The Game Plan
The next morning, Harry and Ron got dressed and went to meet the girls in the common room. They were there before them and Hermione was helping Lucy map out her time-table. They'd just about finished when they entered.
"Morning ladies." Ron groaned as he flopped over the couch still not fully awake.
"Mornin'." They replied not taking their eyes of the pieces of parchment in front of them.
"How are you? Nervous?"Harry asked feeling like he should be more supportive after hearing all the details last night.
"Yeah. A little." Harry leaned over to see her classes and saw she had the majority of them with him, which he was very happy about.
"Well, we have potions together, and transfiguration, Ron and Hermione have that class too. Oh and I have a free period later to help miss hooch teach the flying lessons later. The rest you have with Hermione or Ron. You'll be fine."
"Thanks."
"Can we go down to breakfast now? I'm starving." moaned Ron.
"Wow really? Not like you." said Hermione, with heavy sarcasm.
Our first lesson of the year was double potions. That was going to be hell. Especially since once gain we shared the class with the Slitherins. The first person harry saw as he walked down to the dungeons was Draco malfoy his arch enemy, with his two idiot body guards, he passed off as friends. He Ron and Lucy sat down at the desks. Harry said he'd be partners with Neville today, so Lucy could be with Ron. Not the best choice but at least Snape's hatred for him would be directed away from Lucy. Snape's draining voice came from behind and he swept into the classroom like a bat out of hell.
"Today we will be making a simple potion on how to cure boils. Before we start I will take the register.
"Aberdeen, Aragol, Bullstrode, Bengan, Crabbe, Dartmouth, Goyle...Halliwell?" Lucy answered in a small voice.
"Yes professor." Snape gave her a dark sneer and carried on snickering Longbottom, praising malfoy, scoffing Weasley, and spitting the name potter.
"Copy the recipe off the board, as I am writing it! And i expect it to be perfect, each and every one of you!" he exaggerated, resting is eyes on Lucy. A couple of the Slitherins snickered.
Lucy looked terrified and began writing as soon as she could.
Harry pitied her as he was unable to save her from Snape after all. He was being particularly harsh to her when she used the wrong side of her knife to crush the black bean. This was something they had covered last year, but Snape took satisfaction in calling her lazy for not reading up on it. By the end of the class Neville had knocked over his potion harry had lost Gryffindor 5 points and Lucy was almost in tears.
"I didn't think he'd start on you like that. I mean I know he hates Gryffindors but I'm usually the only one he picks on like that." said harry on their way to transfiguration.
"I'm fine. I'll just have to get used to it. Oh, and poor Neville. Do you think he's alright? Those boils looked awful."
"Don't worry about him," chuckled Ron," he's madam Pomfrey's favourite patient. He's been worse."
Just then Draco and his pathetic little posse walked over to us.
"A new friend potter? Hope this one isn't as disappointing as weasel here."
"Ron is more of a friend to us than Crabbe and Goyle put together, and that would be a large mass to live up to."
Draco was barely listening as he looked at Lucy with judging eyes, appraising her from head to toe. But when he met her eyes, he seemed to be just as transfixed as Harry had been the first time he met her.
"maybe you have made a better choice potter. But maybe she could do better."
"she has a name," Lucy defended herself," and she will not be looked at like a horse, be spoken about as if she is not there, and listen to some snooty little mummy's boy insult her family. Now run along and get your nappy changed." Harry and Ron laughed at this and were proud of her nerve.
"Ooh, feisty. Surely you can't be related to the Weasleys. You don't look a thing like them, –that's a good thing- you seem to have a brain and you're a Halliwell. What's your first name?"
"Lucy. Not that my name would interest you as long as you knew about my family history. Always the same with your type isn't it?" and she walked away harry and Ron following but turning just in time to see Malfoy's bewildered expression. They suspected no one had ever spoken to him like that and he seemed intrigued by Lucy.
Lucy's encounter with Professor McGonagall had been better. She explained to her she would understand if she needed help or struggled. Hermione of course was first to volunteer to be her guide which McGonagall agreed to since she was her star student. Harry observed as she managed to turn her cat into a goblet more successfully than he did. Poor Hedwig's legs had been turned into the stem.
After the evening meal every one of them came back with a pile of homework. Apart from Snape Harry thought it was the only thing bad about Hogwarts. As always Hermione started hers already whilst Harry and Ron just went to bed saying they'd do it tomorrow.
The next month seemed to fly by and before they knew it, Halloween eve arrived. Ron couldn't wait for the Halloween feast as it was more spectacular than usual with the entertainment and decorations. Fred and George had already planned their annual pranks- some involving an exploding pumpkin from what Harry had heard.
"So do you guys do anything on Halloween?" Lucy asked Ron, Harry and Hermione looking excited.
"There's the feast." Her smile faltered. That seemed to be the only thing on Ron's mind.
"No I mean anything...magic?"
"No not really, we wouldn't know what to do."
"Well. On Halloween we used to always do a few spells and charms or sometimes tell ghost stories. Once we had a little party camp out in the living room. You know play a few games, a sing along."
"Sounds fun. We could tell all the Gryffindors to meet us in the common room at... 10 and do whatever." suggested Harry.
"Until midnight then just us four could do something."
"Like what?"
"Hmm... a blood oath."
"A what?"
"Don't worry I'll sort all that out but we need to come up with some games. Of course the muggle classics that my dad taught me, and then some not so muggle games." She said with a mischievous grin that made Harry's heart skip a beat. And then she grabbed some paper.
"Well we can make a Halloween song. Every one sits in a circle and says a Halloween related word but carries it on making it rhyme. Then we all sing it at the end."
"Cool."
"And there's the old bobbing apple game." said Hermione. Lucy noted these.
"Ghost stories."
"Spin the bottle." Said Ron glancing at Hermione but only long enough for Harry to see. He laughed darkly in his mind.
"That's not a Halloween game Ronald." Said Hermione shaking her head.
"Ye but it'll be more fun, I mean you're limited when it comes to that. The others won't mind. Only kisses on the cheek of course." She nodded reluctantly her prude personality showing in her expression.
"Pass the orange." Chimed in Harry breaking the tension.
"Mummy duelling." Enthused Ron.
"Great that should be enough for a couple of hours. We'll leave the real magic for us. A surprise for later kiddies."
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other nervously as Lucy walked away to find the essentials for the following evening.
Each of them told everyone they found about the plan. They'd decided on no costumes as it would be bed straight after so it was going to be more like a pyjama party.
The four spent the next day in Hogsmeade, purchasing some decorations and some snacks. It wasn't much but it was enough. It had been fun in Zonko's joke shop. Ron had looked through a telescope and they had let him walk around Hogsmeade with a black ring around his eye. They eventually told him when they went into the hogs head. He was not amused.
Lucy had never tried butter beer before and thought it was delicious. They had all enjoyed a giggle when she had gotten a creamy moustache. She licked it away like a dog her eyes following her tongue causing a rather small leprechaun in the corner of the pub to give her a funny look.
They returned to Hogwarts at 4 pm and this gave them the time to set up their little party before going to the much anticipated feast.
When they arrived they saw that the great hall was decorated with thousands of twinkle lights in the sky and pumpkins hung all around with many different faces. At the front of the hall Harry could see that professor Dumbledore had exchanged his normal blue robes for some bright orange ones with black bats. It was a funny sight and he smiled warmly at Harry from across the room. Hagrid waved at us from the end of the table. Before the feast began the frog choir conducted by professor Flitwick, sang for the school. Lucy knew the words to the song and sang quietly to herself.
Harry noticed this and tried to listen to her voice. From what he could hear she sounded very good. He hoped he would hear her sing again.
The food as usual was magnificent and Ron left the hall deeply satisfied.
As the rest of the Gryffindors followed up to the common room Lucy and Hermione kept to the front to look out for any Slitherins that may tell a teacher about our little party, ending the fun before it had even started. From their signals the coast was clear and the fat lady let them in with the password "swamp rats."
As they entered harry could see that the room was covered in cobwebs and balloons were in the corners of each wall. A skeleton hung on the back of the portrait hole. It looked great and easy enough to clean up afterwards.
Lucy had made a large bullet board with each of the things they had come up with yesterday. First on the list was bobbing apples. He saw a bucket in the middle of the room filled with water and seven apples. Next to it were a pile of towels.
Lucy walked over to the bewitched wizard radio and hit play. On it was a Halloween play list the first song being "monster mash" the rest of the Gryffindors looked impressed.
"So! Who's up for bobbing apples?"
