Guests holding plates and drinks paused, visibly stunned by the scene in front of them. Fanny, curious as ever, walked over with her plate in hand and inspected the two girls closely.
As Anne narrowed her eyes at her, Fanny grinned and teased, "Anne, you really ought to thank me. Without me, with your emotional intelligence? Tsk tsk, " She darted off before Anne could reply, piling even more food onto her plate.
"Is there a story behind this?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Ahem, well... let's eat and I'll explain," Anne replied, half helpless, half embarrassed.
But just as the two took their first steps, a familiar house-elf bounced excitedly toward them.
It was Dobby. Practically skipping, he landed in front of Anne and Hermione, doffing his hat to Hermione in an eager, exaggerated gesture.
"Happy birthday, Miss Granger!" he beamed. "Miss Reeve taught us this greeting! She said when we're invited to a birthday party, there's no need to bow! Dobby is so happy! A very happy Dobby!"
He shook his head with joy. "This is Dobby's first time being invited to a birthday party!" He pointed to the group of house-elves behind him. "It's the same for all of them! Miss Reeve even asked Professor Dumbledore to give us time off! House-elves have never been to a party before! We're all so excited! And it was Miss Reeve who invited us!"
"She said we were guests! So we could eat all the delicious food we wanted! Miss Reeve cooked with us all afternoon!"
As Dobby spoke, the other house-elves put down their plates and eagerly gathered around. Most of them awkwardly attempted a bow or doffed makeshift hats in greeting.
"Happy birthday, Miss Granger!" they chorused, their voices full of excitement, delight, and genuine joy.
Hermione covered her mouth, overwhelmed by the gesture. She was both touched and stunned.
"Thank you all so much for coming to my birthday party," she said softly after a moment. "Please, go enjoy the food while it's still hot."
Hermione tried a little bit of everything, which left her slightly overstuffed. Anne handed her a glass of sour plum juice to help with digestion, gently rubbing her stomach as she did.
"You didn't have to eat everything, you know. You'll end up really uncomfortable…"
Hermione took a sip of the juice and smiled brightly. "But you spent the entire afternoon cooking. And everything was so good."
"Well, I didn't do it all by myself," Anne replied modestly. "The elves helped a lot too." She glanced at her watch, it was nearly eleven o'clock. Looking around, she noticed most of the guests were lounging comfortably, chatting over drinks.
"I think it's time we started the dance?" Anne suggested. "You sit for a minute, I'll go set up the music."
Hermione nodded with a smile.
With a flick of Anne's wand, the piano struck its first chord. Then came the soft strains of a violin, the deep notes of an organ, and finally the gentle tune of a harmonica.
Seeing this, Fanny gave her wand a twirl as well, dimming two-thirds of the floating candles above. The room bathed in soft, golden light as a slow, lyrical melody began to play.
Ron was the first to react to the dimming lights. He immediately abandoned his plate and dashed toward Fanny as if worried someone else would beat him to it. Unlike the Yule Ball in fourth year, this time Ron was dressed in the suit that Anne and Fanny had prepared for him. At 6'2", he looked quite presentable.
He offered an extremely stiff invitation, clearly nervous. Fanny, ever graceful, simply smiled and placed her hand in his.
Ginny shook her head with a grin at her brother's eagerness and turned her attention to Neville and Harry instead.
Neville was standing closest to Luna, but Luna, utterly oblivious to the atmosphere, was more intrigued by a bubbling dish on the long table. Anne glanced over, it was a magical edible plant, one that Neville would definitely recognize.
And he did. Seeing Luna's fascination, he explained the plant's name and characteristics, a bit awkwardly but earnestly. Once her curiosity was satisfied, Luna nodded in understanding, and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, invited Neville to dance.
Back near the drinks, Hermione set down her sour plum juice and walked over to Anne.
"Beautiful lady," Anne said with a flourish, giving Hermione a perfect, formal invitation bow.
Hermione smiled and placed her hand in Anne's.
"The pleasure is mine," Anne said, wrapping one arm around Hermione's waist and taking her right hand with the other.
The house-elves, brimming with excitement and curiosity, mimicked them and began shuffling into the dance floor as well.
One song followed another, and during the interludes, Anne even played and sang a few pieces herself.
The party lasted until nearly 12:30 a.m. Hermione's gifts were entrusted to Dobby, who delivered them to the Gryffindor Tower. Everyone else changed back into their house robes. Except for Anne, they each carried a few boxes of leftovers.
Harry held the Marauder's Map, checking for the whereabouts of Filch and his cat.
Reluctantly letting go of Hermione's hand, Anne said softly, "See you in the morning. Don't wake up too early, okay? You must be tired. If you miss breakfast, you've got plenty of snacks to tide you over."
"You too," Hermione replied warmly.
Fanny chuckled. "If you don't remind her, Hermione, Anne won't wake up early either, "
Everyone burst into laughter.
Back in the Slytherin dormitory, Anne found the other three girls already asleep. She and Fanny showered, said goodnight, and climbed into their beds. Though Anne had been on her feet all day, she fell asleep with a smile on her face that just wouldn't fade.
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