"Do we really know it eez Snape?" Asked Fleur, "Somebody could 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan."
She glared around at them all, tear tracks still etched on her beautiful face, silently daring any of them to contradict her. Nobody did. The only sound to break the silence was that of Hagrid hiccuping from behind his handkerchief. Harry glanced at Hagrid, who had just risked his own life to save Harry's-- Hagrid, whom he loved, whom he trusted, who had once been tricked into giving Voldemort crucial information in exchange for a dragon's egg....
"No," Harry said aloud, and they all looked at him, surprised: The fire whisky seemed to have amplified his voice. "I mean... if somebody made a mistake," Harry went on, "and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault," he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. "We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."
More silence followed his words. They were all looking at him, he got a bit uneasy and drank some more fire whisky for something to do.
"Well said, Harry," said Fred unexpectedly.
"Yeah, 'ear, 'ear," said George, with half a glance at Fred and Maeve, the corner of their mouths twitched. Also Maeve was drunk, and had to hide her face in Freds side, to muffle her laughter.
Lupin was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry. It was close to pitying.
"You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.
"No, I think you're like James," said Lupin, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends."
Harry knew what Lupin was getting at: that his father had been betrayed by his friend Peter Pettigrew. He felt irrationally angry. He wanted to argue, but Lupin had turned away from him, set down his glass upon a side table, and addressed Bill, "There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether--"
"No," said Bill at once, "I'll do it, I'll come." He looked at Maeve and then back at Lupin. Who both now were unsure what to do.
"Where are you going?" said Tonks and Fleur together.
"Mad-Eye's body," said Lupin, looking over at Maeve. "We need to recover it. Uh Maeve." She looked up, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were pink. Her lips were tightly closed as she tried to hide her laughter, "Are you drunk?" Everyone's heads snapped to the girl, Fred and George were snickering.
"No." She hiccuped, and then she giggled. Then out of the blue, she kind of just sobered up, "His body is on the shoreline, there are two farms. One has a big red barn and the other a black or dark blue. Not really sure, maybe navy? Or like an indigo. Wouldn't say cobalt, too blue. Oh! Maybe like a denim!"
"Maeve!"
"Right. Two barns, ones red and the other... dark. He is somewhere in between, it's not a lot of distance between the two so I think you'll be able to find him." She hiccuped, "when I was catching my breath and taking a minute to compose myself, I surrounded him with flowers. So that might help." She hiccuped again, looking at the group. She was confused as to why everyone looking at her. "What."
"I have never seen you drunk before. Yet you were able to tell them exactly where you left his body."
"I'm a Hufflepuff, we party all the time, and Sprout always tried to catch us. So we are really good at pretending to be sober and give full answers." She hiccuped, then she looked at her moms face, "oh don't look at me like that, you were friends with the Marauders, I know for a fact you drank a few times at Hogwarts." She smirked at Sirius and Remus who had small smiles on their face. "I watched a man be murdered in front of me, arrest me for being drunk." She put her hands out, as to mimic being cuffed.
"Not unless you'd rather the Death Eaters took it?" Bill asked, not really fazed by her drunkness. Nobody spoke. Lupin and Bill said goodbye and left.
The rest of them now dropped into chairs, all except for Harry, who remained standing. The suddenness and completeness of death was with them like a presence.
"I've got to go too," said Harry.
Ten pairs of startled eyes looked at him.
"Don't be silly, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley, "What are you talking about?"
"I can't stay here."
He rubbed his forehead;
"But don't be so silly!" said Mrs. Weasley. "The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and thank goodness it worked. And Fleur's agreed to get married here rather than in France, we've arranged everything so that we can all stay together and look after you--"
She did not understand; she was making him feel worse, not better.
"If Voldemort finds out I'm here--"
"Then we're all dead. Bleh." Maeve mumbled sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth and rolling her eyes to the back of her head, the twins were hiding their laughter in their hands.
"Maeve, shut up." George whispered laughing into his hands. The three of them had their heads down, staring at their laps, all very drunk and laughing.
"But why should he?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"There are a dozen places you might be now, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "He's got no way of knowing which safe house you're in."
"It's not me I'm worried for!" said Harry.
"I can take the bald headed dick on my own. He has no nose." Maeve mumbled to the twins, once more, she then put up her fist, swinging them in front of her. George and Fred fell into her shoulders, muffling their hysterical laughter in them. It had seemed like no one was noticing the three of them, or they were choosing to ignore them.
"We know that," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "but it would make our efforts tonight seem rather pointless if you left."
"Yer not goin' anywhere," growled Hagrid. "Blimey, Harry, after all we wen' through ter get you here?"
"Yeah, what about my bleeding ear?" said George, pointing at the side of his head.
"I fell into a river, Harry. Im lucky I could swim." She pointed at he boy, with a shaking hand.
"I know that--"
"Mad-Eye wouldn't want--"
"I KNOW!" Harry bellowed.
"Temper on that one." She whispered to twins, but Fred just put his hand over her mouth. Trying to keep his own mouth shut from laughing. Then Harry rushed out of the house, Ron and Hermione chasing after him. Then everyone looked to the twins and Maeve.
"Did I say something?" She asked, and then the three broke out into laughter.
"You three! Upstairs, you guys are in no state to travel home, you're staying here!" Molly yelled at them, they all went silent, eyes wide. "Just go!" Then the three, ungracefully stumbled out of their chairs and rushed to the stairs, tripping over each other and laughing. Everyone in the kitchen just looked at each other and laughing quietly.
"Those three," Molly sighed, and then began to laugh, "they are trouble."
"I think Moody would of loved to see those three shit faced." Tonks laughed, wiping her eyes.
"You three!" The three were on the floor of the twins old room, they all shot their heads up and saw Hermione, Ron and Harry standing in the doorway.
"Want some?" Maeve hiccuped and held up a bottle, "I think maybe we should forget about today, just for tonight." She sent a comforting smile to Harry. That's where the six of them spent the night, laughing and joking and eventually passing out on the floor using each other as pillows. That's how Molly found them all the next morning. She was mad at first when she saw the empty bottle on the floor by them, but then again she understood why they did it, she didn't see what happened last night. They all did, all those kids saw things she never wished they did.
"GET UP!" All six flung up, groaning and grabbing their heads, "Breakfast is ready, downstairs now!."
"I think I'm going to be sick." Maeve shot up and ran to the bathroom, Fred tiredly got up and followed her to the bathroom and held her hair back for her, as George just splashed his face with cold water and leaning against the door.
"I don't think we should drink again." George groaned.
"I second that." Maeve mumbled into the toilet. Fred just looked up at his brother placing three fingers in the air, to tell him he also agrees. The three made their way down to breakfast, all eyes on them.
"For someone who watched a man die last night, I had no nightmares." She said as she sat down, Sirius let out a quiet chuckle.
"You were so drunk." Ginny laughed.
"Im sorry. I didn't think about it really. I kind of just kept going." She shrugged
"You guys went through something traumatic, no one blames you." Arthur told them, "Your mum, is a little mad. So I suspect you three will be working in the garden today." He whispered the last part. Molly began to fill the table with breakfast, and before the twins and Maeve could reach for something, she let out a cough. The three slowly lifted their eyes to the woman.
"You can clear those gnomes out of the garden today." She looked at the three, with her hands on her hips.
"Yes, ma'am"
"Yes mum."
__________
I really want to hang out with drunk Meave.