Chapter 7: Halloween

"I can't believe it…"

"His whole family?"

"Then she couldn't have done it!"

"Maybe she had someone working for her…"

Once again, the Great Hall was filled with rumors. The Daily Prophet had run a front-page article on the mysterious deaths of the entire Nott family at their Manor, and this time the only clue was a message written on a wall in their dining room, which said "All betrayers of the heir shall pay the price."

"I don't understand," Iris said, putting down her paper. "Wasn't the heir You-Know-Who?"

"But he's dead," Aries said.

Iris rolled her eyes. "Obviously, I know that. But Nott's grandfather was in Azkaban for years for being a supporter of You-Know-Who. Why would the heir kill off a family that supported him?"

"A different heir?" Albus suggested, taking a second helping of bacon.

"Sure, the Dark Lord had a kid during his reign of terror," Aries said.

"Just throwing around ideas," Albus said. "Perhaps an heir of someone completely different?" He sighed as he glanced up at the High Table. Professor Malfoy was still noticeably absent.

"Attention, please!" Headmaster Darcy stood. "I would like to wish everyone a happy Halloween, as well as inform you that our first Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin has been moved to today."

The Slytherin table burst into cheers, and the Gryffindor table then tried to out-shout them. "Please, students! Please!" Darcy shouted. "Save it for the match." He sat down.

Aries smiled for the first time Albus had seen since the Aurors had arrived. "I love Quidditch. I'd forgotten the season was starting soon, what with…you know…"

"You just love watching Jason," Iris said teasingly, distracting her friend from thoughts of her mother.

"Do not! I love the game!" Aries said, but her cheeks were tinted pink.

"I love Quidditch, too," Albus said, hoping to rescue Aries from her embarrassment. "This will be great!"

After classes, the four Slytherins made their way down to the Quidditch pitch, along with the rest of the school. Everyone seemed to be showing up for the first game between long-time rivals Slytherin and Gryffindor. Somehow, the four managed to shove their way to the front of the stands to watch. Albus waved to Rose, who was at the other side of the pitch next to Erica. She smiled and waved back at him before continuing a conversation with Erica.

"Ow!" Albus exclaimed as he found himself being prodded very violently on the shoulder. "What is it?"

Aries was pointing to where the teachers were sitting, smiling brightly. "Look!"

"It's mum!" Scorpius exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving enthusiastically.

Alea Malfoy was seated in between Professors Longbottom and Bones. Behind her sat Harry Potter, and seated in front of her was Ron Weasley. She smiled brightly and waved when she saw her children waving to her, and smiled even wider as the whole of Slytherin suddenly began chanting, "Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin…"

Darcy stood. "Enough!" he shouted, his voice magically amplified. "Let the match begin," he said less forcefully.

The crowd all cheered as the two teams walked toward the middle of the pitch to meet Gwenog Jones, who was garbed in a referee uniform. The team captains, Jason Zelig and a Gryffindor Albus did not recognize, shook hands. The Gryffindor flinched slightly, and Albus assumed that Jason was doing his best to crush his opponent's fingers.

"Is that your brother?" Scorpius suddenly asked.

Albus had been busy looking at the Slytherin team, seeing if he knew anyone else, to notice the boy Scorpius pointed out to him. "No," he heard Aries breath. James Potter was mounting his broomstick along with the rest of the Quidditch players.

"I can't believe it," Iris said. "He made the team?"

Albus shook his head a bit. "He didn't tell me."

"What do you expect?" Aries said. "He's a git." She did not bother to say 'no offense'. Albus was beginning to get rather used to the comments he kept hearing about his brother, and he tended to agree with most of them.

Jones blew the whistle, and the fourteen players rose into the air as one. For a moment, they were moving gracefully and as one like a dance. Then it instantly turned into a ferocious battle.

James was apparently a Chaser for Gryffindor team. To the Slytherins' dismay, he was good.

"Potter has the Quaffle!" the announcer, a hyperactive Hufflepuff, announced. He was jumping up and down, causing the teachers around him to glare. Alea Malfoy, who was two rows behind the boy, smiled at the back of his head in amusement. "Gryffindor scores!"

Jason Zelig punched one of the hoops as he went by them and shouted a few choice words at the Keeper. "A Slytherin Chaser gets the Quaffle—take it from him!"

"My name is Graysoul!" the Chaser yelled as he passed near the announcer.

"And don't play favorites!" another Slytherin Chaser said as he went after Graysoul to help protect the Quaffle.

"Graysoul shoots and—aw, man, he made it. 10 all," the boy said disappointedly.

"What did I just tell you?" one of the Slytherin Chasers said as he went by again.

"Potter has the Quaffle again! The newcomer on the Gryffindor team is humiliating these Slytherins." Alea glared fiiercly at the boy, no longer appeared amused. "Oh, that's a foul!"

James dropped the Quaffle as a passing Beater whacked him on the head with his bat. The Gryffindor side of the pitch, which including all the houses except Slytherin, all began booing at the Slytherin side.

The rest of the game was even more brutal. By the time the score was Gryffindor 60, Slytherin 50, both of the Gryffindor Beaters and a Chaser were out of the game, as well as the Slytherin Keeper and a Chaser. The other Slytherin Beater had taken over position has Keeper, using his bat to keep the Quaffle from the hoops.

"And Potter has the…oh no, that Slytherin got it back…now the—the Snitch!"

The crowd in the stands rose as one as Jason Zelig dived toward a small gold glint near the Gryffindor hoops. The Gryffindor Seeker quickly began zooming across the field from where he had been on the other side, but it was too late. Jason went straight up into the air, holding his hand high triumphantly, the little wings of the Snitch flapping against his hand.

The Gryffindor Seeker landed on the ground and began jumping up and down on his broomstick until the captain stopped him. James landed nearby the rest of the defeated Gryffindor team as the Slytherins flew around the pitch, giving high-fives to the Slytherins and attempting to hit the Gryffindors.

Albus was very excited about the win, something his brother was obviously not pleased with, for James was staring at him with contempt as he cheered. Albus had the gnawing feeling that he had betrayed him, and betrayed his whole family in fact, by being happy in Slytherin.

"Mum!" Aries and Scorpius ran to their mother as everyone was moving back towards the castle after the game.

Alea Malfoy smiled and uncharacteristically hugged them both. Albus noticed his father watching very closely, almost as though he thought that she would harm them. Albus shook his head in disbelief.

"Professor Malfoy." Jason Zelig came from the crowd while taking a makeshift crown off of his head and being followed by a dozen or so Slytherin girls. He shook hands with her.

"Great job today, Jason," Malfoy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Professor. I'm really glad that you could make it today." He glanced uncertainly towards Harry and Ron. "Does this mean that you will be teaching again? The man they hired to substitute is less knowledgeable about Potions than a first-year."

"I'm sure that he can't be that bad," Alea said, though she was still grinning. "And yes, I will be returning now. This the last time I'm to be under close surveillance," she said, throwing a dirty look towards Ron Weasley.

"See you in class, then, Professor," Jason said with a charming smile.

"Great job, Jason!" Aries suddenly said as he walked away.

"Thanks!" he called back, grinning.

Iris shook her head as Aries blushed. Alea Malfoy looked from her daughter to Jason's retreating back. She smiled understandingly. "Come on, we should head up to the castle. The Halloween feast should be starting soon."

That night, the Slytherins were all in the common room, and the Slytherins seemed to have the tradition of telling each other the most haunting stories they could think of. Jason had managed to get his hands on a copy of the banned Toadstool Tales, and was currently reading a particularly nasty story that had already caused half the first years to run into the bathrooms, complaining of nausea. Scorpius was one of those—he was gone for nearly an hour before he returned. "Do we have to stay here?" he asked, still covering his mouth.

"We do if you don't want to be known as a ninny for the rest of your schooldays," Aries teased. Scorpius groaned.

Everyone in the common room jumped when they all heard an eerie howl, and a shiver shot up Albus' spine. "What—what was that?" Scorpius asked nervously.

"Probably a werewolf," Archer said with a smirk.

"That isn't funny," Theodore said quietly. "That sounds just like one."

The howl echoed again. "Okay, who's the joker?" Graysoul yelled, looking around the common room. "We know you're hiding around here somewhere!"

The howling stopped, but Albus still felt uneasy. "It's all right, everyone," a seventh year said. "It was probably a few Gryffindors prowling around the dungeons, trying to spook us."

"Probably that Potter and his friends," a voice said.

The howl sounded again, but by this time everyone believed is was simply a few Gryffindors running around. Though in the early hours of the morning, after the younger Slytherins had made their way to bed, Albus heard the howling again in the distance. And when he fell asleep, he had strange dreams, about a hooded figure and a werewolf discussing murdering someone.

When morning came, the disturbing dreams slipped from Albus' mind.