Masquerades and Mayhem
By AkaOkamiRyu
Description: It's Halloween at Hogwarts and humor and horror abound. Feelings are recognized, Peeves goes on rampage, Hermione actually throws a book, and of course, mayhem is everywhere. And all because Albus Dumbledore decided it would be fun to have a masquerade ball for the students.
Dedication: To my little sister, with great thanks for being insane and herself. And also, and mostly, because she's the only one I know who supports the Harry/Hermione shipping, and not Hermione/Ron.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything thusly associated. I own only snippets of the plot, excluding that which involves the guidelines listed below. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and other such affiliates. The guidelines are from the Quill to Parchment website, whose URL is located in my profile, and, should it work this time, at the end of this story.
Spoilers: Books 1 through 5.
Ships: Harry/Hermione somewhat, and a bit of Colin Creevey/Ginny Weasley.
Rating: PG-13, as always, just for safety.
Below are the guidelines set by the administrators at The Quill to Parchment for their October, 2004 challenge.
Theme: Ghosties and Ghoulies
Time: Harry's Era
Ships: --optional--
Things to include:
-Luna Lovegood gives a random fact
-Peeves gets hold of a Muggle Stapler
-A Feng Shui book
-A beret
-Hermione throws a book at a ghost
(Please note that these are in bold when they first appear in the story, for easier reference.)
Quick Note. As with my last challenge fic, I'm not ignoring Sirius' death, nor am I in personal denial. I am just not addressing it at length for the sake of time and the purpose of this story. It's humor and slight romance, not angst. I will of course address this matter more thoroughly when I write a fanfic where I have no time barrier. However, for now, it shall be merely grazed. Sorry about that, I mean no disrespect, love the guy, but again no time.
Masquerades and Mayhem
"Silence, silence please." The voice of Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, wavered through the Great Hall, and everyone fell quiet almost immediately. The aged man beamed at his students, merry blue eyes twinkling more than they had in many months. "As you all know tomorrow is All Hallows Eve, more commonly known as Halloween. And as many of you know, we typically celebrate this day with a grand feast. However, this year will be somewhat different."
If there had been any brake in the silence before now, it was deadened at the announcement. Many students were worried they would not be getting their feast, which of course would have been terrible. However, many more, those who knew the headmaster, were certain that something wonderful was to follow, because Albus Dumbledore loved the Halloween feast nearly as much as his students.
"As there has been very little to be cheerful about as of late, I have decided that a bit more then a feast is required to lift our spirits. As such, there shall be a costume ball tomorrow evening, in place of the usual feasting. Those of you who attended the Yule Ball two years ago shall note that the dinner portion of the night shall be very similar. Costumes will of course be required, so let your imaginations wander in all directions. In addition to that, beware the ghosts throughout the day tomorrow. They will be at their most frightening, as they wander the halls in attempts to scare your wits away. If such should occur, please collect them in time for classes Monday." Much laughter followed this comment, but with a wave of his hand, Dumbledore expelled it. "I believe that I've told you everything that was in order, so with that, you are free to leave when you're finished."
Talk broke out the second the old Headmaster finished, and it mixed with the scraping sounds of moving benches. Dinner and announcements now done, students began to slowly filter out.
The news from Dumbledore was of course the chief conversational piece. It lasted through the halls, up or down staircases, beyond portraits, into common rooms, and up dormitory stairs. And even when all the students were slipping off to sleep, it was still on their minds. The costume ball even managed to wander into the land of dreams.:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
The next morning dawned a crisp October morning, as many October mornings will. The air was sweet with the smells of the season, but it nipped gently at exposed flesh, speaking a promise of colder morns yet and soon to come. Not a cloud darkened the sky, so by seven forty-five, when the sun was finally full upon the horizon, it had begun a steady tread towards warmth. The day was Saturday, and the grounds of the castle were deadly still. No one had yet ventured out, in fact, few had even left their snug dormitories for breakfast.
However, several sixth year Gryffindors had managed to muster up the initiative to rise from bed and at the current, were strolling down staircases and discussing the upcoming day, and the news the headmaster had given them last night.
"Not only do we get to feast, but we're having a ball where everyone dresses up and looks dumb. That's bloody awesome. Best yet, no date requirement!"
Exchanging a sidelong smile, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger shook their heads. "Excited then Ron?"
"Who wouldn't be? Freedom, fun and food? Sounds good to me."
"Honestly, is your stomach the only thing you ever think about?" Hermione had adopted a haughty tone, but it was easy to read the undercurrent of teasing that laced it.
Apparently books were not the only thing that Ronald Weasley could not read. "Well, excuse me, but you're hardly one to talk about having a one-track mind."
"Come off it, Ron. She was only joking." Normally Harry would have preferred to stay out of it, but it was too splendid a day for his two best friends to waste in argument. At the very least Ron became thoughtfully silent, as though weighing something over.
A moment later, he shrugged to himself, and let the argument drop. "So what dyou think we should go as?"
"No clue." Harry answered, a smile flickering over his features as he watched Hermione jump the last step and land gracefully upon the landing.
"Same here. The masquerade'll be fun of course, but I do wish it didn't mean extra work for the house elves." Turning back up to look at them, Hermione's normally sparkling cinnamon orbs had adopted a fierce quality. "They deserve the holiday off sometimes too."
"Well, Hermione. Maybe one day you can be headmistress, and then you can force them to have free time.." The sparkle returned to her eyes with an added quality of amusement in regards to his joking tone. They grinned at one another as Harry and Ron caught up to Hermione, and she began her fast paced decent of the next flight of stairs.
They were coming quite near to the Great Hall by now, just coming across the area where Gryffindors and Ravenclaws usually parted ways to go to their common rooms, when they happened to come across Luna Lovegood.
"Hello Ronald, Hermione, Harry." She said in greeting, though her voice was not so dreamy as it had often been. It appeared as though she was heading back from the Great Hall, but as the trio returned with their 'good mornings', she turned around and walked with them.
"Haven't you already eaten Luna?" Hermione interjected politely, as Luna began to immerse herself in the latest copy of The Quibbler she had with her. Harry had to stave off the laughter rising in his throat as he noticed the headline for the October issue; 'Nifflers, 'Nough Said.'
Looking up and tucking the magazine back into her robes, she nodded. "Yes, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind my tagging along. There's not much to do in my Common Room, and I'd rather your company anyway."
They nodded, because really, after what had happened last term, they had all come to like the odd Ravenclaw, and appreciate her and many of her oddities, if not understand them. Besides that, the summer seemed to tame her somewhat. She was still dreamy as ever, but her manner was slightly easier to get.
"You're up awfully early this morning, Luna, any reason?"
"Not really."
The last leg of the walk was spent in easy, companionable silence. Upon reaching the Gryffindor table they split up. Ron and Luna sat next to each other on one side, Harry and Hermione on the other. While Luna once again took out a copy of her father's magazine, the other three fell to breakfast, eating at varying speeds.
There was silence among them until, quite suddenly, Luna spoke up. "Did you know that the act of dressing in costume can be traced back to over two thousand years ago?"
By their reactions, it was fairly apparent that not even Hermione, who seemed to know most everything, did know any of that. It was also quite clear that none of them much cared, at least at the moment, once again including Hermione. However, being the most tactful of them all, she managed a smile, while swallowing her bacon, and was able to reply.
"No, I didn't know that. How interesting." Under normal circumstances the strained quality of her voice would have been enough to make Harry burst out laughing. However, as it was, and as Luna was, he did not. He was quite gratefully for Hermione's incredible tolerance for Luna, which seemed to expand as they spent time with her. Ron's had as well, he noted with a grin, in fact, more then just becoming tolerant, it seemed the redhead was taking quite a liking to the rather unique Ravenclaw.
"I agree." Came a giggling voice from behind them. The four looked around to see none other than Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil coming into the Great Hall for breakfast. "So anyone have any ideas for costumes?"
Dean, Seamus, and Neville now joined the conversation. "Not a one. You guys?"
"Not me. I keep thinking and thinking, I've been racking my brain, but no matter how hard I try it just won't work! Stupid thing!" With that he began to bang his head against the table as though he were trying to jump start it into coming up with an idea.
Harry and Hermione shrugged. Luna, however, smiled.
"Yes, actually." Ron stopped abusing his poor berated brain.
It seemed Luna had not been at the attention of so many before, because she was visibly surprised when they all turned to look at her in question. "I thought it might be interesting to wear school uniforms, and then alter our appearance to that of either a professor of a past Graduate."
"That's a great idea." The youngest of the Hogwarts Weasleys had just sat down to Luna's left. "It'd be fairly easy too. Most we'd need to know are a few spells, and we've all learned them already anyhow."
It was decided unanimously that they was indeed what they would do. The remainder of the meal was spent deciding who would attend as whom. By the time everyone had finished eating, it was all decided. Ginny was going as Professor McGonagall, Ron decided to be Hagrid, although in smaller size, Dean would copy the appearance of a young Professor Lupin, Seamus was going to be doing a humorous role as Lockhart. Meanwhile Parvati and Lavender had fought voraciously over whom go to be Professor Trelawny. Parvati won in the end, and Lavender chose to be Olive Hornby. Neville decided to be a living Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. Luna chose Rowena Ravenclaw herself. By the time everyone was finishing up, only Harry and Hermione needed to decide who they would spend the evening masquerading as.
"You know Harry, you ought go as your father." Hermione suggested, smiling. "You nearly pass for him anyways. Just alter your eye color."
Everyone nodded at this, it seemed Hermione always had good ideas. "I think I will. Now we just need to figure out someone for you." He was silent a moment, deep in pensive thought.
"Oh I know!" Everyone looked at Ginny, who seemed quite excited. Suddenly, she grinned even wider. "But, I think it would be a better surprise! I'll want to surprise you too Hermione." At this she received many confused, disbelieving looks. "Just have your school robes on Hermione, and be in the common room in time for me to alter your appearance. Make sure you're there about 5:00, just to be sure."
"I don't know Ginny."
"Oh come on Hermione, where's you sense of adventure!" She shot Ron a glare.
"Why not give her a chance Hermione. If nothing else, I'm sure you can just fix your costume when she's done."
There was something about the way Harry was smiling at her that melted away the resistance. She nodded absently, and everyone go up, heading off in different directions.
Parvati and Lavender were off to the Divination Tower, probably so Parvati could as Trelawny about her as a girl for tonight. Dean, Neville and Seamus were off towards the library, doing voluntary research for what must have been the first time in their school careers, if not lives. Ginny and Luna seemed to be going thereabouts as well. Ron and Harry made for the common room, until Harry noticed Hermione heading the other way.
"Hermione, where you going?" He asked with much concern. She seemed to be distracted, and he wondered what was on her mind. She'd been fine before breakfast, and through most of it, so why should she suddenly be so preoccupied? Maybe she was just worried that Ginny planned on having too much fun with this.
"For a walk."
"Mind if I come with?"
"Of course not."
"Meet you in the common room later Ron."
"Alright."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
It took but a moment for them to exit the castle and enter the grounds, and the moment they had, both were sorely wishing they'd brought their cloaks with. Harry was determined to put up with it, until he saw Hermione shiver. He stopped. It took her several paces to shake herself from her thoughts and realize he was no longer heading to the lake at her side.
"Harry?"
"One second." He closed his eyes and his face dissolved into a look of pure concentration. "Accio Cloak." She smiled softly at him as something large and black exited a window in the far tower. A minute later her cloak was in his hands and he was setting it over her shoulders. "Better?"
Her face adopted a shade of crimson that had naught to do with the cold. "Yes, thanks." She now cast a critical glance over him, and noticed the gooseflesh raising on his neck. "Now let me return the favor. Accio Cloak." His came just faster then hers had.
Once both were happy and warm they resumed the trek to the lake. It took only a few minutes to reach it, and when they did, they sat down and stared silently into its depths.
"Mind if I ask you something?"
"Of course not, what is it?"
"Do you ever think about the future?"
It was a broad question, she didn't know how to answer. "Harry?"
"I mean, do you ever think about what your life will be like after Hogwarts? Where you'll live, what you'll do, stuff like that?"
"All the time. And to be honest, it scares me to think about sometimes. Hogwarts is home, you know?" Her nodded fervently. Indeed he knew it was one of the things on his own mind. He was afraid of many things, had feared many things in his life, but none more then the future. Assuming he had one, of course.
She chanced a glance at him, and what she saw in his eyes broke her heart. She knew what was bothering him immediately. "Harry, you know we'll never leave you, Ron and me. We're not going to let you go off back to your aunt and uncle's, and forget you. Maybe we can find a place together when we get done with school. Didn't you want to be an Auror?"
"I was thinking about it. I mean, I really like to learn defense against the dark arts, so why not?"
"Besides, what you do all the time is more than enough qualification." They laughed at that. He was always fighting dark wizards anyway. "Well then go for it."
"What about you?""Me?" He nodded, she smiled. "To be honest, I was thinking of doing the same thing. And don't you dare go and tell me it's too dangerous." His jaw snapped shut. "I've been with you as much as I ever could, and I've done fine."
"I was actually going to say, I think you'd make a great Auror. You're always figuring things about before me, and you've got the logic some of the most talented wizards and witches lack." She blushed again, and in his concern his misinterpreted the color on her cheeks. "Come on, let's go inside before you catch your death."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
They were about halfway back to the common room when something in an empty classroom caught Hermione's eye. Walking towards the door she noted it to be a book, although at the moment she was too far off to tell what it was about, so she continued to walk to it. She was just about to bend over and pick up the mystery book when it suddenly moved into the classroom.
"What is it Hermione?"
"It's a book, but it moved. Must be under a spell." Pushing the door fully open, she entered the dark room, Harry just behind her.
"Lumos." They whispered in tandem. It took but a second to find the book, for the cover was a clash of bright orange and purple. Once again when she was close enough to bend down and retrieve it, the book zoomed out of reach. Undeterred she repeated this for several attempts, all of which granting her similar results.
"Oh this is ridiculous." She sounded exasperated. Sighing she extinguished her wand light, and preformed a freezing charm. With a grin of triumph she walked over to the now stationary book and picked it up. "Feng Shui Made Easy?" She read skeptically. A book on feng shui was an odd find at Hogwarts.
Harry shrugged and they changed course, heading back downstairs to drop the book off at the library.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
It was on a second floor landing that it happened. Out of nowhere came Peeves carrying something and cackling terribly. He had been floating at random, apparently shooting things out of whatever it was he was carrying. However, when he saw them, he grinned ever wider, and cackled all the more.
"Why it's Potty wee Potter and the bushy-haired Hermy-own-ninny." In one quick motion he swooped down upon them, began his assault, and allowed them to view his weapon. Somehow, somewhere, Merlin only knew, Peeves had gotten a hold of a Muggle stapler.
Lucky for the both of them that Harry grabbed his wand and conjured a shield to stave off the metal menaces, though this only infuriated the ghost more, and lead to him flying around them, trying to attack at some other angle before Harry could shout the incantation for the charm.
It was anyone's guess just how many students were nursing little nicks by now, because even though Peeves quickly ran out of staples, he had extras hidden on his person, again, only Merlin could have known where.
"We can't hold him off much longer Hermione, run!" Let it never be said that Harry Potter did not know when a tactical retreat was in order, because, realizing the poltergeist was beginning to anticipate his defenses, he knew the best thing to do was to get out of there as quick as humanly possible. Unfortunately, at the moment there was very few places to run to, only up or down, and to get to the library, which was closest, they had to go down, straight into the cackling ghost.
Hermione, however, had the perfect solution to distract Peeves, and for what may have been the first and would probably be only time in her life, Hermione Granger threw a book. Straight at the oddly dressed hellion's head. And equally surprising was, although it passed right through him, the shock kept him busy long enough for them to run down and have a decent head start.
Ducking into another abandoned classroom they hid in the shadows as he passed by and caught their breath. When they were certain he was far enough away, and their breathing had become relatively normal, Harry busted out laughing.
"I can't believe you threw a book at Peeves! Wait till Ron hears that!"
She faked a glare, but the look on her face caused her to dissolve into a fit of giggles herself. "You weren't coming up with anything better, Mr. Potter."
"At least I thought to use a shield charm at the beginning, Miss Granger."
"I'd like to know where he got that stapler, and all those extra staples."
He nodded in agreement, then grinned mischievously. "Care to have a little more fun?"
She raised a brow in question to this, wondering just what he had up his sleeves. He winked, whipped out his wand, and clearly called out, "Accio Stapler." As it had been with their coats earlier, so it was now, and a minute later Peeves could be heard shouting obscenities as his stapler left seemingly of its own accord. It took another minute or so to reach them in the classroom, and they made certain to keep quiet as Peeves flew past trying to recover his torture device.
"Well aren't we just a devilish little show off today."
"What can I say? You bring out the best in me." They were laughing again. "Now to recover that book and drop it off in the library. Accio Feng Shui book."
When it had come back to them they left the room and once again made for the library.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
The pair had been so exhausted by their morning that they both skipped lunch and fell asleep in armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was first to wake. Checking her watch she saw that it was a little after one and the common room was fairly well empty. This meant several things. Some people were still at lunch, and some where enjoying the last of the good weather by spending an afternoon on the grounds.
Standing and stretching, she noted that Harry was still asleep, looking peaceful in his land of dreams for the first time in quite a while. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well since the end of last term, but she also knew that day by day, he was coming to terms with his god-father's death, and realizing it wasn't his fault, just Voldemort's twisted mind. With a fond smile she walked over to him, gently pushed his unruly hair from his eyes, and then waked up to her dormitory to get a book to read.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
When Harry awoke, several hours after that, it was to quite a different scene. The common room was alive with the noise of many students getting their costumes ready, Hermione deeply immersed in a book of some kind, and Ron and Ginny playing a game of chess on the floor between the chairs.
"Time is it?"
"Have a nice nap then Harry?" Ginny quickly looked at her watch. "Oh, Merlin! It's nearly five o'clock! Hermione, we've got to go get ready."
"Ginny, we don't have to be down to the Great Hall until about six-thirty."
"I know, but I've got to make sure all the spells are right, don't I? Wouldn't want to make you into a replica of, oh say, Snape."
"Point taken. See you in a little while." Hermione called over her shoulder as Ginny pulled her up the dormitory stairs.
"Spect we should go get ready?"
"Naw. Let's wait a few more minutes and see what some of the other Gryffindors came up with."
Twenty minutes later, when Ron and Harry walked up to their dorms, they were indeed very glad they had waited for a while. It would have been tragic to have missed some of the crazy costumes their house-mates had come up with. There had been several animal costumes, both magic and non, a couple of people going as royalty, two Romeo's fighting over one Juliet, three Quidditch players, and a rather interesting first year who's costume had taken several minutes to figure out. It had consisted of a striped shirt, long pants, and the most ridiculous looking hat they had ever seen. The first year had defensively called it a beret, stating he was a French revolutionist. He'd went up to find a new costume within five minutes of entering the common room.
"Poor guy. I think he was going to change into a ghost, using a sheet. Must be Muggle born to have thought those costumes up. Completely lacking magical imagination."
"Yes, well, we can't all be so lucky as to have someone like Luna to give us our costume ideas, now can we?"
Ron laughed. "True."
Upon reaching their dorm room, they found Dean, Neville and Seamus hard at work.
"I've realized, I don't have a clue what Professor Lupin looked like when he was younger."
Grinning, Harry answered him. "I'll tell you exactly how he looked." Within five minutes Dean was back to charming his appearance, and when he had finished, he indeed looked as though he were Lupin's twin.
By the time six o'clock rolled around, the dorm room of the sixth year Gryffindor boys was filled with people who did not appear to belong there.
"Bloody hell!" Ron stated as he checked his costume in their bathroom mirror. "I look like I just swallowed a Polyjuice potion, save for my height."
"I'll say you do."
"Hey guys, think if I kept using that smile charm I could win Witch Weekly's most charming smile award?"
The boys were torn between absolute disgust and amusement by Seamus's appearance. He was Lockhart reincarnated, much to his own dismay. He shivered. "This scares even me. Wait until McGonagall sees this, she'll have a fit."
"I'm going down to the common room, I want to see what Ginny did to Hermione." Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville followed him, also interested in finding out what Ginny had done to the Gryffindor book worm.
Ginny and Hermione were not yet downstairs it seemed. In fact, very few people were. Most of the Gryffindors had already headed downstairs with the exception of the five boys and the two Creevey brothers.
"Hi Harry." The two chorus. The brothers were quite alike.
"Hi Colin, Dennis." He hadn't even looked at them yet, but when he did, he smiled appreciatively at their costumes. Colin, who had, over the past two years, greatly matured, was dressed as a goblin, a very realistic goblin. Dennis looked as though he was going as the Giant Squid in the Hogwarts' lake.
"Good job guys. I can even tell who you are." Everyone's heads snapped toward the girls' staircase, where Ginny Weasley was coming down, looking like the very portrait of their head of house.
"Great costume, Ginny. Half the school's going to be asking why there's two McGonagalls." She flushed slightly at the comment, and the Gryffindor boys snickered as Colin also turned red, Ron included.
"Hey Ginny, where's Hermione?"
"She's coming. I think she feels a bit daft, but I think it's a good costume for her." With a roll of her eyes she walked back to the bottom of the stairs and called to Hermione. "Come down Hermione, it's a good costume."
They all heard her give a resigned sigh, the type one usually gives just before stepping out into the storm. Her light footsteps were uncharacteristically slow, as though she thought they might get tired of waiting and just leave. Before she stepped into their view, she gave it one last try. "Keep in mind this was all her idea." And with that she came into their view, pointing at Ginny, and glaring at her.
Except that her eyes were not the soft cinnamon any of them were used to, rather a different color altogether, though it was a familiar one. A very familiar emerald.
Silence reigned, no one spoke. Some because they didn't know who she was supposed to be, but a few because they knew exactly who she was and weren't sure what to say about it.
It was McGonagall, the real one, of all people, to comment as she came through the portrait hole and stopped dead in her tracks, a look of utter bewilderment upon her normally strict face.
"Miss Evans?"
Again silence was the dominant force in the room, though now because everyone knew exactly who Ginny had charmed Hermione to look like.
And Ginny herself was indignant at the silence. "Well, what's wrong with it? She looks the picture of Harry's mum, and she even fits her personality, from what I've been told. Muggle born, studious, among the best of her year, and one of the closest friends of a Mr. Potter." She was glaring in a very McGonagall like way, at everyone, as though daring them to remain silent.
Ron gathered his wits, laughing heartily. "It's perfect, bloody well perfect. Absolutely right Ginny. The whole thing. Harry being his father, he fits it exactly, and Hermione as Mrs. Potter, who she's just like as well." The real McGonagall finally seemed to get what was going on.
"Alright students, I've come to make sure you get downstairs in time. Off with you." This time no one missed it. Minerva McGonagall was smiling. Not slightly, not even normally. But wide and bright.
As they all turned to follow her, Ron suddenly starting laughing again. "The only way this could be any better is if they were secretly in love with each other."
Harry and Hermione followed in the back. Both were suspiciously silent, suspiciously red in the face, and more suspiciously sneaking glances at one another.
The End… or is it?
Alright, well that's the end of the challenge part of this fic, although I must admit, I'm seriously considering a second, concluding chapter, so don't be surprised if you get one. I'd actually like to finish it off now, but time is of the essence and if I want it done in time to enter, this is the best place to finish her off.
I hope you all liked it and if you'd like to vote for it, or read others under the same general guidelines, check out the Quill To Parchment website who's url will not show up here, but is in my profile.
Also I must say the idea for the masquerade is owed to my school, because as I started this, they were just announcing the theme for our own, and I thought I could use a masquerade here. That's actually partially where the costume idea came from as well, because our theme is "Blast from the Past." Personally I think that sucks, because it's such a terribly broad range, but alas, I didn't make student council and therefore my opinion doesn't count. Anyone have any ideas for a costume for me? I'm open to ideas!
Until Next Story or Chapter,
AkaOkamiRyu