Harry Potter and the Pink Sweater

Harry's Pink Sweater

"You know," said Harry Potter to Ron Weasley, "Hermione's supposed to meet us now."

"And?" said Ron nonchalantly.

"Well... she's not here."

"Well spotted," said Ron, watching a flobberworm crawl by on the stone floor.

"Just because she doesn't want to go--"

"Shh!" said Ron, looking around in the deserted corridor, suddenly panicky.

"Fine, then, but you have to face the facts sometime," said Harry.

"Stuff it," muttered Ron as Hermione dashed up the corridor to meet them.

Hermione Granger stopped just in front of Harry and Ron, clutching a stitch in her side and panting hard. Harry and Ron stared at her expectantly.

"Well?" said Ron impatiently.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and straightened up.

"It's true," she said ominously.

"What's true?" asked Harry, confused.

"You know... it was him," Hermione said.

"So he did set that kneazle loose in the D.A. meeting?" asked Harry. Hermione nodded. "Oh, really... hmm..."

"What're we gonna do?" asked Ron, looking from Hermione to Harry. "We can't very well let him get away with it, you know!"

"Calm down, Ron," said Hermione to Ron, who hadn't even been yelling, "I've got it all figured out."

"As usual," muttered Ron.

"Sorry, what was that?" said Hermione.

"Er... what's the plan?" said Ron.

"You'll see. Now, come on, we have to get to dinner, it'll look suspicious if we're not there..."

"We wouldn't want that," muttered Ron to his shoes.

****

Breakfast next day was normal. The post hadn't shown up yet as Harry, Ron, and Hermione took seats at the Gryffindor table, near Neville, Lavender, and Parvati and Ginny.

"Goody, waffles," said Ron excitedly. "Those house-elves sure do a bang-up job... er, I mean..." he stuttered as Hermione gave him a reproving glare.

"Now, everyone know the plan?" said Hermione in an undertone.

"No, you haven't told us the plan," said Ron.

"Exactly," said Hermione.

"What?" said Ron and Harry in unison.

"Don't you two get it?" said Hermione, as if it was obvious.

"No, we don't get it," snapped Ron. "Speak in English, would you?"

They glared at each other for a moment as owls began to flood the hall.

"Pay attention, you two," said Harry loudly as a brown barn owl nibbled on a tuft of Hermione's hair. "That owl wants paying for the paper."

"Oh," said Hermione, and slipped a Knut in the leather pouch on the owl's leg.

Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl, swooped down gracefully in front of Harry, dropping a rather large package right into the platter of waffles. A tawny and a barn owl followed, each also carrying a package.

"You've got admirers, Harry, said Hermione, plucking a notecard off one package. The front of the card depicted kittens basking in the sun. Harry almost puked.

"What the..." he mumbled, taking the card from Hermione. It read: Best wishes, Potter, on your funeral, love, the Slytherins.

"Oh," Harry said, "This must be about the match tomorrow..."

"Well, go on, open a package," said Ron.

Harry picked the smallest one, and tore off the brown paper. It was a cardboard box that read: Tombstone Making Kit: Learn Spells To Get Your Headstone Noticed!

"Really creative, that lot," said Ron, picking up the second largest package. He tore the paper off it, and underneath there was an array of buttons, all of them flashing the message: I Support a Potty and a Weasel! There was also a note that said: For your fans, Potter.

The last package wasn't in a box, but rather, just something soft wrapped in light paper. Harry took it and removed the paper slowly. He found a sweater, lovingly folded just right. Harry covered it back up immediately.

"Blimey, Harry, someone's sent you a pink jumper!" said Ron, giggling madly.

"Shut up, you stupid prat," said Harry, trying to silence Ron.

"There's a note," said Hermione, holding up a rolled up piece of parchment.

Harry took it and read: Meet me in the library tomorrow at three? Wear the sweater.

"Uh..." said Harry uncertainly.

"Oh, go on, Harry!" said Ron rather loudly between laughing.

"I won't go unless you wear the sweater for the rest of the day," said Harry stubbornly.

"Er... pink really isn't my color..." said Ron, who had stopped laughing. Hermione snorted.

"What?" Ron said, turning to Hermione. "You think it is?"

"No, Ron, but that sweater was addressed to both of you. Look," she said, pointing out the label.

"I, er, I..." Ron stuttered.

"You first, mate," said Harry, holding the sweater out to him.

"I can't fit into that!" said Ron, taking up the sweater. "Look how huge it it!"

"Maybe we can both fit into it... Is that it? Are we both supposed to wear it?" said Harry, confused.

"I don't want to... but as long as you stick to your side of the sweater..." said Ron. "I just wanna see who sent it."

"Alright, tomorrow at three it is," said Harry.

"And no Hermiones allowed," said Ron, looking over at Hermione, who was smiling inwardly.

****

"Ouch, you trodded on my foot again," said Harry.

"What do you want from me? We are wearing the same sweater, after all."

"And the same invisibility cloak," Harry pointed out. They had taken the Invisibility Cloak so that they wouldn't be seen by anyone, especially not the Slytherins. Gryffindor had just beaten Slytherin at Quidditch an hour earlier, so they wouldn't be in an exceptionally friendly mood anyway.

"Go left a bit," Ron muttered as they silently stepped into the library. They hid behind a large bookcase in the Potions section, and removed the Invisibility Cloak.

"It's getting a bit stuffy in this sweater, and I'm starting to wonder why we're here in the library in a pink sweater," said Ron, complaining in a whiny voice.

"Ha ha, Ron," said Harry, sounding like he didn't find Ron's comment amusing in the slightest. Harry poked his head around the corner, seeing if anyone was there. There was.

"Ron, come look--"

Sitting alone at a table was a girl, Harry supposed, wearing a long black satin dress with a hood that covered her face entirely. She appeared to have spotted Harry and Ron, and so they whipped back around the corner.

"I supposed it's our mystery Jumper Lady," said Ron, stating the obvious.

"No, really, Ron, I thought it was a dementor... Should we go over to her?"

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" said Ron. He two of them slowly slipped around the corner to meet her at the table.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly. Ron waved stupidly. The hooded figure did not laugh, she only pointed to an empty bench next to her. Harry and Ron sat down together, coordinating their movement.

"So..." said Ron, "You wanted to see us in a pink jumper? Well, here we are, and now we're leaving."

"Please don't," said the figure in a voice that sounded like many voices at the same time, but at the same time one, solid voice.

The hooded figure made to take off her hood. Slowly she reached up, and yanked the hood back rather quickly, and the two of them saw that it was--

--Draco Malfoy. He started to laugh really hard, and motioned to the bookcases behind him. A bunch of Slytherins came out, also laughing really hard.

"The look on your face, Potter--priceless," he drawled as the Slytherins behind him whipped out cameras and started taking photos of the Pink Sweater Duo.

"But--why?" asked Harry angrily.

"Had to get you back for last week's dream about me in a pink robe dressed as a girl," said Malfoy. "Can't let my image be ruined like that."

"But that was only a dream!" said Harry, yelling.

"This is a dream, too, Potter," said Malfoy.

"Hey, wait, your image is still ruined, you're wearing a satin dress, Malfoy," said Ron.

Malfoy looked down. "Oh, great, for once can't evil prevail over good..."

Harry's eyes sprang open. That was most certainly the weirdest dream he had ever had. Malfoy in a satin dress...

He picked his glasses up off the nightstand and noticed a pile of giant waffles on the floor and an overly large pink sweater on the ground.

"Hang on..." he said slowly. Ron came in, munching on a waffle.

"Why are you always in here when I wake up, eating waffles!" yelled Harry. He got out of bed, picked up a waffle, and chucked it at Ron. "Out! I want to contemplate my dream in peace!"

"Touchy..." said Ron, eating the waffle Harry had thrown a him.