Disclaimer: See first chapter. THIS CHAPTER - I borrowed Superstition, originally sung by Stevie Wonder.

Maggie, Rei, Sean and John are mine.

Chapter 14: Halloween

Lily

Several weeks later, Lily woke up too excited to sleep. It was Saturday, October 31st. Today, she and Rei would visit Hogsmeade for the first time (legally, anyway) and then later tonight, the Sisterhood of the Enchanted Brooches would go to a (semi rule breaking) party at the Three Broomsticks. The four girls had worked hard on their costumes the past weekend and Lily was quite impressed with them. She would be wearing a red dress, several shades darker than her hair, with a button up bodice and a flowing skirt. To top it off was a black cap, and a tooth elongating charm on her canines to make fangs. She had even found a potion, thanks to Sev, to make her porcelain skin even paler.

For the day, Lily dressed in flared jeans and black t-shirt. She bounded down to the Common Room to find Rei already up as well. Rei wore a dark green shirt that said, 'If the broom fits, ride it!" A witch zoomed around the bottom of it. Rei was also sporting her black witches' hat, decorated with silver stars and crescent moons. "Morning!" Lily said.

"You couldn't sleep either?" asked Rei.

"Not at all."

The portrait hole opened and Maggie walked in. She was wearing a knee length, handkerchief black skirt and an off the shoulder blue top. Her brooch shimmered around her neck; she had apparently attached it to a silver chain for the day. Maggie held a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. She managed to look a little guilty when she spotted Rei and Lily. "I wish I had known you two were up! I would have brought you something from the kitchens!" Minerva trailed in behind Maggie, wearing blue jeans, topped with a black peasant blouse. She was drinking something steaming hot also, but it didn't smell like coffee.

Minerva sat down, yawning. "Maggie always wakes me up so early on Halloween. It's like she thinks it's Christmas or something."

"Well, if you're going to act like that, I won't give you your Halloween present."

"We get presents?" asked Lily.

Maggie grinned. From her pocket she produced four little black velvet bags and handed them to each of the girls. Inside, they all found a silver chain matching the one Maggie was wearing. A little hoop in the center made the chain perfect for turning the brooches into pendants. Lily smiled. "Now we can wear them all the time!" She hugged Maggie and then took her own brooch out of her pocket and attached it to the chain.

"The chains are break proof. Even if someone were to slice through it with a knife or spell, it would just go right back together," Maggie said.

"Great, they're Rei-proof," winked Minerva, only to have a pillow thrown at her by Rei.

"Where's you get the chains?"

"Actually, they were spare from the school. Hagrid was trying out some new locks to keep the Thestrals from eating extra treats, and the silver chains were the only thing that worked. He had some left over, so I asked if I could have them."

"We have Thestrals here?" asked Lily curiously. She had only read about them.

"Mmhmm. They pull the carriages," Maggie explained, sipping her coffee.

"Wow, that makes so much more sense…"

Rei looked at Lily. "Have the carriages being pulled by seemingly nothing been bothering you for three years? A little OCD, perhaps?"

Lily grinned sheepishly. "It's just something I wondered about at the beginning of the school year. Unlike some people, I have better things to think about than Remus Lupin."

"Oi," Rei said and rolled her eyes. "If I had known that I would get nothing but mocked for three years, I never would have told you."

Maggie smirked. "Rei, you didn't have to tell us. We're fairly observant."

"How are things going with Rupert?" asked Minerva.

"He's, erm, very clingy."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just ditch him?"

"Because Minerva gave me this brilliant idea…."

"You KNOW that you can't listen to anything I say when I'm reading!"

Maggie and Lily shared a knowing look. A noise came from the portrait hole and the girls fell silent, listening to see who was coming in. "Listen, Remus, if you're that upset about it, you know what to do, don't you? Ask her out before someone else does! Rei is attractive. I'm surprised she waited this long to start going steady with someone." Sirius was talking in a hushed tone, but the girls could still hear fairly well.

"But Rupert Wesson!" exclaimed Remus, exasperated. "What if he tries to make her do something - something ungentlemanly!" It sounded like the boys stopped walking and were standing in the shadows just before they entered the Common Room.

Sirius sighed. "Look, mate, no one can make Rei Scorch do anything she's uncomfortable with. Merlin, I hope Lily never dates anyone because I can't play love advisor to you and James!"

"James's issue is that he's never before met someone who can't stand him. He doesn't know how to act around Lily so he acts, well, you know."

"We really need to get that boy into see a counselor or something. Anyway, back on topic, Rei…"

Lily's jaw dropped. How outrageous! Rei grinned at Minerva and mouthed, 'See! It worked! You are brilliant!' Maggie and Minerva rolled their eyes.

"I'm so excited to go to Hogsmeade today!" Lily half-yelled, in order to alert the boys that they were not alone.

"Oh, yes, it will be most excellent!" Minerva said, also in a raised voice.

A few moments later, Remus and Sirius entered the Common Room. Lily noted that Remus's face was a bit more red than usual. "Good morning!" exclaimed Sirius brightly.

"Morning," replied the girls.

"How much longer do we have till Hogsmeade?" asked Sirius.

Remus checked his watch. "About an hour."

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" Sirius said, sitting down in front of the girls. To Lily's relief, Remus sat down as well. He was usually so shy, she was afraid that he would be embarrassed, thinking the girls may have heard his conversation with Sirius.

Maggie

Maggie said goodbye to the girls and smiled, noting that Remus and Rei were chattering away as they walked down the street. Outside Honeydukes, Maggie waited for Sirius. He was already running a little late. She was beginning to wonder if she'd the right choice when he sauntered up to her said, "Hey, Mags. Long time no see, what with this morning and all."

"Not long enough," grinned Maggie. Despite her better judgment, she liked hanging around with Sirius, Remus and even James sometimes.

Sirius grinned. "I was going to take you up to Puddifoot's, but I figured you'd be just as disgusted with the place as I am."

"I definitely would have had to dock points for that."

"Three Broomsticks then?"

"Sounds good." The two walked, a crisp breeze blowing in their faces. When Maggie shivered, Sirius gave her his black leather jacket. They entered the Three Broomsticks and Maggie heard someone sputter. She glanced to the left and saw Bruce, Sean and John sitting at a booth near the window. John was determinedly looked out of the window now, while Bruce and Sean raised an eyebrow at Maggie. Maggie shrugged at them. John was the one that broke up with her, not the other way around. Why should she feel guilty hanging out with someone else?

Sirius met Maggie at a booth on the opposite side of the room with two butterbeers. "John's jealous. I think it's because you're wearing my jacket." Sirius always seemed aware of who was watching him (and whomever he was with).

"That's John's problem," Maggie rolled her eyes. If he was jealous of a jacket, that was just insane. If only she could rig it so that John would be at the party tonight. Then he'd be jealous. Maggie would be wearing a form-fitting silk red dress, strapless and floor length with a slit up to the thigh. Transfigured red horns and a tail would top off her outfit. Maggie shook hear head, clearing the thought. To make John mad via clothing was a very Rei idea. 'Maybe she's rubbed off on me too much,' Maggie thought to herself, trying not to grin. Soon enough though, her mind was completely off John. She and Sirius wound up having a good time just talking and joking around. A couple hours later when they left the Three Broomsticks, the booth where the other boys were was absent.

Maggie and Sirius walked down the street. After a few minutes, Maggie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Someone was watching, no not watching, following her. The feeling was so intense that Maggie turned around. "What's wrong?" asked Sirius, also turning.

"I, well, nothing, I guess." No one strange was around, just Hogwarts students. Maggie shrugged and continued walking leaving Sirius looking bewildered. Once he caught up, the two entered a book store, Maggie's idea, not Sirius's. Maggie left Sirius in the hex section while she ran over to a section on fire spells for Rei, whose birthday was coming up soon.

"I'm glad to see you two are getting along," said a voice next to Maggie. She glanced over and saw a man, much taller than she was, with sky blue eyes and dark blonde hair. "It's been so long that I doubt you recognize me, though you have my eyes," he said thoughtfully.

Sylvester Selwyn, her "father". Maggie's eyes slanted in a glare. "Why are you here?"

"Well, since Melissa McGonagall won that silly custody battle and I haven't had a chance to appeal my case yet, this is the only time I'll get to see you."

"Maggie! You gotta see this!" Sirius bounded around the corner holding a book and stopped short when he saw Maggie's father. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Maggie's hand. "Actually, let's leave." He tugged Maggie out of the store before Sylvester or Maggie could say anything. "This is serious. We need to talk to McGonagall or Dumbledore about a restraining order. Or, hey! What about Bishop? He'd definitely know how to keep someone from finding you. I mean, unless, you want to see him…?" Sirius trailed off.

Maggie gaped. "Definitely not! I was just so shocked and angry."

Sirius turned Maggie to face him. "Hey, between me, the boys, Minerva, Rei, Lily and the professors, we can keep him away from you. Don't worry about anything, okay?" He kissed her on the cheek. Maggie nodded. The two went to meet up with their other friends, keeping a casual eye over their shoulders the entire time.

Minerva

Minerva was having a hard time not smiling. Honeydukes was having a Halloween sale. She was in Hogsmeade with all her best friends, minus one, but she would be along soon enough. Plus, the costume party tonight! Minerva would be wearing a lavender princess gown that belled out at her waist. The strapless top laced in the back. A silver crown would top off her outfit, and she would be wearing purple shoes with peacock feathers on the back, for which Princess Regina was famous. Suddenly a sugar quill was right under her nose. "Come on, you know you want the bulk box," grinned Sean.

"I don't need the bulk box."

"You go through that many in a month anyway. You're a sugar addict."

"It's not like I have a problem or anything."

"Denial is more than a river in Egypt." Sean smirked. "I'll get you the bulk box then, early Christmas present."

Minerva sighed. "Well, I guess that means I'll have to get you a present as well."

"You guess? I'm hurt you don't already have one."

"I never get presents till the week before. Maggie can tell you. It drives her mad."

"Speaking of," Sean pointed to the door where Maggie and Sirius walked in. The couple was soon tackled by Rei and then eventually Lily. Sirius laughed and then he and Remus began talking as they all made their way to Minerva and Sean. A few hours later, it was time to head back to the castle. The girls all said goodbye to the boys as they made their way up to the Room of Requirement to get dressed.

"So, Maggie, how did it really go with Sirius?" asked Rei curiously.

"It was great until we ran into my father."

Lily stopped midway as she was using a spell to elongate her canines. "What?" she demanded, lisping a little bit.

Minerva also stopped dressing and looked at Maggie. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I didn't want to ruin anyone's day. Besides, I'm going to talk to your mom and Dumbledore tomorrow morning about it. I figure between them and Bishop, we should be able to take care of it. Seriously, don't worry. I don't want this to ruin Halloween."

Lily finished her teeth. "That's so, ugh!"

"Come here so I can do your horns," Minerva said to Maggie, who obediently went over to her friend. Lily and Rei continued to mutter darkly under their breathe for a few minutes before they too, calmed down and finished getting ready at Maggie's request.

"Okay, so we had one story. Minerva, you and Sean hung out a good portion of the day," Rei said.

Minerva shrugged. "Sean, Maggie, erm used to be John, and I usually hung out all the time in Hogsmeade." She glanced at Maggie, wondering if she and John would ever get back together, or at least be friends. Maggie, apparently knowing what Minerva was thinking, just shrugged. Lily came over and began doing Minerva's hair, curling it and then topping it off with the sparkling crown.

Rei grinned. "Minerva, you should wear that dress more often. It's so pretty on you!"

Minerva grinned. "Thank you. You look quite lovely as well." Rei's orange dress was a bit to short for Minerva to pull off, but on Rei it worked.

Maggie pulled on a pair of black lace gloves. "I think we all look fantastic."

"I second that." Lily twirled in her dress, the crimson skirt and black cape flaring out. "Shall we?"

"Wait," said Minerva, "we need to make sure Filch isn't out there. He'll still try to get us in trouble." Minerva checked the coast and then the girls were off. They went through the passageway behind the witch statue, which Minerva had never been through before. Apparently it was a favorite of Maggie's. "Who on Earth is that?" Minerva whispered, seeing a few people ahead of them.

Rei squinted. "I'm not sure. I'm surprised they haven't seen us yet." Her wings cast a fiery glow on the stone walls. "One way to find out. OI!"

Four figures turned around, cursing. "Oh, it's only you," James Potter said, relieved. Minerva muttered "lumos" under her breath to give some more light in the tunnel. James was dressed as a pirate. Peter was a clown. Remus appeared to be dressed up as a Roman god while Sirius was interestingly enough, a monk.

"You idiots could get into so much trouble," Minerva sighed.

"You're here too!" exclaimed James.

Rei grinned. "We have permission, technically."

"As much as I love standing around in a tunnel, what's say we all head up to Hogsmeade and continue arguing there?" Remus said quietly.

Lily sighed, linked arms with Minerva and off they went. Once they got on the main road, the sun was setting. The girls all pulled on masks, matching their costumes, and were surprised when the boys did the same. "We figured we would be less likely to be recognized as students this way," Remus commented.

"And by 'we' you mean you?" Minerva asked, smirking.

"Well, yes," smiled Remus.

Rei

Rei couldn't stop grinning. This Halloween had been fantastic already. Hogsmeade had been a blast. The girls were all having a good time. Remus had hung out with them most of the day. What could go wrong? Rei was also especially pleased with her costume. She wore gold flats that laced up to her knees and a short pale orange dress with a handkerchief hemline. Her wings completed the outfit. Rei noted James finding it hard to stop staring at Lily. It would take them forever to get together. 'Maybe Sirius and I could come up with something. He's pretty sketchy too,' Rei backlogged the thought. Best to give it another couple years and see what happened.

"You look pretty deep in thought," Maggie said, nudging Rei.

"I think it's just a phase. It shouldn't last long," joked Rei, earning a smile from Remus.

Eventually they got to the Three Broomsticks. The girls found a booth, while the boys got one right behind their's. It was already pretty crowded. Rosemerta was looking a little panicked as she came up to get drinks for the girls.

"What's wrong?" asked Rei.

"The band is going to be an hour late," sighed Rosemerta. "I guess I can just play the WWN until they get here, but people were really looking forward to live music."

"If you're okay with a bunch of anonymous girls, we could play," Lily said, clearly not thinking about it until it was too late. She went bright red under her mask. Minerva's jaw dropped and so did Maggie's.

"Oh, girls! I'd really owe you one!"

Grudgingly, Minerva nodded. "We'll do it."

Maggie and Rei exchanged a grin. "I thought we were the devil-may-care gals," Rei whispered. Remus, Sirius, James and Peter were looking at the girls with interest.

The girls went behind the curtained stage. "Lily, what made you say that?" asked Minerva, a bit breathless.

"I, well, I don't know! I was just thinking, I mean, even if we're horrible, who's going to know it's us? Besides, I don't want Rosemerta to loose business because the actual band is going to be late."

"Chivalrous reasoning," Maggie said. Minerva nodded.

Rei grinned. "I can't believe we're doing this! What should we sing first?" After a quick discussion they decided to start with a Halloween themed song and go from there. Once the curtain was up, they began.

Rei: Very superstitious, Writing's on the wall, Very superstitious, Ladders bout' to fall, Thirteen month old baby, Broke the lookin' glass Seven years of bad luck, The good things in your past

[Chorus - All]When you believe in things That you don't understand, Then you suffer, Superstition aint the way Hey

Lily: Very superstitious, Wash your face and hands, Rid me of the problem, Do all that you can, Keep me in a daydream, Keep me goin' strong, You don't wanna save me, Sad is the soul

[Chorus - All] When you believe in things That you don't understand, Then you suffer, Superstition ain't the way, Yeh, yeh

Maggie: Very superstitious, Nothin' more to say, Very superstitious, The devil's on his way, Thirteen month old baby, Broke the lookin' glass, Seven years of bad luck, Good things in your past

Minerva: When you believe in things That you don't understand, Then you suffer, Superstition ain't the way, No, no, no

After the applause died down, the girls glanced at each other and shrugged. They played until Rosemerta's actual band showed up.

"Most impressive." The girls turned to see Professor Melissa McGonagall.

"Mom!" Minerva squeaked. "I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"Oh, I just came for a butterbeer. Glad I did now." Her eyes twinkled. "You girls have fun, and don't stay out too late. Be careful coming back into the castle, you know how Argus gets." She swept outside.

Rosemerta made sure the girls had a booth. "Everything is on the house tonight. I can't thank you all enough!"

"That was fun!" exclaimed Rei.

Even Minerva was smiling. "You know, it really was."

"I'm impressed," said Sirius, pulling up a chair to the booth.

"Hey, we figured you left." Maggie said.

"And miss all of you on stage?"

"Yeah, right!" butted in James. "That was quite good." The girls, minus Lily, thanked him. Once the other band began to play, Remus shyly held out his hand for Rei so that they could dance. Rei beamed at him and pulled him onto the dance floor. This had to be the best Halloween yet.

Pretty short, but coming chapters shall be longer! Review please.