Chapter 4: Last Night of Freedom
The rest of the week and the start of the next was excruciating slow for all the friends. Hermione visited her grandparents for three days not even able to take any of her books to read. Susan and Ron were too nervous of what the twins might say to as much as hold hands. Gabrielle wanted to cry when Mrs. Malfoy announced that she was staying home for another week, meaning she was stuck at the manor for another week as well. Harry was anxiously waiting to hear back from the English team and even Neville was bored without anyone to hang out with.
Wood had to move his visit up so he could go visit his aunt in America at the end of the week. He stayed at Hermione's house over the weekend and until Tuesday morning. It was a well supervised visit; they didn't even kiss once thanks to her father's continual hovering. They did get a chance to know each other much better and made plans to go to the club as soon as 'Xavier' heard if he made the team.
By Tuesday afternoon when Ginny got back early from visiting Charlie the girls decided they needed a night out. The decided to throw a hens party for Tonks Thursday night when the guys were planning the bachelor party. Ginny and Hermione called Fleur and Gabrielle over to discuss what to do and where to have it. Mrs. Weasley finally decided for them, telling them the Burrow was a great idea and that all the men would be at headquarters anyway.
Tonks was excited to see what the girls had cooked up. They weren't telling the guys they were having a party. Tonks just lied and said she wanted to spend one last night at home with her parents before getting married. Remus and the boys were thick enough to buy the excuse so the party was on. Mrs. Weasley and the two Mrs. Longbottoms along with Arabella fig and all the female teachers (minus Trelawney) were invited. The boys had invited all order members to the party since it was at headquarters they were the only ones who could come anyway. By the time Thursday morning had rolled around everyone was excited to be doing something other than the waiting they had been.
The girls had told everyone to apparate into Ginny's room so as not to be discovered if the guys were running late. Ginny had a silencing spell on her door and chuckled that the boys all thought she was quietly reading in her room, not that there were already 5 women ready to party waiting for them to leave.
"I thought you men had a party to get to at Harry's?" Mrs. Weasley said as she walked by with a load of laundry (just for appearances).
"We're waiting for Charlie, he must have caught a late port-key," Arthur told her, giving her a kiss and a smack on the bum.
"You just all behave tonight, we wouldn't want Albus to think the order was full of drunken idiots," She told them and smiled as Charlie appeared in the living room.
"See you mum," Charlie said kissing her as the others started to dissapparate.
Once she knew they were all gone she hurried up to Ginny's room to let the women down into the house. "They're gone finally. Charlie was late and they were all waiting for him." She told them as the crowd of Ginny, Hermione, Tonks, Fleur, Gabrielle, Minerva, Arabella, Alice and Mrs. Longbottom headed down the stairs. They were quickly followed by the rest of the teachers. Mrs. Weasley hurried around offering drinks and set out platters of food. They spent the next half hour just chatting on what they had each been up to.
"I think that's everyone," Harry said closing the door after Kingsley Shacklebolt. He turned and nodded to Severus.
"Before we all get to inebriated," Snape said sarcastically. "I have brewed enough hangover potion for everyone. There is a bottle next to each of your beds and some in the kitchen for those who will be going home later."
"So that's why you keep him around huh?" Bill chuckled with a cheeky wink at Snape. "Having a potions master on call keeps us out of trouble in the morning!" The guys all laughed and Harry and Charlie started pouring drinks for everyone as they all hung out in the back sitting room. It was a seldom used room that had a full bar and was decorated to perfection as a men's lounge, down to the billiard table and Chippendale chairs. It was perfect for their little party. They even had Dobby behind the bar to serve them.
The guys lounged around getting comfortable for a few minutes until the conversation turned to tales of previous bachelor parties they had gone to in their lives. "I barely remember my own, Molly's brothers got me so drunk that I woke up the next morning and couldn't figure out how my skin had turned orange and my hair green." Arthur told them making them laugh. "I heard later that I tried to grope one of the waitresses at the bar we were at and her fiancé didn't take to kindly to it! The worst part was that Molly saw what I looked like and you can imagine her reaction to a soon to be groom with green hair!" They all laughed at the idea of what Mrs. Weasley would have done to him.
They then moved toward some of the more risqué stories. Snape had the best one. "Lucius Malfoy's bachelor party was planned by his father who if you don't know was as foul if not more foul a man as Lucius. He rented out a brothel in the south of France for the week leading up to the wedding. It was one of those upscale places with fine wines and gourmet food and a little T&A on the side. Let's say it wasn't a week easily forgotten."
The night progressed well as the alcohol kept flowing. The stories then turned to even more personal experiences with the guys talking about their first times and how completely hopeless and inept they were. "You're not giving me much confidence here," Harry said, he was feeling nice and fuzzy thanks to the schnapps. "I don't want to look like a fool my first time! I'm supposed to be a famous hero, what famous hero have you ever heard of that was bad in the sack?"
Everyone laughed at Harry's comment. The Weasley men were all secretly relieved to know that Harry hadn't spoiled Ginny in that way. "At least you don't have older brothers to walk in on you while you were trying to close the deal!" Ron said as seriously as he could through the haze of alcohol. "Fred and George destroyed my once chance to get any action this summer! I had her shirt off already and everything!" The rest of the men laughed at Ron's plight.
"Well Mr. Weasley, I'll make sure I keep an extra close watch out for any extracurricular activities once we get back to school. We wouldn't want to risk a new batch of Weasleys just yet." Snape said in what could only be a joking manor. Most of the group looked shocked at the unnatural attitude of the dungeon bat.
"I think hell is going to freeze over soon," Fred said to them all. "Ron's almost getting laid and Snape almost made a joke! Next thing you know Dumbledore's going to go on a sugar free diet!" They all laughed as Albus pulled a bag of sweets out of his pocket to prove it wasn't true.
The women had all settled down in the living room after eating and mingling. Gabrielle stood and got all their attention before pulling a black ball out of her robes. "This is something I promised Tonks and some others of you that I would make for the summer at Headquarters. I figured since Tonks liked it so much we should use it for the first time tonight at her party!" She handed the ball to Hermione who knew exactly what it was and went on to explain to the rest of the group what it did and how to play. They all liked the idea and told Tonks she was first since she was getting married.
Tonks took the ball from Hermione, knowing that Gabrielle would not have made the questions as easy as Lavender and Parvarti had. She shook it slightly and waited for the question to form in the window. The question was 'Truth: How many different guys (not related) have you kissed in a romantic way and if under 5 who were they. If over 5 who was the last.' Tonks smiled and said her answer was 3. She had kissed a boy named Steven back at Hogwarts and a guy she met in auror training named Jack and then Remus of course. She then handed the ball to Hermione who smiled and also said 3 they were Victor, Ron and Oliver. Ginny blushed as she said Harry was the only boy she ever kissed, but the surprise for the group was when Minerva answered that she had kissed 7 guys and the last was Albus. It seems she and the headmaster had been having an affair of sorts for the last 15 years! Most of the other staff members didn't know about it either.
The questions were relatively painless and the dares were funny. It seemed the ball realized there were only women around. The question that made many of them squirm was when it asked how old they were when they lost their virginity. Ginny, Hermione and Gabrielle all said they had not to the relief of most everyone present. Fleur had said she was 16 not able to look her sister in the eye. Tonks blushed as she said she was 29 and everyone smiled realizing she was still 29 so she had lost it to Remus, which was very sweet. Ginny narrowed her eyes as her mother tried to answer 19 (when she was married) but the ball knew better and she finally answered with 16, not able to look her daughter in the eye.
Hermione spoke up quickly with a question she wanted the ladies to answer. "My mum said she read in a book she bought from Diagon Alley that a witch looses some of her power if she has sex without being bound to the wizard, is it true?"
"Partially," McGonagall told her. "The power loss is only for very powerful witches, mostly for those in the royal family or those of mostly pureblood. The loss also doesn't happen if the witch is in love, really in love with the wizard and she would gain the power back by being bound to the wizard."
"So I don't have anything to worry about?" Hermione asked curiously.
"You are quite powerful Hermione, so if you are with a wizard that is unworthy of you, some of your power may be lost." Tonks told her truthfully. "There is no way to know beforehand, that's why I waited so long."
"Yeah, I've decided to wait as well, that was just one of the reasons, but it gives my idea more credence," Hermione said having made her decision.
"This would be more fun playing with the guys; we'll have to do it again after we get back from our honeymoon!" Tonks said smiling as the girls all packed up for the night. "See everyone on Saturday!"
"I'll stay and help you clean up!" Gabrielle offered, "In fact I'd do just about anything for an excuse to get out of that house! Narcissa Malfoy is taxing on the nerves. She's so stuck on appearances and insists we look and act perfectly at all times. The woman insists I wear a corset just to make sure my posture is perfect!"
"At least she's not evil," Ginny said with a giggle. She knew that Fleur took way too much care in looking perfect and Gabrielle was used to that so Mrs. Malfoy must be impossible to live with.
"If she was like this her whole life I understand why Mr. Malfoy used that potion to control her. An arranged marriage to someone like her would drive me to suicide! I can't even handle 2 weeks on the opposite side of the manor." Gabrielle said to the two Weasley women, Hermione, Tonks, Fleur and the Mrs. Longbottoms. They were cleaning up and waiting for word that it was safe to head back to headquarters. "At least Draco is making her move out once we marry, otherwise I might rethink the decision. I mean even as much as I love him, I can't stand his mother."
Fleur gasped at her little sisters words and started crying. None of them knew what to make of it until Fleur looked up with a big smile on her face. "You said you love him! Is it true? Do you?" She asked in rapid French, she usually forgot to speak English when she was emotional.
Hermione translated to the rest as Gabrielle looked shocked at her sister. "Did I really say that?" She asked them all and her eyes widened farther as they nodded. "Wow, I didn't mean to say it, it just popped out. Is it weird that the word love popped out when I have always sworn not to believe in love?" She groaned and threw her head back. "But I think I might love him, it's so frustrating!"
"Why is it frustrating? You should be happy that you fell in love since you are already planning on getting married." Tonks told her, "Besides, Draco is completely smitten with you."
"Things are just kind of awkward between us," Gabrielle told them. "We are great friends and get along and he's great to snuggle with and kiss occasionally, but the whole romance thing just feels forced. I know we are attracted to each other and we are compatible emotionally, I'm just worried we're falling for each other because we think we're supposed to."
"Can you imagine ever being with someone else?" Alice Longbottom asked. "Frank's mum and mine were trying to push us together, but we fell in love despite their interference. I knew it was real when I tried to picture my life without him in it. The thought of being without him makes me feel horrible, my chest clenches and it's like my breath is gone."
"I feel the same way about Arthur, I can't imagine a life without him and the thought that something would happen to him terrifies me." Molly told them.
"That's just the thing; I know that there is no one I'd rather spend my life with. I know I'd never be happy with someone else, but it still feels forced." Gabrielle said.
"Give it time, tell Draco how you feel and see where it takes you. I think you already love him, you just have to admit it to yourself," Ginny said with a smile. "You see falling in love is easy, you can do it in seconds, and love doesn't take work. The forced feeling is probably because you have certain expectations that you think your relationship should be like. Just let go and see where it takes you, naturally."
"When did you get so smart?" Hermione asked her friend with a grin. "That was like perfect relationship advice!"
The guy's had finished off more alcohol that was good for them and many had already headed for bed. Arthur finally rounded up all his sons and administered the hangover potion to them so they could make their way home. He wished Remus, Harry and Snape (the only ones left) a good night and the Weasley family disapperated. "You guys can go to bed if you like, I'll help Dobby and Winky clean up," Harry said through a yawn. "Thanks for making that entire potion sir; it seems to have been a hit. At least there aren't a bunch of passed out order members lying around the house."
Snape sent Lupin on his way up to bed and helped Harry and the house elves straighten up the rec room, as they had decided to call it. "You handled yourself very good tonight Potter, I'm impressed. I figured you to be like the Weasley boys when it comes to alcohol."
"I've seen the stupid things people do thanks to having too much to drink. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself and I needed to make sure no one did anything stupid in my house. Are you heading back to Hogwarts or have you brought all your stuff for the summer already Professor?"
"You can call me Severus; I'm just a fellow order member for the summer, remember? I'll head back to the school in the morning to finish packing. I'll start staying here after the wedding. Hermione isn't due here until Sunday correct?" He said.
"That's right; we're all staying at the school Saturday after the ceremony and then coming here Sunday morning. I'm sure she expects to start researching with you on Monday." Harry told him, "It's weird to hear you call her Hermione; she always comments how in class you used to call her everything but her name. My favorite was 'Insufferable Know-it-all' but she prefers 'Silly Little Girl' I think. There's also: Gryffindor Bookworm, Walking Dictionary and Potter's Brain. You even manage to make our last names sound like insults; I haven't figured it out yet."
"I see the alcohol loosens your tongue, normally you'd be too scared of me to make those comments." Snape said as they sat in front of the fireplace. "Those last three names you mentioned actually fit her but the ones you say are your favorites are wrong. She may be a know-it-all but the only thing insufferable about that I am not able to award her house points and she is anything but silly. She's the least silly girl in the school, the rest of the girls your age giggle constantly; it's very tiring."
"I see your tongue is loosened as well," Harry chuckled, marveling in the fact that he was having an easy conversation with Snape. "If you want to talk about hideous names, we should mention all of the names you've inspired over the years. My personal favorite is 'The Big Black Bat' where Ron prefers 'Greasy Git' unfortunately Hermione always yells at us when we call you anything other than 'Professor Snape'.
Snape was surprised to hear that Hermione didn't join in the Snape bashing, although he shouldn't have been with her ingrained respect for professors. "Let's not forget everything your little fans call you Harry. There is the much overused Boy-Who-Lived and other such heroic nomenclatures. My favorites are the ones Malfoy came up with, there's Potty, Pot Head and Boy Wonder. I'm sure there are others but I used to try to block out all conversations when people talked about you."
"Malfoy has the best ones though; I mean who else can you call 'Ferret Face' and 'The Amazing Bouncing Ferret'? I know that Moody was an imposter, but really, it was such a great moment!" Harry said with a wistful smile. "Some days I wish Malfoy and I still hated each other, things were much more exciting then trying to duel without loosing too many points."
"I think my favorite fights between the two of you were when you were only fake fighting. I heard all about the fight where he supposedly beat you. I can't believe you fake fought while under the Polyjuice, very original I must admit." Snape told him.
Harry yawned again and decided to head to bed. "Have a good night Severus. Feel free to stay for breakfast. You'll have to give Winky a list of your favorite foods so she knows what to cook for you and your breakfast choices for the summer. I'll see you early Saturday to get all prettied up in dress robes," Harry waved and took off to his room leaving Snape to scowl at the thought of wearing the wedding robes Remus had chosen for them.