The portal released her into a field filled with fragrant, colourful wildflowers. In the centre of the field was a table laden with food, two of her most dear friends sat at the table awaiting her and Hermione grinned. Of course Fred would pick Luna to be the March Hare, the blonde wore a pair of bewitched ears atop of her head while whiskers emitted out of her cheeks twitching in the midday light, alongside her charmed hare like nose. Ginny sat beside her, her nose painted pink, a pair of muggle mouse ears sitting atop of her head.
"Come, join us Alice," Luna called happily, waving her over, Hermione approached her friends joyfully, taking a seat at the large round table, it was a relief to sit down after all of the jogging throughout the school.
"Hello," she greeted them sweetly.
"We have pink gin," Ginny informed her promptly, passing her a large teacup, half filled with the alcoholic beverage.
"I couldn't possibly," she said, shaking her head.
"Oh please have some," Luna asked, twitching her nose up adorably as she stared at Hermione wide eyed.
"I suppose I could have one with lunch," she agreed accepting the cup Ginny still held, she took a sip, her eyes watering at the strength of the beverage.
"You aren't meant to drink it neat Gin," she said, her friend shrugged, handing her a jug of freshly squeezed lemonade to mix with her drink, Hermione did so gladly.
"Your next clue is somewhere in the vicinity of this table," Ginny told her gesturing to the vast array of food and drinks with her hand.
"We'd better get eating then," she said, her stomach rumbling hungrily as she reached for a colourful polka-dotted plate to load with food.
"Alice how are you finding your quest so far," Luna asked serenely.
"Well it is such a Fred like thing to do, I'm having fun, he's put a lot of thought and effort into it so far," she commented before taking a bite out of a cheese and cucumber sandwich.
"You say that now but by the end of today you'll be shattered, I think Fred is bonkers," Ginny commented.
"Fred's not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, his reality is just different than yours," Luna spoke primly before raising her teacup and downing her remaining pink gin and lemonade, Ginny snorted.
"I suppose he is in his own reality, but I do think it's incredibly romantic even if it isn't something I'd personally like," her redheaded friend commented.
"Luna when did you read Alice in Wonderland," Hermione couldn't help but ask, the blonde's previous sentence had been almost a direct quote from her beloved book.
"I could hardly, take on a role without knowing the book my character was from," her friend told her as she refilled her cup.
"But that was a quote from the Cheshire Cat not the March Hare," Hermione told her, Luna shrugged, downing her drink once more.
"Careful Luna, the gin is strong," Ginny warned, pointing a small sword across the table at the blonde, Luna laughed happily and helped herself to a piece of quiche.
"Is there much more to do," she asked, her friends nodded, each of them preoccupied with eating the delicious food, that Fred had prepared for their tea party.
"There is indeed fair Alice," Luna said, reaching for a teapot, which she poured into a fresh cup before adding three lumps of sugar and a splash of milk.
"I wish we had some of those tarts mum was making this morning, "Ginny commented.
"Here I have some," Hermione told her friend, pulling the box Molly had given her out of a small bag she'd brought with her on her quest.
"The Queen of Hearts Tarts, how fun," Luna commented, reaching for one of the jammy treats from the box that Hermione held out to her.
"Delicious," Ginny commented as she took a large bite, Hermione couldn't help agreeing, the tarts were perfect as were the other treats Molly had packed for them; brownies, cookies and millionaire shortbreads, each one their own version of perfection; it would be impossible to eat them all.
"we're never going to get through all of this food and find the clue," Hermione commented, though they'd been eating for almost an hour, the table was still laden with food, and the pile didn't seem to be going down at all.
"Perhaps the clue is not upon the table but under it," Luna suggested, Hermione peered under it to find a small glass box with a tiny cake within, she lent down and picked it up, removing the cake from the box. In little currents the words, 'eat me' were written upon the small cake.
"Is this going to do what I think it will," she asked curiously, her friends nodded.
"It will make you small enough to fit into that door," Luna commented, pointing to a small fairy sized door at the bottom of a nearby oak tree, Hermione hadn't noticed the small arched shaped door before.
"That isn't right, in the book the potions caused Alice to shrink, and the cakes made her grow," she commented.
"Fred thought a cake would be more fitting for a tea party," Ginny told her, Hermione nodded in understanding.
"Wish me luck," she asked them.
"Good luck, Alice," Luna chirped.
"Enjoy the rest of your day Hermione," Ginny smiled, Hermione raised the cake to her mouth and ate it with one bite, then she found herself shrinking, to ten inches high.
"Here let me give you a hand," Luna said, leaning down towards her, her hand outstretched. Hermione stared up at her now much larger friend cautiously and stepped onto her outstretched hand, Luna carefully carried her to the tree and placed her at the base of it in front of the once tiny door, to Hermione it now seemed ginormous.
"Thank you," she said, Luna nodded kindly and stepped away. With a deep breath Hermione reached out and opened the door, stepping through to continue the quest Fred had set for her.
