Chapter Twenty-Three
What's Halloween?
1985, 18 October
Friday evening in the Snape home in the dungeons of Hogwarts, the living room was warmed by the flames in the fireplace. Arri sat in Severus' usual chair, his attention completely on the book Remus had found in Flourish & Blotts. The book told the story of the demi-god Orion; son of the human woman Edelle, Witch of the Hedge and Zeus, god of all the gods.
Edelle, was a witch, a Wise Woman of the People of the Forest. She had the power of using the animals and plants of their forest to heal, or to harm. No one could ever lie to her because she always knew you were lying. Edelle was also adviser to the Elders of all the family tribes on matters regarding war.
Zeus had found Edelle pleasing and ravished her one night. That night had left her with child. If Edelle had been a non-magical such as those that lived beyond the Forest she would have been exiled, beaten, or stoned to death. Her rape would have been her fault, not the fault of the King of the Gods.
The People of the Forest valued their Wise Woman and would not kill themselves to punish her. The tribal Elders all claimed her as wife and her unborn child as son. When Orion was born it was into a wealth of love.
Edelle taught her son her arts whereas his many fathers taught him the skills of a hunter and a warrior. Upon his Day of Manhood, Orion was gifted with a mighty hunting dog that would protect him and fight with him. The dog was named Sirius.
Orion became the Protector of the Forest; his wards were the plants and the creatures. Death came at the hands of Edelle's non-magical husband that she had left for the People of the Forest. He was angry that the People of the Forest would not worship him as all the non-magicals did. To punish them for their insolence Orion and Sirius were trapped and slaughtered.
Orion was half-god but he was also half-magical. His loyalties were to the People of the Forest, the Forest, and its creatures. Edelle and the Elders brought the Spirit of Orion and Sirius back to the Forest. To keep Orion's Spirit eternally nourished it was infused within the plants and trees, within every creature of the Forest. Then, all the People of the Forest, the Forest itself, and the living within became unseen to non-magicals and separate from their world. The gods, at the orders of Zeus, turned their backs to the People of the Forest. They were shunned.
The People of the Forest survived and the gods died. Orion's story was the Origin Story that birthed the greatest magical of them all, Myrddin ap Gwyn known to history as Merlin.
Arri closed his book and stared at the flames that burned in the fireplace. Very quickly he turned his gaze over to the sofa where Professor Remus sat very closely to his daddy. Arri smiled. He knew their secret; a power greater than the forces outside the castle that were feared by wizards and witches united the two wizards.
Arri just hoped that Daddy and Professor Remus would figure out what their secret was soon.
"Daddy?" Arri's voice interrupted the two wizards who had quietly been discussing ways the castle Hogwarts were not protected.
"Yes, Arri?" replied Severus as he put his attention on his child.
"What's Halloween?" He slid from the chair and moved to the two men and wiggled until he sat between them. Remus draped an arm over the child's shoulder since Severus arm was over him. "I mean, I've heard of it because Uncle Vernon took Dudley trick-or-treating last year and Dudley brought back a whole lotta candy. He snuck me a toffee."
"Halloween is celebrated a bit differently in the wizarding world than it is in the Muggle world, Arri" began Severus. "What have you heard the students saying about Halloween?"
Arri grinned. "They said there's a big feast and costumes and bats an' ghosts an' dancing. Are the Hogwarts ghosts going to be there?"
"And," whispered Remus to Arri. "You dropped your 'D's'." Remus had been catching Arri's habit of dropping letters in words he spoke or in shortening them.
"Sorry," Arri whispered back. "Daddy?"
"The Hogwarts ghosts have their own party held in the Floating Ballroom called the Death Day Celebration," explained Severus. "The Halloween feast will be in the Great Hall where it will be decorated with… mummery and nonsense."
Arri frowned and began to trace circles on Severus' knee with his finger. "You didn't have fun at Halloween, Daddy?"
Severus simply got annoyed by all the pomp and circumstance from the students that were facing any holiday. Halloween was also a reminder of when he had lost his best friend of his youth.
Remus stroked Severus' cheek and then grinned as he bent slightly and lifted the little boy onto his lap. "Ohhh, the Halloween feast is wonderful, Arri!"
"But, Daddy…" Arri began worriedly.
"Don't listen to your father on this, Arri," chuckled Remus. "Halloween at Hogwarts is a wonderful feast for the students. A fantastic dinner followed by sweets you can't even imagine."
"Candy?"
"More than simple candy," scoffed Severus. "Sugary sweets that have all the students hopping until the early hours of madness."
"Hush, Severus," chided Remus without rancor. "It isn't just food, Arri. The decorations are… fantastic! Hagrid carves these wonderfully huge pumpkins depicting heroes and villains of the wizarding world. Professor McGonagall's first years have transfigured handkerchiefs into bats and the third years charmed the bats to flutter about. The sixth and seventh years create ghosts of all sizes and shapes to haunt the feast."
"Do the students wear costumes?" asked Arri as he leaned his head against Remus' chest.
Remus glanced over at Severus in muted awe. Arri had never been so openly affectionate towards him. A smile shadowed the Potions Master's lips. It warmed him and before he could stop himself he had rested his hand on the werewolf's arm before touching Arri's arm in a soft stroke.
"All the students do, Arri," replied Remus.
Arri looked over to his daddy. "Can I wear a costume? Do I get to go to the feast? You and Remus can go and wear costumes, right?"
The little boy looked so hopeful that Severus had no doubt he'd start dancing if the answers were positive. He smirked and replied, "I am chaperoning with Professor McGonagall. As such, Remus will be in charge of you and both of you will be going to the Halloween feast."
As Severus suspected Arri slid off Remus lap and began his silly little dance of triumph before he climbed up on the sofa to rest his head against his father's knee. "What'll I be?" asked Arri breathlessly.
"That I leave to the imaginations of yourself and Remus," answered Severus. "I will need to concentrate upon my chaperoning of the students."
"No, no, no, Severus," protested Remus with a glint of the tease in his eyes. "This is your son's first Halloween and I think you ought to dress-up just as we do."
Severus scowled at Remus. Had the man insisted that he wear dress-up only to tease, and perhaps humiliate him, the Potions Master would have ended the debate right then. However, this was for Arri, and whatever Arri wanted he would get. Within reason, of course. Severus did not believe in spoiling children. Arri had died far too early in a young life where he had been mistreated by the relatives who should have loved him. Severus would give to Arri what the Dursleys had not. And, what his own father had not given him.
"Fine," nodded Severus with a grudge that held no heat in it. "I shall wear a costume."
"Of what, Daddy?"
"Yes, Severus, do tell us what you shall dress-up as." Remus stifled a chuckle.
Severus smirked and gave them each the gimlet eye. "I do not believe I shall tell either of you. Not until the Halloween Feast."
"Very good idea, Severus. Arri and I shall keep our costumes secret, too," Remus chuckled then.
"Hmph." grumbled Severus.