บท 32: The Harrowing Halloween, Part 1

"I'll see you after I fail the Transfiguration test," Anne slightly jokes, showing her insecurities as she starts to leave the study room.

'You're not going to fail. You'll do great,' I retort back, earning an eye roll from Hermione as Anne exits the room. Judging time, I figure I have a few more minutes until I need to be in class as I return to my book. Cedric and Penny have left for class, so at this point, it is just Hermione and me.

"Are you free tonight?" Hermione asks, not taking her eyes off her book. Mentally sighing, I think of an excuse to give.

'Sorry, I already asked Penny to show me some Ravenclaw tower secrets,' I lie, knowing I can not tell her about the Fundamentals of Magic lessons I asked Professor Babbling to start giving me.

"Of course you did," Hermione scoffs, confusing me as I set my book down.

'What's that supposed to mean?' I ask, not understanding where her annoyance is from.

"What I 'mean' by that is you've used that excuse for not hanging out with me about five times now! If you don't want to hang out with me just say so!" Hermione spits out, setting her book down a bit harder than I did.

'I like hanging out with you!' I write back, earning a side-eye from her, 'I do!'

"Really? Because: your ability to just so happen to be busy when I want to hang out, the fact that it's always for a different reason, and your inability to give me straight answers tell me otherwise! Just what was with that little song and dance you did with Cedric?" Hermione asks, tears hovering in the corner of her eyes. I start to write my response only to be cut off by her words, "Don't even bother with more excuses. You're not being a good friend. It's like you don't even care about my feelings."

'I care!' My response only earns another scoff as she starts to get up.

"Really? Then give me a straight answer to just one of my questions. What was that little bead? Where did you get it? Where have you actually been going every night?"

The gears in my head spin as fast as they can. Trying to decide how, or if, to tell her as she continues to pack up. Still struggling, I notice her copy of "The Lost Art of Potion Making and Why" left on the table. Grabbing the book, I reach out with it to give it to her.

"A book? This has all been over a book? If you just wanted a stupid book say so!" Hermione yells, slamming the door and leaving the book.

***

"And I expect your progress on your paper on the process of preparing the Forgetfulness potion to not be hampered by the feast tonight," Snape lectures from behind his desk, dismissing the class.

Packing up, my mind wanders back to my fight with Hermione as I see "The Lost Art of Potion Making and Why" in my bag. It's not my fault I have to lie to get people to like me! I'm not the one who cursed me with this body! Merlin, sometimes I wish my problems could be solved with a simple potion! Wait a minute…

Approaching Snape's desk, I take out my notepad, 'Professor Snape?'

"Yes, Ollivander?" He responds, lingering on my last name as other students continue to shuffle out of the room.

'Would it be possible to create a potion that, when consumed, gives me Mana similarly to the beads Dumbledore gave me? Potions don't require the use of an incantation or Mana from the wizard because the items used to create the spell have Mana in them. So following that thinking, wouldn't it be possible to create a potion with zero effects but just the Mana the fuels those effects? That way when I consume it, it would dump that Mana into my system?' Handing him my note, it only takes him a moment before rolling his eyes and dismissing the idea.

"Leave the theory crafting to the professionals. Run along now," Snape dismisses me, going back to working on a paper on his desk. Snarling, I see no point in continuing to ask as I glide out of his room. He probably didn't even read all of it! With or without him, I'm trying that potion.

Lightning brightly flashes out the window, overpowering the already warm orange torchlight with a blip of white. Thunder barely makes it into the hall as I continue my trek through them, letting my mind search through potential potion combinations. Stepping on a crowded white staircase, with a light brown detailed rug cascading down it, I let it take me down the Grand Staircase.

"Catlyn!" I hear a cheery voice yell over the chatter of the other students on their way down to the Halloween feast. The air filled with anticipation and weighed heavily from the moisture.

Looking around, I manage to spot Anne across the Grand Staircase. How did she even see me? How did her voice even reach me? I let out a puff of laughter as I wave back, glad that she's back to her normal cheery self. Stepping onto the first floor, I wait as Anne bursts through the crowd; waving a parchment as she runs to me.

"I did it, I did it!" Anne cheers, still bouncing as she hands me the parchment. Taking it, I look down to see a large "A" circled at the corner of the parchment with a note attached; the A standing for Acceptable.

-Congrats Miss Diggory, you just barely passed, enjoy your feast.

'That's great Anne! I told you you'd pass!' I congratulate them after handing her test back.

"I guess all your hard work teaching me paid off!" She laughs, "Never leave me," She says, semi-serious as she takes both my hands. We stand there for a moment before Anne remembers I need my hands to communicate and let's go.

'I won't and it was your hard work that got you that grade. Don't forget that,' Nodding like an impatient child, she takes my hand and all but drags me closer to the doors of the Great Hall.

"Ced! Ced! Look!" Anne exclaimed as she dragged me like Maxi on a walk over to Cedric, who was chatting with a few people.

Cedric's eyes brighten at the sight of his step-sister as he meets up with us, "You passed? That's great!" Locking eyes with him, we both mentally agree that Professor McGonagall went easy on grading her.

"I gotta show Fay!" Anne beamed, joy vibrating her as if she had two gallons of coffee as she ran off.

"How old is she again?" Cedric jokes as we watch her disappear into the crowd.

'I'd say her level of childish joy extends past the bounds of humans and goes straight to the level of a Golden Retriever,' My retort earns a chuckle out of Cedric until his eyes widen.

"Is that why Penny calls her Retriever?" Cedric realized, earning a raised eyebrow from me.

'You just realized that?' I snicker as Anne comes back to us and the doors to the Great Hall start to rumble open.

Walking through the doors, thousands of bats sweep above the crowd as thousands more sit perched on the starry ceiling. Jack O'Lanterns sit, evenly spaced, in the middle of the four tables. The regular house colors decorating the walls are replaced with orange and black. Multiple groups of bats continue to do diving runs above the tables as we make our way to the Hufflepuff table.

Sitting down, the mass of students starts to grow confused at the empty tables. This confusion doesn't last long, for food about three times the regular amount appears on plates of sold gold and utensils made of the same.

Looking back, I'm surprised I didn't even think about the golden plates at the Welcoming feast as I meaninglessly grab a stake and start to evenly cut it. The sound of bats swooping down, hungry students devouring the food, the chatter of conversations dotted around the room, all of it falls silent in an instant as Quirrell bursts through the doors.

"Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know," he puffs out, collapsing to the floor as the room erupts into chaos.