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SIYE Time:5:24 on 29th March 2024
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The First Annual Hogwarts Muggle Fun Fair
By CreativeQuill

- Text Size +

Category: Muggle Picnic Challenge (2005-2)
Characters:None
Genres: Fluff, Humor
Warnings: Sexual Situations
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 15
Summary: Hermione latches on to a cause... and the other muggle born and muggle raised Hogwarts students are dragged along for the ride! H/G R/Hr -- Response to the SIYE Muggle Picnic Challenge. COMPLETE
Hitcount: Story Total: 5394







ChapterPrinter


The First Annual Hogwarts Muggle Fun Fair --
~~~~~

The wind played with the leaves of the trees that a group of students sat under next to the lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The group of Seventh years, peppered with a few sixth and even some fifth years, sat enjoying the unseasonably warm April sunshine.

“Merlin, I love spring,” Ron groaned from where he laid on a blanket in the sun, his head cradled in the lap of one Hermione Granger, his friend of seven years and girlfriend of seven months.

“I've missed the sun,” Ginny said, holding her face up to it from her reclined position a few feet away.

“I've missed picnics...” Susan Bones sighed sleepily.

“Mmmm... barbecue...” Dean Thomas smiled happily.

“Barbecue?” Ron looked curiously at him.

“You know... backyard barbecues... salads... picnic tables... you know...” Dean opened one eye to glance at him dorm mate. “Food. Outside.”

“Mmm....” Ron smiled happily, closing his eyes and settling back against Hermione. “Food.”

Hermione glanced around. “How many students at Hogwarts are muggle-born or raised in muggle homes, do you think?”

“I don't know...” Terry Boot looked around. “A quarter? Less?”

“Two hundred and ninety one,” Colin Creevy said from his place in the shade. “But only thirty seven of those are actually muggleborn...”

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised.

“What?”

“How did you know that?” Harry asked.

“I'm muggleborn... I just... I know everyone else who is, too.” Colin shrugged.

“You've made a study of this, then, Creevy?” Seamus Finnegan chuckled.

“No... just...”

“It's a shame,” Hermione interrupted.

“What is?” Susan looked oddly at her. Hermione flushed.

“Well, there are all sorts of things celebrated here for the magical world... magical events, anniversaries, you know... but very little notice is given to the muggle traditions.”

“That would be because it's a magical school, Mione,” Ron mumbled.

“But there are muggleborns here, Ron,” she said shortly. “Maybe if we... I don't know... celebrated some muggle traditions, the purebloods wouldn't be so...”

“Hey!” Lavender looked at her. “I'm a pureblood, and I've never...”

“I don't mean you, specifically...” Hermione glanced over her shoulder at a group of Slytherin students lounging on the grass nearby. “I mean... we're supposed to foster understanding between houses... why not between cultures, too?”

They were all silent for a moment, until Ginny Weasley spoke up. “I think it's a wonderful idea, Hermione.”

“What is?” Ron looked at his sister with a 'what did I miss' look on his face.

“An event celebrating something from the muggle world, Ron,” Ginny said. “What is this that Dean was talking about?”

“Why don't we...?”

“A fair!” Dennis Creevy cried. “An old fashioned fair!”

“With sack races!” cried Hermione. “Oh, Dennis! What a wonderful idea!”

“Sack races?” Ron sat up, looking at the other boys. “What in bloody hell...?”

“I'm pretty good at kite-making...” Justin Finch-Fletchley offered. “I could make some kites for everyone to fly...”

“Kites?”

“What about a kissing booth?” Seamus suggested, waggling his eyebrows and looking at Lavender Brown.

“Kissing booth?” Lavender looked back, her own eyes flaring.

“Seamus!” Hermione stared at him like he had lobsters crawling out his ears. “A kissing booth?”

“It could be for charity...” Colin offered. “Lots of muggle fairs go to support a charity.”

Hermione's eyes took on a speculative glint. “Charity? The houseelves...”

“It's got to be something that everyone can get behind, Hermione,” Susan said gently.

“But...”

“What about St Mungoes?” Ginny asked. “With the war... well, I'm sure they could use some extra funding? What little we would raise would help, certainly?”

“I like that idea,” Neville spoke before flushing and looking down at the ground in front of him.

“A fun fair...” Harry smiled. “One came to Little Whinging when I was little... I didn't get to go, but I watched from the park... they had a swimming contest...”

“You'd do well at that, Harry...” Ron grinned, remembering back to their fourth year and Harry's use of gillyweed to swim underwater in the lake.

“And a swimsuit contest!” Lavender cried. “I saw one of those on the pelly... kelly... what is that thing with the pictures of people in muggle living rooms?”

“A television,” Harry said dryly.

“Right... I saw one on the neighbors television,” Lavender said the word slowly. “When I babysat once last summer for them. They don't know that I'm a witch, but ...”

“A swimsuit contest?” Hermione sniffed. “That's sexist!”

“For the boys too, Hermione!” Lavender sighed, ignoring the fact that Hermione had interrupted her. “What, do I really look that stupid?”

Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances, Hermione's impatient... Ginny stifling laughter.

“We could have fireworks... and charm the...”

“No,” Hermione shook her head, looking at Parvati who had just suggested the fireworks. “No... if it's a muggle event, we can't use any magic. We want to show those students, and teachers, who are pureblood just how well the muggle world can function without magic.”

“But...” Lavender looked crestfallen at the thought of no fireworks.

“If the point is to foster true understanding,” Ginny said, “Then I agree with Hermione. No magic.”

“None?” Ron looked oddly at them. “I really don't know how the muggles do it... I mean...”

“No magic, Ron!” Hermione said firmly.

“Well, okay...” Lavender shrugged. “But the muggleborn students are going to have to show us how to do things.”

“That is exactly the point,” Hermione grinned at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After a bit more talk, Hermione, Colin Creevy and Justin Finch-Fletchley agreed to approach Dumbledore, as muggleborn students. Dennis Creevy, also muggleborn, and both Seamus, whose father was a muggle, and Dean, who had been raised believing he was muggleborn, agreed to help lead. Harry had sighed and agreed to help after being on the receiving end of one of Ginny's hard stares.

“Man, have you got it bad,” Seamus grinned as they made their way up to the dorm before dinner that night.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Ginny Weasley, mate. She can wrap you around her finger with a look, and you're not even snogging her.”

“Ginny? I don't...” Harry went red.

“Right, Potter,” Dean laughed. “That's why you spent so much time giving me dirty looks for the first half of last year.”

Dean, who had dated Ginny casually for the first part of Harry's sixth year, remembered well the feeling of walking into a dorm he shared with his girlfriend's brother, and Harry Potter, who was counted as an honorary member of the Weasley family. It had eventually been the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to his relationship with Ginny. Neither of them had really wanted to be together badly enough to stand up to either Ron, or Harry's foul moods.

“I do not...”

“Right,” Dean nodded, a pleasant grin on his face. “Tell yourself that, Potter. Eventually, you might even believe it.”

With that, they entered the dorm and parted, leaving Harry staring after them, disconcertedly, wondering why everyone was so convinced that he was interested in Ginny Weasley.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Well?”

“He's approved it!” Hermione danced into the Room of Requirement that evening before DA club. Harry laughed at the look on her face. Hermione was always happiest when she had a cause to work for. “He's going to announce it at dinner tomorrow night!”

“When?” Ginny asked.

“He said we could have it next Saturday!” Hermione's eyes glowed.

“Next Saturday?” Ginny's eyes bulged. “How are we going to get everything ready for...”

“Cooperation, Ginny,” Hermione said, her voice indignant. “And we'll do it without magic!”

After the DA club meeting, Hermione asked several to stay behind to discuss the muggle fun fair. All those who had been in on the discussion earlier that day were there.

“Dumbledore has approved our idea for the fun fair,” she smiled happily. “Now, we need to plan this...”

“I nominate Lavender and Parvati for the kissing booth!” Seamus spoke up, only to be immediately silenced as Hermione glared at him.

“If we have a kissing booth, it will be staffed by several people, both male and female,” Hermione said quellingly.

“I'll be happy to make the kites...” Justin offered.

“But what about the fireworks...?” Lavender whined. “We have to have fireworks!”

“Lavender...”

“Muggles have fireworks!” Lavender was petulant now. “I've seen them. They have them on something called bonfire night... and the Americans set them off all the time... why can't we have fireworks?”

“Fireworks are done by professionals in the muggle world,” Hermione said. “People who are specially trained. They can be quite dangerous...”

“Dangerous?” Lavender looked at Hermione, her hands on her hips. “Pfft... dangerous... silly muggles...”

“Lavender!”

“I think I might be able to help here...” Dean Thomas offered.

“Dean?” Hermione and Lavender both turned to him.

“My uncle owns a party supply place... I'm pretty sure he can get me some basic stuff... it won't be like the Weasley twin's stuff... but it would be nice to set a few things off after dark to end it, wouldn't it?”

Hermione nodded. “That would be wonderful, Dean.”

“I'll owl my mum... she'll talk to him.”

“Good, now, who is going to be in charge of the sack races?” Hermione looked at the group, moving the meeting along.

“I’d love to get into a sack with her...” Ron muttered, only to turn red and glance uncomfortably at Harry, who was sitting beside him.

“That's a visual I really didn't need, Ron,” Harry sighed.

“Sorry, Harry... didn't mean to say that out loud,” Ron swallowed.

“I'm sure you didn't, but the mere fact you were thinking it...”

“Harry...”

Harry shook his head again, then turned back to the others as Hermione started taking notes on who was in charge of what. Hermione would always be Hermione, and there would certainly be no changing Ron, either. Harry rather liked it that way.

“Okay... food...” Hermione began, drawing both Ron and Harry's attention.

“There's food at this thing? Excellent! I love food!” Ron grinned, suddenly seeming much more happy about the entire plan.

“Good, Ron, because I've volunteered you to tend the barbecue...” Hermione nodded to him before making a checkmark on her clipboard.

“Barbecue?” Ron looked puzzled. “What in bloody hell...?”

“Grilling, Ron, grilling. You know... charring food beyond recognition over a charcoal fire,” Harry laughed.

Ron looked shocked, but recovered himself quickly. “Muggles... I just don't get them, Harry... I really don't.”

“Hey, the really brilliant part is you get to wear an apron while you do it,” Harry shrugged, an imp of mischief in his eyes. Ginny broke out into gales of laughter.

“An apron!?” Ron turned, looking back towards his girlfriend. “Hermione! I am not wearing a bloody apron!”

“You'll do as you're told,” Hermione said firmly. “Don't worry, Ron, I'll make sure it's a nice, manly, barbecue apron...”

“With 'kiss the cook' written on the front!” Dennis Creevy fell over laughing.

Ron turned red, crossed his arms across his chest, and managed to look quite put out, but didn't say anything more.

Finally, after three hours of discussion, they had something to be going on with. The event would begin at one o'clock the following Saturday, and would have both a small area of activities, including a kissing booth and something that Colin and Dennis Creevy told Hermione that they would arrange... a “dunking” booth. They asked if it was okay to ask for volunteers from the teaching staff, and Hermione and the others were quite happy to agree that the teachers could help, but that it had to be voluntary.

Lavender and Parvati happily took over the running of the swimsuit contest, to be held at three o'clock, followed by music, which Harry offered to arrange.

“No magical bands!” Hermione warned.

“Don't worry, Hermione,” Harry soothed her. “I am capable of handling this one thing, you know.”

Justin Finch-Fletchley pledged ten kites to be made in time for flying. Students would have to pay a sickle for ten minutes of flying the kite. Justin said that he would be happy to get them up in the air without magic... he'd flown kites all his life, apparently.

Which was when Dennis Creevy made a suggestion that made them all stop and stare oddly at him.

“What about lawn darts?” Dennis piped up.

“What?”

“Lawn darts... it's a game we played in Canada the last time we visited our aunt,” Colin said.

“Lawn... darts?” Hermione looked at them.

“Sounds dangerous,” Seamus grinned. “Do tell.”

“Well, you have these rings... and you place them on the ground about forty feet apart...” Dennis said, suddenly self-conscious about his suggestion.

“And?” Ron prompted.

“And you have these big darts... about a foot long...” Dennis continued, glancing at Colin.

“... and you try and toss them into the opposing team's ring.”

“You... you what?”

“You...”

“What about the bloody keeper? I don't fancy having a bloody great dart chucked at me that I have to stop... what in hell are those bloody Canadian muggles thinking...?” Ron looked horrified. His years as a Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team gave him all the more insight into the danger this game might provide.

“You don't have a Keeper, Ron,” Colin laughed. “You take turns tossing your darts... and the other team stands well back.”

“They'd bloody have to... can you imagine some of... bloody Slytherin's chasers couldn't put a dart in the side of a bloody barn...”

“But where would we get these... darts?”

“We have a set at home,” Colin said. “We had so much fun playing it, my aunt sent us a set at Christmas.”

Ron just looked at them and shook his head.

“Well...” Hermione looked at them. “We'd have to have it set up well away from the other events...”

“Shouldn't be a problem,” Colin said, grinning at Ron's disbelieving look.

~~~~~~~~~~

The following day at dinner, Dumbledore stood to give the announcement.

“It has been suggested that while we are doing so well on inter-house relationships, there is one major relationship within the school population that continues to be a problem... from both sides. As such, several of our muggleborn and muggle-raised students have approached me with the wish to organize an event to broaden the understanding of the muggle world within our student body. Therefore, it is my great pleasure to announce that next Saturday we will hold the first, of what I hope will become an annual event... the Muggle Fun Fair day.”

There was mixed reactions all around the Great Hall. There was excitement, and eagerness. At the Slytherin table, there was a great deal of scoffing.

“Attendance will be mandatory,” Dumbledore said as he looked over his glasses at Malfoy and his cronies, who had just loudly declared their intention of not attending a “mudblood” event. This pronouncement on Dumbledore's part was met with icy glares from the Slytherins towards the Gryffindor table.

“This event will be a charity benefit... those students who have approached me about this have asked that all proceeds be donated to St Mungoes... so please, be generous. Anyone wishing to help, please speak to Miss Granger. And teachers...” Dumbledore glanced around the head table. “Each of you will be... requested... to donate one half hour of your time to one of the events organized. Now, do dig in.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The day of the event dawned beautiful and sunny, despite Hermione's fears. She had spent half the evening before peering out of the Gryffindor Common Room windows at the sky and shrieking every time a cloud skuttled across the moon. Ginny had finally slipped her a calming potion and taken her up to the girls' dormitory, much to the relief of those trying to study or relax.

At seven o'clock the next morning, though, the seventh year boys' dorm rang with Hermione's voice... much like a drill instructor.

“Get up... get up!”

“Bloody hell... I thought I left my mum at home...” Ron groaned, burying his head under a pillow.

“You did,” Dean grumbled. “That's your bloody girlfriend!”

“Merlin, Ron, can't you shut her up?” Seamus yelled from behind his bed hangings. “Kiss her or something!”

“You kiss her!” Ron grumbled, pushing back his quilts and glaring at Hermione who was standing in the doorway with a clipboard, a self-inking quill, and a frighteningly determined look on her face.

“We have a lot of work to do before one o'clock!” she said in her shrill, no-nonsense voice. “If you lot want breakfast, I expect you in the Great Hall in twelve minutes... no more! If you're late, you don't eat!”

With this, she turned on her heel and marched from the room.

“Merlin, Ron...” Neville peered around the draperies of his bed, his eyes wide. “Does she boss you like that all the time?”

“All the time,” Ron nodded sadly. “All the time, Neville...”

“You ought to be used to it by now, Weasley,” Seamus climbed out of bed and headed to the showers.

The five seventh year Gryffindor boys entered the Great Hall nine and a half minutes later, to find Hermione making up their plates for them.

“You've got to be kidding me...” Dean shook his head, then shot Ron a look.

“Ron,” Seamus sighed. “If we're going to have any fun today, you'd better do something...”

“What am I supposed to do?” Ron asked in a high pitched voice.

“I don't know, mate,” Seamus winked. “She's your girlfriend... I'm sure you'll think of something to loosen her up a bit...”

“I've got your schedules for the day all written out and laid beside your plates,” she smiled brightly at them as they all sat. “Harry, I've put you in charge of the activity booths for the first hour...”

“Activity booths?” Harry looked up at her, panicked.

“Yes... the dunking tank and the kissing booth...”

“I thought Lavender...”

“Lavender is... but she can't organize both booths and participate in the kissing booth...” Hermione looked flustered.

“Why not?” Harry's voice rose.

“Because, Harry... Lavender is very popular...” Hermione flushed.

“So?”

“You can't supervise while you're busy snogging, mate...” Ron said through a mouthful of egg.

Harry glanced around the table, looking for support from his dormmates. Unfortunately, all of them were smart enough to know that if they were to defend Harry, they'd probably end up having to take the job themselves. As such, Neville, Dean, and Seamus all had their heads low over their plates, seemingly fully occupied by their meal, and Ron continued to shovel food into his own mouth, not much caring about Harry's predicament.

“But...”

“Besides...” Hermione flushed again. “We've had... requests.”

“Requests?”

“To have you... available... there.”

“Where?” Harry looked at her, totally flummoxed.

“At...”

“At the kissing booth, Harry,” Ginny slid past Hermione and sat down on the bench across from him, a wide grin on her face.

“WHAT?” Harry stood, glaring at Hermione.

“Harry...” Hermione's eyes were pleading now. “It's for charity...”

“I am not...” Harry began.

“Oh, but you are, Potter,” a low voice spoke from behind him. Harry turned to see Professor Snape glaring at him.

“I...”

“If I am to be... commandeered into... volunteering... for the dunking tank, then you, Potter, will do as you are told, as well, or I will divest Gryffindor house of every... last... remaining... point,” Snape said the last four words in an increasingly chilly voice, making his views on the entire event perfectly well known. “Every last one, Potter. How badly do you want that house cup?”

Gryffindor, who currently stood with more than three hundred points ahead of Slytherin, was a shoe-in for the house cup that year. It had been a huge effort and point of pride for his house since Christmas.

Boy Who Lived or not, he'd be the Boy Who Stuffed Up if he lost his house those points...

“Fine,” Harry glared at Hermione, then at Ginny, sparing a heated glance for Snape, as well. “Fine.”

“Relax, Harry,” Ginny said lightly. “I hear Millicent Bulstrode only has fourteen galleons saved up...”

Harry swallowed, looking down at his plate. Suddenly he wasn't very hungry any more.

“You going to eat that?” Ron asked, not waiting for Harry to answer has he pulled his plate towards him, continuing to stuff his face, and eyeing Ginny's plate now, as well.

Ginny sighed and pushed her half-eaten breakfast towards her brother.

“He really ate all of that?” Lavender asked later as the group walked out towards the field beside the lake where Hagrid was supervising the construction, without magic, of several booths.

“I kid you not,” Ginny said dryly, looking with some disgust at her brother.

“How does he stay so slim?” Lavender looked truly flummoxed at this. “If we could figure it out, we could bottle it and sell it, you know that?”

“Truer words were never said,” Ginny laughed. “Ron's always been that way. Mum says it'll catch up to him, but I'm not so sure!”

The group began preparations, Lavender and Parvati putting up the banners advertising the kissing booth (Kisses — 1 sickle) and the dunk tank (Dunk a Teacher! 1 galleon!), while Ginny pulled together the booth where students could vote on the best swimsuit... ballots, quills and a huge box, which was sealed but for the small slit to slip your written vote into and which would be guarded at all times by two members of the DA club.

Shortly after noon, Colin Creevy announced the readiness of the event by running through in his swim trunks yelling and diving head first into the lake. Ginny tried not to laugh, but couldn't help herself.

“I’d sure like to see a certain Gryffindor in that outfit, wouldn’t you?” teased Lavender. Ginny turned to glance at the older girl.

“Oh? Who?”

“Come on, Ginny...” Lavender rolled her eyes.

“I have no idea of who you're talking about, Lav...”

“Sure you do. Black hair, green eyes... sexy smile?”

Ginny could feel her cheeks reddening. “Harry isn't...”

“Isn't what? Sexy? If you think that, your eyes need checking, girl.”

Ginny glanced at her again.

“I mean, he used to be a scrawny, skinny little boy... but... wow...” Lavender licked her lips as she glanced over to where Harry was supervising the set up of the dunk tank. “Quidditch playing is definitely doing him some good...”

Ginny glanced over just in time to see Harry turn towards her... his eye caught hers for a moment...

She swallowed and looked away. Not going there... not going there... not again!

If she had looked back, she might have seen the look in his eyes before he, too, turned away. And it certainly wouldn't have made her feel any more comfortable.

~~~~~~~~~~

The event began with a tide of students arriving from the school. Harry, much to his chagrin, was pulled bodily into the kissing booth by Lavender Brown, and instantly a line formed.

“A sickle a kiss!” Dennis Creevy called out the the lineup, trying to organize the crowd into boys and girls, lined up in front of Lavender and Harry.

“Hey! No teeth!” Harry cried out as a tiny Hufflepuff fifth year stepped away from him, her cheeks pink.

Only to take in a deep breath as a very self-satisfied-looking Millicent Bulstrode stepped forward and slammed down a very full money-bag on the counter in front of Harry.

Harry swallowed, glancing around nervously, his eyes lighting on Ginny Weasley as she stepped in front of the Slytherin girl.

“Sorry, Millicent...” Ginny pulled out ten galleons, and placed them on the counter. “Harry promised me this kiss...”

Millicent looked suspiciously at them for a moment, but not being exactly good with words (rumor had it she was half hag) she didn't comment, simply watched.

Ginny moved in front of him, and then, with a little hop, planted her backside on the counter and swung her legs around, sliding down next to Harry on the other side.

“Well?” she whispered. “I've just saved your bacon, Potter... you'd better kiss me.”

“I don't... I don't...”

“Just do it. You're not going to hurt me...”

“Gin?”

“Kiss me, Harry,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And make it good... I think Millicent suspects something...”

Harry, not quite believing his luck, and wondering vaguely where Ginny Weasley had managed to find ten galleons, wrapped his arms around her and proceeded to kiss her, long and hard.

When they parted, Ginny's eyes were dark and she was breathing heavily. “Well... I guess that covers one galleon... I have nine more...”

At which, Harry kissed her again.

They hadn't made it to five when Draco Malfoy, disgusted with the lineup, pushed his way into the booth, shoved Harry and Ginny back out of the way, and took Harry's place. Speculation was that he wouldn't have done it had Millicent not already given up and gone to try her luck at dunking a teacher or two.

When Harry and Ginny finally came up for air, it was to find the lineup for kisses dwindling, and a very happy Lavender Brown running her fingers through Seamus Finnegan's hair. Draco Malfoy glanced over at them and shook his head before hopping the counter and swaggering off.

“Come on...” Harry took Ginny's hand and moved out of the booth before anyone else approached, and pulled her along behind him.

“Where are we going?”

“To have some fun... this is a fun fair, right?” He grinned at her, then suddenly stopped. “Unless...”

“Unless?”

“Did you... Ginny... I... I guess I'm kind of assuming a lot...”

“Harry?”

“Ginny, I...” Harry was flushed now. Had she simply done what she'd done to save him from Millicent Bulstrode? As a friend... or...?

“Harry, I meant it,” she said softly, looking into his unsure green eyes. “I hoped...”

“You hoped?”

“I hoped that you might... well...” Ginny flushed. “I hoped that you might... look at me differently...”

“Differently?”

Ginny took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I wanted you to notice me... as something other than Ron's sister, Harry.”

“Oh, I've definitely noticed you as something other than Ron's sister,” Harry laughed. “About two years ago, actually.”

“What?”

“Never mind... let's go find Ron and Hermione.”

“Harry!” Ginny trailed after him as he dragged her by her hand off in the direction of where a column of black smoke was trailing up into the sky.

“Hermione!” Ron yelled, looking around desperately for his bushy-haired girlfriend as the crowd around him grew. The grill, smoking in front of him, held several beef patties, and next to it was a table on which were buns and condiments for the beef patties that he was supposed to be grilling.

They were rather well done. On one side, at least.

Ron, wearing a bright red apron with “Kiss the Cook” written in bright gold lettering, was beginning to panic.

“Ron... relax... they're just burgers...” Hermione made her way through the crowd and spoke to him in a soothing voice.

“They're determined to burn themselves... and these...what do you call those hot things under there?”

“Coals, Ron... charcoal...” Hermione quickly took the flipper from him and expertly flipped several of the patties.

“They're determined to mess this up... they don't do as they're told like Mum's fires do...”

“Of course they don't, Ron...” Hermione said, helping him flip burgers onto buns and handing them out to the waiting students with a happy smile. “It's not a magical fire, Ron... it doesn't do as it's told.”

“But...”

“Ron... I think you need a break,” Hermione said, spying Harry.

“Break?” Ron perked up.

“Harry will take over here. Won't you, Harry? For a few minutes?”

“I can do that,” Harry smiled. “But I'm not wearing the apron.”

“But Harry...” Hermione looked crestfallen.

“Come on, Hermione, Dean said he's doing a futon, and I want to check it out...”

“You want to check out Dean's futon?” Harry looked at him oddly.

“Yea... apparently he has cheese...”

“It's a fondue, Ron,” Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation, and allowing Ron to drag her away. “You're such an idiot sometimes...”

“Futon, fondue, what’s the difference?” Ron asked as he led her away.

Ginny and Harry exchanged mirthful looks as Harry began grilling burgers as Ginny made them up and handed them out on the muggle paper plates that Dumbledore had ordered through Madame Rosmerta for the event.

Harry looked around... there were students everywhere. Some were still at the kissing booth waiting for Lavender and Seamus to part... some tossing hard red balls at a target, trying to dunk Professor Snape into the dunk tank. Harry paused to wonder if the potions professor was using magic to keep the balls from hitting the target, as he was still perfectly dry.

Susan Bones and Terry Boot, along with a group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were seated together around several blankets — and Harry spotted Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall sitting on lawnchairs by the edge of the lake. The headmaster was wearing a rather odd pair of paisley swim trunks and a loose shirt in various citrus colors... lime green, bright yellow and deep orange... he had discarded the neon-green thong sandals and sat, his blindingly white toes splashing in the water. Harry grinned.

Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom sat together, side by side, at one of the picnic tables that had appeared over night. Hagrid was supposed to have built them by hand, but Harry wondered if the half-giant hadn't gotten a little bit of help from his pink umbrella.

A little way away, students were holding onto the lines of the brightly colored kites that Justin had made, and Harry's eye was caught as Padma Patil was swung around by Dean Thomas as she managed to toss her lawn dart perfectly, making it come to rest stuck into the ground squarely in the middle of their opponent's ring.

He was suddenly brought out of his reverie as Euan Abercrombie stepped out of the crowd and offered to take over the barbecue.

“You know how...?”

“My mum was muggleborn,” Euan nodded. “My grandpa throws one of these things about every third weekend.”

“Poor you,” Harry commented, handing over the tongs.

“Well... not quite on this scale...” Euan grinned. “No kissing booth.”

Harry flushed, took Ginny's hand and pulled her away.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Harry, I think it's just about time...” Ginny paused, looking over to where Hermione was standing on top of a picnic table.

“If I can have your attention, please?” she called out, a muggle megaphone in front of her mouth. “Everyone? It's time to announce the winners of the contests!”

Mixed reactions rippled through the crowd.

“Now...”

“What on earth is that?” Susan Bones looked horrified.

“It's a megaphone, Susan,” Hermione said to her, through the megaphone, so everyone could hear. “A muggle device for increasing the volume of your voice... now.. I'd like to announce the winners... Everyone?”

Noise levels dropped as people stopped talking to pay attention to the Head Girl.

“Prizes were made available by the Hogsmeade Merchants Association... there is a ten-galleon gift certificate for each winner today!”

There was a polite round of applause while Hermione grinned happily at the crowd.

“Now, for the swimming relay... the winners are Ernie MacMillian and Elanor Branstone!”

As the noise level decreased, Hermione continued. “For the lawn darts competition... Padma Patil and Dean Thomas!”

More polite applause. Harry tightened his grip around Ginny's waist... how could one girl be so incredibly warm and soft and...

“And for the sack races...” Hermione continued. “Anthony Goldstein and Orla Quirke!”

Ginny shifted in his arms, her hand coming to rest on his arm where it circled her waist. Harry caught his breath at her touch.

“Now... for the swimsuit competition. There were four hundred and twelve votes cast...” Hermione said. “Each vote had a spot to place a vote for each a girl and a boy...”

“We know, Hermione, come on!” Ron muttered.

Hermione threw him a nasty look, then looked back down at the sheet of parchment in her hand. “Three hundred and sixteen of those votes were for girls only...”

“Hermione!”

“Fine! It was a landslide... two hundred and six votes for best swimsuit for the girls goes to... Ginny Weasley!”

Ginny, surprised, glanced around. Harry grinned, and then suddenly lost his grin when he realized that two hundred and six of his male schoolmates had been looking at Ginny in her swimsuit... her very form fitting...

Granted, she'd worn a long scarf wrapped around her waist like some kind of a skirt... and that brought his attention to her legs...

Looking up suddenly, Harry spied Ron looking at them. Ron looked livid.

Ginny blushed crimson, then turned in Harry's arms, hiding her heated face against his neck.

“And for the boys... this can't be right!” Hermione looked oddly at the parchment in front of her. “Parvati? Is this right?”

“That's the name we got, Hermione!” Parvati called out from the back of the crowd.

“Are you sure?”

“We're sure, okay?” Parvati sounded a bit fed up.

“Okay... for the... er... men... best swimsuit goes to... Professor Dumbledore!”

There was some good natured laughter as the gift certificates were presented to Ginny and the Headmaster.

“There's your ten galleons back...” Harry whispered in her ear as she accepted the envelope from Hermione.

“Oh, they weren't my galleons...” Ginny grinned, mischief in her eyes.

“I wondered...” Harry looked confused. “Then who...?”

“The girls of Gryffindor didn't feel you needed to go quite that far to save our house points,” she smiled against his neck.

“But...”

“There was some... serious... competition to see who got to step in in front of Millicent...”

“Oh...” Harry pulled back, suddenly realizing that Ginny may not have chosen to kiss him.

“But everyone else pretty much backed off when I told them the winner would be suffering from a week-long bat-bogey hex unless they graciously stepped aside and let me do it.”

Harry could feel her lips moving against the sensitive skin beneath his ear as she smiled.

“Oh,” he smiled too, pulling her close again.

“I'm not letting you go now, Harry Potter,” she said softly. “Not now that I've got you. You do realize that, right?”

“Who said I wanted to be let go of?” he said back, kissing the top of her head and looking out over the crowd. He'd forgotten how much fun a day spent out in the spring sunshine could be. It was a good thing he had Ginny to remind him.

As the music began, blaring out of the speakers of a muggle stereo that Harry had managed to get Lupin to pick up for him from a muggle shop outside the Leaky Cauldron, along with a few dozen sets of batteries to keep it running, Harry pulled Ginny closer to him.

“I think I like muggle fun fairs...”she sighed.

“Do you understand us a bit better, then, Miss Weasley?” Harry chuckled.

“Oh, I think so... but...”

“But?”

“Well, perhaps we should find somewhere... quieter... for some private tutoring? Just to be sure.”

With another smile, Harry let her lead him away from the crowd.



FINIS
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