Everyone had fun at the Yule Ball but was excited to get to the after parties being held. Lupin and Julia had a great time together, dancing, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. James and Lily also had fun dancing and dodging teachers who tried to pull them apart as they snogged in the middle of the dance floor. Catherine did her best to avoid Peter the entire time, third wheeling on Lily and all her other friends. Sirius and Helena were promptly asked to leave and both assigned detentions when neither of them was able to stand without falling so they returned to the common room to wait for everyone else. James and Sirius, who secretly sneak into the kitchens frequently to snag extra food, have gained the trust of many house elves who they had secretly set up for the after party in the Gryffindor Common room while everyone was at the Ball.
The Gryffindor common room was, for the time being, calm. It was decorated smartly with Christmas decorations and enchanted snow. However, a long table lined with dozens and dozens of liquor bottles masked any decorations. There was gin, fire whiskey, rum, and any other kind of alcohol imaginable. A bowl was filled with a spiked punch and Jell-O shots sat waiting. Sirius and Helena were slumped on a couch by the fire place, passing the time until the beginning of the after party by making out, only pausing occasionally to laugh at some drunken nonsense. Then, the portrait hole swung open and the room filled with rowdy Gryffidors and their dates, ready to get the real party start.
"Heeeey! Get up you two let's go!" James exclaimed as he stumbled through the portrait hole, Lily giggling in his wake.
Following James and Lily was a disgruntled looking Catherine, who snapped her hand away when Peter tried to grab it to help her through the portrait hole. Following them was Lupin and Julia, hand in hand. Surely enough, the rest of Gryffindor house and their dates from other houses started filing it. The dates not from Gryffindor looked around curiously, most of them never having been in the cozy Gryffindor common room.
"Oh, wow," said Julia, looking around the room, "How are they hiding this from the teachers and younger students?"
"Well, James and Sirius took care of that," Lupin replied, "When younger kids start down the stairs to the common room, they placed a jinx that will make them suddenly very sleepy so they'll go back to bed and fall right to sleep. As far as the teachers go, James has Peeves distracting them and paid a second-year 5 galleons to keep watch".
Just as Lupin finished his explanation, music started blaring from the corner of the room, and everyone started dancing and drinking. People were playing drinking games, chugging from bottles, and having a good time. Lupin and Julia looked over to see Sirius and Helena dancing on one of the tables, pulling up others to join them.
"Oh, that's interesting," said Julia, laughing at all the revelry. She seemed to be having a good time.
"Yeah it was only a matter of time until those two got up on a table," Lupin chuckled, "Anyway, would you like a drink?"
"Oh, eh, well I don't know," Julia replied sheepishly.
"I mean, you don't have to! I was just offering! I was just going to go get one for myself…if that's ok with you?" Lupin hastily replied.
"No, no! It's not that I don't want one, I do! It's just…well…I've never drank alcohol before," Julia said, looking embarrassedly at the floor.
"Oh, oh!" Lupin said, relieved, "Well that's fine I didn't drink until about 5th year either! Do you want something? You'll be fine. I mean, you don't have to though! I don't want to pressure you."
"Remus," Julia giggled, "you aren't pressuring me. Yes, I'd like a drink. What do you recommend?"
Lupin smiled ruefully down at his date with a hint of red in his face from his overreaction.
"Well since it's gonna be your first time—drinking, I mean—your first time drinking, I would recommend something not too strong. Maybe some of the punch it wouldn't be straight alcohol" Lupin told her.
"What's fire whisky like?" Julia asked
"Oh, it's pretty strong. I don't know if you—"
"I want to try fire whiskey", Julia confidently cut Lupin off.
"Oh ok, well then let's go," replied Remus, leading her towards the bar where James and Lily were taking shots.
"Hey, hey! There they are!" James exclaimed, clearly intoxicated, "What're you drinking?"
"Just give us two shots of fire whiskey," replied Lupin, reaching for the bottle.
"Oh that's what I like to hear! Let's get in on this one, Lily." James replied, pouring a shot for all four of them.
"Alright, Lupin there chap, make a toast," James laughed, Lily giggling as he was slightly spilling from his shot glass.
"Alright, er, to new beginnings!" Lupin toasted, as the four threw back the shots.
Julia gaged slightly, having just taken her first shot, but quickly recovered and smiled.
"Are you alright?" Lily asked with the concern only possible from a drunk girl.
"Yes, fine! I'd like another, please!" Julia exclaimed. The others laughed and Lupin poured another round.
The after party continued on into the night. Julia kept drinking, surprising Lupin with how well she had been holding her liquor with it being her first time drinking. Sirius and Helena were by far the drunkest couple there, James and Lily having to pull them apart as they tried to undress one another in plain view. Peter had drank too much of the spiked punch and threw up all over Catherine's pink ball gown. He profusely apologized, to no avail, as she stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Catherine did not come back to the party. The party was starting to wind down, but many couples remained, drinking the last of the alcohol and singing along to the music James and Lupin were picking out.
"Ay, play this!" James said, putting an old record onto the player. The partygoers cheered and sang along with the well-known, upbeat tune.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Lupin was surprised that yet again, for their last ever Yule Ball, James pulled it off again without getting caught. This, Remus thought to himself, was one of the best nights he's had in a long time.
However, Lupin's dreamy thoughts were cut off abruptly when the portrait hole slammed open and a boy came climbing in. It took a second, in his drunken state, before Lupin recognized him as the boy James had paid to keep guard.
"They're coming! Teachers! McGonagall, Slughorn, and some others!" the boy exclaimed, out of breath. Everyone looked at him, dumbfounded.
"Well, what are you all waiting for? Run!" James yelled to those left at the party.
Everyone dashed up the steps to the dormitories as quickly as possible. Lupin hurriedly turned off the music as James and Lily quickly worked spells to magically make the decorations, bottles, and mess disappear. Sirius jumped in to try to help but in his drunkenness, he could not get the proper incantation out and ended up sending himself flying backwards, slamming into the wall. He just sat, slumped in a heap. Just as the cleanup had been finished, everyone but Sirius who remained, seemingly content in a pile on the floor, skidded into the chairs around the fire. Just as Lupin ran over and crashed onto the couch with Julia, the portrait hole swung open again.
"And just what exactly is—Potter, what is this?" McGonagall looked at the group with suspicious eyes. Following her were Professors Slughorn and Dumbledore.
"Oh hi, Professor. After the ball we came up here and started a game of wizards' chess and gobbstones. We were just drinking some tea before bed" James lied expertly.
"Tea?" asked McGonagall, still suspicious, "and where are you mugs?"
"Oh, we already gave them to a house elf to take back to the kitchens" Lily joined in.
"Right," said McGonagall, still suspicious but with no evidence to accuse them by, "and what about Black, then?" she pointed at Sirius, still in a heap on the floor.
"Oh yes, well he isn't feeling well. Maybe the flu," James replied.
"And wasn't he asked to leave the Yule Ball and assigned detention because he was intoxicated?" McGonagall pressed on.
"Now, now Minerva. It's clear that these children are doing nothing wrong! I think we should just retire to our own beds. It is late, you know." Dumbledore spoke up with a twinkle in his eye.
"Professor Dumbledore, these students all smell of alcohol!" McGonagall retorted.
"And I had a student specifically tell me that these boys were planning something against the rules," Slughorn added.
"Well, perhaps that student just wished to get these young men into trouble" said Dumbledore, "All of you, off to your beds I believe! Make sure Mr. Black is feeling better and Mr. Lupin, you may kindly walk Miss Nott back to her common room when you are ready"
"Yes, Professor" they all replied in unison.
"And you, Miss Evans, please do watch yourself! I don't like to hear bad rumors about such a bright young lady like you!" Slughorn added.
"Horace, I believe that's enough. We have no further business in here" said Dumbledore, and the three of them left the room.
There was a pause as everyone looked at each other, incredibly shocked with what they had just gotten away with.
" .close." James said, standing up and stretching, "Fun while it lasted, c'mon Lily let's go to bed". He pulled her up off the couch and the two headed towards the dormitory room.
"Helena, you gonna, hic, come with me to bed, hic" Sirius cold hardly get out through his drunkenness.
"Yeah, let's go" Helena laughed at him as she helped him up off the floor. Peter sulked off behind them.
"Well, I guess you should walk me back now," said Julia, turning to Lupin, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"You can stay…If you want to, of course!" Lupin added quickly
"Really? You, you wouldn't mind" Julia stuttered.
"No, of course I wouldn't! You're more than welcome. No one is probably going to bed yet they'll probably hang out and drink in the room then I'm sure they be, well, anyway" Lupin replied.
"Oh, well. I haven't got clothes for the morning or anything." Julia said
"We can summon them. It's a pretty straight shot from your tower to our. Or I'm sure Lily would let you borrow something. But only if you want to. Don't feel like you have to stay" said Lupin.
"No, I do. I want to stay" Julia said, this time much more firmly. Lupin smiled at her as he took her hand and led her to the dormitory.