October 30, 2001

Leaving the Great Hall the night before Halloween, Harry could still see the ugly sneer Moody levelled at the Durmstrang Headmaster in his mind. Shaking off the unpleasant feeling the confrontation had left in his gut, he eagerly joined with his housemates on speculating who would be chosen and even the comical musing on just what the Weasley twins would do to circumvent the Age Line. By the time he had climbed the last spiral staircase and entered his dorm with the other fourth year boys Harry was once more filled with excitement over the tournament and anticipation for tomorrow. Drifting into sleep in his pleasantly warm bed, his dreams began remarkably like the night he had first learned of the tournament. This time his fooling of the impartial judge was replace with traipsing past the age line and entering his name in the cup . . . he was named Hogwarts Champion to the cheers of three houses and the disgruntlement of the Slytherin table . . . he was winning the tournament with not only all of Hogwarts, but the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbaton were also shouting his name . . . Cho was there smiling at him in admiration along with the pretty girl from Beauxbaton and Victor Krum was looking at him with respect and maybe a touch of hero worship. But suddenly the dream turned darker, Moody's scowling face also loomed out of the crowd, which was now gaping and pointing at him, just like the Durmstang students had done that evening. The cheers of the crowd had also changed and were now resembling the screams of terror from that night at the world cup. Rising above their shouts, he could make out a woman's scream easily recognized as that of his mother's from his only memory of her, dying at the hands of Voldemort. The chill of a dementor seemed to seep through his dream and Harry unconsciously shivered and huddled deeper into his covers. The dream shifted again and now it was him, Hermione and Ron running again through the woods at the World Cup, but this time the Deatheaters gave chase shouting insults and threats. The chase was soon joined by a host of monsters including a giant mountain troll, three headed dogs, blast end skrewts and acromantulas while a wildly spinning Dobby and Winky sobbed sixty feet over their heads.

In the morning, he met up with Ron and Hermione in the common room earlier than normal, but while they were eager to get to breakfast and see who had already entered the tournament, Harry just felt exhausted. Even watching the twins get blasted across the hall wearing ridiculous white beards did not lift his mood. Listlessly pushing his eggs around his plate, he glared suspiciously at the shadows in the corners. The fluttering of the decorative Halloween bats annoyed him, rather than imbuing him with Halloween cheer, and catching their movements out of the corner of his eyes just made him jumpier as it recalled the half seen monsters that chased him in his dreams. The festive décor also brought up memories of all the Halloweens that had gone bad before. Ron and Hermione soon caught onto his mood and it seemed to dampen their own excitement for the day.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione tentatively asked, "You seem a little . . . off."

"I think Halloween is out to get me," Harry grumbled.

"Paranoid more's like," muttered Ron, around a mouthful of toast. "Mate, I think you're channeling Moody a bit too strongly." The reminder of the creepy defense teach just made Harry scowl deeper.

"Honestly, Harry," Hermione sighed, "Halloween isn't out to get you, it's just a day like any other, just with more food and decorations. It's not like we don't have it every year."

"And every year something horrible happens, so I have every right to think it will happen today too."

"Well, it's not like we can just skip it and disappear for the day. There's too much going on and I don't want to miss a thing. You just slept badly and need to shake it off. Here have some more bacon. You'll feel better soon," Ron said while pushing a few platters of food Harry's way.

Ignoring the offering, Harry stood abruptly. "You're absolutely right, Ron."

Nodding while serving himself up another round, Ron agreed, "Of course I am."

"I just need to disappear." So saying, Harry strode off away from the table.

"Wait, what?"

Not pausing at all, Harry rapidly left the Great Hall heading back toward Gryffindor tower, leaving Hermione to hurry after him and Ron scrambling at the table for a handful of toast before following as well.

Harry was already in his dorm rummaging through his trunk before Ron and Hermione caught him up. Out of breath from their impromptu run across the entire castle, they both staggered into the room a bit confused as to Harry's purpose.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Ha," the boy shouted as he liberated his cloak from under what seemed to be a particularly ripe pair of socks. "Like Ron said, we just need to disappear for the day then nothing can attack us. What better way to disappear than with an invisibility cloak?" Swinging the cloak around him, Harry's body disappeared followed shortly by his head as he drew up the hood. "I think we're too big to all fit under here like we used too, but maybe we can take turns."

"Your plan is too hide in your room under that cloak for the entire day?" scoffed Hermione.

"Of course not," Harry retorted.

"Yeah, we would miss all the fun of the tournament not to mention the Halloween Feast if we did that," stated Ron still not convinced, but willing to go along with a plan that seemed to be his idea.

"I plan to hide under my cloak as far away from every other student as I can get. Somewhere no one will expect to look for me."

"Miss the feast? Harry that's mad!"

"And I think Gryffindor Tower is exactly the place someone will expect you." Hermione added.

"Well, we're not staying here. C'mon, follow me."

"How can we follow you anywhere when we can't see you?"

The marauders map was tossed out of the nothing that was currently their best friend. A quick look showed that it was already activated and Harry was quickly retreating back towards the Great Hall.

"If we spend the entire day running from one side of the castle to the other, I just may attack him myself," growled Hermione before stalking after Harry.