Author's Note:

I'm a little nervous for your thoughts on this chapter so please be kind guys :D

To those of who have been asking me questions on tumblr — thank you! I have been getting some truly awesome ones that really make think about my characters and how I write them. Thank you!

Reviews and Comments — To wildstyle: Thank you! I think that it makes sense to modernize the wizarding world to some extent and I am enjoying adding all of these new changes and can promise more is coming. To Jmcglynn522: That's what I like to think is that Sirius' role in the Wizengamot started the ball rolling for so much and it's paved the way for the new generation to make their stand. To crunchy_cheeseball: Why hasn't Voldemort claimed the Gaunt family seat in the Wizengamot? I think it's because he knows it would deny him, his ambitions are not to work with others for the common good, but what his version of the world should be and no, I absolutely do not think the chalice would have deemed him worthy. As to your comment ("I can totally imagine James and Sirius in heaven, like, "Don't be daft, go snog your girl - that the best you can come up with, Padfoot? My dead ass could have come up with some better piece of advice." "Shut it Prongs, my boy knows his way around girls because of me, not you -" "He is after the redhead, bitch please, that was me -" "James, Sirius, if I hear this stupid pointless banter about my son's very private life again, I swear I am going to boot you back to Earth.") — thank you for this! LMAO!

To daughterofwisdomandsea: "The way you sneak his grief for Sirius into the simplest moments, as well as his guilt, is truly masterful!" — thank you! I miss him too so for me it just makes sense to add it into the characters as much as I can. As to the fountain, I think what it stands for is very important and to me it's the real start of making the Ministry into the place they want it to be, equal for all. As to my OC's, I never expected them to get so much love so I appreciate that a great deal especially because a lot of people did not like Zee in the beginning and that changed very quickly, thank you! To midnitewanderer: Cry, I did. Zee's dream to me was so important. To Uberdonut: Thank you, I do not have any plans of Harry joining in the Wizengamot at this time. He's not interested in it and I think knowing that Bill, Percy, Neville, and Theo are there to help with what Sirius started, makes him feel better about pushing that off until later. Harry has other things to worry about. Love the theories by the way. I can confirm nor deny any of them :D

To Menna Taha: Sirius' death will be addressed in the Wizengamot later on, I left it out for a reason. To Zacnelson0628: I like writing Neville coming out of his shell a little and I think this chapter has a bit more of that in it. To LifeonEarth: You weren't the first review, what happened? LOL. J/k. And I agree, Squibs are part of the world and should be mentioned. To speedsONEandONLY: I think you're right, Remus most definitely used his sense of smell on his friends to get out of things. And no, I don't think heats affect Animagi. To Wolf's scream: A detailed inquiry into the events of June 18th are being done by the Aurors and the Unspeakables, but the Wizengamot was dealing with the issues of the Department of Defence and why they had failed. To Lals: Good observations but I guess we will have to wait and see who truly is the better flier. To Anton: It is an amazing book so I figured why not have Dario read it?

To Saz J: I love showing Ron contributing more, he always gets the short end of the stick and he doesn't deserve it. To Fruitcake49: Thanks for telling me you are no longer interested in my story because I killed off Sirius, so thanks for reading I guess. To coloredwords: I really love Zee as well and I am also really glad I created her! To yunkol76: You're welcome, I love that song so I was happy to share it! To HGRHfan35: Exactly! That was beautiful and I definitely believe that Zee's dream was real. I dream about my grandfather every once in a while and when I wake I swear I can smell his cologne and the smell of his cigarettes and it feels real. I like to believe it is and I love the idea of your Mum dreaming of your dad doing things like dancing together or making love, that's just so romantic! To SarahBlondie: I know, I'm evil, LOL. I love that I've made people love the Slytherins, at least in Theo's case, and yes there will be a lot more darker stuff to come in this story. To A loyal reader: Thanks, not a big Jonas anything but the song is cute. To SlytherinTime-LordGirl: Yes, we will be seeing Harley. I'm surprised how many people remembered her tbh LOL!

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT:

Neville felt better about taking on his role of Cumbria after the Wizengamot session. He also felt a little better knowing that Theo had joined as well, making him not so much the youngest one in the room as Theo would be turning seventeen in October. He spent the rest of his week drawing up his plans for the greenhouses and working on the estate matters. Meals were spent discussing policies and upcoming plans for the Ministry of Magic and he was honoured that his grandmother asked his opinion on them.

When he brought up potentially joining the Order of the Phoenix again, his grandmother became very close-mouthed on the subject. He figured that it was better not to push his luck on that as he knew that Dumbledore did only want seventeen and above in the Order. Not to mention that his grandmother wasn't aware of what he did known concerning Operation FUVP. He looked up when the owl swooped in and he accepted the letter, glancing at it in curiosity. Harry was in Georgia, and he hadn't really been expecting to hear from anyone else. He saw the name Goldstein on the envelope and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

When he pulled it out, he saw that it was an invitation to Anthony Goldstein's sixteenth birthday party next week. He would be holding it in his mansion in London. The Goldsteins had built the mansion in London in the last fifty years and it was rumoured to be one of the nicest modern homes in all of England: Extravagant and massive with over thirty bedroom suites.

But Neville was still surprised to get the invite. He had only spoken to Anthony a handful of times over the years. He reckoned he sent an invite out to all of the students in their year. He tossed it on the table next to him without a thought of going when another owl flew in through the open window; this one, he recognized as Errol. Even if he hadn't, the owl's poor landing directly into his cup of tea, would have reminded him.

He took the soggy letter from the teacup in disgust and carefully tugged the letter out.

Neville,

Anthony Goldstein invited me to his sixteenth birthday — have I ever even spoken to him? Anyway, look, with everyone gone this summer I thought it might actually be fun. Want to go with me? Might be nice to see our classmates outside of school for once.

Ron

The note made him smile and he figured that Ron had a point: It might be nice to get out and go to a party for once. He scrawled a yes onto the bottom of the parchment (with an add on that Errol had landed in his tea) before sending the letter off.

Going to a party might not be a bad idea after all, and he could use the break. And if Anthony had invited everyone, it meant Hannah might be there. The thought made Neville's stomach drop and he bit his lip. He wasn't supposed to think about her like that. Hannah and Kevin had been dating since the Yule Ball and he could see that she was happy with him. Kevin Entwhistle was everything he wasn't: Tall, blond, handsome, a Quidditch star, and incredibly popular. Hannah was way out of his league.

Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't look, did it?

He suddenly felt better about this party and whistled as he worked, wondering if he might even drum up the courage to ask someone to dance.

~ ASC ~

"I'll tell me ma when I go home, the boys won't leave the boys alone. They pull my hair, they stole my comb, but that's all right till I go home. He is handsome, he is pretty, he is the beau of Belfast City, he is a-courting one two three, pray, would you tell me who is he?" Seamus sang cheerfully, wiggling his bum as he did a little jig.

"I believe the lyrics are the boys won't leave the girls alone," Dean said, leaning against the doorjamb as he watched his boyfriend sing and fold laundry.

Seamus jumped at the sound, turning to grin widely at his boyfriend. "Bloody hell! You scared ten years off me life! When did you get here?"

"Just a moment or so," Dean said. "Your mum let me in before she headed into town, but I was quite enjoying the show."

Seamus grinned. "Well, I am quite the entertainer."

"Changing all the words I see," he added.

Seamus shrugged. "Sometimes the song is better when it's about blokes."

Dean nodded, stepping into the room and kicking the door closed behind him. He took three big steps, grabbed Seamus by the back of his neck and hauled him up to his toes to kiss him deeply. The groan that erupted from his boyfriend's throat was enough to drive him mad. He pulled away to nip at his throat.

"I've missed you."

Seamus' face flushed as he looked up at Dean's tall form. "That's lovely to hear. I've been missing you since I last snogged you on the train."

Dean smiled, his wide smile making his eyes crinkle and then he pulled Seamus' shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground.

Seamus' eyes widened in surprise. "Are we getting naked already then?"

Dean undid his boyfriend's jeans, tugging them down with his boxers and knelt before him. "You are."

And then before Seamus could protest (like he would), Dean's pink tongue was stroking his length.

"Merlin's beard!"

Dean made an mmm sound as he licked him, and then with his brown eyes staring up at his boyfriend, he took him fully into his mouth, his nose pressing into his sandy hair. Seamus spluttered in response.

"D-D-Dean," he moaned, his hand reaching down to stroke the hair on his head.

Dean kept his eyes on Seamus as he began to suck in earnest, slow and steady, his tongue doing delicious things that made Seamus' eyes roll and then he let go, his mouth moving down to lick and suck his balls.

"Not that I'm complaining," Seamus gasped. "But how did I get so lucky?"

Dean slowly slid his boyfriend's balls out of his mouth. "First, I owe you for all the times that you got me off when I was a stupid prat and in denial about my feelings, and two, you looked so bloody sexy in here, singing and wiggling your arse, that all I wanted to do was taste you."

And then he opened his mouth wider and took his entire erection into his mouth and Seamus cried out.

"Fuck!"

Dean's eyes twinkled at him as he worked him over, sucking slowly and sensually. Dean's full lips slid up and down, his gaze never leaving Seamus' as he carefully took his balls back into his mouth to suck before releasing them, and his lips slid back down the thick shaft. Dean took a moment to appreciate the tip, licking slowly, his tongue lingering under his head in tiny flickers until Seamus was panting and then he slid those full lips over him again. He attempted to lift part of Seamus' sack into his mouth along with his boyfriend's cock, but when that didn't quite work, Dean used his hand to fondle while his nose pressed against the smattering of hair at the base. He hollowed his cheeks and sucked quickly four or five times before he slid his lips back down and started all over. Finally, Seamus couldn't take it anywhere and he finished with a loud grunting roar, gasping when Dean finally let him go.

"How the fuck did you get so good at that?" Seamus asked, sliding down to the floor next to his boyfriend.

Dean licked his lips and shrugged. "I may have taken a trip to Knockturn Alley and purchased a little guide on how to suck cock." He leaned in and kissed his boyfriend's lips. "I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Never," Seamus said, moving to kiss Dean passionately.

Dean helped him to his feet with a grin. "You better get your clothes back on before your mum gets back."

Seamus nodded and pulled on his jeans and boxers, eyes on Dean as he accepted the shirt his boyfriend passed him. "Want to go upstairs and let me take care of you?"

Dean kissed Seamus' cheek. "Later. I believe you promised me a date."

Seamus grinned and pulled his shirt over his head. "Right, I did. Let's go." He stood on his toes to kiss Dean softly. "We're going to Goldstein's party and we're going to dance and snog and have a good time."

"Dance?"

Seamus nodded. "Oh, yes. You are going to dance the night away with me, Dean Thomas. I insist on it."

Dean made a face. "I don't really dance."

Seamus kissed his cheek. "You do tonight. Come on… outside of Hogsmeade, we haven't really had any real dates. This is a party and it will be fun."

"Sex counts as a date."

Seamus only stared at him. "It does not."

Dean sighed and put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Okay, we'll dance. But I don't want any comments on my lack of skills."

"What's funny is that you think I have skills," Seamus told him, chuckling. "We'll dance and we'll laugh and we'll have a good time. It will be fun."

"And since we're taking the Knight Bus, on the way there, we'll make a short stop in Belfast."

Seamus' eyebrow rose. "Why?"

"Well, if I'm going to take my adorable boyfriend out to a party, I should at least buy him a gift first."

"I don't need any gifts," Seamus said in surprise

Dean leaned in and kissed him softly. "I know, but you need a frame for this."

Seamus' eyes widened when he saw Dean reach for his beat-up brown leather portfolio and pull out a drawing. It was a beautiful charcoal sketch of himself, dancing in the laundry room and singing into the container of fabric softener.

He grinned. "You were standing there a lot longer than just a moment then."

Dean watched him trace his signature on the bottom of the drawing. "It's stupid, but I couldn't resist."

Seamus tugged Dean's face down to kiss him. "It's perfect. An original Thomas, I love it."

"Let me buy you a frame for it. My gift to you."

Seamus smiled. "I'd love that." He stood up, holding his hand out and tugging his boyfriend up to his feet. "And then after the party, we're going to come right back here, and I'm going to show you how much I appreciate your newfound skills."

Dean's smile widened. "I'll hold you to that."

~ ASC ~

"Please, Theo!" Blaise begged, grabbing his friend's arm and turning him around to pout at him. "Please, please, please!"

"Will you stop begging?"

Blaise grinned widely. "No, not until you say we can go."

Theo rolled his eyes. "I didn't say you couldn't go, I just said that I'm not sure if us going is a good idea."

"When did you turn into such a fuddy-duddy!"

"I'm not a fuddy-duddy!" Theo insisted, turning around to look out the window into his back garden. "It's just that we were just talking about how we have to be careful and yes, Goldstein is having a party and I'm sure the party will be safe, but… he invited everyone from our year. What if… what if their parents ask them to do something? I don't know, Blaise, I almost feel like I can't trust anyone anymore."

Blaise rested his chin on his friend's shoulder, holding his arms in place. "You can trust me. Theo, we don't have to worry about them. We already know that those are the ones who won't show up. Draco… he's stuck in Wiltshire and that means Greg and Vince won't be there either. Millie is still out with her mum somewhere, last I heard they were in hiding since her dad was outed as a Death Eater and potentially dead. Who else do we have to worry about?"

"Pansy might be there."

Blaise snorted. "Pansy is concerned with Pansy which means fashion, booze, and gossip."

Theo hesitated. "That's true… but her father…"

"Is a Death Eater and probably hanging out in Wiltshire. He loves his daughter and wants her safe. He's going to keep her out of it, you know that. She's supposed to marry a pureblood. He spoils her and lets her do what she wants and spend his money. We don't have to worry about her," Blaise insisted.

Theo knew that was true, but with everything that had happened it still made him a bit nervous.

"Who don't we have to worry about?" Finn asked, stepping into the room.

"Finn! I thought that you weren't coming tonight?"

Finn smiled as he walked across the room to them. "Tiernan let me go if I promised to run the drills for him three nights from now. Who don't we have to worry about?"

"Pansy Parkinson," Blaise told him. "This girl we go to school with. Her father is a Death Eater, but she's merely a spoiled princess."

"Ah, the party."

Theo smiled when Finn draped an arm over his shoulders. "What do you think?"

"I think you should go," Finn told him.

Blaise grinned widely. "I knew I liked you!"

Finn smiled. "We cannot put our lives on hold. It's a party with your classmates and I think that you should go and have a good time. Blaise wants to."

"Blaise wants to find a shag."

Blaise simply grinned. "Accurate."

Finn nodded. "Go, have a good time."

"You'll come?"

"If you'd like," Finn told him.

Theo stood on his toes and kissed him softly. "I would. This prat will desert me the moment a skirt gives him attention."

Blaise smirked. "Accurate."

Finn kissed Theo again before he looked at Blaise. "Then I guess I'm going. Are we bringing him a gift?"

Theo made a face. "Guess we have to. We'll stop and get him some sweets or something."

"Sixteen is a big birthday. Are you sure you wouldn't like to get him something a little more personal?" Finn asked.

Blaise laughed. "Goldstein's a stuck up swot, sweets are fine. Theo, go upstairs and change, I'll wait."

Theo only gave him a look before he took Finn's hand.

"No way," Blaise insisted. "Finn stays with me. You'll be a hell of a lot more than a minute if pretty boy here goes up there with you."

Theo stuck his tongue out at him in response, but he let go of Finn's hand and went upstairs.

Finn watched him go before he turned back to Blaise. "He worries too much. I agree that this party will be good for him."

"Me too," Blaise told him. "He's been keeping busy between the remodelling of this place and with the Wizengamot. His official purple robes arrived today and he was all flustered. I think it's adorable and I'm fucking proud of him for sitting there in the seat that was denied his father. He deserves it."

"He does," Finn said. "He wants to do good and his heart is so big. I'm glad that Bill and Percy talked him into it. My sister said that he was clearly nervous the first day, but spoke well, and even gave them a new idea for the Defence Department. He needs this. And he needs this party. I know that you're both worried about Draco, but this is a good thing for you. You need to go out and have fun."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Because you're so old and wise."

Finn chuckled. "Older, yes. But not by much, I'll be nineteen on November thirtieth."

Blaise grinned. "Sagittarius. My mother would claim that means you and Theo are destined since he's a Libra."

"I like to think we are," Finn told him. "I love him more than I can put into words, Blaise, you know that, right?"

"I do. And I know that he's completely lost in you, head over heels, and that if you hurt him in any way, even by accident, I will hunt you down and kill you. You know that, right?"

Finn's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded. "You're a good friend, Zabini. I'll protect him and take care of him, I promise you that."

Blaise nodded as Theo stepped back into the room. "Good. Now, let's go party."

~ ASC ~

Lavender was on her stomach in the king-sized bed of her best friend's bedroom, legs up in the air, as she flipped through the latest issue of Witch Weekly. She looked up when Parvati tossed her shirt down, tugging another one over her head.

"What do you think of the pink one?"

Lavender examined her critically for a moment. The pink lace vest accented her breasts very nicely. "It looks great. He won't be able to take his eyes off of your tits."

"That's my goal," Parvati said with a laugh. "Do you really think that he'll be there?"

"Zabini? Definitely. There's no way that he misses a party like this. Besides, Goldstein invited everyone in our year. You know how he likes to flaunt his wealth."

Parvati nodded. "If I went with the black jacket over it?"

"Perfect," Lavender said with a grin. "Maybe I can finally find a bloke while we're there."

Parvati smiled sympathetically at her. "You will, Lav. You just have to stop being so afraid."

"I'm not afraid it's just… Seamus was my first boyfriend ever and he turned out to be gay and hot for your ex-boyfriend."

"They were obviously gay for each other and in complete denial about it," Parvati said, shaking her head. "You know that Dean actually told me that Seamus blew him once?"

Lavender raised her eyes in surprise. "I've only done that a few times. I didn't mind it."

"Ron?"

Lavender shook her head. "No, I used my hand on him a few times, but he never let me go any further. He just wasn't interested enough in me. That hurt a little, knowing that I didn't hold his attention, not even when I was doing… that."

"Terry then?"

She nodded. "He rather liked it when I took him in my mouth."

"Why did you break up with him?"

"He was too pushy."

Parvati rolled her eyes. "You just have to do it, Lav. The first time is supposed to suck. I'm glad that I slept with Dean. I feel experienced now and every time it got better."

Lavender chuckled. "When I'm ready, I will."

Parvati nodded and continued to get ready. Padma wandered in and the three of them did their hair and makeup, giggling and laughing and wondering who was going to show up at the party that evening. It was an hour later by the time they arrived at the Goldstein Estate.

The northern London house was luxurious and one of the biggest homes that Lavender had ever seen. It even rivalled Buckingham Palace. It had sixty-five rooms including twenty-five bedrooms each with their own suite, a large ballroom, a drawing room, a study, the large entrance hall and staircase, the dining room, the billiard room, the gallery hallway, and an art room. It also included an indoor swimming pool in the basement, full Roman bath and spa, workout room, and had eleven acres of gardens full of hedges and flowers so vast that Mrs Goldstein held garden tours every summer.

Goldstein had spared no expense as sparkling lights danced, food and drinks were being served on platters in the ballroom, and music blared from the corner where someone was controlling the wireless. It only took five more minutes for Parvati to be off dancing with a tall bloke that Lavender couldn't recognize in the crowd.

She danced herself, flirted and chatted with different people. Anthony really had a good turn out. The only people from their year who hadn't shown up were Harry, Hermione, Millicent Bulstrode, Draco Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe, and Ernie Macmillan - but since he was in prison, that was just a relief. Lavender found Hannah Abbott with Kevin Entwhistle and spoke to her for a bit. By the time she found her best friend again, she was in a corner and snogging Blaise Zabini quite intensely. Lavender only chuckled and went to find herself a drink.

Padma found her and grinned. "I see Vati has already found her man."

"You know that she was hoping he'd be here."

Padma helped herself to some punch and nodded. "I believe her words were: I heard he'd shag my brains out."

Lavender laughed. "She means it, too."

"Don't I know it."

"I saw you dancing with Hopkins, nothing there?"

Padma shrugged. "He's sweet and we snogged a bit, but not enough of a spark. You?"

She shook her head. "Vati thinks that I just need to have sex to say I've done it, but I want it to be special, you know?"

"I do," Padma told her. "These boys all bore me anyway."

Lavender nodded, glad Padma seemed to understand. "I agree with you on that." She nodded towards the tall golden blond bloke standing next to Theo. "Though if I had a boyfriend who looked like Theo's, I think I'd melt into the ground."

"They're adorably happy, aren't they?" Padma agreed, smiling as Finn slipped an arm around Theo's waist, tugging him to his side as they spoke to Anthony Goldstein and Stephen Cornfoot.

"They really are. It's nice to see. Anthony and Mandy are still going strong, too, I noticed," Lavender added.

"Ugh," Padma said, grabbing Lavender's hand. "Come quickly before she sees me."

Lavender laughed as Padma tugged her away from the food and drink table to a dark corner on the side of the room. "Who are we hiding from?"

"That bitch Su Li," Padma said. "She and Susan Bones have been spreading rumours about me. It's taking everything in me not to toss my wand aside and break both of their noses."

Lavender blew a blonde curl out of her eyes. "Those two have always been stuck up. I don't know how someone as sweet as Hannah became friends with them."

"Well, when you only have so many girls in your dorm, it's hard not to, right?"

Lavender shrugged. She agreed with that to some extent. She snuck a look over at Padma. She and Parvati had been best friends from the time they emerged from their first train ride, but she and Padma had always kept their distance. She was friendly, sure. They'd always been, but there was something about Padma that unnerved her and she wasn't sure why that was. Despite spending the last four summers at the Patil home, Padma very rarely hung around either of them. She was always off doing her own thing, or hanging with her own friends. Parvati always told Lavender not to worry about it, but now as she stood here talking to her best friend's twin sister, she wondered again why it was that Padma always seemed to go out of her way to ignore her.

Except for the Gryffindor Quidditch party at the end of last term. She'd come in with Luna Lovegood from her house to celebrate with her sister, and they'd been drinking the Firewhiskey that George Weasley had snuck in. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but she'd found herself alone with Padma, and then her lips had been on hers in a sheer hot kiss that left her breathless.

They hadn't spoken about it again, nor really to each other since.

Until tonight.

"Ron's over there," Padma said, interrupting her thoughts. "You still fancy him?"

She was going to deny it, but as she watched his broad shoulders she let out a soft sigh. "Yeah. Why don't boys like me, Padma?"

Padma reached out to take her hand. "That's not true, boys do fancy you. You and Seamus were pretty hot and heavy for a while, weren't you?"

"Yes, and he turned out to be gay for your sister's ex-boyfriend."

"Fair point," Padma said. "You and Ron were good together, but he's too caught up in his own head, anyone can see that. The tension that flies between him and Hermione Granger is actually electrifying. I don't know how the two of them haven't noticed it yet. You dated Terry, didn't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I liked him, but he was pressuring me to have sex and I wasn't ready for that yet. I did like going down on him though."

"Bold of you," Padma said with a grin. "Did he reciprocate?"

Lavender blushed. "Of course not!"

Padma raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, of course not? Bloke expects you to do him, but doesn't want to give it back in return? You're lucky to be rid of him then — the selfish prick."

"It felt too intimate," she admitted. "I mean, me doing him didn't seem the same and I only let him touch my tits. They always want to touch my tits."

Padma laughed, her eyes drifting down to Lavender's impressive chest and smiled. "Can you blame them?"

Her words sent an odd flutter below her navel and she swallowed. "At least Vati is happy."

Padma followed Lavender's gaze, smirking as she saw her sister's leg wrap around Blaise's waist as he pushed her against the wall to snog her. "She's fancied him for ages. I say good for her." She looped her arm through Lavender's. "Come on, let's go dance and forget about the idiot prats around us. My sister wouldn't want me to let her best friend mope in a corner."

Lavender nodded and let Padma lead her out onto the dance floor. She accepted the drink Mandy passed her, touched her glass to Mandy's and then Padma's in cheers before they drank and danced to the music. It wasn't long before Mandy was tugging Lavender over to a table where most of the girls from their year were sitting.

"Lavender!" Lily Moon exclaimed, tucking her long black hair behind her ear. "I feel like we haven't seen you in ages, pull up a chair!"

She did so, smiling when Parvati plopped into the chair next to her.

"So, you didn't shag him, then?"

"Shag who?" Lily asked before she realized Lavender was talking to Parvati. "Ah, the luscious Zabini. It should be a crime for anyone to be that good looking."

"Agreed," Morag MacDougall claimed.

Lavender grinned. "But, did she shag him?"

"On the night of our first snog?" Parvati said with a laugh, elbowing Lavender before she snuck a look back over at Blaise. He was standing next to Theo, drinking something from a cup and his eyes were on Parvati. "No, but I really, really want to. Lav, he has the most magical hands and he kisses like… mmm… waiting for school will be hard."

"Waiting for school?" Mandy asked, pouring them each a glass of champagne.

"To shag him," Parvati admitted. "I mean, I can't let him take me tonight, can I?"

Daphne Greengrass raised a dark eyebrow, her long blonde hair tumbling over her right shoulder. "To be shagged by Blaise Zabini is to know true pleasure, Patil."

Parvati bit her bottom lip and Tracey Davis laughed. "Not to mention that he gives as much as he gets. Bloke knows how to use his tongue for more than just French kissing. Right, Daph?"

Daphne only smirked and sipped her champagne. "Maybe."

Mandy shook her head, lifting her own glass to her lips. "Are you girls all staying overnight?"

"I didn't realize that was an option," Lavender told her.

"We figured everyone would be drinking and it would be safer. Anthony had guest rooms made up. His parents have given us the entire west wing of the house. Girls and boys in separate mini flats, obviously," Mandy explained.

"Shame about that," Parvati said. "If I knew I was spending the night, I might be open to spending it with Blaise."

Daphne chuckled. "Zabini is very apt at finding a way for that to happen."

Lavender simply grinned at the look on her friend's face.

"Well, girls and boys are to be separated. Mr and Mrs Goldstein were pretty strict on that," Mandy told them. "But we can use the pool downstairs or the bath and spa area."

Everyone seemed to be interested in that and it wasn't long before Lavender was following Mandy out of the ballroom and through the impressive home. They found some of the boys in the billiards room, gambling and drinking; the pool caused them to find Theo and Finn snogging in the water. When they got to the spa, they all agreed it was the place to stay as there was a lift that would bring them straight from the spa to the part of the mansion where the girls were all to stay.

The guest flat (or girl's area, as Mandy had called it), had four bedrooms, each with a king-sized bed, two cots, and a sofa. The girls divided themselves between the beds for the night before heading back down to the spa area to relax and chat. Since all the girls from their year were present except for two, there were eighteen of them. Parvati claimed that Hermione was on holiday with her parents, and as for Bulstrode, she tended to be rather antisocial most of the time and had voted not to come, though Tracey claimed that she was helping her mother with something. News of Millie's father's potential death had come around Valentine's Day, but rumours floated about that it had happened months earlier, followed by rumours that he was only gravely injured. Just the same, the soon to be sixth-year-girls of Hogwarts were all present for Anthony's big birthday bash.

The spa room they were in had large white sofas for them to lounge on, a hot tub big enough for thirty that was built like an in-ground pool, and lounge chairs were charmed to offer massages. Each of them were sprawled around the room, feet in the hot tub, enjoying a massage chair, or curled up on one of the sofas.

Pansy Parkinson came out of the lift in a short black sheer nightgown that left her back open, revealed her lace covered breasts, and tied with a black ribbon around her neck and under her bust. She wore matching lace knickers beneath it and was carrying a bottle of champagne as a house elf followed behind her levitating a large trunk.

"Who's up for playing a game this evening?"

"Pansy, dressed to impress much?" Parvati asked, eyes examining the rather sexy lingerie.

Daphne rolled her eyes as she followed Pansy into the large common room. "Nope, she sleeps like that almost every night."

"My aunt owns a lingerie boutique in Paris," Pansy said. "She sends me stuff like this all the time. I brought a trunk full of the ones that aren't my style and figured I might share them with those who stayed overnight."

Mandy raised a brow. "Since when did Slytherins start being so generous?"

Pansy grinned. "Since I became buzzed on this lovely champagne. No really, it helps promote my aunt's business. Plus, black is my colour. These ones are too bright for me."

Within minutes, there were eighteen girls pawing through the trunk and tugging out lingerie nighties with matching bras and panties.

"These are gorgeous, Pansy, are you sure?" Lavender asked, holding a hot pink robe with matching knickers up to her body.

"Completely. My aunt wants me to promote her business. If you like them, she'll send you any others you'd like with a twenty percent discount on your first purchase," Pansy told them, stretching her toned legs out in front of her. "Go on, put them on."

Everyone was in a flurry of excitement as they each dressed in the sexy nightgowns, coming out to model them and laughing, sipping champagne and eyeing each other. Pansy explained how they were charmed to fit perfectly on those who chose them, so sizing wasn't a problem. Pansy was dressed to impress in black, and Lavender, having chosen the hot pink, thought they each looked beautiful. Soon all of them were stretched out drinking flutes of champagne and wearing their new lingerie.

The Slytherins had opted for colour outside of Pansy's black: Daphne had chosen charcoal grey with white lace, Tracey, red and white, and Ophelia, a bright pink sheer that made her look rather sweet and innocent. The Ravenclaws were an interesting mix as well: Lily had chosen royal blue with lace across the breasts, Mandy, a dark purple with white lace flowers across the top, Padma, a deep blood red with a long slits up either side, Morag, simple plum and black lace, Lisa, leopard print, and Su Li, a red bikini style with sheer black sides. The Gryffindors had Lavender's hot pink, Natalie in a deep grey, Parvati in a bright teal, and Sophie wearing a long flowing gown in blinding bridal white. The Hufflepuffs: Susan, a black and white print, Hannah, a bright vivid green silk with a matching robe to her knee, Megan, a deep sea blue, and Sally-Anne, had taken the traditional Hufflepuff route, and chosen gold and black.

Sophie giggled as she ran her hand down the long white nightdress. "These are so gorgeous and so sexy. If the boys were to find their way over here, they'd think those rumours about women hanging out in lingerie are true."

Pansy smirked. "Tonight, they are."

Morag smiled. "Anyone have face masks?"

It wasn't long before they were all caked in mud masks, laughing, and chatting.

"I believe Pansy mentioned something about a game," Lavender said, giggling when Mandy poured her more champagne.

Su Li stretched her arms up over her head, giving them all a clear view of her scantily clad body. "Boring."

Pansy raised an eyebrow. "Like anything you have to say isn't?"

"Hey!" Susan Bones exclaimed. "No need to be rude."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Why not? Everyone knows you two are the nosiest bitches in the school. At least I'm proud to be a bad bitch."

Daphne snorted. "At least the bitch part is true."

Pansy shot up two fingers. "Game time. Never have I ever."

Ophelia Rowle sighed, wiggling her newly painted pink toes that perfectly matched her nightgown. "This game always makes me nervous."

"Perfect. You can go first, then," Pansy told her. She popped open the bottle of vodka sitting next to the champagne with a smile. "If you've done it, you have to drink, and then share the story."

"And if we don't want to?" Hannah asked nervously.

"Then you have to… snog the girl who said it."

Hannah blushed furiously at that and Pansy grinned, pouring them all shots of vodka and passing them around.

"O, you're up."

Ophelia made a face before she nodded. "Never have I ever given a lap dance."

Daphne shot her a look before she downed the shot along with Su Li, Natalie, and Morag. "Well, this might have just gotten interesting. It was Draco, last year at the Slytherin Christmas party. I had a bit too much to drink and I got dancing and Pansy dared me. Su Li?"

"Michael Corner, after he broke up with Weasley. Morag?"

Morag blushed a little. "Gary Rivers. It was his birthday and we were snogging and he asked me to. Natalie?"

"Draco, in April. We were flirting and ended up alone in the library. One thing led to another and I ended up giving him a lap dance," she admitted, grinning.

Ophelia turned to Sophie Roper, who was sitting on her right. "Roper?"

Sophie grinned and licked her lips. "Never have I ever been skinny dipping in the Black Lake."

Mandy drank and everyone laughed.

"I knew it!" Hannah said with a grin. "You love to swim way too much!"

Mandy blushed. "Right before OWLs, Anthony and I snuck out one night and went for a late night swim in the lake. I was so nervous about the squid, but it was actually lovely and refreshing."

The game continued on and Lavender couldn't help but goggle at the stuff her classmates had done. It turned out that Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, and Anthony Goldstein were the blokes most willing to go down on girls and Lavender was relieved to hear that she wasn't the only girl to have never had an orgasm. By the time it came to her, Lavender felt better for being inexperienced. She told them that she'd given Ron and Seamus hand-jobs and Terry a blow job, but had yet to lose her virginity nor to let any bloke do more than kiss and fondle her tits.

Pansy smirked. "Aren't we all just little tarts, then?"

Daphne, who had requested food be brought down to them by the house elves, eagerly spread jam on the scone before her. "Some of us more than others. Most of you are still virgins though and that's sweet. Ever wonder why it is that certain blokes seem to be making their way around then? Blaise, Draco, Anthony, and Michael being the top four."

"Because they're all incredibly sexy?" Parvati suggested. "I don't even care that Blaise gets around. I can't wait to snog his gorgeous lips again."

"I heard he's a cad," Lavender told her.

Parvati grinned. "Maybe that's what I want."

There was more laughter and chatting and soon they began to wander back upstairs to their suite. Some of the girls had passed out around them in the living room rather than go to the rooms they had chosen, sleeping off the drink and food. Lavender, feeling a little buzzed herself, headed to the room that the Gryffindors had decided to share around three thirty. Parvati made herself comfortable next to Natalie in the bed and Lavender made her way to the bathroom, finding herself very awake.

By the time she went back to the bedroom, she realized that she definitely was too awake to try to sleep. She headed back into the living room, stepping around her sleeping classmates and slipping into the tiny room off the side that looked like a small parlour. She'd just sat on the small sofa when the door opened and Padma slipped inside. She looked startled at the sight of Lavender resting there.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone else was in here. I'll go find somewhere else."

Lavender shook her head, her eyes moving down the blood red of the nightgown she wore. "No, Padma, it's fine. I'm a little too wired to sleep, I guess."

"Me too," Padma admitted. "I felt like tonight's drinking festivities alerted us to more about each other's sex lives than we needed to know."

Lavender chuckled. "And then some."

Padma moved to join her on the sofa, turning to look into her eyes. "These nighties do make me feel sexy though. We all look quite amazing. I'm almost tempted to go down to breakfast dressed like this and watch all of the blokes' eyes bug out."

Lavender laughed, closing the robe around her a bit when she noticed that most of her right breast was sneaking out. "It would be entertaining."

Padma nodded, letting out a slow breath before she spoke. "Lavender, I know that we're not really close or anything and if you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but… were you serious in there? You've never had an orgasm?"

"True," Lavender admitted, ducking her gaze to her lap. "It just seems intimate, doesn't it? And well, Ron, Seamus, and Terry weren't the right ones, I suppose."

Padma's eyes widened. "Even by yourself?"

Lavender flushed. "Padma Patil!"

Padma rolled her eyes. "Lav, you're going to officially be an adult in a few months, if we can't pleasure ourselves, what's the point?"

Lavender only flushed in embarrassment and shook her head. "No way!"

"Haven't you ever even explored yourself down there?"

"No!"

Padma only raised an eyebrow. She hopped off the sofa and grabbed the small mirror that was hanging on the wall next to the window. "Take this, go in the corner there by the moonlight, drop your knickers, and just look."

"I couldn't," Lavender said, her cheeks flushing. "That seems so wrong!"

"There's nothing wrong with it, Lavender. It's your own body. You should know what it looks like, how it feels, how it likes to be pleasured. You're a beautiful woman and you should be proud of yourself."

Lavender smiled softly, eying Padma. "Have you ever… you know, looked at yourself like that?"

"Of course. I wanted to see what my clit looked like. I needed to see it to know how to find it and to know how to pleasure myself properly. I watched myself the first time I did it. It was… really sexy. It made me feel sexy."

Lavender blushed more at that.

Padma smiled. "Go over there and look at yourself. I dare you."

Lavender seemed frozen for a moment before she took the mirror and went into the corner of the room. She watched as Padma stood, closing the door, and turning the lock and relief swept through her. The last thing she wanted was for someone to see her doing this. The champagne in her system made her feel braver, she thought as she stared at the mirror for a moment. Then she turned back to the wall, pushing her knickers down to her knees and carefully sliding the mirror between her thighs. She examined herself for a moment before Padma spoke from across the room.

"Add a finger, touch yourself."

"Padma, I can't!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "It's… naughty."

She heard movement and she flushed, hastily trying to remove the mirror before Padma approached her, but Padma was already standing behind her. "Just a little touch, Lavender. Like this."

She wanted to tell her to stop. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her no, to tell her not to do it, but the curiosity was stronger than her will. She stared down at the mirror and watched in fascination as the brown manicured fingertip brushed the dark blonde curls at her core; the way it teased her opening slowly and then, before she'd fully realized what she was doing, her legs opened wider and the finger slipped between her folds.

"Are you going to try it?" Padma whispered near her ear.

Lavender shook her head. "No."

Padma nodded and slid her finger up higher, brushing the bud, and making Lavender let out a soft moan. "That would be your clit, Lavender. Go on, touch it."

Lavender shook her head. "No, I can't."

Padma's finger circled it gently. "If you don't touch it, I'm going to keep touching it."

Lavender's eyes were glued to the mirror, watching the brown finger stroke her and she watched in fascination as she became wetter and wetter with every stroke. She dropped the mirror and pushed Padma away. "No, I… that's wrong."

Padma nodded and then brought her finger to her lips, sucking it into her mouth.

The image made Lavender insanely wet and she crossed her legs.

Padma grinned at that and licked her lips. "I admit, this wasn't the way I imagined getting my hands on you, but I think that I might like how innocent you are even more. Take off your nightgown for me."

"Padma," Lavender began. "This… we've had too much to drink. I… you're my best friend's sister. It would be…"

"Delicious," Padma said. "Does the fact that we're identical bother you?"

Lavender frowned at that. If she was honest, she'd stopped seeing them as identical back in first year. They were too different. Padma wore her hair longer, wavier, tumbling in thick straight waves past her hips. Parvati kept it straight and just past her shoulders. Padma always wore blues and greens and deep reds that brought out the lovely brownish gold of her skin where Parvati favoured pinks. Padma's finger had been inside of her and she'd liked it. She blanched at that realization.

"No, you're not… identical that is. Not to me."

"No, you've never found us identical. You've always noticed our differences," Padma told her. "Just like you've never mentioned how we kissed. How I sucked on these beautiful big tits of yours and then you…"

Lavender flushed as she remembered the way she'd tugged Padma's blouse open and dragged her tongue over those sweet tasting brown nipples… the way she'd tasted like salted almonds and how she'd been unable to look Parvati in the eye for days afterwards. If her best friend ever found out what she'd done with her twin…

"We were drunk."

Padma smiled. "We're drunk now."

"Buzzed," Lavender corrected. "I… Padma… this is different, this is…"

Padma took a step towards her and gently pushed open the robe of her nightie. "If I untie this and drop your nightie to the ground, will you stop me?"

Lavender's eyes stared into hers and then she shifted her shoulders back and the hot pink robe fell to the floor leaving her in nothing but the matching pink knickers still around her calves. Padma leaned in and brushed her lips softly across Lavender's. The softness of them startled her, but then she leaned in and met those soft lips with her own.

Padma tasted so much better than the champagne had.

When the back of her legs hit the sofa, she didn't even protest. Padma crawled over her, lips pressing into her throat, and those soft hands began to knead her breasts. Lavender moaned.

Padma only smiled, her tongue stroking down over her breast, circling her nipple before moving lower. "Tell me to stop."

Lavender ignored this and stroked her hands up the slits of her blood red nightgown, sliding her fingers up to knead her breasts, kissing every bit of skin that she could find. Her skin was warm and soft, satin-like, and smelt like almonds and apricots. Then those lips wrapped around one of her nipples and Lavender tossed her head back. Padma's mouth suckled as her fingers played with the other breast and Lavender panted softly.

"Padma… Pad… mae…"

Padma slowly pulled the nipple from her lips, eyes on Lavender's as she began to plant kisses down her stomach. "Tell me to stop."

She should tell her to stop, she thought. The words were in her head, telling her she should scream them out, but then those soft lips were pressed against her folds, nose buried in her blonde curls and she let out a small gasp instead. Padma's finger slid into the wetness again, softly stroking and then with one more look into Lavender's eyes, she slid her tongue into the warmth.

The sound that erupted from her was a sound she hadn't even known she could make. But the feel of Padma's tongue stroking and licking in time with her finger was unlike anything that she had ever imagined. When her soft mouth suckled her clit, Lavender's world went bright in colours.

She reached down to wind her fingers around that dark satin hair, tugging her closer and gasping a soft mantra of her name over and over again. Padma's tongue continued to pleasure her, bringing her over a second time before she'd even recovered from the first. When she finally hit bottom, she found Padma's chin resting on her stomach, a satisfied smirk on her face as she licked her lips.

"Now you've had two orgasms."

Lavender's breath hitched and she stroked her fingers through Padma's hair. "Padma…"

Padma's brown eyes darkened and she stood up, using her fingers to slip the straps off of her shoulders and the red nightie fell to the ground leaving her in nothing but red lace knickers. Lavender's eyes moved down her body in amazement. Satin brown skin, dark brown nipples over perky breasts, and one small heart-shaped birthmark on her hip that she reached out to trace before she could stop herself. Padma placed her hand over Lavender's and slid it up to her breasts and Lavender's hand wrapped around it, tugging the girl towards her.

Then she let her tongue slide across the dark peak and the taste of salted almonds made her groan. She slid her hands down the smooth back and over her bum, rubbing softly as Padma straddled her on the sofa. Lavender felt those hands move into her blonde hair to hold her in place as Lavender's tongue teased and licked and stroked her breast, exploring eagerly. Lavender let her hand trail over the firm bum and lower and when she felt the wetness through her knickers she pulled away to look into Padma's eyes.

Padma smiled. "The taste of you… like flowers in the earth… it made me so wet for you."

Lavender hesitated only a moment before she slid her hands beneath the knickers and stroked her.

Padma let out a soft gasp. "Yes, oh, yes, Lavender, please… please touch me."

Lavender continued to stroke, not entirely sure what she should do. When she dipped her finger into the wet heat, the feel of Padma's walls engulfing her, taking her in was enough to make her own arousal come back.

"Higher," Padma urged and Lavender slid her fingers up, finding that little bud, and she twisted it.

Padma gasped, her head falling forward into Lavender's generous breasts and kissing her nipples. "Yes!"

Lavender moved her finger faster, stroking the nub in a steady rhythm that made Padma gyrate against her desperately and then she felt it, the fluttering, the tightness… and Padma tossed her head back and moaned in ecstasy.

When she was finally able to remove her fingers, she looked at them a moment and then she leaned in and kissed Padma softly.

Padma smiled, snuggling into Lavender's breasts. "This was exactly what I needed."

Lavender wiped her fingers off on Padma's knickers before she stroked a hand up Padma's back in amazement. It wasn't long before Padma had fallen asleep against her and she grinned.

Turned out this night had been a lot more fun than she'd thought.

~ ASC ~

"What do you think the girls are doing?" Ron asked as he climbed into the empty bed in the guest flat that the boys were all sharing.

Neville shrugged. "Going to bed like we are, I imagine."

Dean pulled his shirt over his head and smirked at them. "I don't think they'll be going to bed quite like we are."

Seamus elbowed him lightly. "We're sharing a room with Ron and Neville, that can wait."

Dean pouted. "I believe you promised to continue what we got up to earlier."

Ron made a vomiting sound behind him. "Can you two at least use the bath for that?"

Dean brightened. "There's an idea!"

Seamus laughed and stood on his toes to kiss his boyfriend. "Tomorrow, you're staying at my house, remember? Keep it in your pants, Thomas."

"Can't, it knows what happens when you're in the room."

Ron made another vomiting sound and Dean shot up two fingers.

"Playing billiards was fun," Dean said, lying on his back and stretching his arms behind his head. "I never expected Goldstein to be quite a gambler though. And Kevin's a total shark at billiards! He won thirty Galleons by the end of the night."

"No idea how," Ron said. "He was a drunk off his arse when Finch-Fletchley pulled him out to put him to bed."

Dean shrugged. "Well, Goldstein was free pouring that sweet shit like water. You didn't do too bad yourself, Ron. I didn't know you played billiards."

"Me neither," Ron told him. "Tonight was my first time. Oh, here, Nev."

Neville accepted the Galleon Ron passed him with a grin. "Thanks. If I'd known you were going to win, I would have spotted you more."

Ron chuckled. "I made ten Galleons. It was a surprise."

"That's why gambling is so dangerous," Seamus warned. "You think you're lucky and then bam, you've lost your house. Just ask my Uncle Rory."

Ron blanched at that. "Well, I don't plan on making a profession out of it."

"Good choice," Seamus said.

Neville laughed and sat on the bed across from Ron. "Anthony throws a pretty decent party, I'll admit. I'm glad he offered the sleepover option. I had way too much of that champagne."

"Me too," Ron admitted. "I feel like the room has been spinning for hours."

Neville nodded as Seamus sat on the bed next to Dean. "It was fun though. I don't think that I've danced like that since the Yule Ball."

"And I didn't make that much of a fool of myself on the dance floor," Dean said.

"Me neither," Ron agreed. "It was nice to have fun for no reason other than to have it."

Seamus nodded. "Goldstein throws a pretty brilliant party. I can't believe almost everyone agreed to stay over as well."

"All the girls stayed overnight?" Ron asked.

Dean grinned. "They all did. They're on the other side of this wing. Wing? Can you imagine living in a house like this? I heard it has a hundred bedrooms."

Neville snorted. "Twenty-five actually, but yeah, it's pretty massive."

"So is your home, Neville," Seamus said.

Neville nodded. "Yeah, but not as grand as this. We have eight bedrooms, all of them with their own bathroom, but you know how Anthony is."

"Likes to flaunt it," Ron said quietly from behind them. "He once told me that he'd be happy to buy me new uniform pants that actually covered my ankles so that I could fit in with the rest of my class. He said my old uniform showed a smudge on the reputation of our school."

"Ponce," Seamus declared darkly. "I didn't grow up in some posh place like this and I turned out just fine."

"The kind of house you live in doesn't make you who you are," Neville agreed. "It's the people."

The knock on the door startled them and Dean pulled it open.

"Hey, you losers want to come out here? Anthony says he has something wonderfully naughty for us," Michael Corner said, his eyes twinkling.

Dean turned to them and raised an eyebrow. "Shall we?"

They trudged out into the common room to find most of their male classmates there. Theo, Blaise, and Finn had opted to go home and since none of the other Slytherin sixth years had shown up, the room was full of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs.

Anthony grinned widely at them. "I just wanted to thank all of you for coming to my birthday. I think that it was a smashing success. And now that the ladies have turned in for the night, I thought that we would have one more little celebration."

He gestured to the table behind him which was full of champagne flutes along with bottles of Firewhiskey. "Drink up, boys, while I present — Chardonnay."

A beautiful young woman who couldn't have been any older than twenty stepped into the room, dressed in a skimpy black dress and high stilettos, her long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders. She waved her wand and music began to play. Then she moved into the centre of the room, transfiguring the coffee table into a pole.

Ron's eyes just about bugged out of his head when she started to dance. It was the most provocative thing that he'd ever seen. She moved around the pole in the room, holding it, stroking it, shaking her bum. When she unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor revealing black and red lingerie, he gasped a little.

He looked over at Neville, whose eyes were glued to the stripper as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He heard Dean whisper something and he turned to see his two friends sneak off into the bedroom together. He turned back to the dancing woman, and when her bra came off, his eyes moved over her perky tits with interest.

Anthony and Michael were cheering and filling her little basket with coins. Kevin Entwhistle stood up and slid his Galleon over her breasts before he boldly slipped it right into her knickers. The woman smiled coyly and pushed him off. She slipped her hand into her knickers slowly and pulled out the Galleon, dropping it into the basket. Ron hardened.

She continued to dance, fondling her breasts, twisting her nipples and then the knickers started to slide down and his breath hitched. It felt wrong to be watching her, felt wrong to have his eyes on this naked woman who he didn't even know, but he couldn't tear his gaze away. When she was finally wearing nothing except for her stilettos, she danced a few moments more before the music stopped and she bowed.

Anthony stood up clapping. "I get the first one since it's my birthday, but five Galleons buys you a lap dance!"

Neville flushed and stood up, wiping his palms on his pants. Ron followed him to the drink table and helped himself to a bit of the water there, he didn't think he could handle any more Firewhiskey.

"That was... unexpected," he said quietly.

Neville shot him a mortified look as he gulped down his own glass of water. "I've... I've never seen a woman naked before."

Ron nodded. "Lavender showed me her tits, but nothing like... she's beautiful."

Neville nodded, turning to watch her straddle Anthony. "Yeah."

Ron shifted uncomfortably, still rather hard from watching that dance. "I'm just going to go to bed."

"Me too," Neville said quickly, sneaking one last look at the woman performing a rather provocative lap dance for Anthony.

Ron gestured for him to follow as they headed back to their bedroom. He opened the door only a crack. "You two better be decent!"

Seamus let out a laugh. "Bed curtains are closed, Ron."

Ron and Neville came inside, closing the door behind them just as Dean murmured.

"Bloody... yeah, yeah just like that, babe."

Ron and Neville exchanged looks and silently voted on finding another room to sleep in. They snuck out and made themselves comfortable in another small room off to the side with two large beds. This house really was insanely huge.

"Nev?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming with me tonight."

Neville smiled. "You're welcome."

Ron shifted uncomfortably, trying to get rid of his erection by thinking of other things, and it wasn't long before he found himself drifting off to sleep.

Neville lay awake in the bed next to him, unsure of why he couldn't sleep. He had calmed himself down enough in the randy department, but now his thoughts were keeping him awake. When he saw that the clock said quarter to four, he got up, thinking maybe he'd go for a walk outside to clear his head. He heard Anthony's mother kept one of the most beautiful gardens in all of England.

He made his way downstairs slowly, stopping when he heard voices.

"You look so bloody sexy, love, come on, just let me hold your tits."

"I said no," the voice hissed in the darkness. "You're drunk. Go back to your own room."

"Come on, baby, just give me a little something… you know you want to."

Neville snuck a look around the corner in time to see Kevin Entwhistle grab Hannah's hand. He placed it over his crotch before he ground against her palm.

"Kevin, no," Hannah said quietly.

He pinned her back against the wall. "You're my girlfriend, Hannah, which means it's your job to do what I want. You don't want me to get angry, do you?"

"Kevin, please, not here — no! Stop it!"

She made to push him back, but he only grabbed her breast roughly, holding her face in his other hand as he pinned her to the wall.

"You're mine, Hannah. I saw you dancing out there tonight, flaunting yourself like some trussed up little tart. You want this."

"No, please," she whispered, struggling against his grip.

"She said stop," Neville declared darkly.

Kevin merely turned to look at him, his eyes glazed. "Mind your own bloody business, Longbottom."

Hannah tugged her robe closed. "He's just had too much to drink."

Neville nodded and took a step towards the couple. "Get back to your own room, Kevin."

Kevin snorted. "What are you going to stop me or something? Come on, Hannah, let's go somewhere more private."

Hannah attempted to pull herself from his grip. "No, Kevin — stop!"

Neville stepped closer, putting his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Entwhistle, come on. You're not thinking."

He swung around quickly and Neville ducked, surprising himself. He pinned Kevin up against the wall when he stumbled.

"Stop!"

Kevin's eyes were glazed as he made to shove Neville off again, and Neville felt Kevin's fist collide with his nose. The sharp crack was enough to shock him, but not enough to break it. He shoved Kevin harder and Hannah shrieked.

Justin came around the corner then and hurried over. "Holy Helga! Nev, mate, so sorry! He got away from us! After Chardonnay, he was a little excited, you know?"

Kevin struggled in Justin's grip, but he let his friend lead him off. Neville mopped at his bloody nose with his hand. He turned to look at Hannah. Her long blonde hair was curlier than usual, tumbling over her shoulders in beautiful waves. She was wearing a green silk robe that closed just above her knee over what looked like a green silk nightgown that was definitely very short. His eyes moved up to her blue eyes, and he blushed when he realized that he'd been caught staring.

"Are you all right?"

Hannah smiled at him. "That was really sweet of you, Neville. Kevin's a good bloke, but when he drinks sometimes he doesn't think."

"Drinking isn't an excuse for being a prick."

Hannah only stared at him. "Let me get you something to stop that bleeding."

Neville nodded as she hurried through the door behind her and came back a moment later with a wet towel. He made to take it from her, but she reached out and carefully began to clean the blood off his face. She was so close to him that he could smell her: Gardenia and jasmine. He was suddenly reminded of where he was heading.

He put his hand over the towel, but she shifted closer to him, her generous breasts brushing his arm. He hardened in his pyjamas. He started to step away, but Hannah continued to delicately clean the blood from his face.

"There," she said softly. "Good as new. Thank you, Neville."

He nodded. "You're welcome. Um, I'm just glad that I was here when I was. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

Hannah smiled and two dimples appeared in her cheeks. "You're very sweet. Thank you."

Neville nodded, shoving his hands into his pyjama pockets so that he could cover himself discreetly. "Um, I'm going to go then, goodnight."

"Why were you out here?" she asked suddenly.

Neville's eyes met her blue ones, thinking that they looked as blue as a delphinium. "Couldn't sleep. I was going to go for a walk outside. I heard Mrs Goldstein has one of the best gardens in the country so I thought that I'd see it for myself."

Hannah nodded. "It is lovely. Mandy and I took a tour of it when I arrived before the party."

"Good. Well, I'm going to go then," he finished lamely.

"Would you like company?" she blurted out, covering her mouth with her hand. "I mean, maybe I… never mind."

Neville smiled at her. "I'd love company."

Hannah beamed at him. "Just let me find my shoes."

He waited only a moment for her and she came out, her robe tightly closed, wearing simple black lace flats. They walked in companionable silence through the large house, down the stairs and out through the sunroom. The garden was more than lovely. Mrs Goldstein had lined the paths with flowers and the paths themselves were made of stone with moss growing between them. He stopped to examine the jasmine in bloom, inhaling it's scent before he picked the flower and handed it to her.

"Jasmine for you, like your perfume."

Hannah blushed, accepting the flower and carefully tucking it into her hair behind her ear. "I don't wear perfume, Neville."

Neville shrugged. "Soap then. It suits you, I mean, the jasmine and the gardenia. I mean, you always…" His cheeks flushed and he cleared his throat. "Shall we walk then?"

Hannah nodded and linked her arm through his, surprising him. "You know a lot about flowers, don't you?"

"I like flowers," he admitted. "And plants and trees and shrubs. They… speak to me, I guess and don't make me feel uncomfortable or judge you."

Hannah frowned at that. "People make you uncomfortable?"

"Some do," he said quietly. "I like to have my fingers in the earth because there, the world just makes sense."

"Do you have your own garden at home?"

"Yes," he told her. "I have an herb garden and a vegetable garden that I've tended since I was a lad and over the last few years, Gran and I have extended the front garden with multitudes of flowers. I have greenhouse as well and I'm building some more greenhouses so that I can bring in some new plants to care for and maybe even do some crossbreeding. I think it would be fascinating to see what I can create for myself or — sorry, you don't care about any of that."

Hannah stopped them under the large willow tree where the base was planted with foxglove and hellebore. "That's not true. It's lovely how passionate you are about it. That's what you're going to do after school then, write your PLANTS?"

Neville nodded. "Yes. You?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "My mum says a good witch finds a husband and gets married. She's been a housewife her whole life and she thinks that's what I should be, but until I find a husband, she wants me to be a healer. She claims it's a noble profession and that it's where I should spend my time until I can turn it in to raise a family, but I… I love to bake. Sometimes I dream about opening my own little café and bake shop, but that's too big I think."

"No," Neville said, his eyes on hers. "It's not too big. I think it sounds nice. What kinds of things do you like to bake?"

"Everything," Hannah said with a laugh. "Biscuits and tarts, pies and scones, cakes and pastries, danishes and fudge… I'd spend my life in the kitchen if anyone would let me. Sometimes I sneak into the kitchens at Hogwarts and just bake… the elves don't mind."

Neville smiled at her, the moonlight reflecting in her golden hair. "What would you call it, your little café and bake shop?"

She shrugged, the green silk of her robe shining in the glow of the moon. "Oh, it's just a silly dream, of course I haven't come up with a name or anything."

Neville nodded, leading her through one of the rose hedges and down a path full of cherry blossoms, bleeding hearts, and dahlias. "It doesn't sound like a silly dream to me. It sounds nice."

"Serendipity," Hannah said softly, almost a whisper in the night. "That's what I'd call it."

Neville smiled at her. "That's perfect."

Hannah blushed and moved to sit on the stone bench under the pink dogwood tree, gesturing for him to sit with her. She crossed her legs, the green satin riding up a little over those creamy thighs and his breath hitched. "Thanks for listening, Neville. Kevin always says that my dream is lame and that I should aspire to better things. He's right, I suppose."

"No," Neville said darkly, taking her hand. "He's not. Your dreams are never lame. If it's what you desire deep in your heart, you should go for it, and don't let anyone stand in your way. Life's too short."

Hannah linked her fingers with his, making him look down at their hands in surprise. "My mum would never approve. A witch's place is in the home, you know, not out, making the money. Her dream of me being a healer is only until I find a husband and then she would expect me to quit to make a home."

"My Gran would say that's codswallop."

Hannah laughed, the sound making gooseflesh erupt over his arms; the little hairs there stood up in a way that was entirely more pleasant than he expected. "Would she now? Your gran seems quite the character."

"She is," he said, grinning at her. "She always says that a real witch has fire in her. She's not afraid to take what she wants and to give in spades. My grandfather used to always say that if you love a witch correctly, she will warm your entire home, but if you abuse her, she will burn it down. Gran used to laugh and tell him to smarten up then."

"You lost him," she said quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah, when I was six."

"I'm sorry."

Neville nodded, looking up from their joined hands and into her eyes. They were so blue and so kind and he swallowed before he spoke. "They really are like delphiniums."

"What?"

He blushed, realizing he'd spoken aloud. "Er, nothing. We should head back. I wouldn't want Kevin to think something."

Hannah's smile faded as they stood up. "He gets jealous easily. But Justin should be taking care of him. When he drinks, he sometimes gets a bit out of control."

"Does he drink a lot?"

Hannah only shrugged. "He loves me. Thank you again, Neville. I'll see you back at school then."

He nodded as she hurried off down the path, her hair bouncing behind her and he let out a slow breath. He wished that he could show Hannah Abbott that she deserved the world, but she loved Kevin Entwhistle, the Hufflepuff Quidditch star, and he could hardly compete with that.

End Author's Notes:

I thought it would be nice to show the Hogwarts group getting along. I think they all generally were friendly with each other and would have partied and done things that teenagers do. Heading into sixth year, they are all sixteen and seventeen at this point, one or two have summer birthdays to turn sixteen, but they are at that age where drinking and sex are the big things. Just a reminder here is the class roster:

Gryffindor Girls:

Hermione Granger

Lavender Brown

Parvati Patil

Sophie Roper (I put her in Gryffindor)

Natalie Monroe — my OC

Gryffindor Boys:

Harry Potter

Dean Thomas

Seamus Finnigan

Neville Longbottom

Ron Weasley

Hufflepuff Girls:

Hannah Abbot

Susan Bones

Megan Jones

Sally-Anne Perks

Hufflepuff Boys:

Ernie Macmillan — in prison

Kevin Entwhistle

Justin Finch Fletchley

Wayne Hopkins

Roger Malone

David Runcorne — I chose the first name David since JKR didn't give one and I put him in Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw Girls:

Mandy Brocklehurst

Su Li

Morag MacDougal

Lily Moon

Lisa Turpin

Padma Patil

Ravenclaw Boys:

Stephen Cornfoot

Michael Corner

Anthony Goldstein

Gary Rivers

Terry Boot

Slytherin Girls:

Millicent Bulstrode

Tracey Davis

Daphne Greengrass

Pansy Parkinson

Ophelia Rowle — my OC

Slytherin Boys:

Vincent Crabbe

Gregory Goyle

Draco Malfoy

Blaise Zabini

Theodore Nott

Yes, there will be Hinny in the next chapter (some really good Hinny might I add). I just felt that this chapter was getting a bit too long.

Thank you for reading and please review! And be kind, this is my first time writing f/f and it was a bit of a challenge to myself — this one was for you, dwp and Luke :D