Hallowe'en 1985 - Part I
For possibly the 1,000th time that day Harry and Neville looked at the box of inks and the glass pen they had bought for Severus at the Hogsmeade Winter Faire. Poppy had decided that the gift ought to be given on Hallowe'en since Severus, at the least, did not look upon the holiday as one to celebrate. Whether he drank or broke things Poppy could not say. She had only ever seen the aftermath in the portrait of a Potions Master who took too many points from students, and overloaded Filch with detentions. That, and he tended to bite the head off of any adult that tried to say good morning, or wished him well.
Poppy knew that Harry and Neville would keep his thoughts busy so he would not mourn and the gift of the drawing pen and inks would give the Potions Master a good memory for Hallowe'en.
As for Harry he had not, yet, realised that his parents had been killed by an evil wizard. He still believed what his aunt and uncle told him which is that his parents had been killed while James was driving drunk. He had not been told the truth and no one had ever told him that the Ka of the nearly dead Dark wizard that killed his parents almost took over his body.
As Severus watched his last class of the day finish a test he had set for them he found his mind occupied with these thoughts about his son. Harry had to know the truth but Severus had neglected saying anything beforehand because he had been busy. And, to be honest, there just never seemed to be a right time to tell a child the truth about his parents deaths.
Making his decision he drummed his fingers on the surface of his desk and rose to his feet. "Bring your tests to my desk and get out of here," ordered Severus.
Without question ink and quill were put into book bags and the class made an orderly rush to place their tests on their teacher's desk. No student complained about not finishing due to the fact that no one had ever finished one of Professor Snape's tests. Finally, the last student left and with a wave of his hand the door slammed shut. Taking a deep breath he prepared to meet with his son and to disclose to him what he never wanted to think of.
A chorus of "Shadow!" greeted Severus as he opened the door to his apartment and he hugged each boy that hugged him tightly back. "So, did the two of you have a good day off from school?" asked Severus as he took off his teaching robe, unbuttoned his long coat, and settled into his chair.
"Of course we did, Shadow," smiled Harry. "We fed the Thestrals, and Buckbeak, watched the Unicorns for awhile, and then we played with Fang and Droopy."
"Droopy's getting so big, Shadow," added Neville.
"How big is that puppy, Mouse?" asked Severus as he tickled the child's ribs.
Neville burst into laughter and ducked away from the Potions Master's long, tickling fingers. "Droopy's half the size of Fang now, Shadow."
"He still steps on his ears, though," smirked Harry.
"Dear me, Magpie, that is… terrible!" Severus tickled Harry's ribs until he burst with giggles. "I'll find your tickle spot someday, Shadow!" smiled Harry.
"Never," Severus declared smugly. He glanced around. "Where is your elf?"
Neville shrugged as he looked down sternly at his feet. Harry replied, "Fry just dropped us off and told us that someone in Slytherin was Summoning him."
Severus scowled. "That does it," he growled. "House elves as sitters are terribly unreliable."
"Then who's going to watch us, Shadow?" asked Neville worriedly.
"We could watch ourselves," asserted Harry. "We're five years old so we should get some 'sponsibilties, right, Shadow?"
"Responsibility, Magpie. And, I do believe that your chores are enough responsibility. I would feel much better if someone were with you when I cannot be," said Severus firmly. "Perhaps one of my seventh year Snakes might be available for a few galleons." He then drew his son into his lap. "Neville, I need to speak to Harry. Would you mind going to your room for about a half hour?"
Neville was about to agree but Harry, instantly worried, shook his head. "I want Nev to stay. Please, Dad?"
Severus hesitated but then nodded. Rising from his chair he moved to the sofa where both boys could sit on either side of him.
Harry began to twist one of the cloth covered buttons on his father's vest. "Am I in trouble?"
"No," Severus said softly as he stroked his son's worried fingers. "I have something difficult to tell you that you should have been told long ago, Harry. I was… remiss… in my duty as your father and your protector. I promised you that I would always speak the truth but in this, I simply said nothing."
Harry gulped. "Dad, just say it 'cuz you're scaring me."
"Me, too," whispered Neville.
Severus decided it was no longer good for him to stall or hedge. "Harry, what did your aunt and uncle tell you of your parents deaths?"
"That my father was a drunk and he was driving and got into an accident that killed him and mum. I survived," Harry replied rapidly. "But… uhm… after you and grandpa told me that they lied to me about everything to me I figured that was probably a lie, too." Harry slowly looked up at his father and Severus saw in his son's eyes something that both warmed him and tore his heart in half; Harry completely trusted him. "How did my parents die, Shadow?"
Severus brushed Harry's hair off of his forehead, and kissed the smooth brow. "Your mother and father were never drunks, Magpie. They were two, very courageous people who fought for what they believed in which was a tolerant wizarding world that accepted all people with magic whether Squib, Muggle-born, or Half-blood." Harry smiled wanly. He was proud of his parents but a tiny part of him was mad because they were not with him. "At the time they, and others, were fighting for Light, a Dark wizard rose. It was he who believed that you would someday have the power to destroy him. Your parents, my dearest Magpie, lost their lives so that they could keep you safe."
"That's stupid," muttered Harry. "I was a little baby."
"It is stupid, Magpie," agreed Severus. "For, as it turned out, it was your grandfather, myself, Remus Lupin, and Lucius Malfoy who ultimately destroyed the evil of the Dark wizard." He smiled softly.
"So, that's what you were doing when all of you got exhausted, Shadow? You were saving me and everyone?" Harry grinned with pleasure as he hugged his father.
Severus started to embrace his son but he felt a tentative tug upon his sleeve from his opposite side. "Mouse, what is it?"
"Shadow, do you know what happened to my parents?" asked the small boy.
Severus did know but he never knew that Neville was as in the dark about his parents as was Harry. "What did your grandmother tell you, my little Mouse?"
"Gran told me that a horrible, evil witch took them away and that I'd never know them. I figured out that it probably happened on Hallowe'en 'cuz she and Uncle Algy would get drunk together that night while I was locked in my room."
"Hallowe'en?" gasped Harry. "When were my parents killed, Shadow?"
"The same night, Magpie." He watched, somewhat sorrowfully, as his son slid off the sofa and trotted over to Neville. Harry climbed up beside his new cousin, hugged him, and looked up at his father.
"Did Nev's gran tell the truth, Shadow?" asked Harry.
"Not quite," Severus replied. "While the Dark wizard went to your home, Magpie, a witch of horrid darkness went to Longbottom Manor. Bellatrix LeStrange cursed your parents until their minds became so lost they could not recover. They now reside at St. Mungo's."
"So they're alive?" Neville asked hopefully. "What does that mean that their minds were lost? Can I see them?"
Severus leaned back in the sofa and drew Harry onto his lap and tucked Neville into his side. "To lose one's mind means that the mind is so far away it cannot be reached. The body functions as it needs but that which makes a person who they are no longer exists." Neville sniffled and Severus cupped his hand over the child's head as tears began. "I can tell you, little Mouse, that your parents loved you dearly. They always brought you to the Order of the Phoenix meetings, or they had photographs of you. Never did Frank or Alice Longbottom stop in extolling the virtues of their progeny."
Neville sniffed back his tears. "Did you like me then, Shadow?"
"Certainly not, Mouse," he declared, but smiled enough to show the sensitive boy that what he felt then did not matter now. "You were an irritatingly happy brat that gurgled at everyone, and played with your mother's hair."
Neville giggled shyly. "Was I really irritating, Shadow?"
"Nearly always," Severus replied nonchalantly. "Of course, there was that one time that Black… Sirius Black held you in his arms. You gurgled and grabbed so tightly onto his beard that you would not let go. He screamed like a little girl until your mother took your hands from his beard." He nodded at the memory. "I rather liked you then."
Both boys chuckled. Harry piped up, "How about me, Shadow? Did my parents ever bring me to Order of the Phoenix meetings?"
"Oh yes," moaned Severus as if he were in pain. "Nearly as much as Frank and Alice brought Neville." He shook his head with a mockingly dark glare. "How we ever got anything done with two infants turning all the adults into babbling fools is beyond me." He then sobered and eyed his two boys. "Are the two of you going to view Hallowe'en with depression now that I have told you the truth of your parents?"
Both boys shook their heads but Neville spoke up, "Our parents loved us as much as you love us, Shadow. I don't think they'd ever want us to be sad. Don't you think so Harry?"
Harry nodded. "The ones who need to be sad are the bad people that hurt our parents. Right, Shadow? They're sad now, aren't they?"
"Very sad. The Dark wizard is dead as dead can be and Bellatrix LeStrange will only leave Azkaban in a pine box," assured Severus. Severus then Summoned a rather old looking volume of stories. "Now, since I heard the two of you whispering about Hallowe'en I thought you might enjoy knowing its history in our world so I have a little story here for the both of you." He flipped open the book as Harry scurried back over to his father's right side and Neville tucked himself into his godfather's side.
"Ten centuries ago, so they say," began Severus. "The story of Samhain and Féile na Marbh (the Feast of the Dead) wove themselves into the Celtic mysteries of the Emerald Isle. Samhain was the celebration of the last harvest during the year which yielded a wealth of fruit and nuts to all. Therefore, in honour of those who harvested such delicacies, fruits and nuts were gifted to all good children in sweets. Those sweets were not served at mealtime but in the hours when the Veil, the thin fabric between the worlds of the living and the dead, was at its thinnest. This was when all the houses were alight with fires, candles, and torches. The children would visit these houses, offer their blessings of health and happiness, and the owners of the houses would bestow their sweets filled with nuts and fruits to their guests."
"That's like the trick or treating the Muggles do," said Harry softly.
"Somewhat, Magpie," nodded Severus. "Muggle children bargained for sweets and left a trick if a sweet was not given. In the wizarding world it is innocence, the child, that gives the gift of a blessing and in return is given a sweet."
"That's nicer," commented Neville.
"I like it," agreed Harry. "Will we get to do that?"
"Something like it, Magpie. Our tradition at Hogwarts has meshed a little with Muggle tradition," explained Severus.
"What's Fay No Mar, Shadow?" asked Neville.
"Féile na Marbh," Severus pronounced the Gaelic carefully. "It is the Feast of the Dead."
"That sounds scary!" shuddered Neville.
"Do they eat gross, dead things?" worried Harry.
Severus chuckled. "Not at all, my inquisitive ones. The Feast of the Dead serves two purposes. First it is to celebrate the bounty of the year's harvest with a feast of all the good food the community cooks and shares with each other. The second purpose is to provide the Dead of loved ones with the memories of the comforts of hearth and home in order to receive their blessings of long life to the living."
"What about those ghosts who aren't loved, Shadow?" asked Harry.
"That is what the lighted pumpkins with the frightening faces are for, Magpie," said Severus gently, "The terrible faces, and the light from candles made of beeswax scare the spirits that are not wanted away."
"Is that why Hagrid grew all those giant pumpkins?" asked Neville.
"Quite so, Mouse," nodded Severus. "Here at Hogwarts we have a Hallowe'en feast which will consist of all the foods the students and staff consider their favourites. The Great Hall will be decorated with the large pumpkins around the floor of the Hall and smaller pumpkins will float far above the revellers beneath the enchanted ceiling.
"I heard there's going to be bats and spiders at the feast," commented Harry. "Is that true, Shadow?"
"Of course there will be," confirmed Severus. "Most of the Muggle-born tend to believe that spiders and bats are just a part of Hallowe'en decor. However, both have long held strong meaning for witches and wizards. Bats represent the transition from life to death. It is the lowly bat that carries the soul from the living world to the world of the dead."
"So bats aren't really scary, then," mused Harry.
"I always thought the bats in the Longbottom belfry were kind of cute," observed Neville. "Gran just told me they were filthy and full of diseases."
"Hm," sighed Severus. "Bats can carry diseases but that depends upon their food source. If disease is part of their food source, bats will harbour the disease. However, there are many bats, especially in our world, that are treated as more than just a filthy, disease ridden pest. The next time you visit Hagrid, ask him about the colony of bats we have here at Hogwarts."
"We got bats?" Harry rose up on his knees in excitement.
Neville squirmed up to his knees. "Can we see the bats?"
"Yes, Magpie, we do have bats," smiled Severus. "And, Mouse, I am most certain that Hagrid will take you to visit the Hogwarts bats. Now, settle back down."
Both boys settled back onto the sofa and then Harry asked, "Shadow, you said spiders were going to be at the feast. Are they bad?"
Severus shook his head. "They are not, Magpie. Spiders weave webs which represent the threads of time, fate, and one's journey in life. They do not represent a thing of fear. As you might know one of our world's favourite fabrics is woven from spider silk."
"But, some spiders have poison," said Neville. "My Uncle Algy told me that I had a cousin who was poisoned by an Acromantula that he hunted and that the poison melted his face off."
"Ewwwww!" was Harry's sentiment. Severus tickled Harry who let out a giggling screech. The older man then tickled Neville.
When the tickling was done Severus spoke about the Acromantula. "The Acromantula are formidable opponents but there is much that is valuable about them beyond being a trophy. Their silk web is the finest in our world. It creates a fabric that is soft, and is also the base in many medical plasters. Yes, they are poisonous but if one were stung by an Acromantula that person would die of organ paralysis." He raised a skeptical eyebrow at his godson. "It would not melt a person's face off." Neville smiled sheepishly. "Acromantula poison is the basis for many healing potions and also the basis for several, illegal, deadly potions. The meat of the Acromantula is highly prized in New Guinea and Australia. So, spiders deserve our respect, not our fear."
"I'll just squash 'em on the pavement if they ever bother me," muttered Harry.
Severus chuckled as Neville replied, "Acromantulas get really big, Harry. It would probably squash you!"
Harry sneered but then smiled at Neville. "Shadow? Are we still getting a story?"
"Yes, my impatient Magpie, you are," Severus squashed his son until he let out a giggling peep, and then he began to read. "Many years ago three little children, first year students from the House of the Brave, learned the meaning of Féile na Marbh… the Feast of the Dead on the night of Samhain."
"What were their names, Shadow?" asked Neville from the cocoon he had burrowed into against his godfather's side and the sofa afghan.
"Terribly intelligent Rose, introspective Hugo, and the arrogant Jaime," Severus replied.
"And they were all brave?" asked Harry.
"Recklessly so, Magpie," sighed Severus. "A few days before Hogwarts Feast of Samhain the three friends, who wandered and explored wherever they could, were invited to a real Feast of the Dead by one of the ghosts of the castle."
"Who invited them, Shadow?" asked Neville.
"Nearly Headless Nick, the outgoing ghost of Gryffindor. He is the one that invited the three children to the ghostly Feast of the Dead. Rose, Hugo, and Jaime had always treated the ghost with courtesy whereas many of the students tended to ignore the ghosts the ghosts of the castle."
"Except for Peeves," giggled Harry. "No one ignores him."
Severus rolled his eyes. Peeves was a troublesome poltergeist that had given him three years of annoyance. He was about ready to go against the Headmaster's wishes and exorcise the slimy spirit.
"Yes, well Rose had read about the Celtic Feast of the Dead but she had found nothing about an actual Feast of the Dead held by the dead. Thus, her curiosity spurred her impetus. Hugo and Jaime, though," sighed Severus with a shake of his head. "They only wanted the sweets they had heard of that were at the Samhain Feast. The true Feast of the Dead was of passing interest to those two."
"Rose didn't think so," guessed Neville.
"Oh no," agreed Severus. "Rose was determined to go to the Feast of the Dead with Nearly Headless Nick and her two best friends were coming with her." Severus flipped one of the parchment pages and began to read, "The ghosts of Hogwarts had only one place within all of the castle that they congregated. This was the magnificent floating ballroom. This was the strange room whose door was never to be found in the same place twice. Due to this fact, it had long since been abandoned by the living and the dead had taken it over.
"Nicolas de Mimsy-Porpington was delighted on Samhain eve to escort three living children to the floating ballroom. The dead were often wary of the living but Nick enjoyed his status as Gryffindor Ghost and though many of the students simply ignored him and his brethren, Rose, Hugo and Jaime all talked to him as though he still lived. A fact often forgotten by all four until Nick's head would slip, and nearly fall from his shoulders. Rose, the curious Muggle-born, had once asked Nick about his nearly headless state and she had been told, 'Twas a botched execution - terribly painful to speak of'. Therefore, she knew to curb her curiosity about a ghosts' death.
The Feast of the Dead for the spirits of Hogwarts was a maelstrom of activity. A Headless Hunt, the Nick was barred from since his beheading was not a clean one, kept racing through and above the ballroom. Couples from all time periods since the first year Hogwarts came into being danced, drank champagne, and socialised. Along one wall of the glittering mica-gold ballroom was a buffet feast to dazzle the eye… if you were a ghost."
"Why, Shadow?" asked Harry.
"Ghosts cannot truly eat or drink, Magpie. However, they can pretend with food of the past…" Severus paused before concluding, "…food that has spoiled, is moldy, dried out… in essence it has… died."
Neville grimaced and Harry shuddered.
"Quite so," agreed the Potions Master. "Rose, Hugo, and Jaime felt rather dismayed to discover that the Feast of the Dead was literally dead."
"I'm hungry," complained Jaime.
"So am I," added Hugo mournfully.
"I'm hungry, too, but we can ignore that for now," stated Rose. "There's so much more for us to observe and do."
"Rose, this is silly," chided Hugo. "We're not dead, we can't dance, we're certainly not headless so we can't hunt, and we sure can't eat anything! Let's go."
"Nick's busy getting that Grey Lady to talk to him so he doesn't care about us. Let's just go, Rose," Jaime nearly whined.
"Rose was a curious child with an insatiable need to know… everything," Severus continued to read. "She could not persuade her friends to stay, and so they left the Feast of the Dead to take part in the Samhain Feast of Hogwarts. Jaime gorged on treacle tarts and honey cream puffs whereas Rose and Hugo ate some vegetables and meat before indulging in the sweets."
"I bet Jaime had a tummy ache later," commented Harry.
"Most likely," nodded Severus as he closed the book and sent it floating back to the bookcase. "We will join the Hallowe'en Feast with students and staff but then your grandfather and I will be taking the two of you on a little midnight adventure."
Severus rose from the sofa and tugged his two little boys off the sofa. "Time to get dressed. Robes are not needed. Go," he nudged each with a hand to their backs. "Get ready."
The boys sprinted to the 'jungle room' giggling. The older man shouted after them, "No ridiculous socks!" Shaking his head he went to his bedroom. He had just noticed that Harry's influence over the smaller boy had extended to Neville now wearing colourful socks. There was no doubt in his mind that when it was time to replenish Neville's wardrobe he would want his own 'ridiculous' socks.
a/n: Nearly Headless Nick invited the Golden Trio to his Deathday Party which was on Hallowe'en. I took a bit of creative license in order to show tradition of Samhain (sow-whain) and The Feast of the Dead. Part II is being written now.