Chapter Twenty-Five

The Attire

Dumbledore watched his students and colleagues leave. Suddenly he seemed to remember something he wanted to say because he snapped his fingers and cleared his throat loudly to be heard over the din. "Ladies and gentlemen? May I have your attention again, please?"

Everyone stopped their movement and chatter, and turned back to the headmaster. What's this all about, thought Harry. He raised an eyebrow in a very Draco sort of way and listened intently.

"I forgot to mention one thing before. I would like everyone dressed nicely this evening." Dumbledore smiled. "Dress robes are not necessary, although they would be appreciated. Muggle clothes are perfectly acceptable, as long as they are somewhat dressy." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. When Dumbledore was finished, there was a long moment where no one moved. The students looked at their headmaster expectantly. He cocked his head to the side. Then it dawned on him. "Oh! You may go now."

The students started hurrying out of the Great Hall, murmuring about the shindig to come and discussing their wardrobes.

Draco grabbed Harry's hand. Harry turned. "Yes, Love?" asked Harry, grinning.

Draco grinned back. "Can we spend the afternoon together before we go our separate ways to get ready?"

"Of course, Dray! You really had to ask?" Harry poked at Draco playfully.

I just wanted to be sure. How about a walk by the lake?" asked Draco.

"Great idea. Meet back here with our cloaks in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"I'll be here."

With that, the two boys split. Harry went up to the Gryffindor common area. After a quick chat with the Fat Lady, a mention of the password, ('Curly-cues') and a mad dash to his room for his winter cloak, Harry was on his way back to the Entrance Hall. When he arrived, he found his blonde beau leaning against a wall next to a suit of armor.

"Shall we?" asked Draco, holding out a hand.

"Let's," said Harry, taking the hand presented. They walked outside and meandered around the lake, talking a little, snogging a lot.

After their second pass around the lake, Harry pulled out his watch. One hand was still blank and spinning lazily. Ignoring that, he looked to the one hand he was interested in. His own face was grinning at him and shaking his head. Harry gasped. The hand was aimed directly at "Late for dinner!" Harry's head snapped up. "Dray. We're late for dinner."

"Bollocks. Well, we'd better get there. It's out last meal of the year, after all." He winked.

The pair hurried off toward the castle.

~*~*~*~

After dinner, Draco stood in front of his wardrobe, hopping back and forth on the balls of his bare feet. Vin and Greg were watching the blonde from their perch on the end of Draco's bed and snickering. He was currently wearing nothing more than a pair of scarlet silk shorts.

"Oh, what the fuck am I going to wear?" moaned Draco.

Greg snorted. "Why don't you wear dress robes?"

Draco rounded on his roommate. "And be the only one in robes? Fuck no!"

Vin patted a pale arm. "Draco. Calm yourself. It's just Harry. No big deal."

"It is a big deal. I have to look hot!" cried Draco. He turned back to his wardrobe and pushed the clothes back and forth frantically. "Guys? Help?"

The pair hopped off the bed and moved toward the troubled teen. "Don't worry, Draco."

~*~*~*~

In Gryffindor, a similar scene was being played out. Harry was standing in green cotton boxer shorts and his fuzzy slippers, hopping up and down in front of his own set of clothes. Ginny and Hermione were the ones sitting on his bed and sniggering. Harry turned around and sent a pleading look at his two favorite women.

"Gin? 'Mione? Help me? Please?" He put on his sad-puppy face and the two girls melted instantly.

Hermione slid off the bed and put her arms around Harry's muscular torso in a comforting hug. "Harry, whatever you wear, you're going to look great, and Draco will be stunned."

Ginny moved past the hugging pair and stepped in front of the wardrobe. She shuffled through the clothes. When she reached the very end of the line of garments, she gasped.

"Oh Merlin! What do you have these for?" she cried. Harry gasped, too. He tried to snatch the articles out of Ginny's hands, but the girl was too fast for him. Years of training with six brothers, no doubt. Harry grabbed at the clothes again, but to no avail. The girls giggled and started playing monkey-in-the-middle, tossing the garments high over Harry's head. When he finally snatched the outfit out of the air, Hermione grinned at him.

"You know," she said cheekily. "We're going to make you wear those clothes."

Harry shook his head, scared. "No, please. I don't even know why I have them! C'mon, ladies. You can't be serious."

The girls nodded, smiles wider than the Cheshire cat. Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"On the bright side, Harry," started Ginny. Harry looked up. "You're going to look hotter than hell."

~*~*~*~

Draco put the finishing touches on his hair and grinned at the mirror. "How do I look?" he asked.

The mirror gasped, as though just looking at him, and there was a soft thump. Draco chuckled. "Thank you." He turned to his housemates and grinned. "Time to go!"

Vin and Greg stood and assessed their handiwork. They nodded in approval and followed Draco out of their room. Draco turned his head to look over his shoulder at his two friends. "Hey guys?"

"Huh?" came the echoed reply.

"No checking out my ass." Draco laughed as he got a pair of thumps on the back of his head. Vin and Greg quickened their pace so the three were walking shoulder to shoulder through the halls. Draco was in his habitual position in the center. It was hard to break the habit of being flanked by the pair. When they got to the Great Hall, the bigger boys took an extra step forward and each pushed open a door. As soon as the doors were cracked, music flowed out of the immense room to the Slytherins' ears. Draco grinned at his friends, who were now holding open the doors dutifully. "Thank you," he said, and he entered the Hall first. He looked around and was amazed.

The Great Hall had been decorated to look like an average living room. Only a lot bigger. There were a dozen couches and at least as many comfy armchairs dotting three sides of the room, excluding the wall with the main doors to the Hall. Between the couches and chairs, there were end- and coffee tables so the partygoers could set down drinks and food. In the center of the Hall, unlike most living rooms, there was a good-sized rectangle that looked like a dance floor. There were also twenty-four black plastic squares suspended seven feet in the air. Each had a different picture, and along the bottom of the frame, there was a small plaque bearing a name. Draco figured these were most likely New Year's pictures from ages past, with extremely thick frames.

Along the wall without the comfortable seating, there were three medium-sized tables, draped with white satin table covers. The two outer tables were heaped with food, one having actual meal-type foods like chicken and steak, the other having snack foods like cookies, chips and various dips. On the outer edge of both the food tables, there was a wide array of drinks, including butterbeer, pumpkin juice and something labeled "soda." The center table had several rectangular silver and black boxes with all kinds of knobs and lights stacked in the center. On either side, there was a large wooden box with a fabric cover. It seemed that was where the music was being piped from. Behind all this there were several lines of thin plastic squares of all colors, some with pictures.

Draco grinned broadly, bopping his head to the bouncy beat of the music. This is great. Dumbledore outdid himself on this one. Sapphires scanned the room, looking for their favorite sight. Harry's not here yet. In fact, none of the Gryffindors are. Draco's grin faltered. He was hoping Harry would be there for his entrance. He walked to the closest table and picked up a goblet of pumpkin juice. He turned to the twenty-four giant picture frames. London? New York? Tokyo? What's all this about? He took a sip of his juice just as he heard the doors of the Great Hall open. He turned to look and suddenly the air before him was colored an orangey hue as the mouthful of juice was discharged.

Is that Harry? Holy shit.

The Slytherin's eyes were the size of dinner plates as they followed Harry into the room. Draco could do nothing more than gape at the raven-haired beauty that had entered.

Draco didn't know where to inspect first. His eyes flicked to the hair first, figuring he would take in Harry's beauty from top to bottom. The normally completely unruly black locks were now pulled neatly away from his face into a short ponytail tied at the base of his neck. Green eyes, which were currently flicking over Draco's form, shone behind thin, silver-framed, pale blue-tinged glasses. Around his neck was the silver chain attached to his lion pendent, currently resting atop his shirt in plain view. Covering Harry's upper body was a shiny black, tailored leather jacket. The sleeves of the jacket got broader as they moved from elbow to wrist. Around Harry's left wrist was his watch. The old, worn band had been replaced by a new black one. Beneath the jacket was a black button-down shirt that was obviously tailored to fit him. The top three buttons were undone, exposing the curves of the young man's neck and the top of a stark white tee shirt. Clipped to the belt loop nearest his left pocket was a silver chain that led to his pocket. Fastened around his waist was a black leather belt with a lightning bolt-shaped buckle. The belt was laced through the belt loops of a pair of pants Draco never expected Harry to wear. Black leather pants. The pants were tight enough to show off every line of his hips, including the circle of a pocket watch in his left pocket, and Draco assumed his backside as well even though he hadn't seen Harry from the back. But as the pants moved down to cover his muscled legs, they were loose enough to permit full movement. The pants ended in a boot cut, fanning out ever so slightly. Covering the teen's feet was a pair of sleek dully-polished black dress boots.

All in all, Draco could do little more than stare as the sex god before him started moving toward his position. Draco started walking to meet Harry in the middle of the dance floor. Harry sent Draco a lopsided smile when they were just a foot apart.

"What do you think?" asked the Gryffindor.

Draco's voice seemed to have decided that now was the time to take a holiday, so he did the only other thing he could think of. He reached a hand up, pulled Harry's face toward him, and presented Harry with the most searing kiss anyone had ever experienced.

~*~*~*~

Harry looked down at his leather-clad form. "Do you really think this looks alright?"

Ginny and Hermione nodded fervently. They were both grinning like madwomen. If Harry didn't know any better, he would have thought the two girls had kidnapped Mrs. Norris and tortured her, or something to that effect. Hermione stepped forward and took Harry's face in her hands.

"Harry Potter, you look like a god. Now stop worrying. You're worse than us!" Hermione smiled and pinched one of the tanned cheeks in her hands. "Calm down."

Ginny nodded again. It seemed she was so stunned that she could do nothing else. I suppose that crush on me hasn't quite abated yet.

Harry grinned at the girls. "Thank you. Both of you. Really. I doubt I would be able to get this together if it weren't for you."

Ginny managed to regain control of her voice then. "Harry, you look hot!" she squealed. "Ahem. Erm. Sorry." The girl's cheeks stained pink. "Erm. You're welcome."

Harry grinned at the younger girl's outburst. "Thanks Gin." He looked at his Muggle watch, complete with a new black band. "Oh Merlin! You guys! You should have been getting ready already!" He looked frantically at the pair of girls standing before him.

"Not to worry, Harry. We've had our oufits planned out for ages." Hermione smiled. Then she and Ginny looked at each other and nodded. With a wink from each girl and a snap, their school robes vanished to be replaced with two stunning dresses.

Ginny was now wearing a short, royal blue satin dress that fit her curves perfectly. The dress was cut straight across her chest, and had thin spaghetti straps of gold that matched the golden stitching perfectly. The bottom of the dress was cut diagonally so on the higher end of the diagonal was halfway down her left thigh, and the left tip ended at her knee. Around her pale neck was now a thick strip of the same blue satin as her dress. Dangling from the bottom of the choker was a "V" made of gold. Hanging from her ears was a pair of tiny gold lions, poised to attack. Draped around her shoulders was a royal blue wrap of a heavier material Harry didn't recognize. On her feet were strappy shoes of the same blue, criss-crossing to just above her ankles, and raising her five-foot-three frame an extra inch and a half.

Hermione was wearing a long evening gown that ended an inch above the bone in her ankle. The scarlet dress had cap sleeves and a wide neckline so her entire collar bone was fully visible. Her neck was adorned with a string of pearls. In her ears were also a pair of lions, ready to pounce. Her shoes were the same kind of strappy shoe as Ginny's, only scarlet to match her own dress. The shoes also had a higher heel so she could be closer to reaching her boyfriend's height. She was holding a pair of long red gloves.

Harry's eyes felt like they were about to fall out of his head. "Ladies, you look simply beautiful. If I were into girls, I would be trying to ravage you right now!" Harry grinned at the pair.

"Thank you, Harry," said Ginny shyly. "But we still have to do our hair." She pointed to her head of red curls, still in the same style as it was before her clothes changed. Harry nodded numbly.

Hermione grinned at Harry's reaction. She conjured a vanity and sat Ginny down in front of it. After setting her gloves down on the new table, she set to work on Ginny's hair. No more than five minutes later, Ginny's hair was pulled up in a twist, with curls spilling down from the top of the back of her head. On either side of her face were two corkscrew curls. She painted lipstick on her lips and stood. "All done," stated Ginny, grinning. "Sit," she said to Hermione.

Hermione did so, and another ten minutes later, her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun as it had been for the Yule Ball two years before. This time there was a single wisp of hair on either side of her face. She did her makeup as well and then stood. She snapped her fingers again and a silver tiara, sparkling with faux diamonds, appeared in her upturned hands. She watched herself in the mirror as she set it in her hair. Then she picked up her gloves and pulled them on. They just brushed her elbows. Hermione looked up and smiled at her friends, who both smiled back.

"Are we ready?" asked Harry.

"Yes," she said. "Let's go and wow our men." Hermion winked.

Harry stepped out of the room first, followed by Ginny and Hermione. He motioned for them to stop just before they were in view of the common room. He winked.

Harry descended the rest of the stairs, grinning at his two friends waiting by the fire for their girlfriends. Ron was dressed in brown cordoroy pants, a gray button-down shirt, and Harry could see the hint of a red tee shirt under the gray. Colin was in gray dress pants that carried a heavy crease down the legs. He too wore a button-down shirt with an extra-wide collar. The shirt was the same shade as Ginny's dress. They both looked very nice, albeit anxious. They didn't notice him, so he cleared his throat to get their attention. Ron and Colin's heads snapped up.

Harry took on an announcer-type voice. "I would like to present the two most lovely ladies Gryffindor House has ever seen, Miss Virginia Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger." He made a wide sweeping gesture toward the staircase and watched the reactions of the boys now standing by the fire.

When the girls appeared, Harry watched as their boyfriends' jaws fell open. Even across the room, he could see the wonder and lust present in the male Gryffindors' eyes.

As soon as the girls had reached their beaus' sides, Harry clapped his hands together excitedly. "Can we go, now?" he asked enthusiastically.

Ron smirked. "Yeah, mate. Let's go see how your boy looks."

Harry practically jumped to the portrait hole and pushed it open. After waiting for the girls to slimb carefully out, aided by their other halves, Harry started walking quickly toward the Great Hall.

"Gee, Harry," said Colin. "Are you in a hurry or something?"

Harry tried to slow his pace, but he was to eager to see his boyfriend. He tried. But he failed miserably. After about a couple minutes of trying to race after Harry, the two couples behind him told him they would just meet him at the Great Hall. He threw an "okay" over his shoulder and hurried off to the Hall. He made sure that his hair didn't loose itself from the tiny band around it as he rushed to the party.

Finally, he reached the Great Hall. He stood outside the doors for a moment, brushing nonexistant creases out of his clothes and smoothing down his hair. Then he pulled open the doors.

When he stepped inside, he took a moment to look around at the décor. There were twenty-four televisions hanging in midair over the center of the room, and a big stereo system on a table by the nearest wall. I must go check out that music collection later, he thought. Then his eyes fell on the blonde in the center of the room, staring at a television. Their eyes met. Then, from behind his blue-tinted glasses, Harry took in the clothes adorning his Draco's body.

The blonde hair lay loose, curled up at the bottom, framing Draco's pale face. Harry smiled slightly at the surprise and excitement in the sapphires. On the teen's shoulders was a long black suede duster jacket that ended just above Draco's knee. Around his neck, Harry could see the silver chain that he knew held the tiny dragon he'd given Draco for Christmas. Under the duster was a tight v-neck sweater, through which the top of a black tee shirt was showing. The sweater was the same color Harry saw every day when he looked himself in the eye in a mirror. Harry swore Draco was shimmering. He figured there must be tiny irradescent threads in Draco's sweater. Harry's eyes traveled to Draco's waist where a black belt ending in a snake's head, its teeth sunk into the belt to hold it closed. The belt was slipped through the loops of a tight pair of black dress pants, creased down the front of his legs. The pants clung to Draco's strong, Quidditch-toned thighs. The ensemble was finished off with a pair of sleek black dress shoes.

Harry reminded himself that he still needed to breathe, and slowly started toward Draco. Come to me, my little stud, he thought. As though Draco heard Harry, the blonde started moving toward him. When they were finally within reach of each other, Harry spread his standard lopsided smile across his lips. Draco's breath caught.

"What do you think?" asked Harry.

Draco looked like he wanted to say something but was incapable. So instead, a pale hand found its way into Harry's hair. Harry felt himself being tugged toward Draco, and his entire body was alight with passion and excitement as he was met with a kiss like no one had ever experienced. Harry's arms wrapped around Draco's waist and pulled him close. I could stay here forever.

~*~TBC~*~