"BOO!"

A grinning Sarah leapt out from behind a statue upon the startled-looking Katelyn, Rachel, Tanya, and Hannah. "Hi, guys!"

Rachel turned to their companions. "You guys go ahead. Save us seats." She looked back at Sarah as Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Parvati, Harry, Ron, etc. walked away. "Hey, Cubes, what's up?"

"Especially with the makeup," Katelyn said, eyebrows raised so high they were in danger of disappearing completely. Sarah was wearing dark eyeshadow and lipstick and looked positively ghoulish.

"It's Halloween," Sarah said jubilantly.

"So?" Tanya asked.

"It's Halloween at Hogwarts, dorks," she replied. "Come on. I don't want to miss the feast."

They entered the Great Hall, waved goodbye to Sarah, and took their seats next to Hermione, Ron, Harry, Seamus, and the Weasley twins.

"Hey, Hannah?" George said, leaning past everyone to see down the row.

"What?"

"Look at Haley!"

Hannah looked down the table and saw Haley deeply engaged in conversation with Oliver Wood.

Hannah suppressed a giggle and went back to her talk with Rachel, Katelyn, Tanya, Hermione, Dean, Harry, Ron, and Seamus.

"So, do you think exams will be hard?" Hermione asked out of the blue.

"I hope not!" Tanya exclaimed. "I don't want to fail my first year!"

"Well," Percy Weasley said pompously, "if you pay attention in class, you'll do fine."

"It shouldn't be too difficult," Rachel said. "After all, we are only first years."

Seamus and Dean nodded. "The real killers are your O.W.L.s in fifth year and the N.E.W.T.s in seventh."

"Owls? Newts?"

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests," Seamus replied.

Rachel's eyes widened. "And I thought S.A.T.s sounded scary."

"S.A.T.s? What does that stand for?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea, actually."

Seamus shook his sandy-colored head. "You empty-headed Americans. Don't know nothing." He jumped as Rachel kicked him under the table. "What?"

"Don't insult us Yankees again, leprechaun" —Seamus scowled— "or you may find out what Malfoy experienced ten feet above the ground." She put her elbows on the table and leaned closer. "Let me tell you this Pureblood to Pureblood: I don't like being made fun of."

"Pureblood?" he asked. "I'm half-and-half. And I thought you were Muggle-born."

"I am," she replied, nodding. "Look—you're all Irish, aren't you?"

"I am," Seamus said proudly.

She sat back. "Well, I'm all Dutch. Does that explain it?"

Seamus leaned forward in interest. "Really? You're Dutch? Me aunt's mam is Dutch! What do you know about it?"

Rachel beamed; she was glad to have an enthusiastic audience for her abundant store of knowledge. "Well, I—" She was cut off as the door to the Great Hall slammed open.

'"Troll! In the dungeons!" Quirrell ran in, shouting as he went. "Troll!" He stopped next to Seamus, swayed, said, "Though you ought to know," and fainted.

The Great Hall erupted in screaming and everyone got up to run for their lives. But Dumbledore shot sparks from his wand and bellowed, "Silence!"

All the students stopped abruptly.

"Now," he began again, "prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

"Tanya, Hannah, come help me!" Rachel cried. They hurried to help her lift Professor Quirrell from the ground. "He'll get trampled if we leave him here." Yet, try as they might, they could not get him up, much less move him. It was as if he was the weight of two normal people.

Rachel scanned the crowd anxiously. Seamus, Dean, and Katelyn were at the far end, and Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen. "What should we do?" she moaned, her back breaking from Quirrell's dead weight.

Suddenly the strain lifted, and a beaming, pixyish face appeared under Quirrell's arm.

"Beth!"

Shelby's face broke into a grin. "Hi!"

"Where's Malfoy?" Hannah asked.

The grin melted off her face. "Just got away. Need some help?"

"Yes," Tanya said emphatically.

"Okay." They began to move slowly toward the doors. "Where do you want him?" Shelby asked once they entered the foyer.

"Right here's good," Rachel said, and they propped him up against a wall.

"Professor?" Tanya asked tentatively. No response.

"Professor."

"Professor…"

"Professor!"

"There's got to be a better way," Hannah said darkly.

"Okay. How about we all shout his name?" Tanya suggested.

"Okay."

"All right. One…two…three!"

"Professor Quirrell!" they shouted in unison, and Shelby shook him for good measure.

He slowly opened his eyes, stirring theatrically.

"We'll help you to the Hospital Wing, Professor," Tanya said nervously.

"N-no, t-that won't b-b-be necessary, g-girls," he said, standing shakily. "I'll-I'll t-t-take my-s-s-self, t-t-thank you. Y-you'd b-best get your-yourselves t-t-t-to your d-d-dormitories."

"Yes, Professor."

They got up and started up the corridor, jumping nervously at every noise. About ten minutes later, they came upon a slightly dusty, but beaming, Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"What happened to you?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"It's a long story," Hermione said. "I—"

"What's she doing here?" Ron interrupted loudly, pointing at Shelby.

She blinked. "Oh! My dormitory's the other way." She turned, waved, and scurried off.

"She's really very nice," Tanya said apologetically.

"That Malfoy kid's controlling her every move," Hannah said, stomping her foot.

"I understand," Hermione said. "Come on. We'll walk and talk."

They returned to find a nearly empty common room. "Where is everyone?" Hannah asked, puzzled.

They had just sat down to discuss this newest turn of events when the portrait hole swung open again.

"They…didn't…come back…after supper…Professor," came Seamus's breathless voice.

"So…we came…for ylou," added Katelyn's.

She came into view, clutching a stitch in her side. "They're not—oh." She stopped short as she caught sight of them.

Seamus entered the common room, groaned, and slumped forward, hands on his knees. "Never mind, Professor," he said to the matronly figure behind him.

Professor McGonagall straightened her hat. "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, haven't you gotten in enough trouble tonight? Up to your dormitories, immediately. You, too, Mr. Finnigan, Miss Hekman, Miss Schreiter, Miss Barcanic, Miss Rogers."

"Yes, Professor."

As they got up, Professor McGonagall shook her head and turned to leave, though not before they heard something that sounded suspiciously like "First years."