Masquerades and Masks (HALLOWEEN SPECIAL) 🎃
The Great Hall was unrecognizable. Floating jack-o’-lanterns cast flickering shadows across cobwebbed chandeliers, and enchanted bats swooped low over students’ heads as they entered the annual Halloween feast. Even the House banners had taken on eerie tones—Slytherin’s green turned deep and sinister, Gryffindor’s scarlet gleaming almost blood-red.
Harry walked into the hall with Ron and Hermione, admiring the decorations but feeling oddly tense. Every inch of the castle seemed to crackle with something, and he’d been on edge all day, avoiding Draco like he was a particularly tricky curse. They’d barely spoken since that night in the empty classroom, and Harry felt conflicted by the distance—half-relieved, half-infuriated.
Ron and Hermione split off to grab seats, but Harry drifted to the side, caught by the sight of students donning costumes and charmed masks. As he observed the hall, he felt someone brush past him. Startled, he turned—and froze. Standing only a few feet away was Draco, dressed in Slytherin’s green-and-silver colors with a dramatic half-mask that gave him a haunting, mysterious look. He held Harry’s gaze for just a second too long, his expression unreadable.
“Potter,” Draco said coolly, but his voice was softer than usual, lacking its usual edge. “Nice of you to dress up as your usual self.”
Harry rolled his eyes but couldn’t resist the urge to respond. “And here I thought Slytherins were too good for costumes.”
“Maybe some of us don’t need a costume to hide behind,” Draco retorted, his eyes glinting with that familiar, infuriating spark. “Unlike some people.”
Before Harry could respond, Draco turned and walked into the crowd, blending into a group of costumed students. Harry’s stomach twisted with annoyance, and—if he was being honest—something close to curiosity. All night, he caught glimpses of Draco between dancing couples, Draco’s gaze sometimes lingering just a second too long before disappearing again. It was maddening.
Later, feeling tired of watching Draco slip out of reach, Harry stepped out into the hallway to catch some air. But he barely made it two steps before a figure brushed past him in the shadows.
“Looking for someone?” Draco’s voice was almost a whisper, making Harry’s pulse quicken.
Harry turned slowly, his heart racing. “You’ve been watching me all night. What is it you want, Malfoy?”
Draco took a step closer, his half-mask glinting in the dim torchlight. “I could ask you the same thing, Potter. But maybe tonight’s not the night for questions.”
For a second, neither of them moved, both caught up in the tension simmering between them. The flickering torchlight made Draco’s eyes glimmer with something that looked almost… vulnerable. Slowly, Harry reached out, his fingers brushing the edge of Draco’s mask, catching his breath as Draco’s gaze softened ever so slightly.
“Sometimes,” Draco murmured, “it’s easier to wear a mask than to let anyone see what’s underneath.”
Harry hesitated, the reality of Draco’s words hitting him harder than he expected. Before he could speak, Draco took his hand and pulled him down a darkened corridor. They stopped at an alcove, hidden from the main hall. There, Draco’s hand lingered on Harry’s shoulder as he looked at him, his usual guardedness replaced with something raw.
“Why do you keep running away?” Harry whispered.
Draco’s voice was barely audible. “Because I don’t know what this is, and that scares me. You scare me.”
For a moment, Harry felt that familiar urge to argue, to push, but he resisted. Instead, he reached up, carefully removing Draco’s mask. Without the mask, Draco’s vulnerability was laid bare—eyes dark, his expression raw with unspoken words.
Harry gave him a soft, reassuring smile. “Then don’t run.”
Without another word, Draco leaned in, capturing Harry’s lips in a kiss that was both hesitant and full of longing. The darkness around them made everything feel sharper, more urgent, and they both knew that this moment would haunt them long after Halloween had ended. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Draco managed a smirk that was as close to genuine as Harry had ever seen.
“Happy Halloween, Potter,” he murmured before slipping back into the shadows, leaving Harry alone, still catching his breath, feeling like he’d just unwrapped a mystery he hadn’t even known he’d been chasing.