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Prompt: Draco and Harry dress up as each other for a Halloween party.
Draco, Harry, and Ron were sitting at George's table in his flat. They were having fun with their second bottle of Firewhisky when George started bragging about his Halloween costume.
"I'm dressing up as the good ol' Voldy."
"What the - that's disgusting!" said Ron, twisting his face as if he'd wholly swallowed a lemon.
"Come on, Ron. Just think about it. I'll be making fun of him on the same night that he died at the hands of an infant. It will be glorious!"
Malfoy, not one to back out of anything, said, "Well, I'll be dressing up as The Boy Who Lived! How's that for a mockery."
Harry didn't think this could become any more uncomfortable, but that was before Ron said, "Oi, Harry! If Malfoy here is going as you, then you have to go as Malfoy."
"I will do no such thing! I'm not even going to wear a costume."
"Don't be a pussy, Potter. Afraid you won't be as good looking as me? I bet you can't pull this off," Draco taunted.
Harry turned red in the face and replied, "Fine, Malfoy. I bet I'll look more like you than you look like me."
"Oh, you're on, Potter."
"How about one rule, then. No magic!" declared George. Malfoy paled and glared at him while Harry grinned.
"That's not -"
Harry interrupted him and said, "Accepted!"
The next day, a week before Halloween, Draco was pounding Granger's door with both fists. She finally opened it after five minutes.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy? It's six in the morning," she said in a squeaky voice. She was still in her pyjamas, and her hair was a complete disaster.
"You're always up by six, seeing as how you're at work shortly after. Why are you still sleeping?"
"It's Sunday."
"And here I thought you liked your routine."
"I swear to Godric… If you don't tell me what you want, right now, I will personally see to it that you attend the party next week as the Amazing Bouncing Ferret."
Draco refused to give into the jab, so he used the opportunity to bring up the reason to his unconventional visit.
"Speaking of which… How would you like to help me with my Halloween costume?"
She rubbed her face tiredly.
"Why do you want my help?"
"Well, the thing is… I'm-dressing-up-as-Harry-Potter-and-I-can't-use-magic," he said in one fast breath.
"Excuse me?"
"I'M DRESSING UP AS HARRY BLOODY POTTER, AND I CAN'T USE MAGIC!"
Granger grimaced, and Draco internally cringed at how loudly he must have shouted.
"Woah, no need to yell, Malfoy. Merlin, what is wrong with you?"
"Come on, Granger. Will you do it or not?"
She looked intrigued but sceptical. She tapped her foot once, twice, before she asked, "What's in it for me?"
"What's in it - Oh, come on! I thought you were the goody-goody Gryffindor, helping the people who need it!" She did not respond and looked at him expectantly. "Fine. I already knew it would come to this, so I came prepared. I know you're trying to get your research in the after effects of Crucio funded, and I'm willing to pay for it, if you help me win this bet."
Granger looked astonished, and it was as if she'd suddenly woken up from a dream; her eyes looked alert and darted left and right every few seconds.
"You'd really pay for my research?"
"To the last Sickle, but only if I actually win."
"Alright. Let's do this."
Malfoy was sitting in a chair in front of Hermione's vanity.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"Would you hold still? This can't be hurting you that much! Stop being a baby," she said, tired of putting up with him.
"I've changed my mind! I'll take the wig, okay?"
"You were the one who wanted a more realistic hair style," she said angrily but looking at him with his eyes closed shut, she sighed and took pity on him. "It's almost done. A few more minutes, and we can wash it off."
"What did you say we were going to use for my eyes?"
"Contacts. They are thin, plastic lenses you put on your eyes."
"I really don't see how that's going to work out," he replied sceptically.
"Oh, you'll see."
"My eyes are itchy!"
"Now, don't you dare touch them, Malfoy!"
"Are you almost done?"
"Yeah, let me just… done!"
She stepped back and admired the lightning scar she had drawn on his forehead.
Malfoy looked into the mirror and sneered. "I really look like him, don't I?" he asked rhetorically. "You must really want that money."
Of course, he'd think that. Hermione was furious. How dare he insinuate that her intentions were anything less than genuine?
"It is not about the money. I want to cure -"
"I know, I know. You told me, what, a dozen times now?"
"Shows how much of a dolt you are!"
"It was a joke; get over it."
She was still angry but decided to drop the subject for the time being.
When Hermione finally emerged from the fireplace to Grimmauld Place, she took a quick look around. She could see the Weasleys gathered around George and making fun of his ridiculous costume. Ginny was clearly sloshed from all the alcohol she must have consumed before Hermione got there. She could see some Ministry officials here and there, but, to her disappointment, there was no sign of Harry or Malfoy.
"Looking for me?" a voice whispered in her ear. She yelped and jumped slightly. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself, Hermione turned around to look at Malfoy looking smug with his now-black hair.
"I see you aren't complaining about your hair. Was the pain worth it?"
"The hair's fine. My eyes on the other hand…"
"You can probably take them off after showing them to Harry."
"Speaking of Potter, where is Scarhead?"
"I don't know; I haven't seen him yet. And you know you can't call him Scarhead, right?" she said, gesturing to his forehead.
"Right."
They were awkwardly standing around in silence for a few seconds before Ginny came up to them.
"Oh, 'Arry, where were you?" she said drunkenly, her eyes almost closed. She stumbled a little and put her hands on Malfoy's shoulders. "I missed you!"
She looked like she was going to kiss him, and Hermione frowned.
"Ginny, what are you doing?" said a new voice. Hermione turned around and saw Harry standing with his hands on his hips, looking as stern as he could in his bizarre costume. He had a blond wig on, and that was about it. Hermione couldn't tell if he were wearing lenses or not from this distance.
Ginny had also turned around, and she squinted her eyes a little before saying, "Harry, is tha' you?"
"Well ye- I mean, no! I mean… Yes, yes, it's me," he responded tiredly. He took a glance at Malfoy and sighed before taking off his wig. Without the hair covering his forehead, Hermione could see that his scar was still visible.
"Okay, Malfoy, you win. I tried. I don't even know how you did it! Did you dye your hair?" he asked curiously. Hermione chewed her lip, and all it took for Harry to realise it was a glance at her guilty expression.
"Did you help him, 'Mione?" he accused.
"I… might have. A little bit," she said. Trying to make it better, she added, "He offered to pay for my research!"
"Are you saying he bribed you? As if that makes it better!" He huffed a little before he took Ginny's hand and disappeared down the hall.
"That was…as anticlimactic as they come," Malfoy said.
"I know, right? He could've at least used some concealer to cover his scar!"
"Well, let's get rid of this, shall we?"
"Seriously? I spent hours trying to make you look like that!"
"Yes! And I want to spend the rest of the day looking like myself!"
Hermione didn't argue. She took her wand out and pointed it at his hair and face to disappear the makeup.
"Will you really fund my experiments?"
"I said I would."
She bit her lower lip as she stepped closer to him to help remove his contacts. "Here, let me…"
Hermione looked into his grey eyes, and she was mesmerised. He put his arms around her waist, and she instinctively put her hands on his chest. He leant down to kiss her lips, and her eyes fluttered. She felt frozen for a few seconds before she started kissing him back. When they pulled apart she extended her hands around his neck and smiled.
"What was that for?"
"I don't know," he murmured. "You tell me."