As Harry and Ron stepped out together, Ron suddenly noticed that Harry hadn't donned any Halloween costume.
"Mate, it's a costume party tonight," Ron reminded him. "Are you really going to show up in that?"
"I've got it covered," Harry said with a grin.
When they reached the Gryffindor common room, it was... well, like stepping into a circus.
As they approached the entrance, they were greeted by a figure with a clown's head—none other than Lee Jordan, the school's commentator and natural-born rapper.
On a nearby bench sat a ghostly young woman. With a closer look, it was clear she was Angelina Johnson, the Quidditch team star, dressed as a spectral figure.
The Weasley twins, meanwhile, had transformed themselves into a two-headed troll. Somehow, they'd managed to appear as one body with two heads.
Spotting Harry and Ron, they immediately began hamming it up.
"How do we look?" Fred asked.
"Bloody brilliant!" George replied.
With that, the two burst into laughter.
"How in Merlin's name did you pull that off?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't wrap his head around how they'd managed to merge two heads onto one body.
What, were they the Headspace Overlords or something?
"Trade secret, friend of the Lion," the twins said, still chuckling.
Oh, great. From "Lion" to "friend of the Lion" now, was it?
"Isn't the Lion supposed to be Harry?" Ron asked with an innocent expression.
"Obviously, little Ronnie," Fred said. "But you're looking more lion-like yourself today."
Before long, Seamus, dressed as a scarecrow, and Neville, sporting a Mandrake costume, strolled in from outside.
"Look at you two, that's wicked," Ron said, greeting them. "First time I've seen such an odd pair."
"But those two are the real champs," Neville said, pointing at the Weasley twins.
Most everyone agreed. The twins' two-headed troll cosplay was so convincing it was as if they truly shared one body.
"You lot could learn a thing or two from them," Hermione, dressed as a vampire, said to Harry and Ron. "That's proper Halloween effort, don't you think?"
"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to share a body with me," Ron muttered.
No sooner had he spoken than Hermione landed two sharp punches on his back.
It hurt. The loud thwack and Ron's grimace were proof enough.
"What'd I tell you?" Fred said with a grin.
"Gryffindor girls hit hard, Fred," George added.
Hermione shot them both a withering glare.
After leaving the common room, Harry made his way to the Room of Requirement—the meeting spot he'd arranged with Veratia.
Veratia was already there, waiting. The moment she saw Harry, she grabbed him, pushed him against the wall, and said, "Quick, take off your clothes!"
"That's a bit easy to misunderstand, Veratia," Harry said, meeting her gaze without a hint of embarrassment.
To his surprise, a flush of pink spread across Veratia's pale cheeks.
"What are you thinking?" she said, giving his shoulder a playful swat. "Just take off your outer robes—"
They swapped their house-themed accessories, shedding their outer layers. Veratia hesitated for a moment, clearly wrestling with some thought.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Nothing," Veratia said, shaking her head. Inwardly, she sighed—what a missed opportunity to get Harry into a dress.
But she didn't want to push him into something he might not like, so she let it go.
Once they'd swapped outfits, Veratia gave Harry a pat on the back of the head and sent him off to the Great Hall.
On his way to the third floor, Harry ran into Ron and the others.
"Merlin's beard, Harry," Ron exclaimed, pointing at him. "We've got a traitor in our midst!"
"It's just a Halloween costume," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "How could I be a traitor?"
"We're not so sure about that," the Weasley twins said in unison. "Look at you—wearing Slytherin robes and sporting a Slytherin girl's hairpin... Merlin's sake!"
Harry suddenly realized he was still wearing Veratia's basilisk-shaped hairpin.
He quickly pulled it off and examined it. The basilisk's eyes gleamed like emeralds.
"Looks almost real, doesn't it?" the twins said, grinning. "I'd bet those eyes are actual emeralds."
Harry didn't respond. He tucked the hairpin into his pocket.
As he did, he felt a wave of relief that he hadn't ended up wearing Veratia's skirt. That would've been mortifying.
What he didn't know was that Veratia's first stop wasn't the Great Hall. She'd gone back to her dormitory, likely to find Cassandra.
Not that Harry could do anything about it. He simply joined his classmates and headed to the Great Hall.
The festive atmosphere in the Great Hall was electric. Professor Flitwick had led the decorations, and thousands of bats flitted about in two groups: one weaving through glowing pumpkins on the ceiling, the other swooping over the tables like moving storm clouds.
The professors were in costume as well. Dumbledore wore an old-fashioned dress that was, frankly, a bit nauseating (Draco's words, not Harry's). Professor McGonagall, true to form, hadn't gone all out—just a note on her pointed hat that read "CAT."
It was exactly the kind of understated effort everyone expected from the stern witch.
At the staff table, two figures stood out: two Severus Snapes.
Yes, two Snapes.
The real Snape was in his usual black robes, as if they were a family heirloom he couldn't part with. Sirius Black, meanwhile, had somehow acquired an identical robe and a wig that made him look disturbingly Snape-like.
The two sat side by side at the staff table.
Snape hadn't intended to sit next to Sirius, but Sirius never missed a chance to torment him.
Lupin, wearing a wolf mask, sat nearby, his expression—hidden by the mask—one of exasperation.
He'd warned Sirius not to overdo it. Once was fine, but twice was pushing it.
Sirius, of course, wasn't one to listen.
When Sirius and Snape sat in silence, Sirius suddenly stood up.
Under Snape's icy glare, he strode over to Harry, Ron, and their group, drawing every eye in the Great Hall.
"Potter!" Sirius said, perfectly mimicking Snape's drawl.
"Professor," Harry said, stifling a laugh.
Sirius looked Harry up and down, taking in the Slytherin robes, and inwardly wailed.
Merlin's fork!
I've failed you, James!
Look at our boy, what's he become?
He's wearing Slytherin robes!
"Why are you dressed in Slytherin garb?" Sirius asked, eyeing the Slytherin badge in Harry's hand.
"Oh, it was Veratia's idea," Harry said.
Just then, Veratia walked in, wearing Gryffindor robes.
"Professor Snape," she said to Sirius with a smirk, then feigned surprise. "Oh, sorry, I mean Assistant Black. I didn't recognize you."
Sirius forced a smile, took a deep breath, and clapped Harry on the shoulder.
"Your old godfather's heart isn't what it used to be," he said, clutching his chest.
With that, he returned to the staff table.
Sirius had been thrilled at the chance to annoy Snape, but seeing his godson in Slytherin robes broke him.
He had no idea the robes belonged to Veratia. If he had, he'd have been even more devastated.
At the Gryffindor table, Ginny was scribbling furiously.
Once the Weasleys were all there, she nudged her brothers and slipped them a note under their puzzled gazes.
"I'm reading it first," Fred said.
"No, I am!" George shot back.
After a brief scuffle, they agreed Fred would go first.
"His eyes are dark as beetles drowned in ink, his presence as sleek as a blackboard, his hair flows like kelp in the wind..."
Fred's eyes lit up, and soon both twins were singing the words in unison.
Sirius appeared behind them, unnoticed, tapping his wand to keep the rhythm.
When they finished, Sirius wiped his eyes and said, "Music... it's more enchanting than anything we do here."
Everyone exchanged complicated looks.
Merlin, Sirius, one minute you're Snape, now you're channeling Dumbledore?
Professor Sprout's costume was the most delightful. Dressed as a Whomping Willow, she had candy baskets hanging from her "branches" and was weaving through the tables, handing out treats.
Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and even Slytherins all received Halloween candies from her. The candies were custom-made, their wrappers printed with herbology facts.
Harry's candy had a note about dittany.
"What's yours say?" Ron asked, leaning over.
Harry read the wrapper aloud: "Dittany, a magical plant used in potion-making and known for its healing properties. Beyond dittany essence, the plant itself can aid in healing shallow wounds. A mixture of dittany and silver powder can treat werewolf bites."
"Cool," Ron said with a grin. "I should carry some of this in case I get banged up in Quidditch. You know how Slytherins play dirty—and they're proud of it. Can't let them get the better of me."
"Hey, Weasley!" Draco called from behind, indignant. "Quidditch is about winning!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ron said, waving him off. "That's why you lot play so underhanded."
Harry turned and noticed Cassandra, sporting a pumpkin lantern on her head, sitting calmly nearby.
Next to her was Veratia, also wearing a pumpkin lantern.
Veratia had swapped back into her Slytherin robes at some point. Harry could tell them apart instantly.
It was obvious. Cassandra and Veratia weren't close with other Slytherin girls, and while Veratia was friendly with Miss Farley, they wouldn't sit that close.
As for who was who...
Well, it was easy. Forget faces—look at their figures.
Veratia was, ahem, noticeably more... prominent than Cassandra.
--
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