Chapter 48: Halloween
Halloween, as muggles tended to call it, was a day when the veil between the dead and the living was particularly thin. On this day, witches and wizards could cross this fine line and contact the dead loved ones with the help of various rituals.
However, unlike most celebrations, these rites were considered to be very intimate and had to be done alone, or in the company of close family. That's why many purebloods viewed Halloween that muggle-borns brought to the Wizarding World as outrageous.
The day that was to be spent reminiscing about the dead was, instead, changed into loud celebrations which encouraged the children to gorge themselves on sweets! It was no wonder that many purebloods hated muggle-borns who didn't understand their traditions and even strove to change them, deeming them old-fashioned, outdated and even devious.
Hogwarts' traditional celebrations of Samhain were reformed even before Dumbledore took the post of the Headmaster. Almost one hundred years ago there was a muggle-born witch who became a Dark Lady – she gathered up many followers and attacked many magical schools all over the world, only because she believed that they discriminated against muggle-borns and prevented them from learning more powerful magic.
Because of that, many magical schools changed some of their classes and traditions to appease the Dark Lady, believing that when magical law enforcement caught her, everything would be changed back to how it was before. And, as expected, the Dark Lady was apprehended, her followers were also captured, and all was well.
Only, when schools wanted to return some of the classes (such as Introductions to Wizarding Society) and change the traditions back to how it was before, the students (and even many parents) protested.
As such, some schools retained pureblood traditions, while others were forced to adapt to the new ones. Hogwarts was amongst those schools which were forced to adopt some of the muggle customs – its student population consisted of almost 40 % of muggle-borns, and a lot of its students were half-bloods. This heavily influenced the decision at the time (and the fact that the Headmaster was a spineless fool didn't help the situation in any way).
Because of that, on October 31st, 1991, Hogwarts' students were excitedly talking about the upcoming Halloween feast while rushing in groups in between classes. Draco was also amongst the crowd.
"What did you want to ask from Professor Flitwick?" Daphne asked on their way to the Charms professor's classroom.
They had just finished the Defence Against the Dark Arts class (or DADA as students practically abbreviated), which was next to the Charms corridor, so it was very convenient to quickly stop there. As such, Daphne decided to accompany Draco to see the teacher.
"Yesterday, Lucian Bole told me that Flitwick was responsible for signing students up for dueling competitions and I wanted to enlist. The Winter Season is coming up, and Juniors will also be able to participate," Draco explained.
"I haven't seen any notices, though," Daphne unconsciously frowned.
Draco shook his head and replied:
"First-years aren't usually allowed to participate because their spell-work is still not up to par. However, even if I don't win the competition, I at least want to gain some experience for the future."
"You think that Professor Flitwick will allow you an exception?" the dark-haired girl remained doubtful.
Although she knew that Draco was intelligent and practiced a lot of spells in his spare time, she didn't think that he would be able to compete in Under-14 Juniors Championship. Other people had an edge when it came to years of studies and experience – what was the point of participating if he couldn't make it out of the preliminaries? He would only get embarrassed!
"Well, I have to at least try, right?" Draco wasn't daunted by his friend's disbelieving attitude.
Just as they approached the Charms classroom, the doors opened and students poured out. It seemed that Professor Flitwick held them up after the lesson for some reason.
Draco unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows because what he witnessed next was an event from the books which he had hoped to avoid.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her…" said Ron Weasley as he passed by the two Slytherins.
Before Draco could react, he was violently pushed by a rushing girl. Her book-bag, which wasn't lightened with charms for some reason, knocked into his shoulder like a boulder.
The blond Slytherin barely managed to stabilize himself, before quickly grabbing Daphne's hand - she had been standing beside him and was also bumped into by Hermione Granger.
"I think she heard you," said Harry to his callous red-headed friend. The two Gryffindors walked away until they were out of the earshot.
"How do muggles raise their children?" complained Daphne while smoothing out her robes.
She was left speechless at the Gryffindor girl's behavior. Hermione Granger seemed to be so smart and studious during classes, yet she didn't even turn her head to apologize or check whether the people she bumped into were alright.
"Never mind her," Draco replied with a grimace. He was sure that by tomorrow there would be a huge bruise on the side where he was hit with the bag. Did that girl carry all of her books without leaving the unneeded ones behind? Why was the bag so heavy?
Daphne looked a bit concerned when she saw her friend rubbing his shoulder. However, before she could suggest a trip to the Hospital Wing, Draco strode forward and opened the Charms classroom's door.
"Professor Flitwick," he called the diminutive man who had been organizing some papers on the desk.
Flitwick raised his head and smiled when he saw that it was the intelligent Slytherin first-year calling his name.
"Mr. Malfoy, I don't think that we have a class today? For what reason did you come to visit me?" he asked while putting away the papers and indicating for the boy to come closer.
"I would like to enter the Winter Dueling Competition for Juniors," Draco explained without wasting his words. Another class would begin in fifteen minutes and he didn't want to waste time by having to come back with the same request again.
The Charms professor raised his eyebrow and looked at Draco more attentively. Evidently, he was very surprised at the child's request.
"The European one?" he asked, just to make sure.
The blond boy nodded.
"Although I encourage all students, who show sufficient ability, to try themselves on the international stage, you still lack experience, Mr. Malfoy," the professor gently said.
"I want to try," Draco nevertheless insisted. The school was boring and he wanted to get at least some excitement, if only during his holidays. It would also be a good excuse to miss several balls which his parents wanted him to attend.
In the end, Flitwick relented. However, he still raised one condition – Draco had to master at least one spell chain in a month if he wanted to participate.
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The evening quickly approached and with it – the long-awaited Halloween feast. The whole Hogwarts was full of various smells because of which the students hadn't been able to concentrate on their lessons for the whole day. It really made them furious – able to feel but unable to try!
When it was finally time, students excitedly poured into the Great Hall where golden plaits were already laid out on the tables. The huge room was decorated with pumpkins, which were placed in the corners (their size resembled Cinderella's carriage rather than food to be consumed) and along the tables with scary smiles carved in.
There were also flying bats above the students' heads – although they never descended on the tables, they were still a bit scary, and squeamish girls screamed whenever one of them flew a bit lower.
The atmosphere of the whole castle was very festive – one would have thought that it was a day before holidays rather than a one-off event in the evening, with next day still being a typical school day.
After Dumbledore's short speech and well-wishes, colorful food appeared on the tables. The house-elves managed to outdo themselves – there were candied apples, which dyed the consumer's hair in the color of the glaze, pumpkins filled with sweets, as well as the cakes which were decorated with bats, spiders, and skeletons. There were even pies which looked like severed hands – if one took the hand's finger and bit into it, they would feel a tingling sensation in their own appendage.
Draco scanned the Gryffindor table as he chewed on a round biscuit that looked like an eyeball. He couldn't see Hermione, so it seemed that the events that took place in the books would also happen now. It was for the best – Draco didn't want to affect the happenings to the point where Harry and his friends didn't manage to defeat Voldemort, and he had to deal with the madman by himself.
"Huh, that's strange," commented Daphne to Draco, who had been sitting to her right. The blond boy turned to her and raised an eyebrow – he couldn't speak because his mouth was still preoccupied with chewing.
"I don't see Susan or Hannah at the Hufflepuff table," the dark-haired girl elaborated.
Draco turned around and scanned the badgers' heads. Indeed, he also couldn't see the two girls anywhere in the Great Hall.
The blond boy finally swallowed the biscuit and took out his communication mirror.
"Susan Bones!" he called without wasting time. Ten seconds later the familiar redhead showed up on the mirror's surface. "Where are you? The feast has already begun, and there won't be anything left soon. You better come quickly."
Susan quickly glanced somewhere beside herself and turned back to Draco.
"Sorry, we will try to come quickly. There was a girl crying in the girls' bathroom - we couldn't just leave her alone. Well, I could, but Hannah refused," the Hufflepuff girl sighed and once again helplessly looked to the side.
Draco's expression, which turned to relief when the redhead picked up his call, abruptly changed.
"Listen, Susan, you have to get out of-" before he could finish, the doors to the Great Hall burst open and Quirrell rushed in shouting about trolls.
Draco really had to admire the man's acting abilities – the career of a teacher clearly wasn't for him, however, the man could certainly succeed in the entertainment industry if he gave it a try.
The blond boy was momentarily distracted by the commotion in the Great Hall – when he turned back to warn Susan, the Hufflepuff girl had already disconnected the call. He tried to call her once more, but she didn't pick up. Neither did Hannah.
Draco cursed under his breath and looked around. Dumbledore was announcing for the Prefects to take the students to their common rooms, while the teachers were going somewhere on their own.
"Are you coming?" asked Theo - he had been observing Draco's expressions from the side. The dark-haired Slytherin could tell that something was wrong and Draco seemed to know about it, however, he couldn't tell what it was.
"Susan and Hannah are somewhere in the girls' bathroom. They don't know about the troll and aren't picking up the calls! Why do they even bother to carry their mirrors – for decoration?!" Draco was frustrated.
The Prefects were rushing them out, however, he hadn't resolved the situation yet. Something happened - something changed, which affected the plot that he knew of. How did Susan and Hannah get into the bathroom during this critical moment? Why were they there? What did he do to facilitate this turn of events?
Just as the Slytherin Prefect came to reprimand Draco and the few students around him for their dilly-dallying, the blond boy rushed into the crowd of students who were exiting the Great Hall and disappeared.
The Slytherins he left behind could only helplessly watch - the Prefect turned to glare at other first-years in case they got the same idea to escape. Seeing that they were orderly standing in their place, the older Slytherin took out his communication mirror and asked another Prefect to go after Draco. After quickly finishing the call, he rounded up the lagging students and ushered them out.
"Severus Snape!" Draco called as soon as he got out of the crowds and managed to evade the Prefects' watchful eyes. He didn't receive a reply, however, he also didn't give up. "Minerva McGonagall!"
Finally, after a few long seconds of waiting while breathlessly rushing to the second floor, where he guessed the girls were, the stern professor's face appeared in the mirror.
"Mr. Malfoy, I hope it's important," she said to the boy.
"Susan, Hannah, and Hermione Granger – they are in the second-floor bathroom and don't know about the troll. I cannot contact either of them through the mirrors!" he said with a slightly wheezing voice from running.
McGonagall's expression changed and she nodded, "I will be there soon."
The communication was cut off. The Transfiguration teacher didn't even remember to ask Draco why wasn't he with others – she directly turned around and rushed back from the dungeons, where (reportedly) the troll was supposed to be.
The blond boy didn't dare to stop and wait for the adults to solve the matter. Yes, the troll was certainly dangerous and, maybe, Harry and Ron could deal with it, however, if one thing changed, then why couldn't others?
While Draco didn't like reckless risks, he also couldn't help but feel a bit responsible – those in danger were his friends. If it was anyone else, he would have left the matter for fate to decide, however, not this time.
Just as he was thinking whether he should knock the troll out with 'Wingardium Leviosa' and what to do if that didn't work, Zosar appeared right next to him with a burst of flames.
• What happened? I felt that your emotions were a bit disturbed, which is quite unusual, so I came to investigate, • the phoenix chirped worryingly.
Draco motioned for the bird to be quiet and jumped over the last few stairs on the staircase to the second floor. He silently moved his head to look at the corridor.
At the end of it, he could see two Gryffindor boys slowly edging toward the bathroom door, seemingly intending to close it. It seemed that Harry and Ron were still quicker than himself.
Before either of the boys could do anything, shrill screams sounded from the girls' bathroom.
Draco turned his head to his familiar and quickly instructed:
"Go to the bathroom and distract the troll – if you are able, transport the girls to safety. Susan and Hannah are the priority!"
Zosar didn't ask useless questions like, why would a troll be in the girls' bathroom? He directly turned into a ball of fire and disappeared.
Harry and Ron were already at the bathroom door shouting at each other to do something. Before they could do anything useful, a phoenix appeared inside and released a loud cry.
The troll was momentarily confused – one second there were only three girls, with one of them urging the other two to move, while the next second there was a flaming bird in front of its eyes. The troll's brain wasn't proportional to its body size, so it didn't think too much and directly moved to swing its club at the annoying bird.
Seeing that the troll was distracted, Susan dragged two stupefied girls to the bathroom's entrance. Her family worked in law enforcement and her father was an active hit-wizard, as such, she wasn't as panicked or afraid in dangerous circumstances. If she didn't have two helpless girls beside her, Susan wouldn't have hesitated to help Zosar with fighting the troll, however, now she could only urge them to escape to safety.
"Quick, quick," Susan whispered, trying not to attract the troll's attention. "Hannah, come. Granger, move your legs or, Merlin knows, I will leave you behind."
The treatment the two girls received from the courageous Hufflepuff redhead clearly wasn't the same.
The two Gryffindor boys also weren't completely useless – they threw broken pipes and slabs of concrete at the troll, shouting at the creature and trying to distract it from the girls, while also sending them desperate glances - urging them to be quicker.
Draco also appeared at that moment. The corridor was rather long, and the bathroom was at its end - by the time he came, a lot of action has already happened.
The blond boy took a moment to evaluate the situation.
The bathroom was rather big, which was obvious seeing that even a troll which was twelve feet tall could move there without any problems.
Hannah, Susan, and Hermione were almost near the door, they just had to cross a few broken tiles and sinks that were laying on the floor, preventing them from directly rushing over.
Harry and Ron were still helping Zosar with the distraction of the troll. However, at that moment something happened.
Zosar, seeing Draco appear near the danger zone, was momentarily distracted and the troll's club managed to nick his wing. The phoenix dropped to the floor and had to quickly flash out via fire before the troll managed to squish him into a bird paste.
Troll, seeing that the annoying bird was finally gone, turned its attention to other nuisances – his first target was Harry. The bespectacled boy naturally panicked and dove out of the creature's way before it managed to hit him with the club.
Draco swung his wand and quickly blasted the rubble that prevented the girls from getting out of the dangerous area. Susan, seeing that the path was clear, forcefully dragged the other two distracted girls behind her.
The blond boy was relieved and turned to the troll that was trying to hit Harry. He raised his wand and levitated a sink at the troll's head, trying to hit it but unable to do so because his vision was obstructed by the sinks in the middle.
Ron, who was better positioned, raised his own wand and shouted out 'Wingardium Leviosa', making the troll's club hit the owner's head. As a result, the troll was knocked out and all of the first-years could finally sigh with relief.
The incident ended just like the books described, however, why did it seem to be more dangerous?
Draco frowned as he looked at the smiling Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Feeling that the danger may not have passed, he approached the troll and levitated its club, before once again releasing it on the creature's head.
The other first-years turned around to stare at Draco, who was moving back from the troll, deeming the job well-done. The creature laid there with its head completely mangled and bloody - it was very obviously dead.
"Why did you kill it?" asked Harry with a frown. "It was already harmless and unconscious."
Draco stared at the bespectacled boy with clear surprise.
"It almost killed my friends, and it could wake up at any time - do you want to fight it once again?" the Slytherin boy asked with astonishment.
Before Harry could reply, the children heard quick footsteps, indicating that someone was coming. Draco, who had been almost at the entrance to the bathroom, popped his head out to take a look. Rushing towards them was McGonagall, and a few steps away from her were Snape and Quirrell.
The Slytherin boy had to really admire the teachers' ability to come at the moment when they were clearly no longer needed. He had called two teachers via mirror before rushing here.
Aside from that, the students tussled with the troll for at least five minutes before managing to knock it out. The noise that was created should have sounded though the nearest five floors, however, the teaching staff managed to arrive only now.
Draco shook his head with amazement and turned to listen to McGonagall, who started inquiring as to what had happened.
This certainly wasn't the way in which he wanted to spend the Samhain evening.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Zefelina
Zefelina I deliberated for a long time how to write the incident with the troll, whether to write it at all or skip over it...
In the end, I felt that including it will add action, which has been missing recently, while also helping to develop the characters in the way that I want to portray them and their relationships in the future.
Btw, if you guys have any interesting ideas, do share! =]
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