Ernie didn't like the way the guests milled about after the Minister announced the end of the ball. All the shuffling and murmuring and confusion and tension in the air put him on edge, and it didn't help that he'd started in on the firewhisky shortly before. Not enough to get drunk, just enough to get him off-balance and antsy.
He wanted to muscle his way through the crowd and find someone in charge, demand to know what was going on, but Lavender clung to him and no matter how uncomfortable he was, he couldn't bring himself to leave her. He put an arm around her shoulders and held her close so they wouldn't be separated.
"Alright," he said at her suggestion. Frankly, it sounded better than going home and having to answer questions from his family about why he'd returned early. "Yeah, let's get in a Floo line and I'll take you home."