Guys' Night In

Ron Weasley stood on the Quidditch pitch, snickering at the sight of his best friend whipping around the field terrorizing one of their backup Seekers in training. Still in his crimson and gold uniform, the redhead shifted his Cleansweep broom to his other arm as he watched the terrified fourth year barely escape yet another wicked Bludger.

In his sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ron was Keeper and Co-Captain for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team. He, like the other team members, had nominated and voted for Harry Potter to lead them this term, but the boy-who-had-too-much-on-his-mind had refused and nominated Ron instead. After a brief squabble between the two, the rest of the team, led by an impatient and irritated Ginny Weasley, proposed and voted on both boys sharing the Captaincy. It turned out to be the ideal arrangement since they each had strengths in different areas. Ron, it turned out, was as skilled at strategy on the Quidditch pitch as he was on the chessboard. Harry, in his sixth year as the Seeker, had more competitive experience and was able to help implement a lot of Ron's training and scoring tactics. The Gryffindors were looking forward to yet another winning season, especially with the two best friends leading them.

Ron frowned as he recognized the figure approaching him on the pitch. If it weren't for the fact that practice was done for the rest of the team, he would have felt behooved to physically remove the Slytherin Seeker from the premises. After all, one could not be too careful when it came to guarding team strategy. However, since they were now the only ones left on the field, he merely waited for the other boy to join him in watching the show.

During the summer, Draco Malfoy, Slytherin prince and thorn in Ron's side, had spent time with Harry here at Hogwarts. From what Ron was able to surmise, the two had first become friends since they were the only students receiving special combat training. Somehow, this tentative friendship had blossomed into love. Ron and many of his housemates were still not sure how this happened since Harry was not good at explanations and Draco preferred to leave the Gryffindors baffled. Despite his initial misgivings and suspicions, Ron had to concede that Harry seemed enormously happy these days. Romance with his former enemy apparently suited the green-eyed Gryffindor well. Harry looked healthy and well-rested.

"Weasley," the blond Slytherin said in greeting, stopping to stand beside the redhead.

"Malfoy," Ron replied, still watching his two airborne teammates.

Draco looked up and watched the aerial acrobatics for a few moments. "So why is Harry trying to kill the runt?" he finally inquired mildly, watching as his bespectacled boyfriend aimed yet another Bludger at the hapless younger boy. Ron glanced at the Slytherin and saw that the silver eyes were glittering madly in appreciative amusement.

"'The runt' made the mistake of insulting you which was bad enough," Ron said, snickering. "To make matters worse, he also insinuated that maybe Harry had gone soft in his old age and couldn't handle playing against his Slytherin boyfriend. The runt is one of our backup Seekers, by the way."

"No shit."

Ron shook his head. "I thought Harry was going to kill the cocky git at first, but then he shocked us by agreeing and then offering to teach the lad a few of his Seeker tips. I realized what he had in mind though when he picked up the Bludger bat."

Draco pretended to sniffle and wipe away tears. "My lion cub's all grown up and torturing little Gryffindors. I'm so proud."

"I bet. You could probably finish the job by standing here and glaring at the runt once Harry decides to let him live. Maybe he'll learn his lesson when he pisses in his pants."

"Why, Weasley! You're actually inviting me to scare one of your teammates?"

"This one needs to be taken down several notches, so be my guest. I won't offer too often."

"Don't worry. I excel at Gryffindor pissing."

"Oh, I know that, Malfoy. I know that well."

The two adversaries snickered wickedly in unison.

* * * * *

A half-hour later, Ron and Draco watched as Harry, holding the bat with his right arm, swatted the Bludger barely past the younger Seeker. As the frightened boy spun shakily towards the ground, the messy-haired Gryffindor suddenly flew across the pitch and plucked the Snitch out of the air with his left hand. Still holding the Snitch, Harry then flew back across the field and hit the Bludger, aiming it towards his waiting co-captain. Ron tackled the vicious metal ball and wrestled it to the ground, dragging the struggling sphere towards the chest to join its quivering mate. Draco kicked open the chest, watching as the redhead strapped the Bludger in. Ron smirked at the Slytherin, surprised himself that the two of them were actually being more than civil towards each other.

The exhausted backup Seeker wobbled onto the ground and collapsed onto the pitch. Harry glided gracefully down and slowed to a stop near the prone boy. Still floating in midair on his Firebolt, he held the Snitch up in front of the other Seeker. "And Gryffindor loses to Harry Potter," he drawled. "In large part due to the sloppy flying and seeking skills of one Daniel Eaton." The younger boy merely panted and wheezed in reply.

Seeing his boyfriend standing beside Ron, Harry glided towards them, touching softly onto the ground. "Hey," he said, grinning as he let his Firebolt drop to the grassy pitch.

"Bravo," Ron said, clapping his hands in mock applause. "Fred and George would be so very proud of your Bludger handling skills." Ron's twin older brothers were both Beaters for the Gryffindors in the past.

"Nicely done, Potter," Draco commented, smirking. "You do make a fair Beater."

"Oliver Wood said the same thing my first time on the pitch," Harry said shrugging, referring to the Gryffindor Keeper and Captain three terms ago. "So what brings you out here, Malfoy?" he asked, trying not to chortle at the sight of his boyfriend and his best friend actually holding a decent conversation. "Am I late for something?"

"I've got a warm bath waiting for you since I figured you'd want to scrub up before supper," Draco replied, smiling blandly. "When you didn't come, I went to Gryffindor Tower to wait for you." He nodded towards Ron. "I met up with Weasley's sister who was cackling madly about extra training you were giving some brat. I decided that sounded too good for me to pass up." He grinned wickedly at Harry. "You know, you're really sexy when you're being vicious."

"Get a room, Malfoy," Ron growled, rolling his eyes as Harry turned crimson.

"Even better than that, Weasley," Draco replied smugly, "I've got a room with a warm bath simmering. I'm just waiting for my bath buddy to finish tormenting baby Seekers."

"Oh, thanks awfully, Draco," Harry muttered, still blushing. "You just love to make Ron queasy, don't you?" He tried to scowl at his blond lover, but Ron thought Harry's expression was rather pleasant for a scowl. "Erm...thanks for waiting," he told Ron, handing him the Snitch.

"I figured someone had to take whatever was left of Eaton to see Pomfrey," Ron replied, grinning while he secured the golden ball into its place in the chest. "All things considered, Harry, you went pretty easy on him. His limbs are still intact."

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said, glowering at the younger boy. "Daniel actually flies pretty well. He just needs to learn focus and a few manners. The brat seems to think finding the Snitch is easy quick work."

"You'd better hope nothing happens to your star Seeker, Weasley. I don't think you want that little second-rate tosser playing against me," the Slytherin drawled.

"I realize that, Malfoy," Ron replied. "I'm depending on you to help me keep your favorite rival nice and healthy so we can whip Slytherin's arse again." He snickered at Draco's sneer. "Besides, I haven't decided for sure if Eaton can cut it as Harry's backup. You don't think I'd show you all my cards, do you?"

"Aw! Little ickle Ronniekins is a big tough-talking captain now, is he?"

"Damn straight I am."

Smirking, the three older boys strolled over to where Daniel was shakily getting to his feet. When the younger Gryffindor saw Draco, he paled considerably and seemed ready to flop back down on the ground. The blond Slytherin was glaring at the boy with cold flinty silver eyes.

"Eaton," Ron drawled. "I think you know Draco Malfoy." The boy stared at Draco, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. "Since he is the Seeker of a rival team, I'll wait till he and Harry run along before I give you my rather lengthy evaluation of your performance today." Daniel stared helplessly at the redheaded captain.

"You little piss-ant," Draco hissed. "I don't appreciate you even thinking that Harry would play any less than superbly, even against Slytherin. I'd thrash you for the insult if Harry hadn't already taken care of that." Favoring the young Gryffindor with another frosty glare, he put an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder. "Just watch yourself in the future, runt!"

The couple began walking towards the castle, arm in arm. Harry paused to toss the Bludger bat to Ron and pick up his Firebolt. "We'll meet you for supper in the Great Hall, Ron," he said. The redhead nodded.

After waving the pair off, Ron turned back to the now subdued young Seeker. "Come along, Eaton," he said casually. "Help me take this chest into storage while you try to tell me why I shouldn't just kick you off the team." Daniel gulped, but obediently trotted with his captain, both boys carrying the Quidditch chest between them.

* * * * * *

After completing his captain duties for the day and then showering and changing, Ron made his way to the Great Hall. Not surprisingly, Harry and Draco had yet to make their appearance. "Probably still taking their bath together," he snorted to himself. The former-enemies-turned-lovers were becoming notorious for distracting themselves with the benefits of romantic bliss. As a result, they were often late.

Taking his seat at the Gryffindor table, Ron was greeted by his friends and dorm mates. He looked around the table. There seemed to be quite a few empty seats. "Where are the girls?" he inquired.

Seamus Finnigan chuckled. "They're having a 'beauty night.' At least that's what they called it."

"What's that supposed to be?" Ron asked, frowning.

Dean Thomas grinned at him. "We're not completely sure, but we think it means we're not welcome."

"Sounds like they're going to do stuff with their hair and nails and such," Neville Longbottom commented, biting into a dinner roll. "I heard them say something about polishing and curling."

"You mean they're going to polish their hair and curl their nails?" Seamus asked innocently. He sniggered at Neville's puzzled expression.

Ron glanced around him. "Hermione, too?" he asked in surprise. "She usually doesn't have much patience for that kind of girly stuff."

"Since she has a boyfriend now, I guess she's taking more interest in that girly stuff," Dean said, nudging the redhead. Trying to ignore his own deep blush, Ron began scooping food onto his plate. His friends snickered.

"I take it Ginny's in on this, too," Ron said, noticing his younger sister's absence.

"Yup," Seamus replied. "In fact, they invited a couple of girls from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too, like Parvati's sister, Padma. Sounds like it's going to be an all-nighter."

"No kidding," Ron murmured. "I guess that means I get to goof off and do nothing." As fond as the redhead was of his girlfriend, he found much of his time with Hermione taken up by reading and studying. He was working to change that.

Just then, Harry and Draco joined them at the table, hair still slightly damp from their bath. After greeting the other boys and being teased about their tardiness, Harry looked around. "Where's Hermione? And Ginny? And Lavender and Parvati?"

"I just asked them that," Ron chuckled. "They're having a girls only party."

"Sounds like fun," Draco drawled. "Shall we crash it?"

"Do we want to?" Harry asked, smirking.

"You've dueled with You-Know-Who, Harry," Seamus said, snickering, referring to Harry's past encounters with Voldemort. "Facing enraged girls should be a piece of cake for you."

"I don't think so," the boy-who-liked-to-live said, shaking his head. "You're not hiding behind me for this one."

"Besides," Neville pointed out, "remember that the stairs to the girls' dorm in Gryffindor Tower is charmed to keep boys out."

"So is the entrance to the Slytherin girl's dorm, but that didn't stop us," Draco countered. "There are ways to get past those spells."

"Yeah," Dean added, "but I heard them say something about Hermione being in charge of securing the dorms themselves. I think that was meant to warn us against even trying to crash their party."

"Hmm," Draco said, thoughtfully, "if Granger is in charge of that, I suppose that could be potentially dangerous to get past." The other boys shuddered at the damage and discomfort the brainy Prefect's obstruction spells could cause them.

"I'd like to keep my body parts in the size and shape they're currently in," Dean said after a while.

Draco snickered. "Cowards, the lot of you. Where's your sense of adventure and daring?"

"If you're such hot stuff, Malfoy," Ron countered, "why don't you just go and do it yourself? We'll wait to claim your corpse."

"Tsk tsk Weasley, ye of little faith. I'll take up your challenge only if all of you go with me. Half the fun is in the group effort."

"Forget it," Seamus scoffed. "I think I'd like to live long enough to see the next sunrise." His dorm mates nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure you blokes aren't actually girls? You sure don't sound like manly Gryffindors." Draco chuckled at the indignant glares he received. "In my House, we crashed the girl parties all the time. The girls used to get mad if we didn't show up."

"I think Slytherin girls have a slightly different attitude than Gryffindor girls," Dean pointed out.

The blond Slytherin snickered. "Oh yeah. I forgot. Most of your girls are still virgins. A shame though." The other boys glowered at him, getting the distinct impression that their House had just been insulted.

"Hey!" said Seamus brightly. "Why don't we have our own party? A guys only party."

"What would we do? Polish our hair and curl our nails?" Ron asked, smirking.

"Of course not!" Seamus exclaimed. "We'd eat, play cards, argue about Quidditch and swear at each other without having to clean up our language for the girls."

"That's not a bad idea, Finnigan," Draco said approvingly. "We could have it down in my room, couldn't we, Harry? It should be big enough."

"I don't think Snape would allow it, would he?" Harry said dubiously.

"Potter," Draco smirked, "this is me we're talking about."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah" he muttered. "I forgot." He shrugged. "Well, I guess so, then. What do you guys think?" he asked Ron, Dean and Neville.

"I think it sounds like fun," Dean replied, grinning.

"Okay," Ron added, "I'm in."

"Yeah," Neville said, "me too."

"Finnigan, tell Zabini to come since you'll see him before I do," Draco said, referring to the Irish Gryffindor's boyfriend. "I'm not going to be the only Slytherin at this party." Ron groaned. "Now, now, Weasley. Blaise is learning to behave himself around Gryffindors."

"I haven't noticed any change," the redhead muttered. "And coming from you, Malfoy, that's not very reassuring anyway." Ron and the dark-haired Slytherin had a rather testy relationship.

"Aw, c'mon, Weasley," Seamus protested. "Blaise likes you. He said so."

"He likes being a smart arse around me, you mean," Ron scoffed. "Are you sure he isn't a girl? Sometimes he whines like one."

"He's a guy, Ron," Seamus assured him wickedly. "Remember when he showed you his bits and pieces that morning in our dorm?"

"Thanks awfully for the reminder, horny prat."

"No problem at all, uptight sod."

"Why don't we invite Justin Finch-Fletchley and Terry Boot?" Dean asked, referring to their Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw classmates.

"I'm fine with that. Bring anyone you like, as long as they're not total assholes," Draco replied. "Harry and I will take care of the refreshments." He turned to Harry. "I want Crabbe and Goyle to come too, so we'll need lots of food. We can go to the kitchens and get some from your house-elf."

"Dobby is not my house-elf," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You could at least call him by his name."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Draco replied, shrugging.

"Why don't we wear our pajamas to this party?" Seamus suggested. "The girls do that. I think it makes everyone equal and more relaxed, you know?"

The blond Slytherin grinned wickedly. "Gee, Potter," he said blandly to Harry, "we'll have to come to the party naked." Harry choked on his pumpkin juice. Spluttering and blushing, he glared at his boyfriend while his friends snickered. "Well, it's true, Harry," Draco insisted angelically. "I don't have pajamas anymore. I got rid of my last set since I wasn't using them anyway. And I haven't seen you wear any yet."

"Speak for yourself, you git," Harry muttered, wiping the pumpkin juice off the front of his robe with his napkin, refusing to look at any of his giggling friends. "I'm not going to be there starkers."

"You're right," Draco agreed. "You'd be far too distracting for me. I'll transfigure something into pajama-like clothes for us."

"That was way too much information, Malfoy," Ron said, smirking at his best friend's flaming face.

"The pajama thing was not my idea, Weasley."

"Naked would be fun, too," Seamus said laughing, "but I don't think that would be fair and equal."

"I wouldn't come if that were the dress code," Neville said, shaking his head. "Or the undressed code, I should say."

"Is that everything?" Dean asked hastily, before the embarrassing discussion could continue.

"I'll get after-hours passes from McGonagall in case we run late," Ron said, after swallowing the last of his dinner. "That will take me a while since she'll want to interrogate me and make sure we're not doing anything illegal." The other boys snickered at the redhead Prefect's resigned expression.

"Right then. Shall we meet down in my room in an hour?" Draco asked, checking his watch. The others nodded.

"Good. See you all then." The Slytherin stood up, pulling Harry with him. "C'mon Potter. We have food to steal." He and Harry trotted out of the Great Hall.

"I'll see you guys in the dorm later. I've got to go talk to Blaise," Seamus said grinning.

"Okay," Dean agreed. "I'll talk to Terry. Neville, you check with Justin." The round-faced Gryffindor nodded.

The boys went their separate ways, excited about the unexpected turn the evening had taken.

* * * * * *

"Aww," Ron cooed. "Ickle Iwish boy is coming to the pawty wid his blanky wanky!"

Seamus chuckled, not the least embarrassed to be carrying his bright green blanket, a Christmas gift to him from Grandma Finnigan. The tassel tails of the embroidered red and gold griffins swung jauntily as he walked. "Ickle Iwish boy's lover happens to weally like dis blanky wanky," he cooed back. "So ickle Iwish boy is hoping for some quality cuddle time with his wawm happy snuggle bunny while big bad wedhead sits all by his wonesome." Dean and Neville snickered at Ron's long-suffering expression.

"Somehow, Zabini and 'snuggle bunny' seem so wrong together in the same thought," the redhead groaned.

"On that," Seamus admitted, "you and Blaise would probably be in total agreement. He doesn't mind the baby talk in private, but he gets crabby if I do it in front of people."

"Let me guess," Neville said, grinning. "You do it anyway."

"It keeps my Slytherin lad delightfully off balanced," the Irish Gryffindor replied smugly.

The four boys were making their way to Draco Malfoy's dungeon quarters for the first ever boys' slumber party. Dressed for the occasion, they wore their pajamas under their school robes.

Rounding a corner, they met up with four boys waiting for them, also wearing pajamas under their robes. "Hey Gryffindors," Justin Finch-Fletchley said in greeting. The Hufflepuff sixth year grinned at Seamus. "Nice blanket, Finnigan. Didn't know we were supposed to bring our own."

"Laugh all you want, Justin. I'm going to be warm and happy while you guys stay cold and lonely."

"Don't ask him to explain," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "My stomach can't handle it."

Justin chuckled. "Okay. Whatever. I hope you don't mind Ernie and Zacharias tagging along. We've never been to a slumber party before."

"Hi guys," Ernie Macmillan said, raising his hand in greeting. "We're not going to paint our nails and spread goop all over our faces, are we?"

Zacharias Smith rolled his eyes. "Merlin, I hope not!"

Terry Boot chuckled. "Me, too. I heard Padma telling some of the other girls about the Gryffindor girls party she's going to be at tonight." The Ravenclaw grinned at Ron. "I'm counting on you to keep the girlyness out of this party, Weasley."

Ron sniggered. "Sorry, Boot. No promises. Finnigan's snuggle bunny is going to be at this get-together. Who knows how much girlyness he'll contribute."

"Hey! No need to get snarky, you prat!" Seamus said loftily. "My snuggle bunny's more man than you'll ever be!"

"Zabini's coming to the party?" Zacharias asked, raising his eyebrows. "I shouldn't be surprised, I guess, since Malfoy's hosting this." He grimaced. "I don't know if I'll ever like partying with Slytherins."

Seamus frowned. "If that's the case, why are you even here? You know we're going down into Slytherin territory."

The tall blond Hufflepuff snorted. "I'm not looking for trouble, Finnigan," he said. "If they behave themselves, so will I. Just keep your precious 'snuggle bunny' muzzled and on a leash, will you?"

Seamus glared at him through narrowed eyes, his hands, still hanging on to his blanket, clenching into tight fists. "Okay, arse! Right there, you and I have a problem!"

Dean and Neville took hold of their Irish friend while Ron stepped between the two groups. "Listen and listen closely, Smith," he growled, facing the scowling flushed Hufflepuff. "I have my share of gripes with the Slytherins, too, but you're not going to find me turning my problems with them into trouble for Seamus or Harry. I'd suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself or you'd better consider turning right around and heading back to your little dorm."

Before the angry Hufflepuff could respond to Ron, Ernie stepped between them. "Hang on, Zack," he said firmly. "Ron's right. All of us have had history of some kind with the Slytherins, but that's all in the past. Just let go of whatever the hell is bugging you." Returning his housemate's mutinous glare, the Hufflepuff Prefect stood his ground. "I'm not letting you make things tricky for our House or for the Gryffindors since they invited us. Now are we in this together or not?"

Reluctantly, Zacharias nodded. "I'll be fine," he muttered. Meeting Ron's gaze, he smiled crookedly. "I'm not about to start any fights, Weasley. I'd still like to come if it's all right with you."

"Okay, Smith," Ron said, still glowering at the other boy. "Just don't make me regret the decision. I'd suggest you stick close to your housemates and follow their good example."

Ernie clapped a hand on Zacharias' shoulder. "C'mon, you prat," he said grinning. "Let's just go and have some fun. You're as mad to come to this party as we are so stop being such a pain."

Zacharias snorted, but grinned. "'Mad' is the right word for it."

Relieved, the eight boys turned and headed towards the entrance to the dungeons. Justin caught up with Seamus and walked beside the still-sulking Irish boy. "Sorry about that," he murmured. "Zack's not always like this, you know. He just has a hard time being open-minded." At Seamus' snort, Justin nudged him. "Don't worry. If he screws it up, we'll take him out of there ourselves."

"Why the hell does he want to come if he hates the Slytherins so much?" Seamus whispered.

Justin shrugged. "He's curious. Playing with Slytherins is still new for all of us. Zack's never been down in Malfoy's room so I think he wants to see what it's like. And he doesn't hate them, by the way. He just doesn't care much for their manners, I guess."

Dean chuckled. "I think we can all agree on that," he said softly. "Get a grip, Seam. A year ago, we would've all been the same way. Give the argumentative bloke a chance to get used to our new friends down below."

"After all," Neville added mischievously, "Zacharias doesn't get to see Zabini's sterling qualities like you do." He grinned as Seamus smirked and nodded. "And don't even try telling me what quality you're thinking about right now, you horny toad!" Neville spun out of the way as Seamus swung his leg back to kick him.

"Hey! Watch it back there," Ron admonished, although he too was grinning. "We're almost at the dungeons and I'm not about to serve detention with Snape for having fun in his domain." The other boys all snickered, but complied nonetheless. "So how come you're flying with us solo?" Ron asked Terry who was walking beside him.

The Ravenclaw shrugged. "Lucky me, I guess. Anthony Goldstein wanted to come, but he's got woman problems he's trying to sort out." He rolled his eyes as Ron chuckled. "When I said Malfoy was hosting, some of the other guys didn't really care much for that. It's just as well. No housemates to handle." He leaned closer to Ron. "I don't envy Ernie and Justin. Zacharias wants well-behaved Slytherins. How impossible is that?" He and Ron sniggered in agreement.

"The truly frightening thing," Ron added, "is that Harry insists Malfoy is a well-behaved Slytherin."

Terry snorted. "We'd better check Potter's pumpkin juice. That is not the observation of a sober man." Ron chuckled. As much as he loved his best friend, he still thought Harry had gone soft in the head when it came to Draco Malfoy.

"Are Crabbe and Goyle going to be there, too?" Justin inquired.

"Yeah," Seamus said, nodding. "As long as they're fed, they'll be friendly enough," he assured them.

The eight boys soon found themselves standing in front of a large portrait of a stern and ancient wizard.

"Password?" he inquired, peering at them intently.

"Chocolate Oysters," Ron intoned. "And I'm not going to ask what that password means," he muttered as the wizard bowed and the portrait swung open.

"Aphrodisiacs," Seamus said helpfully. "Muggles use them to get in the mood for sex."

"I said I wasn't going to ask, you tosser!"

"You ought not think out loud then, Ron," Neville chuckled. "At least not around Seamus."

Ron snorted as the eight boys entered the dungeons through the portrait hole. After going down a long flight of stairs, they passed through a dimly lit hallway that led to the Slytherin dorms. At the end of the corridor, they reached Draco's room. Inside, Harry and Draco were arranging huge platters of food on a long table.

"Whoa!" Seamus exclaimed. "Glad I didn't eat much supper." He looked over at the couple and grinned. "Nice pajamas, guys, but aren't you wearing the wrong colors?"

Draco, wearing deep crimson silk pajamas, snickered. "Nonsense, Finnigan. Harry and I are color blind when it comes to house colors." Harry, dressed in emerald green silk pajamas, shrugged grinning.

"Yeah. Those just happen to be Gryffindor and Slytherin colors reversed," Ernie said, laughing. "Hope you don't mind me and Zacharias coming along, Malfoy. When Justin said he was going to an inter-House slumber party we sort of invited ourselves."

"Delighted to have you Macmillan," the Slytherin drawled. "This was actually Finnigan's brilliant idea." His smirk turned into a sardonic sneer as he turned his gaze on the boy standing beside Ernie. "Zacharias Smith, as I live and breath," he said smoothly. "I do hope the journey down to our humble dungeon dorms wasn't too traumatic for you."

The blond Hufflepuff flushed slightly. "S'okay, Malfoy," he returned coldly. "I think it's rather fitting that you Slytherins make your home below ground. Not a far walk to the afterlife, eh?"

"Zack," Justin muttered to his housemate. "Mind your manners, remember?"

"It's alright, Fletch," Draco said, pseudo-magnanimously. "I think this will be the perfect evening to increase Smith's tolerance for Slytherins since there will be four of us here." He smiled tightly at Zacharias. "You do know Vinnie, Greg and Blaise, don't you?"

Zacharias flushed even deeper. "Yeah, Malfoy. I know them. And don't worry. My tolerance for Slytherins is just fine, thank you."

"For some more than others, I'm sure," Draco murmured, silver eyes glittering.

The blond Hufflepuff scowled at him for a moment before turning away. "Potter," he said cordially. "Quite a spread you have out here," he said indicating the food table. "How did you get your hands on this feast?"

"I have my sources," Harry replied coolly. He and Zacharias never did get along, despite their work together with the D.A., otherwise known as 'Dumbledore's Army', a student-run training club for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"You brought out all this food because Crabbe and Goyle are coming?" Ron queried as he stared at the platters and trays.

"It's for all of us, actually," Harry replied, smiling broadly, "but you should talk anyway, Ron. You eat more than a fair amount yourself."

"Yeah, but one of them alone eats ten times what I eat," the redhead smirked. "Where are those Slytherins anyway? Would it be too much for me to hope they got lost?" The other boys chuckled at the thought of Slytherins getting lost in their own dorm.

"Not likely, Weasley," Draco said, bringing out a case of chilled butterbeer. "Crabbe and Goyle would never miss a meal opportunity and Zabini will be here since Finnigan's here." He cast a beady eye on Seamus and his green blanket. "Nice blanket, but I don't recall telling you to bring your own."

"Please don't ask him," Ron groaned. "He's way too happy to explain his fetishes to anyone who listens."

"I do what I can to keep my snuggle bunny happy and content," Seamus drawled.

"'Happy and content?'" the blond Slytherin smirked. "Zabini? Are we talking about the same snuggle bunny? Last time I checked, Blaise was still high-strung and neurotic."

"You just don't know him like I do," the Irish boy said peaceably. "When his needs are met, he's a pussycat." He glared at Zacharias who had just snorted in response.

"Well, just don't go meeting his needs in front of us, please," Ron growled. "I prefer his inner pussy to stay out of sight." The other boys snorted and spluttered with laughter. Seamus chuckled and headed towards the piles of pillows and blankets that Harry and Draco had arranged on the floor of the rather spacious dorm room. The sandy-haired boy began marking his chosen territory with the green blanket.

"Everybody grab a plate and pile it on," Harry called. "We're eating in bed tonight," he added, gesturing towards the pillows and blankets.

"Oy," Terry grinned. "I didn't think I'd be able to eat so close after supper, but this looks great, guys."

"Help yourself, Boot," Draco said. "Once Crabbe and Goyle get here, I make no guarantees on enough supply for the demand."

The boys busied themselves with filling their plates, some of them grabbing more than one plate. "Malfoy!" Seamus exclaimed. "Strawberries! Blaise will be like putty tonight."

"I do what I can to keep your snuggle bunny happy and content," the blond Slytherin drawled. He watched in amusement as the Irish boy filled an entire plate with the luscious plump berries. "Good idea, Finnigan. Zabini never looks at the food table."

As the boys began settling down on their makeshift beds, the door swung open. Two large boys and one slender one came in, eyeing the other boys suspiciously.

"Oh joy. The Slytherins are finally here," Draco said sardonically. "What took you so damn long, Zabini?" he asked the slender dark-haired boy who was removing his school robe and smoothing out infinitesimal wrinkles on his midnight blue velvet pajamas. "Weasley here was just worrying about you."

"Why weasel love," Blaise cooed to the scowling redhead, "I do believe I'm growing on you, aren't I?"

"Like a bad case of rash," Ron muttered.

"So you want to tell me why you blokes are the last to come when your dorm is the closest to me?" Draco demanded, glaring at his dark-haired housemate. Harry chuckled. He knew his boyfriend did not like the Slytherins coming in last, even when there was no race to be won.

"It's not my fault those two geniuses wandered off without me," Blaise replied, gesturing towards Crabbe and Goyle, who had already discovered the food table and were busily piling snacks onto plates. "I had to hunt them down and bring them back. Found them standing like imbeciles in front of the Fat Lady portrait."

"You mean they were at Gryffindor Tower?" Harry gaped.

"Yeah. The dolts were reciting "chocolate oysters" over and over. Fat Lady was getting as flushed as that awful pink frou-frou thing she wears. She couldn't get it through their thick skulls that our password doesn't work on her."

Draco closed his eyes and bit his lip to keep from laughing at his two behemoth friends. The other boys snickered and grinned surreptitiously, not wanting to draw the ire of the Slytherin strong men. As the two tottered over to the pillows and blankets with plates balanced on every inch of their arms, their blond brainy leader frowned at them. "Why the hell did you two blind bullocks go to Gryffindor Tower? Didn't Zabini tell you we were having this party in my room?"

"Maybe," Vincent Crabbe muttered, shrugging. "I forgot. We wanted to ask Zabini where it was so we could get going, but he takes too damn long in the bath. We were starving already."

Gregory Goyle nodded in agreement. "We figured that since there were going to be mostly Gryffindors, the party would be there. So that's where we went." He glanced at Ron. "Boy, the fat lady in that portrait of yours is bloody mental. Zabini had to do some fast sweet-talking to get her to stop screaming at us." Ron turned away and crossed his eyes at the other boys who once again snickered.

Suppressing a smile, Draco mock-glared at his two friends. "Well, next time, just suck your thumbs and wait for Zabini. You won't get in trouble that way."

"Tell him to skip the beauty routine then," Crabbe grumbled. "Normal guys don't take an hour to shower."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Unlike some morons, I actually use soap and water to bathe."

"Yeah, and shampoo, conditioner, brushes and bottles and jars of creams and gunk and smelly stuff," Goyle added, snickering through a mouthful of food. "What's all that junk supposed to do anyway? You look the same."

"At least I don't smell like eau de pig slop," the golden-eyed Slytherin snapped. "And you two arses wonder why girls run the other way from you?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know why you bother making yourself all pretty, Zabini," Crabbe muttered. "Seamus would shag you even if you looked and smelled ugly."

Golden eyes flashed angrily. "If I looked and smelled ugly, I'd be shagged as often as you ignorant no-wit shit-heads, which would be never!"

Draco held up his hand at the seething Slytherin. "That's enough, Zabini," he said. "We get the message even if Crabbe and Goyle don't." He glanced at the grinning Irish Gryffindor. "I'm ready for the happy and content pussycat now, Finnigan," he murmured.

Seamus chuckled and moved over to soothe his fuming boyfriend's ruffled feathers. "C'mon, amante. I saved us a spot." He pulled Blaise over to the bed area. The Slytherin gave a cackle of delight and dived under Seamus' blanket. Emerging on the other side, he sighed blissfully and settled himself down on the makeshift bed with the favored blanket. "Questa si che è vita," he murmured happily, expressing his pleasure in Italian. Seamus snuggled down beside him and proceeded to offer plump juicy strawberries to his boyfriend.

"Let the meeting of Zabini's needs begin," Dean commented, watching the couple as he sat down on a nearby blanket. "That was a quick personality change. What was that he said?"

"'This is the life' or something to that effect," Draco replied, smirking. "I think Finnigan may be on to something," he mused, taking a sip of butterbeer. "Zabini looks happier already. I expect him to start purring soon."