Preface:
This is a Halloween OS which takes place in an alternative universe. Those who died after Harry came to Hogwarts are alive (with the exception of the Dark of course). This story is a special OS to celebrate Halloween and is from Harry Potter's PoV. Slight ship scenes is present.

Dedicated To:
Adya11111 for being an amazing and loyal supporter. Thank you pal and happy Halloween!

The day woke with a bright sun showering its rays at the small, cobbled town of Hogsmeade.

I am not a Halloween soul so I lay lazily in the Leaky Cauldron's lodge's bed even after sunrise. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Harry, Harry Potter, a usual just bloke who likes treacle tart, flying and a redhaired witch. That is all. No Halloween, nope. It ain't my favourite.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" the high pitched shriek of my sister came to my ears and I threw the bedsheets over me to conceal myself and act as I was asleep. The door to my room slammed open and bossy stomps resonated throughout the shaky room, giving tremors to my bed. "Ugh! He's still asleep, Ronald!"

"Blimey Hermione but how the ruddy hell am I supposed to know that? He's an early riser so I assumed he would be awake!" his best mate, Ron exclaimed.

"Oh. . . It's okay then. Let's just tell Ginny that he is sleeping in. I feel sorry for her. Do you know Ron? She was about to ask him out for a date –"

"What?! Really?" I sat up in a start only to see Hermione's smug face and Ron smirking. They fist bumped and I realized it was a ploy. Groaning, I covered my face with my hands. "Darn it guys! I hate Halloween and you know it!"

"But Lupin has arranged for a party in the Shrieking Shack! Ginny's coming too! It's going to be so fun, mate!" Ron said, looking like a child.

"Forget it. I hate you both and Moony as well!"

~🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃~

It was half past five when I was forcibly side-Apparated to The Shrieking Shack with Ron and Hermione. They held onto both of my arms and dragged me to the most haunted place in Wizarding Britain. Standing outside the door was. . . Oliver Wood?

"Heya Harry! How are you doing?" the ex-Gryffindor Quidditch team captain greeted me. I smiled my best at him. He was still the cheerful self.

"I'm doing well, thank you Oliver. How about you?" I asked politely. He just smiled and nodded his head. "What brings you here?" The curious side of me could not help but blurt out that question. I thought this party was only for close friends and family.

"Decoration. I'm in charge of it. I'm waiting for that Lovegood girl to bring the printed spooky fliers. She said she'd be back but it's been what, ten minutes," he said, checking his watch. "I s'pose I must wait a while longer for Longbottom has gone with her to get the decorations. Merlin, those two take a long time! Why don't you and your friends get cozy inside, yeah?" He stepped aside and Hermione pushed me into the Shack. It was unfamiliarly warm inside.

"Ah, there you are!" Another familiar voice came and before I could even move a muscle, I was tackled to the ground by a shaggy dog. It licked my face so hard that my face felt so foreign and numb to me.

"Padfoot! Geffme!" I stuttered and finally managed to distance myself from my adult dogfather. Padfoot immediately transformed back to his human self: Sirius Black.

"Only a dog could do that to you, kid besides maybe your redhead," he teased and I snorted. The joke of some bizarre Potter curse hitting me never gets old when it comes to the Marauders.

"Why are you here?" I asked him as we got to our feet. Hermione and Ron had left to help Neville get in the box of decorations so it was me and Sirius alone.

"Why? To regulate and facilitate the party of course!" he replied. "So maybe you can –"

"Sirius have you seen –" We turned to look at the new source of voice. It was Ginny. When she saw me, she smiled. "Harry!"

I grinned back. It had been a week since I had seen her. My job as an auror made sure of it. So when I finally saw her pleasing form, I ran to hug her. She started to cover the distance between us and just when I was perhaps three feet away from her, something latched itself onto my legs and I fell face first on the floor. "Ow!" I groaned and tilted my head to see what was the thing: it was Crookshanks. Ruddy cat.

"Crookshanks!" Ginny exclaimed before lifting the cat off of me and hugging it. Sirius was laughing his head off in the background. Rubbing my sore chin, I groaned. Why was my life this bad? "Oh, Harry! How have you been?" she asked and stood on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. Oh, how much that simple gesture brought about a change in my lips?

"I great am! I mean, I am great now!" I exclaimed foolishly before taking her into a bear hug. Crookshanks purred violently in between us as it was getting badly squeezed. She chuckled when the cat ran away in a second after I broke the hug, hissing aggressively.

"That's great. Now. . . Harryyyy!" she stretched my name. She usually does that when she expects me to do something. "Will you please be the ghost?"

"The what?" I asked.

"The ghost kid. It's Halloween party after all!" Sirius explained, walking over to us.

"Yeah. Fred and George volunteered but one won't be a ghost without the other turning into a ghost and we are in need of only one," my girlfriend informed. My mouth turned to the shape of an 'o'.

"B-but ghosts don't wear glasses! Besides, they'll know if they see a ghost with glass that it's me. And I can't see without them, you known it Gin," I reasoned, hoping to get out of the persuasion. She frowned before nodding reluctantly.

"You are right," she admitted and poked my chest. "Repair your vision, Potter. You forced me to ask Lavender to become the ghost now!" I chuckled nervously and watching her walk away.

"Now now pup, don't turn all heart-eyed like your father always did when Lils was around. You've got work to do! Go and help Ron and Hermione to decorate the hall!" Sirius ordered and I had no other option but to run to the hall to help my friends. Hopefully it didn't get nasty.

~🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃~

It was nearly sunset when the party started. Everyone in the room were dressed for Halloween including me. I was dressed as Cat Noir, a cartoon character from a Muggle TV show. Hermione suggested the costume. Now I wonder what she, Ron and Ginny dressed up as. . .

"Oi! Who's that?" someone shouted and I looked around to see a man dressed as Willy Wonka, another Muggle book character. This is what happens when Remus and Hermione plan out a party together.

"Um, Cat Noir," I replied, scratching my now blonde hair. I hate this.

"There's a cat here, Jack!" Willy exclaimed to another man who was dressed as Jack Sparrow. "Oompa Loompa, note it down!" A house elf, Dobby by the looks of it, scribbled something on the parchment.

"It is done Whezy sir!"

Jack and Willy facepalmed identically and I recognized them to be Fred and George. With an amused smile I watched them teach Dobby to call them as Jack and Willy so as to retain their secret. I turned around to walk away when I bumped into. . . a beast!

"Whoa! Blimey mate!" the beast jumped. "Forgive this hairy bloke but this ruddy costume just won't geoff!" he swore. This was surely Ron, I figured.

"No problems there, R – I mean, Beast. Good luck finding your Belle," I said and slipped away. I heard him mutter something.

"My bell?"

Nevertheless, next I walked into a ghost (probably Lavender) chasing uh-what-was-his-name? Drac, yeah! Drac the Dracula from the Muggle movie Hotel Transylvania. Merlin, the costume looked so real and a girl with short dark hair cosplaying as his daughter, Mavis ran behind them.

The party was getting more livelier. I met a Santa Claus who conversed with me about the greatness (and sweetness) of Treacle Tart, a Frankenstein who kept stumbling and finally Luna who was dressed up as a fairy godmother.

"Hey L –"

"I am a Fairy Godmother. Let me know how I can fulfill your wish, Cat Noir?" she asked before I even greeted her. And again before I asked my 'wish' she spoke up. "If you are looking for good pals, then you must either go to the punch table or the dance floor!"

Luna sure is bizarre but she is almost always accurate. Hoping to find Ginny, Beast or Hermione, I walked to the punch table. Beast and a girl who was dressed as Belle were chatting over drinks and I figured it was Hermione with Ron. They had matched.

Why didn't Ginny match with me then? I felt a little low at that thought and wandered aimlessly before a dragon headed man tapped my shoulder.

"I was told to call you. That uh . . . robed person is calling you," the dragon headed man said, jabbing his thumb at a figure who was standing yon. I nodded, my mind wondering who it was as I walked towards the figure.

"Hello. May I help you?" I asked politely. The figure had long black hair and wore a headdress which resembled horns. It turned around and I saw a pale and masked face. I could not recognise this person but from the looks of it, this was a female.

"Ah yes, Cat Boy!" she said and offered me a smoothie. I took it cautiously. Denying it would result in a drama.

"Umm. . ."

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! Where have my manners gone? I am Maleficient," she said and bowed, her hands lifting her raven gown. "We both are matching, aren't we?" I smiled awkwardly. Oh what trouble have I gotten into?

"Err. . . yeah but that –"

"You know what? I think I have seen you somewhere. Maybe you are one of my ex-es," she said, scratching her chin. The atmosphere immediately turned even more awkward. At least for me. I hoped it was not Cho when the worst came. "So why don't I test it, Cat Boy?"

"Cat Noir. . ." I replied, feeling entranced by her brown eyes. Wait, what? No! I can't feel that way! I am Ginny's!

Feeling self-conscious, I stepped back. The lights went off and suddenly the balloons were blasted. Maleficient jumped into my arms, causing me to stumble behind and hit my back on a vending machine. A loud scream was heard and the Jack-o-Lanterns turned on. In the dim lighting, I could make out the faint and silvery figure of Moaning Myrtle screaming.

"Ruddy ghost!" I heard Beast swear.

"Oompa Loompa! Scratch her, scratch her!" One of the twins shouted.

"Yes Mister Woka!" 

The scream immediately deafened and silence reigned. I could smell a familiar sent from Maleficient but I could not place what it was.

"What a menace!" I could hear my godfather say. "Anyways folks, it's getting late! It's almost midnight and Halloween is coming to an end." I breathed a sigh of relief. "We hope you had a great time! But there is one last thing left!"

The lights came on.

"Oompa Loompa, start it!" Remus, dressed as David Thewlis commanded. I noticed Sirius cosplaying as a Hollywood actor, Gary Oldman as well. The two best friends matched too. I felt a pang in my heart and became conscious about Maleficient still in my arms.

"It is not working, sir!" Oompa Loompa squeaked helplessly. Gary swore and David walked over to a Jack-o-Lantern to fix it.

Taking this as an opportunity to confront Maleficient, I stepped back and withdrew my arms from her. "I'm sorry ma'am but I already have a sweet girlfriend."  Maleficient looked dumbfounded and I decided to leave but she grabbed my hand, laughing madly.

"You – git! I am your 'sweet girlfriend' Ginny!" It was my turn to look dumbfounded. Ginny was in my arms all along and was matching colours with me all this time?

Before I could ponder the question, the lights went off again and the Jack-o-Lanterns turned on before shooting light bats and illuminating the sky beautifully. I found Maleficient looking at me and I met her brown eyes. Now I know why they entranced me and why her scent was so familiar.

This Halloween proved to be the best one of my life until now. With the fireworks in the sky above us, I asked in a fond tone, "After all this time?"

And she replied, "Always."

Happy Halloween!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x