Chapter 10: The Birthday Surprise!
It was the 7th of January, two days before the start of the new term. Kirsti's ankles were now healed and it was coincidentally Rachel's birthday.
"Merlin's beard, you're getting old." Amy said sarcastically as Rachel entered the commonroom.
"Hey I'm younger then you." Rachel retorted.
"Do you like my hair?" said Amy.
"Yeah, a mix of black and pink. Groovy." replied Rachel.
"This is your present." Amy said whilst pointing to a tiny package on the table.
Rachel opened it and found it was a box of stink pellets.
"Er thanks." said Rachel.
"Don't worry we've saved the bigger surprise for later." said Amy.
After spending the day practising pranks and Quidditch manoeuvres, Harry, Ron, Rachel, Clare, Amy and Kirsti met in the Fat Lady's corridor. Suddenly Clare performed the conjunctivitis curse on Rachel. Rachel's vision went very blurry and couldn't see to walk, but she felt them all huddled together and realised that they must all be under the invisibility cloak.
"Dissendium." Harry whispered. Rachel realised they must be on their way to Hogsmeade. After what felt like an hour of walking, they came to the trap door that led to the basement of Honeydukes Sweetshop. They stayed under the cloak until they were safely down one of the alleys in Hogsmeade. They then led a very disorientated Rachel to a very tatty building where Clare lifted the curse.
"This is it, this is you birthday surprise." Kirsti said excitedly.
"What you got me the Hogs Head?" Rachel said a bit confused, waiting for her vision to return to normal.
"No you nitwit, we're gonna get you totally plastered." Amy said.
"Not too plastered." said Clare, apprehensively.
Harry went to the bar to buy the first round of drinks whilst Ron and the girls went to get a table in the corner. He came back with a bottle of Green Lightening and several glasses. This was downed very quickly.
"Who's up for Fire Whisky." shouted Amy, already looking tipsy as she appeared to be talking to an invisible person next to her.
"Oh I don't think we should." said Clare.
"It's up to Rachel, it's her birthday." ranted Amy.
"The more the merrier." said Rachel.
"Excellent." shouted Ron.
It was an hour later, Harry and Amy were kissing and giggling at Clare, Rachel, Kirsti and Ron who didn't even know the words singing karaoke, the song they were slaughtering was Destiny's Child - Bootylicious. Amy was now rolling around on the floor after Kirsti had a failed attempt at a high note and Clare, Ron and Rachel's attempt at the dance routine. They eventually gave up on their terrible karaoke, allowing everyone's ears to have a break and sat with Amy and Harry at the table.
"How about a nice game of truth or dare." Kirsti said.
"Yes." said Rachel.
"Rachel, truth or dare?" said Harry.
"Because of the amount of alcohol I've consumed, dare." Rachel replied.
"You have to stand on the centre of the room and make chicken noises." said Harry.
Rachel dutifully stood up, saluted her comrades and spent the next fifteen minutes walking around the Hog's Head and going up to other drinkers, clucking like a chicken and flapping her arms. She then returned to the table.
"Right, Harry truth or dare?" said Rachel.
"Dare." Harry said coyly.
"You have to go over there and flirt with the bartender." said Rachel.
"What he's a bloke." Harry said.
"All the more fun." said Rachel.
Harry slowly made his way to the bar after downing another, rather large, shot of Fire Whiskey, whilst Ron nearly fell off his chair howling with laughter.
"What's your name sexy?" said Harry.
"Excuse me?" said the bartender who was very old and had a long grey beard and long, lank grey hair.
"How can I get to know you better if I don't know your name?" said Harry drunkenly.
"What?" replied the bartender.
"Your name. I want to know your name." said Harry, almost shouting.
"Alright then it's Rapunzelinio." replied the bartender.
Harry couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing.
"Rupaulina, can I kiss you please?" said Harry.
"Certainly not!" cried the bartender, and he began to move cautiously away from Harry.
"You are so beautiful to me." Harry began to shout in a drunken sing-song voice.
"If you don't go back to your table, I will have to ask you all to leave." said the bartender who just also happened to be the manager of the Hogs Head.
Harry walked back to the table of laughing girls and a hysterical Ron.
"I guess I wasn't his type." said Harry in a depressed tone.
"Amy, truth or dare?" said Kirsti.
"After seeing previous performances I'll go for a truth." said Amy.
"Are you still a virgin?" yelled Kirsti, a little too loudly, causing the bartender to look over.
"Yes, I still am a virgin." said Amy.
"Ah how boring." Rachel said, but Clare looked quite relieved.
"Right Clare, truth or dare?" said Rachel.
"Truth." replied Clare.
"Who do you fancy?" said Rachel.
"Roger Davies, is rather lovely." said Clare.
"Ron, truth or dare?" said Harry.
"Truth." said Ron
"What sibling do you hate and why?" said Harry.
"Percy, because he's a pompous git." said Ron.
"Right now it's my turn. Kirsti, truth or dare?" said Amy.
"Dare, of course." said Kirsti.
"Ha ha, brilliant. I dare you to streak down Hogsmeade high street." said Amy in hysterics.
"Ok, I know how much you want to see me in the nude." replied Kirsti.
They all stumbled out of the Hogs Head, Rachel fell over twice in the process. They stood at one end of the high street, whilst Kirsti, under the Invisibility cloak, removed her clothes. She then ran down the high street and started dancing with a lamppost at the other end. Rachel suddenly vomited narrowly missing a silver tabby cat. Clare, noticing the cat, started chasing it shouting "kitty, kitty, kitty" She then picked it up and started dancing with it. The cat scratched her lightly, the cat didn't do any damage, but it was enough to make Clare drop it. The cat looked startled but then quickly turned into a very angry Professor McGonagall.
"Bloody hell." said Amy, who was now hiding behind Harry and Ron.
At that point Kirsti came wandering over.
"Ah Professor McGonagall, how absolutely corking to see you." said Kirsti.
"Ignore her she's intoxicated." said Clare, who was just as drunk herself, but had more self-control then Kirsti.
"Put some clothes on you silly girl." shouted McGonagall, as she conjured up some robes and threw them at Kirsti.
After Kirsti spent several minutes trying to get dressed, McGonagall performed a sobering charm and a wave of nausea and headaches suddenly hit the group, and Rachel once again vomited, just missing McGonagall's feet.
"You will now follow me to the castle in silence. Professor Dumbledore and your parents wish to speak to you." said McGonagall.
"Oh great." muttered Amy.
"I said silence." shouted Professor McGonagall, making everyone's head hurt worse.
They arrived at Dumbledore's office and found him pacing in a distressed manner.
"Sit down. NOW!" Dumbledore shouted, looking angrier than they had ever seen before, McGonagall even flinched. He conjured up six seats. Kirsti missed her seat and fell on the floor. Dumbledore did not look happy. Kirsti managed to pull herself up.
"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING RUNNING AROUND OUTSIDE OF THE CASTLE AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT?" Dumbledore bellowed.
"We just wanted to celebrate Rachel's birthday." Amy whispered.
"DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO MY WARNINGS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR?" Dumbledore continued. Nobody said anything. Dumbledore regained his composure,
"Do you realise how much danger you put yourselves in? How much trouble you have caused and how much worry you have caused your parents?" Dumbledore said calmly, "But all that matters is that you are safe now but I will unfortunately have to punish you all. 50 house points from each of you, you will each have a detention, you will be banned from any future Hogsmeade trips this year and you will now explain yourselves to your parents, you may leave. Rachel stay here."
"Rachel, some things need to be explained to you." Dumbledore said, Rachel looked concerned, "Don't worry, Mrs Weasley, Mr Black and the two Mrs Potters will be explaining the same thing to your friends."
"I can't believe you sneaked out of Hogwarts at such a dangerous time, you saw all that security at Diagon Alley." Sirius shouted.
"Oh come on Dad, you probably did this kind of thing thousands of times when you were my age." Amy shouted back.
"Things were no where near as dangerous as they are now, you will not under any circumstances leave Hogwarts again." Lily shouted at Harry and Clare in the other room.
"What is so dangerous?" Harry asked.
"You know that Voldemort is back, that is why it is so dangerous." Danielle raged.
"We thought Voldemort and the Deatheaters had taken you." Sirius said to Amy.
"But sir, would Voldemort really try and kill some silly little Hogwarts students? Especially so close to the school." Rachel asked, feeling a bit confused.
"Silly little Hogwarts students! You are not just silly students!" Dumbledore replied.
"Amy listen, I don't want to scare you but if it'll mean you'll stop sneaking around I will have to tell you, you, Harry, Clare, Rachel and Kirsti are on Voldemort's hit list." Sirius said. Amy, Rachel, Kirsti, Clare and Harry looked dumbfounded at this piece of information.
"Harry, I will need to take your invisibility cloak. It's not that I don't trust you but at least this way I know your safe." Lily said quietly.
"I'm sorry mum." said Ron.
"It's all right Ron, but you will now have to de-gnome the garden all summer." said Mrs Weasley sternly.
Rachel, Amy, Clare, Kirsti, Ron and Harry were released from these meetings at about the same time.
"I can't believe it, I've never seen any of them that angry before." Amy said.
"I know it's really bad isn't it, at least we can see why they were so mad though, being told their children are in danger can't be nice." Clare replied.
"No I was talking about that Lily took the invisibility cloak and my Dad took the Marauders Map, how are we meant to have fun now?" Amy replied.
"I think we should lie low for a bit." Rachel said, sounding uncharacteristically serious.