Chapter 3- Betterbeer

            Harry stared at the couple, in utter disbelief. Harry had completely forgotten that Ginny had a boyfriend. How could he have overlooked Dean. A boy that Harry lived with for 10 months of the year. A boy that he had always gotten along with. But Harry couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to throw him over the fence on the yard as if he were a particularly pudgy garden gnome.

"Harry!" Dean said, snapping Harry out of his reverie. "How was your summer?"

"Oh, the usual," said Harry, narrowing his gaze on Dean. "I've just been passing time one way or another. How about you?"

"Well, I was visiting Seamus in Ireland, and I just got back today. I just had to come and see Ginny; I missed her terribly." At this point, Dean leaned downwards to give Ginny a quick kiss on the forehead. Ginny gave an innocent giggle and Harry wished to be the one to make her laugh like that. Ginny took Dean by the hand and led him down the corridor towards the kitchen, but they didn't make it that far. Fred and George suddenly Apparated onto the threshold in front of the kitchen.

 They said a mumbled "hello" to Harry and Ginny, while not taking their eyes off Dean. Fred and George proceeded to grab Dean by the shoulders, spun him around, and walked with him, stride for stride, up the stairs and into the twins' room. 

With a look of extreme anxiousness, Ginny headed towards the long oak table in the kitchen. Harry followed slowly, as if he was afraid she would jump in reaction to any sudden movements. "Do you think that he'll be alright?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Truly, Ginny, I don't know. Usually they're all fun and games, but there wasn't even an inkling of humor in what they just did." They sat in silence, with Ginny burying her head in her hands in disbelief. 'She deserves better,' Harry thought, 'than one visit in an entire month. She deserves me.' Just then, three butterbeers jumped out of the cupboard and flew up the stairs.

"What do you think is going on?" Ginny asked.

"Gin, you have to understand that they're trying to protect you. I mean, they know Dean, but they had never seen him as a threat. They are only looking out for you. They love you. Your parents, Bill Charlie, Percy," Harry said with a sense of slight distaste, (he hadn't fully been forgiven yet) "Fred, George Ron. They all love you. I love you." Here he stopped looking at her for a reaction.

She did a slight double take, and looked up at, or rather into Harry's eyes as though she was peering directly into his soul, searching for the meaning of his last phrase. She opened her mouth slowly, as though still going over what she was going to say.

"Harry, what do you mean you-"?

CRASH! The breaking of glass could be heard throughout the house.

Ginny shrieked. "What was that?!?" Harry and Ginny ran up the stairs to the second landing and the door flew open of its own accord. 'Ginny must be pissed!' Harry thought. And, when Harry entered the doorway, he couldn't help but laugh.

Fred and George were standing on either side of Dean, holding butterbeers and laughing uncontrollably, but Dean was on his feet and looking into a mirror, horrified. Shards of glass were scattered around his feet. Harry knew it was Dean, but he looked as though he was made of liquid. His bottom three-quarters seemed to be comprised of semi-transparent butterbeer, while his head and shoulders appeared to be butterbeer foam. Fred and George looked overjoyed.

"Betterbeer!" George exclaimed. It looks like an ordinary bottle of butterbeer, but when you drink it you turn out like this."

"B-bu-but how-"Harry started, but Fred cut him off.

"How did we get him to drink it? It was ingeniously simple. We dragged him up here by his shoulders and started screaming at him, talking like Percy and saying 'that his intentions must be proper with our baby sister' and things like that. He started to look distraught, so we told him we were going to have a butterbeer, and asked if he would like one. He took it gratefully, and in his haste, he didn't even look at the label. He took a large gulp, and we started laughing."

We just showed him a mirror, "said George, "and he looks as though Malfoy had just given him a kiss." George ended his story by slapping Dean playfully on the back.

"You two are horrible," Ginny screamed, but there was a small grin playing on her face. Even Dean had a smile on.

"How long does it last? I don't stay like this forever, do I?"

"Only about five minutes," answered George. "But we are trying to extend it."

We're also looking into different colors," George interrupted. "You know, red, blue, green, and purple. They will all, of course, start as the same fizzy golden drink we've come to know and love." Here, Fred and George took each other in an embrace, muttering something about "the good old days at Madame Rosemerta's."

"How much?" Dean asked, sending everyone into silence.

"We thought four sickles, as to make it twice the price of butterbeer, so that's two for the taste, and two for the transparent state," Fred added with a chuckle.

"Fair enough," Dean responded. "I'll take two, plus a regular butterbeer. I would love to play the joke on my parents.

Ginny gasped. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Oh, yeah," Dean said, while handing George 10 sickles. "They'll get a kick out of it. They love practical jokes," he added with a snigger.

Ding Dong!

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as they all filed onto the landing, ready to go and greet her. However, they were violently thrown to the wall as Ron parted the group and ran with manic fervor toward the door.

"I think we know who Ron fancies," Fred said to George.

"Shut it, you!" Ron bellowed, as he was now only feet from the door. He pulled it open and grabbed Hermione as though she was the only thing worth living for. Immediately they were involved on a passionate kiss that had Hermione buckling at the knees. His hands were roaming over her back at an alarming pace, and Hermione's hands seemed to be lost in his fiery hair. After what seemed to be hours, and Fred and George's laughing seemed to be subsiding (or it had progressed so greatly that they couldn't breathe, Harry couldn't tell), they pulled apart.

Hermione was looking frazzled, but Ron stared at his brothers defiantly. "That's right. We're together. I see your getting your laughter out." He rounded on Harry, Ginny and Dean. "What's wrong with you?" he added.

Harry spoke first. "Thank Merlin! We've been waiting for this over two years. The constant yelling matches, we all knew you two would end up together."

"Yeah," Ginny added, "we all wanted to sit you two down in a room and locked the door until you figured it out."

"Oh, well," Hermione said sheepishly, "we're together now." And with that, they walked up the stairs, pointedly not looking at Fred and George.

'This will be an interesting year,' Harry thought to himself.

AN***  Thank you to all of you that have reviewed my story. I look forward to advice and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism after every chapter. If you have any ideas, please review.