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Hide-and-seek at Hogwarts was not their best idea but it definitely wasn’t their worst. No, their worst idea was adding shots of Firewhiskey to the game.
It was Halloween and Harry was feeling particularly miserable since it was the first Halloween after the Battel at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione had all decided to return to Hogwarts for the Seventh year after missing all of school last year. Unfortunately, half of the Slytherins chose to return as well, including Draco. To add insult to injury McGonagall had the five returning Slytherins, two unlucky Ravencalws and the Golden Trio housed in the same dorm.
The Ravenclaws had made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with the screaming match that occupied the space between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors. They fought about everything when they were together. And they avoided each other as much as they could.
The Golden Trio were busy trying to catch up on all that they had missed out in last year and recover mentally from all that they had suffered. Harry had night terrors every night. He blessed the existence of Silencing charms.
It was clear the Slytherins had their own rituals that they were very private about. The only time this showed was when it was Hermione’s Birthday and they all said Happy Birthday for her before heading to breakfast. It seemed purposeful and important to them.
Then came Halloween and the Slytherins had been acting weird all day. They had an excited buzz about them that the Golden Trio refused to ask about. They did mention it to each other on the way to Herbology. They put it down to excitement for the Halloween Feast, perhaps.
After the Feast they all went back up to their dorm. Everyone else started to get ready for bed but the Slytherings changed in all black.
“What are you doing?” Harry asked curiosity eventually getting the better of him.
The Slytherins smiled amongst themselves before Daphne Greengrass, the most tolerable of the group tilted her head to the side and said “We are going to play a game.”
“A game?” Ron asked. Harry noticed that annoyance was bubbling into the tone of his voice.
“Yes” Theo winked cheekily, “a game of hide-and-seek.”
“But you can’t do that its after curfew.” Hermione chimed in.
“Then we better hide really well.” Draco responded with a smile.
It was clear the group were on cloud nine. And Harry wanted a piece of the pie.
In a bold move Harry asked “Can we play?”
Ron tried to whisper something in his hear like “Are you mad?” and he vaguely heard Hermione say something like “We can’t.” But Harry eyes were locked on Draco’s who’s move had perked up into a smirk.
“Of course you can.” Draco said.
Pansy asked the Ravenclaws if they wanted to join but they gave a resolute no.
Ron and Hermione hesitated.
“Come on guys. We’re allowed to have a little fun.”
“Yes,” Blaise added “we recommend you were black because it makes you harder to spot in the dark.”
“While your getting changed I’ll just exlain how our game has one key difference from how you are used to playing.” Draco began as the trio moved to change. “The whole castle is up for grabs and you can use magic. The seeker cannot use a tracker or locator smell but can use anything else they wish. You can move if you hear the seeker coming so you are not tied to one spot. Once you are found you have to start seeking. And” He hesitated with a smile “any and all seekers take a shot of Firewhiskey whenever someone is found with the person they found.”
They started from the Great Hall.
“Ok I’m going to spin my wand,” Pansy explained as the wand floated in mid-air between them, “whoever the wand lands on is it. They have to count for 1 minute.”
She spun the wand and it landed on Daphne who immediately shut her eyes and began counting.
They took off like greyhounds out of the track. They sprinted in every direction trying to get as far away from each other as possible.
As Harry ran towards the greenhouse with a smile on his face from the adrenaline he hadn’t since Quidditch he felt he was beginning to understand the fun of this game.
Harry was actually quite good a hiding. He supposed it came from growing up in Dursleys. He had found a large empty wicker basket at the end of the green houses used for storing saplings in spring. It was empty in October. It was warm, dry, if a bit dirty and there was nearly enough for three people. Harry waited.
After what felt like not much time at all he heard someone come into the green house. They walked around. Harry held his breath until they quickly left again.
Then after another short time he heard two people enter the green houses giggleing. It sounded like Daphne and Blaise. Then Harry heard kissing and dirty flirting that he did not want to hear. He finally had enough when one of them perched on the lid of the basket.
“Oi! Pre-martial sex is bad.”
Daphne let out a yelp. Blaise broke down laughing. Harry crawled out of the basket and took his hot of much deserved Firewhiskey.
The game progressed. They found Hermione next in the Potions cupboard. When they found her she said “I thought if Filch caught me I could say that Slughorn gave me permission to organise the cupboard the get to sleep.”
They found Pansy in the Astronomy Tower behind a tapestry of star constellations.
It turns out Ron had met Hagrid on his run down and wasn’t so much hiding as he was getting well drunk himself with Hagrid. Hagrid thought the game was hilarious and promised not to tell McGonagall.
Theo nearly got caught by Filch during an attempt to change hiding spots from the Slytherin common room down to the Qudditch pitches. If only for Hermione’s quick thinking with a Patroness charm he would have been a goner.
The only left to find was Draco. Harry wasn’r sure how they would manage because the Slytherins had been more than generous with the Firewhiskey and everyone was stostured drunk.
Harry felt they had checked everywhere. They were in the Great Hall about to give up and just used a locator charm when they heard Filch and Headmistress McGonagall coming.
“Students out of bed Headmistress –“
“I know, I can assure you when I find who these students are they will be in detention until Christmas.”
They looked at each other in panic and once again took off running in every direction. Harry was running up the Grand Stairs when something came out and grabbed him just before McGonagll came around the corner.
Harry had been thrust into one of the paintings. It felt entirely strange being in two-dimensions. He was able to look to his right and see Draco clad in armour like a knight ready for battle. When McGonagall had passed Harry turned to Draco, “Thanks.” He said.
“Your welcome. Are you still in the game or did they find you.”
“No, I was changing hiding spots.”
“Ok, I’ve seen Daphne and Blaise pass a few times. I think Ron’s out took with the way he was wobbling down the hallway And think I saw Pansy, Theo and Hermione looking together. Honestly it been kind of hard to keep track in here.”
“Yeah, this hiding spot is ingenious.” Harry complimented.
“Thank you, I suppose it helps that half the subjects on the wall are my relatives. You know hiding in plain sight and all that.”
“Yeah.”
They sat in silence for another moment.
“Hey Harry,” Draco ventured not realising how much using Harry’s first name would shock him, “I sorry we could never be friends. I think we would have had fun.”
“Yeah, tonights been really fun. I can remember the last time I laughed like that. Do ye do this every Halloween?”
“Yeah, since third year we do this and a few other things throughout the year. It used to drive Snape up the wall. He was way better at catching us than McGonagall.”
“Snape?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, he used to say that the five of us would put him in to an early grave.”
Harry was quiet. Draco realised what he said.
“Oh shit I’m sorry. It’s just a nice memory I have of him. I didn’t think.”
“No, no, no, your fine. There was so much I never really knew about the man.”
“Mmmh…. Come on we better get back to the dorm. McGonagall looks to be on a mission to catch us and as I recall her detentions were always way worse than Snape.” Draco held out his hand to take them out of the picture.
Before Harry took Draco’s hand he said “I’d like to be friends now, Draco.”
Draco gave a warm smile. “Of course, Potter.”
Draco led Harry out of the picture and they snuck back to the dorm together. When they got in every one else was in a circle around the fire in the dorm eating sweets and what was left of the Firewhiskey.
When they came in Theo called out in celebration “You found him!”
Draco smile fell into horror as he whisper-shouted “You bastard. You tricked me.”
Harry grinned liked the Chesire cat.
“Come on Draco, lets get you some Firewhiskey.”
The pair sat down next to the group and stayed up all night, laughing and talking and being happy.