Author's Note:
I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a comment, a review, or a message in concern to my mimi. She was an amazing grandmother who was more like a mum to me than anything. I miss her a great deal.
Now, about Dean — I know his mother is supposed to be a Muggle and his father a wizard. I know that he's supposed to have some half-siblings as his mother married again, but we don't really know much about Dean's background so I wanted to switch things up. I decided to make Dean's mum a witch as well as an artist and a hippie. Her parents, Merrick and River were maybe Muggleborn or magical, whatever one wants to think about them, but Sunshine and Meadow are magical and so is Dean. I like the idea of Dean having a single mum, raised by three strong women. I don't know just an idea I rather liked and since as I said, we're not given lots of information on Dean's background, I'm changing it.
Reviews and Comments: To Anixara: Yes, Sirius and Zee's twins are the Black heirs, it was mentioned in the reading of Sirius' will. To Ginny22: Thank you for reading and I'm honoured my story has inspired you to write yourself! To Steel: Still a few chapters away, but Harry will find out from Remus about the book. To junkl0rd: Happy that you're so happy about Neville. And I had fun with the Advanced Potion Making book so I hope people like were I went with it. To wildstyle_101: Ron does have the worst timing ever. Neville is a poor sod, but Hannah is definitely the one worst off. And I agree, WWI is MUCH more interesting. To PurpleLotus: Thank you for your kind words. To Endinium: The Halloween Party is this chapter and as to Romione, well, we shall see. There will be more Remus and Tonks soon too, don't worry. To Jmcglynn522: Thank you, I like to supply cool facts. Ron is a cock blocker, but in his defence, he doesn't do it intentionally lol. Interesting theory — Snape rewrote the textbook as a gift to Lily which is why he doesn't want people to use it because it's a gift to her. Very interesting. To kbr: I am sorry for your loss and thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot to me. To Leapyearbaby29: You will have to wait and see who wrote in the book. To LittleEngland: I'm so happy your loving Neville's character and I do have good things planned for him, I promise! And maybe a little surprise in this one ;)
To Seriously Sam: I think pointing out the difference between Snape and Slughorn is very important. I like the idea of Ginny nicking clothing and thank you for considering it a cute personality trait. To Bumlewis: Snape is intelligent, but I have plans with the book, you'll see and ha, you're shocked he hasn't laid down in front of the knight bus since James saved his life, got Lily, and made him into a potion genius. LMAO. To elin2002: Never a hardship to add Hinny. To ladyinwaiting2005: Worried about Ginny because Voldemort wants to preserve the Gaunt line? You shouldn't be. To TheaTypes24: Yes, she does. And I am always happy to supply a history lesson LOL
To The Go1lden Snitch: If you are kind enough to leave me a review with comments, I am more than happy to give you a shout-out! Thank you! I'm happy to know that I always keep you on your toes! To Tiyaxoxo: I don't like Vernon Dursley, I think he's a bigot and whereas he does love his son, I think he sees his wife as someone who belongs to him to be the ideal wife and I think if she had acted different he would have lashed out at her. To me it's not a stretch at all to imagine him physically hurting Harry as we saw some of it in the books. Needless to say, I don't like him. To : Of course they're disappointed to be interrupted lol. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Yes, Kevin is definitely one to be talking about arses. And I agree, the world does need more heroes. To Dianne: I try to bring about the characters we love, but I do my best to balance them out. I'm proud of that Hinny scene with the mirror, so thank you.
To Tanuska: Of course Harry gives his girlfriend piggyback rides! To tim2604: Thank you and it won't be on Halloween, but yes, just Ginny will be there. To Snatchmewig: Thank you, and I agree. I wanted to see that spark for writing early on. And yes, we will see more of George and Angelina and Fred soon. To pix25: I like history :D To starflower23: Thank you and the potions book will be explained more, don't worry. To Bhau: You're welcome. To speedsONEandONLY: Thanks. I just wanted his mum to be a hippie, not sure why, but it fit with my mind. And yes, Sunshine and Moonlight are kind of reflections of River. To Vaarshneyan: Thank you and yes, we will see more of Romione, Percy-Audrey, and the twins. To CarpenL: Michael Murray is someone of my own creation, I'm afraid. As to where Harry is taking Ginny on Sunday, well Sunday is Sirius' birthday. To WinkingSkeever: Thank you. To .wills15: Poor all of them, lol. Indeed. To Nightwing2013: I'm happy you caught up! And no tears yet, not in this chapter, but 248 maybe LOL. To AntiCreator: I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for reading. To Funbunnypotter26: I can't believe you're all caught up already! I'm glad you're liking my thoughts on Snape. To alix33: I also loathe the fat-shaming Kevin. To boobooshipp: Thank you for saying it's the best fan fic you've ever read in twelve years of reading fanfiction! To Sloopyqueen4: Thank you! You're more than welcome to restart it, but yes lack of Hinny and losing Sirius all over would be hard. To Chintan: Three and half weeks to read 245 chapters, wow. Thank you!
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 FORTY-SIX:
When Friday came around, Ginny found herself anxious for the party. It sounded like it was going to be a fun night and she wanted to enjoy herself, but she was a bit worried about her boyfriend. Since All Hallows' Eve had fallen on a Thursday, the party was on the first of November; she knew that despite how close-mouthed he'd been on the subject, this weekend was on Harry's mind.
"Harry, are you sure that you want to go to this party tonight?" Ginny asked as they walked hand in hand back to Gryffindor tower to change out of their uniforms.
"Yes, of course. It will be fun, don't you think so?"
Ginny smiled at him. "I think that we'll have a great time, it's just that Sunday —"
"— Is Sunday," he finished for her. "I don't want to think about it right now."
Ginny squeezed his hand. "Okay. I won't bring it up again. But if you want to leave for any reason, just let me know."
Harry tugged her up against him, surprising her. "Any reason?"
Her lips parted slightly as her eyes met his. "We have to be social."
"Says who?" he asked, his lips pressing against her neck.
"Me," she insisted, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. "I think a party sounds fun. Do you think that they'll be dancing?"
"Do you want there to be?"
"Yes," she admitted, her eyes twinkling. "I want to dance with you. We haven't danced together since Remus and Tonks' wedding. Before that was the Yule Ball."
"Right, when I almost kissed you."
Ginny's eyes widened. "What?"
Harry grinned. "Oh, good, you didn't notice. Wait, I don't know if that's a good thing or not?"
"You almost kissed me? At the Yule Ball!"
He nodded, amused by the shocked expression on her face. "Merlin knows I wanted to. You looked so gorgeous in that burgundy dress. Your hair spilled over your shoulders and you smelt amazing. I remember thinking that you looked perfect and how I had never taken the time to realize how beautiful you were. At one point, your tits brushed my arm and I was so hard that I thought I'd combust."
"You're having me on," Ginny said, her eyes still wide in surprise. "You didn't even like me back then! I mean even with the whole Veela thing… you didn't know that you'd… no…"
Harry shrugged. "When I saw you come down the stairs, it hit me. I was blown away and surprised and… I kept trying to convince myself that it was just because of the formal wear. That you just looked so beautiful because it was the gown and the jewellery and… it made you look different, more vibrant than usual. I remember thinking that you looked nothing like my Ginny. Then I started wondering when I started thinking about you as mine and well… I spiralled."
Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tell me more about this almost kiss."
Harry rested his hands on the small of her waist, backing her up a little to press her up against the stone wall. "It's not important. You didn't even know about it."
"I was with Michael then and had done my best to tell myself that you and I were nothing but friends."
"I thought the same until I saw you in that dress," Harry admitted. "Then we were dancing and I was holding you like this. I could smell your hair. The swell of your tits over the lace of your dress was much more distracting than it should have been and when you smiled at me, my stomach did this whole flip-flop thing…"
Ginny was grinning at him now. "Oh yeah? What kind of flip-flop thing?"
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Immensely," she confirmed. "But back to this flip-flop thing — was it something like this?"
She slid her hands down his back, around his ribs, and danced her fingertips over his belt.
Harry swallowed. "Yes, definitely something like that."
Ginny pressed herself closer to him. "So, we were dancing and you were checking out my tits while your stomach was doing this flip-flop thing and then what?"
Harry's fingers tightened on her blouse on the side of her hips as he spoke. "And then I remember thinking that your lips looked so soft. You'd painted them and they looked so different and I wondered how you'd react if I just lowered my head and kissed you. I wondered if you'd be surprised or if you'd kiss me back or if you'd just hex me for sneaking a cheeky kiss. I just kept thinking that I bet your lips were as soft as they looked and it might be worth the hex. I wanted to know what you would do."
Her arms wrapped around his neck again and her fingers played with the short hairs on the back of his neck. "How would you have kissed me?"
Harry's eyes stayed on hers before he slowly lowered his head and captured her lips in a soft, lingering kiss that left her breathless. He whispered her name gently as he brushed his lips against hers and then he kissed her again.
Ginny's breathing was shallow when he pulled away. "Why didn't you?"
Harry stared at her. "I think that I was going to. I had convinced myself it would be worth getting hexed when Corner called your name. Then the moment was gone. You stopped looking at me. You moved out of my arms, and then… then you were snogging him."
"Too bad for both of us then."
"I was jealous. Luna didn't seem surprised by it, but I was. I spent the next two months convincing myself that it was just the formal wear."
"How did that go?"
He grimaced. "Not great, but denial isn't only in Egypt."
"Wow, that was truly awful."
"It's something Uncle Sirius would have said."
Ginny stood on her toes to kiss him. "For the record, Harry. If you would have kissed me… I never would have looked at Michael Corner again."
Harry pulled her close, capturing her lips for a long kiss. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to. Maybe we weren't meant to be together then."
"Maybe so," she said. "But I'm really glad that we're together now."
Harry kissed her again, his hands sliding up her back and into her hair. He had to agree with her sentiments on that.
~ ASC ~
Hermione didn't want to admit that Ginny had been right, but she was definitely feeling a bit more confident as of late. Ginny's advice had been fairly simple: Show off. Hermione had immediately disliked it, but Ginny's suggestion seemed less like she was showing off and more like she was doing her usual thing. She made a point to wear her thigh-high stockings under her skirt; now that it was getting chillier out, that meant her new garter belt. As Ginny had pointed out, nothing unusual, just make a point to Ron that she was wearing it.
She had to admit, wearing the sexy undergarments beneath her robes did make her feel sexy. She took her robes off while they patrolled, wearing only her cardigan so that Ron would be able to see the sway of her hips when she walked; she couldn't help but bite her bottom lip in suppressed glee when she'd caught him staring at her arse on multiple occasions.
But he still never once made a move.
Ron was the same as always. He grumbled about the amount of homework he had, grumbled about patrols. But he also continued to do sweet Ron-like things that she came to depend on. When she was working on her Arithmancy paper too late in the common room he brought her a glass of milk and a lemon cranberry scone. When she forgot her jumper in her dorm, he pulled his off and handed it to her when they were walking to the greenhouses, without saying anything. When he looked away, she'd smelt it and felt immediately comforted by the warmth of the material just as much as the reminder that it belonged to him. When she woke up feeling crampy and not herself, he passed her a large Honeydukes chocolate bar without a word. On her seventeenth birthday, he'd been late to meet her for patrol, but when he'd shown up with a fist-sized cookies-and-cream fairy cake with a candle on the top; she'd melted.
She was definitely head over heels in love with him.
Yet still, he never made a move. He never brought up their so-called flukes. It was the first day of November and Hermione felt even more unsure over him than she had when she'd gone shopping with Ginny and Fleur.
The thing was, other girls were starting to notice how attractive he was. His tall frame made him easy to spot in a crowd along with his bright red hair. His broad shoulders and muscular frame from Quidditch had girls of all ages giving him a second and third look. His success with Quidditch had given him more confidence and it showed. She found Sally-Anne Perks flirting with him on more than one occasion and Ron only gave her one of those lopsided grins of his.
She hated it.
It was the sound of his laugh that woke her from her stupor. She blinked down at her Arithmancy work for a solid minute before his laugh triggered her again. When she looked around, she found his arm resting on the wall over the head of Sally-Anne Perks once more as he laughed at something she said. The warmth that his laugh had first given her immediately made her feel cold again.
Sally-Anne's hair was cut short and straight at her chin that suited the blonde. It showed off her pretty neck and the hairstyle made her green eyes really pop. When Sally-Anne giggled loudly, she scowled. Ron said something that made the girl pout before she reluctantly said goodbye and hurried off. Hermione watched from under her lashes as those long legs marched towards her. He sat in the chair next to her and gave her a lopsided grin and her stomach immediately quivered.
"Still doing Arithmancy?"
"There's a lot of work involved," she said, her voice coming out a bit stiffer than she planned.
"I can see that," Ron told her, leaning back in his chair. "Perks was placing another order from the shop. Seems that she's a fan of the WonderWitch Products. I haggled commission out of Fred and George, and good thing I did as Sally-Anne alone orders twice a week! What does anyone need with that much beauty products?"
"She doesn't really want beauty products, Ron."
"Better tell her that then," Ron said. "She's given me a list."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "She's flirting with you."
Ron looked dumbfounded. "Me? You're having me on." At her look, his eyebrows furrowed. "Huh. Well, she's pretty enough I suppose, but she's not that interesting to talk to. Always giggling. Much worse than Lavender ever did."
"Well, Lavender doesn't giggle like that with Padma."
"Maybe Padma isn't as funny as me," he said.
"Maybe not." She stared at him a moment. "So… you're not going to ask her out then?"
Ron shrugged. "Nah. She giggles too much."
Hermione's heart swelled a bit at his words. "Well, that's good then."
Ron's blue eyes met hers. "Is it?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip before she turned away from him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Yes. I—I don't think she'd suit you."
"If you say so," Ron replied.
Hermione scowled internally. Why was it so hard to just get the words out to him? Why couldn't he say something to her? A glance at her watch told her that they needed to get going. She pushed her chair back leaning away from Ron to rifle through her bag and when she sat back up, she caught him staring at where her skirt had risen and the garter clip on her thigh was visible. She smiled a little to herself, maybe Ginny and Fleur had been right. She fixed her skirt, covering the tops of her stockings and watched Ron shake his head and pretend to focus on the parchment in front of him. Suddenly feeling a bit bold, she crossed her legs, intentionally letting her skirt ride up a little and Ron coughed.
"Er, we should get going on patrol, right?"
"Yes," Hermione said, standing up. "The Halloween party is later tonight."
"I can't believe that you're going to come."
"Am I such a plonker that I wouldn't attend a party that I was invited to?"
Ron grinned. "No, not at all. But, for you to attend a secret party that the professors don't know about, well..."
Hermione pursed her lips. "I can hardly protest considering all of the other prefects will be there and I heard that the head boy and girl helped organize it. If Alex Sykes and Ella Wilkins are promoting the party, I can hardly protest it, can I?"
Ron stood up, grabbing her books and tucking them under his arm as if it was second nature. "Doesn't mean you won't. Come on. Let's go and have a good time. It will be good for you."
"It will be good for me?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yes, you need a break. It will be fun. Now come on, let's get this patrol done so we can go have a good time. No arguments."
She felt annoyed again and marched off with Ron following behind her. He didn't have any right to declare that she needed a break. She would take a break when she wanted to take a break. But he did have a point. It would be fun. Not that she would tell him that of course. She looked behind her and caught his eyes on her arse again and she smirked.
She needed to put herself in one of the new dresses she'd gotten for the party. Maybe tonight, Ron would finally speak up or better yet, she would find the courage to do so.
~ ASC ~
When they made it to the Halloween party, Harry had to admit, the head boy and girl had done well. It was hidden inside of one of the lower levels of the dungeons. The same dungeon, Harry realized, where he had once attended a Deathday party for Nearly Headless Nick. Someone had added comfy chairs and sofas and a seventh year Hufflepuff that Harry didn't know was running the music that was pumping loudly. A lot of students were already dancing to the latest hit song by the Weird Sisters.
They'd hidden it well. Silencing charms and disillusionment charms had been used and only those who knew the password were able to gain access through the portrait of Sir Cadogan, the knight. He heard that Wilkins, the head girl, had taken care of the password: To party or not to party should never be the question.
When granted access, a tapestry opened on the left leading down a dark passage not unlike the portrait hole into Gryffindor Tower and opened into the large dungeon where the party was taking place. The dungeon was decorated in a spooky haunted castle theme (obviously) with enchanted bats on the ceiling, cobwebs hanging down, and floating candles lighting the room in different colours. The refreshment table of snacks rivalled the desserts from the Halloween feast and the music was loud: A mix of Muggle and wizarding tunes that Harry felt suited the crowd as the Weird Sisters ended and The Kinks started singing "You Really Got Me Now."
Harry held tightly to Ginny's hand as she led him into the dungeon, admiring the dragon nylons she wore over her shapely legs. She'd disappeared up to her dorm and had come down thirty minutes later in a sexy plaid skirt and a black top that interlaced between her breasts. Lace dragons were on her legs and she wore black heeled boots that gave her a bit of height. He'd smiled when he saw that she was wearing the g-necklace he'd given her. She'd pulled her hair back in a high ponytail mixed with braids and he thought that she looked incredibly sexy. He was doing his best not to let his eyes dip to the swells of her breasts under the black ties or the sway of her hips in the skirt she wore as she wound them through the crowd to where Seamus and Dean were chatting with Lavender and Padma.
"Hey," Harry said.
Padma smiled brightly at them, her arm slipping through Lavender's. "Hi! Isn't this great?"
"Yeah, pretty brilliant," Harry agreed. "Alex and Ella put on a great party."
"I can't believe that they got away with it without any professors finding out," Seamus said. "Absolutely brilliant! You'd think that the heads would be real sticklers for the rules."
"I heard it was Alex's idea and he had most of it planned and organized with Hufflepuff house before Ella even had wind of it. She reluctantly agreed to it, but I heard that she got the help of the Bloody Baron in keeping it a secret," Lavender said. "See, Seamus, some Slytherins know how to have fun."
Seamus rolled his eyes.
"Do we know for certain that the professors don't know?" Ginny asked. "I mean to pull something like this off, I'd think at least one of the professors would have to be in on it."
Seamus shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. Going to dance now."
He grabbed Dean's hand, who protested, as his boyfriend dragged him out across the dance floor where Seamus immediately began to shake his hips to "Follow You Down" by the Gin Blossoms as Dean reluctantly moved his hips in sync with him.
"Feels like we're back at the Goldstein party," Padma said. "You two missed a fun night this summer. Seamus is really not a good dancer at all, yet he certainly has the best time out there."
Harry thought Padma had a point as he tried not to laugh at the way his friend was bopping out there, perfectly content to make a fool out of himself as Dean laughed and attempted to dance alongside of him.
"Yeah, I heard that it was a good time. Ginny and I were in America."
"America?" Padma asked in surprise. "That's brilliant."
"It was," Ginny told her. "We had a grand time."
Lavender slipped an arm around Padma's waist. "We should go dance."
Padma smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her lips. "Definitely. Let's go."
Ginny slid her arm around Harry's waist, her hand dipping down into the back pocket of his blue jeans as her eyes twinkled up at him. The song changed to "Fastlove" by George Michael. "We're going to dance too, right?"
"Yes," Harry said, leaning down to kiss her. "How about when a slower song comes on?"
Ginny chuckled. "Worried you won't keep up with me? This one isn't even that fast?"
"No. I was thinking how much I wanted some of that punch."
She laughed as they headed over to the food table. "Some refreshments first is a good start. Hi, Luna!"
Luna was dressed in a knee-length skirt that looked like a monarch buttery with a black turtleneck overtop. Her butterbeer cork necklace dangled between her breasts and her beaded radishes swung in her ears. She wore black tights with silver and gold constellations on them with white heeled sneakers.
"Luna, you look beautiful," Harry said.
Luna blinked at him. "Thank you, Harry. You look beautiful yourself. Ginny loves it when you wear green."
Harry looked down at the green button-down shirt he wore tucked into his jeans with Sirius' leather jacket overtop. "Er, good then."
Ginny stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "He looks great in everything. Luna, I love your skirt."
"Thank you. I found it this summer when Daddy and I made a stop in New Zealand."
Harry poured the three of them each some punch as they stood by the refreshments table. His gaze found Neville who was in the corner, his eyes on where Hannah and Kevin were dancing; he sighed.
"What?" Luna asked.
Harry shook his head. "Neville. He's worried about Hannah and I can't say that I blame him. Entwhistle is a great prat and Hannah deserves much better."
Luna's eyes moved across to where their friend was standing and she nodded. "Right then."
She passed Harry back the cup and marched off to the other side of the room, grabbing Neville's hand and pulling him out onto the dance floor, ignoring his spluttering.
Harry grinned. "She's kind of amazing, isn't she?"
"Absolutely. I wish that she and Neville would give it a go."
"Neville says that they're just friends."
"I know," Ginny said. "Luna says the same. I still think they'd have fun together if they went out a few times. Not everyone falls in love at our age."
Harry bent his head to kiss her as Colin's excited voice boomed out behind them.
"Hiya, Harry! Hi, Ginny!"
"Hullo, Colin," Harry said dutifully, trying to not to be annoyed with the interruption.
He still wasn't as sold on Colin as Ginny who considered him one of her closest friends, but he wasn't as annoyed with his bubbly personality as he had first been. He liked him, but he wished that he didn't always interrupt them.
"Let's dance, Ginny! Harry won't mind, right?"
Harry shrugged. "No, go ahead. I'll be fine."
Ginny kissed his cheek. "I'll be back in a bit and ready to demand my dance."
He laughed as he watched Colin drag her out onto the dance floor to dance next to Luna and Neville. The four of them were laughing as they danced to OMC's "How Bizarre."
Harry looked out across the party and saw Ron talking to Seamus and Dean by the refreshments table on the opposite end of the dungeon. The couple had already left the dance floor (probably so that Seamus didn't hurt somebody) and were drinking punch and snacking on biscuits and crisps. He saw Hermione talking to Natalie and Sophie, who looked like they were complimenting her on her dress. He recognized the annoyance in her gaze and started to make his way over to her when he saw Mandy in his line of vision. She was wearing a short dress in show-stopper red and she was tugging on Hannah's arm as they passed him.
"Ladies."
Mandy looked up at him in surprise. "Harry, hi."
"Hi. You both look lovely."
Hannah blushed. "Thank you."
Harry turned his attention back to Mandy. "Dance with me?"
Mandy's eyes widened. She adjusted her glasses and at Hannah's insistence, she accepted his hand. Harry led her onto the dance floor as the song slowed down to Counting Crows' "A Long December," and swept her into the slow dance before he spoke.
"I wanted to apologize to you."
Mandy's eyes showed a hint of surprise before she masked it. "Harry… it was a long time ago."
"I know, but I still feel that I owe you an apology. I knew I liked Ginny and I shouldn't have led you on like I did."
Mandy smiled at him. "I knew that you liked her, too. But I let you lead me on because I liked you. It was selfish of me, but I did. It's okay, Harry, you don't have anything to apologize for."
"Good, I mean, okay. Thanks," he said. "And Goldstein?"
"Makes me very happy," Mandy told him.
"Good," Harry repeated. He let out a slow breath before his gaze met hers. "Mandy, I have an ulterior motive here. I wanted to ask you... I know that it's really none of my business, but Kevin and Hannah?"
Mandy's eyes darkened slightly. "She doesn't see it."
"So, you know then."
"She's my best friend, of course I know. But she doesn't see it."
"He was telling her that she needs to lose two stone."
Mandy nodded. "Like I said, she doesn't see it. But it means a lot that you noticed."
"Actually Neville did. He didn't like what happened at your boyfriend's party over the summer."
"When I found out what happened, I was so furious, but Hannah insisted that he just had too much to drink and wasn't himself. Justin made him apologize to everyone the next day. But Hannah was more shaken up by it than she wanted to admit."
Harry nodded. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you knew. It seems like she needs her friends."
"We're here for her. Thanks for being so sweet, Harry."
He nodded and her eyes met his.
"I was really sorry to hear about Sirius."
"Thank you."
"You've been dealing with it okay?"
"Yeah. Ginny's been a great help and Zee... I miss him."
"I know," she said softly. "I hope you know that you have a friend in me whenever you need one."
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Mandy. That means a lot."
She nodded and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Just because you and me weren't meant to be, doesn't mean that we can't be friends. Now, go find your girlfriend. It's time for me to get Tony's arse out on the dance floor."
He grinned as she hurried off, feeling a little better. That had been a conversation that he should have had a long time ago. He thought Neville would be assured that Hannah's friends knew about the situation as well. He wasn't sure why Hannah wanted to be with someone who seemed to put her down so often. He shook the thoughts from his head as Ginny's hair came into his view and he weaved through the dance floor to tap Colin on the shoulder, tugging Ginny into a dance.
"My turn."
Colin laughed, but passed Ginny over.
Harry maneuvered her out of the centre of the dance floor towards the side before she spoke.
"I'd rather dance with Colin than someone who abandons me for his ex-girlfriend."
"Cheeky," Harry said. "Obviously that's what I did even though you went off with Colin first."
"I know," Ginny said, her eyes twinkling as Celine Dion belted out about how it was all coming back to her now. "I was starting to wonder if I would have to pull out some tricks like with Harley."
"Haha," he said. "Unlike Harley, Mandy is happy with Goldstein. I saw an opportunity and… I needed to apologize to her, Gin. Talking with you earlier about the Yule Ball just made me remember that I should have apologized to her for leading her on when I knew it was you who I wanted to be with. She's so great though and she told me that she knew I liked you, but she was selfish and still wanted to be with me. Mandy's an amazing person and I'm glad that I didn't hurt her as much as I thought I had. She says that we can still be friends."
"I'm glad," Ginny told him. "Well, maybe a little jealous, but I'm glad that you two spoke."
"Me too. It was long overdue. Plus, I just wanted to put a word in her ear about Hannah. She said she knows, but that Hannah doesn't see it."
Ginny frowned at that, her eyes on where Hannah and Kevin were dancing. "Neville said that he overheard Kevin telling her that she has to lose weight?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "But that wasn't the first time from what I gather. It doesn't seem like he's ever nice to her. I heard him consoling her after Transfiguration a few weeks back and telling her it's okay that she's not bright enough to do the charm, that it's not for everyone. He said that he loved her and would take care of her even if she couldn't figure out such a simple spell."
"He called her stupid?"
"Not in so many words," Harry said carefully. "But it sounded that way to me. And he told her the other day that he loves her hair when it's down even if it makes her cheeks look chubby."
Ginny scowled. "Oh, if someone said that to me they'd have bat bogeys coming out of their nose before they could even blink!"
Harry grinned. "Noted."
She gave him a look. "You know better than to say something like that!"
"I certainly hope so. I wouldn't even think something like that."
Ginny smiled. "That's because you're much too nice and kind of a softie."
"Hey, now, no need for insults!"
She chuckled. "Can't insult you when it's true."
He swatted her arse and she laughed.
"Oooh, look, Theo's here! I wasn't sure if he would come."
"And I'm losing you again, aren't I?"
Ginny stood on her toes and kissed him as Michael Jackson's "Thriller" started. "Just one dance."
Then she was off and he found himself grinning as he watched her go. She was his little social butterfly and he adored her for it. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched her join in the group dance as people began to do the Thriller dance, following the lead of some of the Muggleborns. Theo was laughing as he raised his arms up and hands into claws as they moved. Harry knew that he had a stupid smirk on his face and when he met Ginny's eye, he moved through the crowd to join in on the dance.
He couldn't remember the last time that he'd had so much fun just dancing. When Thriller ended, he saw Hermione by the wall talking to her dorm mates and figured that while he waited for Ginny to finish dancing with Theo, he could at least get his friend on the dance floor.
~ ASC ~
Hermione was trying not to roll her eyes. She liked her dorm mates, really she did, but their idea of small talk was always about boys and sex. Sometimes she found it interesting and entertaining, but mostly she found herself bored.
"I'm just saying that I think Lavender and Padma are adorable, but I don't know if I could give up cock," Sophie declared.
Natalie grinned. "No, you definitely wouldn't be able to. You're a total cock muncher! But at the same time, I bet you'd get way more orgasms from a woman than a man."
Sophie looked mildly intrigued by that before she shook her head. "Possibly, but still not my cup of tea. Oh, here they come!"
Lavender smiled at them as she and Padma came over. "Hi! Is everyone having fun? This party is just great!"
"We think so," Natalie agreed. "We were just commenting on how adorable the two of you are."
Padma's smile widened and she kissed Lavender's hand. "She makes me very happy."
"It's nice to see," Natalie said. "Being happy is that all matters."
"Thanks," Lavender said, her eyes on Hermione. "You all right, Hermione?"
"Oh, yes, fine," Hermione said.
Padma chuckled. "Hermione finds our conversations rather boring."
"No," Hermione said carefully. "Not at all, I just… I guess I don't care as much about the gossip."
"Gossip is the best part of the day," Lavender said. "Oooh, look! Cormac is coming over."
Hermione tried not to roll her eyes as she looked down at her feet, hoping desperately that he didn't want to talk to her.
"Ladies," McLaggen declared, a bright smile on his pearly whites. "You all look beautiful tonight."
"Thank you," Natalie said.
Hermione gave him a small smile in response before looking back at her hands, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist.
"Hermione, would you like to dance?"
She winced and shook her head, hoping that she had a polite smile on her face when she raised her chin to look at him. "No, thank you, Cormac. I'm afraid I hurt my foot today and it's probably better if I stay off of it."
"I'd be more than happy to hold you close so that you don't have to use it," he offered, flashing every one of his pearly whites.
Hermione blanched. "That's very kind of you, but no, I think I'll just stay off of it."
"I can heal it for you?"
"I'll dance with you, Cormac," Sophie offered, making Hermione breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'd love that," he told her, taking her arm.
Hermione mouthed 'thank you' as Sophie led Cormac out onto the dance floor.
Natalie shook her head. "She's almost as much of a menace to society as McLaggen is."
"She can have him."
Natalie grinned, turning towards Hermione and giving her her full attention. "I heard that he's rather full of himself."
"More than you know," Hermione admitted. "I've never heard anyone talk so much about themselves in my life."
"You went on one date with him, right?"
"Don't remind me," Hermione said. "It was awful."
"I heard that he's a terrible snogger."
Hermione pursed her lips. "Sloppy is what I'd use, but to each their own."
Natalie chuckled. "I also heard one of the seventh year girls saying that he likes to call out 'I win' when he er... finishes."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You're joking."
Natalie shook her head. "Nope."
"She's not," Lavender interjected. "I heard that too. And not just with girls either. You know Andrew Graham, the one dating Katie from the Quidditch team?" Hermione nodded, putting a name to the handsome blond Gryffindor in seventh year. "He told Katie that he even says 'I win' when he wanks."
Hermione laughed. "Good Godric, that's actually appalling! Blokes don't really say that do they?"
Natalie shrugged. "Cormac does apparently." She bit her lip. "Bet you he doesn't let any of his partners win."
"Natalie!" Hermione exclaimed.
Natalie grinned sheepishly. "Just saying." Her eyes landed on Malfoy. "Not like that blond Adonis other there."
Hermione's eyes moved over Malfoy. "He's handsome enough, I suppose, but he's a huge git."
"Yeah," Natalie said wistfully. "But he lets you win." At Hermione's look, she grinned. "I'm going to see if I can get him to dance."
Hermione only nodded and watched Natalie scamper off to flirt with Malfoy. She saw Ginny dancing with Colin and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Mandy kiss Harry's cheek as they finished dancing. She turned and almost collided with Blaise and Parvati who were snogging intensely, not remotely concerned that people could see them. She made to move around them and found Lavender and Padma giggling as they followed her.
"My sister has no shame," Padma told her.
Lavender nodded. "Zabini is really fit though. Vati says that he's the most giving lover she's ever had."
"Considering her only other lover is in love with Finnigan, I don't think that says much," Padma replied.
"Plus, he apparently has a great cock."
Padma rolled her eyes. "Cocks are overrated, don't you think, Hermione?"
"Er, it's really none of my business what Zabini's cock looks like."
"When it's beautiful, it's everyone's business," Lavender said, making Padma laugh. "Padma makes me happier than I've ever been, but I can still appreciate beauty when I see it. Speaking of beautiful cocks, I heard Potter's got a great one. Have you seen it?"
"No," Hermione declared, her cheeks flushing. "And I don't plan on it. He's my best friend!"
"Exactly, a good place to be, friendly and friendlier..."
Hermione rolled her eyes. She found her best friend on the dance floor moving his hips to "Thriller" now with a smile on his face. He was laughing and having a good time in between Ginny and Theo.
"Harry is like a brother to me. Just the thought of... no," she said, the image making her rather uncomfortable as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Harry was good-looking, of course, but the thought of him like that… she loved him like a brother and definitely didn't want to think about him in any other another capacity.
Padma grinned. "I still heard it's nice. I heard someone say he has one of the nicest ones they've ever seen."
"Why do you care? You're with Lavender," Hermione said.
Padma shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't appreciate a man's form, especially Potter's. And when rumours are floating about how lovely his cock is, one gets curious."
"Well, he is the Chosen One," Lavender said with a laugh. "That alone is bound to make him special, right? The Chosen Hero. Gryffindor's Hero."
"The Chosen Penis," Padma whispered as they both giggled.
"Maybe his middle name could be well endowed," Lavender said under her breath. "Harry Pott-Cock. Harry Hung Potter. The Boy Who Is Well-Hung."
Padma snickered. "The Boy with Gryffindor's Sword."
"The Chosen Wand."
"Honestly!" Hermione interrupted as the two of them erupted into more fits of giggles amidst their whispering.
"Oooh, I got it!" Lavender said, biting her lip. "The Chosen One's Firebolt!"
Padma licked her lips. "Weasley does love to fly…"
"Yeah, Potter's Broomstick," Lavender added as the two of them giggled madly.
"Hermione! Dance with me," Harry said from behind her and she almost sighed in relief when he pulled her into his arms.
Harry rather skillfully led her away from Lavender and Padma's giggling and she sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"I can tell when you're drowning in conversations that you don't want to have," he said, leading her even further away and off to the middle of the dance floor.
"I was trying to be polite."
Harry chuckled. "Sure you were. What crazy conversations were the gossiping dorm mates having now?"
"You don't want to know," Hermione told him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Well, now I definitely do. How else will I be kept in the loop of what's going on?"
Hermione laughed. "Please, you care even less than I do."
"True," he said, making her grin. "But it is sometimes a welcome distraction to what's going on."
"Are you thinking about Sunday?"
"No. I'm good with that, really. Ginny's coming with me."
Hermione smiled at him. "We just love you."
"And I appreciate that," Harry told her. "But I'm fine."
She nodded and sighed. "Okay. Well, I will tell you that the conversation was about you. The Chosen One part of you, specifically."
Harry scoffed. "I haven't even done anything this year. What are they talking about me for? Am I secretly working for Voldemort again? Accused of being the Heir of Slytherin? Accused of being in the tournament through treachery?"
Hermione blushed. "No. Nothing like that." When he merely stared at her, she sighed. "About how fit you are and about the rumours circulating concerning your um... well endowment."
"My..." His mouth opened in shock. "Oh."
Hermione flushed. "I don't know how they started."
"I think I might know how they started," he said, his eyes on his girlfriend across the dance floor. "But I suppose there are worse things for them to be gossiping about."
Hermione chuckled. "It was all flattering if that makes it better?"
He grinned. "That's definitely okay then."
Hermione shook her head. "Of course it is." At his grin, she smiled. "Thanks for saving me. Cormac was trying to get me to dance with him. I told him that I hurt my foot and couldn't."
"Poor excuse for a witch considering that you could mend that in about a minute."
She grinned. "Sophie distracted him."
He laughed. "Oh, well then. She scares me."
"Sophie Roper scares you? Oh dear, no one tell You Know Who."
"Haha," Harry said as "Lovefool" by The Cardigans came on.
"You're sweet to dance with me, though. I appreciate it."
"Not a problem," Harry said. "I wanted to and well, Uncle Sirius made sure that I could so, I suppose I should put it to good use."
"Well, I know that you'd rather dance with Ginny," she said. "So, I appreciate it."
Harry shrugged. "My social butterfly has been stolen by Theo."
"That she has and the term aptly describes her," Hermione agreed. "Ron is scowling at us."
"Ron scowls most of the time when you're around and not with him."
She blushed at that. "He doesn't know what he wants."
"No, you both know what you want, it's just that neither of you can articulate anything properly when it comes to each other."
Hermione scowled now. "That's uncalled for."
Harry stared at her a moment, twirling her and bringing her back into his arms before he spoke. "Hermione, you're one of my closest friends. But you and Ron... you've been dancing around each other. Everyone can see it. Last week you yelled at him because he didn't finish his homework and he called you a nagging shrew."
Her eyes darkened. "I don't need reminding."
"You do actually," Harry said. "Because it's that pent up frustration that causes you both to blow up at each other for stupid insignificant things."
"You don't understand, you and Ginny don't fight."
"Not like you two," Harry agreed. "But we've disagreed on things. She calls me out when I need it."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You never argue. You bicker adorably."
He grinned. "Maybe."
Hermione sighed. "Look, I know that you and Ginny mean well, but... Ron and I are complicated."
"Only because you make it complicated. Just go over there and tell him to snog you. When he sputters at you in shock, kiss him. End of story."
Hermione stared at him. "Harry, it's not that easy."
Harry's eyes met hers. "I just want you both to be happy."
"And I love you for it," Hermione told him. "Now stop meddling."
He grinned. "All right, all right, I'll back off. Tell me what the latest is on SPEW."
Hermione smiled. "You already know everything, but I appreciate you trying to get me to think of other things. Don't you want to go and dance with Ginny now?"
He twirled her again as the music slowed down to "Un-break My Heart" by Toni Braxton and he smiled. "Yes, I do. You okay if I go steal my girlfriend back from Theo?"
Hermione kissed his cheek. "I love you, Harry. Now go away."
He laughed and his eyes caught Ron's. "I won't meddle, but think about what I said."
Harry seamlessly passed Hermione off to Ron before she could answer and made his way over to where Ginny and Theo were dancing. He frowned when he saw Luna dancing with Justin Finch-Fletchley nearby.
"Justin, hi," he said, twirling Luna into his arms. "Having a good time?"
"Hi, Harry. Yes, Luna's a great dancer."
"Yes, she is," Harry agreed, holding Luna closer to him. "How are you liking Defence Club this year?"
"It's great," Justin said, a big toothy grin. "I'm not as good as you, but I think my duelling abilities are really coming along."
Harry spun Luna away from him again before he lowered his voice. "Good. Remember that I'm good at duelling because if you hurt her, you'll have to face me." He took Luna's hand and twirled her back into Justin's arms as Justin paled. "Have a good dance."
Luna smiled. "We're going to have a great time, Harry. The Nargles will make sure that any duelling won't be necessary."
Justin was still pale as he pulled Luna deeper onto the dance floor.
Harry, feeling a bit better about the fact that Luna was dancing with Justin, looked around for his girlfriend. He recognized her bright red hair on the opposite end and made his way over to where she was still dancing with Theo.
He tapped Theo on the shoulder. "Hey, Theo, I think it's my turn now."
Theo grinned widely. "Absolutely!" He let go of Ginny, turning into Harry's arms. Harry spluttered in surprise and Theo grinned. "Don't worry. I'll let you lead."
Harry laughed as Theo placed his hands on Harry's hips to dance. "Not that I don't appreciate your dancing skills, Theo, but I wanted to hold my girlfriend."
"Too bad," Theo said, letting his hands slide down just enough to pinch Harry's behind. Harry jumped in surprise and Theo laughed, putting his hands back on Harry's hips. "I always wondered if your arse felt as good as it looked."
Harry blushed and Theo laughed again.
"You're so easy to get going. I'm sorry for that, pinching your arse was uncalled for, but for the record, it's lovely and — if possible — feels even better than it looks."
Harry's neck burned an even darker shade of red.
"Don't worry, my charm is only for Finley," Theo said.
"How is Finn?" Harry asked, clearing his throat.
He wasn't exactly sure how to react to Theo's flirting. He felt like he should be flattered, but he really wasn't sure what to say or do. He knew Ginny was probably laughing at him from afar. He focused on Theo again, noting that his eyes had gone dreamy at the mention of his absent boyfriend.
"Amazing. Wonderful. Sexy. He took me to the Maldives for my seventeenth birthday. A private island just for the two of us."
"That's great," Harry said honestly. "Everyone really loves seeing you so happy."
He grinned. "I really love being this happy. But then I feel guilty because Draco is not happy."
Harry made a face and Theo gave him a look.
"He's a good person, Harry. He's just in a bad place right now."
"We'll see what happens, but I hope you're right."
Ginny's hand slid into the pocket of Harry's jeans from behind and he smelt her floral scent, a small smile tugging on his lips even before she spoke. "Mine, Theo."
Theo grinned. "Yes, yes, you have dibs." He kissed Ginny's cheek just as a loud laugh came through the speakers. "We have to dance to this one!"
Ginny laughed as Theo began to dance with her and Harry to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. Once the song was over, Theo stuck around to dance with them some more to "I'll Be There For You" by the Remembrandts, The Weird Sisters' "Dance Like a Hippogriff," Annie Lennox's "I Put A Spell On You," the Charmers' "Hex Him 'Til It Hurts," and Madonna's "Open Your Heart" before another slow enough song came on.
Theo leaned in and kissed Ginny's cheek. "Okay, you can dance with your man now. I'll just admire his arse from afar. But just so you know, this song, it's mine and Finn's. It's so lovely that it just came on! Bye, chick."
"It should be on as I requested it," an Irish brogue said and Theo squealed in delight, turning and throwing himself into Finn's arms.
"Finn! How did you…? You're here!"
Finn bent his head to kiss Theo's lips. "I'm here. Blaise snuck me in. Now, dance with me."
Harry shook his head as Theo was swept up into Finn's arms. "He is something else."
"You love that he flirts with you," Ginny teased, her eyes alight in laughter.
"He pinched my arse!"
"I know, I saw him. You have a very nice backside, Harry," Ginny said, her eyes twinkling, her own hands sliding down to cup his bum. "I can't blame him for wanting to get his hands on it."
Harry's eyebrows lifted. "You've talked about my arse with him, haven't you?"
Ginny's eyes danced in the light as her lips curved. "Well, only after I saw you naked that one time in the treehouse."
"What? When? In the... wait, do you mean when I was trying to learn how to become an Animagus?" At her nod, he narrowed his eyes. "You swore that you didn't see anything!"
Ginny smirked. "I lied."
Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?"
She grinned. "I saw everything. And I remember thinking that you had an even cuter arse when it was naked."
"You saw everything?"
She nodded. "I did. I told everyone that I just saw your arse but... I saw more than that. When I popped my head up you were full frontal for almost five whole seconds. It's one of the best moments of my young life."
Harry flushed. "I was thirteen, I hardly doubt that it was anything to brag about."
Ginny's lips curved and her eyes wandered down his body slowly and then back up to his. "You're definitely much bigger now… in every aspect."
Desire flickered through his green orbs. "Good to know."
She grinned. "It did help fuel some fantasies for a bit and well, you're much better looking now and your arse is more delectable. Theo and I like to stare at it in your Quidditch trousers sometimes."
Harry shook his head. "You're incorrigible."
Ginny stood on her toes to kiss him. "Sometimes."
"So, you're behind the rumours then?"
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "What rumours?"
"Hermione was just telling me that some girls are claiming that I'm quite well endowed."
A giggle escaped Ginny, surprising Harry.
"Minx, what did you do?"
Ginny shrugged. "At Defence Club a few weeks ago, Remus was telling everyone about the latest things we need to be diligent about and all the girls just wanted to know if it was true that you had a Hippogriff tattooed across your chest."
"What did you tell them?"
"I told them that it was a Hungarian Horntail, much more macho, and that it fit considering you had the tail to prove it."
Harry flushed. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, you're a menace! No wonder there's rumours circulating about me now!"
"Hey, you're the Chosen One, at least these rumours are superficial. Besides, you did say that you wanted a tattoo one day and don't worry, I told her that Ron has a Pygmy Puff tattoo, but I didn't say where."
Harry snorted. "He'll love that."
She grinned. "But if anybody asks, it's on his arse."
He laughed as Theo and Finn danced by them. He noted that they were staring into each other's eyes as if no one else in the room existed. "Theo said this is their song? It sounds like them."
Ginny nodded. "Theo told me that he was playing around with the wireless and found a Muggle station when they were lying on the beach on the weekend. Finn told him that it expressed how he felt perfectly and Theo said that they danced on the beach in the moonlight. Isn't that romantic?"
I will love you for the earth at my feet.
I will love you for the sun in the sky.
I will love you for the falling rain, hoh, hoh.
I will love you for the heart that could break.
I will love you for the dreams that we share.
I will love you for the falling rain, hoh, hoh.
Like a whisper in a dream
You have walked softly into my life
With love and sweet emotion.
And as I gaze into your eyes
I see the beauty that God has created
And I love you
Harry had to agree with that, the song did seem to speak to them. "It is."
"We don't have a song," Ginny said, linking her arms around his neck.
He smiled. "I've never really thought about it." He pulled her closer, his hands sliding up the small of her back to play with the ends of her ponytail.
"Me neither," she admitted. "I think that when we find it, we'll know."
Harry ducked his head to kiss her. "I love you, Ginny Weasley. I don't need a song to tell me that."
Her eyes softened. "I love you, too."
"But," he continued, his lips brushing her ear as his fingers continued to play with the ends of her hair, "if I had to pick one. It would be this song by Bryan Adams. Tonks is a fan of his and she's always belting him out."
At Ginny's puzzled look, he led her over to the music booth and requested the song. The Hufflepuff, whose name escaped him, gave him a salute and within moments, the song came on.
By the time the chorus came on, Ginny's eyes were full of emotion. "Harry… it's perfect."
"Everything I do, I do it for you," he told her. "There's no love like your love and no other could give more love. I'd sing it, but Merlin knows no one wants to hear me sing. The first time I heard those words though… I thought of you and…"
"It's our song," Ginny told him, tugging his lips to hers.
Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from hers as they danced, holding each other close. Now that he'd said the words, he wondered how long he had subconsciously considered it their song. The moment she'd asked, he'd known the answer without even really knowing it. Everything he did was for her. She loved him and he knew that come what may, he would die for her if necessary. What worried him was that as he stared into her chocolate brown eyes, he knew that she would do the same for him.
When the song ended, they were pulled from their trance by the opening bouncing beat of "Saturday Night" by the hit new witch group who called themselves Whigfield. The song had become so popular that even the Muggles knew of them. Harry laughed when Ginny pulled him into the throng of people and helped lead the dance with Theo. When the song ended, he tugged on her hand and led her over to the corner of the dungeon.
Harry's hands shifted down to rest on her behind. At her look, he moved them back up to her hips. "How much longer do you think we have to stay here?"
"Aren't you having a good time?"
"I was, until you started talking about my arse, and now…" he slid his hands down to cup hers through her skirt again. "I was watching you shake yours in this lovely skirt and I'd like to have fun doing other things with you now." He lowered his head to kiss her brow, her ear, as he whispered. "Licking you."
Ginny's cheeks flushed. "Harry…"
"It's been weeks," he whispered, kissing under her ear. "I want my hands on you, my mouth on you, my tongue inside of you." Ginny trembled in his arms and he kissed her throat. "Yes?"
She stood on her toes and kissed him chastely. "Yes."
Harry grinned as she took his hand and led him from the party with the knowledge that his night was about to get a whole lot better.
~ ASC ~
"Luna, you don't have to dance with me. I'm not very good," Neville insisted when she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor to OMC's "How Bizarre." At the moment, he rather felt like the song reflected him personally.
He knew what she was doing.
He was trying his best not to scowl at Kevin and Hannah, but he wasn't sure that he was being very successful. He had almost marched over there when he heard Kevin tell her that her dress was something a prostitute would wear. He thought Hannah looked beautiful. Her dress was royal blue lace just below her knees and it did cut a little low in the front, but Neville didn't think that she looked inappropriate. But Kevin had covered her with his jacket, rolling up the sleeves as he spoke to her about it as if she were a child he was scolding. Hannah only nodded dutifully and then danced with him in her new attire as if it was perfectly fine for him to speak to her like that.
It made Neville see red in ways he couldn't express.
"I wanted to dance," Luna said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He half-smiled in response.
Luna linked her arms around his neck. "Neville, we're friends, right?"
"What? Of course!" he exclaimed, his eyes on hers.
"And as friends, we trust each other."
"Yes," he said, not sure where she was going with this.
Luna didn't say anything, she only continued to lead him through the dance in silence for almost a full minute. He kept his eyes on her blue ones, trying to work out what she was thinking. But Luna was hard to read. One never knew what was going to come out of her mouth.
"I know that you fancy, Hannah," Luna said slowly. "She's pretty and sweet and her boyfriend isn't the nicest bloke, but she's rather stuck on him. At least for now."
The back of Neville's neck flushed. "Doesn't mean that she'd want to give me a chance even if she does get rid of him. But I'd like to see her happy, Luna. I just want her to be happy, is that so wrong?"
"No, I think it's incredibly sweet," Luna said. "It's one of my favourite things about you, how much you care for others. Sirius Black always made you feel confident, didn't he?"
Neville smiled. "He had a way about him, I suppose, that didn't make me feel like I was such a bumbling mess."
"You're not a bumbling mess."
"Just a bumbling idiot then."
"Hardly," Luna scoffed. "I think that I know a way to help you become more confident in yourself. Well, for both of us actually."
He raised an eyebrow as they moved around the dance floor. "Oh yeah? How so?"
Luna took his hand and led him off the dance floor to one of the refreshment tables. She poured them each a glass of punch and handed one to him, staring into her drink for so long that he didn't think she was going to respond.
"Well, I think that we should have sex," she said matter of factly.
Neville choked on the punch he'd been drinking, gasping for breath. "What? What?"
Luna's wide eyes only stared at him in her usual dreamy expression. "Everyone is bad at it at the beginning," she went on as if she were talking about an exam. "So, why don't we teach other to be good? Then, when we find someone we fancy, we'll both be more confident in ourselves."
Neville stared at her. "You're serious."
Luna gave him a puzzled look. "Why would I lie? We kissed and it was lovely and then I thought I wanted to try something else and my father's new intern Dalton and I spent some time snogging, among other things."
Neville's eyes were still wide. "I... I don't know what to say."
Luna tapped her hand against his cheek. "Well, you don't need to decide right this minute, but think about it. I think that we can learn with each other, as friends."
"But that's... I mean, don't you want it to be with someone special, Luna? With someone you love?"
Luna's eyes met his. "What would be more special than with a trusted and beloved friend?"
She gave him one more dreamy smile before she kissed his cheek and wandered off as if they'd merely been talking about homework. Neville watched her go, the butterfly printed skirt bouncing around her as she skipped and he shook his head in amazement.
Luna was a complete mystery to him.
He took a sip of his punch again, his thoughts lost in her idea. After all, he was a sixteen-year-old-boy, what else could he be thinking about? Sex with Luna. It was something that he'd never really thought about. Well, that was a lie, he'd imagined doing naughty things to all sorts of girls, but there was something vaguely different from imagining it and actually wishing for it to come true.
He'd had naughty thoughts before about Hermione, about Ginny, and about Luna (of course, he had), but he'd never once considered acting on them in any capacity. Ginny and Harry were made for each other and he knew that he would never work out with Ginny. They didn't have enough common interests. Same with Hermione... she was too intense for him. Luna... she was too weird, too dreamy, too imaginative. She wanted to travel the world studying creatures who didn't exist and he just wanted to stay home and putter in the garden. He didn't understand half of what she said.
But the kiss had been nice.
But could he... touch her like that when he didn't have any romantic feelings for her? Yet her words had definitely stirred something inside of him.
"Nev, you look like you're about to self-combust," Seamus exclaimed, slapping a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Seamus stared at him for a moment. "You sure?"
Neville shook his head. "Seamus, what do you do if someone tells you that they want to have sex with you?"
"Well, I'd say that unless you're completely uninterested or dead, you go do it."
Neville swallowed, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. "I'm not uninterested, it's just... it wouldn't be anything other than getting experience and... you know, learning how to... how to do stuff."
"That's what Dean and I did at the beginning," Seamus told him. "But I always fancied him. You fancy this bird?"
Neville shook his head. "No. And I'm pretty sure that she doesn't fancy me either. I mean, I like her, and we're… she says that it's to get experience."
Seamus put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "That was me and Lavender and I don't regret a minute of it. We're still friends and I cherish those early touches with her. Do you want to?"
Neville's eyes met his for a moment before he nodded. "Yes."
Seamus grinned. "Then there's your answer."
Neville watched Seamus head back over to Dean and he scratched his chin.
Was that his answer though?
He imagined what it would be like to touch Luna, to put his hands on her tits, to feel her touch his prick and he hardened.
He needed to think more about this.
End Author's Notes:
Thanks to Eslon for help with the term "cock muncher" which I think is hilarious and think sounds painful, but if it works, it works LOL.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the quote from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, that belongs to the lovely JKR, but I couldn't resist adding it in.
DISCLAIMER II: I do not own the "I win" guy story, that's from Friends. Nor do I own the lyrics from Color Me Badd (which hurts me not to add a 'u' to the world colour) and Bryan Adams.
I went through my 90s playlist of great songs and picked out some of my faves from 1996. Plus it's a Halloween party, Thriller is just mandatory!
You Really Got Me Now by The Kinks
Follow You Down by Gin Blossoms
Fastlove by George Michael
A Long December by Counting Crows
It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion
How Bizarre by OMC
Thriller by Michael Jackson
Lovefool by The Cardigans
Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton
Wannabe by the Spice Girls.
I'll Be There For You by The Remembrandts,
Dance Like a Hippogriff by the Weird Sisters
I Put A Spell On You by Annie Lennox
Hex Him Til It Hurts by The Charmers (I made it up)
Open Your Heart by Madonna
The Earth, The Sun, The Rain by Color Me Badd
Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams
Saturday Night by Whigfield
Found these names as random Hogwarts students on the Harry Potter wiki and I decided to make them Head Boy and Girl. Alex Sykes (Hufflepuff, Head Boy) and Ella Wilkins (Slytherin, Head Girl).
Thank you for reading and please review!