Chapter Twenty-Three

Harry and Severus continued to meet in secret, the weeks following the Death Eater meeting. Draco regularly covered for his friend and godfather, but Ron and Hermione were getting suspicious. Soon, it was the Saturday before Halloween. Death Eaters had attacked Diagon Alley and Surrey in the weeks before, and Harry had had at least fifteen nightmares about Voldemort.

It was the third Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and the first that Harry went to. The fourth Quidditch game had been the day before, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. Madame Pomfrey had long since given Harry a clean bill of health, and Gryffindor had won against both Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

***

"Harry, come on! We're going to miss the carriages to Hogsmeade if you don't hurry up!" Draco yelled at the green-eyed boy. "You're just like a girl!"

"I'll be there in a minute, Dray-co!" Harry shouted back, stressing 'co' to piss Draco off. "And if we miss the carriages, then we'll use the passage beneath FrednGeorge's."

Draco rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Hey, don't you huff at me! You're the one who made me wear make up," Harry glared as he walked out of Draco's bathroom. "Fucking bet."

Draco burst out laughing. Harry glowered at the blonde. Harry had grey-glitter eye shadow, black lipstick, and black eyeliner on. "Harry, you look like a fecking Goth!"

"Shut the fuck up," The Boy-Who-Was-Gothic sneered.

"I don't even want to know how you knew how to put all that on," Draco snickered. Harry slapped him on the back of the head. "Hey! Bitch."

"I though you were in a hurry. C'mon," Harry growled, walking out of the room.

***

Harry glared at his snickering friends. "It's not that funny."

Hermione and Ron nodded.

"Yeah, it is! It's hilarious," Ron chuckled. "I think you and Percy are the only guys I've seen wear make up."

"Percy wore make up?' Draco asked.

"Yeah. Percy did something to piss Oliver off, so he had to wear make up and a muggle girl's cheerleadering outfit and cheer him on at a Quidditch game last year," Ron nodded.

"Cheerleading," Hermione corrected.

"Why have I not heard about this until now?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I was sworn to secrecy, but I just felt like letting now," Ron shrugged. Hermione glared at him disapprovingly. "What?"

***

"Harry, I love the new you," Fred waggled his eyebrows at the famous wizard. Draco and George glared at him.

"Reminds me of that time when we pulled that prank on Snape. He couldn't take the makeup off for a week! We gave him pretty, pink eye shadow!" George grinned after kicking his twin's shin.

"When was this?" Ron asked.

"In our second year," Fred smirked, wrapping his arm around Draco's small waist. George growled and pushed Fred away and took his place. Fred glared at the other twin and pushed him out of the way. Draco looked positively delighted.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You two are acting like idiots."

"Aw, Harry, let them fight," Draco giggled as Fred grabbed him from George.

"Boys," Hermione muttered. Ron smirked at her.

"You know you love us," Ron raised a ginger eyebrow.

"That's what you think," the Head Girl grinned.

"Mine!" Fred glared at his twin

"Mine!"

"You can share me, boys," Draco giggled girlishly. He changed his tone before he continued. His next words were sombre. "But you don't own me."

Fred and George seemed to stop immediately. "Sorry."

The blonde beamed at the two redheads. "S'okay."

"Hey, you guys want some Butterbeer? My treat," Harry changed the subject. Draco gave him a grateful smile.

"We would…"Fred shrugged.

"…But we've got to stay…"

"…with the store."

Draco giggled, "I love that."

"We can bring back Butterbeer for you," Hermione suggested. The other three seventh years nodded.

"Okay," Fred nodded.

"We'll be back in a few then," Ron said.

"You three can carry them all, so you don't need me to go with you," Draco smiled innocently.

"Fine, stay here and snog," Harry mock sniffed.

"You're an idiot," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Hey! That must be why we're friends!"

The three Weasleys and Hermione snickered. Draco stuck out his tongue.

"Hey, I don't want to see that," Ron groaned.

"You don't want to know what I'm going to be shoving in your brothers' mouths while you're gone?" Draco asked naively, smiling at Ron.

Hermione pushed a gagging Ron out of the store and Harry followed, laughing.

"So, how about that shoving in the mouths thing?" George grinned.

***

"Well, at least it was just his tongue, Ron," Harry grinned. "He could have pulled down his pants and shown you something else. Do you want me to give you a hint as to what that would be?"

"Oh Merlin's beard," Ron's eyes went wide.

"Just don't get a mental image and you'll be fine, dear," Hermione said sweetly, knowing that he would. Ron screamed and hit his head a few times. Harry and Hermione laughed as they headed for The Three Broomsticks. Ron groaned and kept hitting his head all the way to the pub.

***

"Lucius, go now, and don't fail me," Voldemort hissed.

The blonde man bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

"Go."

Lucius bowed again and then apparated away.

***

Draco and Fred broke their kiss as the ground shook. George ran to the door and looked out.

"Fuck! Death Eaters!"

"Draco, go to the back room," Fred started.

"You'll be safe there," George added as he took out his wand. Fred did the same.

"No, I'm going to help," Draco shook his head.

"Draco…"

"No, FrednGeorge. If you're going out there, then so am I," Draco crossed his arms. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione are out there too."

"Fine, but if you get hurt…"

"We'll kill you."

"Right," Draco nodded. George pulled him into a kiss, and then Fred did the same.

***

Harry drew his wand and aimed at the nearest dark wizard.

"Expelliarmus!" The Death Eater's wand flew from his hand. Ron cast the petrifaction spell on several while Hermione effectively disarmed several others.

"Stupefy!" Draco yelled as he ran to them, the twins following.

"Crucio!" On of the Death Eaters yelled. The wizard aimed at Draco, but Harry knocked his friend away and took the curse.

"Expelliarmus!" the Weasleys and Hermione shouted, ending the Unforgivable on Harry as the evil wizard's wand flew to them, and the Death Eater knocked back. Hermione reached down to help Harry up, but he waved her away. Harry stood shakily and picked up his wand, ready to fight again. Fred helped Draco up while George covered them.

One of the adults that had been in the pub disarmed one Death Eater, who had burst out laughing at the makeup on Harry's face. In the beginning, there had been at least fifty Voldemort followers, but now only ten were standing. Seeing the adults and students out numbered them, they began to flee.

A Death Eater yelled out before apparating away," You'll regret the day that you ever turned down the Dark Lord, Draco! He'll make sure you and your precious friends pay!"

FrednGeorge, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneered at the spot where Lucius had been standing before. His voice had given the evil git away. Draco buried his face into FrednGeorge's chests as they hugged him close. Harry smiled at them and heard Ron and Hermione ask if he was all right. He answered yes and then put his wand into his pocket.

Just minutes later, Aurors stood on the scene, binding and levitating the bodies of the unconscious Death Eaters. The teachers that had accompanied the students to Hogsmeade began herding them up to go back to Hogwarts. Harry smiled slightly when he realized that no one had died, and then fainted from exhaustion.

End Chapter Twenty-Three