Chapter 5
Thursday morning meant Charms. Hermione sat, eyes unfocused, with Harry and Ron who, for once, were listening to Professor Flitwick who was demonstrating a rather tricky wand movement to the class.
It had been a few weeks since Hermione had overheard Severus and Samuel arguing in the Arithmancy classroom. Since then she had avoided both of them so as not to run the risk of Severus discovering she had been eavesdropping. Her plan seemed to be working better than expected due to the fact that Severus had adopted a similar tactic of ignoring her. Aside from calling her name on the register at the start of the lesson he didn't acknowledge her in anyway. Not even when she prevented Ron from adding lacewing flies before syrup of hellaboar but she was certain that he had heard her.
Of course there were various logical explanations for his behaviour. Explanation number one: Samuel was right and Severus is ignoring her because he's embarrassed. The second: Severus is trying to prove Samuel wrong because it isn't true.
Third reason: he is disgusted with the idea of me and himself that he feels like throwing up every single meal he's had in the last decade every time he looks at me.
Hermione couldn't help but wonder how she'd feel in response to each of these possible explanations but it just gave her a weird wriggling sensation in her stomach.
Hermione let out a small sigh of confusion which went unnoticed by her classmates.
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One evening, during the last week of October, brought the students a welcome distraction.
Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat to address everyone in the Great Hall, "As you all know this Tuesday is Halloween, however we will be celebrating a little differently this year. Instead of just having our usual feast, Hogwarts is hosting a fancy dress party."
This announcement started a series of excited discussions amongst the four house tables.
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly to recapture their attention. "I expect everyone, including the staff, to attend in costume, preferably something that frightens you." Dumbledore settled back down in his seat, eyes twinkling but carefully adverted from the furious looking Severus on his right.
"Kill me, kill me now."
"Something wrong Severus?" asked Modesty smirking at him.
"I won't do it," he growled through clenched teeth.
"Unfortunately you don't have a say in the matter," chirped Professor McGonagall looking just as, if not more, amused as Modesty.
"What are you going as Minerva?" Severus raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I haven't decided," she answered coolly. "You?"
Severus looked around the Hall for inspiration. His eyes came to rest on Samuel who was looking back at him waiting for his reply. Suddenly their faces broke into identical evil smirks.
"We are going as each other," said Samuel.
"It's supposed to be something your frightened of." Modesty rolled her eyes.
"It is. I'm frightened of being like him," muttered Severus.
"Hey!" protested Samuel.
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Hermione was standing next to her bed, adding the finishing touches to her costume.
It had taken her a great deal of time to think of a costume. It was common knowledge amongst the seventh years, thanks to the boggart, that one of her biggest fears was failure but how do you dress up as failure? Right so that wouldn't work. Well there is Voldemort but somehow it didn't seem a very good idea.
In the end she had settled on a pink, fluffy cardigan, a short, curly, mousey-brown wig with a black velvet bow. Hermione was going as Hogwarts most hated teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. She looked alarmingly like her except for the obvious height difference. She had even perfected the simpering, girly voice and trademark 'hem hem'.
She took one last critical look in the mirror before heading down to the common room to meet Harry and Ron.
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"Great galloping gargantuans. Fantastic costume Hermione," Seamus exclaimed as Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats at the Gryffindor table.
"Thank you very much Mr Finnigan," in her excellent imitation of their old Professor which caused the surrounding figures to laugh. Professor Trelawney, on her way to the staff table, jumped as though hit by lightening and looked nervously around her before realising it was only Hermione dressed as Umbridge.
"Ouch. Ron!" cried Hermione as one of his fake, hairy legs caught her on the head.
"Sorry," he apologised.
Ron's biggest fear was of spiders, which is why he now sat next to her with a three extra sets of legs sticking out of his body.
"Hey look at Neville," laughed Ron.
Hermione glanced down the table and giggled when she saw Neville dressed in black robes and a long black wig. He was dressed as their Potions Master.
Harry pulled back the hood covering his face so he could see what was so amusing. This hood made it very difficult to see and as a result he had tripped several times on his way here. Harry was, of course, a dementor.
They continued to check out the other students' costumes as they ate.
Hermione watched someone with a green-tinged, skeletal face and floor length black hair walk by and sit at the Ravenclaw table. "So that's what a banshee looks like," she heard Dennis say to his brother Colin.
She glanced at the staff table at Severus who, unsurprisingly, had not complied with the rule about coming in costume and was throwing murderous looks in the direction of the Headmaster and her Head of House. What was surprising was that Samuel hadn't bothered to turn up in a costume either but sat in ultramarine coloured robes talking with an enormous amount of enthusiasm to Professor Sprout. Her Arithmancy Professor's lack of costume unnerved her. The idea of dressing up and joining in with the festivities seemed like his sort of thing. Hermione made a mental note to keep her eye on him. Further down the table Professor McGonagall was dressed as Harry? This is getting weird. She turned her attention to where Dumbledore sat wearing a costume that included long matted hair and a set of prison robes? Her jaw dropped in realisation.
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Samuel was happy. Very happy indeed. It took all his self-control not to smile, he was supposed to be his brother after all and smiling would give the whole thing away. Instead he pretended to glare at Minerva who, to his great delight, had turned up to the feast dressed as his brother's old enemy, James Potter. As if that wasn't good enough Albus was dressed as Sirius Black. Even better still, if you can believe, Dumbledore had also invited Professor Lupin who was wearing, oddly enough, a werewolf costume. He looked over at Severus and frowned. His brother was talking over enthusiastically, in his opinion, to Professor Sprout and doing a most ridiculous impression of him. 'Typical Sev, venting his feelings on his poor old brother,' thought Samuel. 'Never mind I know something that will cheer you up brother dear.' He smirked inwardly.
A.N. Sorry it took so long with the update but I've just started back at college and also a new job. I also had trouble thinking of a costume for Dumbledore to wear (what on Earth could ever frighten him?). I'd like to thank everyone on WIKTT misc. that gave me ideas. The idea of sending him as Severus was great but that would have made three people dressed like him. I particularly liked the suggestion of sending him as a milk carton with wanted poster with Blacks face on it. This is in fact what inspired me to send him as Sirius and Minerva as James. Not to mention one of the challenge requirements was to have Lupin and Sirius annoy Severus and since Sirius is dead this was the next best thing.