Chương 42: Hallows Eve
Early the next morning the castle began to smell the sweet fragrance of pumpkins being baked. The sweet smells continued all day serving to only whet the student's appetites even further. Down in the dungeons, Rowan futilely tugs her cloak higher up her collar to keep the chill at bay. Nearly November, the chill of the dungeons seeps through their robes and settles down into their very bones. Tragically, the dungeons would only become that much colder with the full set of winter.
The scent of potion ingredients fills the air and the loud bubbling of cauldrons. Observing their work, Prover Slughorn advises them. "Excellent work class keep stirring those cauldrons or else the potion will stick."
The warmth of the cauldrons is the only thing keeping them warm. The urge to step as close as possible to the cauldron is tempting, but more than one student had learned the dangers of being burnt by close proximity. Rowan stirs her own cauldron with a ladle feeling her hands begin to ache from her effort.
Their potions lesson seems to drag forever until Professor Slughorn says, "Ladles up!"
The entire class obediently does so as Professor Slughorn approaches them to check the contents of their cauldrons. The Worm-Tail potion for the most part haven completed properly. As usual, Professor Slughorn beams at Severus Prince and Lily Evans are two of his most talented first-year students.
With some hesitation, Professor Slughorn checks Rowan Prince's potion. Slughorn's gooseberry-colored eyes widen in dramatic fashion. The potion in the cauldron is not only the right shade but the correct density as well. "Miss Prince, excellent!" Professor Slughorn excitedly exclaimed about the prospect of a potential talented student.
"There weren't any living ingredients in the potion this time," Rowan deadpanned.
Professor Slughorn's enthusiasm instantly dampens at the acute assessment. "Well, no matter, you have improved considerably, Miss Prince," before Professor Slughorn instructs the class to gather their things.
The Slytherins and Gryffindors more than happily clean up and gather their school bag. The students eagerly scurry away to the Great Hall to enjoy the Halloween Feast. Others like Bethanie, Tiffany, and Silvia return to the Slytherin quarters to brush their hair and straighten their robes.
Rowan dropped off her school bag before she motioned, she will save them a seat. She had only just descended the girl's stairs when a hand grabs her. "C'mon, Rowan, hurry up!" Severus urgently said dragging Rowan out of the Slytherin common room to the bemusement of the older Slytherins observing them.
Waiting just outside of Slytherin's entrance is the delicate, floppy-haired Terry Greengrass. "Took you two long enough," he teased his friends.
Rowan pulls her arm out of Severus's grasp and glares mutinously at him. Severus pretends not to notice as Terry and he chats about the Halloween Feast. Before Rowan can avenge the slight, they arrive at the entrance of the Great Hall.
High above thousands of bats flutter from the ceiling and walls. Other bats swoop over tables appearing as swarming black clouds. The breeze emitted from the flapping of their wings caused the candles within the small jack-o-lanterns to sputter. On the floor against the walls are vast carved giant pumpkins large enough for three grown men to sit down.
Terry and Severus gape while Rowan's face pales and turns slightly green. She shudders violently at the idea of Bat Guano. It is a constant source of worry to her that no one is concerned about the ramifications of an unsanitary accident.
Preoccupied Severus failed to notice Rowan's damper happily nudging his twin towards the already seated Slytherins. Sitting down, Terry whispers, "There's supposed to be a Ghost Waltz done by the Hogwarts ghosts later on. And at the end of the night, I heard that Dumbledore hired a troop of skeletons to play!"
"How exciting," Rowan drily muttered without a hint of excitement.
Either Terry failed to notice Rowan's tone of voice, or he simply did not care. He and Severus excitedly chatter and take not of the Feast. Seeing that she is being ignored, Rowan closed her eyes and pretends to not hear the contact flutter of bat wings.
The flutter of the bat wings sounds far too ominous. Opening her eyes, Rowan does not glance up at the swarming ceiling but rather concentrates on the golden tableware before her. Either Moody would be able to stop the plan of the Death Eaters, or he would fail. The results of tonight will determine the future recruitment of Death Eaters at Hogwarts. Either they will thrive, or they will cease to exist openly at Hogwarts.
The Great Hall fills quickly and soon grows silent at Professor Dumbledore standing at the head of the staff table. "Welcome, All! And please enjoy our traditional Halloween feast!"
The students let out loud cheers in reply as food begins to magically appear on golden platters. Pumpkin juice and warm apple cider fill their golden goblets. There are scores of sweets candy-filled pumpkins, candy apples, small black cauldrons filled with lollipops, carrot cake-shaped bats, orange streamers, edible goblets made of colored candy, treacle tart, and an endless display of sweets as far as the eye can see.
After a brief internal deliberation, Rowan tactfully decides that bag guano cannot possibly get into every speck of candy and therefore should be safe to eat. Having solved her internal conundrum, Rowan happily begins to eat. She isn't the only one as everyone does the same.
During the feast at one point, Rowan happens to glance up and meet the gaze of Head Boy Lucius Malfoy. Lucius merely tilts his goblet at her in acknowledgment of their bet. He then turns to continue a conversation with Narcissa sitting at his side.
As the meal progresses, Rowan isn't the only person to stuff candy into her cloak. She also flinched a few lanterns filled with the brim to candy, but so did Severus and Terry. Really, it was a tradition at this point.
Even the students with the greatest of appetites cannot help but sadly watch the food vanish away. There is too much food for them to eat it all. The meal is magically cleared from the tables when a loud clattering is heard. A skeleton band appears and begins to play a waltz.
From the walls, ghostly pearly figures appear and begin to dance information. The students let out cries of awe as even Rowan watches the ghost dance. At the end of the waltz, the students applaud while some of the ghosts bow and others float away.
The Great Hall falls quiet again and Professor Dumbledore says, "And now I give you, The Bones!"
The students let out cries of surprise as their tables gently rise only a few inches. Several of the students grip their seats as the tables gently slide back to clear a dancing space between them. The tables drop down with a faint thud causing a few students to stumble back out of their seats.
The skeleton band, The Bones kick into a junky jam, très moderne, and most certainly muggle. Enjoying the beat, Rowan begins to bob her head. "Here take this," she abruptly said removing her cloak and shoving her treats into Severus's lap.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Severus exclaimed as Terry's eyes widen in utter shock.
"The dance floor, of course," Rowan said with a rare carefree grin.
Abruptly Rowan meets the eyes of Prefect Wilkes and beckons him over with her hand. "Alright, finally, a fearless dance partner!" Wilkes howled with delight.
Without a single trace of embarrassment or self-consciousness, Wilkes leaps over the gaping Slytherins. "C'mon, let's go, Prince!" He extended his hand to the much smaller first-year Slytherin.
The taller figure of Prefect Wilkes leads Rowan to the empty dance floor. And just like that the two of them begin to dance. The undeterred Gryffindors spring into action not about to be left behind by two measly Slytherins. Soon the dance floor is filled with couples and friends bobbing to the beat.
After a minute, Terry faintly says, "I thought Rowan hated social activities."
"So, did I," Severus said in shock.
"Apparently not," Terry dryly commented.
Once the song finished, Rowan danced back to them and said, "Life is short you two. Who knows this might be our last night together, so let's go out with a bang!"
"NO, Rowan, NO!" Severus futilely protested to no avail as she dragged Severus onto the dancefloor, while Terry abandoned their cloaks and food at the table. Because who frankly cared? And indeed, so to speak it was quite the memorable night.
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EsliEsma
EsliEsma So Necromancy is forbidden, right? So how can there be Skeleton Band? But it's mentioned in HP, during the first Halloween so ..... though we never saw one they exist... Wizardkind and their double standards...
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