Chapter Thirty

Students became distracted in lessons during Halloween week. Hogsmeade was packed on the weekend with students shopping at 'Gladrags Wizardwear' or asking for advice at the hairdressers. Ogg, Oakleigh Burton and Argus Filch were decorating the great hall for Halloween. Argus however was mostly confined to sweeping the now empty floors (the tables and chairs removed for the 'Halloween Dance'). Horace Slughorn was very proud of his work as he entered to see the decorations. A small band was getting set up at the top of the hall with their violins, flutes, harps, trumpets and an organ. Pumpkin juice was on stand by for the students however due to rations, food was sparse as bread and butter were the only things laid out in case any student felt peckish. Filch looked up wistfully as Ogg levitated a beautiful ebony chandelier up in the air. As he imagined what that was like as he stopped sweeping without thinking.

"Filch!" Oakleigh Burton shouted; making him snap out of it as he looked back down.

Sweeping once again as he moved up and down to distract himself. Though he did sneak a glance at Ogg and Oakleigh Burton decorating the room with their wands. Up and down in the common rooms meanwhile were students getting dressed in costumes. As every dormitory was filled with students putting on unique clothes and make-up. Not like every student was keen to join in, most of the Riddle gang weren't going to go. Only Walburga Black and Druella Rosier intended to go out of the main group. Eileen Prince laid on her bed as she watched the four girls she shared with get ready.

"You really are dull, Eileen" Druella spoke up as she rubbed her face with rogue.

"If I'm dull. Tom is dull. He's not going either" Eileen reminded her.

"Tom has work to do. He has been working very hard to gain us back house points after Victor's misdemeanour"

"Victor's misdemeanour? How sweet of you to call my near death experience that" Eileen replied with sarcasm.

This got no response as Druella just remained looking in the mirror. The students had to be rather creative with their costumes. They couldn't exactly just go and buy brand new costumes. There were quite a few house-elves in every house as some boys just wrapped a pillow or blanket around their person. Druella was dressing as a vampire as she made her face much more pale and added fake blood to her top lip. Her naturally curly black hair adding to it as she raised her collar up as far as it would go.

"Should I actually grow my teeth a bit or will that just be silly?" Druella asked the other girls in the dormitory, avoiding Eileen's gaze.

"I wouldn't" Jean Tiller quickly responded without much thought.

"You're a good witch, Druella but one mistake and you won't be able to enjoy the party. Never mess with teeth, it's painful" a third-year Slytherin girl called Penelope Parkinson reminded her.

"Good thinking" Druella replied; putting the idea from her mind.

Eileen giving them all a slight glare. She couldn't wait to leave Hogwarts for Christmas. She couldn't relate to the girls in her house or any other house really and her only thoughts were on leaving. There were some people who wondered whether she should been sorted into Slytherin at all. The only reason being was that her serious and threatening father made the girl beg to be placed there to please him.

"Well come on ladies, let's go and show everyone our looks" Druella spoke.

As she left the room with the other three girls; Jean Tiller, Penelope Parkinson and another third-year girl called Lucretia Black. Eileen happy to see the back of them as she could finally relax.

...

Excited students filled the castle hallways as students dressed-up as all sorts came out. Lucy did indeed dress as a banshee as she came out with longer black hair, green painted arms and face (the skeleton face was deemed to difficult to do) and a black cloak over her school skirt. Victoria did do her best veela attempt while Ruth opted for a werewolf in mid-transformation, Poppy doing her best version of an old hag as she had a walking stick out. The great hall looked wonderful on first impressions. The band playing orchestral music was most striking as Lucy looked over at the musicians. The ebony chandeliers looking remarkable under the low light, real bats flew over the students' heads. The girls began looking for people they recognized.

"Betty!" Ruth called over as she waved to her little sister (dressed as a fairy with wings to match).

"You look frightful!" Betty shouted over with a laugh.

"I'm going to bite you just for that" Ruth replied before playfully chasing her sister around the room.

The first-year girl giggling for the first time in ages. A couple of first-years boys were dressed as house-elves as they came in wearing pillowcases. Students mocking them in good fun as they demanded they do stuff for them. The 'Head of Houses' sitting at the table. Headmaster Dippet sitting at the centre as usual as he watched over the small party. Peeves came floating over people's heads as he flew all the way to the other side. This really did make up for the lack of 'Halloween Feast' as the students were having way too much fun to get hungry. Lucy giving a brief glance around to try and find Argus but he wasn't here anymore. Before she could wander away to find him, she felt herself being pushed into dancing.

"Lucy...Come on! Poppy gestured as the music suddenly became more bouncy.

As students began to dance around the hall, very badly but it didn't matter. This was just for fun, not to impress anyone. Lucy joining in as she and her three friends along with Betty Fisk all held onto one another's hands and began to dance around in a circle. Which made all follow suit as large circles began to form with laughing students. The circles soon formed into larger circles as they danced around smaller ones. Dumbledore watching with a smile as the students looked so happy and carefree. Lucy breaking free from her circle when it became too dizzy as she briefly went to the side for some much-needed pumpkin juice. The music slowed down and more circles were broken. Lucy's friends walking over with smiles as they took some pumpkin juice of their own.

"That was fun" Ruth spoke up first however she felt very hot. With her fake fluffy hands and fake fluffy knee.

"I loved it. The outfits people have got on tonight are so wonderful" Poppy expressed.

Lucy had another quick look around as staff members came and went. Slughorn was seen walking around to see what his students were dressed as. Walburga was dressed as Morgan le Fay (a witch from the days of Merlin). He paused to talk to her and Druella.

"I think I want to find Argus. He should be here" Lucy insisted to her friends.

"Please don't bring him. He's a grump" Poppy pleaded.

Though Lucy didn't look as if she heard her as she then declared..."I'm going to get him" and made her way towards the doors. Her friends giving huge sighs as they quickly returned to the dance floor in hope of avoiding his company in case he did decide to come in.

...

"Argus" Lucy called out as she knocked on the caretaker's office.

She heard a small grumble inside which made her open it. Argus was reading his muggle ghost book again. He gave a small gasp as he looked up, he thought for a second that an actual banshee had somehow entered Hogwarts. Lucy rolling her eyes as she shut the caretaker's door shut. Sitting on the opposite side of him in full costume which did unnerve him slightly.

"Lucy?" Argus asked just to make doubly sure as he hid behind his newspaper.

"Yes Argus. It's me...Is my banshee outfit really that good?" Lucy questioned as she looked down upon herself.

"I don't like it"

"Oh...Well it's Halloween. I thought I would look frightful on purpose" Lucy told him with her head down.

Argus just gave a shrug as he looked back down at the book. The faint sound of music was the only that could be heard now. She really felt bad for him being stuck here on his own. Though she supposed he could have came in if he really wanted to but he would rather be on his own with a book.

"I've been trying to translate Latin" Argus remarked to break the silence.

"Any luck?"

"No. Besides, Peeves would just use it against me anyroad. These ghosts that muggles saw in this house sound like right terrors. I actually doubt these were muggles at all...Listen to this" Argus began, making Lucy lean in closer as he read...

"Robert Steuart wished to return as a dog to haunt this house. Doesn't that sound like an animagus? How would a muggle know how to do that?" Argus asked with general interest.

"I don't know"

"It's in a village called Grandtully. I asked around in the staff room...according to Charity Burbage" Argus paused before adding..."Professor Burbage to you, well she told me it's only a mile or two from here"

"So?"

"So I'm going to try and visit. I'm going to go and visit this Ballechin House. All I need to do is ask for a short break, I'm staff and ought to be entitled to a day or two of free time, don't you think?"

"How would you get there?"

"Well I'm going to walk to the nearest muggle village and ask for somebody to ride me. Have you seen those muggle modes of transports? The ones with wheels...I forget what they are called"

"Motorcars?"

"Yes! Motorcars...It's going to be so fun"

"But what do you intend on doing when you get there?"

"Break in somehow and explore. Stay the night, I'll bring a blanket and a pillow and stay there for two nights. Talk to these ghosts, ask them questions and prove once and for all that muggles can see ghosts"

Lucy giving a nervous smile. She could see this ending in tears somehow or at least disappointment. Though Argus got this idea in his head and he was sticking to it, he really wanted to prove non-magical people aren't as detached from the magical world as much as wizards and witches think. He was going to Ballechin House.

...

TBC