Hold Your Tongue

"No," Ron said flatly. "I know better than that."

"We're not stupid," Harry added. "You'll have to get someone else to test your products."

"Come on," Fred said, holding out two small vials of potion. "Please? This is possibly the greatest discovery since Self-Propelling Water Balloons."

It was another boring day at Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Mrs. Weasley was making lunch in the kitchen, Hermione and Ginny were doing summer assignments in the living room, and Harry and Ron were hiding from Hermione in their room. It was only late July, for Merlin's sake, and she already wanted them to get started on homework.

Fred and George were trying to dupe the two boys into testing out their latest joke product.

"For the last time, no," Ron said. For some reason, this caused George to smile evilly.

"Oh, you'll try it out," George said matter-of-factly. "Unless, of course, you want me to tell Hermione where you're hiding. Wouldn't it be tragic if I happened to let slip the fact that you haven't even written that...what was it, Fred?"

"I think it was an essay for Professor Sprout," Fred said. "A three and a half foot essay, as a matter of fact. Hermione will pitch a spaz if she finds out you two haven't even started on it."

Ron and Harry exchanged looks. They were caught.

"Oh, shut up and give it here," Ron snapped, holding out his hand. Fred obligingly dropped one of the vials into it, and handed Harry the other.

Ron gave Harry a pained look. "Cheers, mate."

They clanked their vials together and downed them in one gulp. Harry frowned, and Ron mimicked the expression.

"I don't feel any different," Ron said. Fred and George cracked wicked grins.

"Good," George said. "That means it's working. Now toddle off downstairs and tell Ginny that we need her up here, please."

Shrugging, Ron got up and went to the door. He turned to look at Harry, who was starting to feel a bit apprehensive. "Coming, Harry?"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Harry said. "I mean, who knows what this potion does. We should stay in here until it wears off."

"Nonsense," Ron said. "Besides, I haven't seen Hermione in over an hour and I'm getting all crazy."

Harry gaped at his best friend, who looked surprised that those words had come out of his mouth.

"Do me a favor, and don't tell her I said that," Ron said, shaking his head. "I don't know what came over me."

Harry had a suspicion, but he swallowed his words when he looked at Fred and George. All three of them had the same thought.

This could be very interesting.

Hermione and Ginny looked up when the four boys entered the room. Hermione smiled and went back to her books, but Ginny frowned confusedly at Ron. Harry saw why when he looked at his friend, as Ron was gaping at Hermione with a strange look on his face.

"Ron, is something wrong?" Harry said. Or meant to say. Before he could get it out, his attention was caught by the cute way Ginny's nose wrinkled when she frowned that way. Wow.

"Ron, what's the matter?" Ginny asked, and Harry was struck by the melodious tones in her voice.

"Wow, Harry, look at this," Ron said excitedly, walking over to stand by Hermione. Hermione looked up at him with confusion written on her face, which became more evident as Ron took a strand of her hair between thumb and forefinger.

"Hermione has the coolest hair," Ron said, laughing slightly. Harry abruptly realized that Ron was on to something. Hermione did indeed have some wicked cool hair.

"I mean, look at it," Ron continued. "It's about fourteen different colors of blonde and brown. It's curly and all over the place. I like curly hair."

"It does kind of...bounce," Harry agreed. That was all he could say, as he was distracted by Ginny stifling a giggle into her hand. She was really pretty when she did that.

Hermione was eyeing them both as if they'd gone crazy. Ginny, on the other hand, was eyeing Fred and George.

"What did you do?" she demanded of them, not at all fooled by their innocent expressions.

"Look at that," Harry said, mesmerized by the way Ginny's hair shimmered when she turned her head. "It's all...sparkly."

"What is?" Ron asked, currently involved in closely examining Hermione's hair. This involved repeatedly running his hands through it and bringing strands to his eye level for study. Hermione was enduring all of this with a martyred expression.

"Her hair," Harry said.

"Didn't I say that already?" Ron asked.

"No, Ginny's hair," Harry said, reaching over to tweak a bit of it. "Very pretty color."

"Her hair is the same color as all the rest of us," Ron reminded him.

"No, it's darker," Harry said. "It's very nice. Haven't you noticed?"

By this time, both Hermione and Ginny had dissolved into giggles, and the twins were looking on with triumphant expressions.

"You're really beautiful when you laugh," Harry told Ginny, causing her to stop mid-giggle and gape at him.

"Well, Hermione's beautiful all the time," Ron said, bestowing a fond look on said girl. "Even when she's yelling at me. Especially when she's yelling at me."

"Okay, what did you do?" Ginny said wearily, turning to glare at the twins. "I refuse to believe that Harry and Ron would come in here and start spouting niceties all on their own." Hermione nodded emphatically, apparently still speechless from Ron's outburst.

"Maybe we did give them a little something," George said guiltily.

"Honestly, it was just a little De-Inhibition Draught," Fred said. "Makes you completely unable to hold your tongue."

Harry stuck his tongue out and grabbed it between two fingers. "No id dothenth," he said indignantly.

"So what you're saying is, whatever pops into their head comes out their mouth?" Hermione said, having finally regained her powers of speech. Fred and George nodded.

"Like brains?" Ron inquired. "That would be gross."

"Apparently they have some stupid thoughts," Hermione commented dryly. "Ron, let go of my hair."

"But it's so ace," Ron whined. "I mean, have you looked at yourself lately? You have the greatest hair I've ever seen."

Hermione couldn't hide a grin. "Thanks. But really, let go. Now."

Ron did so. "I'm slightly frightened of you, did you know? Really. I think you could beat me up if you tried really hard. You're one tough cookie."

Fred and George let loose great peals of laughter at this.

"I'm not afraid of you," Harry said proudly. "I'm a powerful wizard, you know. But I am afraid of Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex."

Ginny smirked. "Damn straight."

"But I've always been one to laugh in the face of danger," Harry said. He then bent down and laughed in Ginny's face. "Ha! I laugh in your face, danger. I mean, Ginny..."

Ginny started shaking with suppressed laughter. "I kind of like this uninhibited Harry," she admitted to Hermione. "He's sort of cute to have around."

"She thinks I'm cute," Harry said to Ron with a smirk.

"Well, she thinks I'm cute," Ron retorted, pointing a long finger at Hermione.

"I never said that," Hermione put in.

"You thought it," Ron said, getting up in her face and shaking his finger at her. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You think I'm dead sexy."

"I do not," Hermione argued. "You're delusional."

"Delusional I may be," Ron said, still shaking his finger in her face. "But stupid I am not. Except when it comes to Divination, but no one's smart in that subject. I mean really, it's all made up. It relies completely on things that don't even happen, like astrology. The sun actually moves through thirteen constellations in a year, not twelve. The astrologists forget Ophicus. That bat Trelawney...but I'm getting off the subject."

"I think you were just saying that you were delusional," Harry said helpfully.

"Oh yes," Ron said triumphantly. "Delusional I may be, but stupid I am not. You fancy the pants off of me, Hermione Granger, don't even try to deny it!"

Hermione looked a bit flabbergasted. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"I just told you not to deny it," Ron groaned. "Now you've forced me to this. Mind you, I was going to do it anyway, but not right this second. Anyway, here it goes."

And with that, he leaned in and planted a kiss smack on Hermione's lips. She didn't seem to mind too much, though.

"Rowena Ravenclaw's big black bird," Ginny said, shaking her head in consternation. Ron and Hermione showed no intentions of ungluing their lips any time soon.

"You know," Harry said, cocking his head to the side as he observed his two best friends. "I thought snogging was rather less than it's made out to be. I mean, Cho was no great shakes, and the crying didn't help at all. But that looks like it could be fun."

Ginny let out a yelp and sprang from the table, running towards her twin brothers in hopes of escaping the no-doubt mad Boy Who Lived.

"Fred, George! Save my honor!" she cried, launching herself at them. "You're never allowed to give either of them a potion ever again!"

Harry looked on with a smirk. "I'm not going to attack you or anything, you know."

Ginny turned around and looked at him. "You're not?"

"Of course not," Harry said. "Three of your brothers are in here. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"You know the best thing about this potion?" Fred asked slyly.

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"In about ten minutes, Harry and Ron are both going to get very tired. They'll conk out, and when they wake up they won't remember a thing that happened after the potion took effect."

As Ginny and Harry took in the full import of these words, footsteps were heard on in the hallway.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Mrs. Weasley said, bustling into the room. "I heard Ginny shout...oh my!"

She had caught sight of Ron and Hermione, who were still snogging by the table.

"Well, I never," Mrs. Weasley breathed. "It's about time. Cut it out, you two, it's time for lunch." With that, she put down a tray of sandwiches and walked back out of the room.

All six occupants of the room stared after her. Ron and Hermione had detached themselves from each other long enough to gape after Mrs. Weasley.

"I don't believe it," Fred said. "Do you know how much trouble I would get in if I was snogging some girl in the house?"

"It's total favoritism," George added. "That is not fair!"

Harry walked over and shook Hermione's hand. "Congratulations, his mum approves. That means you're practically family already."

"Harry," Ron said warningly. "You aren't saying what I think you're saying."

"What? That you and Hermione are going to get married?" Harry said. "Yes I am."

"Say, that's not too bad an idea," Ron said thoughtfully. Hermione abruptly choked on nothing and fell into a coughing fit. Ron helpfully smacked her across the back. When she had recovered, glaring at Ron, he grinned at her.

"So, what do you say?" Ron asked. "Do you want to get married?"

"Ron, we're sixteen," Hermione reminded him.

"So?" Ron said. "We're in love, aren't we? I mean, I've loved you since the day I met you, and I don't think I could ever love anyone else as much as I love..."

He was cut off when Hermione shoved an entire sandwich half into his mouth.

"Shut up, Ron," she said, grinning at him. He simply swallowed the sandwich and continued.

"I love you, Hermione," he said. "Really, I do. And you love me, too. Right? I mean, if you don't, I'll just..."

Hermione rolled her eyes and reverted to the easy way of shutting him up. Harry and the other three Weasleys looked on in mingled fascination and disgust.

"I am so glad I'll forget this in five minutes," Harry said fervently. He looked at Ginny. "Although, if I'm going to forget this in five minutes, I'd really like to snog you."

The Weasleys, in unison, fell into a fit of giggles.

"It's not that funny," Harry said indignantly. "Fred, George, clear off now so I can snog your sister."

Fred and George gaped at him.

"Well, you heard the man," Ginny said enthusiastically. "Out!"

Fred and George were driven from the room by their rather insane sister, who was making a spectacle of herself as she flapped her arms at them. Once the room was sans twins, she turned to Harry with a grin.

"Are you just saying you want to snog me because you'll forget about it later?" she asked.

Harry appeared to think about this for a minute. "Actually, I rather fancy you. I think I have since I started blowing my top last year and you yelled back at me when everyone else was afraid to." He clapped a hand over his mouth. While he'd been watching Ginny chase her brothers out of the room he'd forgotten about the potion.

"Well, that's good enough for me," Ginny said, running over and throwing herself into his arms.

*

Harry was awakened by groans from the bed across the room.

"My head is pounding," Ron grunted.

"Mine, too," Harry replied, clasping a hand to his forehead and looking over at Ron. His vision was blurry, so all he could see was [url=http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/10076691/]a blur of red and peach.[/url] He quickly closed his eyes and lay back down, as the light was giving him a head ache. "What happened?"

"I think we fell asleep," Ron said. Harry heard him sit up in bed, and then a shout caused pain to shoot through his head. He looked up to see Ron holding two empty potions vials. "What in Godric's name is a De-Inhibition Potion?"

"I have no idea," Harry said. "Read the label."

"This potion causes the drinker to lose all sense of propriety. They say whatever pops into their head, so it can be seen as a variant of a truth potion. After approximately half an hour, the drinker will fall asleep and, upon waking, will remember nothing that occurred while they were under the effects of the potion. Side effects include nausea and head aches."

Harry and Ron exchanged apprehensive glances.

"Fred! George!" Ron yelled moments later, clattering down the stairs into the kitchen, Harry hot on his heels. "What did you do to us?"

"Joke potion," came the answer, not from the twins, but from Hermione. "It was rather amusing."

Everyone present, from Lupin and Tonks to Mrs. Weasley and the twins, turned to give Hermione a pointed look.

"I don't remember you thinking it amusing," Ginny said. "In fact, I remember..."

"Shut up, Ginny," Hermione said. She glared at everyone else. "You shut up, too."

"You can't keep us in the dark," Ron said, sliding into the seat next to Hermione. For some reason, it caused the girl to jump and blush interestingly.

"Oh yes we can," Ginny said.

"I don't see why you don't just tell him," Mrs. Weasley said. Then she turned her gaze to Harry. "Them."

"No way," Ginny and Hermione said as one.

*

"One of you tell me what happened, and tell me now," Ron said in a threatening tone, marching into the twins' room and slamming the door. "Oops, sorry, Harry," he said, opening the door and letting his best friend in the room.

"I want to know why Ginny and Hermione were giving us funny looks all through dinner," Harry said. "What happened during that half hour?"

"You want the long version or the short version?" Fred inquired, a malicious smile lighting his features.

"I'm going with the get-it-over-with quick theory," Ron growled. "Now."

"To put it mildly, you both made huge fools of yourselves," George remarked. "Ron the most, though. I thought it was pretty much over when you proposed marriage."

"To who?" Ron asked in a strained voice.

"Hedwig," George said sarcastically. "And then Harry."

"Hermione, you idiot," Fred said. "And she wonders why you get bad marks," he added with a sigh.

"Oh Godric," Ron groaned. "I am never taking another potion from you."

"Don't worry, Ginny already told us we weren't allowed to give either of you a Wheezes product ever again," George said helpfully.

"Ginny?" Harry said, knowing what was coming. He knew he'd gotten off way to easily.

"This was before she snogged you, though," Fred added. "She may have changed her mind since then."

Harry gaped at him. "You're joking."

"What, do you regret it?" Fred asked, in a tone of voice that indicated Harry would regret answering the question in an affirmative manner.

"No," Harry said, a smile starting to appear on his face. "This is great. I have to run, see you guys later."

And with that, he ran out of the room, leaving the Weasley boys staring after him.

"Well, Ron, what are you doing still sitting here?" George asked. "Go find your woman!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Ron yelped, following Harry quickly.

When they'd reached the hallway on the first floor, Harry stopped and flung out an arm to hold Ron back. The two boys looked at each other, the same thought going through their minds.

"Fred! George!" Harry yelled, running back up the stairs. He and Ron ran back into the twins room, grinning evilly. "Do you have any of that De-Inhibition Potion left?"

*

"You know, Harry," Ginny said, snuggling in the curve of his arms. "You really are cute when you grin that way."

"Have I ever told you that I find your freckles very, very attractive?" Hermione inquired of Ron from her perch on his lap. "And I mean very attractive."

"You've mentioned it once or twice," Ron drawled, wrapping his arms more tightly around her waist.

"You know, about that whole astrology thing," Hermione said. "Does the sun really go through thirteen constellations?"

"It sure does," Ron said, nodding at her.

"I love it that you know things like that," Hermione said. "Why don't you get better marks?"

"Harry gets good marks," Ginny bragged. "At least in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, duh," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "He's Harry flipping Potter, for heavens sake."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Ron asked indignantly.

"No," Hermione assured him, dropping a kiss on his lips. "I love you the best. Let's get married."

Ron just laughed.

"I love your laugh," she told him. "You're also an excellent kisser."

"Harry's an excellent kisser, too," Ginny said. "In fact, if you two will excuse us..."

"That's revolting," Ron said in a disgusted voice.

"It's actually kind of cute," Hermione said, observing them with interest. "And it's giving me ideas."

"Well then, by all means," Ron said with a laugh. A few seconds later he spoke again.

"Remind me to thank Fred and George."