J.K. Rowling's characters.

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Seventh year Gryffindors stared up at the notice board, all eyes wide with curiosity. A large poster took up the majority of space and screamed out towards the school.

October 31st

To all students. This years Halloween ball will be for the first time ever, masquerade. We ask all students to keep their identity secret from each other.

Ball starts at six-thirty pm in the great hall, until one am.

We expect every student to attend.

"If it's masquerade, how can we bring dates?"

"You don't Ronald. We're probably expected to meet with other students and find someone once we're there." Hermione answered.

"Wait, so you're going to be spending the night with some other bloke!" Ronald sat up from the armchair by the fire place, face already going red.

Hermione gave a small grin and Ron's sudden and rare show of protectiveness.

"I'll find a way around it Ron."

Ron blinked, before giving Hermione a quick peck on the cheek and then turning back to Harry and their chess game.

"So who you going with mate?"

"It's a masquerade, Ron. I'll just pick someone up when I'm there."

Ron sighed. "The life of a bachelor." He looked away forlornly towards the window.

Hermione frowned and gave a slight cough at Ron's hope to be single again.

Harry decided to quickly flip the way the conversation was heading to an argument.

"…is a lonely one."

Ron looked at Harry. "Yeah, I suppose. Sorry for you mate." He reached over and gave Harry a condescending pat on the back before moving his bishop.

"Checkmate."

Harry groaned and fell back in the chair in defeat.

The golden trio was currently in the library, searching through rows upon rows of books. Well, Harry was. Hermione was at the table noting down something, whilst Ron was slumped down scrawling a black mess over a piece of parchment.

Harry looked down the spine of a dark green battered book. "How to ward your home". Harry pulled the book out, adding it to the large pile he already had.

"Harry, what are you searching for?" Ron grumbled, flick through one of the many thick books.

"Wards." Harry answered.

"Clearly." Hermione said with sarcasm that surprised both Ron and Harry. " But why."

"'cos"

Both Ron and Hermione sighed at the short answer and turned back to their previous menial tasks.

"Ah ha!" Ron and Harry turned around to look at Hermione with bemused expressions.

"I think I've found a way to get past the masquerade."

"Well." Ron prompted.

"I suspect that there will be charms over the hall so that when we enter, parts of us can change so we would be unrecognizable with the mask on. To get over that I suspect that if we wear something simple, that our friends know we own, they'll know it's us."

"Can't we just show you the clothes we're wearing first?"

"No, they'll probably change that because it's so obvious. But I would imagine that they wouldn't change small details like hairclips and jewellery."

"Makes sense." Harry nodded.

It was the day of the ball and students piled into the great hall. The moment Harry entered he felt a weird tingle wash over his face as his mask changed into something more elaborate that covered the majority of it.

Passing one of the many mirrors that hugged the walls, Harry saw himself in his new attire. His glasses now gone, were replaced with a green, silver and black wave that flew over his face, covering his forehead, eyes and half his nose before finishing into a curled point at his jaw line. His clothes had changed from the plain robes he had worn, into a black robe with green lining. His close fitting black trousers had not changed, nor did his white shirt, however his tie had disappeared and his neck now bare with the top two buttons of the shirt undone.

Harry turned to face the rest of the students. Girls and boys had segregated themselves to opposite sides of the hall, huddling together in uncertainty. An awkward air hung over the groups as they knew no one from the other side, or their own for that matter.

Finally a man with a long silver beard and plain black mask (clearly Dumbledore) moved to stand at the front of the hall.

"Welcome, welcome, to Hogwarts first masquerade ball. You may have noticed your attire for the evening has changed. The colours that now adorn you represent your character, whether it be your house colours, another's house colours or perhaps something else altogether." A flickering thought moved through Harry's head as he questioned the Slytherin colours he was now decorated with. "For now the first dance will begin, everyone grab a partner."

Dumbledore stepped to the side and waved on the music. The dance floor remained its vast empty space and a few scuffed their shoes in awkwardness of the obvious gap. Slowly, a seventh year boy with red hair crossed the hall and stopped in front of a brown haired girl, with a gold and red hairclip. He bowed at the waist and offered his hand, which the girl quickly took with a smile.

Harry smiled at his friends, the hairclip being the decided logo for Hermione. Harry had seen Ron buy it for her in Hogsmeade and Harry felt proud for his best friends' courageousness.

Once the pair were on the floor, more couples slowly filled it. None were quite as relaxed as Ron and Hermione as they didn't know who their partner was. Soon, there were very few people left standing and Harry took his chance to move before he was left by himself.

Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Harry crossed the hall to a dark haired girl dressed in a patterned blue dress. Without a word he bowed in front of her and offered her a hand. She accepted and together they moved to the dance floor.

The pair danced in jerky motions, not really sure what to do. Finally Harry sighed and started a conversation of mostly small talk.

"I think Dumbledore's finally lost it, organising something like this."

The girl looked at him with wide eyes, before a smirk graced her features.

"Well, I always thought the old coot wasn't right in the head."

Harry's eyebrows raised at the comment.

"He is a genius though."

"He would be if it weren't for the fact he only ever spoke in riddles." The girl snapped back.

"I think he forgets that not everyone's mind works in as large a loops as his."

The girl hummed in reply and the dance finished in a tense silence.

"Alright everyone, please swap partners." Dumbledore's voice boomed over the dance floor.

Everyone hurried themselves to find another partner and out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron and Hermione reluctantly split. A small hand grabbed his, and before Harry knew it a fifth year had kidnapped him as partner.

Throughout the dance, the girl dressed in hot pink, chatted away, not really caring for Harry's reply, but more for the fact she was on the arm of a handsome boy. The girl spoke of hot boys and sexual innuendos. Her body was tightly pressed up against Harry's and he got the feeling she was looking for something from him. At the end of the song, Harry rushed to find someone else, praying it wasn't another crazed, hormone driven loon.

The dances continued on for an hour and Harry continued swapping partners. Once it was all finished Harry slumped down at the nearest table, waiting for food to appear.

Next to him he found what looked like a second year girl dressed in a frilly purple dress. She was already in deep conversation with a third or fourth year boy on the other side of her.

Harry turned at the sound of a deep huff and found the previously empty chair next to him, now occupied with a tall blonde who looked the same age as him. The boy had a grey mask with an green outer lining, which covered his eyes. He wore a similar outfit to Harry's except he had grey dress robes with a green tie. Nimble fingers reached up and tugged at the tie, loosening it.

"Merlin, I'm tired. How can girls be so energetic." The blonde said to Harry, not quite looking at him.

"Yeah, well I've had some pretty dodgy dance partners." Harry smirked in reply.

The blonde gave a glance at Harry before offering his hand.

"I would give you my name but that's against the rules, you'll have to settle on a simple gesture for introductions."

"Fine by me" Harry replied, grasping the other boys hand. "I actually find it easier to speak to people when they don't know who I am."

"Shy then?"

"Not really, my name just scares them off."

The boy frowned before turning to the plates, which had suddenly been piled with food.

The night went on and Harry continued to talk to the blonde boy. Their conversation was amiable and Harry determined his new found friend to be very humorous (albeit his jokes were quite dark). They spent an hour and a half talking over dinner, before everyone was swept to the dance hall again.

Instead of separating, the two stuck together, looking for dance partners close by. The blonde quickly grabbed a girl by the wrist and swung her round to face Harry.

"This is my friend, perhaps you're like to take her as your dance partner. I can assure you she is perfectly sane and will no doubt make a good change from your previous dances."

"You figured out a way to get through the mask system then." Harry turned to the girl with short black hair and deeply bowed. "If you wouldn't mind." Harry asked.

The girl gave a small smile. "Well, if my friend has recommended you, it will be awfully rude of me to say no." The girl said, taking Harry's hand.

The pair danced two songs, full of a variety of topics. Harry changed a few more partners but after fifteen minutes went over to a table to grab some drinks. He quickly found the blonde boy and black haired girl joining him and they took pleasure in each others company. The table was later filled with another boy who had given up on the dances after a few pointed heels too many stepping on his foot.

This boy had a light auburn hair and wore a blue suit, with a white mask. The mingling carried on and when it finally reached one o'clock, Harry felt like he had found some new friends.

Dumbledore stood as the clock finished chiming.

"Now, I would like everyone to remove your masks and find out who those you have been conversing with all night are."

The four at the table turner to each other and held their breaths.

The girl spoke up. "On the count of three?" The boys quickly nodded, reaching for their masks.

"One, Two…Three!"

The masks were pulled off and the four stared wide eyes at each other.

"Potter!"

"Malfoy?"

"Potter?"

"Parkinson!"

The two Slytherins and Gryffindor started a glaring match between them.

"…er Hello?"

Harry broke off, to look at the Hufflepuff next to him, who had been forgotten by the other three.

"Oh, hey, Ernie."

"Heya Harry." Ernie Macmillan said in reply. Macmillan turned to face Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. He nodded at both of them and gave them a small smile. "Malfoy, Parkinson." He yawned and stood up. "I'm tired, think I'll head up to bed. It was nice speaking to you all, I had fun tonight." He gave all three a wave before limping out the hall.

The three stared disbelieving at the Hufflepuff who had acted so amiably to the two Slytherins even going so far as to compliment them. Pansy suddenly grinned.

"Right, well I'm off to bed to. Night Draco." She paused giving Harry a weary look. "Goodnight Potter." She nodded, giving a slight smile and trotted off.

Draco and Harry looked at each, blinking in surprise at the strange actions of the Slytherin, who was previously known as one of Gryffindors biggest enemies.

"Right…er, well night." Harry nodded, before realising who he had just nodded to and running out of the hall. Soon after Draco jumped out of his seat and rushed to the Slytherin dorms, confusion etched on his face.