“Well," he mused, pretending to put more thought into it than he already had. Truth be told, the second she said she wanted to be Alice, Harry knew he was going to make it happen. “I may or may not have already got our costumes. I was waiting for them to come in with the mail but no harm in telling you now that your dreams of being Alice are coming true. I was excited for my Mad Hatter costume but I don't think the hat is going to be big enough. We might have to use an enlargement spell on it.”

Luna had been vague about the decorations but he was more than willing to let her have free reign over making it odd and spooky. After all, that was the daydreamer's specialty. When Harry had asked her for an update, she'd merely replied with, "No one will die, if that's what you're worried about."

Not exactly a resounding endorsement but he just kept reminding himself that Luna was harmless. At least, relatively harmless. Ron had even started to come around to the party and was eagerly keeping his father up to date with the Muggle holiday plans. Mr Weasley was requesting photographs of the party, wanting to get a 'full perspective' of what Halloween was all about outside of the magical realm. 

“What do you say we find a hair colouring spell for Crookshanks?” Harry considered a specific character for her cat. “He'd be perfect for the Cheshire Cat. Mischievous and extremely unhelpful in all situations.”

The cat had yet to come around to the idea of Harry and Hermione being in any way affectionate with one another. More than once in the common room he'd bulldozed his way between them on the couch, glaring at Harry with slow tail swishes to claim his place as the boy in Hermione's life. Bribery didn't even work. No amount of snacks or chin scritches swayed the orange beast to tolerate Harry any more than an occasional head bonk. Maybe if he got to participate in the Halloween festivities, he wouldn't mind if Harry stole Hermione away for a few hours.

“Our costumes should be here in a few more days, and then that's the final piece of the party we needed. Everything else has been accounted for. Operation Muggle Halloween is ready!”

“Is that what we're calling it?” Ron appeared, snack in hand. “Doesn't quite have a zing to it.”
 

“For the last time, we are not calling it Operation Hocus Pocus.”

“Spoil sport. Have you heard what some of the others are doing? Rumor has it that Lavender and the Patil sisters are doing some kind of group costume, but Ginny won't tell me what it is. What are you lot going as?"

“We're doing the Mad Hatter and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Even Crookshanks is going to get into the spirit and be the Cheshire Cat,” Harry beamed at his own genius.

“Hermione please tell me that beast of yours isn't coming to the party? We'll have to watch our ankles for his little fangs.”

When he began to give his look of mock thought, Hermione's head did tilt to the side the slightest bit. He was cute when he looked that way and she was JUST about to ask what was in mind too. But before she could, Harry opened up and told her about his plans and already having got them Alice and The Mad Hatter's costumes. "You know that honestly isn't a bad idea. And when we last talked about it I was hoping that was the pair you would go with. As to Hatter's hat..well we can see what it looks like when it gets here and decide from there" The girl said with a bright smile as he had made her night and made a long time dream of hers come true.

It had been Harry's idea that they ask Luna to be in charge of decorating. Since the Lovegood girl was slightly out there but also a Pureblood, Hermione had thought she would be their best hope of making the party something their nonmuggle-born classmates would like and as the saying went "something they could sink their teeth into ''. The ONLY thing about having Luna in charge of decorating that made the Gryffindor girl nervous was the fact that the daydreamer was SO secretive even with her and Harry. The ONLY answer they could get was the fact that it was all taken care of and that no one would die or be hurt. Which when she thought about it was not reassuring but she knew the girl meant well and truly was not a danger to them. 

"You know I was surprised when Ron even came around to all of this. Thankful though. I mean all his complaining of the idea had been giving me a headache."  Hermione said with a faint shake of her head. Their friend once in the spirit of things had actually begun to keep his father up to date of the planning and even promised him pictures of what the party would be like. It always made her smile and warmed her at how childlike and curious Mr.Weasley was of the world that was not his own. That was probably why Hermione had taken the time to explain the customs again and again for Ron and even written out explanations he could give to his father.

For just a moment she had gotten lost in her head and in her thoughts. And it had taken a little longer than she would have liked to piece together what she had been asked. "You know, I think there is a fur colouring spell we could use. He may not like it but he will tolerate it." She knew her cat loved her and would do anything for her. Though he still didn't seem keen to the idea of her and Harry being together. She was hoping he would come around though and learn to share.

"Ronald, we want it to seem Muggle. And Hocus Pocus is linked too much to magic. Also what is wrong with Crookshanks joining us? He's part of our group too." When it came to her fur baby, Hermione defended him. And she was also in her way defending Harry and telling him she loved his idea and thought is was clever. 

Ron made a face. "So the little monster js definitely coming?" He asked. The Weasley boy plopped down and then was looking between Harry and Hermione with a quizzical look on his face. "Can the two of you explain Halloweenie and the trick or treat thing to me again? I thought the point was to avoid taking candy from strangers…but then on that night you are begging for it?" That confused him. But he also had promised to get his father a better explanation and so looked to the other two expectantly. 

“There's more to it than just what you see around here,” Harry noted. “Kids get dressed up in costumes and go door to door asking for candy from neighbours.”

“So…you just take candy from strangers? Isn't that weird?”

“It's not that weird,” Harry defended the holiday. “It's a lot of fun. At least it sounds like fun, I was never allowed to go with Dudley when he'd go trick or treating. You get to pretend to be someone else for a night, who wouldn't want that?”

To be anything but the Boy Who Lived was all Harry wanted. He'd look ridiculous in his costume but he didn't care so long as the night was one he could use to disappear and be a regular teenager for once. It helped that all of the Muggleborn kids were just as excited as he was. Muggle traditions were treated as an oddity in the magical world but for them to get to experience a much-loved holiday tradition was important and the highlight of the year so far. All they needed was to make sure that Umbridge was none the wiser about the party.

“Do you have to do anything to get the candy? I don't get the whole ‘people just buy candy to give away’ part of it.”

Harry leaned over to pat Ron on the head, patronizingly. “It's okay, you just have to think about the candy and forget about the rest of it.”

“Oh I'm definitely looking forward to that, don't worry.”

“But you have to play along with no complaining anymore. It's a party, you should be excited!”

“I solemnly swear that I will behave and not complain anymore.”

Harry leaned back against Hermione. “Did you hear that? It's a miracle! He's not going to be a sourpuss anymore!”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Hermione, you've had patrols lately. Any whisperings of Malfoy or Umbridge getting wind of our plans? Be a shame if they find us out halfway through the party. My patrols have been quiet, it's almost unnerving. I know she's got ears and eyes everywhere but it's hard to tell who she's paying off anymore.”

It was a problem they were all concerned about. The DA had been holding their meetings successfully but there was always that fear that one day it would come crashing down around them. Umbridge held authority from the Ministry which meant any punishment she saw fit would have the full support of Minister Fudge. Expulsion might even be the least worrying punishment of all that she could come up with, Harry noted to himself while rubbing absently at the scars on the back of his hand from his last detention.

“We'll have everyone glimmer themselves so their costumes are hidden until they're in the Room of Requirement. That way no one will be any wiser if they're stopped in the hallway.”

As usual, it appeared that Ron had not been very attentive when both she and Harry had again and again gone over the history of Halloween. Both history and the modern traditions of costumes and candy collection. How Harry stayed so patient with their red haired friend and once more was trying to explain things to him was both admirable and annoying.

"Harry's right Ron. It may seem odd but during one night, you get to collect candy and be someone you're not. You get a form of wish-fulfillment…and escape from all your worries and just being you…mum and dad would let me do the dressing up and even get candy…but being dentists they also made me give most of it away." Hermione admitted with a blush. But she was only speaking up to try and help Harry have Ron understand more of the holiday that they were trying to get their classmates to celebrate with them. She could only hope that her addon was enough to get the Weasley boy to get it. Or at least to not ask them again and to actually do some research on his own. And just that thought had a faint smile come to her lips as she knew Ron and research were sworn enemies and that was only wishful thinking on her part.

The Gryffindor girl was getting lost in her thoughts again and so JUST caught the words passed between the two boys and Harry's giving Ron the pat on the head. Part of her, the "know-it-all" almost wanted to jump in again and try to give an explanation. But she refrained and only nodded. 

"You know… I was wondering when we would get him completely on board without all the questions and complaining. So you're right to have his promise is both a relief and a miracle." The girl said as she leaned back against Harry. Her words had been playful and yet held some truth beneath them. Ron was ALWAYS the one to make things difficult for them. Oh she knew most of the time he meant well but he did add complications and sometimes give her more to think and worry about than she should…sometimes more to worry about than she could handle. Not that she ever said so though.

Slowly brown eyes made their way to Ron and she shook her head. "Most of my patrols have been quiet too. I mean the usual students sneaking off and snogging, some sneaking down to the Great Hall for extra food…and I mean once I had Malfoy go on about he knows we are up to something because we always are and he will make it known to the monstrosity in pink…" Her words were soft as she spoke and she had become stiffer when talking about the woman. Like Harry, Hermione was also absently rubbing the back of her own hand and her scars from the detention she and Harry had both had together.

"Okay, so we have to still watch for Malfoy and his goons. But do you really think the glimmer will work?" Ron asked, though it was clear he was still excited for the party and just asking them to see what they really thought.

"It will. Most the others have the attention span of goldfish and don't commonly recognize when a spell is being used." In other words, they should be safe and Operation Muggle Halloween was still a go.

"Though do you think we should be good or should we bring out the cloak and escort the DA a little at a time?" Now she was the one questioning Harry's thoughts as all of this seemed the biggest and most important to him. And she REALLY did not want anything to ruin it for him.

“I think the glimmer spells will do the trick,” Harry contemplated the suggestion of the cloak. “If we managed to fool everyone using a polyjuice potion back in second year, we shouldn't have any trouble hiding our costumes on the way to the Room of Requirement.”

It was another week of practicing the actual spell before Harry felt confident that Dumbledore's Army - as the group had been officially dubbed - had practiced the glimmer well enough to fool anyone they came in contact with. The lesson had been simple, they had to glimmer an object or themselves and fool the trio in order to pass. Even Neville had succeeded in a short amount of time. “Remember, you'll have to glimmer yourselves before you leave your common rooms in order for this to work,” he advised at the end of class. “If anyone spots you in your costumes, it's pretty much game over for the party.”

It almost felt like they were prepping for another Yule Ball with the amount of work they were putting into it. The following evening would be the actual night and it was giving him both excitement and anxiety. As the students filed out one by one, the room began changing itself into the Halloween festivities Harry had carefully planned out. The floor even filled with fog like a machine was pumping it through. “One night of fun. We deserve it,” he collapsed into a waiting armchair. “We'll have to be on the lookout once the party is done. I heard rumors Filch is scheming to catch students out of bed with even worse punishments than the forbidden forest.”

What the creepy old man had in store was still a secret but it unnerved Harry. Who knew what kind of powers Umbridge had bestowed upon him? The man had been waiting years for his chance to punish students and if he'd been given the chance, Harry worried for whichever student got caught up first. “Still nothing from Malfoy though. That's promising. I'm relying on him and his goons being too stupid to put two and two together. He's so wrapped up in himself, I don't think we have much to worry about.”

Ron sat in the chair beside him. “Worse comes to worse and I'll punch him.”

“You can't just punch him, no matter how much I would love to see it.”

“Hermione got to punch him in third year!”

Harry turned to her, grinning. “And it was the moment I fell in love with her.”

Ron gagged. “Spare me before I vomit. I'm on duty tonight so I better go. Be careful on your way back to the common room, yeah?"

“Well well,” Harry got to his feet, hands clasped behind his back and grin ready to break free. “Here we are, all alone. I wonder what we could possibly get up to with all the privacy we suddenly have,” he teased.

It only took the DA, Dumbledore's Army about a week to learn the glimmer spell and even to perfect it enough to even fool her, Harry, and Ron amazed Hermione. But then, the girl known as the most clever witch of their age had to remember that most the students were much more talented than some of the professors (namely Umbridge and Snape) gave them credit for being. If she really thought about it, it made sense that most were just lazy and unmotivated as there had never really been a true reason to learn and perfect the spells that they were being taught. But now that they had a reason, most the others seemed to give it their all.

“You have to have more faith in us, Harry. Most of us know that we will be in trouble if we are caught. Besides, we have been practicing and even fooled the three of you multiple times. Ron and you I expected to be easy, but to even get past Hermione I think we can handle ourselves." Ginny said with a faint smirk and wave as both she and Luna left, getting into a conversation of what each hoped the next night would hold.

Hermione sat in one of the armchairs that had appeared as she listened to the words passed between both Harry and Ron. “Malfoy won't be too much of a problem. I mean I've heard him telling others that he thinks we are up to something as is usual for ‘the likes of them’…but he's not been able to put it together and that's been driving him mad… Filch on the other hand…from what I've gathered will have free range to punish us as he pleases. As long as he turns us into the ‘devil in pink’ and she will be able tk deal with us in her way as well.” What she had gotten had come from the Patil twins and Lavendar. She had also heard it from Collin and Neville too. So she was more than sure it had been okay to speak up and at least let the boys know.

When Harry spoke about when she had punched Malfoy being well he had fallen in love with her, a bright pink had risen in her cheeks. “It had been well deserved. He was being a foul loathsome cockroach.” Hermione muttered, blushing even more with Ron's gagging and telling them to spare him.

“You know what the two of you could get up to. Particularly snogging.” Ron muttered with a roll of his eyes as Harry was seeming to make his jokes. Though from the look they were being given, Hermione was sure that Ron's mind had not been nearly as innocent as his words and she shook her head.

“You have our word that we will stay out of trouble for the night. Both Harry and I were just going to stay around here and make sure that everything is as ready as it can be for tomorrow night. So you can go and rest assured Ronald.” It was obvious that a bit of a nerve had been stricken and that Hermione was trying to keep most of her composure.

Ron looked between the two of them and gave a nod before he was off. Even he knew that he had stricken a nerve and for once didn't want to push it.

When Ron was gone, Hermione looked to Harry and gave a sheepish smile. “I'm sorry I got so touchy… But I didn't appreciate him implying…well you know. Though I really do want to be able to have some time alone and just us since we haven't been able in the last week… That is if you want to?” The girl was awkward as she spoke and was hoping thar she had not made things between them awkward. But if she had, Hermione did understand, though she didn't say it. Now, the girl was leaving the ball in Harry's court and the choice up to him.

Merlin this girl could melt his heart with a single look. 

“I always want to spend time with you,” he was almost bashful as he took her hand. “It's kind of a problem, really. Most days I'm stopping myself from shooing Ron and others away so I can just have alone time with my favourite person. I'm afraid I can have quite rude thoughts when we're interrupted by them.”

The room shifted. Gone were the training dummies, the mirrors, and all decor related to their training session. In their place came no less than five dozen glowing candles bobbing in the air above their heads. A gramophone that looked suspiciously like the one from McGonagal's office sat in the corner. All at once, smooth, soft jazz began to serenade them. Harry might have two left feet but he wasn't about to miss the opportunity like he had the year before.

“Care to dance?” he held out his hand.

It was probably the most romantic he'd managed to be so far. Despite growing up in a home with a married couple, romance was not something he was very familiar with. So, he'd fumble along the way until he found something that made Hermione happy. “I wanted to dance with you last year, you know,” his voice broke the quiet, softly swaying with her in the middle of the room.. “Everything went south so quickly - with Ron and our dates and Krum - that I didn't get the chance. I've been kicking myself for a year over it.”

It wasn't as though Hogwarts had annual winter balls for him to capitalize on either. The Yule Ball had only been due to the Tri Wizard Tournament. And given that the Halloween party was to be lively and upbeat, the chance for a slow dance with her at the party was slim to none. Besides, he didn't want on-lookers while they were having such a moment. “I know it's still a while away but I'm going to miss you when you go home for the Christmas break. Even if I'm at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place, it's not going to be the same without you there. Nothing feels the same when you're not around anymore. Does that make me sound pathetic?”

Truth be told, he found he didn't care if it did. He was head over heels for Hermione Granger and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. He could do a hell of a lot worse for someone to love. 

Nope.

He didn't just think the L word. It was far too soon for those kind of thoughts. The last thing he wanted was to spook her by being overly pushy with their relationship. He'd just tuck that word away for much later down the road when it wasn't likely to send her running from him.

Harry was definitely her favourite person to spend time with. Well when she wasn't busy delving into her studies or lessons for the DA. So to hear his words was really nice and even made her cheeks turn a brighter pink than was normal. “Sometimes I do feel the same way. Actually a lot.” The words slipped from her lips before she even thought about what she was saying. Somehow, Harry was the only one she was completely comfortable enough around to say exactly what was on her mind without fully thinking it through.

As her hand was taken, Hermione stood with him. Her eyes slowly went around the room as it too began to shift to having floating cangles and the gramophone that looked like the one that was in their head of house's office. What surprised Hermione all the more was the jazz music that began to play and serenade the pair of them as the were completely alone.

“I would love to dance with you. I mean…it was something that I had wanted last year too. I just wish things hadn't gone the way they had. Before the things with Ron…the dates…and Krum happened I was going to ask you for one dance…But I didn't know if you would have wanted to.” God she hated herself for telling Harry ALL of that. But once she had started, it seemed as if Hermione could not stop her words. It was also her letting him know that he wasn't the only one with regrets and was more than happy for their chance to have this dance tonight.

The girl let her head rest on his shoulder as they were able to have their slow dance. She knew as well Harry did that the Halloween Party would be lively and upbeat. That none of their peers would care for slow dances. So they had to make the most of the chance that they got. “You know my parents like it better when I go and see them for the holidays. But they don't quite understand me anymore…I mean they do try but it's just not the same anymore. The only one who really seems to understand me is you.. And I'll miss you too. I promise to at least write.” And the girl meant every word that she said. Though now it was her turn to hope she didn't sound too pathetic or clingy. She just didn't want to voice those words out loud. 

She could admit that she was falling and falling fast for Harry. Not as “Harry Potter the boy who lived”…but as Harry her best friend. But she knew that love was WAY too strong a word and it would have come too quickly. So cared about deeply would have to do until they were both ready. If ever.

“I honestly don't want tonight to end. Us having this time like this is nice. Though we definitely can't tell that to Sirius.” Of course she was just meaning that Harry's godfather would make a huge deal out of their relationship and even start giving them both a hard time. She REALLY hoped that her words had not ruined the night or these moments. All she was meaning was things like this were still best kept between them for the time being though by now it was well known they were dating.

Harry snorted. “Can you imagine what he'd say? He'd be absolutely insufferable! He's already teasing me about how much I talk about you in my letters, he'd just start on you as well.”

His godfather took nothing but joy in tormenting him with schoolyard teasing. It had started over the summer when the animagus had noticed the lingering looks Harry would give Hermione, longing like a lovesick puppy across the room whenever she was near. To be fair, it was more often than not. It didn't help that his letters revolved around how brilliant and beautiful he thought she was, though that was less of a conscious decision to share. The words just poured out onto the parchment before he could stop himself.

“Watch how romantic I can be,” Harry did some teasing of his own, stepping back to twirl her under their arms. “I've been doing some reading. I hope I'm at least more charming than that Mr Darcy guy. He sounded miserable.”

More than once in his life, Harry had thanked whatever gods there were for the fact that magic was real and he had the opportunity to experience. Never had that been more true than right at that moment with her in his arms. The music, the lights, everything was perfection. “What would you do if you weren't here? At Hogwarts? Do you think you'd go to university and study something?”

He'd often thought about what his life would look like if he hadn't been rescued by Hagrid that July night. Probably still working the Dursley's home like a live-in butler, maid, and everything in between. University was out of the question. Hell, any job he might have hoped for was out of the question. “I think I'd still be lying in that cupboard under the stairs, dreaming for someone to come rescue me. Maybe that someone would have been you. Coming in like a firecracker, kicking in the front door and saving me from that hellhole. My knight in shining armor. That's what we do. We save each other."

And they always would. He'd face Voldemort every day of the week if it meant that Hermione Granger got to live to a ripe old age, safe and with the people she loved. He'd fight any war a thousand times over. “You're my hero, you do know that, right?”