The gang is back at the Cackling Cat to celebrate Harry and Neville's birthday!
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The sun had just set and a party was in full swing at the Cackling Cat, favored wizarding pub of the gathered Hogwarts alumni.
The pub had been reserved for the night and decorated lavishly in Gryffindor red and gold, which prompted robust cheers from some and exasperated eyerolls from others.
Secret flicks from several wands changed the decorations to other house colors over and over until the magic was so befuddled it started producing random color combinations every few minutes. George immediately suggested a drinking game that everyone take a shot when their house colors came up, to everyone's amusement and agreement.
A table of food lined one wall, which was piled with the birthday boys' favorite finger foods and desserts, courtesy of Molly Weasley and Augusta Longbottom. A champagne fountain was set up nearby where a over-sized bottle was set at an angle in a bucket of ice and would pour a steady stream of the alcohol when one tapped the label, but was also charmed to shoot out a shower of confetti and curls of streamers at any given time.
Luna handed out pairs of specially charmed SpectreSpecs which filtered an image over a person's face; images ranged from everything to flower crowns, puppy faces, and angel halos to skulls, devil horns, and Medusa snakes. Hermione found the filter of the Van Dyke beard particularly hilarious and the more champagne she drank the gigglier she became.
Ron spent most of the night taking pictures with a muggle Polaroid camera his dad had fixed up and enchanted to produce dozens of photos before needing to be re-charmed. He claimed a table for himself to lay them out on as they dried so everyone could see them and make copies of any they wanted.
Ron took it as a challenge to try and catch Blaise in an unflattering photo, but the man seemed to have a third eye that alerted him every time and every shot of him showed him in a pose you'd see in Wizard's Quarterly.
Seamus and Dean set up a karaoke machine at the musician's stand and everyone took a turn, alone and in groups. Highlights of the night included:
Hermione and Ginny dragging Neville up to sing "Love Shack" and him nearly throwing his back out when he swung his hips a little too wildly during "The whole shack shimmies when everybody's moving around and around and around and around!"
Pansy's sultry performance of "Fever" resulting in an ovation of wolf whistles, fanned faces, and gulps of cold champagne.
Luna's sweet, dreamy voice during "What a Wonderful World" bringing them all to tears.
Seamus and Dean cracking everyone up with their duet of "You're the One That I Want" - complete with dance moves.
Harry's voice being drowned out during "Tubthumping" when everyone belted out the chorus along with them.
This last song energized them all so much, they continued singing it as George herded them all outside the pub for his own surprise.
Fireworks lit up the sky in blazes and bursts that dazzled the eye. Gasps of awe and delight erupted from the group with each boom and cascade of color.
To end the show, George sent up a magical rocket that whizzed and crackled across the sky, writing in fiery letters "Happy Birthday, Neville & Harry!" Cheers and applause erupted from the group and George took a well deserved bow.
Harry and Neville were both smothered in hugs and kisses before being hoisted upon strong shoulders, carried around the outside of pub and serenaded to several choruses of "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down!"
