Fairy Tale Spin

Cho Chang and Katie Bell were sitting on a blanket by the lake watching the giant squid twirling in slow circles, creating a mini-whirlpool with its tentacles. Spread beside them were napkins filled with crackers, cheese, a bunch of purple grapes, and a big sausage. Katie popped another grape into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"It's your typical old fairy tale. It's about a couple who find a magical ring or meet some magical person who grants them three wishes, but they kind of really mess up with the wishes." Katie explained.

"So, what do they wish? Cho prodded.

"Well, the couple isn't very well off, and the man is feeling hungry at the time they're talking about what to wish, so he wishes for a big sausage to appear in front of him."

Cho snorted.

"Figures." She said derisively. "Men - can't think beyond their base appetites."

"Too right." Katie agreed. "Unfortunately, the woman wasn't much smarter. But, she is the inspiration for this little plan."

Katie grinned at Cho who smiled back in anticipation.

"So, then what happened?"

"The woman is so bloody mad he made such a stupid wish she wishes the sausage stuck to the end of her husband's nose."

Cho and Katie giggled.

"That's brilliant!" Cho exclaimed. "Serves him right, anyway! We have to use this!"

"I know, and it's harmless enough that we won't get into too much trouble if we're found out, and it's humiliating enough to pay him back for being such a prat." Katie smiled wickedly.

The two girls collapsed into giggles, laughing until their stomachs ached as they thought of Draco Malfoy forced to go to classes and meals with a big sausage stuck to his nose. Cho and Katie had become good friends over the years, mainly due to their interest in Quidditch, even though they were on rival teams. Another thing they had in common was a strong dislike for Draco, who had made both of them miserable on the Quidditch pitch. Cho resented that she was never able to beat Draco to the snitch, especially since he was so obnoxiously arrogant about his wins, and Katie, although on a team that had defeated the Slytherins, had received a fair share of insults from the sneering seeker, not to mention that he was absolutely awful to Harry.

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Katie and Cho spent the evening in the library trying to find an appropriate sticking charm.

They found one that bonded two things together permanently. They struggled with themselves for a few minutes before reluctantly setting it aside. They would be expelled for sure. They expanded their search to include potions. They found a magnetic potion that would temporarily cause an irresistible attraction between two objects, but only if the two objects were some sort of metal. They slumped dejectedly in their seats.

"Maybe we could use regular glue." Katie suggested.

"And who's going to ask Malfoy to stand still while we stick it on his nose?" Cho asked raising her eyebrow.

"Oh, right." Katie drooped again, laying her head on her arms. She mumbled something.

"What's that?" Cho asked.

"I just said it's too bad we can't have him find a wishing ring like in the story."

Cho gave her an amused look. "Honestly." Cho thought to herself. "Gryffindors. Not a brainy one in the lot, excepting Granger."

"Do you really think he would find a ring that grants wishes and say, 'I wish this sausage was stuck to my face.'" Cho asked Katie in a superior tone, yet fondly.

Katie looked sheepish. "Er...I suppose not. Sorry. He doesn't even have anyone to wish it there for him."

Cho suddenly looked thoughtful. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing.

Katie started to speak. "Cho? What..."

"Shhh!!" Cho held her hand up while her forehead creased and her eyes focused on a point far away.

Katie watched her curiously as Cho began to mutter quietly to herself.

"It could work...might be tricky...no, it's full-proof really. Yes, I think we can pull it off..." Cho mused to herself.

"Yes!" Cho slammed the table with her hand. "I've got it!"

Katie jumped. "Got what?" She exclaimed.

"I know exactly how we can pull this off, and there is no way they can trace it back to us!" Cho laughed a little maniacally.

Katie looked askance at Cho, but joined her with slightly more subdued laughter. Cho stopped laughing and leaned towards Katie.

"Okay, here's the plan."

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Cho stopped Harry in the halls between classes.

"Hi Harry, could I talk to you for a few minutes?" Cho smiled.

Surprised, Harry nodded and told Ron and Hermione he'd catch up with them. Ron grinned a bit too much as Hermione dragged him away. Harry felt rather foolish. Although his crush for Cho had all but disappeared, he still felt uncomfortable in her presence.

"Let's go in here, Harry." Cho said, pulling him into an empty classroom and closing the door.

"So, um, what did you want to talk to me about?" Harry ineloquently managed to say.

"I was wondering if you could do me a little favor, Harry." Cho answered moving slightly closer to Harry.

"I need to practice a little spell for a homework assignment, and I was wondering if I could try it out on you." Cho looked hopefully at Harry, pulling out her wand.

Harry looked slightly worried. "What kind of spell?" He asked nervously?

Cho smiled, and placed her hand on Harry's arm. "Oh, it's nothing, just..." Cho paused and leaned closer, bringing her wand up with her other hand and opening her eyes wider, staring into Harry's. "Hypnotica..." She breathed in a soft, singsong voice.

Harry went very still, his eyes unfocused.

Cho examined his face carefully. "Harry, can you hear me?" She asked softly.

"Yes." Harry answered in a slow voice.

Cho smiled. "Good. Now listen very carefully." She whispered softly in Harry's ear.

A few minutes later Cho stood back and brought Harry out of the trance.

"So, I just wanted to wish you luck against the Slytherins in the upcoming match. All the Ravenclaws will be rooting for you." She smiled brightly.

Harry looked disoriented. "What? Oh, thanks. I'm sure we'll beat them. We've been practicing hard." Harry gave his head a little shake, trying to clear it.

"I know, and don't you have practice today? Tough luck having to share the field with the Slytherins." Cho faked a look of commiseration.

"Yeah, well, once again we have Professor Snape to thank for that. He gave them permission to use the pitch even though we had already booked it. If they try anything today, they'll regret it." Harry promised, his features clearing as his thoughts focused on doing bodily harm to the Slytherins, and especially Draco Malfoy.

Cho inwardly smirked. "Draco Malfoy was definitely going to regret getting out of bed today." She smugly thought to herself, and she was going to be there to see it. In fact, many students from all houses would be showing up today. Katie was taking care of that.

"Uh, Cho?" Harry asked, giving her a look of concern. "Are you all right, there? You kind of faded out for a second."

"Oh, I'm fine, Harry. Just fine. I'd better be off to class." Cho smiled brightly. "Bye now!"

Cho swept out and left Harry standing there a little puzzled. He shrugged his shoulders and ran to meet up with Ron and Hermione.

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A house elf wearing a lovely, red, silk napkin, heavily embroidered with ornate oriental designs snuck into the Quidditch supply shed. She opened a box, removed some items, and replaced them with something else. She slipped away without being seen.

The two teams were on the pitch waiting to start practice. So far, they'd only exchanged glares and comments about their respective prowess on their broomsticks, but nothing to ignite a serious altercation. Draco sauntered over to Harry.

"You needn't bother practicing, Potter. It won't do you any good, you know." Draco drawled. "We're going to wipe the floor with you Saturday."

"You wish, Malfoy." Harry glared at Malfoy.

Katie, who was standing behind Harry, jumped slightly when she heard him utter the word "wish". Her eyes scanned the stands looking for Cho. There she was, right on the front row, and it looked like other students were trickling in, as well. Cho gave her a little wave.

"Just you leave us alone. You stay on your side, and we'll stay on ours." Harry growled.

"Whatever you say, Potter." Draco smirked and moved closer to the other boy. "But, I was thinking we could have a little scrimmage, or are too scared for that?"

Harry frowned, wondering what Draco was up to this time. "Scrimmage? I don't know..."

"I knew it. You can't handle us today, and you'll definitely take a dive Saturday." Draco sneered, and the rest of the Slytherins laughed.

Harry's fists clenched. "All right then, we'll scrimmage. I won't ask you not to cheat because you always do, but then we still always win." Harry added, giving his own smirk to Draco. This time it was the Gryffindors laughing.

Draco's eyebrows drew together causing frown lines to deepen. "Just release the bludgers, Scarhead!" Draco spat.

Everyone mounted their brooms waiting for the chest containing the bludgers to be opened. Harry leaned down and flipped the lid of the Gryffindor chest. All eyes were raised waiting to follow the path of the balls as they sped upwards. Nothing. All eyes lowered to the chest. Inside was a big sausage. Several pairs of eyes slowly blinked. Harry picked up the sausage and held it in front of him.

A lot of people on the pitch and in the stands snickered. The two teams looked around, noticing the large number of people in the stands for the first time.

"What are all these people doing here?"

"Is it April Fool's Day?"

"Are we ever going to practice?"

"I'm hungry, let's have a bit of that sausage."

Katie gasped. "Who said that?" She calmed down when she realized the speaker was not Draco.

But Draco was stepping towards Harry.

"Why Potter, who would have ever thought your sausage was so big?"

Draco laughed as Harry's face reddened. The laughter spread to the other students, even though the joke was pretty feeble.

"Malfoy!" Harry sputtered. "This isn't..." Harry's voice faltered and his eyes unfocused.

"Sausage..." He said quietly.

The two teams quieted, watching Harry curiously. Harry's eyes refocused on Draco. He raised the sausage towards Draco in one hand, and pulled out his wand in the other. Each of the Slytherins pulled their own wands and held them up warningly.

"I wish..."

Harry said the words slowly, yet loudly enough that his voice carried across the pitch. Katie and Cho held their breaths.

"I wish...that my..."

"Fang! Come back 'ere!" Hagrid's voice cut in. A large, black blur leapt between Harry and Draco. When it was gone so was the sausage. With a groan Cho dropped her face into her hands. Katie just looked surprised and slightly worried.

Harry continued without missing a beat.

"...sausage was stuck to your nose."

Harry blinked and looked confused. "Did I just say...?"

Draco laughed incredulously.

"That's your comeback? That's..."

A surprised expressed suddenly covered the features of both Draco and Harry. Harry's hips jerked forward a bit, and the front of his robes seemed to be parting. Draco gave a little gasp as his knees collapsed and he was invisibly jerked down into a kneeling position. A shocked silence pervaded the field and stands.

"Dr...Dr...Draco...Wha...What are..." Harry stammered, his mind incapable of forming complete thoughts, much less sentences.

"Oww!!! Stop it!! Owwwww!!"

Every student present howled with laughter at the sight of Draco Malfoy repeatedly jerking his head back from Harry, and Harry's hips following the violent movement each time.

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Cho Chang and Katie Bell stood in Dumbledore's office. They wore identical expressions of contrition. Cho tried to squeeze out a few tears for effect, but it wasn't working too well since part of her, a large part really, was ecstatic at the afternoon's events. The two girls had felt compelled to come forward since they had gotten Harry into this awful predicament.

"So we used the modified Birthday Wish spell on the sausage, and used the Hypnotica charm to cause Harry to invoke the spell when he heard Malfoy say 'sausage." Cho finished her explanation.

"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this, Professor. Honest!"

Both girls looked up at Dumbledore with expressions as sorrowful and innocent as they could make them. His eyes twinkled back at them.

"Well, no permanent harm was done. The spell you used would only have lasted for 24 hours at any rate, and Madame Pomfrey has probably separated the two boys now. I'll leave your detentions to your heads of house, but I think you'd better go offer your apologies to Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."

Cho and Katie nodded glumly.

"Thank you, Sir."

They exchanged looks as they left the office. They were so dead. They didn't even want to contemplate Malfoy revenge, and under the circumstances, Potter revenge might be just as bad.

When they arrived at the infirmary they met up with Ron and Hermione who had also come to see Harry. Hermione was giving Ron disapproving looks as he kept staggering around bursting into laughter. He straightened when he saw Cho and Katie.

"Is it true, then? Was this brilliant plan yours?" He grinned widely at the two girls.

"Well, it didn't turn out exactly as we planned, but yes!" Cho acknowledged with pride.

"We just hope Harry forgives us." Katie said anxiously.

"Oh, once he sees how ridiculous Draco looked, he's sure to. I heard Colin Creevey got some great shots!" Ron bent over again, snorting laughter.

"Ron! This isn't funny. Just think of poor Harry having to suffer that!." Hermione shot them disdainful looks and went through the doors to the sick room. The others followed trying to control their sniggers.

They passed through the long room, heading towards a curtained partition wall midway.

"I wonder if they're asleep." Whispered Hermione. "It's awfully quiet in here."

They all stepped past the curtain. Harry's eyes were closed and he lay on his back in the bed. Draco was kneeling above him, his head over Harry's hips.

Four blank faces stared at the two boys.

"I thought Madame Pomfrey had unstuck them!" Hissed Ron.

At the sound of Ron's voice Harry's eyes opened in shock. Draco sat up and turned to look at them.

"Do you mind?" Draco said, quite politely for him. "A little privacy would be nice."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped and looked at him in stunned horror.

Harry shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"Could you close the door on your way out, then?" He asked with what he hoped was an encouraging, no-I-haven't-lost-my-mind smile.

Cho, Katie and Hermione carried Ron out of the room and dumped him on the floor in the hall outside the infirmary. The three girls stared numbly at each for a few moments. Ron came around and the four of them managed to make their way out to the front lawn. They took deep breaths of air until the dizzy feeling went away. They stood in a circle and faced each other. There was only one thing to do. They pulled their wands and pointed them at each other. They spoke simultaneously.

"Obliviate!"

And they all lived happily ever after until the next day when Harry and Draco announced publicly that they had to decided to give it a go. Two years later, at Harry and Draco's first house warming party, Cho and Katie were the guests of honor as the ones responsible for the beginning of their relationship. Hermione clinked her glass without reservation during the toast for Harry and Draco's future. And Ron...Ron had so overcome his past dislike of Draco that he had stopped calling him ferret, and was now affectionately called him "sausage-nose".

The End.