Skylar and Meg were in the 5th year Ravenclaw girls dorm.
"You know it was a good idea that I brought you here instead the other way around."
"Why?" Skylar asked taking her dress robes out of her bag.
"Now we have the whole dorm to ourselves." Skylar laughed and took Meg's book.
"What color should I make my robes?"
"Blue, the same color as the streaks in your hair." Skylar took out her wand and transformed her drab pastel pink robes into elegant blue ones. Meg took her bag and dumped in out on her bed. The velvet box fell out of the bag along with the great hall diagram, and the Halloween makeup.
"Oh I forgot all about this. Matt asked me to give it to you."
"What is it?" Skylar opened the box. Inside was a thin silver chain with a gold heart charm with a small gem in the middle.
"Geez, we aren't even dating. I just said I'd go to the dance with him cuz..."
"Cuz Tim had a date already?" Meg asked, innocently.
"No. Because Julie asked me to." Skylar started to turn a light shade of pink.
"When have you ever done anything Number 1 asked you to?" Skylar grabbed her robes and some of the Halloween makeup and went into the bathroom. Meg got ready in the dorm room. They were both done at the same time.
"Sky, I think the purpose of the Halloween makeup was to look bad, not prettier." Skylar put the Halloween makeup on like regular makeup, while Meg covered her face in white and added a scar along her left cheek. Skylar looked at her and started laughing.
"You look like Frankenstein's bride with purple robes."
"That's what I was shooting for. You look like some half veela half pixie. What do you think Tim's gonna do?"
"Don't know, don't care."
"Skylar, you and Tim are acting like total jerks, and you are sticking me in the middle. Why are you guys acting like this?"
"Thanks for your help, see you at the dance." Skylar grabbed the velvet box off Meg's bed and left the dorm, scaring some first years, and receiving whistles and cat calls, which soon followed several high pitched moans from seventh year guys.
"Grrr... Those two are going to give me gray hair."
Tim walked down from the Boys dorm. He looked like a clown. He quickly found Jenna.
"Nobody told me it was a masquerade ball." She said confused.
"It's not."
"Then why did you paint your face like that?"
"Cuz I wanted to."
"Oh." She then thought for a moment. "Can you wash it off?"
"Yeah."
"Then go wash it off."
"I don't want to."
"Oh." Jenna looked around and saw Julie. "Julie! I'll see you later Tim." He looked at her in disbelief and walked away.
"I need some fresh air. It's too hot in here, and this paint is gonna run off my face." Tim was about to open the portrait hole, but it opened before he could touch it. Tim and Skylar both stood shocked until they both started laughing.
"What? Do I look funny?" Tim gasped, through his hysterics.
"Clown...funny...we're so stupid." Skylar fell down clutching her stomach. When they finally contained themselves, Skylar apologized.
"I've been stupid lately. I don't know why, something just like came over me."
"Yeah. I've been stupid too. I shouldn't have accepted Number 1's invite."
"Oh, it's okay." Matt was coming towards them. "Hey, save me a dance okay?"
"Yeah."
"Skylar, I found you."
"Not hard to miss me."
"You don't have your necklace on."
"Oh yeah." Skylar picked up the box and took the necklace out.
"Here let me put it on." She handed him the necklace and let him clasp it. Skylar jerked straight up, her eyes started to become hollow.
"Lets head down." Tim waved to Skylar, but she didn't wave back, just followed Matt.
Meg looked on at the other couples. Her date went to get some drinks. Tim was sitting beside Number 2 looking annoyed, except for the smile painted on his face. Meg got up out of her seat and walked over to Tim.
"Hey, Bozo, dance with me."
"Gladly."
"So how's your date going?" Meg asked, fast dancing to a slow song, and receiving strange looks from everyone. Tim was doing the same thing.
"Great if you think the time of your life is hearing makeup tips and gossip."
"Skylar's doesn't look all that great either."
"Why?"
"She's just sitting there with blank eyes, not noticing anything."
"Really? Maybe I should try and talk to her. I told her I'd save her a dance." The song ended and Tim walked over to Skylar, but there was a little voice in the back of his head.
"You don't want to go over there. You're girlfriend wants to dance."
"No she doesn't. I promised Sky to dance."
"She doesn't want to dance with you. She hates you. You abandoned her."
"We made up." He was only several steps away from Skylar now.
"She only loves one person, and that's Matt."
"She's only going with him for our plan." He was standing right in front of Skylar now.
"Hey, Sky, do you want to dance?" Skylar turned her head. Her eyes were blank. No light, or laughter was there.
"Sky? Billy Bob?"
"Help me." She whispered. Tim pulled her out of her seat and half dragged her to the entrance hall. Something kept pulling her back.
"Sky, what's wrong?"
"Help me."
"How? What's wrong?"
"I...don't...know." She was still whispering.
"I can't hear you." Tim heard the doors open. He looked away from Skylar's haunting eyes and saw Matt.
"Oh hello. I was looking for you Skylar. Come on, let's dance."
"Something's wrong with her Matt. I was going to take her to Madame Pomfrey."
"Oh, there's nothing wrong with her."
"Yes. Nothing's wrong. See you Tim." Skylar took Matt's hand and went back into the Great Hall. Tim stood there, just thinking, until something hit him.
"Imperious." Tim raced upstairs to the owlery.
Erica Malfoy was dancing with Greg Miller, another 5th year Slytherin. She smiled as Tim and Meg started fast dancing. Seeing the face paint reminded her of a conversation that happened earlier with them and Rachel.
*Flashback*
"Atront, did you forget that it wasn't a masquerade party?" Skeeter asked before they were let into the Great Hall.
"No, but by the look of your mask it looks like you did. Oh wait. You've been wearing that for five years now. Did you get in super glue and become unable to take it off?" Meg retorted, causing everyone around them in the entrance hall laugh. That was also when buckets of cold water fell on half the hall. All the teachers already knew who to blame, Snape started on Skylar first.
"Black, what have I told you about your pranking?" But she didn't answer. She just stood looking off into space.
"Black, you should answer when you are addressed. Why do you have Halloween paint on your face." Skylar still stood still, but this time she mouthed something, horror filling her eyes.
"Speak up." She tried to speak again but it squeaked. Matt came up behind her.
"I'm sorry Professor Snape. She has a sore throat and lost her voice. I know for one that she wasn't part of this."
"Really?" Snape didn't sound convinced. "And how would you know that?"
"Because she's been fighting with Tim Weasley and Meg, and she told me she had nothing to do with this. It was probably Peeves. I know that some Prefects made him mad last week."
"They are letting us in!" Some girl yelled as the doors open. Lorna Doors stood silently in the corner looking at Skylar and Matt.
*End of Flashback*
The dance ended at one a.m. Matt lead Skylar to her dorm, being glared at the entire time by Tim. Once everyone had gone to bed, Tim went over to the girl's dorm and entered the 5th year one. Skylar was laying on her bed, still in her dress robes and Halloween makeup. She was still wide-awake, her blank eyes staring off in space.
"Sky?" Tim whispered, kneeling beside her bed. She turned her face towards him, whispering the same words over.
"Help me. Voices. Head. Pain." She cringed and twitched.
"Come on, I'll help you." He half picked Skylar up, and carried her to the bathroom silently. He sat her on a bench and washed the makeup off her face.
"Can you tell me anymore?"
"Help. Pain." He took her back to her bed and covered her up.
"Maybe in the morning I'll get a response from Harry and your dad."
"Pain. Help." She screamed out, causing Tim to hide under her bed, as the other girls woke up.
"Skylar!" She kept screaming. Tara went over to her bed to see what was wrong.
"Kate, go get McGonagall." Skylar stopped screaming.
"I'm fine." It was in the monotone Tim was use to hearing now. "Just a bad dream."
"I think you should see McGonagall. You haven't been looking well."
"I'm FINE!" Skylar yelled back, but she still had a look of horror on her face.
"Okay. Just let me help you out of your dress robes, you look like you haven't slept in a year."
"I'm just tired let me sleep." Skylar laid back down, closing her eyes forcefully.
"Alright." The other girls went to sleep. Tim crawled out from under Skylar's bed.
"Tim." He jumped. Tara was still awake. "Find out what's wrong with her."
While all the students 5th year and up were at the Halloween dance, the others were in their common rooms keeping themselves busy. Max and Kurt were still at war with Jessica, and vice versa. She ran off to hide from them so she could get some peace. It just happened to be inside the Owlery.
She hid under one of the perches inside the shadows.
"Finally rest and relaxation." She said as she sat down on the only clean piece of floor. Then a screeching owl relieved himself just above her head.
"Ewwwwww gross!" She screamed as she tried to wipe it off with her robe sleeve. Then the door to the Owlery opened.
"Weasley, shouldn't you be at the dance?" She asked as Tim walked in.
"Huh? Ely? What are you doing in here?" Tim asked her. "Haha, nice hair." The white gloop ran down from her hair to her forehead. She wiped it off.
"Nice face. Anyway why aren't you with Hartman?" Jessica asked.
"She went off to find Number 1, 3 and 4." Tim said. "Plus I had to deliver an important letter. Do you have any parchment?"
"Yeah, I keep it in my pocket beside Hogwarts a History." She said sarcastically. Seeing the look on his face, she lightened up. "I'll go get you some if it's that important."
"Thank you so much." Tim said. Jessica ran out of the Owlery and into the Gryfinndor common room. Max and Kurt unleashed their trap of water balloons on her. She stood shocked for a second or two, but remembered her reason for being in the Gryfinndor tower and ran up to the 3rd years studying.
"I'm really sorry to disturb you, but could I please have a piece of parchment?" Jessica asked.
"Oh, sure." They said. She took the piece a girl handed her and ran back out of the tower and up to the Owlery.
"Why are you wet?" Tim asked as she handed him the parchment.
"Your cousins are still at war with me." She said through her heavy breaths.
"Since you got me this, I'll help you get back at them." Tim said. He plucked a feather out of one of the owls and took an ink well out of his pocket.
"What is this letter about anyway?" Jessica asked as she petted her owl.
"Something really bad is going on in the wizarding world, and I need my uncles' help." Tim said.
"Huh? Oh you mean about the fire at Diagon Alley?" She asked.
"You were there?" Tim asked surprised.
"I just got out of there and it burst into flames." Jessica said sadly.
"Man, you're lucky." Tim finished his letter and used Skylar's owl. "Do you know if Matt Wentzel was anywhere nearby?"
"It was a blur. All I could see was ash, smoke, and Skylar burning her hand."
"You know about that?"
"I was about to do the same thing." There was silence as Tim released Skylar's owl.