* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 65: We've Been Through It All
Harry, Hermione and Ron's sentimental moment didn't last long. The others started to arrive on the platform, and Ron let go of Hermione's hand.
"I better get back," Ron said with a sigh.
"You aren't getting the train?" Hermione asked. It hadn't even occurred to her that he might not.
Ron shook his head, "Nah, I'm apparating home. It's faster."
"Lucky you," Harry said with a chuckle, "We aren't allowed to."
"Perks of being an honorary graduate," Ron said with a grin, "I might see you later anyway, at the graduation party."
"Yeah, I hope you can make it," Harry said as he hugged Ron, "See you later, mate."
"See you," Ron said with a smile, he then hugged Hermione, and they said their goodbyes.
Ron spun on his heel on the platform, and in seconds he was gone.
"Where'd the Weasel go?" Draco asked as he approached Hermione and put his arm around her.
"He's allowed to apparate," Hermione said slightly huffily.
"Well, maybe it's a good thing we aren't allowed to. After all, this is our last time on the Hogwarts Express," Harry said with a sentimental smile as Daphne and Sadie approached them.
"True," Draco said thoughtfully, "And it was where we called our truce," he added with a chuckle.
"Not to mention where it all began...the greatest love story - I mean rivalry - to grace this school," Daphne teased with a grin as she reached the group.
Harry laughed out loud and put his arm around his fiancé, "Not quite."
"Oh yeah, it started right here," Hermione said as she joined in with the teasing, "With the handshake that almost was."
"Oh, the handshake!" Theo said dramatically as he joined in with the teasing, "If only he had taken my hand, Theo! We could have been great together!"
Harry burst out laughing at this final comment, "Did you actually say that?" he asked.
Draco's cheeks flushed slightly, "I meant as friends Potter. We could have been a great partnership."
"You're all wrong anyway. It didn't start here. The first time Draco and I met was actually when we were getting our robes fitted at Madam Malkins," Harry smirked.
Hermione frowned, "How did I never know that?"
"You never asked," Harry and Draco echoed.
"So did you speak, or did you just see each other?" Daphne asked.
"We spoke. Draco was going on and on about Slytherin and how he knew he was going to be there. He also said some pretty nasty stuff about what he would do if he became a Hufflepuff. Long story short, he had no idea I was Harry Potter, and I thought he was a dick," Harry explained.
"What did you say about Hufflepuff's exactly?" Susan asked with narrowed eyes.
Draco paled a little, "Uh, nothing," he lied, which caused a wave of laughter to go around the group of friends.
"What did I miss?" Neville asked as he joined them with his arm around Lilly.
"Oh, just Harry and Draco's civil partnership," Daphne said casually.
Neville chuckled while Lilly snorted in amusement. Hermione elaborated, "We were just discussing the Hogwarts Express and its sentimentality."
"Oh yes, it must be so sentimental for you two," Susan joked, "That loving moment where you smashed his nose in, for example, Draco."
"Okay, Susan, so it's had its ups and its downs, but ultimately Draco and Harry's Hogwarts Express relationship is unbreakable," Theo said in that same dramatic tone.
Draco shook his head in amusement as they boarded the train, which was only two carriages long since there were so few students leaving on it today.
Harry chuckled and kept his arm wrapped around his fiancé as he followed Draco and Hermione onto the train. The two carriages on the train were the first-class carriages which were larger and much homelier, so they settled into a large compartment with comfortable benches.
"And so we are homeward bound," Harry said as he looked out of the window. The train had just started to move slowly out of the station.
"For you maybe," Draco said from where he was sitting opposite Harry, his arm was still wrapped around Hermione, "Everyone else is going to your home."
"Ah, who cares," Daphne said with a smile, "We'll all be together. It will feel like Hogwarts."
"Only smaller," Hermione pointed out.
"I'm feeling pretty left out here," Neville said in amusement, "I reckon Lil and I are going to have to come round for dinner every second night."
Harry laughed, "Well, you can stay tonight anyway. It will be a late one with the graduation party."
"Alright," Neville agreed, "But you guys have to come to Longbottom House for dinner sometime in the summer. I know it's half the size of your house Harry, but it's still pretty neat."
"It's a deal," Harry smiled at his best friend, "But for now...who's up for a game of Wizards Chess?"
The train journey passed fast in the end. The friends passed the time by playing games of Wizards Chess and Exploding Snap. The time was flying by more quickly than they realised, and before they knew it, the train was whizzing into London.
"Wow, we're almost there," Hermione said as she looked out of the window.
"That was fast," Lilly said as she glanced down at her watch.
"It always seems to go faster, I find," Harry said thoughtfully, "The train to Hogwarts seems to take all day, but the train back whizzes by."
"Yeah," Draco said with a slight nod.
"So, what happens now?" Harry asked the others as the train pulled into Platform 9 ¾.
They had talked briefly about life after Hogwarts. Ultimately everyone would move in with him in Potter Manor until they could sort out alternate measures. But he knew some people were planning on going home and spending some time with their families first.
"We're heading to Longbottom House," Neville said as he pulled his trunk off of the train, "But we'll see you tonight anyway."
"And you already know I'm going back home, Harry," Hermione said as she grabbed Crookshanks before he could try and escape, "I might stay a little longer than a week, but I'll be back before Sadie and Theo's wedding."
"I'm going home to finalise some plans with my family for the wedding," Sadie informed the others as they made their way off of the train, "But I'll only be a few days."
"I'm not," Theo said with a snort, "My sister is alright, but you know I don't get on with my step-mother. I'm going straight to your house Harry."
"I'm heading to Greengrove House for a bit," Draco said, "But I don't know how long I'll stay. We'll all be together tonight for the party anyway, though."
"I'm going home," Daphne said as they finally got off of the train, she kissed Harry lightly, "Just for a couple of days, but you'll see me tonight at the party."
"Sure," Harry said as he kissed his fiancé again, "I'll see you tonight."
"I love you," Daphne said as she kissed him once more before hurrying over to where her mother was waiting.
"What about you, Susan? You coming with us?" Harry asked the Hufflepuff as Neville and Lilly, Sadie and Theo, and Draco and Hermione said their goodbyes and departed.
Susan nodded slightly glumly and said, "It's not like I've got anywhere else to go."
"How about my place?" A voice asked from behind her. Harry smirked. He had seen Percy coming.
Susan jumped and turned around. She grinned when she saw Percy. In an uncharacteristic show of her emotions, she jumped up and hugged him. Percy laughed and hugged her back, "Well done on graduating."
"Thanks," Susan said with a slightly pink tinge to her cheeks, "I thought you were out of the country chasing evil and all."
"I was," Percy said with a chuckle, "I don't know when you got my owl, but I was called out early on Friday morning to Asia."
"I got your owl yesterday morning," Susan said, "And I doubt even you can catch a Death Eater that quickly."
Percy raised an eyebrow at her, "You underestimate me, Susan, caught and back in Azkaban by lunchtime yesterday."
Susan laughed at this and said, "So you're even more badass than I originally thought."
Harry smiled slightly from where he was trying to look like he wasn't eavesdropping as they kissed. So were they a thing now? He wondered, but he didn't dare ask Susan that, Daphne had warned him that she was sensitive about the issue.
"Harry," Susan called. He turned around and tried his best to look positively surprised and inquisitive.
"Now that you've finished eavesdropping," Susan smirked, "I'll see you later for the party, and I'll probably move in then."
Harry laughed, "I'll have a room prepared for you," he joked, which made her laugh.
"I'll see you later," Susan said as she hugged Harry and left with Percy, they were holding hands as they walked through the barrier, which made Harry happy.
"So, Potter, what now?"
Harry turned around to where Theo was waiting; the rest of the platform was pretty much empty.
"To the basement with the personal bar in Potter Manor," Harry said with a grin.
"Now that's my kind of roommate," Theo smirked as they apparated away from the station.
The first port of call for the two boys when they got back to Potter Manor was to dump their incredibly heavy Hogwarts trunks in their bedrooms. This meant Theo got the first pick of the bedrooms, and Harry couldn't help but laugh as he acted like an excited kid looking through all of the bedrooms and eventually picking the best one.
The basement of the house didn't have any bedrooms; neither did the ground floor. The drawing-room dominated the first floor, but there was also a formal dining room, a smaller living room, a bedroom and a potions lab.
Theo skipped this floor and made for the second floor, where the bedrooms were larger. There were five bedrooms on the second floor, all of which had ensuite bathrooms. Theo picked the largest room, but he didn't know that he wouldn't be living here for much longer anyway because he would soon have his own house.
With the crucial part over, Harry said to his friend, "Right, do you want a proper tour of my newly refurbished basement?"
"Didn't this whole house just get refurbished?" Theo asked.
"Yes, it did," Harry replied with a chuckle, "But I wasn't content with the basement layout, so I changed it slightly."
"You weren't content with it?" Theo asked with a snort, "You had your own bloody Room of Requirement."
"Oh, I still have that," Harry said with a grin as he led Theo down the stairs to the kitchen where Kreacher was working away on something.
"Master Harry," Kreacher said as he bowed to Harry, "Kreacher is preparing food for Master Harry's party tonight."
"Oh, thanks, Kreacher," Harry said with a grin, "Can I try some?"
"Of course, Master Harry," Kreacher said as he fetched a tray full of typical party food. Harry and Theo tasted some, and it was delicious.
"That's great, Kreacher," Theo said, "I wish my step-mothers house-elf was as good as you."
Kreacher turned slightly pink and bowed so low that his nose touched the floor, then he thanked them profusely.
Harry smiled at this and continued with his tour. They went down the narrow staircase, and he said, "It's still my Room of Requirement, but as you know, I like it to be a bar and chill area, sometimes with a duelling platform. This is where I'm having the party tonight; the drawing-room is too big and formal."
"Makes sense," Theo said, he added with a smirk, "And it does have a bar."
The room didn't have the duelling platform at the moment. Instead, it was a long, thin room with a sizeable mini bar at the far end and lots of comfortable seats and tables with a small dance floor area.
"Now this I recognise," Theo said, "But that I don't," he pointed to a door on the right wall of the room which hadn't been there before.
Harry grinned, "This is the new part," he said as he led Theo to the door and pushed it open. He walked through and let Theo follow him. The new room was a large swimming pool, and two more doors were leading off the room.
"Wow, this is neat," Theo said with a grin.
"I know," Harry said, "This is a heated pool and through that door is the changing room," he smirked, "Then through the other door is a sauna."
"Seriously?" Theo asked in disbelief, "You're just showing off now."
"Hey, I was raised with no pocket money or birthday presents. I think I can splash out on a luxury house," Harry joked with a grin, "Anyway, you live here now, so you have full access to everything I'm showing you."
"Nice," Theo grinned, "I'm not going to complain about that," he admitted.
Harry smirked, "So do you fancy a swim and then a drink?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Theo replied. By the time the graduation ceremony had finished, and due to the length of the train journey, they didn't have that much time to kill until the party.
After all, it was 7 pm now, and the party began at 8.30 pm, but then again, Harry and Theo didn't take hours to get ready like their fiancés did.
At 8 pm, Harry and Theo made their way upstairs to get ready for the party. It was a casual affair with just the people from their year invited, so he didn't bother dressing up too fancy. Instead, Harry flung on a shirt and jeans and then changed his trainers for smarter shoes. He wandered downstairs to the basement where the party would be and expected to be on his own for a few minutes until Theo arrived. Instead, however, he was waiting for a full half an hour until his friend materialised at 8.30 pm.
"What the hell took you so long?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow when Theo finally sauntered in wearing almost the same thing he had been wearing before (black trousers and a green shirt).
"I was getting ready," Theo said as if this were obvious.
"It doesn't take half an hour to get ready," Harry scoffed as he surveyed his friend.
"It sometimes does," Theo said.
"How do you take 30 minutes to get ready?" Harry asked as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Easy, Five-minute toilet break, ten-minute shower, five minutes grooming time, five minutes getting dressed, two and a half minutes to look in the mirror and admire yourself, then two and a half minutes to get downstairs," Theo rattled off with a smirk.
Harry added this up in his head and nodded, "Fair enough, but you took so long to get ready that people will start arriving any minute."
Kreacher was upstairs by the door, letting people in and showing them to the 'party room' in the basement, so Harry didn't have to worry about trying to hear the doorbell down here.
On his word, people started to arrive, Hermione was first of course, and Draco arrived only minutes after her. He greeted her as if they hadn't seen each other for days rather than hours which made Theo and Harry roll their eyes at each other. When Sadie arrived next, Theo merely smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Harry expected Daphne to be fashionably late. Among the on-time guests were Ernie, Justin, Neville and Lilly, who all arrived around the same time.
As more and more people arrived, Harry realised that almost everyone had made it, even people he wasn't sure about, like Hannah, Melody, Megan and Mandy. Even Blaise and Ginny showed up together, and in her baggy dress, it was just beginning to become evident that Ginny was pregnant.
Terry, Anthony and Michael arrived together and greeted Harry with hi-fives. It was nearing 9 pm, and Daphne still hadn't arrived, but this didn't surprise Harry. There was no sign of Ron either, and Harry hoped that his old friend would make it tonight. Sally, Annie and Gabrielle all showed up, and unfortunately, so did Zacharias Smith. Susan arrived shortly after him with a grin on her face and a bounce in her step.
"Well, we all know what you were up to earlier," Harry teased as he offered her a drink. He was acting as the barman at the moment.
"No, you only know because you were so rudely eavesdropping," Susan said with a raised eyebrow.
"Was it that obvious?" Harry asked as he handed her a small firewhiskey.
"Yes," Susan said simply, she added, "And the reason I'm in such a good mood I will have you know Mr Potter, is that Percy asked me to go official with him"'
"That's great, Susan," Harry said with a smile, "You better go tell the girls."
"Are you kidding? I'd better wait for Daphne. She'd kill me if told them before she got here," Susan said with a chuckle.
Harry rolled his eyes slightly, "I don't think she knows how to tell the time," he said as the doors opened and the woman they were discussing walked in. Everyone else was dressed down in fairly casual dresses or jeans and shirts, but Daphne didn't seem to know the meaning of dressing down. She was wearing a relatively short black dress with a transparent middle and back and a golden decorated bust.
Harry rolled his eyes as she strolled towards him. Susan smirked, "Are you just realising what you've let yourself in for?"
"Yep," Harry said as he shook his head in amusement, "But then again, you're one of the ones she'll be taking dress shopping."
"I'm one of the bridesmaids?" Susan asked in shock.
Harry bit his lip, "Oops, I wasn't supposed to mention that," he admitted.
On the train, he and Daphne had whispered about such things, and Daphne had explicitly told him not to tell anyone, "Pretend you don't know," Harry whispered as Daphne approached.
"Sure," Susan chuckled. She leant against the bar as Daphne finally reached them.
"Hey, latecomer," Harry said as he leaned across the bar and kissed her.
"Fashionably late," Daphne said.
Harry just laughed, "What can I get you?"
"Firewhiskey, please, barman," Daphne said. She chuckled when Harry slid her glass across the bar to her in record time.
"Not a bad turnout," Daphne said as she looked around. People were mostly standing or sitting around talking and drinking at the moment.
"Almost everyone's here," Susan agreed as she surveyed the room.
"I don't see Ron," Daphne noted, which surprised Harry. He didn't think she paid that much attention to the redheaded boy.
"No, he isn't here yet," Harry said, a tinge of sadness in his voice, "He wasn't sure if he would make it, with Katie being pregnant and all."
"I'm sure he'll turn up, even if it's only for a little while," Daphne reassured her fiancé. She kissed Harry lightly and said, "I'll talk to you later. I need to tell my bridesmaids that I've picked them," she joked.
Susan laughed, "So did I make the cut?" she asked jokingly.
Daphne grinned and linked her arm through Susan's, "Of course you did," she said to her friend as they walked towards the table where Hermione, Sadie and Lilly were sitting.
Harry smiled as he watched Daphne happily chatting to her friends. It was so lovely to see, considering how closed off and cold she had been when they first met. He felt they had gone through so much together and changed so much in less than a year. It felt amazing.
"A picture would last longer," A familiar voice joked.
Harry grinned across the bar at his friend, "Ron, hey, I didn't even see you come in."
"I know, you were pretty preoccupied daydreaming there," Ron said. His amusement was apparent.
Instead of blushing as he would once have done due to a comment like that, Harry just grinned, "It's not my fault that she's the most amazing person I've ever met."
Ron smiled slightly, "You really love her, don't you?"
Harry nodded. He took his eyes off of Daphne to focus on Ron, "Yeah, I really do," he admitted.
"I would never have said this a year ago, but I'm glad things turned out the way they did," Ron said as he accepted the butterbeer that Harry handed him, "I would never have thought you, or Hermione, would have ended up with Slytherins, but you both work well together…" he trailed off, "My prejudices were stupid, and I regret them, but I think things have turned out for the best."
"Thanks, mate," Harry said honestly, that meant a lot, "But things probably didn't turn out as expected for you either."
Ron shrugged and looked thoughtfully at the wall, "I never thought I'd be a Dad so soon, but I can't wait at the same time. Everything happens for a reason, as Ginny always says."
"I think we're all better people now, to be honest," Harry said with a small smile, "I mean, look at Hermione...she's never been so confident, and Daphne taught me how to have fun after the war. No offence, mate, but you could be a right arsehole sometimes, and whether it was what happened with Lilly, or the baby, I don't know. But something has knocked it out of you."
Ron chuckled, "No offence taken," he said, "You're right. I could be an arsehole."
"Harry!" Daphne called from the table not so far away from the bar, "Come tell the girls about your groomsmen!"
Harry nodded, "Two minutes Daph," he said, and she nodded and turned back to her friends.
Harry turned back to Ron, "I wondered if you wanted to be one of my groomsmen," he said, "I mean Draco and Theo will be there too, so if you're uncomfortable with it-"
"Nah," Ron cut Harry off, he grinned at his friend, "I'd love to mate."
"Great," Harry said with a grin. He was genuinely pleased, "Well, I better attend to my fiancé's demands," he said as he jumped over the bar, "Thanks for coming by tonight, Ron."
"No problem, Harry," Ron replied as Harry walked towards the girls.
After walking away from Harry, Daphne had sat down and told her friends what she and Harry had decided on the train.
"So Sadie, I want you to be Maid of Honour," Daphne said, making her friend squeal excitedly and hug her tightly.
"And Hermione, Lil and Susan, I want you guys to be my bridesmaids. I know you're only supposed to have three, including the Maid of Honour, but I couldn't decide," she admitted somewhat sheepishly.
They all laughed and talked in more detail about what sort of colours or themes Daphne had in mind, and she told them they were wondering about a winter-themed wedding, not this winter but next winter. Then they started to question Hermione and her ideas for her wedding to Draco.
"Well, I don't know about themes or dates or venues yet. But I have decided that I want you to be my Maid of Honour Daph," Hermione said to the Slytherin, "If you want to be, of course."
"Don't be stupid, Mione," Daphne said with a grin, "Of course I'll be your Maid of Honour."
"Thanks, Daphne," Hermione said as she hugged her friend. She turned to Lilly, Sadie and Susan and said, "And I want you all to be my bridesmaids obviously, and Ginny too, but I haven't asked her yet."
There was yet another round of hugs and then more talk of when Hermione and Draco should get married. Hermione said that all she knew was that they wanted to get settled into their jobs first.
By the time Daphne called Harry over, they were at the point of talking about groomsmen.
Harry smiled as he walked over and sat down in one of the armchairs with his butterbeer, "Now, I would happily tell you of my choices, but I think I ought to tell my groomsmen first," Harry said with a chuckle.
"Ah, you're boring," Hermione said as she called the boys over from a nearby table. They strolled over and leaned on the back of armchairs.
"What's up?" Draco asked.
"Harry's just releasing the pivotal groomsmen information," Daphne said dramatically, which made Harry laugh.
"Nev, I want you to be my best man," Harry said to his fellow Gryffindor, who got slightly teary as he hugged him.
"Thanks, Harry, I'm honoured," Neville said as they had a 'manly' hug which Theo and Draco watched with amusement.
"And I want you guys to be my groomsmen," Harry said to Draco and Theo when Neville eventually let go of him, "Along with Ron, if you can handle that."
"Weasel? Nah, I ain't doing it," Theo said. He smirked and added, "Nah, I'm kidding, course that's okay."
"Yeah, we'll put up with him for you, Harry," Draco said with a chuckle.
Harry grinned happily, "Good, I'm glad we all agree."
"I suppose I should announce mine then," Draco said with a small smile, "Harry, I want you to be the Best Man."
"WHAT?" Theo practically screeched, which drew all attention to him, "After everything we've been through, Draco? You pick him?" Theo sounded genuinely hurt, but Draco was grinning.
"Shut up, you idiot, I'm joking. Course, you're my best man!" Draco said with a grin towards his best friend, "It couldn't be anyone else, mate."
At this, Theo let out one or two genuine tears that only those in the closest vicinity saw as he hugged Draco and said under his breath, "Thanks, man."
"Don't sweat it," Draco said as he patted Theo on the back. After clinging on for a good few minutes, Theo finally let go and drank what was left of his firewhiskey.
"So," Draco said, he was still vaguely amused at Theo's reaction, he turned to Harry and Neville, "I wondered if you two would be groomsmen? I asked Blaise earlier, he agreed."
"I'd love to," Harry said with a fond smile.
Neville nodded and smiled too, "Me too, Draco," he said, and with that, they all raised a glass and toasted the engagements.
The sophistication of the night ebbed away as certain guests left and more alcohol was consumed. By around 2 am, the only people left were the usual suspects, including Harry, Daphne, Hermione, Draco, Neville, Lilly, Sadie, Theo, Susan (and Percy, who had appeared sometime around midnight). The party had been relatively uneventful; Kreacher had escorted out Zacharias after getting into a fight with Theo, resulting in the Slytherin pushing him into Harry's pool to much amusement. But other than that, it had just been an enjoyable night. Most people had been tired from the long day and had left early. Blaise had anxiously taken Ginny back to Hogwarts the minute the clock hit midnight.
"I think we should play a game," Daphne suggested with a grin. The remaining ten were sitting around in armchairs in a loose circle.
"Alright, I'm game," Susan said with a smirk, "How about truth or dare?"
"Nah," Harry said with a shake of his head, "We always play that."
"Why don't we play "Snog, Marry, Avoid"?" Hermione asked playfully.
Susan and Daphne shared a sceptical look, and then they both looked at Hermione.
"What?" Hermione asked. She looked vaguely self-conscious.
"It was "Snog, Marry, Avoid" when we were 12 years old, Hermione," Susan chuckled, "It's more like "Shag, Marry, Avoid" now."
Hermione blushed slightly at this, "Oh, right," she said rather naïvely. Draco merely chuckled and put his arm around her.
"Alright, I think it's a good idea," Daphne said with a grin. She grabbed one of the empty firewhiskey bottles from the nearest table and put it on the floor, then muttered a charm under her breath, "You know the drill, right? Whoever the bottle lands on first gets asked the question, whoever it lands on second asks the question."
"Got ya," Harry said with a grin and Daphne spun the bottle.
It spun fast then slowed down. Eventually, it landed on Harry and then Susan. The redhead grinned, and Harry grimaced. That was never a good sign.
"Draco, Neville, Theo," Susan said wickedly.
Harry groaned and thought about this for a moment, "Marry Neville," he said, for which he got sniggered at by his best friend, "Shag...Draco and avoid Theo."
"Pfft," Draco muttered, "Like I'd marry you anyway, scarhead."
Hermione chuckled in amusement under her breath at the fact Draco seemed vaguely offended.
"Oi, why would you avoid me, Pothead?" Theo asked indignantly.
"Sorry, Theo," Harry joked, "Don't wanna become another number in your list of conquests."
Theo shook his head in mock disbelief, "You'd regret it."
The firewhiskey bottle was spun once more. This time it landed first on Draco and then second on Daphne, which worried the male Slytherin.
"Harry, Neville, Theo," Daphne said as she smirked at Susan, who was sitting next to her.
Draco groaned, just as Harry had earlier but answered, "Marry Theo."
Theo sighed sadly, "Sorry, Draco, I'm engaged now. I declared my love for you, and you rejected me. You missed your chance."
Draco nudged him in the ribs, "Shut up," he said fondly.
Theo just chuckled as Draco grimaced and said, "I can't believe I'm saying it but shag Potter."
Harry snorted in amusement as Draco finished, "And avoid Neville."
"Why?" Neville asked as he pretended to be insulted by this.
"Uh, fatbottom, remember?" Draco remarked.
"Rear of the year, Draco," Neville said with a wink.
Draco actually growled. He didn't like to be reminded that he had lost out on that award to Neville.
The next culprits were chosen by Draco, who spun the bottle that landed first on Neville and second on Sadie.
Sadie grinned and shared a glance with her evil female friends. Neville had a feeling he knew what was coming, "Draco, Theo, Harry."
"Marry Harry," Neville said as he glanced at his fellow Gryffindor, "Just to return the favour," he joked, which made Harry laugh.
He then grimaced as he said, "Shag Theo."
"Sure thing Nev, upstairs, right now, you and me," Theo joked, which earned him a slap around the back of the head from Sadie to much sniggering from the others.
Neville laughed as he finished, "And avoid Draco."
"Wouldn't want you anyway, fatbottom," Draco muttered under his breath, which caused Neville and everyone else in the room to roll their eyes.
Next, Neville spun the bottle, which landed first on Theo and then on Hermione, who grinned wickedly.
"Come on then," Theo said as he predicted her next move, "Ask me which one of my friends I want to shag."
Hermione chuckled and said, "Harry, Neville, Draco."
"Well, I would marry Draco obviously because he's just such a sexy beast," Theo said, and Draco grinned in amusement, "And I'd shag Neville because he clearly wants me," he winked at Neville, who shook his head in amusement, "And I'd avoid scarhead."
The others all laughed loudly at this, and it seemed to echo throughout the entire house. The game carried on for a little while, but people started to get bored, so they drifted off into smaller groups of two or three.
Sadie and Hermione were both drunk. This in itself wasn't a difficult feat; they were both light-weights. It was, however, a dangerous combination. While the others mostly mingled together, Hermione and Sadie talked in hushed undertones with their heads very close together.
"Do you think we should make them do it?"
"Don't you think that's a bit extreme?" Hermione whispered back.
"What's extreme about it? We ought to know for sure."
"What if they like it, though?" Hermione asked. She cocked her head as she looked over at Theo, "Then you would have to call off the wedding."
Sadie scoffed, "No, I wouldn't."
"You'd still marry him?" Hermione asked, turning back to her friend.
"Yeah, I've been in love with him for years, and I thought he was in love with Draco for most of those years," Sadie said.
At this, Hermione giggled, "Okay, but we can't talk to them here."
Sadie tried to nod sincerely, but as the world was blurring around her, that was difficult, "Yeah, not here. Where though?"
"We'll just go up to my bedroom," Hermione said in a hushed tone, "I'll grab Theo. You grab Draco. Try not to make it suspicious, okay?"
"Okay," Sadie said in a terrible stage whisper.
"Hey, Theo!"
Theo raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "How much have you had to drink?"
"Not that much," Hermione said matter of factly, but she grabbed his arm to steady herself anyway, "Can you come with me? I need to talk to you."
Theo shot Neville an amused look, "About?"
"Something," Hermione replied. She thought she was being evasive.
Neville snorted in amusement, "Informative, Hermione."
"Oh shut up, Nev," Hermione said. She hooked her arm through Theo's, "Come on."
"Alright, princess, I'm coming," Theo chuckled as he let her drag him out of the basement.
He had to try very hard not to laugh as he kept her steady on the stairs, and then he said, "Hang on a minute, where are you taking me?"
"Just somewhere we can talk," Hermione said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. She opened the door to her and Draco's bedroom and pushed him inside.
"Woah, princess, you're hot and all, but I'm engaged!"
"I'm not going to shag you, Theo," Hermione snorted as she shut the door behind them.
Five minutes later, so as not to arouse suspicion, Sadie approached Draco. He was talking to Harry about something when she chirpily said from his side, "Hey Draco."
Draco smiled over at her, "Hey, Sade."
"Could I talk to you?" Sadie asked.
"Uh, yeah," Draco said, looking at her expectantly.
"Oh no, alone, I mean," Sadie said.
"Oh," Draco frowned, "Uh…I mean yeah, but why?"
Harry snorted, "Rude."
"It's wedding stuff," Sadie lied on the spot, "You know, best man to the bride and all."
"Right," Draco said, "Okay, sure."
"Come on then," Sadie said. She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. Like Hermione, she stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face when it came to the difficult subject of stairs, so Draco chuckled and helped her up then. When he realised she was dragging him along the corridor to his bedroom, he got kind of concerned. Then she opened the door and shoved him inside.
"Woah, Sadie, I – wait, what. Why are Theo and Hermione in here?"
"I have no clue, but those two are drunk, and they have been giggling," Theo said, glancing warily at the girls.
"We're pretty drunk too," Draco said. He sat down next to Theo on the edge of the bed.
"Speak for yourself, mate; I've got the constitution of an ox."
"You know you're swaying, right?"
"Fuck," Theo said, "Am I?"
"Yep."
Hermione giggled again and glanced over at Sadie, "Ready?"
Sadie nodded, "Hermione and I have been talking-"
"- oh sweet Salazar-"
"- that's dangerous."
"Shh!" Hermione hushed them with a rather cute glare.
"And we want you to kiss," Sadie finished.
"Properly," Hermione added, "Cause you can't tell enough from a peck."
"What?"
"Why?"
"Because!" Hermione said dramatically, "We're not totally sure you're not actually gay for each other. Sadie is okay with that; she was all noble about it. I think it would take me a little longer to come around-"
"Hermione," Draco cut in, fighting back an amused smile, "We've kissed before. We've had this discussion."
"Yes, but that was ages ago before you were this you and before all of this emotionally charged stuff happened between you," Hermione said with a wave of her hand.
Sadie nodded.
Theo crossed his arms, "What if we say no?"
"Then we'll assume it's denial," Sadie shrugged.
"But snogging him isn't?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Your logical brains are not turned on today," Theo agreed.
"Look, just kiss and get it out of your system," Hermione said as she sat down next to Sadie on a sofa in the large bedroom, "Then we'll know if it's a thing or a thing."
Theo looked at Draco and shook his head, "Are we actually going to do this?"
"Have you met those two? Do you think they will shut up about it if we don't?" Draco asked.
"For the love of the fucking founders," Theo said with a shake of his head, "Can't believe I'm doing this…."
Hermione and Sadie watched with interest as Theo closed the gap between them before either he or Draco could get cold feet. It wasn't a long kiss by any stretch of the imagination, but they made sure that it was more than just a peck at their other halves requests. When they drew back, they turned to their other halves.
Sadie and Hermione were looking at them silently.
"Happy?" Draco asked to break the silence.
"Shit," Hermione muttered. She turned to Sadie and saw the same expression on her face.
"What? Why the shit? I didn't get remotely turned on by that," Theo said honestly, "It would be really awkward if you did, Draco. You didn't, did you?"
"No," Draco said, fighting back a chuckle, "I don't want to shag you, relax. I think I know what the problem is."
"What?" Theo asked cluelessly.
"We didn't get turned on by that," Draco said, nudging his head in the direction of the two girls.
"Oh…oh!" Theo grinned, "Well, that backfired on you, didn't it?"
Sadie rolled her eyes, "Yep."
Theo shot Draco an amused look then said, "Well, it's only fair that you two kiss then."
"What?"
"How is that fair?"
"Because you made us do it!" Draco exclaimed.
"Yes, because you two are you, and we had to make sure you weren't going to start having an affair five years down the line," Hermione objected.
Theo shrugged and said, "Well, it was worth a shot, eh, Draco?"
Draco bit back a smile because he knew exactly what his best friend was doing.
"Should have known she'd never go for it," Theo continued, "Gryffindor princess and goody-two-shoes that she is. I bet she's dead dull in the bedroom too, Draco."
"You know I'm not because I know you two compare notes," Hermione said pointedly.
Theo grinned, "But you're just not quite that adventurous, are you, princess? You wouldn't kiss another girl, after all."
"Ah, it's not just her," Draco joined in, "Sadie's quite a prude too, isn't she?"
"I am not a prude!" Sadie objected.
"Every other Slytherin girl has experimented at some point," Draco carried on, "Not quite to the extent of dragging Ginny Weasley into a broom cupboard like Daphne did, but all the same. Sadie's the exception."
Sadie crossed her arms and glared at them.
Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced at Sadie, "Should we do it? Just to prove them wrong."
Sadie looked at her friend, and Draco and Theo shared triumphant grins. Sadie's eyes flashed mischievously, "I think so, but why don't we show them how it ought to be done?"
At that point, Sadie closed the gap between them and kissed Hermione deeply. She didn't just give her a quick, chaste kiss as Draco and Theo had done. She placed her hands on Hermione's face and pulled the Gryffindor girl closer, and Hermione snaked her arms around Sadie's neck. When they drew back, it was Draco and Theo, who were dumbfounded.
"Well…fuck," Draco muttered.
"Think this just became a foursome."
"Yeah, I think so, mate."
"Hey, where the hell are Draco and Hermione?"
"They went to bed, I think," Neville yawned.
"I think we should do the same," Lilly said. She rubbed her eyes.
Daphne nodded, "Yeah, it looks like Sadie and Theo have hit the sack too."
Harry yawned too, "Alright. Well, it was a good way to finish our Hogwarts years, wasn't it?"
"It was a brilliant party, mate," Neville said, putting an arm around Harry, "And it's the start of a new adventure, eh?"
"Yeah," Harry said with a smile, "It is, Nev."
Daphne hooked her arm through Lilly's as they all left the basement together, "We're going to be stuck together for a while yet. I think we ought to become better friends, introduce each other to the others worlds and all."
Lilly grinned, "You know what I think you're going to love? London fashion week."
Daphne's eyes sparkled, "This is going to be a great friendship."
Lilly laughed, and then Harry laughed at something that Neville had said. As they all headed up to bed, the sound of laughter echoed around the old house, and even the portraits smiled, especially the one of the Marauders which had been hung in the drawing-room that evening.
It had been a long time since the house was filled with laughter, but this was a fresh start.
* ~ And the story continues in 'Brave New World'…
A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the re-write! The next part (Brave New World/Part Four) will begin to be uploaded next week sometime. It will be uploaded in batches though, not all in one go as this one was. This was hard, and Brave New World is 30 chapters longer, lol!
:)