Chapter Five: Hallowe'en
The two months until Hallowe'en passed surprisingly
fast. Lessons were good, as in Charms and Transfiguration, or bad, as in
Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions, or just indifferent, as like
Herbology. Apart from their first four
detentions, which passed off well, they had collected around thirty more each.
Professor McGonagall had asked if they were going for a new record, before
telling them that, as the teachers were out of ideas for new detentions, any
they got now would be spent acting as guinea pigs for the older students to try
their spells on. This just made them happier, to McGonagall's disgust, because
it meant they could learn lots of new spells.
In
just two months the five had become inseparable friends. They were always seen
together, laughing, planning mischief, arguing with the teachers, or in the
case of James and Lily, with each other. These two were rarely seen without
each other, but were constantly playing tricks on each other. James had turned
Lily's duvet into maggots to get her back for waking him up, so Lily enchanted
his pillow to punch him until he woke up, then he hung a bucket full of ice
water above her bed, she turned his hair long, blonde and curly for a week and
so it continued. Of course they played pranks on other people too; David and
Esmerelda were good targets, but the best was Snape. They had enchanted him to
talk in 'Ye Olde English' for a week, to the disgust of the teachers.
On
Hallowe'en itself, most of the school disappeared to Hogsmeade for the day,
leaving the first and second years very bored. They sat in the common room all
morning, bickering, playing exploding snap and throwing Dungbombs out of the
window at Filch, the caretaker.
"Hey,
I know what we can do!" James said suddenly.
"Oooh goodie! Jamsie-poo knows! All is saved!" Lily
said cattily. She shrieked as James jumped of his chair and started tickling
her, then laughed even more as Sirius started tickling him. Pulling herself up,
she tickled Remus, who yelled and laughed and they forgot all about James'
idea.
Twenty
minutes later, when they had calmed down enough, Peter asked, "What was your
idea?" James had to think for a minute before beckoning them closer. "My dad
told me that this place is riddled with secret passages, even though he never
found any. He even said some lead to Hogsmeade!"
"Cool!"
Sirius exploded, jumping up, "What are we waiting for?" The five ran out of the
room.
They
roamed the halls, looking behind pictures, tapping panels and even asking the
ghosts. After half an hour of fruitless searching, Lily and James had begun to
argue, Sirius and Remus were play fighting, and Peter was lethargically pulling
back paintings. He saw a particularly ugly painting of a small girl surrounded
by wild animals and tried to pull it back. It resisted, so he pulled harder.
The little girl got up and spoke in a sugary voice: "I have no master now, and
no password. If you can answer my question, you can be my master and set my
password."
Peter
stared, before shrieking "OY! You guys! Come here!". His four fighting friends
came hurriedly, shushing him. "What?" they asked quietly.
"She," Peter indicated the girl, "Says that if we can
answer the question we can be her masters, set the password and get in!"
"Is she having us on?" James asked sceptically.
"I don't think so," Peter answered.
"Only one way to find out!" Remus said cheerfully.
"What's your question?" he asked the girl.
"I am
beautiful,
I am
mild,
I sing
a pretty song,
Yet I
drive a man wild!
What
am I?"
They all thought hard, and any passing Professor
would have been surprised to see the five naughtiest children in Hogwarts
concentrating this much. Eventually Remus let out a yell that made Sirius fall
over. "I've got it!" he shouted triumphantly.
"What?" they cried impatiently.
Remus turned to the girl. "The answer is," he drew
breath, "a Fwooper!"
"You are correct," she acknowledged. "You are now my
masters. What is the password to be?"
"Chelsea." Said Lily firmly. The boys stared at her. "They're
a Muggle football team! It's safe!"
"Let us in now! Please!" James begged the girl. The picture
swung forward, and five faces peered eagerly through.