A Little Less Conversation

By Still Stargirl

Author's note: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! This chapter gets a bit ridiculous. It's a flashback, mostly focusing on Ron, since it's what he remembers from the night before. If the characters seem a little less like themselves, remember that they're under the influence. ;-) As far as the Neville/Luna-ness in this chapter…I always wanted them to be together. Let's pretend that she and Dean were just good friends in The Deathly Hallows. Haha. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know how I'm doing and review! Thanks again!

Chapter Two: Listen to the music drifting through a summer breeze

Per George's request, the Weasleys were hosting a party at the Burrow. George rarely spoke more than monosyllabic responses (much less, initiated conversation) since Fred's death a month before, so his announcement came as a bit of a surprise.

One Friday morning, George burst into the kitchen, his mischievous smile returned to his face. "Mum, Dad, we're having a party tonight!"

Mrs. Weasley wasn't surprised in the least. Instead, she didn't bother looking up while cracking eggs into a bowl and asked, "Whatever for, George?"

"To celebrate being alive and—" George glanced to his left, as though waiting for Fred to finish his thought. He shook his head with a short sigh and continued, attempting to grin again, "I reckon if I were the one to have kicked the bucket—"

"George!" Mr. Weasley gave him a stern look, then squeezed Molly's shoulder.

"—Fred wouldn't have shut himself up in our room, only thinking about work. He would've wanted to honor my memory with our patented fireworks and music and champagne. I miss him loads. I just figure he wouldn't want me wallowing in misery."

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sniffed away tears. Mr. Weasley and Ron coughed, pretending like George's little speech hadn't affected them.

"It's settled then. Gin and I will take care of the music—" Ron said.

"Wrong, Ronniekins!" George slung an arm around his brother, "It's all taken care of. All of you just have to show up."

—

"How did George get the Weird Sisters to play at this party?!" Harry slapped Ron on the back good-naturedly, and took a glass from one of the trays of drinks that magically circulated among the party.

"They're huge fans of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Hermione replied, clinking her champagne flute with Harry and Ron's.

Soon, Ginny joined them. "I don't think there've been this many people at the Burrow…ever."

A large crowd had gathered for George's shindig. Round tables were set up around the backyard and a stage was constructed toward the edge of Mrs. Weasley's garden where the Weird Sisters were playing. Former and current Hogwarts students, as well as professors were in attendance. The Order, Hagrid, Grawp, house elves, and all other allies who'd contributed to the anti-Voldemort effort came to the party, as well. Madame Rosmerta and Aberforth Dumbledore supplied the champagne, butterbeer, and Firewhisky. The Hogwarts house elves had offered to cook all of the food, which even Mrs. Weasley admitted, was fantastic.

Harry yawned obviously, stretching an arm over his head and slinking it around his girlfriend's waist.

Ginny rolled her eyes and laughed, "Very smooth, Potter."

"I try." Harry grabbed another champagne flute from a tray as it floated past, handing it to Ginny.

"What are we toasting to?" Ron asked, giving Harry a look that said, "Careful, there. That's my little sister, you prat."

"One second, mate." Harry held up a finger, then reached in his pocket for his wand. Pointing it to his throat, he cast the Sonorus charm. "Can I have everyone's attention?"

The large crowd stopped dancing and eating. Professor Slughorn and Hagrid stopped singing off-key in between tankards of mulled mead.

"I just wanted to make a toast." Harry replied sheepishly.

Everyone raised their glasses.

"To George, for throwing the party of the year! And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for having it at the Burrow!" Harry declared.

"Hear, hear!" Hagrid slapped his table, causing it to collapse. Slughorn waved his wand, muttering a charm, which put the table back together.

"To all of you, for contributing to the war effort!" Professor McGonagall added.

"To Kreacher and the other Hogwarts house elves' cooking!" Mrs. Weasley cheered.

"To those who we'll never forget!" George stated.

And so the toasts continued spontaneously between dancing and feasting. Meanwhile, Ginny, Ron, and George showed Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Neville (who'd joined them soon after the initial toasts) how to drink Firewhisky shots that were actually on fire. They played a drinking game that Luna suggested. They simply stated something that was either true or false. If the rest of the group guessed wrong, they'd drink a shot; if they were right, the initial person drank.

"Your turn, Neville." Luna tapped her foot to a completely different beat than the one the Weird Sisters were playing.

Neville hiccupped, "When I was a baby, Gran dressed me up in frilly wizard robes and the neighbors thought I was a girl."

"False!"

Neville shook his head with a grim expression on his face. The rest of the group erupted into laughs, lit their shots on fire, and drank. "Hermione! You're next."

Hermione was sitting in Ron's lap. One arm was draped around his shoulders, her hand playing with his hair. Ron held her other hand. His arm was firmly curled around her waist. She leaned into him, laughing. He kissed her neck sloppily, causing her to giggle some more as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ahem." Ginny cleared her throat, "Hermione!"

"Oh! Right!" Hermione blushed and whispered something into Ron's ear. He winked at her.

Harry and Ginny exchanged exasperated looks.

"I have a Muggle-style tattoo that no one's ever seen." Hermione said mysteriously.

Ron raised his eyebrows at her, "Not even me?"

"Please, Ron. You haven't seen—"

Harry interrupted them with a shudder, "What do you lot think?" He looked at his former classmates and his girlfriend.

"False." They chorused.

"Drink up, friends!" Hermione cried triumphantly.

"No!" Ginny protested, "Prove it, Hermione."

"All right, if you insist." Hermione shrugged, sliding out of Ron's lap. She turned around, almost falling, then steadied herself by taking Ron's hand. She lifted her hair, revealing an infinity symbol on her shoulder blade.

"How did you hide it from everyone?" Neville asked.

"Please, Neville. You're talking about Hermione. She's the most brilliant witch in our year. A little concealment charm is nothing for her." Ron replied bluntly. He grabbed Hermione by the waist, so she fell back into his lap. She looked around, then surreptitiously kissed his cheek.

"Very sneaky, Hermione." Luna smiled.

"It's your turn, anyway, Luna." Hermione grinned back, bouncing with Ron to the music.

"No, no. I'm pretty sure it's Ron's turn." Luna raised her shot glass in Ron's direction.

Ron huffed, "Fine." He thought for a moment, then said, "I've seen—and enjoyed—the Muggle film Love Actually several times."

"TRUE." His friends snickered.

He threw his hands up in defeat, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh." He knocked back the shot after lighting it.

"The actors who play the Harry and Karen couple look a bit like Professors Snape and Trelawney…" Luna commented off-handedly.

"Nonsense!" Ginny laughed, "Though, wouldn't that have been great if Snape and Trelawney were having a secret affair?"

Harry said seriously, "Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore definitely were—"

"Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were what, Potter?" Professor McGonagall seemed to have Apparated to their table, since she appeared so suddenly.

"Er…" Harry nervously tugged at his shirt collar and loosened his tie.

"That's what I thought." McGonagall's eyes twinkled behind her glasses. She turned away from them and said over her shoulder, "Actually, Potter, you are correct."

"AHHHH!" McGonagall's former students collapsed from laughter and shock.

"My turn!" George declared, after they'd calmed down. "Together, Fred and I were worth a billion Galleons."

"True." Luna and Neville said in unison.

"False! We were worth two billion Galleons." George folded his arms across his chest. "Go on, mates."

By the tenth round, even in his drunken haze, Ron noticed Hermione kept shouting one-word exclamations.

"FRIENDS!" She gestured to her friends, who were all equally drunk.

The lot of them stumbled to their feet and gathered in a long group hug. After they sat in their seats again, Hermione leaned on Ron.

"LOVE!" She kissed him firmly on the mouth.

Ron took the Firewhisky bottle away its place in front of Hermione and poured himself a shot, sloshing a bit on himself. He swayed involuntarily while drinking it.

"SHOTS!" She snatched the Firewhisky bottle and waved it in the air, spilling it all over the table.

Ginny cast a Scourgifyspell on her brother and on the table. She seemed to handle her liquor the best out of the lot, aside from George. Harry sidled up to Ginny and playfully blew raspberries on her neck. She shrieked and he rolled out of his seat, tripped, and ran away. She chased him around the garden.

Neville and Luna were discussing plants, of all things. Yet somehow, they kept leaning in closer to each other. George smirked and mused that only the two former oddballs would find plants to be a sensual subject. Shrugging, George abandoned the lot for Alicia Spinnet, who he hadn't caught up with in awhile.

"C'mere love, le's dance." Ron slurred.

Ron passed the Firewhisky bottle to Neville and Hermione's shot glass to Luna. Neither Neville nor Luna seemed to notice. Instead, Luna took Neville's arm and put it around her shoulders.

Hermione tried to stand, but needed Ron's assistance. Holding hands, the couple tipsily meandered to the dance floor. The Weird Sisters were playing a slow ballad. Hermione clasped her hands behind Ron's neck. He encircled her waist with his arms, his hands resting in the small of her back. Because she was wearing heels, she could rest her head on his shoulder. She buried her face in his neck and inhaled.

"'Er-my-knee, are y'sniffin' me?" Ron asked, his mouth resting on her temple.

Hermione's laugh tickled his neck, "Reckon I am!"

Mere millimeters separated them. They weren't even dancing, really, since they were hardly swaying side to side. Yet, somehow, they managed to move from the dance floor to a more secluded spot in the garden. Trees hid them from the rest of the party.

Time seemed to slow down as Ron's hands found Hermione's face. Their eyes met. He bent down and kissed her soundly. Once. Twice. Three times. And then, their kisses grew longer, more passionate. Their mouths melded and tongues languidly clashed. He ran his hands through her hair and down her shoulders to rest in the small of her back. He pulled her flush against him. Abruptly, she broke the kiss, upon realizing it wasn't his wand pressing against her leg.

Hermione looked curiously at Ron.

Ron turned scarlet, "Er—I—sor—"

"Don' 'pologize, Ron." She trailed kisses on his neck.

He stammered, "'Mione, you—you can't—I'll—"

She pulled back to look in his eyes. "Maybe we should—"

"My room?" Ron swallowed nervously.

"Yeah." Hermione nodded, smiling shyly at him.

With their arms around each other's waists, the two tipsily slipped out of the garden and into the Burrow. They managed to climb the stairs to Ron's room without tripping. Once inside, they shut the door and locked it behind them.

Author's note: That sound you hear is my evil cackle. Go on. Review and tell me what you think. Thank you very much!