them off himself and sat down across Charlie. "Want me to hit you?"
"Go on," Charlie gasped with a wide grin. Jason took to pound his fists to Charlie's chest, only making the redhead laugh more at the fuming face.
"What's going on here?" Kevin asked as she stepped up to them and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
"He tricked me and scared the shit out of me!" Jason told her.
"Hey, you got the shit out all by yourself," Charlie said as Jason gave up and got up. Kevin dragged Charlie to his feet. "You got your clothes back," he noticed.
"Yeah, Frankie-boy thought it was hilarious," she said dryly and offered her beer to him. He took it and drained it. "And that was at least half a bottle."
"What can I say, I like..." He held it up to read the label. "Heineken!"
"Good for you," she said and they went back to the fire where some had found the blankets and wrapped themselves against the breeze.
"And they fought hard," Francis said, not stopping in his story. "Blackbeard and the captain, while the blood shot from the pirate's neck. Several came running, but it took an hour and many gun-shots before Blackbeard fell down, assumingly dead. But the captain wasn't sure he was dead, so he cut off the head and hoisted it up next to the pirate flag before dumping the body in the sea. The headless body swam three times around the ship before sinking... Still people report of seeing the ghost body swim around there, glowing faintly just under the surface and even hear him roaring 'where's my head!' It's also sometimes a light there, known as Teach's light." His voice had gotten lower towards the end and everyone listened intensively.
"That is creepy," Tommy agreed.
"But just how would he roar if he didn't have a head?" Kevin asked, not spooked.
"I don't know, some ghost magic," Francis said.
"I think it's just some muggle superstition, I mean, think of Nearly Headless Nick," Bill said.
"What about him?" Johnny asked.
"Just... Forget it." Bill didn't bother to use an hour on arguing with them now.
"Not exactly how I have heard the tale before, either," Kevin said.
"Do you have anything better?" Francis asked.
"Yep, called the Bells." She lowered her voice to get the right atmosphere. "There was a priest, a rather evil priest. He feared neither God nor man and terrorised the people into paying the fee for the Mass. Soon he had gathered a chest-full of gold and killed a man with cold blood to guard his treasure, burying them both.
"He would come back some day to claim his gold, but in the meantime the Inferi was to watch over the spot. So it happened that the evil priest, who also was trained a wizard, fell ill and died before he could tell anyone the placement of the treasure, but on his deathbed his last words where a gasp of 'follow the bells'. The Padre watching him didn't hear this, but the sweeper in the hall heard.
"Some nights later the sweeper clearly heard bells and looked over on his wife, who haven't been disturbed by the noise. He came to think of the priest mention of the bells and decided the sound was for his ears only. Carefully he followed the sound up on a ledge and saw the ghosty bells hanging in mid-air, indicating a spot directly under.
"The sweeper had brought his shovel and dug until he hit something hard and got the small chest out. He broke the lock with his shovel and opened it. His eyes widened as he saw the gold, for he was a poor man and this would be enough to provide for his family for many years. Then he heard the moan, 'mine...Mine!'
"As he turned he saw the skeleton of the man, walking with arms stretched towards him, eye-sockets burning with blue flames. The sweeper yelled out and got to his feet, fleeing all he mastered back to his house. When he was safe behind locked door he remembered the shovel he had left up on the ledge. He didn't dare going back now, even though it was an expensive shovel.
"The next day he slowly walked back, constantly looking at the hole he had dug, which now was filled and the chest gone. Carefully he looked around, listening for any movement and ready to run. He saw the shovel at the top of a tall tree, but he had no means of retreating it. He was about to turn back when seeing a glimmer in the grass where the chest had stood the previous night and grabbed around in the tall grass, still watching the spot of the freshly dug earth. He pulled up two gold coins, some the Inferi had missed. He pocketed them and hurried home, where he was able to send his oldest son to school and still have enough to buy a new shovel. Still, many nights he would hear the bells calling him back." The ring around the fire had gone completely still, everyone staring at her.
"Wow," Charlie breathed at last.
"Spooky," Jason said, shivering.
"Any more of my marshmallows left," Charlie said to get their minds over on something else. The bag was thrown to him and he picked up one of the wooden spears to heat them.
"Hey, we got chips too," Bill remembered and accioed them to himself. Soon the talk had moved on to girlfriends, gossip and quidditch.
"Where did Gerry go?" Charlie asked after a couple of minutes.
"Here," Rob said and pointed to a snoring mass on the ground.
"Put a blanket over him or something," Kevin suggested. Rob sacrificed the quilt he had around himself and tucked it loosely around Gerry. "How cute." Charlie yawned and stretched. "Sleeping may not be a bad idea."
"Aw, it's only..." Jason tried looking at his watch. "Half past... Three."
"Time sure flies," she said and got up to fetch some more blankets.
"But I wanna see the sunrise," Jason complained.
"You won't see it here anyway," Charlie told him and Kevin came back. Charlie took one of the blankets and laid down, staring into the embers as she laid down in front of him and scootched her back to his chest.
"That okay?" she muttered as she felt his warm body next to her. Instead of answering he put his arm around her. He would wake up tomorrow with a boner, but he'll take that problem later.
--
Charlie awoke sore and cold, but at least flat. He stretched his arms forward, not hitting anyone or anything. He opened his eyes and sat up to look around. Kevin was squatting down at the edge of the clearing and he rolled his shoulders as he turned back to the fire, which had gone out long ago.
"Just had to pee," she told him when she sat down beside him and took the blanket around herself. She threw some wood on the ash and found her wand, making it blaze up before she summoned a glass. "I'm hungry," she informed and he placed his hand in hers, feeling the cut, but didn't mind it greatly. Soon the glass was half-filled and she healed it, leaving a small scar.
"I'm hungry too," he realised. She got her wand again and a tiny frying pan and a pack of eggs soared into her hand. She returned it to the right size before cracking two of the eggs in the pan and held it over the fire as she sipped his blood.
"Take this," she said after a minute and gave the handle to him. He took it and yawned, dragging his other hand over his face. She gave him a wooden spatula and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Was the only thing I found." He turned the eggs and rested the pan a bit down on the charring wood.
"We're the only ones up?" he asked and watched a red drop on her pale purple lips. She licked it away and he followed the tongue's movement with his eyes.
"Yep," she said. His food was ready and he put it down on the grass, finding the plate and fork she had brought.
"We have some cleaning to do here," he said as he gazed out on the sleeping men and the countless bottles littering the area, some of them broken. They didn't say any more while he ate, just enjoyed each other's company. Several stirred and some rolled over, but only Bill woke properly in the next couple of minutes.
"Oy, headache," he said as he sat up and put a hand to his temple.
"That's what you get after being pissed," Kevin said with a smile as the former Head Boy crawled towards them.
"Oh, do you say?" Bill commented acidly and laid down with his cheek to her cool lap. She began picking leaves and other rubbish out of his hair and he grumbled.
"Want something to drink?" she asked and he sat up again.
"Not if it's beer." Bill couldn't remember them bringing something else to drink.
"Lake water," she said.
"'Couse that's not dirty at all. Okay..." He didn't mind now, it was still water. She got up and Bill slowly moved over to Charlie, then he had something to lean on. Charlie offered a fork-full of eggs and Bill chewed it thoughtfully.
"We had fun, though," Charlie said.
"Yeah, we did," Bill agreed.
"And Steed's gonna be much worse than you." For some reason that fact comforted the older a bit. Kevin came back, carrying the glass with both hands. Bill took it and saw it wasn't too bad before drinking.
"See, I'm shaking," she said and held out her hand. It was quivering viciously and Charlie wrapped his fingers around her palm.
"Why?" he asked.
"Dunno, just happens some times." She knew he had seen it before and he hadn't got a more satisfying answer this time either. The cloud parted, allowing the sun on them.
"No, not now," Bill groaned as they all shielded their eyes.
"At least it's warm," Kevin commented.
"I can't see a damn thing," Charlie said and blinked several times as his eyes began to water.
"You know, it's your hair-colour, redheads are more affected by sharp light," Kevin told them.
"And you?" Charlie said as his eyes were getting more used to the light.
"I used to have reddish hair, a long time ago," she said. She couldn't fish out a precise memory, she just knew it.
"Oh, great..." Bill had clenched his jaw and sweat was breaking across his forehead. "I'm gonna be sick."
"Come." Kevin stood up and hauled him to his feet, he staggered before Charlie got up and they got him away from the others. Bill supported his palms to his knees and licked his lips several times, resisting the urge to put a hand over his mouth.
At last his stomach turned and he fell to his knees, barely missing the puddle. A new wave hit him and he realised his bladder was full. He began fumbling with his fly, but couldn't get it open and Charlie had to help him. Bill was pissing, vomiting and panting, at the same time he tried staying conscious.
"Bloody hell, I feel like crap," he said when leaning back and got Kevin's arm around his back.
"You look like crap," she said and looked into his blood-shot eyes. They helped him up again and got him back to the fire where he laid down slowly with his head in Charlie's lap.
"Would it sound too whiny if I said I want Mum?" he asked after a moment.
"She would yell at us for getting drunk," Charlie noted.
"You're right, I don't want Mum," Bill said as just the thought of her bellowing made his head throb. A couple of others had sat up, obviously nursing their own hangovers and Kevin leaned on Charlie's shoulder.
"When do you think they'll all be up? Noon?" she asked airy.
"Perhaps, if we're lucky," Charlie answered. "With some Felix Felicis we could even get them to help cleaning."
Thus no luck-potion most of the guests vacated the spot without even folding their blankets during the afternoon. Kevin and Charlie had taken to cleaning when half of the guys were gone, Bill laying still in the grass, slowly feeling his headache ease and smiling at an party well done. Not even Kevin's squeals when she and Charlie play-fought in the water could make him look up.
"You know what?" she said when they were drying in the sun.
"No," Charlie answered, memorising every last drop running off her body.
"We should have more parties like this." She smiled and it rubbed over on him instantly, tugging his lips into a grin, they definitely should.
