Faery Heroes

Chapter 36: What is Justice?

"So… Not that I don't enjoy using the Room of Requirement as our private flat, but are you going to tell us what you need it for tonight?" Hermione asked her boyfriend as he paced in the familiar hallway.

Harry glanced up, not ceasing his movements. "Maybe you forgot, but you owe Luna for losing the bet about whether or not Crumple-Horned Snorkacks exist." The brunette mentally cursed. She remembered just fine, but for a few days she had held hope that the others hadn't. "Your only stipulation was that the forfeit not happen until she was physically fifteen, and guess what? The third of November is after her birthday."

"Fine, fine." Merlin damn it, why did Harry have to come up with something like this? Obviously Sirius was a bad influence this summer. "One belly dance, coming right up."

"Ah, ah, ah," Luna interjected with a wag of her finger. "Standard forfeit, Mione. That's seven nights of dancing and raunchy sex, not just one."

The door to the Room faded into view, and Harry opened the portal and waved them in with a flourish. Stepping inside, Hermione noted the stage in the middle of the space, the exact contents hidden behind a curtain, as well as two more doors set on either side, one bearing the letter 'H' and the other an 'L'. "Harry? What is this?"

"This is me claiming my bet." He smiled wickedly at the blonde. "If you'll recall, we had a wager going that Hermione couldn't finish two whole weeks without getting frustrated about having to redo a year's worth of homework."

"Oh, you are a conniving bastard," Luna said, her left eye twitching. There was no real heat in her voice, however; they all knew that she enjoyed playing dress-up the most of the three.

"I'll have you know that my parents were happily married, thank you very much." He shooed them towards their doors. "Hermione, there's a bell in your changing room that will ring when Luna and I are ready for you. Just wait quietly until then, if you don't mind."

"Too late for that." She stalked into her room and glared at the silver instrument hanging innocently on the wall. Not for the first time did she wish that the rules of their little game allowed them to spend one of their 'prizes' to offset another. Not that it would matter much now, she thought as she walked over to a low table and opened the single box sitting on it. Even if we could, I owe Luna while she owes— "Oh, you have got to be kidding."

The 'clothes' inside the container were barely worth the title. Huffing, the brunette reached inside the box and removed the billowing harem pants. She stared with undisguised irritation at the hand she could clearly see through the sheer red silk. Why do I agree to do this, again? Oh, yes, because Luna said it would be fun.

…All right, and it kind of is, she admitted, pulling her school uniform off and shimmying into the costume. I'd never wear anything like this of my own volition, and there's absolutely no way I would ever let myself be seen in public, but if it's just her and Harry, I can't say I really mind that much. I mean, before we came back in time they saw me completely naked on a daily basis; revealing outfits aren't any worse. A wide belt made from strings of fake galleons wrapped around her waist, then she tied on the bikini-like top composed of the same material as the pants. Examining herself in the mirror, she shrugged weakly. "Could be worse, I guess."

The bell chose that moment to ring, and she silenced it with a wave of her wand before setting her focus on top of her normal clothes. "May as well get this over with," she muttered. Opening the door and peering out, she gaped at the get-up Luna had been forced to don. "Yeah, definitely could be worse."