Wot In The Harri Potter?

33 - The Hog's Head

When I enter the Hog's Head, I don't really know what to expect.

There certainly isn't a warm and welcoming vibe like at the Three Broomsticks. I glance around uneasily. There is a man at the bar whose whole head is wrapped in dirty grey bandages; two figures shrouded in hoods sit at a table in one of the dirty windows; and in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sits a witch with a thick, black veil that falls to her toes

"Harri, over here!"

Relief floods me at the sound of Fred's warm voice. I turn towards it to see him sitting alone at a large table furthest from the bar. He waves me over, gesturing down to the two bottles of Butterbeer in front of him.

Smiling, I head straight towards him, grateful that he got here first.

"Why the hell are we meeting in here?" I grit as quietly as I can once I reach him.

He stands up to hug me, pressing his lips against my forehead as he does so. I close my eyes, the coolness of his lips feeling soothing against my scar's recent stinging.

"You'll see," he murmurs as we settle down onto the bench, draping his arm around my shoulders. "The others should be here in a minute."

"The others? Fred, what is this?"

"Now promise me you won't freak out."

"You saying that freaks me out."

"You're brilliant at defensive magic, right?" Fred says, "you saved my little sister in second year, you saved Sirius in third year, and then in your fourth year-"

"I didn't save Cedric."

A beat.

"You faced You-Know-Who and survived. Again." He lifts my hand and presses it ardently against his lips, kissing the words which Umbridge forced me to scar upon myself. "You are the strongest and bravest witch I know."

My heart flutters, and I can't help but smile at my beautiful Fred.

Just then the door opens and we look up. I frown in confusion as in troops first George, followed by Lee and then Ron and Hermione and Angelina, Alicia...

"You invited all the Gryffindors?" I say as they continue to come in one by one.

"And then some," Fred smirks as he nods towards the door and sure enough in comes Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, one of the Patil twins. Romilda Vane even comes in, so I'm guessing poor Draco didn't get lucky today.

They keep on coming, slowly filling up the large table we are sat at, grabbing chairs to join us as near as possible once it is full up.

"That'll be sixty-four Butterbeers, please!" George calls across to the perplexed barman after a lengthy and chaotic headcount took place.

I look around at the crowd before me in awe.

"Fred," I whisper in his ear. "What are they all doing here?"

"They're here to listen to you. They all believe you when you say You-Know-Who is back."

I glance nervously at all the eager faces. I swallow, searching for just one other Slytherin. But there are none here.

Once everyone has got a Butterbeer, and it seems no one else is arriving, Fred stands up. Everyone goes quiet. My heart thuds anxiously in my chest, waiting to see what he will say.

"Thanks for coming everyone," he says, as though chairing a meeting, which I suppose it is.

Except everyone here is here of their own accord, and this was sprung on me. I don't want to be put on the spot like this.