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As a Family
Author: Marzipan
Date: 12-28-13 15:22
Because costumes have been such a popular choice for students and staff alike at past Halloween Feasts, Marzi decided to attend in something other than ordinary robes. This year, she decided to go as a flower. She wore a green dress with long sleeves to emulate a plant's stem and leaves. A band with pink, silk petals surrounded her head. Yellow eyeshadow dusted onto her nose was made to look like pollen.
Weston was dressed as a tree. Carter and Vallon, just two months into their prim and proper private school education, were a mushroom and garden snail, respectively. Vallon had wanted to slither down the entire center aisle of the Great Hall, but his mother had quashed that notion, mainly because of the amount of foot traffic, but also so that the snail costume didn't pick up all the dust accumulated on the flagstones.
As usual, the Great Hall was decorated for Halloween. Jack-o'-lanterns hovered in the air, their grins glowing from the candles lit inside the globular fruits. Colonies of bats flew from vault to vault in the ceiling. The ghosts were out in full-force, drifting into the Great Hall through one wall and exiting out the next.
The tables were filled with platters and bowls of every dish imaginable. Marzi helped herself to a glistening turkey leg and used her knife to cut off pieces for the boys, who eyed their offerings hungrily. Next, she scooped a large spoonful of scalloped potatoes onto her plate, followed by much smaller helpings for Carter and Vallon. Then came candied carrots, salad, and hot, flaky rolls.
"Yum!" Vallon exclaimed, already managing to get food all over his face.
"What do snails eat?" Carter asked, his face also showing signs of the evening meal.
"Plants," Marzi replied.
"No turkey?"
"Not usually," Marzi answered, laughing. Vallon the snail was in the process of putting a piece of turkey in his mouth, using his fingers.
"And mushwooms?"
"Minerals from the soil."
"What's min'rals?"
"They are like vitamins in the ground that plants need for growing."
"No turkey?"
"No turkey for mushrooms or no minerals for turkeys?" Marzi asked.
Carter looked at her all puzzled and shrugged his shoulders. Then, he turned his full attention onto the food on his plate, allowing Marzi the chance to eat several bites without interruption. She looked out at the multitude of faces seated at the four long tables before her and smiled. It was turning out to be a very nice Halloween night.
Eternal-Black Family In Fancy Dress
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 12-28-13 17:53
When Sirius asked Mira and James if they wanted to wear fancy dress to this years Halloween feast at Hogwarts, Mira brought him a book Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had given the twins. She'd opened the book to one of the brightly colored illustrations, pointed to one of the figures and said, "Her."
The fairy Mira indicated is somewhat different from the fairies known to the Wizarding World. Mira's ears are pointed and woven through her hair and draping around her ears like tendrils are tiny roses on tiny vines. Her dress is a rosebud as well and it and the matching rosy wings sparkle. Dusted across her nose and cheeks is what Mira will tell anyone who asks pixie dust. On her feet are tiny green slippers with curled toes, from which tangle teeny bells.
James chose to be a dragon, going for one of the dragons more striking in appearance, the Chinese Fireball. Two today Zaria is a fluffy Pygmy Puff in her current favorite colors of brilliant blue and blinding orange, the orange being in the form of polka dots. She has this idea that the feast is her birthday party, which it is in a way. She has some gifts to open that weren't part of the family and friends celebration last night and Drucilla and Sirius have provided a large fairy cake birthday platter to share with any of the students and staff who wish to partake.
Drucilla picked another of the illustrations from Mira's and James's book, dressed in an ethereal, icy looking gown that sparkles in the light as a Snow Queen. Her crown has the appearance of a ring of short icicles and her scepter a long icicle with a crystalline ball of ice on top.
Sirius stuck with the Wizarding World for inspiration. After giving his costume a great deal of thought, he settled on someone from popular culture. It is Gideon Crumb, bagpipe player for the Weird Sisters who enters the Great Hall with the rest of the Eternal-Black family.
The children are excited to see the other costumes so at different times through the meal either Sirius or Dru gets up with them to walk around and look at what others are wearing. Zaria thinks her birthday party tonight is better than the one last night while Sirius wonders how many years she'll so cutely think this is all for her before the reality sets in that regardless of October 31st being her birthday, Hogwarts would have a Halloween feast of some sort.
Silver and Gold
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 12-28-13 18:06
Rowan and Beatrix sat next to each other at the Ravenclaw table and filled up their plates with the many options available to them at the Halloween Feast. After helping herself to grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and a piece of crusty bread, Rowan turned to her neighbor and said, "You can stare at him all you want, but I don't think he's going to pay you much attention."
Beatrix feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, Rowan."
"Everybody knows," Rowan responded, rolling her eyes. "You've only been broadcasting it since before he even started attending classes again."
"Does it bother you, since he's your brother?"
"No," Rowan replied honestly, "but I don't want you to get your feelings hurt, in case he doesn't share your interest."
"Has he said anything?" asked Beatrix, looking away from Ash over at the Slytherin table for the first time and turning to Rowan.
Rowan shook her head. "No. Not one way or the other."
"Well, that gives me some hope, then," Beatrix said, turning her attention back to Ash.
Unlike Rowan, who was dressed in a silver suit of armor, and Willow, a glittering star, Ash had chosen against wearing a costume to the Halloween Feast. He wore plain black robes. Not the only one to forgo dressing up, Ash nevertheless stood out in the Great Hall.
Beatrix couldn't stop staring at him. "You don't think he hasn't noticed me at all?" she asked Rowan.
Rowan had removed her helmet to make eating easier and looked over at Beatrix, who honestly couldn't be missed. She had dressed up like a golden snitch. The orb around her body was large enough that she had to sit a fair distance away from everyone. She was also very gold.
"I'm sure he has," Rowan finally said.
Beatrix looked relieved. "Oh, good."
Rowan rolled her eyes and hid a smile behind her fork.
First Halloween Feast
Author: Finley
Date: 12-29-13 06:43
Finley sat at the Gryffindor table and worked her way through the food piled up on her plate. If it could even be possible, the Halloween Feast was more impressive than the Start-of-Term Feast had been. Floating beneath the enchanted ceiling were carved pumpkins. Finley wondered who had carved them all, and had it been done the old fashioned way or using magic? Besides the pumpkins, there were bats. Lots of bats. They were too high up for Finley to tell if they were real, but she suspected they were. None of the teachers looked concerned by their presence in the Great Hall. Maybe wizarding bats (was there such a thing?) didn't carry rabies.
From Phoebus, Finley had learned that while wizards celebrated Halloween, it wasn't tradition to dress up in costume. Having grown up in an orphanage, there had been few opportunities to go trick or treating or wear costumes, but sometimes Mrs. Gill or the other workers gave the orphans sweets or let them watch Halloween-themed movies.
Even now, Finley didn't have a real costume. She didn't have any money to purchase one and owned so little that it was near-impossible to throw something together. In the end, she wore her school robes and drew a black nose and whiskers on her face with eyeliner she borrowed from an older student. She made ears out of some black tissue paper she found with the things Hagrid had gotten her in Diagon Alley and fashioned them to a headband, which she wore on her head.
It wasn't perfect, but it worked.
"It's too bad we can't wear fancy dress more often," Phoebus remarked, who had decided to go as Nearly Headless Nick and had drawn a red line across his throat.
Finley couldn't imagine scrambling to come up with another costume before next Halloween, but she smiled at Phoebus and said, "It's fun, yeah?"
"Yeah. Pass the gravy, would you?"
Finley reached for the silver tureen and handed it over to her friend. He drenched his mashed potatoes and said, "I wonder what the Fall Fair will be like."
"Me too," Finley said. The most recent school event had been Homecoming and the Exhibition Quidditch Matches. Friends and families of many students and even alumni with no current connection to the school had flocked to Hogwarts to reminisce on days gone by and to celebrate the launch of the Quidditch season.
The Yewbeam family had come to spend time with Phoebus and see how he was getting on in his first year at Hogwarts, but Finley had had no one come to visit. She hadn't expected anyone, of course, but a small part of her had hoped Mrs. Gill would show up with Leroy in tow.
"I suppose there will be games," Finley said after a pause.
"And food," Phoebus remarked.
"And fun," Finley added, grinning.
Admiration
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 12-29-13 13:27
Johanna had her eyes at the Great Hall's door, waiting in expectation. Felicia tapped her fingers on the wooden table, with impatience. Gus seemed to be completely unaware to her friends' attitudes and he was already attacking the food, with his usual voracious appetite. It was the Halloween Feast but neither of them had dressed up for the occasion, with the exception of Felicia who had decided to wear a plastic tiara on her head, just for fun.
"There she is," Taran said.
Igraine van Tassel passed by the double doors of the Great Hall. Johanna couldn't help to smile as the young witch walked her way towards the Slytherin table, where she sat next to her first years friends.
"She looks so cute!" Felicia said. "Your idea was great."
"What idea?" Gus asked, as he added some more potatoes to his plate.
"The one of your sister's costume."
Gus looked around and once he spotted Igraine and her costume, a horrifying expression was drawn in his face. She was wearing the Slytherin Quidditch team uniform. But not just some random uniform. Oh no, she was wearing his uniform. On Igraine's back, it was written with silver colored words the name 'Van Tassel', alongside with his player number. It was no replica, because the uniform seemed used and Gus recognized the small mending on the neckline that his mother had magically sewed last summer. She thought there was no need to buy a new one yet and instead she fixed it. He looked at Johanna in fury.
"That's my uniform! What were you thinking?"
"Come on, you must admit it's a fun idea. Look at everyone's reaction, they love it. "
"Well, I don't. And why does it seem to fit her in perfection?"
"I put a spell on it. Don't worry, once she takes it off, the clothes will get back to its normal size," Johanna explained.
"You went to the dorms and you stole my stuff," his eyes turned to Taran. "And I bet you helped her, didn't you? You know where I keep my uniform."
Taran didn't reply. Instead it was Johanna who spoke once again:
"It was not stealing, but borrowing, Gus."
"And you have to admit she looks cute," Felicia added. Her comment only annoyed Gus even more.
"Didn't she have any other clothes to wear?!" he spoke in a loud tone and a few heads turned in his direction with curiosity.
Johanna pulled Gus' arm and told him to calm down. Then she spoke in a soft tone:
"Yes, she had other costumes to wear. Her mother sent her a Snow White dress."
Gus didn't know who Snow White was and Johanna briefly explained to him that she was a princess from a Muggle tale. She told him that she caught Igraine on the verge of tears, because she didn't want to wear such dress, but she had no other costume to wear.
"She is ashamed of her blood status and wearing a Muggle costume would make her stand out. She didn't want her friends to look at her and not get what she was wearing. They are both pureblood, it seems" she explained to Gus. "So I had the idea of dressing her with your Quidditch uniform. The moment I told her my idea, I thought she was going to dislike it. I thought she would be like you and try to cut all the bonds you two share.
But instead she was thrilled. She was on and on about how she saw you playing at the Homecoming day and how great you were. She admires you Gus, and that's not unusual on little sisters. Generally they admire their brothers, just like I admire mine. And she wants your acceptance. It's easy to read in her eyes, despite what she says or does to deny it. Now, don't you dare to make a scene and ruin her Halloween feast. Be a good brother and let her enjoy herself and the costume. It's only for a night. By tomorrow morning it will be in your wardrobe again."
Gus felt into a guilty silence. Slowly be began to eat again, without saying a word. Taran touched Johanna's arm, as if approving her speech and then they started eating their dinner. Felicia didn't resits and commented once again how cute Igraine was, but Johanna shot a warning glance at her that made her end with all the observations related with Gus' sister.
Yes, Really
Author: Ellis
Date: 12-29-13 17:25
Alys was dressed in her nicest robes, which were purple and shimmered in the light. She had forgotten to mention the possibility of attending the Halloween Feast in fancy dress to her parents when they had come to visit for Homecoming, otherwise she might have dressed up as a magical creature or figure from wizarding history. Her finest robes sufficed for the occasion, and to make herself look even more festive, Alys had sprinkled glitter in her hair.
She sat with the other first years at the Ravenclaw table and eyed her half-empty plate with a glazed expression on her face. Alys had definitely eaten too much too quickly. Maybe if she took it easy for a few minutes, she would regain some of her appetite to finish her meal. There was also dessert to consider.
She sat back as much as she could on the backless bench without falling over backwards and looked around at her classmates. Some were dressed up in fancy dress for Halloween, others wore dress robes, while others still weren't dressed out of the ordinary at all. It was an interesting mix.
"I never asked," said Abernathy, who was seated directly to Alys' right, "who were all those people at Homecoming?"
Alys didn't have to ask who Abernathy meant. It looked as if the Ellis parents had brought an entire caravan of children to Hogwarts.
"Siblings and cousins and friends?" Abernathy queried.
"My brothers and sisters," Alys replied.
Abernathy almost choked on the food in her mouth. "All of them?"
"Yeah," Alys said.
"That's a lot of kids!"
Alys nodded. At present, she was the oldest of fourteen children. The youngest had been less than a week old when the family visited. The entire entourage hadn't stayed for terribly long––just long enough to visit with Alys and for her to meet Nadia, the newborn baby.
Abernathy's eyes were as large as saucers. "Really?"
"Yes, really," Alys said, smiling at her housemate's bewilderment. As if suddenly remembering how quickly she tended to eat at home when there were so many other mouths to feed (if you were slow, you tended to miss out!), Alys found her appetite again and tucked back into her dinner.
Not Clawing For Food (Duncan)
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 12-29-13 20:00
Debating whether to have more of the prime rib Duncan Dippet lets his eyes rove around the Great Hall, something he's done a number of times since arriving for the Halloween feast. In anticipation of being able to wear fancy dress to the feast he'd thought about a costume for half the summer holiday. He'd thought of and rejected so many ideas he lost count.
Some of the ideas were cast aside because Duncan knew others would have the same thought, such as vampire. There are several scattered around the Great Hall who are obviously vampires, including a couple othat are non-traditional.
Duncan decided against certain ideas simply because even though they came to mind, he wouldn't be caught dead dressed as one of them. The popular Wallace the Wizard doll, the male companion to the popular Winifrid the Witch doll is one of those. He thinks that one only crossed his mind because his sister Deborah had him helping her put a shirt on her Wallace doll while complaining about needing three more of them since she has four different Winifreds.
A few he rejected because no matter how he thought about how the costume could be put together, eating or sitting or both would be difficult.
There was also a small number that while good ideas Duncan knew he'd be forever explaining. As it is, he's had to explain a couple of times what his fancy dress is but having to do that a handful of times is far different from no one getting it at all. There's also the fact that he's not spotted one other Mackled Malaclaw tonight.
Similar in appearance to a lobster, Duncan's main obstacle for the costume was deciding how the claws would be. Or, rather, his mother's since she's who made the outfit. If his hands fit inside the claws, he wouldn't have been able to eat. Duncan hadn't wanted to have to remove his hands and have the claw dangle annoyingly while he ate. Bethany, his mum, solved the problem by having his arms and hands be one of the walking legs behind (below) the claws. Now, his biggest problem is not knocking one of his neighbors with claws or the other pairs of legs sticking out but all in all Duncan thinks his fancy dress is something of a success.
Deciding to try something he's not had yet, Duncan skips seconds of the prime rib to choose from another of the night's many offerings.
Solo
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 12-30-13 17:42
This year, Ethan went to the Halloween Feast without his daughter and without dressing up for the occasion. His parents had really wanted to take Lilly trick-or-treating, and if not for his obligations to the school, Ethan might have tagged along. Having grown up in the wizarding world, despite his Muggle parentage, Ethan was grossly unfamiliar with Muggle Halloween customs.
He didn't mind attending the Hogwarts Halloween Feast on his own, though. Festive feasts were a shame to miss in their own right. Ethan had already eaten his fill and was sorely tempted to undo the top button of the jeans he was wearing under his robes, but he curbed the impulse since he wasn't in his own living room. Maybe if he waited long enough, he might regain some of his appetite to partake in a little dessert.
At the present, he contented himself with chatting with his colleagues and looking around the Great Hall. Severus, to his left, was in conversation with Celeste. Ethan had approached the potions master some time ago regarding a locator potion, and while it had been successful in the past, it failed on this attempt. Severus surmised that someone, perhaps one of the authors of Ethan's threatening note, had cast a very powerful spell onto every aspect of the parchment, in anticipation of all the possible means for tracking its origin.
Ethan was fairly positive he knew the identities of the authors. The field and the former family were the easiest to identify. The field = Meadow O'Guinn, meadow being a synonym for field. The former family = Hattie Harsnip AKA Penn Ellison, who was last known to be in Meadow's company. Ethan was almost certain he'd caught a glimpse of the latter during the Hogsmeade trip, but it had been fleeting. He had passed it off as his eyes playing tricks on him.
The fiddler proved more difficult to suss out, but in conversation with Minerva McGonagall, who had grown up with a well-read Muggle father, that too, became all too clear. The fiddler = Nero Noir, likened to the Roman Emperor Nero infamously known for fiddling while Rome burned during the first century.
That the three had found each other both came and didn't come as a surprise to Ethan. Both Nero and Hattie had unofficially been a part of Project 25, Voldemort's longterm, secretive plan to activate sleeper agents to do his bidding. Ethan wondered where they were holed up now, and if it was just the three, or if others had joined their cause, whatever it may be besides seeking revenge upon him.
Viktor, on Ethan's other side, pulled him abruptly from his thoughts. They talked about more pleasant things, which eventually included dessert when the many fine dishes began appearing on the tables.
Nearly Didn't Come In Fancy Dress (Cat)
Author: Fionna
Date: 12-30-13 20:40
Without Christopher to have fun with planning a costume for the Halloween Feast, Catriona had initially thought she'd wear a set of her dressier robes rather than actual fancy dress. Both Jill Prewitt and Megara Flynn made the point that simply because Christopher isn't at Hogwarts this term, Cat shouldn't automatically write off having an extra bit of fun at the Halloween Feast. Cat hadn't meant she couldn't have or wouldn't have a nice time without Christopher, only that she enjoyed brainstorming with him, whether they wore matching type fancy dress or not; but, she could see her friends' point. By not making any sort of effort, Cat was coming across as implying she wasn't capable of enjoying something like the Halloween Feast without her boyfriend.
The more she thought about it, the more Cat came to realize how much she DID want to wear fancy dress. After that it became a matter of deciding what exactly that fancy dress would be. She thought about dressing as a cat since she is Cat but knowing some others were dressing as everything from a tabby to a tiger, she decided put cat aside as a standby in case she couldn't think of anything else she liked.
She fleetingly thought about dressing as Christopher but as that might indicate to her friends that she does indeed feel the need to have Christopher about to have fun at the Halloween feast.
Cat ended up not having to look far for inspiration. She's been reading myths of gods and goddess from various cultures. One of them is about the Japanese goddess Benzaiten. Benzaiten is the Japanese version of a Hindu goddess, introduced to Japan from the sixth to the eighth centuries. She is the goddess of everything that flows including water, speech, music, and eloquence. By extension, knowledge is one of these and for Cat, who is in Ravenclaw, dressing as a goddess of knowledge seemed perfect. Benzaiten is also considered a protector of people and one of the Seven Gods of Fortune.
Once she'd had an idea in mind, Cat got to work putting together a list of what she needed, writing her mother, sister, and Aunt Moira for assistance. Looking at the finished product in a long mirror in her dorm room before leaving to come down to the Great Hall, Cat thought the finished product came out smashingly well. Comments she's received so far indicate she is correct.
Reaching to cut a tiny piece of pie as the first of the pudding begins appearing on the Ravenclaw table, Cat is extremely glad she decided on fancy dress afterall.
Elsinore Hottentot Makes A Reappearance
Author: Errol
Date: 12-31-13 19:15
A few of the main course items remain and Errol considers having more of a chunky soup with sausage. A devil's food cake, however, is calling his name. As is an apple crumble. And a deep dish strawberry rhubard pie. The cake wins out as does a heaping spoonful of the apple crumble. Errol figures he can have some of that pie next, unless something else looks more appealing.
Feeling eyes on him he asks the person on his left, "Yes?"
Megara states, "I don't think I've ever seen you eat so much."
"Yes, you have."
"No, I'm quite sure of it."
Errol rolls his eyes but doesn't bother responding. Megara has long had it in her head that he hardly eats even though by now she's been around him any number of times when he's displayed an extremely hearty appetite.
There's a pinch to his ribs, sharp only as Megara can give. Wincing and jerking away he demands, "What was that for?"
"Just seeing if you've added any bulk." Megara gives him one of her angelic, innocent smiles that's anything but. "It's like feeding up for winter."
"You just wanted to be mean for no reason. Elsinore Hottentot is going to your head."
Elsinore Hottentot of the Philadelphia Mainline Hottentots and of the exclusive Westbrook Institute is who Megara decided to dress as for the feast. She's dressed in a ritzy looking set of robes, a double strand of pearls, lacy gloves, and a fancy hairstyle. She's even affected the snooty accent she'd used when first coming up with Elisonore when she and Errol had encountered his former best friend and former girlfriend at Emrys Fest.
Errol's costume is North American inspired. He's dressed as a version of Hú, the hummingbird kachina from Hopi and Zuni legends. He's wearing a mask that is mainly green, as a Hú kachina would have or as someone dressed as Hú for a Hopi or Zuni dance ritual but unlike those masks, his allows him to easily eat. If he'd known eating would earn him another bruising pinch from Megara, he might have considered one that looks more like the real thing.
In response to his remark, Megara gives a condescending smile. In that snooty tone she's perfected she informs Errol, "I AM Elsinore, darling. Of course she's gone to my head."
Biting back a snarky reply, Errol rolls his eyes again and reaches for the a slice of strawberry rhubard pie.
(Kate) Confrontation
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 01-01-14 16:31
Deciding she would rather beat the crowd leaving the Great Hall when the Halloween Feast officially ended, Kate excused herself from the Hufflepuff table on the pretense that she needed to use the loo. Although she had enjoyed the food very much, she'd not felt much like celebrating. She wasn't even wearing a costume. Part of the reason for her lack of enthusiasm for the holiday stemmed from the fact that this time last year, she and Mark had discussed the possibility of matching at this year's Halloween Feast. Plans changed, but the reminder of what could have been made Kate feel a little downhearted.
She slipped from the Great Hall and prepared to head in the direction of the stairs leading to the cellar, where the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories were located, when none other than Mark emerged from the staircase. He paused with his foot hovering above the top landing, debating whether to slink back into the shadows or press on to wherever he intended on going.
Kate also froze, momentarily feeling like prey caught within a predator's sight. She had yet to be alone with Mark since the betrayal that had ended their relationship. A part of her didn't feel ready, but a growing part wanted to confront him at long last.
Mark sensed the change in Kate. Against his better judgment, he stepped fully into the entrance hall. He wanted her to yell at him, to tell him once and for all that she wanted nothing to do with him ever again, but what he got was something entirely different.
"Why did you lie to me?" Kate asked.
Mark took on the defensive. "What do you mean?"
"During our first year," Kate said, her breath hitching oddly in her throat, "when Nons like me were being mistreated and overworked and Pures like you were taking advantage of us. Don't you remember, Mark? You antagonized me right here where we're standing."
She began speaking faster now. "I was in a hurry to turn in an assignment to Professor Snape and you blocked my way and teased me about the new law that said Pures and Nons weren't legally married anymore. I told you that my parents were already divorced and that I didn't give a fig about my mother, and then I asked you if you were gloating about your perfect, happily married parents, and do you remember what you told me? Do you, Mark?"
Mark honestly didn't remember the incident. He shook his head a fraction of an inch, enough to get Kate going again.
"And I quote!: 'My mum's not perfect. She's dead.' You said that, Mark. But everyone else says it's not true, and now I have this strange, fuzzy memory that I do know your mother. So, why did you lie to me, and more importantly, WHAT did you do to me? Erasing memories without permission is a crime and a violation. But I guess I should know better than to trust you or believe that you're actually a good person."
She stopped then and seemed at a complete loss.
Mark finally found his tongue and said, "I don't remember saying that to you, but I was probably just being a jerk. Since you already think I'm untrustworthy, I don't know why you're so surprised that I might be a liar too. I don't even know why you care."
Kate didn't know what to say other than the obvious. She cared because she had never seen his betrayal coming.
Mark went on, "As for that 'fuzzy feeling' you have, maybe you ought to see Madam Pomfrey. You don't want to end up completely mental."
"Thanks," Kate retorted. "You're ever so helpful." She expelled an annoyed sigh and brushed past him to the stairs.
(Mark) Flashback
Author: Isolde
Date: 01-01-14 18:40
Mark nearly reached for Kate's arm to pull her back but controlled himself. He worried about her and the strange notion she had about his mother. What if she really was mental? What if he had caused her to go off the deep end? Mark frowned deeply at the thought.
He looked over his shoulder at the entry to the staircase, but Kate was long gone. He debated returning to his room, where he had holed himself up for much of the evening despite the Halloween Feast taking place in the Great Hall, or nipping into the dining chamber for a taste of dessert, which had been his original plan. He found himself once again rooted to the spot, however, when he was suddenly overcome with a memory.
Mark stepped into the entrance hall and immediately felt a weight push him backwards. He stumbled, but didn't fall to the ground, and drew his wand.
It was only Kate Dewhurst, carrying a large stack of books in her arms and looking to be in a great hurry. She tried to sidestep him but he blocked her way.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Mark asked, keeping his wand out but no longer looking so threateningly.
"I'd forgotten to turn in my holiday assignment for Professor Snape yesterday. He is docking major points but told me I could bring it to him anytime today. I'd almost forgotten again!" Kate blew a loose strand of hair that had blown into her face away and tried to move past Mark again.
He stepped in front of her, preventing her from getting any nearer to her destination.
"What?!" she finally shouted. "I'm not paying you to let me pass!"
"Merlin's Beard, Dewhurst. I didn't think you had it in you," Mark drawled. "Or are you just strung out because your Mummy and Daddy are officially dunzo?"
"My Mummy and Daddy were officially dunzo years ago," Kate replied hotly. "I haven't even seen my mum in years. And I don't care!" She tried to move past him again, but he blocked her path one more time. "Do you have to gloat about your perfect family? About your perfect Pureblood mum?"
Mark's expression fell just a little bit. "My mum's not perfect. She'd dead."
Kate faltered. "Oh. Sorry."
Mark moved, allowing her to pass. Kate walked forward slowly, not nearly in the same hurry she'd been. She started down the stairs but paused when Mark spoke without looking at her.
"I guess we have something in common after all. No Mums."
So he had said it, and he had said it with so much conviction that Mark was certain his younger self had believed it. But how could that be? He knew his mother was alive, because she was one of the driving forces behind his choice to break up with Kate in the first place. Why did he now have a fuzzy feeling that he truly had believed at one point in his life that he didn't have a mother?
The doors to the Great Hall suddenly swung open, admitting gobs of very full students into the entrance hall. Some went to the stairs leading to the dungeons, while others went to the Marble Staircase. Mark was overrun and could only go in the direction of the students heading downstairs.
As it turned out, he felt far too distracted to even consider having any dessert. The curiosity of his dead or not dead mother would occupy his thoughts for what remained of the evening.
The Halloween Feast
Author: Saffron
Date: 01-01-14 19:56
Even though the six friends are spread out over the four houses, Marion, Savannah, Katheryn, Callie, Lilith, and Hope decided to dress along the same theme for the school's Halloween feast. All are dressed as hags, though not identically.
Marion has a thin, pointy nose with a smattering of small warts. Her teeth look mostly normal but several appear sharper than a regular person's would be. Her chin is normal but both eyes look deeper set and wider than usual and are topped by two caterpillar-like eyebrows. Her hair is unevenly cut, have a few twigs and leaves entwined in it and the strands are a mix of dirty gray and her normal hair color.
Savannah's nose is fat with wide flaring nostrils, a blotchy mole, and flanked by wrinkly, saggy cheeks. She's got a chin that juts out and all her teeth appear somewhat blunted. What there is of her hair billows out in thick, white strands, some of them wiggly and waving about as if alive.
Katheryn has strange, squinty eyes, a thick wart on her cheek that's more hairy than Savannah's head, and a mouthful of craggy, sharp teeth. Her hair is an uncombed mess that has what appears to be a bird nesting in it. Her nose hangs down, almost to the point of touching her upper lip and her chin recedes in a way that makes the overall appearance of her mouth somewhat disconcerting.
Callie's hair is the color of steel and hangs in a thick, ropey braid. One eye is the filmed over milky white of the blind while the other is an odd bloody hue. The rest of her face seems normal but her arms and hands are deeply lined and wrinkled, covered in liver spots and her fingers look like thin, dry twigs that could snap at any moment.
Lilith's face, her entire body actually, has an almost cadaverous look to it. A bulbous nose is paired with an equally bulbous chin. Fingernails are yellowed and cracked, which match the yellowed, cracked teeth between pale, waxy teeth. In sharp contrast to the washed out, bluish-gray death complexion is a head of lustrous, dark curls piled on top of Lilith's head. If one looks closely, the sticks holding the hair in place have a boniness about them.
Hope has rounded, almost plump cheeks. Her eyes are large, almost luminous and some would say they sort of bulge out from her face. The nose is sharp and crooked, made more disjoined looking from the smooth circles of her apple cheeks. Her chin is wide and square below a mouth that has the drawn in look of someone who is toothless. When Hope opens her mouth, anyone paying attention would see there are plenty of teeth there. More teeth than what should be there, small and extremely jagged. The short hair is streaked with multiple colors that aren't natural to most heads of hair, such as pale rose and forest green.
At the same table as Hope and Katheryn are Hope's, Katheryn's, and Callie's younger siblings. Katheryn's sister Estella, having learned from their mother that one meaning of her name is star, decided she would use that as inspiration for her fancy dress. Her outfit is a deeply dark purple covered with twinkling lights, giving the illusion of a starry night sky.
Kurt had been thinking of his costume for his first Hogwarts Halloween feast since learning of the custom from his sister Callie. He had a lot of ideas but most weren't all that inspiring, such as dressing as a professional Quidditch player. After deciding he definitely would dress as someone famous Kurt chose current Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's glad he was able to look bald headed without actually having to shave his head. The earring started out being a little bothersome but by the time the feast was coming to an end, he hardly noticed it.
Bran had been thinking about fancy dress for almost as long as friend and roommate Kurt had been. At one point he'd asked his sister Hope for suggestions, wanting to know if there were certain costumes to avoid. Without having to specifically ask, he had figured out on his own that certain types of outfits would be common to several every year. Hope was helpful to a point. After that it was up to Bran. In the end, he chose to be Rex Gannon, Auror and spy, the star of a long running action and mystery series geared to preteens and those in their early teens.
At the head table Saffron smiles over at Marion, happy to have been able to help not only Marion but the other girls with some of the more difficult aspects of their costumes. She'd also helped Kurt with the shaved head aspect of his fancy dress. Saffron is also in costume, one picked out by her daughter Niccola.
Not quite five year old Niccola wanted to come as a unicorn, a sparkly gold and white one at that. She thought Mummy, Daddy, and Brandon should be animals as well. Saffron is a bright, tropical parrot. Two year old Brandon is a cute golden headed lion Tamarin monkey, and Aaron is the Huffelpuff badger.
As the feast is winding Nic and Brandon are still wide awake and still excited with seeing everyone's fancy dress and being part of Zaria Eternal-Black's birthday celebration. Saffron hopes that once back in their residence, the two children will come off the feast high and quickly tired, going to bed without any argument other than wanting to sleep in their outfits.
When the time comes, Nic and Brandon reluctently give their goodbyes, neither child wanting the evening to end.