Irish parties, Exploding Snap, and Snogging
Stepping out of the carriage, the sharp, cold air hit my face with a smack. I pulled my trunk from the carriage, it landing on the ground with a thud. Snow was falling all around, covering the distant Hogwarts castle in a thick, white layer. I caught my breath for a moment, looking at the beautiful castle before, of course, being interrupted.
"Hey Lou, are ya gonna stand there all day or join us in the castle?" Fred scoffed, hitting me on the shoulder as he walked past. Snapping back into reality, I began dragging my trunk along the ground, leaving a trail in the snow behind me.
We had arrived at Hogsmeade Station nearly an hour ago, but due to James just having to make a stop at Honeydukes to stock up on chocolate, we were late catching the first set of carriages and had to wait another half hour or so to catch the next lot. The other Weasleys were already warm and comfortable inside the castle. The probably hadn't even bothered to search for us, seeing as James and Fred were involved.
Slumping, I ran to catch up with James and Fred who were ahead of me quite some distance. "You, could've, waited." I panted, trying to catch my breath for the cold air was stinging my lungs.
James scoffed, "James Potter waits for no one." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up (for some reason that was James' trademark).
The walk to the castle was awfully cold and tiring. By the time we walked through the oak doors, I could practically hear my bunk calling my name from the Ravenclaw dormitory. James, Fred, and I traipsed up the marble staircase. They said a quick goodbye and see you later before making their turn that lead to the seventh floor Gryffindor dormitory. The Ravenclaw dormitory was on the opposite end of the castle, which meant I would only have to walk further. If only I knew how to apparate, I huffed to myself, struggling to drag my trunk up the stairs, well, it's not like I could apparate in here anyways.
Muttering to myself with my head down, I set out down the corridor that lead to the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw. Without warning, I had collided with someone.
"I'm terribly sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my head. My eyes lifted up to examine my victim. My heart suddenly dropped back to the first floor.
A girl with dark, black hair stood in front of me, her arms crossed. She scowled at me with her pale gray eyes. Violet Krum was her name. She was in the Ravenclaw house as well, and oddly enough, in my year. I had never actually spoken to her though on account that 1.) Everyone says she actually belongs in Slytherin and 2.) Her brother Nyx is a psychopath! She was the daughter of the famous Bulgarian Seeker, Victor Krum.
Violet glowered at me, her eyes boring into mine. "I… I'm sorry Violet." I murmured again, "Well, have a nice day." I fake smiled, pushing past her in the direction of the dormitory. That was the closest that I had ever been to someone like her, I was pretty sure she was trying to curse me just by looking at me.
Approaching the portrait, I automatically felt a wave of comfort wash over me. I couldn't wait to sit by the warm fire and relax.
"Ello Rowena, 'ow waz your 'oliday?" I asked, turning on my best French charm. Rowena had heard from another portrait that my mother was part veela and loved when I played the part as well. I smirked, waiting for her to acknowledge me.
"Ah! Mr. Weasley, I was wondering where you were! Your clan arrived ages ago!" The woman exclaimed, a warm expression on her face.
"I only just arrived madam." I said, a soft smile on my face.
With a curt nod, I turned to the statue of the bronze eagle and bowed slowly. The eagle unhitched its jaw and began talking.
"What comes once in a month, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?"
The eagle asked, awaiting an answer. I paused, racking my brain for possible answers. The worst part about being a Ravenclaw were these bloody riddles! "Oh, I got it! The letter M." I stared at the eagle, waiting for confirmation.
"Yes, correct. You may enter."
The eagle spread its wings in the direction of Rowena's portrait, in which she gave a heart chuckle and swung open. I stepped through the portrait hole, towing my trunk behind me.
A small fire roared in the hearth in the center of the round common room. It felt good to be back, though; I did miss spending countless hours with my family in the warm, small Burrow.
A few of my fellow Ravenclaws raised their heads, nodding at me as I made my way through the common room to the boy's dormitories. I nodded back curtly, opening the bronze door that lead to my room.
Ryder Jones, one of my roommates, was lying on his back, glancing up at the canopy of his four-poster. He was twirling a sneakoscope in his hands, observing its many features. My presence distracted him, redirecting his attention to me. He flashed a wry grin, sitting up on his bed. "Ello mate," Ryder said, propping himself up on one elbow.
I had sat my trunk down at the edge of my bed and had begun to rummage through it, organizing my belongings. "Hello Ryder," I said, without turning my head to look at him. I had always found Ryder to be obnoxious, so did James, Fred, Victoire, Rose, and well, you get the point. Actually, I found a lot of my fellow Ravenclaws obnoxious. Most of them were know-it-alls, and when I say know-it-alls, I mean to the extreme. I never fully understood why the Sorting Hat placed me in Ravenclaw in the first place. Sure, Victoire was a Ravenclaw, but she had the highest marks in her class. I on the other hand, was never as smart as her, or at least I think so anyways. All of the other family members were undoubtedly Gryffindors.
"How was your holiday?" Ryder asked, cocking a sly eyebrow. With a sigh, I shut the lid to my trunk, chatting aimlessly with Ryder Jones was the last thing on my to-do list.
I shot him a quick glance, and then pretended to straighten the sheets on my bed, "It was good." I said shortly, trying to get my point across.
Ryder sat eagerly on his bed, his beady eyes glued to me. Wow, I thought, there are some weirdoes in this house. I should have asked the hat to re-sort me. "That's good, my mum and dad got me the new Comet 360z," He boasted, obviously thrilled. I rolled my eyes, as if any model of a Comet would do anything, "I'm actually thinking about going out as seeker next year!" Had he really just said that? I bit my lip trying to hold back a burst of laughter.
I didn't reply to Ryder, I simply shrugged in his direction and stalked out of the room. I had to find something to do, I wasn't about to sit in the Ravenclaw Tower all day and be hounded by freaks like Jones. Thankfully, the common room was empty when I made it there. Any more confrontations like the one in my room and I might hop on James' Skybolt and leave Hogwarts.
Stepping out of the portrait hole, the cool air of the corridor gave me chills. Rowena smiled warmly at me as I passed by quietly. I had no idea where I was off to; I just knew that right now, I wasn't feeling boredom. I felt the urge to… have fun. Oh no! James and Fred actually were rubbing off on me. As of now though, I wasn't quite sure if that was still a bad thing.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, strolling casually down the corridor. Without realizing it, I noticed that I was walking in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, which held the Gryffindor common room. Something inside me must've been desperate to rid the boredom, for it was leading me straight to Fred and James.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the portrait of The Fat Lady. She was staring hatefully down at me, her large brow furrowed. I smiled sheepishly, my eyes now on the ground. Why in Merlin's beard had I come here in the first place? I knew that the Gryffindor common room required a password. Maybe if I got lucky, a Gryffindor would come by and allow me access.
I waited, standing nonchalantly against the stone wall, my hands still crammed into the pockets of my robes. Sure enough, a small girl dressed in Gryffindor clad robes came skipping cheerfully up the staircase. Putting on my best "veela-charm", I smiled down at her. "Ello mademoiselle," I began, purring in my best French, "could you pleaze allow me in ze common room!"
The girl's eyes twinkled as I spoke to her. When I finished, she nodded giddily, nervously saying the password to the painting.
The Fat Lady rolled her eyes at me, though, exhaling and swinging open. The Gryffindor common room was as I remembered it from my pervious entries. Crimson and gold tapestries dangled from the long windows. Ancient scarlet armchairs sat in the dusty corners, occupied by reading students, who, when I got a closer look, turned out to be none other than Rose and Roxanne.
I looked around the room, taking in the sights and sounds. Several Gryffindors noticed me, whispering among themselves, wondering what a Ravenclaw was doing in their common room.
"He's a Weasley, that's how he got in obviously!" A hushed voice said, causing me to smirk.
"Louis?" I turned around, meeting the eyes of my sister. "What're you doing in here?" Dominique asked, popping a loud bubble with her chewing gum.
"Well, you know, I am a Weasley." I grinned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Lou!" A familiar, devilish voice called. Without turning around, I knew it belonged to James. I smiled a bit, turning on the axis of my heel to face my cousin. He stood beside a smirking Fred, holding his hand in the air for a high five. I smacked his hand hard, laughing a bit. "So what brings you to our neck of the woods?" James asked, leaning against the hearth of the fireplace.
"Oh, you know, boredom, weird roommates, the lot." I said, returning my hands to my pockets.
James turned and looked at Fred, a skeptical look growing on his face. Fred returned the look. My two cousins seem to be having a conversation telepathically. After a brief moment of silence, both boys grinned slyly at each other. "Hey Fred," James said, talking in a mock conversational tone.
"Yeah James?" Fred replied, a hint of Uncle George about him.
"Have you heard about that party at The Three Broomsticks that is tonight?" James asked, his smirk enlarging by the minute. I already knew where this was going…
"I think I heard a little something about it," Fred glanced at me, then returned his eyes to James, "enlighten us, eh?"
James grinned wide, now turned so he could look at Fred and me, "Well, Penelope and Martin Finnigan's uncle, who owns the Three Broomsticks now, is allowing them to have a party tonight at the place. Its top secret, only a few people know about it." He cocked an eyebrow in my direction, "Miss Penelope just happens to fancy me and you see, I happen to be one of the people who know about said party." James smiled, looking from me to Fred. "I told her I would come. And I also told her I would bring friends."
Fred stuck out his hand to give James a high five. I stayed silent, leaning against the hearth as well now. James had mentioned a party at the burrow but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. I definitely had a conflict on my hands. Despite being invited to several, I had never attended any parties in all of my years at Hogwarts, unlike my eccentric family who jumped at the mention of one. I was more reserved; an evening in the warm common room always delighted me. My face twisted up in confusion.
James must've sensed my discomfort, "Come on Louis, live for a change!" My emotions were showing through my face like sun shining through a window. "You said you wanted to have fun and Fred and I offered to help. Here's your chance. I will not let you pass this up. The Finnigans are Irish, Louis, they are known for drinking and dancing and what not, this party will not be one to forget." He shot at me, his brow now furrowed with aggravation.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Fred cut me off, "Louis, besides defeating Voldemort and all that, our parents are practically known for the ruckus they caused when they were at Hogwarts. Don't you want to follow in their footsteps?" He asked, raising a dark eyebrow.
I stood back, flabbergasted by their concern. They really wanted me to go to this party and my cousins did have excellent points. I did ask them to help me have fun. The Finnigans were known for their elusive parties and from what our parents accidentally spill out when they drink too much firewhiskey, they did have some wild times back in their day. I gulped, looking from Fred to James, "I─ I guess you're right."
James looked at Fred and they both automatically lightened up at my words. The both patted me heartedly on the back, ushering me to an armchair in the middle of the room. My cousins sat around me, chatting about what they figured would happen at the party. I halfway listened, my mind racing. This was absolutely absurd! What has gotten into me that I have agreed to attend a wild party with my equally wild cousins?
"What are you three planning?" A cold voice demanded, bringing me out of my thoughts and causing me to look up. James' and Fred's eyes followed, resting on Rose who was standing in front of us, her arms crossed.
"Whatever do you mean, Rosie?" James asked slyly, leaning back in his chair and touching the tips of his fingers together as if he was thinking.
"Oh cut it James, why else would Louis be in the Gryffindor common room if you three weren't up to something." She raised a ginger eyebrow, pursing her lips tightly.
Fred was biting his lips to keep from laughing, an ever so playful look was airbrushed on James' face, "Oh, we're just going to have a little fun tonight. Nothing wrong with that, Rosie," Fred said, trying to hold back a fit of laughter.
Rose tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, crossing her arms more tightly around her. "I just hope that whatever you three are getting into, for your safety, Aunt Ginny doesn't find out," She smirk, turning around so face that her long, red hair almost smacked Fred in the face.
Once Rose had stalked off to the girl's dormitories, James bent his head down low and motioned for Fred and me to come closer. "The party's at 9 o'clock. We're going to go through a secret tunnel that Uncle George told Fred and me about. It'll take us right to the cellar of Honeydukes. Once we're there, we'll just do whatever's handy to get to Three Broomsticks," James explained, flashing a grin.
Nine o'clock rolled around sooner than I hoped for. I met James and Fred at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room shortly before. They lead the way to a small statue of an elderly witch. James took out his wand and tapped the statue a few times. It opened in response, revealing a small, human sized hole and we all three climbed in. Once inside, the hole opened up to a manmade tunnel. It was cold and dark and water dripped from the ceiling and walls. "Lumos," Fred and James muttered together, taking out their wands. I followed suit so that a trio of lighted wands was now amidst. The tunnel curved and drug on until finally, we came upon a small thing of stairs that lead to a trap door. James climbed up first and opened the door, crawling out of its hole. Fred followed and once he was in the cellar, motioned for me to come up.
The cellar of Honeydukes looked ancient. Mounds of dust sat in the corners, crates of candy lined the walls all the way up to the ceiling. James laughed, finding his way to a crate of Honeydukes' Best Chocolate and proceeded to nick a few bars from the box. Fred looked at me and we both shook our heads together.
"Ok, now we just have to find a way to get ourselves quietly out of the cellar and to Three Broomsticks," James whispered, making his way back over to Fred and me. We both nodded at our cousin and began searching for a potential way out.
After minutes of looking around the dirty, old cellar, all three of us came up short. "Blimey, I don't know how Dad and Uncle Fred did it!" Fred said, letting his arms smack his sides in exasperation, "There has to be a way out of this bloody cellar…" He looked around once more, but sighed as he came up shorthanded.
James and Fred resumed the search. I stayed put for a second, then, a thought came to my head. I cocked an eyebrow in the direction of the steps leading to the door of Honeydukes. I looked to make sure Fred and James weren't looking, for they would both think that I was going to blow their cover, and made my way over to the small ladder-like steps. Quietly, I clambered up them. Smacking the dust from my dirty hands, I twisted the brass doorknob slowly. The door opened with a slight creak, revealing the dark Honeydukes. I glanced around the shop, looking for anyone. To my relief, it was empty.
I stuck a head back into the cellar, holding the door open on the other side of me. "Fred, James," I said quietly. My cousins turned to look at me, their eyes wide and alert. James pushed his way past crates in my direction.
"Louis! Are you mental! You're going to go and get us caught!" He bellowed, putting his hands on his hips, it was amazing how much he favored Aunt Ginny right now. Fred had caught up and was looking at my crossly. With a smile, I swung the door open wider, letting the hinges squeak loudly.
"It's empty, you nutters, past closing time." I rolled my eyes, smirking at them. James and Fred looked at each other, proud looks echoing on their faces. They both walked up the steps, and a minute later, we were all three standing in the empty, dark shop, dusty dirty and grime off of ourselves.
"Good thinking, Louis, maybe the Sorting Hat was right to put you in Ravenclaw after all," Fred beamed, hitting me on the back. I smiled back at him, a proud feeling bubbling inside me.
"Yeah, maybe he is more like us Fred. Cunning, witty, you know, all of that," James winked, strolling over the door. He unlocked it with a click and pushed it open. T he cold winter wind pushed a gust of snow inside the shop, causing us to shiver. James, Fred, and I stepped out into the street of Hogsmeade, closing the door behind us. James tapped his wand to the door to lock it back and turned back around to us, "Ok boys, here we go." He said, grinning so wide that you could see all of his teeth.
We strutted a short distance down the street until we made our way to a small, lighted tavern. I was shivering massively and couldn't wait to get inside and warm myself up with a flagon of butterbeer. James put an arm on my back and Fred's and pushed us in the direction of the bar. With a shaky, frozen hand, I twisted the door knob and opened the door. Immediately the warmth of the bar fell over me, sending my body in a tingling fit of happiness. I looked at James, who was absolutely beaming, then around the room.
Many students that I recognized from the fifth, sixth and seventh year classes were sitting around the large bar, guzzling flasks of amber colored liquid, chatting, and some off in the corners snogging. James had said only a few people were coming to this party, he obviously underestimated the guest list however.
We stood in the doorway of the bar, shaking snow from our trainers and undressing our winter clothes. A Gryffindor girl with short, sandy blonde hair skipped over to James, she was positively beaming at him. Fred shot me a look, rolling his eyes. "So nice of yeh too come James," the girl said, kissing him on both cheeks. James kept his composure, only smiling slightly as he ran a hand through his jet black hair. "And nice of yeh ta bring comp'ny." Her accent gave her away as Penelope Finnigan. I smirked to myself, watching as James looked at her, obviously not interested.
"Yeah, you know Fred," James said, motioning towards my cousin, "And this is Louis, he's another one of my cousins. He's in Ravenclaw." Her bright green eyes twinkled as she looked over at me, a goofy smile still etched on her face. I gave a short smile back.
"You got here just in time; we were just about to start a game of Exploding Snap." Penelope said, pulling on James' hand and leading him towards a table in the back of the room with Fred and me following. I looked around the room, why on Earth had James' wanted me to come to a party just to play a game of Exploding Snap. I could do that back at the castle!
Several students sat around a large, circle table. I recognized a few of them, Sarah Corner and Eric McLaggen from Gryffindor, my cousins Molly and Lucy, and Conner MacMillan and Justin Thomas from Hufflepuff. Penelope took a seat at the table beside her brother, Martin, and motioned for James, Fred, and me to take a seat as well. Coolly, James sat down beside a pretty Hufflepuff girl, while Fred and I sank down across from him. I looked around the table once more. My heart sank a little, for, at the end of the table sat a brooding Nyx Krum, accompanied by his twin, Violet. Her eyes caught mine for a brief moment, but I quickly turned back to face James and Penelope.
"So we're going to play some Exploding Snap," Martin announced casually, sitting a deck of wizard cards in the middle of the table, "with shots though." He said with a sly smile, flicking his wand to make the correct number of small glasses appear in front of each person, as well as a large bottle of firewhisky in the middle of the table. I gulped loudly, hoping no one heard me. Sure, I had played Exploding Snap, but not with shots. I had only taken small sips of firewhiskey before, not fully drunk it. I could already tell this was going to be a long night.
Everyone looked around eagerly at one another waiting for the game to start. Fred nudged me on the arm, "I think you have an admirer." He said, nodding in the direction of Violet Krum. I didn't even turn my head, for I didn't want to meet her eyes once more.
"The object of the game is simple," Martin began, looking at each of his guests, "whoever gets the pair, doesn't have to take a shot while everyone else does. We play the game until we're out of firewhiskey or the cards explode." He grinned mischievously, his eyes falling on me. I gulped once more, "No one quits unless they pass out." Everyone began talking loudly again, excited for the oncoming game. I glanced at James, who was now sitting closer to the Hufflepuff girl, a furtive look plastered on his face. "Wands out everyone, ok, let the game begin." Martin announced, popping open the bottle of firewhiskey.
I sat alert on the edge of my seat, watching as the cards began to shuffle themselves. I match appeared and Eric McLaggen touched his wand quickly to the card on top. The crowd erupted into a fit of laughter as the firewhiskey bottle traveled around the table, filling everyone's small glass. I looked into my cup, examining the amber liquid. "Bottoms up, eh?" Someone said. I hesitated, and then quickly gulped down the warm drink. It heated my insides as it trickled down. I felt of a wave of excitement rush over me. The deck shuffled again, this time the match being caught by Fred. The lot of us down the next shot quickly, letting the game resume with enthusiasm.
"Hey Lou, wakeup," Someone whispered in my ear, shaking me vigorously. I opened one eye slowly, then the other. I looked around the room taking in my surroundings. Why on Earth was I in the Gryffindor common room, sleeping on a couch? I looked at the blurry figure in front of me, making out a grinning Fred.
"Could you be a little quieter?" Someone shouted from the couch beside mine, throwing a pillow at Fred. I rose up a little, looking over at James. He was asleep again, snoring loudly. His hair was tousled and his clothes were messed up. I looked back up at Fred, who was now sitting in an armchair, smirking.
"What in the name of Merlin's beard happened last night?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. My head was throbbing with a headache like none I had ever had before. I felt as if I had been confounded.
Fred through his head back in laughter, "Let's just say, the walls of Three Broomsticks will never have another night like it did last night."
I furrowed my brow, trying to rack my memory of anything that happened last night. I remembered a long, dark tunnel, and Honeydukes. Images of Exploding Snap and Violet and Nyx Krum were running through my head. I laid my head back down, too exhausted to think.
"We better be glad that it's Sunday, or else you two wouldn't be able to go back to class on the first day of the term," Fred chortled, sipping a steaming liquid from a mug. I closed my eyes, breathing slower. I almost drifted back off to sleep when Fred woke me again, "Come on Lou, let's go get some breakfast, that'll perk you up." He said, shaking me once more.
With a sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the couch. I began to walk the direction of the door, but I staggered off to the side. Fred rushed over and helped me up, laughing hysterically. "We'll remember next time to let you go easy on the firewhiskey," He managed to get out after his laughing fit. James moaned for him to quiet down from across the room.
My eyes widened a bit, "Firewhiskey? Whaddya mean Fre─"My stomach gave a painful lurch, cutting me off. I ran in the direction of the Gryffindor restroom, shutting the door quickly behind me. I barely had time to bend over the sink before I heaved into it. After I had finished, I wiped my face with a bit of cold water and looked in the mirror. I was a mess. My hair was ruffled and a bit curly, I was completely missing my undershirt and my sweater was turned around backwards. I took it off and turned it back around. Whatever happened last night, it was crazy. I felt around in my pocket, relieved that my wand was still there. Sighing, I walked out of the bathroom and into the common room.
James was now awake and sitting groggily in an armchair, Fred sat opposite of him, an amused look on his face. I shot him a look, "Fred, you have to tell me what happened last ni─"
James cut me off before I could finished, waving a hand in my direction, rubbing his eyes with the other, "Could you be quiet Louis! Last night was a little fun, that's all." He sighed, slumping down in his chair. "Now, let's go get breakfast. I'm starving." My stomach gurgled in agreement as James stood up and made his way out of the portrait hole with Fred and me following.
As we stepped through the entrance to the Great Hall, Fred nudged me on the arm, "Too bad you can't sit with us, but have fun with your girlfriend. Everyone knows you did last night." He smirked, nodding in the direction of Violet Krum before he followed James to the Gryffindor table. I do believe my heart sank to the Chamber of Secrets when he said that. Violet glanced up at me, a faint pink rose to her cheeks. What on Earth happened with Violet Krum last night?