Disclaimer; nope hasn't changed!
Chapter 39
Draco paced his room until dinner he needed to catch Harry without the other two thirds of the Gryffindor triplets. He snuck out of the Slytherin common room without being noticed, this was a feat in itself given he was practically royalty to most of the house and waited for the Gryffindor by the Great Hall. He didn't have to wait long; he soon heard the voices coming down the stairs. Their conversation stopped when they caught sight of Draco.
"Po...Harry, can I have a word. In private" he added glancing wearily between Harry and the other two. Harry shrugged and nodded before turning to Ron and Hermione
"I'll catch you guys up" they both looked suspicious and confused but left, Harry turned his attention back to the blonde Slytherin.
"What's up Draco?" Draco looked around he'd been lucky so far no other Slytherin had turned up and seen him being civil to the the-boy-who-lived. He went towards the nearest empty classroom and motioned for Harry to follow him in. Harry cringed and shook his head, it was the same room Remus had cornered him in on his birthday
"Not in there, come on" Draco shrugged and followed Harry into a room further away. Draco locked the door and cast a silencing spell. Harry raised an eyebrow. Draco shrugged
"Sorry but I can't afford for us to be overheard" he took a deep breath before explaining the reason for this clandestine little meeting.
"Ok, I have a confession to make, yesterday Blaise and I made a bet on the Quidditch match yesterday" Harry nodded he already knew that but Draco didn't know he knew.
"Anyway I lost" Harry gathered that or they wouldn't be haven't be having this chat. Draco had taken to pacing up and down the room. Harry prompted him
"Ok you lost a bet, why are you telling me? Something tells me you're not about to hit me up for a loan" Draco smiled a little
"Yeah right the day I take a loan from you is the day you turn dark and Voldemort wears a Tutu. The thing it this bet, the loser has to sing at the ball" Harry smirked but was still worried about why he was getting a heads up.
"Ok you have to sing, what has this got to do with me?" Draco stopped pacing and looked at the emerald eyed boy
"Harry, what ever I sing is going to have to be a dig at you" He snorted "You know what the Slytherin's are like they are going to want me to hurt you" Harry nodded slowly beginning to understand the risk Draco was taking in informing him. Harry sighed and transfigured a leaf and stick he found into a quill and parchment. He quickly wrote the name of a song and band on the parchment and gave it to Draco
"Sing this, I'll react in the proper way whether I know its coming or not. I won't tell the others, so they will react too" he though about that "you might want to watch yourself after, Ron's got a temper even if the others don't do anything" Draco nodded and glanced down at the name written on the paper. It wasn't a band he had heard of so he would have to do some research. He looked up at Harry
"Thanks for being reasonable about this" Harry shrugged Draco was the one taking the bigger risk here.
"Draco, thanks for telling me and don't worry about it. As I said that song will get a reaction, does every time I listen to it. We better go before Ron and Hermione thinks we've killed each other. One other thing, let Snape know what you're doing and its cool with me, otherwise he might just hex you to oblivion before I can stop him" Draco nodded. They lowered the wards and left the room, Harry entered the Hall first by the Gryffindor table, Draco a few minutes later on the other side, trying no to look too obvious. When Ron and Hermione asked Harry what Draco had wanted he shrugged them off and then started listening to everyone talk about their costumes. He looked over at the head table. Outkast and his father were engrossed in conversation he sighed, they were getting awfully close, Harry wondered about that but then Outkast turned and saw him, she gave him a smile and a wave. Sev followed her line of vision and gave Harry a queering look; Outkast put her hand on his cheek dragging his attention back to her. Harry smiled; he needed to talk to her later anyway about the Halloween costumes.
##
Several hours later Harry knocked on her door, Ron and Hermione were with him. The door opened and Outkast grinned
"Hello kiddies what do I owe the pleasure?" Ron bristled
"We're not kids" he grumbled Outkast grinned and messed his hair
"Aww, don't get upset ickle Ronny, I still call Remus a kid when he annoys me" she stood aside to allow them in. Harry smiled at her, he still hadn't forgiven her for being
the one to take Draconis, but had realised that if it hadn't been her it would have been someone else. Once inside she ushered them into a couch in front of her desk she sat on her desk
"So what can I do for you lot?" she said before disappearing into the desk and retrieving something. Harry was about to speak but stopped when he saw what she had. She handed him Draconis
"Call this a supervised visit, I can't let you take it right now Harry, maybe after Christmas ok?" Harry nodded
"I guess you aren't meant to let me near it" She grinned
"Of course I'm not, but hey I think the headmaster don't know dick about you. Oh by the way you won't be seeing any more shrinks so I win" she stuck her tongue out Harry rolled his eyes.
"Anyway we're here about the costumes for Halloween" he said cradling Draconis. Outkast grinned and then bounced off into her quarters, she returned a few moments later with three black packets and chucked one at each of them. Harry turned his over and his jaw hit the ground, it was the costume for Frank-n-Furter from Rock Horror, he looked over at Hermione, she grinned and turned her packet over, she had Magenta's costume.
"I'm not wearing this!" Ron stuttered, Hermione gabbed the packet and laughed, Outkast had got him Riff-Raff. Hermione pouted
"Aww you should Ron it'll suit you" he threw her a glare, she laughed
"Well it's not as though you have anything else" she said as it that settled it she nodded at Outkast
"Thank you" and rose to leave dragging Ron with her. Harry lingered behind unwilling to give up Draconis. He sighed once the others left the room
"I guess I owe you an apology, but I really thought you understood, that's why was mad." Outkast studied him,
"I do understand Harry, but if I hadn't had gone, Albus would have sent someone else and at least this way you get to see it when you want" Harry nodded and turned his attention back the costume
"You know, thanks and all but I can't wear that" Outkast looked at him
"Too revealing?" Harry blushed and nodded Outkast offered him a small smile
"Prefer the kit I had you in at the Frankenstein Place?" Harry nodded Outkast reached for his hair and brushed it away from his face, ignoring his flinch
"Ok Harry I'll get you something more discreet. You want another pair of contacts?" Harry grinned, and nodded, but then paused
"Will they show up under normal lights?" Outkast smirked
"These ones will" Harry nodded, he went to leave but then paused, he blushed a little turned back
"Err, do you know how I can learn to speak German in a day?" Outkast raised an eyebrow, but then wondered over to him she tapped his forehead. The knowledge flowed like a river into Harry's head. He gasped
"Thanks" Outkast shrugged it off
"Want to tell me why you want it?" Harry blush deepened
"It depends, are you offering a courage potion for the karaoke?" Outkast smiled
"I can do, if you think it would encourage some of the more timid students to join in. what do you think?" Harry nodded a little too enthusiastically and then pulled himself back
"Err, I think it might help" Outkast winked at him
"Ok Harry we'll offer it, I must say I'm impressed and a little proud that you would even consider it. I can't wait" Harry nodded and took a deep breath
"Don't tell Sev though, at least not until I'm sure I'll do it" Outkast smiled
"Sure" Harry looked at her a little shyly
"Outkast… is there something going on between you and Sev" Outkast sighed.
"You are too perceptive for your own good. Ask Sev. Speaking of isn't about time you referred to him as dad?" Harry though about it
"I'm not sue I can do that yet" he said quietly. Outkast nodded.
"He'll wait till you are. Go on now go I'll see you at the ball tomorrow night" Harry nodded and left. Outkast sighed, she had somewhere to be. She threw food at the rat and then left her room heading for dungeon, she hoped she could get to Sev before Harry
##
Severus was studying a potion that he had just finished, it looked wrong but he can't for the life of him remember what it was missing, his concentration was shot to hell, all because of a livewire witch.
"You forgot the crushed Mandrake root" Speak of the Devil he thought and then nodded at her
"Yes you're quite right" he muttered. Before putting it back down. Outkast smiled and offered her hand
"Come on, we're going on a little trip" Sev raised an eyebrow
"Trip?" she nodded Sev sighed and took her hand, she apparated out of the dungeons to her flat in London.
##
Harry arrived at the dungeons a few minutes later; he knocked on the door and then searched the apartment he wasn't around, Harry looked puzzled, his scar wasn't hurting so it wasn't likely to be a meeting, he shrugged and decided to come back later.
##
Outkast looked around, it seemed Kirsty and Chris had been doing a good job keeping the place
Misstress iss back she glanced over, Salem sounded relived Outkast looked at him,
You look like hell
Your friendssss don't know how to care for me and don't let me out Outkast rolled her eyes
"Figures" she muttered she went over to the tank and stuck her arm in
Climb on you can come with me Salem obliged and tasted the air in the process
You taste like that male she sighed
Yeah get used to it she turned to Sev
"I taste like you apparently, speaking of Harry knows something's up I told him to talk to you about it. I would suggest you tell him the truth" Sev nodded but was still looking around
"Where are we?"
"My flat, come on, we need to go to the store room and get some stuff for the ball" she wrote and note explaining she'd taken Salem and no he wasn't running loose and left it on the tank and then led the way
"Is this where you met Harry?" he asked in the club, she nodded and pointed to the corner
"Right over there in that corner, now hurry up, I don't want the staff to see you" Sev almost took offence before she added
"They're muggles, and you scream wizard" he had to agree there so didn't say anything but just took the equipment she piled on him. She took a couple of crates that clinked and he gave her a suspicious look she just smiled, proving that she had lost the ability to pull off innocent. Before he could say anything she grabbed his arm and they reappeared back in the dungeons Severus again went to query the crates but then stopped and thought about it
"I thought it was impossible to apparate into or out of Hogwarts"
"I don't believe in the impossible" she said before levitating all the stuff she had got out of the dungeon behind her. Severus shook his head; this was going to be ball that Hogwarts has never seen before.
##
Draco had paced the room for several hours after dinner, the ball was tomorrow and he had to find a way to tell Severus about the stupid dare and the song before then. He took a deep breath and left
"Drakie where you going?" Pansy's voice cut through him like a chainsaw as he entered the common room, he shuddered against it
"To talk to Snape. Goodnight Pansy" he snapped and left.
He got to the potions lab just as Snape added the last of the crushed mandrake root. The potion turned clear like it should do and he nodded his approval.
"What's that?" Draco asked from the door. Snape looked at him
"It's courage potion for tomorrow night, Outkast asked me to brew a batch" He scoffed
"Apparently some of the students are too shy to perform without it" Draco nodded indifferently, normally he would have scoffed too but somehow had the feeling he might be after some. He sighed
"Sev can I have a word with you?" His Godfather nodded and motioned for the door to his quarters. Once inside Draco took a deep breath and launched into the explanation of the bet, the forfeit and Harry's solution. At the end he waited for a reaction. Severus
shook his head
"Honestly Draco what were you thinking? Scrap that it's pretty clear you weren't, if you've already talked this through with Harry then there is little more to say" Draco nodded and got up to leave he got to the door and stopped
"I don't know if it means anything to you Sev, but I wouldn't intentionally hurt him" with that he left. Severus got up to go to bed, he had a feeling tomorrow night was going to be incredibly long.
##
Next morning at breakfast Hedwig soared through the Great Hall and landed a parcel in front of Harry, he grinned and read the note;
Hey kid, it's all there and should fit, the contacts are adjusted so you won't need your glasses how's the singing coming?
Your sexy goddess
O
He had to laugh; Outkast had no idea what an appropriate note from professor to student was… thinking about it Outkast wouldn't know appropriate if it did a tap dance in front of her.
"What's that?" Hermione asked Harry hid the note quickly; he was now really looking forward to the evening and glad that they had a three day weekend. Hermione had tried to explain what holiday it was but he hadn't been listening, he didn't really care as long as he didn't have to get up in the morning.
Harry wasn't the only one to get post; Dean got a rather large parcel and grinned at Seamus and the Creevy brothers. Harry assumed it was something to do with the costumes the four had been scheming about. As he glanced across the hall he saw a lot of the Slytherin snickering at him, obviously they were up to something to humiliate him. He didn't care, he was going to enjoy this ball and no one was going to stop him.
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AN: Wow thanks to those who have managed to review in the two hours between posting!!!!!
Starangel2106, Amber Fyre Riddle-Snape, HecateDeMort; thanks!
Leah Durose; Yeah May has too much free time
May; I'm pretty sure I said it WASN'T a challenge!
Ironic-Humour; firstly, yeah I gave myself super-powers and Outkast was born!, and secondly go ahead – but the penguins really did steal my sanity and sold it to the moose who gave it to the space gerbils (honestly if you value your own sanity you won't ask!).