Chapter Nine: Oddities

It was a very crisp October morning, causing the students to add layers to their usual wear; except for three.

"LAST ONE IN IS A HUMAN!" Ben called, diving into the lake in only his swim trunks. He surfaced seconds later, beginning to lazily backstroke. His comrades soon joined him and they carried on like it was a hundred degrees.

"How can they do that? That water must be twenty degrees at most!" Hermione asked incredulously. The four humans were seated under the birch tree, on Ship who had taken on the shape of a bench and self heated. They were bundled quite completely and still shivering miserably.

"They're aliens," Julie shrugged, "long ago I quit being shocked about the things they do." She put her thumb and index finger into her mouth and whistled sharply. She then raised her arm, Theron landed seconds later with something in his mouth.

"Theron," she chastised, taking the glass sphere from him, "you're not supposed to take from anyone other than Slytherins and adults…"

A plume of red smoke exploded within the sphere, "Oh dear."

"Any idea what you've forgotten?" Harry asked, trying to be helpful.

"No…no I don—" her face paled and she fished a prescription from her pocket, "Crap! Theron revenio ea…uh…guys what's the Latin word for trinket?"

"There is none…ornatus means ornament though," Hermione replied.

"Close enough, thanks; Theron, revenio ea ornatus iam." She held the trinket up and Theron took it, soaring off.

She then whistled again, differently this time and Ben suddenly stood in front of them, "Yeah?"

"I forgot to give you your meds," she took out two small white capsules and he gulped them down before retreating back to the water.

"So," Julie started, putting away the medication and pulling the coats around her tighter, "what do you guys do for Halloween?"

"There's a feast; it's all candy. Muggle and magical candies," Harry spoke up.

"Urgh hurgh," the American moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Ben…he…gets really really hyper; he'll be bouncing off the walls all night tonight and maybe tomorrow too…This's not going to be fun…"

"When you say 'bouncing off the walls'…?"

"I mean it literally.

"AAAHHHH!" Ben screamed, being lifted from the water by a tentacle.

"Oops…I should've mentioned the Giant Squid…" Hermione flushed, "Sorry."

"GIANT SQUID!"

"Don't worry," Harry soothed, "it's completely docile."

"!" and Ben was thrown from the lake, thankfully he was skilled enough to go Jet-ray mid fall and swoop around to begin firing laser beams at the squid.

"Don't attack the SQUID YOU IDIOT! BEN LISTEN TO ME! DO NOT ATTACK THE—" a tentacle batted him down like a fly, making a deep trench in the ground, "He's an idiot."

"Hospital wing?" Harry asked as the four stood from their toasty seats.

"Hospital wing," Julie sighed, signaling for the other two to come back to shore. They did so reluctantly as the four humans were stabilizing the alien.

"The squid became defensive," Hermione explained to Gwen as she healed the young man.
The redheaded young woman nodded absentmindedly… Ben popped back up perfectly healed.

And then Gwen began to shudder, glowing slightly and moaned.

"Oh crap." Kevin gathered her up, bridal style, hating how she shivered against him.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry demanded as they set off at a sprint.

"It's All Hallows Eve," Julie explained, drawing her wand and clearing a path by sending students flying to the sides, "Every magical thing, ley lines and whatnot, on Earth is supercharged. She's an energy being, she absorbs manna, magical energy, from her surroundings. She's being supercharged and it might break her physical form. If that happens we're all very much screwed."

They raced up the stairs, heading for Gryffindor and still sending students scattering.
"Puffskein! Puffskein! PUFFSKEIN!" they shouted at the Fat Lady.

She sniffed at them but swung open to let them in.

"It's under our bed," Kevin barked out at Julie and Ben who nodded as they all charged up the third staircase and straight into a second portrait, "Porlock! Porlock! PORLOCK!"

The portrait gave them the evil eye but swung open to reveal a small apartment.

They all raced deeper, into a bedroom; Ben and Julie went to their knees and dug around under the four poster bed to pull out a hollow metal something that was shaped like a human with limbs outstretched to make a five pointed star. There were several locks on it but the two Yanks undid them all expertly within seconds and then opened a small slit on the lid. They opened it and Kevin carefully laid Gwen into it and then they shut the lid, the small slit going over her mouth, redoing the locks.

"What are you doing?" Hermione was horrified.

"It's the only way," Kevin replied quietly, "this's made of cold iron, it helps keep her together on All Hallows Eve and similar days. We don't like it but it has to be done…" he traced her exposed lips with remorse and tenderness that clashed harshly with his usual attitude, his normal bravado, "She can be let out tomorrow morning; it'll be safe then. The power will ebb away overnight."

"So what are we doing then?"

"Normal routine…" he felt a palm ghost his cheek and felt a little better.

She was floating, her spirit being only connected to her body by a fragile manna tether. Everything was hazy, indistinct. Formerly physical objects were reduced to their manna components. She was dizzy, nauseas, weak, exhausted. She could feel her friends moving her body into the binder, feel Kevin touching her. She could hear them talking about her but it sounded so muffled, like she had cotton in her ears.

"Normal routine…" he sounded so sad. She knew he hated it when they were separated. So she shook her head to clear it, everything resuming their normal solid forms and volumes, pulled herself from her physical body completely, lengthened the leash she had, and moved to stand in front of him. She reached out and brushed his cheek. He looked like he felt better and the group of six trooped off. Gwen sighed, she hated being in this sort of limbo, and settled into a meditative position.
And then a ghost came through the wall, "Oh dear…" Nick said softly, looking saddened.

"I'm not dead, really," she offered hurriedly, "I'm just having a really long out of body experience, Halloween does this to me…" Nick didn't look convinced, "Seriously, my body has a pulse, and it's breathing. Ask my friends."

"Alrightcan the livings see you?"

"No, not right now and they can't hear me either. For all intents and purposes I am a spirit right nowI'm actually kind of surprised you can see and hear me…"

"Oh?"

"You're stuck between the plains of existence, I'm in a higher one right now; you shouldn't be able to see me and even if you can you definitely shouldn't be able to hear me."

He smiled, bowing, "Well then Miss Tennyson, I must insist you accompany me to the Hogwarts' Ghosts' Halloween Soiree…"

"I don't knowI'll be pulled back into my body at twelve oh one and if I'm not nearby…"

"I swear on my un-life that you shall be back here by twelve oh one. C'mon, what do you have to lose?" he extended his hand, giving her a very familiar smile.

"Alright." She took his hand, being able to grasp it at the moment, smiling, "You wouldn't happen to have descendants in America would you?"

"No, I do not think so, why?" and they went through the wall.

"Nothing, nevermind. You just reminded me of Kevin…"

"He is a very lucky man."

"So he tells me daily…"

SIX HOURS LATER

Everything was routine. Kevin was moping, Ben was hyped up on sugar, and everyone else was trying not to provoke either of them.

Then there was a scream, an ear piercing glass shattering scream from the top of the school.

They all looked up, terrified and shocked.

"Didyouguyshearthat? Ihearditdidyou? " Ben asked, his words running together because of his sugar high.

"Yeah we heard it."

"ItsoundedlikeitcamefromGryf—"

Kevin bolted from the hall, the teachers and the Prefects running after him, with the order, "Benji get your ass in gear. Julie hold down the fort here, don't let the students from the hall."

"Right! I'mcomingKevin!" Ben morphed into a reptilian alien and zipped out, being visible as only a blue streak.

They all watched the great doors thud close and then heard the large bolt lock fall into place. Instantly speculation started.

Julie sighed and clambered up onto the staff's table, calling for order which she didn't get until Hermione magnified her voice for her, "HEY! EVERYONE LISTEN UP!"

She got every pair of eyes on her, "Thank you. Okay, here's what we're going to do. Something's going on, we all know that but we don't know exactly what so there's no use for speculations and rumours and working yourselves up so knock it off. Understand?"

"Why should we listen to you?" Malfoy piped up and Julie smirked, pulling out her badge, saying, "You see this little thing here, this badge means that I have absolute authority in a situation such as this. I am above your teachers, your parents, your governments. Therefore I am in charge right now and anyone who resists my attempts to keep order will be arrested and sent to this absolutely lovely little prison on an asteroid beyond Mars, without your wand, until you can be seen by the courts and that could take quite awhile and while you are waiting you'll have no bail, bribes won't get you out. Are we all clear on this?"

Most nodded.

"Good. Now has everyone eaten enough?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, now everyone stand up please."

They did so.

"Seventh and sixth years I need your help, the tables have to go."

The oldest kids nodded and drew their wands and they worked in tandem, making the tables disappear with work.

"Good, now everyone above first year conjure sleeping bags for yourself and at least one first year." With ease they did so, the other students helping Slytherin's first years because their housemates wouldn't, and thus the hall was made into a temporary dorm.

"Good, now I must ask you to stay with people you trust with your life and keep your wands in reach. Thank you. Finite." Her voice went back to normal, although her throat was sore and her voice now hoarse. She jumped off the table and headed to her group, "Hermione, Ron, I want you on either side of Harry." She motioned for the other Weasleys to join them, "All of you; Harry's the top priority right now. Keep sharp." They all nodded, ignoring the boy's protestation of this plan, and she went to the doors, whispering, "Ship, form GG-45 please." The symbiote leapt from her wrist, morphing into a very large Gatling gun, with seat, that she manned, "Fire on my order and only on my order. Understand Ship?"

"Shhhiiiipppp." A bit of him broke off and globbed onto her face, becoming goggles to shield her eyes from the light and earplugs to save her hearing.

His boots pounded the polished marble staircases as he ran. He cursed the amount of steps this place had. He could hear everyone behind him and Ben in front of him.

"Ohmygod!" Ben looked down from the seventh floor landing, calling out, "SomeonedestroyedtheFatLady!"

It was true; three large claw marks had slashed the canvases, exposing the wooden backing.

"FatLady! FatLady! Whereareyou?"

"He's mad!" the Fat Lady shrieked from another portrait where she cowered behind a rock.

"WhoattackedyouFatLady?"

"It was him! Eyes like voids he had! And talons! Horrible talons!

"Who attacked you!" Kevin demanded as he made it to the landing, everyone right behind him.

"Sirius Black! He's in the castle!"

As if right on cue, there was a crack of lightening and the roll of thunder and the lights dimmed.

"Did he get into Gryffindor?" Kevin demanded again.

"No…no he didn't…"

He let out a sigh of relief before beginning to dole out orders, "Ben get back to the Hall and stay there; they're sitting ducks right now—"

"Right!" he went back into XLR8 and zipped away.

"Everyone else make a sweep of the castle, every nook and cranny must be searched. Meet back in the Hall."

They nodded, shocked when he leapt off the landing and onto the sixth.

"Something's not right," she murmured, "Nick, I have to go. Something's not rightSorry."

Before she could leave Professor Flitwick came running, squeaking, "Sirius Black is in the castle! Search! Search! Search! Search the castle!"

"Harry!" she left with a soft pink flash, instantly appearing in the Great Hall. Worriedly she surveyed the scene below her. She saw Ben, Julie, and Ship posted at the doors; she saw a mass of red hair with hints of brown and black almost invisible. She let out a sigh of relief before looking to the clock. She had two more hours of uselessness. It wasn't that she couldn't break out from her metal shell it was just that it wasn't safe for her to; if Sirius Black forced their hands…

"Why do things always happen to us, to me, on Halloween?" Harry was saying.

"It doesn't always happen on Halloween Harry," Hermione argued and his eyebrow rose as he began to tick off occurrences, "Voldemort killed my parents and gave me my scar on Halloween when I was one, when I was five Dudley broke my arm on Halloween because I wouldn't give him my candy, first year we dealt with the troll on Halloween, last year Mrs. Norris got petrified on Halloween and now this…"

"He has a point Mione," Ron agreed, "'ween sucks for us."

Harry yawned.

"Go to sleep, Harry," Hermione said softly, "we've got things covered here."

"No. I don't like it. You guys shouldn't be protecting me; if this Black bloke wants me badly enough to break into Hogwarts he'll be able to get past you and all."

"It'll be fine, Harry, go to sleep."

Hours later the teachers and Prefects, the ghosts, Gwen, and Plumbers convened in a chamber off to the side.

It was found that no one had found anything to suggest Sirius Black had been in or anywhere near Hogwarts that night. It was agreed that security would be tightened and the Fat Lady replaced with another portrait.