And Then There Was One
"And don't forget to put your homework on my desk before you leave" Professor Mcgonagall called out over the raucous sixth years as they all raced to clear their desks so that they could get back to their dormitories. Harry and Ron practically threw their homework on turning dung beetles into mice at Mcgonagall's desk, so much so that Ron's skidded across the table and landed in the Professor's lap.
"Slow down Mr Weasley! You've all got an hour to get ready".
"Sorry Professor" Ron shouted over his shoulder as he rushed back up the aisle towards the classroom door closely followed by Harry. "Hurry up Hermione!" Harry and Ron yelled in unison as Hermione was still at her desk.
"Honestly!" Hermione muttered closing her school bag; and with a flick of her wand her homework flew to the front of the classroom over all the other student's heads, and landed neatly in front of Professor Mcgonagall as she joined the boys in the scrum to get through the doorway. The hallway wasn't much better either as the whole school was in a rush to get back and change.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the Entrance Hall and were just about to follow the queue up the marble staircase when all of a sudden there was a large bang and a white silvery orb appeared in front of Ron.
"What is it?" Harry whispered as Ron reached up to touch it.
"Ron I don't think…" but Hermione was too late. As Ron's fingers touched the surface of the orb there was another loud bang accompanied by a bright white flash of light. Students shrieked as a huge wave of water sprayed out of the orb. Ron stood dripping from head to toe as an evil cackle erupted from directly above them.
"Fooled you, fooled you!"
"PEEVES!!!" Ron bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the Hall. "It's Halloween NOT April Fools!", at which Peeves merely shrugged and glided off through the wall in to the Great Hall still cackling.
Hermione and Harry shook themselves off. They were wet but not as wet as Ron who had taken the full force of the drenching as he had leant forward blocking the other two.
"Someone REALLY needs to do something about him" Ron muttered.
"Oh stop moaning. Besides I tried to tell you not to touch it. You of all people should have recognised one of your own brothers inventions! Look at the bright side" Hermione grinned. "At least you wont have to shower now!"
Forty five minutes later Harry and Ron sat anxiously in the Gryffindor common room waiting for Hermione.
"Why does it always take girls so long to get ready" Ron grumbled staring in to the fire while his fingers twirled a plastic toy horn around and his curly red wig sat lopsided on his head. Harry had laughed himself stupid when he had first seen Ron's Halloween costume but Ron hadn't been amused. After spending over five years in the wizarding world it had been a complete shock that over eighty percent of wizards were apparently petrified of muggle clowns.
"Because we like to do things properly came Hermione's voice from behind them. Harry turned round and jumped as he came face to face with a banshee.
"Least you didn't have to do your hair!" Ron laughed as Hermione slapped him over the head, knocking off his wig. "Right can we go now? I'm starving".
As they walked in to the Great Hall Harry's mouth dropped open. Pumpkins and candles floated amid orange and green streamers that rippled in the cold icy breezes that passed through the air. The walls of the Hall had been made to look like a cave with different screaming, scary, carved faces protruding outwards in between the wooden flaming torches that had been placed down the entire length of the walls. Eerie, low pitched music also filled the air and the usual wooden house tables were now made out of stone; though assorted orange and green cushions had been placed on the stone benches so that it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. The school ghosts also floated up and down among the tables, chatting to the students that were already seated.
"What do you think of my costume?" Colin Creevey called over to Harry as they all sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"That's not even remotely scary or funny" Harry replied thinking of Lupin. Colin had dressed as a werewolf. Harry himself, had dressed as a skeleton. Hermione had cast a spell on an old black t-shirt and black trousers so that Harry's clothes were see through; only showing his bones and what ever was behind him.
Students packed in to the Hall and as soon as everyone was seated Dumbledore rose from his stone throne at the top of the Hall and announced "Let the feast begin!".
As Harry started to tuck in, Ron started coughing loudly and pointing at Harry as he tried to swallow what was in his mouth. "That is very gross mate" he spluttered, spraying bits of pumpkin pie across Seamus, who wasn't very amused. Hermione laughed as Harry looked around trying to work out what was wrong. Looking down however he saw the problem. Not only were his bones visible but so was the food he had just been eating. Laughing to himself he picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and took a large swig. Looking down again he grinned as he saw the juice racing down his body.
"Little added touch" Hermione smiled. "Just in case anyone else came as a skeleton, so that you could be different!"
"Thanks Hermione!" Harry grinned still watching his stomach; mesmerised as his food made its way down his body.
As the novelty of watching Harry's bodily functions wore off, the Gryffindor table's attention went back to the feast. Harry was just finishing his blood red mash potato when all of a sudden there was a huge yellow flash and students screamed as all the candles and torches went out, leaving the Hall in complete darkness. There were bangs as students tried to get up and move around in the panic, and many people were whimpering. Harry tried to see if he could see any movement up by the teachers table but there was nothing. All around him he could here students whispering 'Lumos' but nobodies wands would light up. Harry shuddered as a large icy breeze blew past him; not even the school ghosts were visible in the dark. A loud bang erupted and there was utter silence in the Hall. "Ron?" Harry asked quietly but no one replied.
Two seconds later all the lights came back on and Harry found himself sat alone in the Hall; all the other benches were empty. Food still lay half eaten on all the silver plates and quite a few glasses were lying on their side having been knocked over in the dark; pumpkin and tomato juice dripping down on to the floor.
Harry sat on the bench staring round the Hall; unsure of what to do he casually leant back to look under the table to see if it was some elaborate joke and they would all be hiding underneath the tables, but they weren't. Harry stood up and made his way down to the teachers table. He walked up the steps and made his way to Professor Dumbledore's chair. Hesitantly, he reached forward to touch the air in front of the chair, hoping that they were all sit there and that he just couldn't see them. But Harry felt nothing; he was definitely on his own. There was no way all of the students could have left the Hall in the seconds that the lights were out, so where were they?
Leaving the head table Harry made his way back down towards the back of Great Hall to the Entrance Hall. The torches flickered on the wall as the icy breeze swept past Harry again. Standing in the middle of the Hall beneath the crystal chandelier Harry looked up at the staircase that wound its way up around the wall for seven floors but there were no students to be seen on it.
"Hello?!!" Harry called loudly, his voice echoing all around him. "Is anyone there?!" The lights flickered more violently but no body answered. Another icy breeze swept past Harry, even colder than the last one. All of a sudden a small whisper came from the corridor on Harry's left. Harry turned but stopped before he entered the corridor; it led to the dungeons. 'If this is Malfoy's idea of a joke, I'm going to strangle the little weasel' Harry muttered to himself. Wand out Harry continued down the corridor.
Further and further he went down towards the bottom of the school. He passed Snape's dungeon two corridors ago, he hadn't realised that the dungeons were so large. Ten minutes later Harry was still walking downwards when he realised that the corridor was getting narrower and narrower and the light down there was also fading. "Hello?" he called out again, stopping to listen carefully for any reply but there was none. "I've had enough of this" Harry growled angrily turning to go back the way he came.
"… Harrrryyyyyyyy!!!!!" a quiet whisper echoed up the dark corridor.
"Hermione?!!!" Harry called back recognising the voice. "Hermione where are you?"
"…Harrrrryyyyyyyyy!!!!!!" it came again. Raising his wand Harry went quicker down the narrowing corridor. The light continued to fade and Harry soon came to a cross section.
"Lumos" he cried in desperation and to his surprise his wand lit up but not as bright as usual and the light was a pale green. Harry lifted his wand up above his head to try and see down the four passageways to see which way to go.
"Hermione!!" he called out again but there was no reply. His voice just echoed off the narrow walls. He spun around again looking down each of the passage ways in turn. All of a sudden he saw movement at the end of the one to his right. "Hermione!!" he called again. But as he held his wand up higher he saw that it was a large black robed, hooded figure that was floating up the passage towards him; a Dementor. Harry staggered backwards but because he had turned round so much and because it was so dark, he was unsure which passageway led back up to the Entrance hall.
All of a sudden his wand went out. "Lumos!!" he cried desperately shaking the wand in his hand but nothing happened. The torches on the walls also went out and again an icy cold breeze passed through him.
"Harrryyyyyy!!!" the whisper came just over Harry's right shoulder and Harry cringed as he smelled the sourness of someone's breath; someone who was stood just behind him. Slowly Harry turned round towards the figure that was stood behind him. His wand was useless and because there was no light, there was no where to run. He didn't even know where the walls were.
"Harrrryyyyy!!" Hermione's voice came again as he turned. Harry's legs shook as he looked up to see a hooded outline of a figure in front of him.
"Hermmmioneee?" his voice quivered.
"No!!" came an evil cackle and all of a sudden Voldemort's red eyes shone out at Harry and a wrinkled bony hand reached forward for Harry's throat.
"Haaarrrryyyy!" his voice cackled down the passageways. "Haarrryyy!!!".
"Arghhh" Harry screamed as he felt two hand shaking his shoulders and saw the eyes coming closer. "Noooooo" he bellowed struggling to get free as everything went black again and he felt stuck, unable to move.
"Harry!" the voice came again and Harry flailed around trying to get loose. All of a sudden light came from above him, blinding him. Shielding his eyes Harry could just make out a white face in front of him with huge red lips and a head of red curly hair.
"Arghhh" Harry cried again trying to push himself away from the figure.
"Harry! Calm down mate!" Ron's voice laughed.
"What the … what's happening?" Harry sat up in his bed, confused. "You're all here".
"Course we're here. Come on get up. We're all getting our costumes ready. Happy Halloween!!".
THE END