Hogsmeade Halloween Moste-In-The-Spirit Competition

Little Bella gets to decorate her home, with some expert help, while Daddy's at Hogwarts, running things, and Mummy is at the Ministry. Guess letting George babysit the day of Halloween wasn't such a good idea!

Choosing Faces

"Okay, now hold the knife steady in your hand and think very clearly what you want the pumpkin face to look like," George instructed. Belladonna's six pumpkins sat all around the kitchen, cleaned, scraped out, and ready for carving. However, the seeds and stringy stuff was now strewn all over the table and floor.

Bella closed her eyes and tried really hard to think about what face she should use, then opened her eyes. "I can't! I don't want a dopey mouth, triangle nose and triangle eyes!"

"It won't be, if you don't want that," George encouraged her. "Okay, close your eyes, and think of scary face."

"Max the Malicious," James Potter suggested, leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping on a butterbeer, "or Glenda Chittock!"

"She's sexy, not scary," Tiberius Malfoy, the first in his family ever to be wearing Gryffindor colors, declared as he straddled one of the kitchen chairs backwards, his elbows resting on the back, drinking his butterbeer. "Lorcan d'Eath, now he's scary."

"Only 'cuz he's a vampire! Hey, didn't you just get him on a frog card yesterday?" Frank Longbottom asked, sitting in another chair next to Tiberius, one ankle crossed casually on his knee, dangling his butterbeer loosely in his fingers.

"Freddy Krueger from Elm Street, he was really scary," Bella's brother Talfryn suggested, leaning over the kitchen counter.

"He was scary?" Frank scoffed, looking over his shoulder

Talfryn looked at him and shrugged. "Well, he was scary to her!"

"He's not real. Daddy said so," Bella said defiantly, putting her hands on her hips, still grasping the magical knife in one hand. Her brother and his friends often snuck out of school on nights their mum had to work late to watch scary movies with Uncle George. If Bella didn't know better, she'd think Uncle George encouraged Talfryn and his friends to break the school rules. She knew he usually had loads of butterbeers the nights he babysat her. "I want someone scary!" she said belligerently.

"He had a hat and a glove with long steel claws – how she going do that on a pumpkin?" James stated, grinning. Bella smiled at James, remembering how he had jumped several times during the movie. "Who was the creep with the nails coming out of his head… or do Leatherface! Or do Michael Myers from Halloween. He's scary Bella."

"His face covered with white stuff. Bor-ring. It'd be like doing the face from Scream!" Frank Longbottom said, sipping on his butterbeer. "He only had long, droopy eyes, a triangle nose and a long, droopy mouth, that's not going look good as a pumpkin. Which one was the creep in the hookey mask?"

"Jason Voorhees, he's the guy in the hookey mask – what, he was!" Frank said, setting his empty bottle on the floor.

"You mean hockey," Talfryn corrected him.

"I wanna do someone REAL!" Bella shouted, to be heard over the boys.

"Well, don't get your knickers in a knot! How about Crispin Cronk? I got him on a chocolate frog card!" James suggested. "He's scary-looking."

"He's creepy, not scary," Frank Longbottom said, opening another bottle. "Ignatia Wildersmith, remember her from the third floor corridor? Now there is a scary looking witch! Or Artemisia Lufkin, now there is a face that could scare kids!"

"We can't do her, she was Minister of Magic!" George said, laughing. "How about Honoria Nutcombe? She's rather scary."

"Uncle George, she's just ugly, not scary," Bella said. "Besides, I don't wanna do a hag!"

"Chauncey Oldridge is scary looking?" James suggested.

George started laughing. "He's only scary 'cuz, he got dragon pox on his frog card!"

"How about Salazar Slytherin or better yet – Riddle! Harry described him last weekend, remember?" Bella said excitedly. "He said he was bald with a slit like flat nose, flat ears and red eyes!"

"If you do Tom Riddle, we can't be in the contest," Talfryn stated, and Bella pouted at him. "Okay, yes, Riddle would have been really scary."

"Bella, I can get my frog cards, and you can look at their pictures," Frank Longbottom offered.

"Yeah, Bella, he's got nearly all of them!" James said as he opened another butterbeer, offering it to Bella.

Bella took the drink, grinning. She really liked James, but was careful to not let it show. "No, I wanna do someone that everyone knows… someone who's… Oh, I know! Daddy! He's scary!"

"Dad's not scary, Bella," Talfryn stated.

"Yes, he is – you said so. Every first-year is afraid of Daddy! The second-years and third-years, too! You said so," Bella said, setting her butterbeer on the table.

"He's Headmaster of the school, Bella," Talfryn stated.

James suddenly stood up. "Wait! It's perfect! We can do up the sitting room to look like a potions lab from that movie… um… er – Frankerstein?" He walked over to stand next to Bella. "This dent in the side here could be where you put his mouth, you know, like when he snarls. His smirk would be even better."

"Do you mean, Frankenstein?" Talfryn asked and then started grinning. "Oh yeah! And we can use Uncle George's Fog Pellets and Smoke Bombs!"

"Your mum wanted us to use the grave stones again this year, guys," George stated.

Bella was beginning to like the ideas. "We can have the graveyard in the front garden, and we can use your ghosts, and have scary cat sounds, and that hand that wiggles!"

"Weasleys' Groaning Apparitions and Zombie Hands. What else?" George asked, nodding in agreement.

Bella was thrilled. She was going to have the best house in Hogsmeade with her brother, his friends and Uncle George helping her! And her brother and his friends would set it up for her! All she had to do was carve the pumpkins!

James pulled a quill and parchment from his pocket and began a list. "Weasleys' All-Night-Erie-Flicker candles – way better than regular candles for the Jack-O-Lanterns! Weasley Fog Pellets, Steam Pellets, Smoke Bombs and Sparklers!"

"Mum won't let sparklers anywhere near the books, and we will want to use them as a background!" Talfryn stated. "How many cauldrons should we use?"

"Six, at least," Frank stated. "Oh, and my cousin has a Muggle chemistry set! I'll see if I can snag it!"

"So, this means you're going to raid my shop again?" George asked, grinning.

"Please, Uncle George, it'll be the bestest house in town!" Bella pleaded, using her best and most effective 'do it for me' look. "And if Daddy will pass out the candy – it'll be awesome!"

"It'll be the best house in Hogsmeade. I'll even enter you in the Halloween Moste-In-The-Spirit competition," Talfryn said, tossing his empty butterbeer in the bin.

"Oh, will you!" Bella said, excited. "Oh, please!"

"Sure, sis," Talfryn said. "Well, guys, we've a lot to get done and little time to do it in!"

"You Marauders are the best!" Bella said, hugging James first, then Tiberius, Frank and finally her brother. "Just wait till Mum sees!"

"Oh, yes," George stated. "She'll be thrilled."

Oh, we're not done yet!

~ Trick–or–Treat! ~

Author's Notes:

Next up: Wait Until Your Mummy Get's Home!

Two guesses who Mummy is?

Were you able to remember who these famous witches, hag, and wizards are? Are you up on your Chocolate Frog cards?