Chapter 18 - The Patronus' Kiss
"Aunt Petunia, don't forget to grip the galleon tightly if you find someone suspicious lurking around the area, okay?" said Harry to his aunt who was nervously placing the galleon in one of her pockets. She nodded in agreement. Her husband was still sulking in their room but Dudley went out to wish her mother luck. These past few days, Harry noticed a slight change in his cousin's usual demeanor but he could not place it yet. Something was clearly bothering him. "I'll talk to him later." he thought.
Luna performed the disillusionment charm on Aunt Petunia and herself. Everyone mimicked her action and silently walked out of the Room of Requirements so as not to attract attention from the others. Professor Moody and Professor McGonagall wanted to join them but Harry politely refused stating that they were needed more in the castle in case the death- eaters arrive unexpectedly. Moody gruffly conceded but only after creating several portkeys for them to use in case things got too much for them.
The DA members decided to execute the plan right after the meeting. They could all conjure a powerful patronus charm and there was no need to wait any longer. They already had weeks of preparation for that and they knew it would be more beneficial for them to attack the dementors while the sun was still up.
Aunt Petunia anxiously steered the group to a broken telephone booth in muggle London. She quickly dialled one-nine-six-eight and spoke in a clear voice. "Petunia Evans to go home to Crigod's Commune with twenty eight young friends."
"The village has been destroyed. No one has been there for quite some time. Are you sure you're up to it?" asked the operator.
"Yes." replied Harry's aunt curtly.
"Very well." said the operator. Several badges came out of the part of the phone where change were usually discharged. Aunt Petunia got the first one bearing her name and distributed the remaining badges labeled Friend #1, Friend #2 and so forth to the others. "Pin the badges on your cloaks and think of Crigod's Commune. Hold each other tight and at the count of five, all of you shall be transported to the village. Good luck!" the operator instructed. They followed the instruction carefully.
.......5......4.......3........2.......1.......POOF! They all landed smoothly on a clear field of nothingness.
"Is this it?" asked Fred, slightly disappointed.
"Not quite...." Aunt Petunia uttered a few words that sounded like "Crigod, standing before you is the first child of the Evans clan returning. Please let us in." and a magnificent door engraved with "Crigod's Commune" magically appeared before them. Gold and silver metals intertwined to form a very complex design of a golden lion swallowing a hideously huge serpent. They all gaped at the marvelous vision before them. Even Petunia seemed overwhelmed by its grandeur. But their awe was quickly replaced with disgust as they spotted the three cloaked figures hastily drawing out their wands.
"There's an interference in the wards. Quick, search the area!" they heard one tall death-eater commanded the one nearest to them.
"There's no one here, Dolohov. We must be imagining things." replied the assigned death-eater.
"Oh, so the tall one's Antolin Dolohov! Leave him to me. I believe we have some unfinished business." whispered Hermione urgently to Harry as she heard the name of the one responsible for the several months of agony she was forced to endure in the hospital wing last school year. Harry said nothing.
They watched in amusement as the death-eaters argued with one another about the presence of an intruder in the area. They quickly positioned themselves when they saw the three death-eaters go in different directions to investigate.
"Stupefy!" Three DA members shouted at once, catching the three death- eaters unaware.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Another batch of DA members cursed the enemies causing them to fall helplessly on the ground.
Hermione was about to perform the same slashing movement that Dolohov used on her when she felt a firm hand clutch her wrist.
"Don't! We're not supposed to harm them. It will destroy the plan." whispered Luna. Hermione glared at her but refrained from doing the very harmful spell.
"The veritaserum." ordered Harry suddenly. The assigned DA members quickly poured three drops of the potion to each of the captives' mouths.
"Are there any death-eaters inside?" asked Harry.
"None." one of the death-eaters replied against his will.
"The dark lord will get you once he finds out! You can't get away with this!" exclaimed another.
"If he finds out....but what would you tell? You can't even see us." chuckled Harry.
"I can smell the stench of a mudblood and blood traitors anywhere!" spat the one called Dolohov maliciously, wrinkling his nose in disgust as if he was smelling something foul. Several members had to keep their temper in check to prevent them from attacking the now helpless enemies. Ignoring the taunt, Harry continued the interrogation.
"Where's Voldemort? What's your mission here?"
"We don't know. We've been here for two months already and the dark lord has not yet communicated with us. Our only mission is to ensure that the dementors won't be able to escape until it's time." The death-eater is obviously in pain for trying to stop himself from talking but the potion is too strong for him.
"Time for what?" asked George venomously.
"N-next full moon. Our lord would attack the werewolves and the dementors would help him force the beasts to follow his commands."
"Oh! So it's another brilliant plan to blackmail the werewolves into supporting his evil mission. Anything else? Does your stupid lord have any other immediate plans to conquer the wizarding world?" prodded Harry.
"Don't call him stupid! He's the most powerful wizard alive! Even the pathetic Potter boy won't be able to stop him!" exclaimed Dolohov.
"Do you really believe that? Well, I have news for you --- You're wrong!"
"A large number of death-eaters are going to attack the ministry tomorrow morning." said another death-eater, unable to stop himself.
The DA members looked concerned at that news but Harry just looked unperturbed. "Are there any other plans?" All the death-eaters shook their heads.
"Do you know what happened to Jack Lovegood?" ventured Luna, hoping to find something about his father's predicament.
"No." Again, all three shook their heads. Sensing that they won't get any other relevant information, Harry quickly performed a memory charm on them before forcing them to drink a very powerful sleeping potion.
"Sleep tight! When you wake up, you won't remember anything that transpired today. Consider yourselves very fortunate that we didn't kill you."
Aunt Petunia quickly opened the door and motioned all DA members to run inside. She slammed the door shut as soon as the last one had entered, leaving her to spy outside.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" shouted Harry and an enormous stag proudly galloped around the place. True to Dumbledore's warning, the disillusionment charm did not fool the dementors at all. The group had not even walked a dozen steps when they were viciously attacked by the cloaked figures. "REMOVE THE DISILLUSIONMENT CHARM NOW!" All became visible at once.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" a shining silver otter erupted from Hermione's wand.
"Harry! Go find the king immediately!" shouted Luna. "Don't worry about us!"
"Yeah! GO NOW!" Ron shouted too in between two starving dementors.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" a stunningly beautiful unicorn bursted from Luna's wand distracting the dementors around Ron.
"HARRY! DEMETER IS THE TALLEST AND IT WEARS THE UGLIEST HOOD!" shouted Cho before she fainted.
Harry looked around and saw several silver patronus of different shapes and sizes charge on the famished dementors. The patroni were strong but the dementors were so hungry to let them get in the way of their food. Several of their members had already fainted and he knew that things would really get nasty if he did not find the king soon. He shot several patronus around him before he saw the tallest and most powerful dementor he ever encountered.
"No! Not Harry! Please! Not Harry....take me instead!" Harry could hear his mom's plea as he approached the king. Think of something very happy! An image of winning the Quidditch cup floated on his mind. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" His patronus vanished before it even got near the king. At the corner of his eye, he saw some dementors attempting to suck the souls of the DA members who had fainted. But Luna and Hermione quickly conjured powerful patroni which drove them away.
"Go, Lily! You have to escape now!" his father's distressed voice rang alarmingly in his mind. Harry gradually felt himself weakening despite his tremendous effort to stay conscious.
"HARRY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET HIM NOW!" he heard another horrified yell. It was Ron.
"HARRY! PLEASE GET HIM NOW! YOU STILL OWE ME A PROPER DATE, YOU KNOW!" another familiar voice screamed at him. He looked up and saw his courageous girlfriend surrounded with dementors and they were so dangerously close.....
"NOOOOOO!!!! I won't let your minions suck their soul! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Again, the silver stag just bounced off the king that was currently gliding his way. He was having some serious doubts now if he was really the chosen one. But he better be the ONE or he would just have led his friends to their distraction --- all for nothing. Dumbledore's last words echoed on his ears...Have faith in yourself and your friends... Harry's mind was then flooded with memories of his parents' sacrifice...his encounter with the basilisk...his spectacular escape from the graveyard where Cedric was murdered cold-bloodedly...Sirius' untimely demise...all the attempts on his life and finally, the prophecy...then the realization hit him. "I'M THE ONE!" a sudden burst of confidence filled his heart and soon an image of Luna kissing him passionately lingered in his mind.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The most enormous patronus he ever conjured erupted from his wand and expertly stopped the king from drawing closer. In fact, it was temporarily paralyzed. He seized this chance and pointed his wand to the silver stag. "PATRONO HALKUM!" The stag immediately swooped on the immobile king of dementors and started to suck its soul.
The other dementors stopped attacking the students at once and glided to where Harry was in an attempt to help their leader. But they were too late.... Demeter was now crumpled on the floor, defeated. The conscious DA members came closer to watch in amazement as the most feared dementor slowly transformed into an ordinary one. All the dementors, including the former king, glided around and formed a battalion formation in front of a very confused Harry.
Luna ran towards Harry and enveloped him into a tight embrace. "Are you alright, hon?" she asked, the sugary term of endearment rolling freely from her lips. Harry, not quite accustomed to mushy terms directed his way, actually felt pleased that he had someone who call him 'hon' now. He raised his cloak to cover both of them, expertly shielding them from everyone's view. After a few minutes, a very flushed-looking Luna and a slightly disoriented Harry faced the group that was now impishly throwing them knowing looks.
"Err---What do I do now?" he frantically asked Hermione.
"You're the new king now, aren't you? I reckon they're waiting for your instruction." replied Hermione impatiently.
"Oh, right, I forgot, sorry!" The others giggled at that.
Harry quickly addressed the dementors. "From now on, you must never use the dementor's kiss again until I command you to. Voldemort will command you to attack the werewolves on the next full moon and you will dutifully follow his orders but never suck the soul of any one...not even werewolves. You can feed on their fears but don't overdo it. Pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened here. Most of all, let Voldemort believe that you are still on his side. When he asks for Demeter, tell him the king died of hunger. Do you understand?" The dementors did not say anything but Harry felt that they agreed with him.
The group headed to the training room after fighting an intense desire to explore the glorious place. Five of them were unconscious and a number were still a little dizzy but nothing that a little piece of chocolate won't cure. Aunt Petunia's tear-stained face accompanied with trembling shoulders did not help either. Professor Moody almost dropped the flask he was holding when he noticed them arrive with five bodies floating beside them. Professor McGonagall let out a silent scream and Madam Pomphrey quickly handed each of them a chocolate bar. Behind them was a terror- stricken Dudley, clutching his mouth as if he was about to puke. Apparently, they were all thinking the worst.
"Hey, have you no faith in us at all?" asked Fred, pretending to look hurt but was finding it difficult to restrain his amusement at their reactions.
"Hail to our new ---- !" shouted Colin but was stopped with a not-so-subtle kick on his left foot courtesy of Luna. He looked at her questioningly but he was met with several glares not only from Luna but also from the other members.
"Learn when not speak, Colin." whispered Hermione, sensing his discomfort.
"She's right, you know." added Ron with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
The professors noticed the secretive glances that passed the members but decided did not press on it. Whatever it was, they were not sure they really want to know.
"Eh-erm! So I take it that you were successful in your mission despite of the umm--- a little casualty?" asked Moody.
"Fortunately, yes." said Hermione casually as if fighting a battalion of dementors was an everyday occurrence but her jubilant expression stated otherwise.
"Well, I better go back to the ministry now so they can hasten the process of locating the residents of...what's the name of the place again?"
"Crigod Commune. Merlin! I just remembered you have to warn them too!...Death-eaters will attack the ministry tomorrow morning!" exclaimed Ron, thinking of his father immediately.
Professor Moody quickly disapparated after hearing the news.
"Do you think they'll need our help?" asked George apprehensively, clearly fearing for his father's life too.
"Maybe....or maybe not...Let's see. Moody has one of our galleons. I trust that he won't be too proud to call for help if the need arises. For now, we better take a rest. We can't fight anybody at this state." said Harry, pretending to stifle a yawn but his tight hold on Luna did not go unnoticed by the others' watchful stares.
"As you wish, your majesties!" teased Fred when Professor McGonagall turned her back to do something, bowing ridiculously low in a mock imitation of the house-elves' usual display of servitude.
"Cut it out, Fred!" said Harry, his cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. But the DA members did not listen to his plea. The room was soon filled with hums to the tune of "Weasley is our king" but with a suspiciously loud snickers when they reach the part of "Weasley".
"Aunt Petunia, don't forget to grip the galleon tightly if you find someone suspicious lurking around the area, okay?" said Harry to his aunt who was nervously placing the galleon in one of her pockets. She nodded in agreement. Her husband was still sulking in their room but Dudley went out to wish her mother luck. These past few days, Harry noticed a slight change in his cousin's usual demeanor but he could not place it yet. Something was clearly bothering him. "I'll talk to him later." he thought.
Luna performed the disillusionment charm on Aunt Petunia and herself. Everyone mimicked her action and silently walked out of the Room of Requirements so as not to attract attention from the others. Professor Moody and Professor McGonagall wanted to join them but Harry politely refused stating that they were needed more in the castle in case the death- eaters arrive unexpectedly. Moody gruffly conceded but only after creating several portkeys for them to use in case things got too much for them.
The DA members decided to execute the plan right after the meeting. They could all conjure a powerful patronus charm and there was no need to wait any longer. They already had weeks of preparation for that and they knew it would be more beneficial for them to attack the dementors while the sun was still up.
Aunt Petunia anxiously steered the group to a broken telephone booth in muggle London. She quickly dialled one-nine-six-eight and spoke in a clear voice. "Petunia Evans to go home to Crigod's Commune with twenty eight young friends."
"The village has been destroyed. No one has been there for quite some time. Are you sure you're up to it?" asked the operator.
"Yes." replied Harry's aunt curtly.
"Very well." said the operator. Several badges came out of the part of the phone where change were usually discharged. Aunt Petunia got the first one bearing her name and distributed the remaining badges labeled Friend #1, Friend #2 and so forth to the others. "Pin the badges on your cloaks and think of Crigod's Commune. Hold each other tight and at the count of five, all of you shall be transported to the village. Good luck!" the operator instructed. They followed the instruction carefully.
.......5......4.......3........2.......1.......POOF! They all landed smoothly on a clear field of nothingness.
"Is this it?" asked Fred, slightly disappointed.
"Not quite...." Aunt Petunia uttered a few words that sounded like "Crigod, standing before you is the first child of the Evans clan returning. Please let us in." and a magnificent door engraved with "Crigod's Commune" magically appeared before them. Gold and silver metals intertwined to form a very complex design of a golden lion swallowing a hideously huge serpent. They all gaped at the marvelous vision before them. Even Petunia seemed overwhelmed by its grandeur. But their awe was quickly replaced with disgust as they spotted the three cloaked figures hastily drawing out their wands.
"There's an interference in the wards. Quick, search the area!" they heard one tall death-eater commanded the one nearest to them.
"There's no one here, Dolohov. We must be imagining things." replied the assigned death-eater.
"Oh, so the tall one's Antolin Dolohov! Leave him to me. I believe we have some unfinished business." whispered Hermione urgently to Harry as she heard the name of the one responsible for the several months of agony she was forced to endure in the hospital wing last school year. Harry said nothing.
They watched in amusement as the death-eaters argued with one another about the presence of an intruder in the area. They quickly positioned themselves when they saw the three death-eaters go in different directions to investigate.
"Stupefy!" Three DA members shouted at once, catching the three death- eaters unaware.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Another batch of DA members cursed the enemies causing them to fall helplessly on the ground.
Hermione was about to perform the same slashing movement that Dolohov used on her when she felt a firm hand clutch her wrist.
"Don't! We're not supposed to harm them. It will destroy the plan." whispered Luna. Hermione glared at her but refrained from doing the very harmful spell.
"The veritaserum." ordered Harry suddenly. The assigned DA members quickly poured three drops of the potion to each of the captives' mouths.
"Are there any death-eaters inside?" asked Harry.
"None." one of the death-eaters replied against his will.
"The dark lord will get you once he finds out! You can't get away with this!" exclaimed another.
"If he finds out....but what would you tell? You can't even see us." chuckled Harry.
"I can smell the stench of a mudblood and blood traitors anywhere!" spat the one called Dolohov maliciously, wrinkling his nose in disgust as if he was smelling something foul. Several members had to keep their temper in check to prevent them from attacking the now helpless enemies. Ignoring the taunt, Harry continued the interrogation.
"Where's Voldemort? What's your mission here?"
"We don't know. We've been here for two months already and the dark lord has not yet communicated with us. Our only mission is to ensure that the dementors won't be able to escape until it's time." The death-eater is obviously in pain for trying to stop himself from talking but the potion is too strong for him.
"Time for what?" asked George venomously.
"N-next full moon. Our lord would attack the werewolves and the dementors would help him force the beasts to follow his commands."
"Oh! So it's another brilliant plan to blackmail the werewolves into supporting his evil mission. Anything else? Does your stupid lord have any other immediate plans to conquer the wizarding world?" prodded Harry.
"Don't call him stupid! He's the most powerful wizard alive! Even the pathetic Potter boy won't be able to stop him!" exclaimed Dolohov.
"Do you really believe that? Well, I have news for you --- You're wrong!"
"A large number of death-eaters are going to attack the ministry tomorrow morning." said another death-eater, unable to stop himself.
The DA members looked concerned at that news but Harry just looked unperturbed. "Are there any other plans?" All the death-eaters shook their heads.
"Do you know what happened to Jack Lovegood?" ventured Luna, hoping to find something about his father's predicament.
"No." Again, all three shook their heads. Sensing that they won't get any other relevant information, Harry quickly performed a memory charm on them before forcing them to drink a very powerful sleeping potion.
"Sleep tight! When you wake up, you won't remember anything that transpired today. Consider yourselves very fortunate that we didn't kill you."
Aunt Petunia quickly opened the door and motioned all DA members to run inside. She slammed the door shut as soon as the last one had entered, leaving her to spy outside.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" shouted Harry and an enormous stag proudly galloped around the place. True to Dumbledore's warning, the disillusionment charm did not fool the dementors at all. The group had not even walked a dozen steps when they were viciously attacked by the cloaked figures. "REMOVE THE DISILLUSIONMENT CHARM NOW!" All became visible at once.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" a shining silver otter erupted from Hermione's wand.
"Harry! Go find the king immediately!" shouted Luna. "Don't worry about us!"
"Yeah! GO NOW!" Ron shouted too in between two starving dementors.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" a stunningly beautiful unicorn bursted from Luna's wand distracting the dementors around Ron.
"HARRY! DEMETER IS THE TALLEST AND IT WEARS THE UGLIEST HOOD!" shouted Cho before she fainted.
Harry looked around and saw several silver patronus of different shapes and sizes charge on the famished dementors. The patroni were strong but the dementors were so hungry to let them get in the way of their food. Several of their members had already fainted and he knew that things would really get nasty if he did not find the king soon. He shot several patronus around him before he saw the tallest and most powerful dementor he ever encountered.
"No! Not Harry! Please! Not Harry....take me instead!" Harry could hear his mom's plea as he approached the king. Think of something very happy! An image of winning the Quidditch cup floated on his mind. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" His patronus vanished before it even got near the king. At the corner of his eye, he saw some dementors attempting to suck the souls of the DA members who had fainted. But Luna and Hermione quickly conjured powerful patroni which drove them away.
"Go, Lily! You have to escape now!" his father's distressed voice rang alarmingly in his mind. Harry gradually felt himself weakening despite his tremendous effort to stay conscious.
"HARRY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET HIM NOW!" he heard another horrified yell. It was Ron.
"HARRY! PLEASE GET HIM NOW! YOU STILL OWE ME A PROPER DATE, YOU KNOW!" another familiar voice screamed at him. He looked up and saw his courageous girlfriend surrounded with dementors and they were so dangerously close.....
"NOOOOOO!!!! I won't let your minions suck their soul! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Again, the silver stag just bounced off the king that was currently gliding his way. He was having some serious doubts now if he was really the chosen one. But he better be the ONE or he would just have led his friends to their distraction --- all for nothing. Dumbledore's last words echoed on his ears...Have faith in yourself and your friends... Harry's mind was then flooded with memories of his parents' sacrifice...his encounter with the basilisk...his spectacular escape from the graveyard where Cedric was murdered cold-bloodedly...Sirius' untimely demise...all the attempts on his life and finally, the prophecy...then the realization hit him. "I'M THE ONE!" a sudden burst of confidence filled his heart and soon an image of Luna kissing him passionately lingered in his mind.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The most enormous patronus he ever conjured erupted from his wand and expertly stopped the king from drawing closer. In fact, it was temporarily paralyzed. He seized this chance and pointed his wand to the silver stag. "PATRONO HALKUM!" The stag immediately swooped on the immobile king of dementors and started to suck its soul.
The other dementors stopped attacking the students at once and glided to where Harry was in an attempt to help their leader. But they were too late.... Demeter was now crumpled on the floor, defeated. The conscious DA members came closer to watch in amazement as the most feared dementor slowly transformed into an ordinary one. All the dementors, including the former king, glided around and formed a battalion formation in front of a very confused Harry.
Luna ran towards Harry and enveloped him into a tight embrace. "Are you alright, hon?" she asked, the sugary term of endearment rolling freely from her lips. Harry, not quite accustomed to mushy terms directed his way, actually felt pleased that he had someone who call him 'hon' now. He raised his cloak to cover both of them, expertly shielding them from everyone's view. After a few minutes, a very flushed-looking Luna and a slightly disoriented Harry faced the group that was now impishly throwing them knowing looks.
"Err---What do I do now?" he frantically asked Hermione.
"You're the new king now, aren't you? I reckon they're waiting for your instruction." replied Hermione impatiently.
"Oh, right, I forgot, sorry!" The others giggled at that.
Harry quickly addressed the dementors. "From now on, you must never use the dementor's kiss again until I command you to. Voldemort will command you to attack the werewolves on the next full moon and you will dutifully follow his orders but never suck the soul of any one...not even werewolves. You can feed on their fears but don't overdo it. Pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened here. Most of all, let Voldemort believe that you are still on his side. When he asks for Demeter, tell him the king died of hunger. Do you understand?" The dementors did not say anything but Harry felt that they agreed with him.
The group headed to the training room after fighting an intense desire to explore the glorious place. Five of them were unconscious and a number were still a little dizzy but nothing that a little piece of chocolate won't cure. Aunt Petunia's tear-stained face accompanied with trembling shoulders did not help either. Professor Moody almost dropped the flask he was holding when he noticed them arrive with five bodies floating beside them. Professor McGonagall let out a silent scream and Madam Pomphrey quickly handed each of them a chocolate bar. Behind them was a terror- stricken Dudley, clutching his mouth as if he was about to puke. Apparently, they were all thinking the worst.
"Hey, have you no faith in us at all?" asked Fred, pretending to look hurt but was finding it difficult to restrain his amusement at their reactions.
"Hail to our new ---- !" shouted Colin but was stopped with a not-so-subtle kick on his left foot courtesy of Luna. He looked at her questioningly but he was met with several glares not only from Luna but also from the other members.
"Learn when not speak, Colin." whispered Hermione, sensing his discomfort.
"She's right, you know." added Ron with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
The professors noticed the secretive glances that passed the members but decided did not press on it. Whatever it was, they were not sure they really want to know.
"Eh-erm! So I take it that you were successful in your mission despite of the umm--- a little casualty?" asked Moody.
"Fortunately, yes." said Hermione casually as if fighting a battalion of dementors was an everyday occurrence but her jubilant expression stated otherwise.
"Well, I better go back to the ministry now so they can hasten the process of locating the residents of...what's the name of the place again?"
"Crigod Commune. Merlin! I just remembered you have to warn them too!...Death-eaters will attack the ministry tomorrow morning!" exclaimed Ron, thinking of his father immediately.
Professor Moody quickly disapparated after hearing the news.
"Do you think they'll need our help?" asked George apprehensively, clearly fearing for his father's life too.
"Maybe....or maybe not...Let's see. Moody has one of our galleons. I trust that he won't be too proud to call for help if the need arises. For now, we better take a rest. We can't fight anybody at this state." said Harry, pretending to stifle a yawn but his tight hold on Luna did not go unnoticed by the others' watchful stares.
"As you wish, your majesties!" teased Fred when Professor McGonagall turned her back to do something, bowing ridiculously low in a mock imitation of the house-elves' usual display of servitude.
"Cut it out, Fred!" said Harry, his cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. But the DA members did not listen to his plea. The room was soon filled with hums to the tune of "Weasley is our king" but with a suspiciously loud snickers when they reach the part of "Weasley".