Just Old Friends

Chapter 15: Evening of Conversations

Fifteen rounds in and the conversations of the night were turning light. They had all had their fun winding Neville up about his usual excuses to be absent from such events and had each made some sort of joke about Harry not liking pubs. Or maybe it was just them.

Harry felt at ease now, as if things were as they should be although he would never have guessed he would have picked Snape as a drinking buddy. Now that they were all on the Mudblood Mix they were behaving in the way only drunken men could.

After a few choruses of some rude Quidditch songs they settled back down to their drinking. Harry watched as Percy undid his top button on the muggle shirt and curiosity got the better of him.

"Percy, why do you wear Muggle clothes when everyone else wears robes?"

Percy put his glass down and looked up over his glasses. He was slouching badly and Harry couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before he was sitting on the floor.

"I work as the muggle liaison. It means I have to go to the Muggle Parliament and I get to have a say on whether what they plan will backfire because of the wizarding world. Good job; pays well and that's what I need. Plus it keeps me out of the house when Penelope is annoyed with Robin. She's a pain, that one; definitely has the Weasley genes, but I'd say more like Fred and George's than mine."

He hiccupped as he took another swig of his drink. Remus laughed heartily at him.

"Mood swings, ha! You should see Tonks; I swear I never thought a woman could be worse than Lily when it came to being pregnant but boy was I wrong. I think that Tonks could have given O'Lil a run for her money."

Harry was distracted from this statement for a second when a bang indicted Percy was on the floor. The sound awoke Wood from his drunken nap. Around them, other drinkers laughed, but they ignored them completely as Harry asked his question.

"Mum was bad at being pregnant then?"

"Oh no Harry, she was great! She used to eat healthy food, rest all the time, stopped smoking and drinking anything alcoholic including Butterbeer. She used to sit on the sofa with her feet up rubbing her stomach while knitting your baby blanket."

He laughed at the look on the faces of the men around him.

"Yes she was good, that is until James came into the room. It drove her mad. When she was feeling unwell, she used to yell at him that it was his fault; he got her pregnant in the first place, him and his 'charm'. Then when he used to tell her to sit down and rest or to put out her cigarette. She used to set him on fire."

Snape began to choke as he laughed through his drink. The others too looked amused at this and Remus had that twinkle in his eye.

"But yet if Sirius or I asked her to do something she'd smile and say thank you, and that we were great friends to her always thinking about what was best for her during those times. Then she would look at James and tell him it wouldn't hurt for him to take a leaf from our book."

Again they began to laugh and Remus had to put his drink down.

"I tell you James couldn't win no matter what. And then there was the birth, boy was that a fun day. Sirius and I were in with Alice and Frank; we were meeting Neville for the first time. Alice had had an easy pregnancy; in fact, until she was eight months in, you couldn't tell she was carrying."

He took a swig from his drink looking at Harry.

"Well your mother screamed so much she made Neville cry. She was in the next room over you see, and she refused to have the pain relief potions… that was until three hours into the labour. So after Alice and Neville fell asleep we went into the waiting area with Frank. We had to wait nine hours for you Harry; you were always one to take your time."

Harry heard Snape mumble something as Percy leaned his head onto the Potion Masters lap.

"Now Neville, he was born an hour after Alice went into labour. But you, no you didn't want to be born, you wanted to stay within Lily and boy did she want you out. So did James, mind; I think he wanted normal Lily back.

Finally James came out of the room; it was only seven hours into the labour so you hadn't been born, but one of the Healers lead him out, and looked at the three of us sitting there. Then she smiled and said that one of us could go in with Lily."

At this point Harry saw Snape hit Percy across the head and all attention went to them.

"Will you get your oversized head off of my lap!?"

Percy snapped his head up and hit Wood, who was again re-awoken from his dreams. Charlie stood up at this point.

"I think it's time these two leave they're falling asleep, I'll get them home."

He carefully pulled Percy to his feet as Bill helped Wood and the four left for the fireplace and home.

Snape smiled at Harry, a twisted drunken smile, and he shook his hand for Remus to continue.

"Oh come on Lupin, I want to here all about Potter's troubles, especially when they are so funny."

Ron waved to Rosmerta who brought the five remaining men another round. Remus picked up his glass took another swig and looked around.

"Where'd I get to?"

Ron put down his glass and opened his mouth to answer when Neville beat him to it.

"James was coming out and one of you was going in."

"Oh yeah, well Lily had broken James' hand and she was yelling so badly at him that they thought somebody else should go in. Well Frank went in for twenty minutes to try and give her support; he told her about Neville and how Alice had said all the pain was worth it once she held him. Well Lily agreed and then told him to leave before she hit him with something, she didn't want to explain to Alice any bruises."

Neville laughed; maybe it was the idea of his father being yelled at by Harry's mother, but Snape looked entertained as he coaxed Remus to carry on.

"Well then Sirius went in while James sat with me and Frank having a cup of tea and taking some sort of potion for his headache that Lily had caused, and I swear it was so funny, I think Sirius lasted ten minutes at the most. Lily had yelled at him when he decided he wanted to see if you were coming."

Snape burst out laughing joined quickly by Ron and Neville; Harry was trying to imagine his mother yelling at Sirius as he tried to see if Harry was on his way. Remus continued with laughter in his voice.

"He was crying when he left the room, he looked so scared that Lily would get him afterwards. Well James asked me to go in, and I stayed with Lily for about an hour, we chatted and she actually had me laughing describing the way Sirius was. Well then she squeezed my hand and the Healer said she could see your head. So I went and got James and he had to wait another twenty minutes for you."

He took a swig of his Mudblood Mix.

"I swear we were all relieved when you finally were born, Lily went back to being normal Lily, although she was over-protective and she didn't like leaving you alone with Sirius, but she was normal. Well I thought Tonks would be easy to deal with but she's as bad as Lily was and I'm dreading the birth; I keep seeing James' face when he came out with his hand all broken."

Harry smiled; it was funny thinking about the fact that Remus had been there when he was born, it was something he couldn't really get around his head. But now the conversation was back on Tonks he realised he didn't even know how pregnant she was.

"How far along is Tonks?"

"Too far. She's seven and a half months and counting, I'm just ready for the child, and I think this will be our one and only, I don't think I could cope again. I'm too old."

They stayed a bit longer and then Rosmerta cut them off claiming they had already had too much and she wasn't going to let them have anymore, something about not wanting to face McGonagall and Hermione but more importantly Tonks.

So the night ended, Snape staggered up to the school while Neville went straight home. As it was only half past eight Harry, Ron and Remus went back to Ron's place and hid in the kitchen until the shower was over. Although they would come face to face with the women.

Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews guys, really means a lot to me.

Elmire, I didn't answer your last question about violée, I think you meant rape, no Ginny hasn't been raped but you are thinking somewhere sort of right but not, its really difficult because I can't give clues to it as it will give it away but I like the way that you are thinking.

Everpresent: I actually really understand what you are saying and I think its actually a fault of mine the way that I've not really explained the whole time thing. So I'll do that here for you.

Harry was in a coma for two years so nobody really visited him and those that did he didn't remember. Well when he woke up he stayed in Hospital until the November so that would be five months. Well he was on a closed ward and nobody could visit him.

Now I know that means I messed up because Hermione kept visiting him, well she worked there and it was her job to do so you know look after him so she was the exception. Well you remember that Ron also visited but he is Hermione's fiancé and so she actually let him in but nobody else could.

He has only been out a week, and everyone is giving him space to settle back into things and try to come to grips with everything he has missed, now Ginny is in the next chapter and you'll see him now faced with so many people that its gonna be hard on him.

I know it seems drawn out but that's the way I've written it but the time space is really short in actual time.

Chica91: Yes I know it was strange the greeting but they're trying to show Harry that things haven't really changed so its like, oh you've popped in for a pint finally. As for Snape the final battle sort of brought closure to everyone, and with it a tolerance that is new to them all and Snape is tolerating them and enjoying himself, however I hope to keep him in character so if you think he's out of it just let me know okay.

And with that I've finished and I'd just like to say a speak thank you to my lovely beta Annie, thanks for the chapter