a/n: hi, all! sorry this took so long! I've had other things going and this kinda slipped beneath the radar for awhile. enjoy!

Chapter 3: Singing Sweets

He shot her a mischievous grin. "I'm always game for pranking. What did you have in mind?"

"Something involving singing. Any ideas?"

His grin grew even wider and he produced a small pouch from his pocket. "I have just the thing. Brand new product from the shop, just made it past testing phases. It's not even in circulation yet. We call them Singing Sweets, though they're actually not sweets. They're tablets we designed to dissolve instantly in water."

"What do they do?" Hermione asked.

He shook a few out into his palm. "You drop one in the person's drink and every time they try and speak for the next two days it comes out as a song."

She grinned. "That's perfect! How much are they?"

He dropped the tablets back into the pouch and handed it to her. "It's on the house."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Have fun."

"Well, thanks then." She pulled out two of the tablets and handed them to him. "Can you get Harry and Ron and I'll get Ginny?"

The mischievous grin was back. "Absolutely."

They headed back inside and headed in different directions. Hermione made her way over to the drink table and grabbed two glasses. She dropped the tablet into the drink on the right and headed for the stairs to the stage. Ginny had just finished singing Respect by Aretha Franklin and was walking off to the applause.

"Here, Gin. You look parched," Hermione said, handing the redhead the cup in her right hand and taking a drink of her own.

"Thanks, Hermione." Ginny gratefully took a long drink from the offered cup and Hermione smirked. That had been far too easy. Looking across the room she saw George slip the tablets into Harry and Ron's drinks, both of them too engrossed in conversations with their wives, Padma Patil-Potter and Susan Bones-Weasley, to notice anything. They both took long pulls on their drinks without thinking about it. Hermione grinned and turned back to Ginny.

Ginny noticed that look and paled. "Oh lord. What did you do?"

Her words came out decidedly melodic and she clutched at her throat in surprise.

"What do you mean, Ginny?" Hermione asked sweetly, taking another sip of her own drink.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked again, trying to talk normally but without success.

Hermione just grinned again as two startled cries sounded from the direction of Ron and Harry's table. They came storming over to Hermione and they both started asking her questions at the same time, joined quickly by Ginny. The three voices together were striking an interesting harmony and Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"That's what you three get for forcing me to sing."

They stared at her for a second then all started laughing, melodically of course.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the effects of Singing Sweets-"

"Available at all branches of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes at the end of next month."

"Special discount if you mention you heard about it here."

George and Fred had both apparently grabbed microphones and were walking around on the stage, talking like infomercial salesmen. They walked over and dragged Harry, Ron, and Ginny up onto the stage with them.

"How does it feel being pranked like that, guys?"

The three were still laughing. Finally Harry sang out, "We deserved it I guess."

"Darn right, you did." Hermione said from beside them. "Forcing me to sing in front of hundreds of people, honestly."

"But you had fun, Hermione," Ginny sang.

"That's beside the point." She sent them all an impish grin. "Don't worry, it'll wear off eventually."

She winked at George and he picked up on her statement. "Yeah, give it a year or two."

"What?" All three of them shrieked in unison, creating quite the dissonant chord.

The twins and Hermione laughed, along with most of the audience.

"Nah, just kidding," Fred supplied. "It'll wear off in a couple of days."

All three of the ones who had been pranked breathed a sigh of relief. George concluded with, "We're taking advanced orders now if anyone's interested. Just see me or Fred and we'll set you up."

With that the group walked back off the stage to applause and handed the microphones over to the people next in line for karaoke.

A couple hours later many of the party guests had gone home, leaving maybe fifty of Draco and Ginny's close friends and family. Music was still playing though no one was singing karaoke now, and a few couples were dancing on the floor. Most of the couples were, in fact.

George and Hermione sat at a table in the corner, just talking and watching their friends dance. Hermione had kicked off her heels and had propped her bare feet on the seat beside her. George couldn't help but notice how beautiful and graceful she looked.

Moved by a sudden impulse he stood and offered her his hand. "Dance with me?"

She stared at him in surprise then smiled and accepted his hand.

"We lonely single people have to stick together, remember?" George said as he led her out onto the dance floor.

Strains of Cheek to Cheek by Frank Sinatra started playing and he spun her still barefoot around the floor.

"Hey, you're a pretty good dancer, Sparky."

He smiled. She had been calling him that all evening but for some reason he didn't mind. "Mum made sure all her kids knew how to dance. She had a friend who taught us all in exchange for Mum cooking for her for a bit."

"I see. Well, she did a good job teaching you."

"Why, thank you."

They danced the next few songs together, talking and laughing all the while. Hermione finally chanced a look at the clock and inwardly groaned. It was nearly three in the morning and she had a press conference later that day.

"I should probably head home now," she sighed. "Busy day and such."

George nodded and they walked back over to the table so she could get her shoes. Then she went over to Ginny and Draco, congratulating them again and saying her goodbyes. She turned back to George one more time and said, "See you, Sparky." Then she apparated back to her flat and fell into bed after quickly transfiguring her dress into pajamas and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

George went back to his own apartment not long after Hermione left but he had quite a bit more trouble falling asleep than she did. For some reason his mind was racing with thoughts of Hermione. It was several more hours before he was able to fall asleep and even then it was just from sheer exhaustion.