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Halloween Muggle Style (Ipswich, Suffolk)
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 10-28-10 11:26
Rather than go to the celebration at St. Emry's Orei, Maddie, Jim, and Titus had been invited to attend a Muggle Halloween party by one of the muggle-born students in Jim's Intro to Potions class, Erica Newsome.
So, they'd gone to a shop in Muggle London and gotten costumes. Which was highly entertaining because Orei had never done such before, nor had Maddie.
Orei was currently dressed in a costume that made her look like a witch, though it was nothing dull and dreary about the costume. Its skirt had a series of layers of cloth with ragged edges that danced at her knees and thighs. There were cut outs on the side of the dress that were laced up with cord, and sleeves that left her shoulders bare. She'd added a pair of fishnet stockings with red accents, and a pair of heeled, ankle stilleto boots to complete the outfit.
Maddie was dressed as a harem girl straight out of the Middle East. Her costume included teal colored harem pants, sheer sleeved top, and veil. She'd added a bit of accent with a belt of gold coins that jingled around her waist, and a pair of gold ballet slippers on her feet.
Jim had thought about going as Darth Vadar, but had decided against it. He was half-blood and had spent time in his childhood in both the Muggle and the Wizarding World, and the customs for the Muggle World's celebration of Halloween were his favorite. However, he'd changed his mind when he heard what Orei was going as, and decided he was going to be a Vampire. His costume was quite good, and very cinematic looking in its antiquity. Complete with cape and all.
Titus had found a costume to go with Maddie's harem look. He had found a costume that had made him look like Jafar from the Walt Disney movie Aladdin. So, Jafar had his genie (Maddie).
It was good for the four of them to be together again, even better now that both couples weren't living under the same roof. Maddie and Titus had gotten a quaint little flat that was directly between their places of employment. Orei was happy that they were doing well together, and she knew that Titus still kept in contact with Ronan, who was one of his friends.
There were dozens of costumed individuals already at the party by the time the four arrived, but it didn't take long to get into the swing of things. There were even times when guests would take turns to hand out handfuls of candy that the muggle children came Trick-or-Treating for.
Red
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 10-28-10 18:51
Bill had gotten an invitation to a Halloween party thrown by the niece of his coworker Mrs. Davies. He didn't know the niece personally, even though they'd attended Hogwarts in overlapping years and had both been Gryffindor students. But, after mentioning the party to Fleur and she showing an interest in attending, Bill had agreed to go.
After dropping off Victoire at the Burrow, Bill and Fleur went to Kent to an old manor home on the outskirts of a small wizarding community. The house was decorated in smiling jack-o-lanterns and a lot of candles. Most of the party-goers were dressed in ordinary robes or Muggle attire, but a few had gone in costume.
Bill and Fleur weren't in fancy dress, though they had dressed nicely for the party. Bill wore slacks, a button-down shirt and a jumper, while Fleur wore a simple black dress. They didn't know anyone at the party, but neither seemed to mind. Part of the fun of going to parties was meeting new people, and neither had any trouble falling into conversation with complete strangers.
Bill was just talking to a couple of friends of the hostess when he saw something red in his periphery. He turned his head slightly, never ceasing his discussion, and saw the very edge of a cape disappear into the next room. For some reason, he felt an overwhelming urge to find out who it belonged to. Bill excused himself from his conversation, and with a glance at Fleur where she sat across the room, headed off in pursuit of the cape wearer.
The next room was crowded with other guests as well, all of whom were drinking, eating, and/or talking, but the red cape wearer was nowhere to be seen. Bill crossed the room and went to the next one, which was also thick with people. Just when he thought he might just turn around and go back to his wife, he saw a flash of red again. Bill wove through the crowd and finally managed to get a good look at the woman, when she paused and turned slightly at the threshold to the next room.
She was slender but not too thin and wore a full-length cloak made out of velvet. Her dress was short, sparkly and red. Her hair was long, brown, and had been curled, perhaps for the party. A mask obscured part of her face.
Even without the glimpse of her facial features, the fancy dress stirred a memory deep within Bill. But the face, or what he could see of it, left no doubt in his mind who was standing in the room with him. Before he could force himself to close the distance between them, the woman disappeared into the next room.
Bill got over his initial shock and moved forward again. The woman wasn't in the next room, but he found her outside in the courtyard. Before he could stop himself, he went right up to her and removed the mask from her face.
The woman, someone he'd never seen before in his life, gasped and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Bill couldn't hide his surprise, or even his disappointment. "I'm sorry," he said, handing her back her mask. "I thought you were someone else."
The witch put her mask back on. "It's all right. I've been told I have one of those faces."
Bill apologized again and then went back into the house. He'd been so sure, but of course it wouldn't have made any sense. Adriana was dead. She couldn't be at this party, wearing the exact same costume she'd worn when he'd escorted her to her very first Hogwarts Halloween Feast all those years ago...
Fancy Dress For A Fancy Feast
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 10-28-10 21:00
Drucilla and Sirius enter the Great Hall just behind the twins. Mira and James would have arrived long ago if not for the fact that on the walk from Hogsmeade their parents insisted they stay close. They'd complied only because after they dashing far ahead they were told in no uncertain terms that they would go home if they didn't slow down and walk with Dru and Sirius. Not wanting to miss out on showing off their fancy dress outfits and seeing the costumes of others Mira and James had complied, although clearly reluctant to have to walk at a more sedate pace.
Mira, still with a ladybird* fixation, is dressed as one of the red and black garden bugs. The second Sirius had mentioned she could play dress up for the Hogwarts Halloween feast Mira had announced she would be a ladybird and wanted her ladybird fancy dress to have wings. Dru promised there would be wings just like a real ladybird and true to her word the outfit has them. When Mira was still trying to run ahead, she was holding her arms outstretched so that the costume's wings were out as she pretending she was flying.
James took longer to decide. Days longer. Mira would helpfully make suggestions, such as thinking that James should also be a ladybird or a flower for her ladybird to land on. James crinkled his nose up each time Mira told him one of her ideas. Undaunted, she kept offering up suggestions even after he flat out told her, "Mira, I'm NOT dressing wike a GIRL!"
James had finally decided he wanted to be a dragon. He didn't want to be just any dragon. James wanted to be a dragon, "... so scarwie Schuywer's dad would come get him," meaning that James wanted to be such a fierce dragon that Charlie Weasley would be called in to cart James off to the dragon preserve where Charlie works. Dru and Sirius showed James pictures of dragons so that James could decide which sort of dragon his outfit would be. After a long deliberation on James's part he decided he wanted to be a light blue dragon with red stripes, green polka dots, an dark purple spines down his back and tail. According to James because he is a scary dragon and his name is Black, his dragon is called a Scarwie Black.
In between offering up fancy dress ideas to James Mira had given Dru suggestion after suggestion. Dru finally agreed to go as a flower since every other suggestion from Mira was for Dru to be a flower. Dru just had to decide what sort of flower. With her Eastern European background and with Mira's full name, Krasimira, being more of a Bulgarian origin, Dru chose to go as a rose, which is Bulgaria's national flower.
That had left Sirius. When Mira came asking him if he needed her help to pick out fancy dress for the feast, he'd told her he was planning on just wearing his regular dress robes. Mira was having none of that nor were James and Dru when they learned of Sirius's plan. In private Dru had even put it to Sirius, "If I'm wearing fancy dress, you're wearing fancy dress. If you won't pick something I will choose for you. Severus would make a wonderful costume."
With things put to him like that Sirius had agreed to pick a fancy dress outfit and to then actually wear it. Walking into the Great Hall now with Ladybird Mira, Scarwie Black dragon James, and Rose Drucilla is Sirius as famous witch Alberta Toothill. Anyone who collects Wizarding Trading Cards could tell you that in 1430 Alberta Toothill won the All-England Dueling Competition over the favorite Samson Wiblin.
Mira and James have come to a stop, taking in the decorations and looking around at those already there. With permission to roam around for a little bit before it's time to take a seat for the feast, James and Mira run off together to look more at decorations and fancy dress while Sirius and Dru slowly make their way to the head table, pointing out interesting fancy dress outfits and stopping along the way to talk with students and some of the faculty already present.
*ladybird = ladybug
(Mark) First Time in Fancy Dress
Author: Isolde
Date: 10-29-10 08:55
Not from a Muggle family himself, Mark would not have thought to dress up in something other than robes for the Halloween Feast. Nobody had gone in fancy dress his first two years at Hogwarts, when Professor Snider had been headmistress and had shunned all Muggle traditions at the castle (and beyond). Last year was the first year he'd seen anyone attend the feast as someone or something other than themselves, but he himself hadn't dressed up in costume.
He probably wouldn't have this year either, had one of his Slytherin housemates not left a Muggle fancy dress catalog in the common room. The only reason Mark even looked at it was because whoever had left it behind had left it wide open on the couch, to a page featuring women in very short, revealing outfits.
Mark wasn't terribly girl crazy yet, even if certain individuals thought he had his eye on someone, but as a teenager he had started to notice girls as more than just people who weren't boys. The women in the catalog were all very attractive grownups in less clothing than he'd ever seen on anybody before.
After admiring their long, fishnet stocking-clad legs and their revealing blouses or halter tops, Mark had flipped through the rest of the catalog and seen some of the other costumes offered. Many were for men, others for young children. On one page was a man dressed in black––black open shirt, black pants, black cape, black mask––and he carried a silver sword. The caption beneath him read Zorro.
Mark had no idea who Zorro was, but he liked the costume. It was simple and not too outrageously Muggle in style. He'd ripped the page out of the catalog and owled it home to see if his mum could buy it, or find something similar. The package had arrived only yesterday, complete with a real sword. He hoped Professor Snape wouldn't take it away from him.
On the evening of the Halloween Feast, Mark put on his fancy dress and then went into the common room, where he breathed a silent sigh of relief at seeing others also dressed up. He didn't spot Gus, Johanna and Felicia and wondered if they'd already gone down to the Great Hall, but when he got there, he still didn't see them. Perhaps they were running late, or perhaps they're costumes were so good he just didn't recognize them!
The Great Hall was decorated with carved pumpkins, and already, decadent food covered the four long tables. Mark took his place at the Slytherin table and dug right in.
Fancy Dress
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 10-29-10 21:24
"What is your fancy dress for the feast on Halloween?" Melchior had asked her in the Common Room not a week before as he plopped himself down beside her on the couch. He was the only person in all of Hogwarts (aside from faculty) that knew she could change forms.
There was a light shrug of her shoulders as she put her quill in her potions book and turned to face him, with her back against the arm of the couch. "I am not certain. My Mum sent me a catalogue not too long ago, and I was looking at maybe going as 'Little Red Riding Hood' or perhaps Alice from 'Alice in Wonderland.' I haven't fully decided yet."
Melchior nodded his head lightly and the pair fell into a lengthy conversation about different possibilities of fancy dress for the upcoming feast. Whitney and Kida joined them about ten minutes into the conversation and was planning her own costume as well. Ultimately, things had been decided on who would wear what.
That had been a week ago, and now it was time for the Halloween Feast at Hogwarts, Adina and Melchior's first, second at least for Kida and Whitney. They all agreed to meet in the Commons and head up to the Great Hall together. Adina was going as Alice, Kida as the Red Queen, Whitney as The White Rabbit. She had forgotten what Melchior had said he was going as.
Ultimately they ended up in the great hall and marveled over the wonderous decorations: pumpkins carved with candles illuminating the features carved within. Adina looked over the head table and smiled seeing the different fancy dress that had been selected by the staff. A tilt of her head as she caught sight of Professor Black as a famous Dualing champion, Alberta Toothill.
The four settled at the table, and tried a few things that were already decadantly and heavily covering the table in front of them. None of them head eaten much throughout the day because they knew that there would ultimately be a feast tonight - and feasts, as Adina and Melchior had learned at the Start of Term Feast, meant large quantities of food that usually resulted in one's eyes being larger than their stomach.
All Hallows Eve Feast
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 10-29-10 21:44
Isma slid a hand through her hair, a light sigh sliding free of her lips as she fretted over her fancy dress for the one-hundredth-millionth time since she'd decided on going as Disney Princess Cinderella. She had just gotten out of the bath, and her hair was drying as she did her make-up in front of the small vanity mirror she had on her nightstand.
Her costume was hanging on a hanger on her closet door. She was at the moment in her bathrobe, already wearing the stockings and heels that would be a part of her costume. This Cinderella costume was leaps and bounds an improvement over the one that she'd worn when she was six years old.
Blonde hair was soon pulled up into a fashionable updo, tendrils dancing down around her features as she positioned the tiara in place amongst the delicately created do. Once that was done, she would, with the aid of a house elf, get into her costume. She would add the finishing touches to her jewlery, and as she looked in the full length mirror a shiver moved up her spine.
It was perhaps a good thing that she was no more than half-Veela. She already, at fourteen held that allure, and was enticing. It would make things more interesting as she progressed through the rest of her years at Hogwarts. Finally happy with her appearance, she would head downstairs and meet Eric and Blake and Sonya in the Common Room before heading down to the Great Hall. Blake was Isma's Prince Charming. Eric was dressed as Dumbledore, and Sonya was currently dressed as Helga Hufflepuff one of the original founders of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.
They all oh'd and ah'd over the decorations within the Great Hall, glimmering candles lodged within the bellies of jack-o-lanterns carved with different features on them. Some gastly, some whimsical. The candles radiated a spooky aura as they floated along the enchanted ceiling above their heads. Cobwebs and various other decorations including bats, rats, and black cats were scattered throughout as well.
The four split up into couples after a few moments, vowing that they would sit together for the meal. Isma and Blake milled about, talking with fellow classmates and admiring the other fancy dress that had been selected by their fellow students.
Isma pointed out a boy sitting, eating at the Slytherin table, wearing a Zorro costume. A group further down wearing costumes from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, including Alice herself. They also took in the fancy dress as selected by the staff milling about the room and seated at the Head Table.
Traditional Korean Dress (Etta)
Author: Jared
Date: 10-29-10 23:07
Even before fancy dress being optional for the Halloween feast was confirmed Etta had an idea of what her costume would be. If for some reason Professor Dumbledore had decided that fancy dress wouldn't be allowed this term, Etta had decided she'd save the outfit for another occassion, like a New Year's Eve masquerade. That Deak is not wearing a matching outfit tonight doesn't bother Etta in the slightest. She's not one of those girls who insists that as girlfriend-boyfriend they be all matchy matchy.
With Etta being in Gryffindor House and Deak in Ravenclaw, the have often found it easier to meet somewhere like the main entrance hall, the common commons, or the library. Because of the feast taking place in the Great Hall this evening, they'd arranged to meet in the main entrance hall. Etta arrived a little early and spent the next few minutes watching students, staff, and guests entering the Great Hall. Not everyone was in costume but many do have on fancy dress of some sort.
When Deak arrived, they'd taken a moment to take in the details of each other's costumes. Deak is dressed as a Roman centurian while Etta is wearing a traditional looking Korean hanbok. Etta had seen one over the summer and fell in love with it. As even a modern hanbok isn't really something a British school girl would wear around school Etta knew that a masquerade or similar fancy dress event would be the perfect occassion to wear one. The particular one Etta was most wanting was a little pricey so she saved for it and when she had half the funds her mum and one of her grandmums gave Etta the rest.
The large skirt of the hanbok is of an amethyst purple. The top with it's voluminous sleeves is a dark, deep, dusky rose trimmed with the amethyst purple. The top and sleeves also have some embroidery with the purple while the skirt has painted flowers in the dusky rose shade. Etta's shoes are also of Korean design and her long hair is in a braided style adorned with combs her grandmum had gotten once on a visit to Seoul.
Deak and Etta took their time finding seats because of going around the Great Hall talking to others and seeing outfits up close. Some of the Muggle based fancy dress Etta knew but many she did not. Deak knows more of them but even with his adoptive father being the Muggle Studies professor, Deak said there was many he had no clue about. After asking one younger girl about the stuffed lamb and crooked staff that were part of the girl's outfit, Etta learned of a Muggle nursery rhyme about someone called Little Bo Peep who had last her sheep.
Shortly before sitting down Etta caught sight of her cousin Basil. Taking in his demonic devil outfit Etta had the thought that she'd be hard pressed to come up with a more fitting fancy dress costume for Basil than the one he's wearing.
Halloween At The Burrow
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 10-30-10 23:19
Even without the entire Weasley family gathered at the Burrow for Halloween, the house is crowded. Ginny thinks that could be because the triplets are so energetic it often seems like there are nine of them instead of just three. As if knowing he's on his aunt's mind, Seth comes up behind Ginny and nudges her. "More please."
Ginny turns in her seat at the long kitchen table where many of the adults are eating supper. She asks the Fred miniature, "More of what, poppet?"
"All."
Seth has always had a way of getting his point across without having to say much to do it. While there aren't many things Ginny is aware that Seth won't eat she still looks to Blossom for guidance. Blossom gets up to come around the table, asking Seth, "Are you sure you want a little more of everything or do you really just want a little more ham and mashed potatoes?"
Seth gives Blossom and Ginny an unblinking stare and gravely replies, "All."
"That means everything but the creamed spinach and the yams, Ginny, but why don't I just fix his plate?"
"No, that's okay. He asked me."
"Thank you. Just a spoonful or the equivalent. He's had seconds already."
"Are you going through a growth spurt, Seth?"
Seth gives Ginny that unblinking stare again. "I don't spurt, Aunt Ginny."
"Oh, right. Of course you don't. That's Uncle Ron."
"Uncle Ron spurts?" Seth asks, eyes going wide.
"All the time. If you watch him long enough you'll see it."
Ginny finishes spooning food onto Seth's plate then carries it to the children's table for him. After checking with the other children there if they need anything she sits back down in the kitchen, listening to the conversation around and tries to get back up to speed on what she missed out on. A few minutes later Ginny begins snickering when she clearly hears from the end of the table nearest to where the children are sitting, "Why do you keep staring at me like that, Seth?" and then Seth answering, "Are you going to spurt now, Uncle Ron?"
Ginny can't hear what Ron says in reply or anything else Seth might have said but then Ron loudly asks, "Ginny, what did you tell Seth?"
She leans into the table to look down the length of it at Ron and innocently says, "We were talking about growth spurts."
Ron, looking confused, opens his mouth to say something more but ends up just shaking his head. Ginny smiles sweetly at him then asks Hendrika, who's sitting next to her, "I'm sorry. What had you just asked me before Ron interrupted?"
"I only asked where your shadow is."
"If not for me being here at the Burrow, my shadow this evening would be Officer McWilliams again. He is at his parents house this evening but should I leave here without Harry or Ron, I'm to let him know and he'll come meet me."
"At least he's cute to look at."
"True. And he's not a sourpuss like Nicholas Hastings."
"Have I met that one?"
"Oh, you'd remember him. Looks like he's always sucking on a lemon."
"Then no, I've not met him." Hendricka laughs a little when she says this but then quickly sobers. "I do worry for the boys but I'm also happier than I can say that we don't have some officer constantly on duty around us."
"I'm so tired of it. I don't know how some people stand having bodyguards all the time. Most of the ones who've done duty with me are nice enough but that sometimes doesn't make up for feeling as though I've never any privacy and it's damn difficult to do anything spur of the moment. I also think that since only Harry and Ron have been targets that I'm fine. Hermione probably feels the same way, though I suppose you'd have to ask her to be sure of that."
"I know it's irritating but as the cliche goes, better safe than sorry."
Molly takes that moment to interject from Hendrika's other side. "Yes, better safe and now no more talk of all that. This is a happy occassion so find something else to discuss. I've not talked about the wedding all day. Humor me."
Ginny rolls her eyes. "Mum, no other plans have been made since we talked about it yesterday, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then what is there to discuss?"
Molly frowns at Ginny. "Either find something nice to discuss, such as the wedding or go to your room."
Hendrika is the one snickering now though she quickly stifles it when Molly tells her, "That goes for you as well, young lady."
Hendrika puts an arm around Molly and gives her a hug. "I'm working on ideas for redoing the boys' room. Would that do instead of Ron's and Hermione's wedding?"
"Yes, that will do nicely."
Next thing Ginny knows she's debating with Hendrika and Molly on decorating ideas for Schuyler's and Artie's room.