"It's strange," Ron mumbled, fumbling with an empty potion bottle as he looked around the Great Hall.
"What is?" Astoria asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She folded the corner of the page she was on before closing her book and turning to face him. Astoria studied his face for a moment and shook her head. "Whatever you are plotting, you need to forget. McGonagall will have your head if you do anything to ruin graduation."
A smirk pulled at the corner of Ron's lips as he slipped the empty bottle into his pocket and leaned forward to press a kiss to Astoria's cheek. "All I was going to say was that it is strange finishing out a year at Hogwarts without anyone trying to kill one of us, that's all," Ron replied, winking as he straightened up and rested a hand on Astoria's shoulder.
"Your lips are telling me one thing, but that smirk on your face and the empty vial in your pocket is telling me a different story," she said, shaking her head. "I, for one, am grateful that we've managed to get through a year without any added drama, and last year was far too much."
Ron nodded his head slowly as his smirk turned to a smile. This time last year, he was standing in the Great Hall looking at the bodies of all the people who lost their lives fighting to save the students and the castle. Last year, this room was a constant reminder of his brother, but now a year later, the Great Hall is brimming with life. Students are excited about the summer holiday or going off to uni in the fall. Most importantly, everyone who isn't graduating is looking forward to returning to the castle on September first - something many of them weren't sure they would be able to do before.
"We should do something to celebrate," Astoria chirped, pulling Ron out of his thoughts. "I know there is the end-of-year feast, and there will be graduation for those who managed to keep their grades up amongst all of the chaos, but what about those of us who aren't graduating yet - what are we supposed to do?"
Ron slid off the table and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"
"No," Astoria replied, shaking her head. "I just know I want to be remembered for something, and I think we all need something to remember this year besides not being tormented by a power-hungry wizard."
"Remember that idea I was plotting," Ron asked, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.
Astoria's heart fluttered at the touch of his lips, and a smile grew on her face. She turned to look at him, cocking her head to the side as his smile widened. Astoria exhaled as she leaned in, capturing his lips with her own for a chaste kiss before pulling back. "No one will get hurt in this plan, right?"
"Of course not," Ron reassured, leaning in for one more kiss. "I've got to take care of a few things before the feast gets started, and I'll be back soon. Save me a seat."
Astoria shook her head as she watched him make his way out of the Great Hall and turn towards the dungeons. "Be careful," she whispered, reaching for her book.
. . . . . . .
With Fred's memory at the front of his mind, Ron made his way quickly from the Great Hall to the dungeons. He had a short window to finalize his potion and put his plan into motion. Fred and George may be the reigning pranksters of Hogwarts, but he has every intention of adding his name to the list.
"McGonagall won't be terribly upset," Ron mumbled happily as he turned the corner and ducked into the first door. A smile pulled at his lips as he looked at the potion brewing on the table at the front of the room. The cauldron's brilliant green glow let him know everything was going according to plan.
He extracted the vial from his back pocket as he moved to the cauldron. Grabbing a wooden spoon, he gave the potion a slow stir before lifting the spoon out of the pot to look at the brew. He popped the cap off the vial and slowly poured some of the potion inside, careful not to spill any on his hand. It would be a bit embarrassing if his hand gave him away before he had a chance to set his plan into motion.
Once the vial was full, Ron pushed the cap back onto the vial and slipped it into his back pocket. He pulled the invisibility cloak over the setup. Time was of the essence, so he'd have to return to tidy up his mess later.
Ron took one last look around the room, ensuring there was no visible evidence of his actions before leaving the classroom behind. "Next up, the feast," Ron whispered, making his way back to the Great Hall. However, before he could rejoin Astoria at the prefects' table, he stopped at the punch bowl and poured the green solution in, giving it a quick stir.
"Mr. Weasley."
Ron's eyes grew wide at mentioning his name, but he took a deep breath as he slipped the vial into his pocket and turned on his heel. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he realized it was just Seamus. "Mate, you scared the hell out of me," Ron laughed, shaking his head.
"What are you up to?" Seamus asked, cocking his head to the side as he noticed the smoke rolling off the punch bowl. He furrowed his brow and glanced at Ron.
"Just don't drink the punch or give any to Astoria," Ron replied, shrugging his shoulders as he offered a smile.
Ron moved to brush past him, but Seamus put his hand up to stop him.
"What did you add to the punch?" Seamus whispered, leaning in toward Ron's ear to avoid anyone else hearing them.
Ron rolled his eyes, turning to meet Seamus's ear. "It's a shrinking solution, and it'll only last a few hours - so there is no need to worry. Like I said, just don't drink the punch and don't give any to Astoria."
"Got it," Seamus replied, nodding his head. "Living up to the family name, I see."
Ron laughed, nodding his head. "I suppose so."
Leaving Seamus behind, Ron moved back to the empty seat beside Astoria. From there, he could keep a watchful eye on the punch, noting who took a glass. It was only a matter of time now.
"Where have you been?" Astoria whispered, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. "Or should I be asking what you've been up to and what I need to avoid for the next hour or so?"
"Just don't drink the punch," Ron replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head with a smile. "The show should begin soon."
The first person fell victim to Ron's antics as the words left his lips. He jumped out of his seat as he watched Hermione Granger shink down to the size of a mouse. The chirping noise of her complaints elicited a laugh from the students gathered around her. Slowly, Ron moved from the table to where Hermione was settled on the ground and leaned down to pick her up.
"What's the matter, Granger?" Ron laughed, setting her on the table as she screamed at him in a high-pitched voice. "Don't worry; it'll wear off in about an hour. Besides, you'll have a few more friends your size soon."
Ron laughed as he watched more of his classmates shrink to the size of a mouse, leaving only a few people at their average sizes. He glanced over at Astoria with a wink. "Let's celebrate," he mouthed, nodding towards the punch.
Astoria followed his eyes and shook her head when she noticed what he was looking at, laughing as she made her way over to the punch bowl. She poured each of them a glass, and as she turned back to face him, she noticed the Headmistress walking towards Ron. Astoria took a deep breath and walked over to him, offering him a glass.
"Good evening, Headmistress," Astoria said, flashing a smile at McGonagall as she stopped beside where they were standing. "How are you doing?"
"I'd be much better if my students weren't shrinking down to the size of mice, Ms. Greengrass," McGonagall huffed, shaking her head. "Mr. Weasley, what have you done?"
Ron opened his mouth to speak but closed it when Astoria touched his shoulder as she talked to McGonagall.
"Ron's only part in this was adding the shrinking solution to the punch," Astoria said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye with a smile. "I wanted tonight to be a night we would all remember, so I made a batch and told Ron I needed him to spike the punch. He thought it was firewhisky, so he's completely innocent in this."
McGonagall looked between them with her lips drawn into a firm line. Hanging her head, she let out a sigh. "Fifteen points from Slytherin," she groaned before lifting her head. "How long will they be small?"
"The effects will wear off in an hour," Astoria replied, a smile beaming brightly from her face. She laughed as McGonagall nodded her head and walked away.
"You didn't have to do that," Ron said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. He nuzzled his face into her hair and took a deep breath. "What's the worst she could have done? Expelled me? Then I'd really be living up to the family name."
"I know, but I want to be remembered as more than just Daphne's little sister," Astoria said, draping her arms around his neck as she pressed up on her tiptoes to kiss him.