AN: This would have been out two days sooner if it weren't for my editor. When exactly does a job and a sick grandmother take precedence over moi? Tee hee…
Chapter 9: Trick or Treat?
It had been a week since the Ygraine/George/Fred blowout, and the discussion surrounding it had died down. A boiling plot, however, could still be felt by all those involved. George was planning something and Ygraine knew it; George had warned her after all. She just didn't know when he was going to strike.
Halloween was fast approaching; the names of the three fighting parties had been replaced on the lips of the students by talk of the upcoming Halloween party. There was of course the giant feast in the Great Hall, but this year there was something new for the sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts, something everyone was looking forward to more than their dinner in the Great Hall. The students had been invited down to Hogsmeade to celebrate Halloween with a grand party at the Three Broomsticks.
The Three Broomsticks was going to be transformed from a little pub to a full blown dance bar with booths on the side for the patrons who wished to sit and enjoy a nice mulled wine or cherry syrup, or for those who wanted to cuddle in the darker corners.
"How does one 'Come As You're Not?'". Neville said as he looked at the poster on the Gryffindor message board.
"Quite simply Neville; come as something that you are not. I am going as a Quidditch player." Hermione placed her hand on her chest and looked around for stray listeners, emphasizing that she was talking about herself, showing that she was allowing Neville the privilege of knowing what she was going as.
"Really? Who's lending you their uniform?"
"Ginny is. She's the only girl on the team small enough to have a uniform that I wouldn't be swimming in." The two students headed out of the Gryffindor common room via the Fat Lady and waked down the corridor to their Transfiguration class.
"Do you know what I could go as, Hermione? I don't want to screw up the evening by wearing a bad costume." Neville began to blush, and shoved his hands deep into his robes pockets.
"Why's that Neville? It's just a party. I'm sure you could come up with something perfectly fine on your own. Give yourself some credit." Hermione said, smiling at the ever-bashful boy.
"Um, I don't want to screw up because I have an important date."
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. Neville had a date? She didn't even have a date. The again, she was going with a group of people. Come to think of it, so was Neville.
"You have a date? I thought you were coming with the group?"
"Oh, I'm still coming with the group; so is my date. It's Luna. Her and I have been seeing each other since the end of August, so it will be our 4-month anniversary on Halloween. That's a quarter of a year, and I just want to make it perfect for her."
"Oh Neville, that is so sweet. Of course I'll help you. You two have been keeping this pretty quiet."
"Well not really that quiet; everyone has just been focusing on other things."
Hermione nodded in complete agreement. Things had been like a soap opera since the whole Quidditch fiasco, and she wished, just like Neville, that things would just go back to being normal.
"Here we are. Guess it's time for class. Thanks for saying you'd help me 'Mione." They both walked into the classroom and took their seats, a blushing Neville beside Dean, and Hermione beside Ron.
"How do we look?" The twins entered the common room, dressed like Chippendale angels, each in black dress pants, dress shoes, a black bowtie and a white collar. They wore no shirts, just a tilted halo and strap on wings. The girls who were present to witness their decent into the common room could do nothing but stare, mouths wide open, drool dripping at the sight of the twins' chiseled bodies. The bruises on their chests and stomachs and the matching split lips gave them that extra fallen angel appeal. The twins looked at each other, eyebrows cocked, pleased with themselves. Ever since their fight, they had returned to being more of a team. There was still a small amount of tension concerning Ygraine, but they were pretty much back to normal; they figured they just needed a good beating from each other.
"How is anyone supposed to one up that?" Harry asked, pointing at the twins, disgusted that anyone could look better than him in his Snape costume.
"Like this-" Seamus slowly walked down the stairs in a Gryffindor school uniform, skirt and all, Hermione's Head Girl badge pinned proudly on his over-stuffed chest. "I'm Hermione, can't you tell?" He stopped on the bottom step dramatically. "Now, where's my Draco?" Seamus looked around the room, and his gaze stopped at the entrance to the common room. A tall blond was standing right near the Fat Lady.
"Ah, the beautiful man himself." Seamus headed over to the more feminine looking Draco. "Together at last my sweet," he swooned and grabbed Ygraine's arm and swung her around, allowing her to flash the room her Head Boy badge and Slytherin uniform.
"Shall we shag now or later, Granger?"
"That is not funny!" Hermione left Ron's side and ran towards the two uniform-mooching students.
"Seamus, you never told me that you'd have someone dressing up as Malfoy! That's totally not fair! I want my badge back now!" Hermione put her hand out, hoping Seamus would hand it over, knowing fully well that he wouldn't.
"How you got Malfoy to give you his badge is beyond me," Hermione said as she lowered her empty hand to her side, defeated.
"Quite simply, actually. I just asked him for it," Ygraine said looping her arm through Seamus'.
"You asked for it? And he just loaned it to you? Didn't know he had a nice bone in his body," Hermione grumbled in disbelief, rubbing her stomach at a certain feeling that was creeping in, not sure at that moment what it was that was bothering her.
"Oh, Draco is nice once you get past the arrogance, the cockiness, and the plain Slytherin in him. We're friends, so he didn't seem to have much of a problem lending it to me, 'specially since I told him that Seamus was going as you. That pretty much sealed the deal."
Hermione's stomach clenched. She felt as though she was going to be sick, not just from the actual feeling in her stomach, but most of all what it represented. She was jealous of Ygraine. Ygraine was friends with Malfoy, and was able to look past the whole Gryffindor/Slytherin feud. Ygraine was spending time with Malfoy, whereas she was not. She was allowed to see Malfoy as an arrogant prick, how come he wouldn't let her see past the Slytherin inside?
"You ok, Hermione? You look kind of green." Ygraine was concerned for her friend, unaware that the reason the other girl was looking like that was because of her friendship with the Head Boy. Hermione felt almost ready to puke at the thought that she could be jealous because of Draco Malfoy.
"Yeah, I'm fine, my stomach just turned; must have been something from dinner. Think I ate too many pumpkin tarts. Good choice in costume though, although you do look far too pretty to be Malfoy. And Seamus, my boobs aren't that big!" Hermione said, watching Seamus stuff more tissue into his bra.
"Oh, I know. They could be though is you used a simple Engorgio charm. But a girl with this kind of height should have more to offer. No offence." He said as he grabbed his 'breasts', making sure they were in the perfect position inside the bra Ygraine had loaned him a long with her uniform.
Everyone headed towards the exit to head over to the Three Broomsticks. Luna had been waiting outside their entrance for the group and especially Neville, who had dressed up to look like Dumbledore. Neville had figured since he was always a little slow that he should play it up for fun by coming as one of the wisest wizards ever, to show that he does have a sense of humour. Hermione had taken Neville shopping at a Wizarding thrift store to pick up some old robes, and had found the perfect wig and beard. He was hardly recognizable except for the small belly of his, poking the robes out a bit.
The walk to Hogsmeade had proven quite fun. Everyone was getting along. There were no fights, no odd silences; things were pretty much as they should have been. This, however, had some of the students nervous; things were possibly too good at the moment. After all, it had only been just over a week since the big fight. A comment made by George had put Ygraine on edge. He had come up to her as they walked, and walked stride for stride with her in silence for a bit, and then complimented her on her choice of costume and told her that she looked good. She had felt butterflies when he was walking beside her, but she wasn't sure if they were old butterflies from her old self that once could have crushed on him, or if it were nerves warning of a possible strike. She smiled at him and thanked George for the compliment and returned one back, saying how well his bruises were healing and that the outfit suited him, hoping to throw him off if an impending prank was the case. George soon returned to Fred's side and Ygraine to Harry and Seamus, all of whom had questions for the two regarding what just happened. A simple shrug was both of their answers.
The night was warm, with no wind or rain clouds in sight. The stars had started to poke through the darkness as the students approached the entrance to the Three Broomsticks, giggles escaping from some of the more eager students to enter. For some, this would be their first out-of-school party.
The Three Broomsticks was packed with sixth and seventh year students as the group entered. They were able to see that the place had been decorated to the fullest; it did not look like the Broomsticks they remembered. There were still some elements that were the same: the mirror behind the bar, the booths on the sides, but the rest of the place had been cleared so that they could fit a dance floor into the middle of the pub. Cobwebs had been put up to add a dusty effect to the establishment. Of course, plain cobwebs would not be enough for a Halloween party. Large spiders had been placed within the webs and if someone were not careful. They would find themselves entwined in the webs and the spider would begin to crawl on them if they hadn't figured out how to get out in time. Candles of orange, black and white shades were floating all around the students, moving out of their way if they came to close, as the ceilings were low. Jack-o'-lanterns were also floating around, with decrepit hands floating beside them carrying trays of various snacks for the students. Steaming cauldrons were holding the bigger hors d'oeuvres.
One of the floating trays passed by the group, Ron and Neville both grabbing what appeared to be a finger. They figured out after a hesitant first bite that they were sugar cookies with a pealed almond on the top in place of a fingernail.
The music surrounded the students. The pub had been charmed to play music at different levels of volume depending on where one would stand. If one were on the dance floor or standing in the entrance, the music would be at its loudest, the bass beating, making the floor vibrate with the life that the music would bring out of a standing student. Sitting in a booth, one would find the base down and the music low, allowing time for a perfect conversation. The bar counter was also at this level, allowing the servers to hear what orders were being made. The students found this all genius not having to raise their voices unless necessary.
The big group of Gryffindors and the lone Ravenclaw put their jackets and extra items down at a booth claiming it as their own and headed out onto the dance floor to start the night off with some movement. They all danced together, with no one person in particular, just enjoying the company, allowing the music to take them over.
They'd been dancing nearly a half hour when the sound of laughter drowned out the music. The crowd moved apart, exposing the group to what everyone was laughing at. It was obvious to the group why everyone had parted to let them see, as the laughter escaped from Fred and George, Seamus; even Ron and Hermione let out a little giggle, a Harry's mouth dropped and the roaring laughter of the crowd picked up as they watched his reaction.
"The nerve of him!" Harry yelled as he looked at Draco who walked straight up to him and smirked.
"Like my costume Potter? Someone who loves themselves as much as you do should be able to appreciate the flattery of someone dressing up like them. Don't you agree?" Draco said as he pushed the rims of his very thick black glasses up his nose with his middle finger.
Harry looked at Draco in horror, just like the other students in the pub, comparing the real Harry Potter to the obvious caricature of him. Draco had dressed up to look just like Harry, only purposely not quite as smoothly as Seamus and Ygraine had done with their portrayal of the Head Students. Draco had instead put a little bit of a cartoon quality to his look. He had put on a black wig that, unlike Harry's real hair was not shaped into his faux-hawk, but shaped into a bowl cut, and Draco had added his own cow licks. He was wearing a set of dentures that had the two front teeth sticking out with a big gap. His uniform was that of a Gryffindor and Harry could only wonder who loaned it to him. He knew now that no one would confess to that; he had his suspicions though. The final touch to the costume was the evident scar Draco had added to his forehead; no one could be Harry Potter without the lightning bolt scar. Harry thought that if he hadn't been the one Draco was making fun of, he probably would have been laughing with the crowd; it was after all a very well thought out costume, and the effort that Draco put in was too much. 'He must really be obsessed', Harry quietly smirked and then glared at Hermione who was almost convulsing from holding her laughter in.
"Oh come on, Harry, you thought it was funny when Seamus came out looking like me." Hermione said as she passed her other self to come forward and stand beside the dumbfounded Harry.
"That's different 'Mione." Harry said looking to his other friends for support, but all they could do is either giggle at Draco mimicking Harry's actions or scratch their foreheads thinking if that really could be Hermione sticking up for Malfoy.
And the night had only begun
"What was that, Hermione? Sticking up for Malfoy now?" Harry asked as he reached for a carrot stick and dipped it as the tray floated by, crunching it with obvious frustration.
"I wasn't sticking up for him. I was just making a point." Hermione said, looking to Ron for any help he could give her.
"Sorry, Hermione, I'm with Harry on this one. Sure Malfoy's costume was brilliant, but you wouldn't catch me dead saying that to half the class. Eh Harry?" Harry continued to much away on his carrot. Hermione felt bad.
"Ah, I can't be mad at you when you're dressed like that 'Mione," Harry said looking over Ginny's Quidditch uniform.
"I hope that is because she's dressed like a Quidditch player and not because it's my sister's uniform." Ron teased, looking at his best friend with a hint of fun poking through the older brother glare.
"I am sorry, Harry. Are we all good, then?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, just don't go kissing him or anything; then people really will start talking." Harry said, laughing as he headed back to the dance floor where Ginny was dressed as a Veela to whisper in her ear that she was supposed to dress up as something that she was not.
"Don't think we have to worry about that any time soon." Hermione said as she continued on behind Harry.
"I hope not." Ron said to himself as he picked up his pace to dance with Hermione on the dance floor.
"Seamus, if you keep stuffing my bra like that, it will stretch and then I'll have to get a new one." Ygraine said as she watched Seamus shove a few more tissues into the already over-stuffed bra.
"Well, if I do stretch it, I promise I will take you shopping for a new one. You can try them on for me, you know a little fashion show, make sure you get a good one." George just rolled his eyes at the obvious flirting between the two; he wasn't exactly sure if he liked it, but he suppressed that feeling as fast as it came up.
"Why are my buttons starting to pull apart from my shirt?" Seamus said looking down at his chest, stuffing the last piece of tissue in, the openings between the buttons gaping to expose the red bra that Ygraine had loaned him with the assumption that he would have kept the bra the same size as she had given it.
"Well Finnegan, in case you haven't ever seen Millicent, it means you have too much stuffed in." Draco said as he walked up to the group of Gryffindors who were standing near the bar, waiting in line for some butter beer and fire whiskey.
"Well if they are popping out like this, I say let'em out! Let the girls breath, get some light. Eh, Fred?" Seamus said, nudging George with his elbow. George looked at Seamus in confusion, as Seamus was one of the only people who normally knew which twin was which. He looked at Ygraine, Hermione and Dean; none of them seemed to realize Seamus' mistake. This could be interesting, he thought to himself. He and Fred used to pull the twin swap on their family all the time, but now he could try with his friends and classmates. Could he get away with, he wondered. He thought of correcting Seamus, but Fred wasn't there; he was off somewhere else, probably making sure Harry wasn't doing anything to drastic with their baby sister. He looked at Ygraine, looking at him, her smile beaming over to him; she was laughing, she was happy. He hadn't seen her like that when he was around her since the day of the Quidditch practices. He actually missed her smile, he realized. Again, he suppressed that thought and concentrated on pretending to be Fred. Perhaps he could work this to his advantage should Ygraine think of him as his brother.
"Let the girls out I say. Liberate them!" The boys all looked to be in agreement. Hermione and Ygraine just shook their heads.
"Not likely." Hermione said as she turned towards the dance floor, laughing to herself as her friends pressed on with the issue of women's breasts and how life would be better for them all if the girls went around with no bras at all.
"You know. Granger, I only see it fitting that, you being in Weasley's uniform, we should dance. But honestly, you could have paid a little more attention to the detail of your costume." Hermione stopped and looked at back at Draco who had followed her onto the dance floor, Ron's glare not far behind them.
"Excuse me?"
"Tsk, tsk Granger. You should have known this one. The Weasels have red hair. Not this brown that you are sporting," he said as he twisted his fingers through her long hair. As he felt the silk pass through his touch, he was shocked at the liberties she was letting him take. As his fingers reached the tips of her strands, she pushed them behind her ears nervously. "So it is only fitting if we dance, what with you being Weasley and me being Potter; not that the git that he is could ask the real one himself to dance with her."
"Is that the best way you could think of asking me to dance with you, Malfoy? Well it isn't going to work, seeing how your theory is all wrong anyways, which would mean that you'd actually be dancing with me and I'd be dancing with you. I'm not dressed as Ginny; I've only borrowed her uniform so that I could dress up as a Quidditch player. Perhaps, next time you try to ask me to dance you may want to start with 'Hermione would you care to dance with me?' Then maybe I'd think about accepting your offer."
Ron walked up behind them and placed his hand on the small of her back. "I'll take that dance you promised me, Hermione. Malfoy." The two walked further into the crowd of dancing students, Draco standing back, watching as Hermione's eyes would pass his every time she'd make a turn around the floor.
She enjoyed dancing with Ron. Their bodies were working to the rhythm. Although her hands would brush his body as she'd move up and down as the beat pounded, her eyes would look beyond the red hair to the boy leaning on the beam across the room from her. He would dip her, and she'd laugh at his flirtations; he'd pull her closer and she'd smile as her heart would flutter. The music was fast and her heart was racing, beating for two. She was with one, the other beat was sent out across the room to the grey eyes that could see the waves that passed over to him. The light flickered and smoke appeared, casting shadows around the room. She was getting hot; her hair clinging to her face as the sweat began to drip. She took the Quidditch robe off and handed it off to Ginny who was heading to the table with Harry for a quick break. Her red shirt clung to her body; she was having too much fun.
The mystery she put into her moves had kept the grey eyes on her. He didn't move; instead he just stood there, watching her with the other. She couldn't tell if he was jealous or just trying to make her nervous as she'd thrust her hips and allow her body to rise into the one she was with. She was dancing for him, closer it seemed than the one who held her. She couldn't understand why. She was supposed too loathe him; she did loathe him, that's why she was dancing with Ron, because it was the right thing to be doing. Ron was right, he was wrong. The music finally came to a rest and slowed down. Ygraine blocked her vision of the piercing grey eyes. Was she going to dance with him? Why was she talking to him? What was she whispering in his ear? Why were they laughing? He never laughs. She looked away as Ron pulled her in to dance with him. The music was slow and sensual. She rested her chin on his chest trying to concentrate on the moment, if there was a moment for them. She could feel Ron breathing, the heat of his body was soaking into hers. It felt perfect, but there was something missing, perhaps because it was perfect. She caught a glimpse of him. He was still talking to her, but then a body moved in front of them and pulled Ygraine away. 'Thank you, Fred' Hermione thought to herself.
'Care to dance?' he had asked her. He knew it was going to take a lot of guts and patience for him to pull this one off, but he wanted to see if it could be done. To see if he could fool them all, fool her. People had been mistaking him for Fred ever since he had broken his choker; there was nothing physical to tell them apart anymore. The timing had been perfect for him to ask her to dance. Fred had left the pub to get some fresh air, so there was only one twin in the Three Broomsticks. No one would know it was him who was dancing with her. He wasn't sure why he wanted to do it, but then again he wasn't sure why he did a lot of things. He was planning on pulling something that night, to make the score between him and Ygraine even, in his mind anyways, but he had to seize the opportunity to get some information on her. It could possibly prove useful to him in the future should he ever feel the need to pull something more. Plus she was beautiful; who wouldn't want to dance with someone that looked like her, even if she was dressed up like Draco Malfoy.
She seemed a little caught off guard when he had asked her, probably because she wasn't sure if it were Fred or George who was asking, and she wasn't about to ask to find out either. She had agreed to dance but kept a safe distance from the fallen angel at first as she tried to figure out which twin it was that she was dancing with. Even though she wanted to hold on and be close to the bruised body and make the hurt feel better. She knew inside that she shouldn't, she wasn't even sure she should have said yes to the dance in the first place. 'What harm could it cause if he was the one to ask her?' she asked herself. She knew the answer: lots. Yet she still stepped out onto the dance floor with him, some feathers falling out, as they'd brush up against some of the other students dancing. She let out a little giggle when one of his wings smacked Ron as he was dancing with Hermione. She figured as she moved in, that it had to be Fred, it couldn't possibly be George, she was sure of it.
He pulled her in, and they danced for the first time.
He watched her dancing with him; he only wanted her because he couldn't have her. She was wrong and forbidden. She was a Mudblood, a know-it-all, a Gryffindor, the Head Girl, and most of all, she was Granger, the girl he had disliked the moment he had seen her in first year. Yet now he was feeling her pull, and it was making him sick. He knew the chances were slim, but a Malfoy always got what he wanted, and right now he wanted a piece of her, just to feel her, to see her outside of the castle walls and those walls she'd built around herself. He knew he wasn't going to taste her tonight.
Pansy came up to him and he figured that he might as well get something out of this night. They walked onto the floor, with obvious excitement on her part; he just wanted to feel a female body up against his, and she'd do, for now. He had chosen to dance near her; he brushed up against her as he passed by to find a spot small enough on the floor for him and the replacement.
The song was almost over, and she could still feel the goose bumps on her body from when he had brushed up against her as he passed. He had made a habit of looking her in the eye whenever he could, and this disconcerted her. She knew Ron suspected something as his grip tightened on her every time he faced Draco. The song began to fade. She slowly pulled away from Ron and against her volition looked Draco in the eyes. He smiled coyly at her and grabbed Pansy, pulling her in so that he could kiss her, looking Hermione right in the eyes as he did so. He was teasing her and they both knew it, which was probably why she grabbed Ron's hand and walked off the floor with him, and headed to the table where everyone else was sitting.
There were two spots left open when they got there. Ygraine had left to go to the bathroom, and George had gotten up to go get himself, Fred and Neville another round of drinks as they were almost finished theirs. Ygraine came to the table and sat beside Hermione. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves; the night was turning out to be a wonderful time for all.
George returned to the table with the three drinks and placed them in front of his counterparts and proceeded to drink his in silence. He watched her sip her fire whiskey, the warmth of it heating her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile. Although nothing had been said during their dance together, he knew she was thinking it was Fred. There was no way that he could have possibly asked her to dance, at least as far as she could guess when they were together, moving as one on the floor. She had appeared to be so calm on the outside, but when he was holding her, he was able to feel the blood running through her veins; her nerves were up high when she was touching him, and he enjoyed it. He knew that his days as Fred were only just beginning.
A scream and some laughter broke his train of thought. His eyes focused back on to Ygraine, her appearance giving away what the commotion was all about. He wished then that he hadn't have missed out on the event, as it was his handy work that caused her to scream.
"Neville! Why'd you go and spit your drink on me? This is disgusting!" Ygraine was wiping her face with her hands, brushing away the drips of Neville's drink from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Ygraine, so sorry, please don't be mad at me. My drink, it's rotten. George, are you sure you got me a cherry syrup?" George looked at Neville and hid his smile.
"Sorry, mate, thought you said you wanted a Sherry. Here, go get yourself a new drink." George handed him a sickle.
"I'm going to go wash up. This is so gross." Ygraine got up and headed towards the girls' bathroom, Hermione close behind. "I got some on my hands, think I'll go wash it off. And Neville, the drink isn't rotten, it's just Sherry; you've had it on the truffle at school." George looked at the two girls as they walked away, one completely drenched, the other simply misted. A grin spread across his face, ear to ear. He hadn't felt this good in a long time, this was just the first part.
Hermione squeezed the soap onto her hands and worked it into a lather. Ygraine stood at the sink beside her, laughing at the whole ordeal. Hermione placed her hands under the faucet and watched the bubbles go down the drain, the water rinsing her hands clean.
Then all of a sudden a spot began to appear as the water dripped away. Ugly brown meshed with purple and green spots began to poke their way through the pigment of her white skin. Hermione figured she had just missed a spot, and lathered up again, rinsed them clean, but the spots only got worse. They weren't washing away. It dawned on her, and she hissed a warning to her friend.
"Ygraine! Don't use the soap on your-" It was too late. Ygraine was looking in the mirror, a blotchy face starring right back at her. She knew it wasn't quickly coming off, as she had heard from the stories that George never pulled a half-assed prank. She knew he wanted everyone to see her ugly coloured face, and see it they would. She walked out of the bathroom, tears hidden beneath laughter and her head held high. She walked right up to George who was smiling at the table. She grabbed her jacket and looked George straight in the eyes.
"I'll see you in class tomorrow. Good night."