Need

Need

Harry could not sit still. In an hour, he thumbed through and tossed away most of his textbooks and magazines, played and lost a game of wizarding chess with Ron, polished his broomstick(during which he felt oddly perverted) and paced up and down the boy's staircase a dozen times.

Hermione, after having her concentration broken for the eleventh time, heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Harry," she called up the staircase, "if you can't find anything to do, why don't you get your costume straight? Waiting 'til the last minutes for the charms to set in usually effects the charm's longetivity."

"Huh?" Ron said, confused. He lay upside down on the couch near the fire, his legs dangling in the air above his head.

Seamus and Dean looked up from their corner of the room, where a suspicious piece of parchment lay between them.

"To translate, Ron, she means the charm won't last if you muck it up by hurrying," remarked Dean, as he turned back the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes order form he and Seamus were trying to hide from Hermione.

Harry shook his head.

"I have plenty of time before I need to do that, 'Mione. I'm just a little...nervous," he said, twitching slightly as he slumped down beside Ron's feet.

"What's there to be nervous about, mate? It's just some silly costume party," Ron remarked, muffled from his position on the floor.

Harry gestured to Hermione to move in closer before he spoke.

"Have you noticed Malfoy today?" he whispered.

Hermione's eyebrows rose.

"Malfoy? Yeah, he's a git as usual-" Hermione hushed Ron by knocking her toe against his head. The redhead yelped and rubbed the space below his ear.

"He's been staring at me me strangely...like he wants to attack me or something. And now that party tonight...I don't know what to do. I'm afraid that he's going to do something. Humiliate me or worse," Harry explained.

Ron flipped himself upright with a soft thud and scrambled to his feet. Dean and Seamus looked at him oddly. He waved at them and then plunked down beside Hermione. Leaning over her, he spoke quietly.

"You think Malfoy's gonna kidnap you and take you to You-Know-Who?"

You have to tell Dumbledore, Harry," Hermione said, anxiously, "And for Merlin's sake, Ron, say Voldemort."

Ron clapped his hand over her mouth.

"I can tell the DA group. Have them look after you at the party. It'd be a shame for you to not go, mate, even with Malfoy there," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back with his free hand. Harry grinned, a little relieved by his enthusiam. Hermione swatted Ron's hand away from her mouth.

"If you think that its ok, I won't argue. But I still think..." she drawled off before looking at the time.

"DEAR LORD!"

Ron and Harry jumped. Behind them, Dean and Seamus shuffled their papers in their pockets quickly, out of sight. Hermione whirled up the girl's stairs, barely a blurr.

"What was that about?" Harry asked Ron. His best mate tapped his watch, an amused grin on his face.

"It's time to get dressed."

----------------------------------

Harry fidgeted in his seat for the twentieth time. Ginny slapped him on the shoulder and glared at his reflection in the mirror.

"If you're not still, Hermione and I'll get this wrong," she said, vaguely reminding Harry of Molly Weasley. He groaned.

"Why is it taking so long? Hermione?" he called towards the doorway. The prefect stepped back on a moment later, a book open in her hands. She looked up and swiftly pocketed her reading glasses. Ginny shook her head.

"It's not like we don't know you wear them," the redhead said, amused, "or were you worried Ron was here?"

Hermione ducked her head, a blush brighting her cheeks. She snapped the book shut and ,propping it on the bedside table in the boy's room, took her wand from her pocket.

Costume parties in the wizarding world are quite different from the ones muggles adore. With muggles, they always want to dress like magical, mythical characters. They want to be something different, something extra-ordinary then their boring lives. Now, wizards and witchs, they dress in a completely different way. Instead of dressing in the muggle tradition of magic, they are magic. So they change their appearances to look like muggles. They enjoy changing their looks so that they look the way they allows wanted to. It could be said that all magic users are a little narcissitic.

Harry hadn't really decided on what he wanted to look like. He was still stuck in his memories of Halloween, when he'd been forced to watch as Dudley waddled his way down the walk, bright day-glow costume flashing in the lamplight. He'd always wanted to dress up and go out, in bright colors that flickered like candle light. Aunt Petunia'd made him stay inside, dusting the rooms of the house until they sparkled.

So it goes without saying that Harry didn't know how to dress ordinarily for a costume party. He wanted the flash of Halloween-and flash was not the right idea when it came to a wizarding soiree.

Hermione and Ginny, in there usual protective, mothering personalities, jumped at the chance to help him. They already had their charms cast and set, ready for the party that threatened to start sooner then Harry could possibly be ready.

Now, with the other guys ready and kicked out of the dorm room, he'd begun to feel like a bug under the scrutiny of the girls. Finally, Ginny snapped her fingers. Harry jumped at the sound.

"I've got it.."

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?" Hermione asked, a disturbing twinkle in her eyes.

Ginny nodded. Hermione waved her wand and spoke the runes clearly. Harry could see them for a moment, glowing in the air before the runes faded into his skin. Everything on his body tingled and his eyes began to tear as the sensation intensified and then abruptly stopped.

He heard the girl's gasp and ,opening his eyes, he found his eyesight blurred. Yanking of his glasses in frustration, Harry choked. The boy in the mirror held no resemblance to the Harry Potter he knew.

Red hair....brown eyes and a spattering of freckles. Harry again choked, this time more out of fighting back laughter then surprise.

"You turned me into a Weasley," he said between spurts of laughter. Ginny held her sides as she leaned over the chair, laughing hysterically. Hermione's face held the color of a true Gryffindor; she struggled to look dignified and embarassed at the same time.

He was tall and gangly, his arms felt like they were two lengths too long. His shoulders were broader and his hair straight and smooth, the smoothest his hair had ever been. And his height..he felt so tall. Harry towered over Hermione and Ginny now; before, he'd barely cleared an inch above Ginny's head. Thankfully, the charms effected clothes as well as the body; Harry was certain he'd ripped his favorite shirt otherwise.

"I..don't know...how this...happened," Hermione stuttered. Ginny grinned through her tears.

"Please, 'Mione. It's obvious what you want!"

"I thought Ron had blue eyes.."

"'Mione probably wanted a little Krum on the side."

"GINNY!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry buried his face in his arms.

What could he do now? The spells would last all night at least and there was no way he could go to the party looking like this. After the hilarity of Hermione's crush out in the open, Harry felt an odd nervousness start to descend. He couldn't go like this..could he?

Suddenly, everything felt clear as a bell. He could go like this and no one, especially Malfoy, would recognize him.

"Hermione, don't worry about it," he said, throwing his arm across her shoulders. Hermione looked at him oddly, then shook her head.

"Fine, Harry" she said, flicking her newly charmed blond hair.

Hermione'd gone for the Veela look, a fact that hadn't evaded Harry's attention. He remembered Ron's fascination with Fleur..and evidently, so had Hermione. It was strange, familiar Hermione with cold grey-blue eyes and graceful, flowing white-blond hair. It dimly reminded him of someone...

Ginny chuckled.

"You guys better get going," The younger girl pushed the two towards the stairs with a wink.

----------------------------------------------------

The thump of the music vibrated the stairs leading to the Slytherin dorms. After Ron's reaction to his appearance("Mate, if you liked me that much, you could have just said so!"), Harry just wanted to crawl under a bed and die. Except his friends wouldn't let him.

A very black Seamus and white Dean(they'd decided to go as each other) dragged Harry, his feet scrapping the ground. Hermione and Ron followed closely behind.

Ron, despite all odds, hadn't done much to his looks. He'd charmed his hair brown and his eyes a shade lighter. Harry guessed he looked a little like Professor Lupin, if you squinted.

They waltzed straight into the party, with an approving nod from Pansy Parkinson. Harry didn't miss the knowing look that passed between her and Blaise Zambini. He shook it off and moved through to join up with the others.

He barely recognized most of his classmates. All of them had chosen the polar opposites of their original appearance and Harry often had to hear them speak before he recognized them. Before long, the music really began to start up and he found himself swept away from the others.

Dancing had never been Harry's favorite thing; he much rather have been curled up on one of the many leather couches around the room. However, someone grabbed him around the waist and turned him in time with the music. He laughed, something he'd never thought he'd do again, and turned back into the person's arms.

A boy..and not just any boy. Ebony black hair and green eyes...Harry felt a flash of laughter fall on him before it whirled away as the boy ran his hand up Harry's back. He shivered and pressed closer. A smirk came across the boy's face and ,hooking his index fingers in Harry's pockets, pulled them hip to hip. He begin to gently rock back and forth, encouraging the Gryffindor.

They rocked together as the ebony-haired boy pulled them even closer together and Harry felt a heat build between them. It felt...intense. Their eyes meet, caramel versus sharp emerald and Harry felt lost. The boy pulled him into another turn his arms and a chuckle escaped Harry.

"I've been watching you, Harry," the twin murmured in his ear, warm air brushing him.

He jumped in the boy's arms and began to back away.

"How did you know who I was?" Harry demanded.

"Who else would be a Weasley?"

Harry broke their embrace, as the realisation of who the boy was stopped his breathe.

"Malfoy?" he glared at the boy as he nodded, "Only you would think of something as stupid as impersonating me."

Before Malfoy could answer, Harry felt himself yanked away.

"Are you alright, mate?" Ron asked. Harry noticed that he and Ron were the same height and together, the two loomed over Malfoy.

"I'm fine," he answered, leaving the Slytherin behind to follow his friend.

"That was weird..I felt like I was watching the two of us back there. Don't ever do that to me again," Ron joked, punching Harry softly on his arm.

Harry laughed a little and gesturing towards the stairway, made his excuses to Ron. After a quick goodnight, the boy made his way through the crowd. All he wanted to do was sleep the whole thing off and blissfully forget the way he'd reacted to Malfoy's touch. It had to be perverted, the way he'd reacted to someone like that..

"Wait.." A whisper behind him on the staircase. He felt an arm around his waist restrain him. Harry struggled a little before he realized the other person wasn't going to let him go.

'Great..someone drunk to deal with after everything else,' he thought.

Harry felt the press of a warm body behind him, his back firmly against a very male chest. A hand on his caused him to jerk.

"Easy..I just want to talk to you, Harry. Please."

Malfoy. He'd followed him onto the staircase and caught him alone. Harry cursed his stupidity. He should have took Ron's offer to walk him back to the dorm.

Placing his right arm over the other boy's, he tried to free himself. Malfoy held on tightly; releasing Harry's waist, he walked his way around until they were facing each other, his left hand still clasping the Gryffindor's.

"I have something we need to discuss, so you can be a good boy and listen, or I can hold onto you and make you. Although I much prefer the second choice," Malfoy drawled.

"Fine, what is it?"

Malfoy pulled onto Harry's hand and the taller boy lost his balance. He braced himself for the impact of the ground and instead, found himself again in the Slytherin's arms for the fourth time tonight.

Harry opened his mouth to complain when a gentle hand on his cheek distracted him. He meet Malfoy's eyes.

"There's that look in your eyes. I'd thought you'd lost it before, what with the Weasley looks but you haven't," the boy sounded so sincere that Harry didn't pull away for the first time since they'd met.

"Malfoy-"

A finger fell on his lips, shushing him. It traced his jawline and suddenly, the boy loomed even closer. Harry drew a quick breathe before he felt the finger replaced by a set of moist lips. A feathering of kisses over his eyes and chins made him groan involuntarily. What was Malfoy doing?

Malfoy drew away as quickly as he came. Harry wanted to draw him back, the craziest idea he'd ever had.

"I just wanted a piece of that intensity you seem to hold, that look of strength and honor that you save for the ones closest to you," he spoke quickly, gasping a little for air.

"Drac-" Draco's mouth on his own drowned out any words Harry needed to say. He kept his eyes closed as the other boy walked away. The sounds of Draco's footsteps on the stones was the saddest sound Harry had ever heard.

"You know, if you really wanted this..intensity that you're talking about..you could have it," Harry said quickly, never opening his eyes. He heard the steps falter.

"And what after that? What would we do then, Potter? Go back to snarling and hating each other at every turn. We can't...no matter how much I hope," Draco's voice fell to a distant whisper.

"But we could make our own kind of intensity, if you'd just give me time to understand."

When had Malfoy changed to Draco?

"You'll need all the strength, the love, that intensity is made of when the time comes. I can't take that away from you. I just wanted you to know, I needed you to..."

"Know that you had the need?"

Draco cleared his throat and hurried away, before Harry could stop him.

Harry stayed where he was, long after the last steps fell, striving to figure out why he felt like he'd lost the only chance he'd ever have at intensity.