Author's Note: This has been playing itself in my head for MONTHS, so I've decided you should all suffer too. *insert evil laugh here*

Such a Charmer

Harry threw down his cards with a triumphant grin, revelling in Snape's look of horror.

"Read 'em and weep!" He crowed.

Snape stared at Harry's cards, his face twisting into a snarl.

"That's right, Severus, you lose, so I get to choose your costume for the Halloween Ball!" Harry wriggled in his seat, his happy dance anything but dignified.

To a chorus of laughter from Harry, Seamus, and Draco, Snape groaned and began to beat his head on the table.

In the months after the war, much had changed. Harry had spoken for Draco and Snape, using his political clout to get them a fair trial, and subsequently clearing their names. The two former spies had returned to the newly reopened Hogwarts, and without the threat of death hovering over every move, the men had finally been able to relax and publically show their friendship with The-Boy-Who-Saved-Us-All.

Which somehow led to weekly poker night.

"Harry," Snape began in his most reasonable voice.

"Don't even bother, Severus." Harry cut him off without even looking at him, walking to the door to let in a mischievous looking Headmistress.

Snape seethed as the two banes of his existence had a whispered conversation, ending with Minerva brandishing her wand at her reluctant prey.

"Hold still, Severus," she smirked. "This won't hurt a bit!"

The Great Hall was lavishly decorated for the Halloween Ball. Bats flew overhead, and Jack-O-Lanterns acted as a centrepiece on each of the round tables scattered around the edge of the dance floor. Autumn leaves fell from the ceiling, dissolving before they could touch any of the milling students. The air was rich with the scent of pumpkin pie and butterbeer, with a hint of warm spiced rum from the chaperones.

Everyone had dressed in a costume, even the teachers as they drifted around and supervised. When the doors opened to admit the next batch of guests, everyone turned to see. Rumours had spread that Professor Snape was attending, and that his costume was going to be something else. Speculation had been rife, but one look at the sour look on the man's face had deterred even the most fearless of students from asking.

Two figures were outlined in the doorway, their unique costumes causing a silence to spread like ripples across a pond. Everyone gaped, as Harry Potter and Severus Snape entered the room together.

Hogwarts infamous Potions Master wore his usual severe black robes, but where his lean legs would normally be encased in black fitted trousers and scarred dragonhide boots, there was now a thick scaled body of a snake, coiling sleekly before ending in a rattle that currently shook fiercely, displaying the man's discomfort. A forked tongue flicked between his lips, and an incomprehensible hissing could be heard as the man ranted at his companion.

Harry smiled and shifted his weight onto one hip, looking up at his taller-than-usual friend. "Now Severus," he chuckled. "That wasn't very nice!"

Finally, Neville plucked up his Gryffindor courage and stepped forward, the parrot on his shoulder wobbling precariously. Flipping up his eye patch, he peered at them, and cleared his throat. "Um, Harry? What are you?"

Glancing down at his short cut vest, baggy linen trousers, and bare feet, Harry raised a hand and self-consciously adjusted his turban. He wiggled a flute at his housemate.

"Can't you tell?" He pouted. "I'm a Snape Charmer!"