I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm doing this for fun, not profit. Please let that be a sufficient disclaimer!
...
"Welcome, all, to the final task if the Tri-wizard tournament!" Announced Headmaster Dinchev.
The students were in stands, around a long, rectangular structure which looked like a stretched greenhouse – if it were built for giants to walk through, and it was forty times as long as it was wide. There were several places where the not-a-greenhouse was dark, and the spectators couldn't see in.
"This task is something of an obstacle course. The champions will enter here" Dinchev indicated the entrance to the not-a-greenhouse, "and will proceed as far as they can, with points based on how far through each champion gets. There are several places where the champions will face a choice of paths – some paths carry more points than others, but more points mean more danger!"
Dinchev smiled. "Send up red sparks when you've gone as far as you're willing to. We don't expect the champions to reach the end, but anyone that does will gain an additional twenty points", he finished explaining.
Turning to the champions, Dinchev addressed Fred and George. "As the champion will the most points, you can choose whether to go first, second or third."
Fred smiled eagerly. "First, please!"
Dinchev nodded, then turned to his champion. "Ana, as the champion with the second-most points, you can choose whether to go second or third."
Ana considered for a moment, then announced, "Third".
"Well, there you have it! Fred or George will go first, followed by Pauline, followed by Ana. Champions – good luck!" Dinchev finished.
Fred entered the not-a-greenhouse, and George's commentary began. "Welcome, Ladies, Gentlemen and Ron!"
"Why do they keep saying that?" Ron asked, from his seat near Harry. Neville nearly choked on his laughter.
"Special thanks to everyone's favourite Professor Jones, who has kindly agreed to run a stall selling Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes during the task! If there's anything you see that you want to buy, she's selling it on our behalf, near the task entrance!" George merrily announced.
The students collectively turned towards the place described, and saw that Professor Jones was indeed at a stall, selling Wheezes.
Harry turned to Katie in astonishment . "Katie... How?!"
Katie shook her head, either in shock or great amusement. "I have no idea, Harry!"
Jones had a pained expression on her face. She really had no choice: she had accidentally (at least, she assumed it was an accident – who knew with the twins) come across the twins' plan for an end of term 'celebration', and whilst there was nothing in the school rules against perma-swamps, that was only because no sane person had thought of it!
The twins had agreed to cancel their end of term plans – and that any replacement plans needed approval from Dumbledore – if she manned their stall for the third task. She'd gone to Dumbledore for a second opinion, and he had agreed: for the good of the school, Jones would do so (after all, trying to stop the twins, even knowing their plan, was a fools' errand).
"Now, there goes Fred, looking confident – of course he is, we're fifty points ahead – and he's come to some doors... what's inside?" George asked, genuinely. The doors were marked with numbers 1, 3 and 5, respectively. Fred took the door worth five points, and entered to find...
"A group of Cornish pixies! Now, pixies are fireproof, right? They wouldn't be affected by our new Dragon Breath Balls, would they?" George merrily narrated.
As soon as Fred walked through the door, the relevant area lit up for the spectators to see. But Fleur was busy pondering a different matter. "'ow can George see what's going on? We could only see when Fred entered the door, and 'e's still at the entrance", Fleur wondered aloud.
"Mirrors, mostly likely", Harry correctly guessed.
Meanwhile, Fred was now breathing large plumes of fire. The pixies scrambled away as quickly as they could; two were too slow.
"Well, clearly we needed to pay more attention in Defence; pixies aren't fireproof!" George declared, faux-morose.
Fred was onto the next set of doors. This time the choices were a 1, 5 and 10. "Which door will my twin pick? Oh, interesting!" George declared, as Fred chased another ten points.
"Oh no! Not two trolls! Whatever will Fred do?! Wait, aren't those the leftovers from the first task?" George pointed out.
The trolls were brandishing clubs again, and looked quite menacing. Fred managed to levitate something into each of their mouths.
"Trolls are so sweet, aren't they? Almost... angelic" George stated, just as the first troll sprouted huge angel wings. The troll flapped its wings purely on instinct, and floated up out of the way. The other troll was less fortunate.
"Well, one of the trolls is angelic. The other one looks... Sort of runty."
The other troll squeaked, and then started... changing. Its face sprouted whiskers, it grew a long, spindly tail, and it started shrinking. Once the transformation was complete it was only three foot tall, and definitely less dangerous – it couldn't even hold its club.
"Introducing Rat Droppings! Don't worry, they're not as crap as they sound!" George joked. Katie pulled a disgusted face; even the name sounded yuck!
Back to the course, Fred came to the next set of doors. These were marked 3, 5 and 6, and there was an ominous sound behind the six-points door. Fred grinned in anticipation.
"Well, look what we have here! One of Professor Hagrid's monstrosities! I wonder if it's hungry?" George wandered aloud, while Fred fed something to the Blast-ended skrewt.
The skrewt grew black feathers, and rounded in shape, taking on the appearance of a very non-cuddly, quite angry bird. It squawked menacingly, then exploded.
"Wow! Somehow it exploded but still survived! I see Fred making a wise choice to rush past it before it can do so again. Another win for canary creams!" cried George, as if his brother's life hadn't been in danger.
The fourth set of doors had the values 5, 8 and 10. Fred obviously went for door 10. Inside were three giant spiders. They looked hungry. "Well, this is a great time to introduce our newest products! Emotion chews, in a variety of flavours! Looks like Fred's gone for depression..."
One of the spiders stopped crawling towards Fred, and instead just dropped its body to the floor, looking around helplessly.
"...oh, that one's joy, I think..."
The second spider began chittering happily. Joy Spider ran between Depressed Spider and the last spider, getting in the last spider's way and being no help at all to Depressed Spider.
"...and, well, hunger shall we say, but not of a food kind!"
The third spider stopped caring about Fred, and approached Depressed Spider.
"Wait, what's that spider doing?" asked Neville.
After a few seconds more of watching, Hermione had the answer. "Well, it looks like it wants to mate with the Depressed Spider... but that's impossible, spiders don't copulate like humans do!"
"Copulate?" Fleur asked Harry, unsure of the word.
"Sex", Harry replied.
"Was that an offer?" Fleur teased. Harry blushed, but was spared having to reply by the next commentary.
"Ah, and now Fred's realising his error – spiders don't get to experience that joy; Horny Spider is going to be so frustrated!" George noted amusedly.
Fred was easily able to walk past the spiders, especially when Horny Spider mistook Joy Spider's enthusiasm for... something else.
Fred carried on, towards the last set of doors. These promised 8, 9 or 10 points. Fred picked the obvious option, then was confronted with his brother, lying dead on the floor.
"Well, that's not something you want to see. Still, what's funnier than a Dead George? Most things. Including, a Dead George attached to a firework!" George declared.
Fred dutifully stuck a moderately-sized firework to the Boggart, lit the fuse, and stood back. The boggart must have sensed something was wrong, as Dead George opened its eyes and moved eerily towards Fred... just as the fuse ended and it was shot straight up in the sky. George had never looked so colourful.
Fred continued past the boggart, careful not to laugh too much, then noted that upon landing the boggart was still alive – tough little things! Fred saw a final pedestal with a trophy on it, and once he grabbed it he was whisked back to the start of the course.
"Well done, Fred, for finishing the course. Pauline, you're next!" Dinchev congratulated, trying to maintain his smile as he realised the others had no chance.
Pauline nodded, and knew that her only hope was to go for the most points at every door, and hope Fred hadn't; but if he hadn't, what could be worse than trolls and (presumably giant) spiders?!
Going through the first door, Pauline saw a handful of Cornish pixies, and they were livid! Pauline fired spells and hexes, but she was still caught by three at one point. Thinking quickly, she cast a fire-proof charm on herself then set her cloak on fire. The pixies quickly dropped her, and after shedding her cloak Pauline continued on.
Next, Pauline cane across two trolls. Or, more specifically, Angel Troll and Mini Troll. Pauline had been prepared for trolls this time... but not a flying troll! "Merde! Merde! Merde!" Pauline again panicked, and ran.
Flying Troll tried chasing her, but it was still getting used to its wings. Still, whilst Pauline had managed to escape and continue, she knew the boos from the crowd were at her performance.
Then, Pauline came to the Skrewt-Canary, and she thought she was going to have it easy. That thought lasted right until the cute horror squawked angrily, exploded, then squawked angrily again.
"No! Impossible!" Pauline uttered. The next explosion knocked Pauline off her feet; had she not been charmed against fire, she might not have survived.
The terrifying explode-a-bird was fast, and Pauline couldn't get around it. After another blast that flung her against the door she had entered through, Pauline made the wise decision to flee and sent up sparks.
"Good attempt, Pauline!" Dinchev lied. It had been pretty terrible. At least Ana wouldn't be last. "Go on Ana, you can begin!"
Ana nodded, then as per usual cast her agility and strength charms, and her Bloodmoon Sword conjuration. She even opted to self-transfigure wings again.
Like a dark Valkyrie, Ana flew through the course, though she found it disappointingly easy to begin with. The pixies were not used to being chased through the air by a blade-wielding demon; it was quite stressful for the pixies, right until Ana calmed them down. Permanently.
Following Fred's path, Ana next came to the Angel Troll. Ana found that fight quite exhilarating, especially as the troll was starting to get used to its wings. Still, Ana won easily.
Next came the Skrewt-Canary, and Ana had to stare in disbelief, right before she remembered George's narration and the mention of explosions, and she flew up high. Just in time, too, as a couple of seconds earlier and the first explosion might have knocked her unconscious, or worse.
The nasty thing kept exploding – or causing an explosion? – and so Ana fired a stunner, and then a cutting charm when that didn't work. The cutting charm worked, and upon death Ana realised that the twins might just have done her a favour – the skrewt looked unpleasant!
The Emotional Spiders were next, with Horny Spider the most trouble – it had taken an interest in Ana the moment she appeared, and had to be discouraged quite violently.
Finally, Ana came across the boggart, and decided just to test the Bloodmoon sword on it. The boggart clearly wasn't a fan, but neither was it dead, so Ana left it and finished the gauntlet by grabbing the trophy, just as Fred had.
...
"The judges are now ready to announce the winner of the Tri-wizard tournament!", Dumbledore declared, as if the result wasn't obvious.
"In third place, with twenty-three points is Pauline!" Dumbledore announced unnecessarily.
Some polite cheers, and plenty of booing, was heard.
"In second place, with ninty-three points, Ana!" Dumbledore announced. The crowd were now cheering fully.
"Which means that in first place, with one hundred and forty-seven points – Fred and George! Congratulations, both, you are the winners of the Tri-wizard tournament!" Dumbledore praised, trying not to think about the fact that they could only both enter because of some very unsporting efforts back in October.
...
Not unexpectedly, the Emotion Chews were very, very popular. Jones insisted she wouldn't sell one particular type to under-seventeens, though she was aware Fred and George wouldn't be that strict when selling the sweets themselves. Only another month and the terrors would graduate, and it wouldn't be her problem.
Speaking of Fred and George, they were thrilled! One thousand galleons, plus a decent amount of sold Wheezes, meant it was easily their most profitable term already. They would need to think of a way to keep up the students' interest next year; maybe a owl-mail business as well as the Diagon Alley store?
There were a few more things they needed to do before leaving Hogwarts, however: finishing Harry's project, and seeing whether Daphne would sell her prank ideas...
...
Katie walked into the common room, and knew something was wrong. It was too dark, for one. The common room was never this dark in the morning. She also sensed that something was about to happen. Taking her wand in hand, and honing her senses, she listened carefully. Stepping down the stairs from the girls' dormitory, she focussed her attention on any movement, or other sign of danger.
"Happy Birthd...ack!" cried Fred, who was the loudest, and so the one Katie had targeted with her leg-lock jinx.
"Happy Birthday!" cried everyone else at the same time, then laughed at Fred's predicament.
Katie's shock turned onto a smile as Harry, Fleur, Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, Hermione, Ron, Neville and a few others suddenly appeared in the common room.
"I'm impressed you hit Fred whilst he was still invisible!" George noted, as he cancelled the jinx on his brother.
"Quidditch instincts", Fred commented, not at all upset about being hexed first thing – after all, it added to the excitement.
Then, with a wave of his wand, George made a long table visible; a long table that had several presents on it.
"Thanks everyone, I wasn't expecting this!" Katie gushed, before proceeding to hug everyone present.
"How did you manage the invisibility?" Katie asked, trying to avoid staring too much at the table of presents... and one present in particular.
"Oh, we traded some angel drops for some of Fleur's invisibility potion", Fred nonchalantly explained.
"Angel drops?" Harry asked his girlfriend.
"Oui. For Gabrielle", Fleur explained. Harry's heart utterly melted at the thought.
"You two need to take a wizarding picture when you give one to her!" Katie declared.
"Anyway", Fred interrupted, impatiently. "You have a pile of presents..."
"...just sitting there..."
"...all sad and lonely."
Katie grinned. "Well, if you insist!"
There were a range of presents – sweets, chocolate, a selection of Wheezes (though why they gave her a Desire Emotion chew was beyond her!), a nice summer dress, a book on learning French, a nice set of silver earrings with small rubies, and The Final Package.
Katie looked to Harry and Fleur. "You really shouldn't have", she tried to admonish.
"It's not all from us; Gabrielle contributed two weeks' pocket money", Fleur replied.
Katie knew she would have to buy Gabrielle something for her next birthday - the girl was so sweet! Still, Gabrielle's contribution would be a drop in the ocean, even for just a minor upgrade.
At Fleur's insistence, Katie started to unwrap the long, thin package. Her excitement built as she saw a quality of craftsmanship she had only ever dreamed of, but when she saw the name she almost fainted. "A Firebolt?!" she squeaked.
Harry and Fleur, standing together holding hands, smiled and nodded. The rest of the group looked shocked; Firebolts were the best racing broom available, and were horrendously expensive! The broom must have cost hundreds of galleons!
"Harry... Fleur... I can't..." Katie began, her desires warring inside her.
"...wait to try it out?" suggested Fleur.
Katie looked unsurely at Fleur, then Harry. It was a Firebolt! You don't just give out Firebolts as birthday presents!
Fleur pulled Harry over, and together the two pulled her into a warm hug.
"Katie, you're one of my closest friends", began Harry, murmuring quietly in her ear. "You only turn seventeen once, we can afford it, and we wanted to treat you."
"And we know Quidditch is your passion. This will 'elp you in your future career", Fleur added quietly in the other ear.
Maybe the argument convinced her, or maybe she was just too overcome with emotion to care. Either way, Katie kissed Harry's cheek, then Fleur's. "Thank you. Both of you. I don't know what I did to deserve such good friends", Katie quietly replied.
Harry smiled broadly. "That's what I ask myself about you."
...
Several days later, and Fleur and Harry were lying in Fleur's bed, catching their breath. They had celebrated the end of their exams with mutual pleasure, and were now basking in blissful afterglow. Harry was running his fingers lovingly through Fleur's hair, and Fleur was running her hand lazily up and down Harry's back.
"I love you so much, Fleur. What you did was... oh, I've never felt so good!" Harry praised.
Fleur grinned. "Just wait until we 'ave sex. I 'ear it's even better", she teased.
Harry stared into Fleur's eyes. That was something he wanted to ask about, but he didn't want to pressure his wonderful, sweet, sexy, perfect girlfriend. They had, after all, tried everything else he could think of, and there was so much to enjoy without needing that last pleasure. "Fleur...?" Harry began, not knowing how to ask.
Fleur smiled coyly. "You want to know when we will sleep together?"
Harry blushed and nodded.
"Soon", Fleur promised. "I 'ave been wanting to for so long, but I 'ave also been enjoying this slow build up, trying out new pleasures all year."
Harry blushed again, and found himself agreeing. Their shared intimacy this year, building up from guilt-free kisses to... well... other uses for lips and tongue, had been far beyond Harry's wildest dreams and expectations.
Fleur gazed deeply into Harry's eyes, and admitted something she thought might be silly. "I also... I want our first time to be special. Not in a school, or in a carriage, but somewhere that 'as meaning for us. And definitely not in my bedroom when Gabrielle could walk in and interrupt!"
Harry nodded in understanding. "I'll wait as long as I need to Fleur", Harry assured.
Fleur responded by kissing Harry slowly, lovingly. Her boyfriend was just too perfect!
...
It was only two weeks until the end of term, and Harry needed to speak to Katie. Really, Harry felt bad he'd not found the time for this particular conversation so far, but the term had been so busy...
Still, there was plenty of time now exams were over, especially for Harry who (in theory) didn't know which subjects he would pass and be able to take next year.
So, at breakfast on Sunday morning, Harry had asked Katie if she was free to spend the day with him. Always willing to spend time with her best friend, Katie readily agreed, and after breakfast the two were walking around the lake together.
Katie was her usual tactile self, having looped her arm around Harry's as they walked. "I've missed you this term. With exams and everything I don't feel I've seen you enough", Katie complained.
Harry patted Katie's arm, and honestly felt the same. "I've missed you too. And I know it's my fault we've not spent as much..."
Katie bumped into Harry lightly, interrupting him. "Hush, you. You're meant to spend time with your girlfriend, especially when you've been in love since forever!"
Harry smiled at Katie; she really was too good to him. Harry squeezed her arm in thanks.
"Anyway, what's on your mind?" Katie asked.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a little confused.
Katie smiled confidently. "You've got that look. The 'I want to talk about something serious' look."
Harry groaned. "Not you too! Am I that obvious?!"
Katie giggled. "Harry, you've been one of my closest friends for almost five years; I'm meant to know a little of what you're thinking!"
Harry, who had become a master at ignoring how hot Katie was, was very glad she really couldn't read his mind. That would have made their friendship far too weird!
Well, no use putting it off now. Harry turned to Katie, looked into her warm, shining eyes, and shared the news. "I... well... I'm planning to propose to Fleur."
Katie stopped; given her arm was still looped through Harry's, he stopped too. "You're serious?" Katie asked, a little surprised.
Harry nodded, waiting to see how Katie would react.
She reacted quite violently – that was how Harry would describe the hug later on, at least. "Congratulations!" Katie half-shouted, whilst squeezing Harry for all his worth. "I'm so happy for you both! I don't know why I needed to ask if you were serious, you two have been practically dating for years, and you're already planning to live together straight after Hogwarts, and..."
Harry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and hugged Katie tightly whilst she rambled. A minute later, she was finishing.
"... question is when? Oh, and have you asked your Godfather yet?" Katie asked.
The pair continued walking while Harry answered. "Yes, I spoke to Sebastian over the Easter holidays. As to when, and how, I've sort of got a plan..."
...
There was a part of Harry's plan that had yet to be sorted, and Katie would be the perfect help. Almost a week after Harry had shared the news with her, the pair were sneaking out of the castle.
"Where are we going to go?" Katie asked, this being her first time involved in such things.
"Well, that's a surprise", Harry smiled knowingly.
Katie laughed. "I can't help you if I don't know the details!" she pointed out.
Harry smiled and shook his head. "You just want to know. But you don't need to know where to be able to help."
Katie stuck her tongue out at Harry; it was less effective than she'd hoped, which she blamed on the dark tunnel they were in.
After exiting the tunnel – and Honeydukes – Harry held out his hand to Katie. Curious, she grasped Harry's hand, and only just registered the feeling of something wooden when she felt an unpleasant squeezing sensation... then found herself in a very different-looking town.
"How did you get your hands on a portkey? And where are we?" Katie asked.
"Fred and George owed me one more favour, but it runs out soon and I thought getting them to make me a two-way portkey would be fun", Harry explained.
"As for where we are, look behind you", Harry smiled, his eyes twinkling.
Katie turned round, and squealed in excitement. "You didn't! But I thought we were shopping for..."
"Oh, we are!" Harry interrupted. "But shopping might take a while and I thought we might need something to eat before we start", Harry explained.
"I wish you'd told me, so I didn't eat as much breakfast", Katie grouched good-naturedly.
"I did warn you we might pick up something!" Harry reminded her. "Besides, we'll come back for lunch, too", Harry confidently stated with a grin.
Katie could only moan in anticipation. Harry led the two into the establishment, where Harry was greeted by name. "Welcome back to Celeste's, 'arry. A table for two, this time?"
...
Katie felt she waddled out of Celeste's; she really should have opted for something light, like macarons, but the thick slice of rich, heavenly Frasier called to her and she was unable to resist.
She was already looking forward to returning for lunch (if she could call pastries and cakes lunch), though a thought struck her mind. "Harry?"
"Yes, Katie?" came the reply.
"I should pay next time. You've treated me to Celeste's three times now, which really isn't fair", Katie pointed out.
Harry grinned and shook his head. "You can't. You don't have any francs."
Katie pouted. Unlike the wizarding world, the muggle world insisted on different currencies. Katie didn't even know how much Celeste cost; she assumed that it would be similarly priced to somewhere like Madam Puddifoot's, and felt a little guilty about the money Harry was spending. Little did she know, Celeste's was much more expensive, and for good reason – the patisserie had both class and food that was far superior to the wizarding establishment.
Still, she was distracted from her thoughts as Harry distracted her. "Come on, let's go shopping for an engagement ring!"
...
The day had been a success. Katie had helped Harry choose an elegant, tasteful white-gold ring, with a moderately-sized diamond surrounded by a cluster of smaller sapphires.
Then, Harry and Katie had celebrated by gorging themselves at Celeste's – with Katie wallowing in the kind of bliss that can only come from real profiteroles.
They even had time to stop by and see Sebastian, Appoline and Gabrielle, with the latter especially delighted by the surprise visit.
After an hour with Gabrielle sat on Harry's lap, having her hair brushed and then not-quite-fully-plaited, Gabrielle moved on to Katie, in the hope that she would do a better job... and continue the attention. Harry then realised a little of why Gabrielle and Katie got on so well: Katie was incredibly tactile, and Gabrielle loved physical affection... really, seeing Gabrielle almost purring in Katie's lap, and Katie beaming at the adorable nine-year-old, Harry wondered why he hadn't realised sooner how much Gabrielle would look up to Katie.
With Gabrielle occupied, Harry was also able to spend some quality time with his Godparents – excitedly sharing his plans, chatting about the term so far, and soaking up their love for him. Sebastian even tried to help improve Harry's plaiting skills with Appoline's resigned agreement, though she would later admit that even if her hair was worse for it, it had been relaxing.
All too soon, however, their time was up, and Harry and Katie needed to return to Hogwarts.
Even here, Katie proved she was an excellent friend, saving Harry just when he needed it:
"Were you two on a date?!" asked Colin Creevey when the two entered the great hall for dinner; Colin still couldn't quite believe that Harry and Katie were just friends.
Fleur just happened to be within earshot, and cocked her head interestedly. "You were with Katie all day? I thought you were busy with Professor Jones", Fleur asked.
Harry felt trapped; he wasn't about to admit to Fleur what he had been doing, but had no clue what to say!
Katie, though, came to the rescue. "No, we were not on a date. Yes we were together all day. You weren't meant to find out yet, Fleur; we were busy planning a surprise for you", Katie groused good-naturedly. Then, to throw Fleur off the scent, she added, "it is your birthday over the summer".
It was not technically a lie, but definitely misleading; Harry thought it was perfect, and muttered a quick "thanks, Katie" when Fleur wasn't looking.
Fleur smiled, pleased at Harry's thoughtfulness. She started thinking about what could need a day to plan; a party? That would make the most sense, she thought. Being fairly confident she was right, Fleur had a little pity for Harry – she might not have guessed had Colin not spotted the pair. Fleur would need to at least pretend to be surprised when her birthday arrived.
...
It was the last evening of the school year, and the twins were excited. Dumbledore had signed off on their celebration plans (toned down though they were), and now they just had to sit impatiently for the rest of the students to finish eating.
Finally, after someone had finished their fourth helping of dessert, Dumbledore stood up.
"Dear Hogwarts students, and dear Beauxbaton and Durmstrang guests, we have almost reached the end of another school year! Headmistress Maxime, Headmaster Dinchev and I all hope you have particularly enjoyed this year, and have built lasting friendships... and perhaps more!" Dumbledore began, smiling at a few new couples in the school.
"I hope you all have an enjoyable summer, and that you don't forget too much of what you have learned; and that those awaiting OWL and NEWT results are rewarded for their studies!" Dumbledore continued.
"I would like to tell all students, whatever their school, that Hogwarts' doors will always be open to you in times of need, though I hope those times never come", Dumbledore offered with a grandfatherly smile.
"Now, before we finish, I believe the talented Misters Weasley would like to make an announcement, and provide some end-of-year entertainment", Dumbledore finished, hoping fervently that the deal he had made did not contain loopholes.
"We would first like to tell all students..."
"... whatever their school..."
"...that our doors will always be open..."
"... in times of need."
"As long as those needs include fireworks..."
"...pranks..."
"...or Boneless Boots."
"Seriously, buy some Boneless Boots."
"The mark-up is insane, and we make a killing from each pair" joked (?) George.
"George!" admonished Fred in an entertainer's stage whisper. "You were meant to say 'mental', not 'insane'"
The hall was, by this point, filling with laughter.
"And where are those doors, Fred?"
"In Diagon Alley! Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes opens this summer, on the 1st of August! Come buy our stuff!" announced George, to huge cheers from students across the schools.
"But Fred, what if our honourable students haven't seen our products in action?!" cried George, to laughter from the crowd.
"If only we'd had opportunity to advertise our wares throughout the year" Fred continued regretfully.
"Well, there's only one thing for it..."
"...WEASLEY FIREWORKS DISPLAY OUTSIDE, IN TWO MINUTES!"
The students cheered loudly, eager to see another display from the twins.
"Run, don't walk!"
"Push and shove for the best view!"
...
The students were outside, and thankfully hadn't stampeded like Fred and George had advised.
Fred fired his wand, and the fireworks display began. At first, it started fairly sedately... for the twins. The fireworks exploded in a rainbow of colours – literally a rainbow, Hermione had no idea how they managed it. Then the twins set off some Wand-Controlled Fireworks, using their wands to bring the fireworks much closer to than the crowds had ever seen – uncomfortably close, from the professors' points of view.
Then, as a finale, Fred and George let off their biggest firework yet. It launched into the sky, then instead of merely exploding and being done, the firework took the shape of a dragon, with its breath breathing colourful explosions across the sky. The students, already cheering throughout, were utterly delighted.
But as the dragon-firework flew past one final time, something unexpected happened. Letters appeared in its wake, spelling out a message for all to see:
'Fleur, will you marry me?'
As the last letters appeared, the crowd gasped in surprise. Fleur turned to Harry in disbelief... only to find him on one knee, looking up at her hopefully, offering a gorgeous diamond and sapphire ring.
"Fleur? You're my best friend, my confidant, my one true love. I adore you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Harry asked, his heart beating rapidly.
Fleur's eyes were wide, but as realisation hit her, joyful tears fell down her face and the biggest smile Harry had ever seen blossomed onto her perfect features.
"Yes my love! A thousand times yes!" came the reply, before Fleur let Harry's slightly shaking hands slide the ring onto her finger.
Then, once Harry had stood, Fleur pulled her fiancé into an embrace, and kissed him with all the love she could muster. Neither had ever been happier.
...
Author Notes:
The next chapter may be a couple of days late, as I'm planning to deal with the latest round of corrections before writing chapter 31. I also plan to make minor changes to the first two chapters, to address a couple of bits of feedback I've received.
Special mention to Red Renera and Arnie1701 from the Flowerpot Discord: Red for the idea of what a Blast-ended skrewt + Canary Cream combo might look like, and Arnie for the idea of a stall set up during the third task.
Thank you to all who are enjoying this story with me, and who let me know either through favouriting, following, or (especially) reviewing.
Speaking of reviews, thanks to N1cromanc3loveR, Lucas Stidham, Eeyore3061, Sen Tobi and arata7kasuga. And special thanks to the pyromaniacs who are Spider of Dreams, TheGreenBlueHunter, seaweedbrainwisegirl07 (x3), Arnie1701, Iamshinydragonmist, bahnannah, DrackNath, mike3308, SKFF, magitech, Mitkon2001, Mando-Vet, LAB1 (x4), Urgazhi, alix33, HughJasz, annette-ella, pavook, arata7kasuga (x4), DalkonCledwin and MauserTeleri for additional reviews since last chapter.
Spider of Dreams – seaweedbrainwisegirl07 put it better than I could in her review.
N1cromanc3loveR – no, there will not. Personally, I think jealousy would ruin the tone of the story.
seaweedbrainwisegirl07 – the potion competition lasted an entire term, so plenty of time to brew.
Bahnannah – Fleur is less concerned about getting to and from her home; she's more concerned about Harry getting to and from her home... and that's the sort of thing the teachers wouldn't be encouraging!
SKFF – my thoughts were thus: as a sixth year, Cedric was Hogwarts' best, in canon. As a seventh year, he should be really good, and he was only just beaten by the twins. Also, the potion competition lasted a whole term, so I wouldn't say it was easy :-)
Mitkon2001 – erm... she tested by touch, rather than sight. Included your idea on the owls, good point!
Mando-Vet – the story will take us up to the end of Harry's final year, and will finish there. I plan some (shorter!) side stories / What If..?'s afterwards.
Urgazhi – guilty as charged!
alix33 – thanks! I'll pick that up in the batch of corrections I'm about to do.
Pavook – a previous reviewer asked the same question; I see it as a reasonable way to counter the home advantage that Hogwarts students have.
arata7kasuga – I think your questions have either been answered as the story continued or through other responses; feel free to PM me if there's something I've missed.