Disclaimer:These characters are not mine. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not recieving any monetary gain for this work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon was a full bright orb suspended in the sky. It lit up the night as if it were high noon. It cast an eerie glow over the courtyard. Harry shivered. The whole thing was utterly perfect for a wizards Halloween party.

He had been planning it for weeks, inviting all of his friends and Order members. He and Kreacher had been decorating a cooking for days on end, getting everything ready for the festivities. Everyone invited had, to use a Muggle term, R.S.V.P. to say that they were coming. Well, except for Hermione, but she was going to be doing something with her parents.

Harry looked out the window from his moonlit perch. He was sitting in the front window of Grimmauld Place, watching for his guests. They were going to be coming any minute and Harry was as excited as a bird on its first flight.

The leaves were crisp and crunchy on the street, being shuffled tonight by crowds of Muggle children in costume.

Harry grimaced, thinking of the many times Dudley and his gang had gone out on Halloween. They played cruel tricks on the neighbours and bullied smaller children out of their treats.

His reminiscing was cut short by rapping at the door, followed by ear-splitting shrieks from the one portrait that couldn’t be removed. Harry waved his wand over the painting as he raced by, ultimately silencing it for the time being. Then he flung open the door to reveal his guests. On the stoop stood a family of beaming redheads, all of whom he recognized.

Mrs. Weasley was standing front most of the group, carrying several bulky packages. She was short and plump, with the significant Weasley red hair. Her husband was standing next to her looking not at Harry, as the others were, but at the Muggles roaming the streets. George was standing next to his father, concealing something under his coat. Harry suspected that it was a package of products from the joke shop George currently operated.

Percy Weasley was standing on the bottom step peering curiously at the building over his horn-rimmed spectacles. It was his first time visiting Grimmauld Place, and was evidently awed. His older brother Charlie was right next to him, massaging an ugly burn on his left forearm.

Harry beamed when he saw Ginny. She was the only girl of the Weasley children and Harry’s girlfriend to boot. Ron was also standing prominently and Harry’s grin only became wider at the sight of his freckly friend. Last but not least was the couple at the rear of the group. Paired with the lanky Bill, Fleur Delacour was the only one who really stood out. She was an extraordinarily beautiful blond was arm in arm with the oldest Weasley child.

“Come in! Come in!” Harry exclaimed. The many Weasleys jammed through the doorway, trying desperately to fit into the small foyer. Harry had almost closed the door when came a loud “Ouch!” from the front steps.

Harry wrenched the door open to see Neville Longbottom clutching his now bleeding nose.
“Sorry Neville! I didn’t see you there!”

One by one, or often group by group, the rest of guests trickled into the house, where they assembled in the large drawing room. Kreacher served them drinks while they helped themselves to bat wing cookies and the results of various pumpkin recipes.

Suddenly a crash like a thunderclap came from the hall. That was soon followed by the deafening screams of Mrs. Black’s portrait. Harry and the others rushed to see what all the commotion was about. They found nothing but an upturned suit of armour. Restoring the peace, they trooped back to other room to continue the party.

George pulled out the package that he concealing earlier, which confirmed Harry’s earlier suspicions. There were many new Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes now lining Harry’s table, giving Mrs. Weasley reason to glare. That’s all she did though, letting George continue with his business. Harry smiled to himself. They were actually acting happy. Like a family. George was beaming for the first time in a long time.

They hadn’t really acted like a family since Fred died. Harry was glad that he had given them a chance to integrate with others.

“Harry,” came a quiet dreamy voice at his side. He spun on his heel to face the slightly crazy Luna, looking slightly worried today.

“Harry,” she continued. “There is a strange presence above us. I can feel it connecting with my Nargle charm.”

He tried hard not to laugh out loud. Luna was always saying strange things like that. But it was Halloween.

“I’ll go see. What kind of thing do you, ah-sense?”

“Something kind of human, I think. It might be a Wrackspurt though. They have the same sort of aura.” Harry coughed. Then he raced to the hall to have a hearty guffaw.

He wiped the tears from his eyes and struggled to regain his composure. The second he was about to open the door, and ear-splitting shriek shook the walls. Harry knew this scream was not of Mrs. Black.

Fleur Delacour was leaning against Bill, panting heavily. “Zee food! Eet looked at me!”

Harry’s jaw dropped. He had prepared perfectly normal food, thank you very much.

“Oui! Eet is true! It just blinked!” Harry’s head swivelled right around, spinning wildly to look at the plates Then, right before his eyes, the cookies and cakes seemingly grew eyes and stared at him.What was going on here?

“Harry!” Ron yelled. Racing back across the room, Harry’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.About a hundred live bats were swarming out of the fireplace and up to the rafters. Each bat carried a tiny orange pumpkin which they dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.The guests quickly started darting the pumpkins, acting as if they were Dark Spells.

Ghosts were floating through the walls and danced in the air. Eerie sounds of shrill screams, clanking chains and howls filled the house.

Harry was in a panic. Could his house actually be haunted? No, that was a Muggle legend. Then again, he had been thrust into a world where all the things he had doubted were possible. Grimmauld Place could most certainly be haunted.

“Boo!”Harry jumped straight in the air. When he was safely back on the ground, he spun around to see what had scared him. The question wasn’t actually what; it was who.

A beaming Hermione Granger stood behind him. “Happy Halloween!” she laughed, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Hermione? You-but-how? Why?” Harry stuttered incoherently.

“It’s Halloween, silly. Tricks are part of the fun! I thought your party would be even better.”

Harry laughed. “You sure fooled us!” Ron walked over in time to hear Harry’s last words. “Who fooled us? Hermione! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, just having some fun.” “Well, you won’t have much fun here; this place is bewitched!”Then he looked up to see a large, hairy spider descending down to him. “Help me!” He yelled.

Hermione giggled and waved her wand, quickly vanishing the arachnid that had terrified Ron.

Ron gasped. “You did that?” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Quick to catch on, aren’t you?”

“You can stay for the rest of the party, Hermione,” Harry ventured. “You certainly spiced it up. And you taught me one important thing today. Expect the unexpected. This surely was unexpected.”

Suddenly a crash resounded from the floor above them. All eyes turned to Hermione.

"What are you looking at? That wasn't me!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feedback Please!