Chapter 15 Butterbeer for Ten
Harry and Draco entered a crowdy Three Broomsticks. The condensation that covered Harry's glasses made it barely possible for him to see. Harry wiped his glasses on his robes and searched for a familiar face.
It seemed like they were not the only ones thinking it was a good idea to visit pub in the afternoon. It felt like half of all the students at hogwarts was there.
He thought he saw Hermione's bushy hair at a table, in the furthest corner.
Draco, who had been standing searching the other side of the room, yelped when Harry took his hand, and dragged him through the crowd.
Once they were a bit closer, Harry saw he was right. Hermione sat there, next to Blaise, at a table with seats for around six people.
"Hi Mione," Harry said and sat down across from her and Blaise. Draco sank down beside him.
"Hi, good you found us. It's really crowded here," she said in a rush. "This was the biggest table we could find, but we should hopefully all fit."
"We'll just add a couple of extra chairs," Blaise said, and Hermione smiled towards him.
"Do you guys know when the others will be here?" Harry asked, while wiggling off his winter cloak.
"Well, we saw Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus but they said that they would just have 'a quick check in Spintwitches Sporting Needs'," Hermione said. "That was over twenty minutes ago though."
Harry laughed and Draco snorted.
Madam Rosmerta came over to take their orders (four butterbeers) and Harry paid her.
"Oh Harry you don't have to-", Hermione started when he pulled out a few sickles.
"Mione it's okay," Harry cut her off, "my treat."
Hermione knew there was no use in arguing so she stayed quiet. Blaise raised the glass as thanks, before taking a sip.
"Anyway, should we-" Harry was interrupted by a cheery voice.
"Hey! There you are."
The four students at the table turned towards the voice.
There were mixed reactions. Hermione's eyes grew, Draco choked on thin air, Blaise looked deeply amused and Harry just gaped.
It was quiet for several minutes.
"What?" Ginny asked with a wicked grin.
"Ginny!?" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yes?" Ginny asked, as if she didn't understand what the reaction came from.
"You're- Wha- But you-" Harry stammered.
"Breathe Harry, breathe," Draco said with a sneer.
Harry swatted Draco on the arm.
"You're a brunette!" Hermione exclaimed, as she seemed to come over the worst of the shock.
"Yeah," Ginny said with a grin.
"It looks great," Blaise said calmly.
"Thank you, at least someone here has some manners," Ginny said, still teasing her friends.
"Hi," came another breathy voice behind her.
Harry saw Luna walking towards them. She had cut her, still blond, hair to just above the shoulders. It was in a slight tilt, shorter in the back and a bit longer at the front. It framed her face in a nice way.
"I was held up by Flitwick," she said, taking the seat next to Ginny. "Did I miss something?"
"Just some gaping and gawking," Ginny said.
"You both look great," Hermione said, blushing. "I was just a bit surprised."
"Oh, I can't wait to see Ron's reaction," Harry exclaimed with a laugh.
"What color did you choose?" Draco asked.
"It's a kind of hazel brown, with a red tint," Ginny said. "I didn't want to leave the red completely, but it's still brown-"
Draco and Ginny continued talking about different tones, and shades of colors, and what complemented different skin tones? Harry didn't understand much of it. Draco had always been the one with an appearance fixation.
Hermione and Blaise started a quiet, and to Harry seemingly private, conversation. Luna listened eagerly to Draco and Ginny, watching the former redhead, now brunette, with a glowing gaze.
He sat quiet for a while gaze sweeping through the room. It seemed to have calmed down, at least a little, since some people had left.
He soon got lost in his own thoughts, until they were interrupted once more.
"Hey, have we missed much?" Seamus smiled down at them with Dean beside him. Ron and Neville were a couple of feet behind them.
"Blimey Ginny, almost didn't recognise you," Dean said after a second look at the girl.
"I don't know why, I'm still the same height," she joked.
"What are you talkin-" Ron stopped talking as he saw his sister.
Harry counted in his head, '3… 2… 1…'
"What The Bloody Hell?!"
There it came. Ginny looked unaffected by the loud exclamation.
'Probably used to it by now' Harry thought, trying to hide his smile. Draco did not. He was grinning wide at the weasley brothers reaction.
"Well hello to you too Ron," Ginny said.
Most of the people around the table laughed.
"But- You- What-" Ron stuttered.
"Now you sound like Harry did twenty minutes ago," she said.
Harry sent a glare towards Ginny. Hermione and Blaise smiled while Draco laughed out loud. He earned another light slap on the arm for that.
Dean, Seamus and Neville squeezed in around the table, while Ron still stood frozen.
"Why don't you go fetch some butterbeer Ron?" Ginny said.
"What did you do with your hair?!" Ron almost screamed, in a high voice.
"It wasn't really me. You see, there's these people that works in a hair salon called-" Ginny started saying.
"You know what I mean!" Ron said.
"I just wanted a change Ron, and I'm happy with it," Ginny continued. "So go fetch some butterbeer."
Ron seemed to be too shocked to answer, since he actually walked off to get more butterbeer.
"I'll go help him carry," Harry whispered to Draco, kissed his cheek, and walked off after Ron.
He could hear Seamus and Dean laughing at Ron's reaction as he walked off.
He paid for the other butterbeers too, since he had paid for the other ones, and helped Ron carry them back.
Once they got back there was wild discussions around the table, about who would look good, or horrible, in different hair colors.
"Hey, Harry! Don't you think you would look good in a slytherin green hair color?" Blaise asked, only half joking. "It would look great to your eyes."
"Only if Draco dyed his pink, to match his adorable blush," Harry said.
Draco looked at him with a horrified look, while everyone laughed.
"I do not blush!" Draco said while, to Harry's delight, blushing slightly from anger. "Malfoy's do not blush!"
"Take a look in the mirror then," Harry said kissing his cheeks, only making Draco blush more.
"Though I think Ron with lime green hair, to match his face every time he sees me kissing you, would also be fun," Harry said.
Draco seemed a little happier when he wasn't the victim of the laughter this time.
They continued suggesting the most bizarre hair colors for each other, and laughed so loud that other pub guests glared at them. But they didn't mind.
They left so late that they almost had to run back, to be back in the castle in time.