Harry Potter and the Adventure He Affectionately Calls Life

Harry, Ron, and Draco made sure that their dates were all seated, then left to get them all something to drink.

At the table, Nearly Headless Nick was playing waiter. "What can I get you three ladies?" They told him, and he nodded. "So who are you here with, Ginny?" he asked politely. "I noticed that Mr. Thomas isn't here."

Ginny blushed. She obviously hadn't even noticed the lack of Dean's presence. "I"m here with--"

"She's here with me," Draco said, handing Ginny her drink and sitting down next to her.

"Mister Malfoy!" Nick exclaimed, shocked. "I had no idea!"

"Clearly," Draco sneered, surveying him up and down. "You know, Nicholas, the Slytherin ghost wasn't partially decapitated. At least he died correctly."

"Draco!" Lana chided. "Be nice."

"Sorry," Draco said, smiling sheepishly.

Ginny smiled at him. "You look great," she said. Then, after a minute, she added an extra word. "Draco."

Draco stared at her. "Wow! The Weasley women both call me by my first name." He kissed her nose quickly, and Ginny blushed insanely. Draco didn't notice. "Okay, Weasley," he said to Ron. "It's your turn. What's my name?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Malfoy?"

"My other one."

"Git?"

"Um... no. Try again."

"This is hard," Ron sighed as Nick returned with the food. "Prat?"

Draco blinked. "I don't think so. Try again."

Ron sighed dramatically. "I give up. Help me out, Harry."

"Keep me out of this," Harry said, grinning.

"Enough, you two," Lana said, resting her elbows against the table. "I have some news for all of you."

"You're pregnant?" Draco guessed.

"No."

"Oh. Go on, then."

Lana grinned. "You guys, guess what?"

Everyone stared at her blankly.

"I'm going home for Thanksgiving."

"You're welcome," Draco said grandly.

"Shut up," she said, whacking him lightly.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked her.

"It's an American holiday," Hermione explained to them as if they were children. "When America was discovered, and the explorers shared the land with the natives. Today there's still a huge feast. Like our Christmas feast, I guess, just a month early."

"I liked my explanation better," Draco grumbled. "Paying homage to me."

"You would," Ron muttered.

"So what's that got to do with us?" Harry asked, taking Lana's hand.

"You're coming with me."

"What?"

"All of you. I was owling mom and telling her how I wanted Hermione and Ginny and Ron to come visit, and then she said to bring you, but then Ginny would be the odd one out, so I was going to invite Dean, but I guess Draco'll have to do." She grinned at Draco while saying this.

"I'm flattered," he said, rolling his eyes and grinning back at her. She looked so beautiful. Draco found himself wondering what Harry had that he didn't.

"So you'll all come, right?"

"I don't know, Lana," Harry said slowly. "The Club."

"When's opening night?"

"Mid-January."

"Near Martin Luther King Day. So you can come." She leaned over to him and kissed him. "For me?"

Harry grinned, his lips covered in pink gloss. "How could I resist that?"

"Martin Luther King Day, huh? Wasn't he a women's liberationist?"

Lana blinked. "No."

"Liberation..." Harry rolled the word around his mouth. "Malfoy, I love you."

"I know." He grinned. "Why?"

"Liberation. It's perfect. That's going to be the name of my club. Liberation. Freedom. Freedom to be young. Or something like that, I don't know. Still..."

"I like it," Lana said, kissing him again.

Draco respectfully turned around and focused on Ginny. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

"That would be fun," she said honestly.

The music started, and Ron held out a hand for Hermione to take. She took it and smiled, lacing her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his chest. Harry looked at Lana and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Lana giggled and stood up. Now Draco was left alone with Ginny.

"Do you... um.... do you want to dance?" she asked him.

"Sure." He offered her his hand and led her to the dance floor. She copied Hermione's movements, her arms now around his neck like a noose. How appropriate, Draco thought. He sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, looking up at him with wide blue eyes. They were beautiful eyes. Lana's were identical.

"Nothing," he said, gently closing her eyes with a gloved finger. If Draco closed his eyes, he could almost fool himself into thinking that the Weasley in his arms was Lana and not Ginny.

"Hey, Draco?" Ginny asked quietly as they swayed in time to the music.

"Yeah?"

"If I told you something, would you be upset?"

Draco had a feeling he knew what was coming. It was the Malfoy Charm. No woman alive was immune to it except maybe Lana Weasley. "Yes. If you told me I had spinach stuck in my teeth, I would be upset."

Ginny giggled. "What if I had to tell you something different?"

Draco sighed. No use in prolonging the inevitable. "Go ahead."

"I like you. I think I might be in love with you. I mean, I've been intrigued by you for so long, but I think that Dean's controlling was what made me realize."

"How so?"

"I don't know. You wouldn't act like that."

Yes I would, he thought. If I had Lana to myself, I wouldn't let her out of my sight. Even closing my eyes to kiss her would be hard because I wouldn't be able to see her face. I would hold her in my arms and love her in my bed until the forces of all things evil came to take her away from me. "No," he said. "I wouldn't act like that. If you were my girlfriend, I'd let you have the freedom you wanted."

Draco had hoped that Ginny would take this as an insult, thinking maybe that he would keep her as far away as possible. Instead, she melted in his arms. "That's so sweet, Draco."

He winced as she said his name. How he wished she would call him Malfoy.

"Am I?"

"Am you what?" he asked.

"Your girlfriend?"

Draco looked deep into her eyes without blinking until the red flames of her hair were blurred. She's not Ginny! he thought with relief. It's Lana! He blinked, seeing Ginny's hair again. "Ginny, I--"

Ginny stopped dancing and kissed him. Draco kissed her back. I didn't ask for any of this to happen, he told himself. I cannot be held responsible for a little girl's heart.

"I love you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco turned her so that he could see Lana, lost in conversation with Harry. "I love you, too, Weasley."

____________________________________________________________

Everyone clapped politely after the dance was over. Draco and Ginny had done a traditional dance, her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist. Hermione and Ron had someone started off like Draco and Ginny, and ended up doing a waltz-type thing. Harry and Lana had completely blown off "traditional" and did a tango around the Great Hall. Lana's cheeks were flushed. Draco thought she looked beautiful.

"Welcome to the first annual Hogwarts Masquerade," Professor Dumbledore announced. "Before the festivites continue, please direct your attention to the center of the Hall." The students did, and Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands. The house banners all turned into black banners with the Hogwarts emblem on them. "If you'll please, before the Masquerade continues, the school anthem."

"I don't know it!" Lana whispered to Harry.

"Yes, you do."

"But I don't know the tune!"

"Make one up."

"What?!"

The school in unison began to sing the school anthem. "Indeed," Professor Dumbledore said when they had all finished. "It is strange to hear it sung without the funeral march for Misters Fred and George Weasley." He winked at Ron. "There is one more announcement I have to make," he said, clapping again as the house banners returned. "We have decided to hold a contest. The winner receive fifty galleons and one week of no homework."

"Don't you dare, Ronald Weasley," Hermione said to her boyfriend. "Your grades will fall so low..."

With a flick of his wand, Professor Dumbledore conjured up a pumpkin. It was huge.

"Wow," Lana breathed. "It's bigger than Cinderella's coach!"

"Yeah!" Draco agreed, staring at it in amazement. "And I don't even know who Cinderella is!"

"Whoever can guess the weight of this pumpkin is the winner of the contest. You have until midnight."

Draco looked at the silver watch on Lana's slender wrist. It was nine o'clock now. They had three hours to figure out the weight of this thing. Fifty galleons was nothing to Draco. He recieved a bigger allowance than that a week over the summer. Maybe he would give it to Weasley and earn some points in Lana's book. Nah...

Harry, Lana, Hermione, and Ron met up with Ginny and Draco. "That thing is huge!" Ron exclaimed. "I mean... wow!"

Ginny grinned up at him. "I bet Hermione could figure it out."

"I bet so, too," he said, putting his arm around her waist.

Hermione blushed the color of Ginny's dress. "C'mon, Ron, let's dance," she said.

"In a minute. Let me talk to my sister. I miss her."

"You just don't like this song."

"And that." Ron grinned.

"I don't like this song either," Lana said to her cousin. "It must be a Weasley thing."

"I'm a Weasley, too," Ginny protested. "And I like this song."

"Fine, fine," Lana amended. "It must be a cool Weasley thing."

"Hey!" Ginny said, pretending to be insulted.

Draco laughed at the two of them.

"Well, I like this song," Harry said.

"Good," Hermione said happily. "You can dance with me."

"Let's go," he said, extending his arm and bowing.

Hermione laughed. "Bye, Ron."

Ron waved, smiling at his best friend and his girlfriend. "You know what, maybe I will go dance."

Lana groaned. "Not to this, Ron. Please."

"You don't have to. I'll take Ginny." Ron looked at Draco. "Malfoy, if you don't mind?"

Draco nodded his head. "Have fun."

Ginny smiled at her brother. He looked so content now that he had Hermione in his life. Ginny wondered if she could ever look so content. Now that she had Draco, maybe she could be.

"Well, where does that leave us?" Draco joked.

"I hate being the odd one out," Lana grumbled, grabbing Draco's arm and pulling him onto the dance floor. "If I step on your feet, I'm sorry."

Draco suddenly felt nervous as he put his arm around her waist. "Won't Harry be upset?" he whispered.

"Nah. He's with Hermione. And Ron's with Ginny. Besides, it's not like we're going to fall passionately in love in one song and run away and Harry'll be single again."

"Couldn't we pretend?"

Lana laughed. "Maybe for April Fool's Day."

"Potter doesn't have to wait until April. He's a fool anyway."

"Hey! He's my boyfriend! Don't say anything mean about him."

"Sorry."

"I thought so." Lana nodded proudly. "If Harry defends the world and I defend Harry, does that mean I defend the world?"

Draco laughed, looking down at her. "Sure."

"Oh. I feel proud of myself now." She grinned. "So what are we going to do about this pumpkin?"

I'll carve "I Love Lana" on it for the entire word, including Harry Potter, to see, he thought. "I don't know. Guess?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Of course we're going to guess, Draco. But how much do you think it weighs?"

"A lot."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes again. "You're so..." She searched for the right word.

"Amazing? Sexy? Talented? Wonderful?"

"Blonde."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Lana grinned. "No comment."

The dance was over way to soon, and Draco didn't want to let her out of his arms. But Harry had come over and she was already looking towards him and smiling at him lovingly. "Hey, Malfoy," he greeted him, taking Lana into his arms.

"Hey, Potter."

"Finally," Harry said. "Two people who can dance together." He grinned at Draco and Lana. "Lana, you only stepped on my feet once. I assume you can't say the same for me?"

"Nope."

Harry laughed. "Malfoy, I didn't know you could dance."

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Yeah, but right now, I didn't know you could dance."

"Now you know."

"Yeah... well..." Harry looked a little flustered.

"Harry," Lana said, saving him. "I want to guess the pumpkin. Imagine a whole week without doing work for Snape."

"You can't guess, Lana."

"Why?"

"I'm going to win."

"Oh," she said, grinning. "Are you really?"

"Yes."

"Harry Potter, you're on." She dragged him off in the direction of the pumpkin as Ginny joined Draco.

"Do you want to guess?"

"Sure," he said, being the perfect gentleman (and he assumed he would have to play the role of her boyfriend from now on) and putting his arm around her shoulders. Ginny blushed. "Hmm... I'd say..."

Ginny shushed him. "You have to write it on the parchment," she said.

"Oh." He picked up the parchment and a spare quill and wrote down his guess. "There we go." He folded the parchment, folded it again, and dropped it into the box. Harry, Lana, and Ron were scribbling guesses as well. Hermione was walking around the pumpkin and making odd calulations. "So if it's this tall, and one unit weighs..." She smiled, writing down her guess.

"What are you going to do with no homework for a week?" Draco asked her.

"I'll give it off to someone. I just want the galleons."

"Give it to me," Ron pleaded, coming up to her from behind.

"No," she said, leaning into his chest and sighing contentedly.

Ron sighed.

___________________________________________________________

It was an evening to remember. Perhaps Draco's favorite part of the evening (other than the few minutes dancing with Lana) was watching Snape spit out his pumpkin juice. He had left the table to get some fresh air and sat on the stairs. Down in the field, Dumbledore and Snape were talking.

"It's wonderful about the alliance, isn't it Severus?" Dumbledore asked, smoking a sweetly fragranced pipe.

"What alliance, Headmaster?" Snape replied, taking a swig of his drink.

"The alliance between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter."

Snape coughed and spit out his drink. "W-w-what?" he sputtered.

Yeah. What alliance? Okay, so I started to tolderate Potter for his girlfriend, and I guess we do get along. If you could count endless teasing and taunting as getting alone. But Potter and I never have little heart-to-hearts, and we certainly don't have an alliance. He got up and left, returning to the inside.

Now it was five minute to midnight, and the winner of the pumpkin contest would soon be announced. It was about time, too. Draco was exhausted. What was it about these Gryffindors that drained his energy so? He looked around at the rest of his "table buddies." Ron was sitting to Hermione's left, she leaning on his shoulder. Harry was sitting on Lana's left, Lana taking up two chairs, one so she could sit on, the other so she could prop her feet up. How else was she to rest properly? Draco sat between Lana and Ginny. Ginny yawned.

Snape and Dumbledore returned from their break, Snape looking a little sour. Draco grinned wryly. "I know you're all tired," the Headmaster said. "So I'll make this quick. The winner of the pumpkin weight contest."

Lana, Ginny, and Hermione sat up immediately.

"What did you guess?" Harry asked Draco.

"None of your business, Potter." He smiled sweetly. "You?"

"None of your business, Malfoy. Hermione?"

"150."

"Ron?"

"125."

"Ginny?"

"125."

"Malfoy?"

"We went through this, Potter."

"Don't be such a prat. Just tell us."

"100."

"I guessed 165. Lana?"

"375. I don't know where you're getting such small numbers from. That pumpkin was huge!"

"375?" Draco repeated. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Like I said, Draco. The pumpkin was huge." She shrugged. "Oh well. It's just a contest."

Dumbledore coughed. "No one managed to guess the correct weight. The correct weight was one hundred and seventy one kilos."

Lana coughed on her water. "No wonder! I guessed pounds."

"So the money will go the person with the next best guess." The winner was some second year student that no one knew. He blushed furiously as he went to collect his prize and everyone clapped for him. Colin Creevy took a picture for the yearbook.

Lana sipped her water. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the conversion for pounds to kilos?"

"However many pounds multiplied by 0.45."

"So if I had guessed 375, what would I have gotten in kilos?"

Hermione was silent for a minute as she worked the calculations out in her head. Everyone stared at her. "168.75."

Lana threw her hands up in the air. "Damn kilo's," she grumbled. "Damn metric system."