The next months of school passed relatively quickly for Neville. Though he had tried very hard to find an adventure in order to keep his friends interested in his fame, Neville had failed dismally. The quiet year at Hogwarts that he used to hope to have was now a curse. Eventually, Neville had given up, reasoning that since the trouble last year had simply fallen into their laps, surely the same would be true for this time.
Besides his quest for adventure, school was proceeding very normally. Though the teachers were giving intense amounts of homework, which Neville struggled to finish, he generally managed to keep up. Lockhart continued to be as daft and egocentric as usual, making Defense Against the Dark Arts a joke among the students. Potions class with Harry's mother was quite uneventful, for Neville had stopped ruining all his potions in the absence of a cruel teacher. He had even begun to enjoy the class slightly, though Harry's constant grouchiness after generally ruined such a feeling.
At last, just a few weeks before Halloween, something interesting happened. Harry, Ron, and Neville were eating their customary large breakfast in the Great Hall, filling their stomachs with enough food to hopefully keep them functioning until the noonday meal. Just as they were beginning to finish, Neville saw movement from the staff table out of the corner of his eye. He turned to find Dumbledore, looking extremely chipper in dark purple robes, standing to address the full hall. He cleared his throat softly, and all talking ceased at once. As Dumbledore had never interrupted breakfast before, the students were all quite curious what he wanted to say.
The headmaster began to speak, scanning the hall of students as he did so. "As you all know, Halloween is fast approaching," he said happily. Neville turned to Harry and Ron, and the three boys grinned at one another, remembering their first Halloween at Hogwarts, which had been extremely eventful. He turned back around as Dumbledore continued to talk. "This year, at the recommendation of several staff members, we will be putting a little twist on our usual feast!" His eyes sparkled with excitement. Neville heard Harry groan, and assumed his mother must have been involved with the decision, though Neville did not dare break the taut silence of the room by asking. "As many of you, especially those who came from Muggle families, may know, Muggles celebrate the bewitching holiday of Halloween by dressing in costume. This year, Hogwarts will be joining in that tradition, and making our usual feast a costume party! I trust you all will enjoy this very much. Now, off to class!"
Neville stood up at once, followed by Harry and Ron. He could hear exclamations of excitement all along the table; it seemed as though the idea was quite popular among the Gryffindors. Neville could distinctly hear the Weasley twins planning a very elaborate costume. He glanced around the hall, curious what the other houses thought of Dumbledore's idea. The Hufflepuffs seemed extremely excited, and many Ravenclaws did as well. Only the Slytherins appeared angry. Neville realized it must be because they did not want to follow a Muggle tradition. He bit back a laugh at the sight of Draco Malfoy's disgusted pale face, then hurried after his friends.
Neville found them waiting at the doors of the Great Hall. Harry still appeared a bit put-out.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked, already suspecting at had to do with Harry's mother, as had most of his angst that year.
"My mother's been trying to force the Muggle tradition on us for years, and now she's got the whole school to do it! How embarrassing is that?" Harry sighed, rolling his eyes in frustration.
"Everyone seems to like the idea though, mate!" Ron exclaimed. "Besides, nobody knows it was her idea or anything." He glanced beseechingly at Neville to back up his proclamation.
Neville nodded promptly. "Well, except Draco Malfoy and the Slytherins, but I reckon that's actually a good thing." He grinned again at the memory of the extremely disgruntled Malfoy.
Harry forced a smile, and Neville and Ron sighed with relief. Neither one enjoyed being in the company of a grumpy Harry for very long, and were more than happy to see him replaced so quickly.
Over the next weeks, much of Hogwarts began to get into the spirit of Halloween. More students than normal could be found in the library, searching feverishly for creative costume ideas, and spells to help make them. Even several of the teachers appeared festive. In Charms class, Professor Flitwick had taught them an easy little charm to produce a roll of thunder. Though Neville's had been a bit more of a thump than the typical crash, he still enjoyed the lesson, and the fantastic clamor they had made in the process. In Potions, Professor Evans had them brew several easy potions that could be used to temporarily alter one's appearance slightly. Neville's potions had not come out quite perfect enough that he felt safe drinking them, but it was quite interesting all the same. Even Lockhart appeared to be in a spooky spirit, though he refused to deviate from the subject of himself. In the time before Halloween, the class was forced to act out the 'Top Five Scariest Wizard Moments,' which were all, not surprisingly, from Gilderoy Lockhart's many novels.
Harry, Ron, and Neville wasted much time trying to find the perfect costume ideas. None of them had any designs whatsoever, and the holiday was fast approaching. Tempers began to run high, and there was much putting down of ideas. Harry wanted them to use spells to alter their appearance, while Ron wanted to just dress up as something. Neville, truthfully, did not care in the slightest, so long as the three boys came up with something together.
All too quickly, Halloween day arrived. Thankfully, it fell on a Saturday, which allowed Harry, Ron, and Neville one last chance to create a costume. All throughout the day they could see students running around the castle, desperately trying to locate materials in order to complete their costumes. Eventually, the three boys ended up in the common room, sitting glumly by the feebly flickering fire.
"I guess we'll just have to go without costumes." Harry said glumly. Though he had despised the idea when first announced, he had grown more and more excited as time went on.
Neville stared out into the common room, where students were feverishly finishing their costumes. Just then, Ginny Weasley walked by, looking a bit glum. Neville was just pondering what could be the matter when Harry exclaimed, "Ginny!" extremely loudly, causing him and Ron to jump. The two boys looked at Harry, extremely confused, as Ginny walked over to where they sat.
"Yeah?" she asked suspiciously, clearly unsure why she was being summoned by her brother and his friends. Neville wondered what Harry was up to.
"Well, the three of us haven't got any costumes, and I just thought maybe we could just wear some of your stuff. Y'know, and go as girls." Harry seemed a bit excited as he explained the idea. Ron and Neville, however, looked utterly against it.
"I'm not going out in public wearing a dress!" Ron exclaimed vehemently, frowning.
Ginny laughed slightly at her brother's disgusted expression. "Just for the sake of seeing my brother wear a dress, all right. If you can get them to agree, and you promise to put Ron in a dress, I'll find something you can wear." Although Neville was still utterly against the idea, he was glad to see Ginny smile for once.
Harry turned to his friends. "Come on, you lot! If we don't do it, we'll have no costume whatsoever. We'll be the only ones!" He seemed extremely fixed upon the idea of dressing as girls.
Ron and Neville shared a glance, their faces sharing a look of defeat. "Alright." Ron sighed, not even daring to look at his sister, who was once again grinning.
"Great!" Harry exclaimed, perking up as Ginny hurried off, then reappeared a few minutes later with a bundle of colorful clothing in her arms.
"Here you go." She said, dumping the pile in Harry's lap. "I had to borrow from some roommates, because you lot are bigger than I am. It should fit alright." Ginny gave one last amused glance in their direction, then hurried off, presumably to put on her own costume.
Harry, Ron, and Neville quickly gathered the clothing, then trooped up the steps to their dormitory, where Dean and Seamus were already dressing in their costumes. Dean was going as a West Ham football player, and wore an old, tattered jersey. Seamus had meant to go as a mummy, although his wrappings were already beginning to fall off. They both stifled a laugh as Harry explained what the three boys had decided to go as, then left. Harry began to toss clothing to Ron and Neville, and they dressed quickly. Neville wore an uncomfortable grey skirt with a normal sweater, which he was quite grateful about. True to his word, Harry had given Ron a dress, which he looked surprisingly alright in, although his expression was one of great displeasure. Harry himself wore a black skirt and pink sweater, and looked altogether unfazed by the outfit. Neville began to understand just how desperately his friend sought to fit in, for the costumes really were quite uncreative.
Together, the three boys descended to the common room, which was beginning to empty as people proceeded to the Great Hall for the feast. Their costumes drew quite a few laughs, and Neville began to enjoy himself slightly. Even the sight of Ginny convulsing in a corner wearing McGonagall-esque robes could not ruin his sudden feeling of pleasure. Harry, Ron, and Neville left the common room, struggling slightly to exit the portrait hole normally in their new garments.
As they grew closer to the Great Hall, the corridors became more packed with students, most of which were dressed extremely interestingly. Neville could see a fantastic lion suit, complete with an extremely realistic head. He spotted three mysterious floating plants, which turned out to be Fred and George, along with their friend Lee Jordan, who had somehow made themselves nearly invisible, and were wearing the plants as strange, leafy hats. Neville even saw Hermione, who was sporting a very tattered wizards' hat and a clearly fake beard. He assumed she must be some famous, unknown wizard, and did not dwell on her predictability as the three boys jostled their way into the hall.
As they entered, Neville felt his breath leave his body. Though the decorations for the previous Halloween had been exciting, this year they were spectacular. Spider webs hung from the wall, the delicate silvery strands covering the normal brick with stunning, glimmering patterns. Pumpkins the size of a small first year stood in the corners of the room, carved into faces of pure menace. The ceiling was a thundering dark mass, with enchanted bats flapping around at the very top. The overall effect was quite frightening, but it was all in the spirit of the spooky holiday. Instinctively, Neville glanced up at the staff table, curious whether any of them had chosen to come in costume. To his great surprise, many had. Professor Flitwick wore a bronze battle helmet atop his head, the bright red plume quivering strangely in proportion to his small stature. Professor Sprout, looking utterly cheerful in her bright yellow flower costume, was talking to Professor Evans, whose costume appeared to be a large clear dome, which intermittently lit up. The most fascinating costume of all, however, was Dumbledore, who wore a large costume and headdress of bright red feathers. Neville thought he must be some sort of bird. There was a bit of fire flickering ominously around him, though not burning the professor, nor anything else.
Neville exchanged excited looks with Ron. Harry, however, was once again annoyed. Neville could not understand why; he had not even known what his mother's costume was.
"She's dressed as a lightbulb." Harry explained in a frustrated tone, correctly interpreting Neville's feeling of bewilderment. "It's something Muggles use to light up rooms. Mum's Muggleborn, so she knows all about them." He seemed to feel quite embarrassed by the costume, though nobody had yet found out Professor Evans was his mother.
Neville nodded, then quickly changed the subject. "Hey, look at Lockhart!" He exclaimed, glancing down the staff table once again. The three boys roared with laughter at a beaming Gilderoy Lockhart dressed in heavy robes of pumpkin orange.
"I reckon he came dressed as himself." Ron exclaimed, still convulsing slightly with mirth. "But in Halloween colors." The three boys laughed again at the terrible taste in color their teacher was displaying.
By this time, the flow of students into the hall had slowed to a trickle. Out of the corner of his eye, Neville saw Dumbledore wave his wand, and the just-empty tables filled with all sorts of delicacies. A cry of delight rose around the hall, then everyone tucked in for the meal.
Neville ate until he felt quite ready to burst. He spent quite a few minutes looking around the hall, his mouth agape at several of the costumes. Though the entire Slytherin table had abstained from the costume festivities, the rest of the school had seemed to take on the task of dressing-up with unusual fervor.
At last, the magical plates cleared, and Dumbledore stood to speak. The clamor of voices silenced at once. "A very happy Halloween to you all!" began Dumbledore, his eyes shining. "All the costumes among us today are quite magnificent. You have done a very admirable job! Now, we have a bit of entertainment for you. Please welcome the troupe of magical acrobatic art spiders!" Dumbledore gestured upwards, and as if one, heads turned towards the ceiling. There were various cries of shock and fear as people began to make out the shape of spiders, millions of them, flying across the ceiling by way of microscopically thin thread. Neville watched in fascination as they began to weave a picture out of the silk; the image coming together quite quickly through all their work. He glanced over at his friends, expecting to see them just as entranced, and was surprised. Ron sat hunched, his face staring down at the spotless tabletop, hands clenched. Harry appeared to be alternating between comforting Ron and watching the spiders' show.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked, his voice barely audible among the students' astonished exclamations.
Harry looked over. "Ron hates spiders." He said very simply, for no other explanation was needed. Neville glanced around. He could see several other students, obviously afraid of spiders as well, making their way to the large doors of the hall.
"Well, let's go, then." Neville exclaimed, standing up quickly. Though he was quite fascinated by the spiders, and longed to stay for their full performance, he felt as though helping a friend was more important. Ron stood up quickly, his eyes cast downward as he hurried towards the entrance. Harry followed reluctantly, casting one last long look at the spiders' nearly finished picture as they exited.
Once in the hallway, Ron calmed down considerably. His shoulders grew less tense, and the muscles in his face relaxed visibly. "Thanks," he said softly, obviously a bit embarrassed.
Neville was about to respond when he heard a mysterious voice; one he had heard once before. It echoed strangely around the hall, high and cold, with a strange accent.
"Let me rip you….… Let me tear you…. I smell blood… Let me kill you…"
Neville felt as though his blood had turned to ice. "D-did you hear that voice?" He asked nervously of his friends.
They looked at him, concerned. "What voice? There's nobody here." Harry said, looking around to be perfectly sure.
Neville began to hurry down the hall, the voice still in his ears, growing louder by the moment. "I smell blood… Let me kill you….. I smell blood….."
He hurried up a flight of stairs to the second floor, his ears straining to follow the faint strands of voice, growing ever quieter, yet still repeating, "I smell blood… I SMELL BLOOD!" He did not stop to consider the danger, nor to realize the fact that here was the adventure Neville had been searching for. His only thought was to find the voice.
Neville gasped breathlessly, still running. "Hurry! It's going to kill someone!" He tore down the corridor, towards the last, faint echoes of the voice. It had gone. Neville looked around for a moment, bewildered, before his eyes finally landed upon a chilling sight. Harry and Ron gasped in unison. Words were painted upon the wall in blood red, glowing in the dim torchlight of the room.
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE
A dark shape hung next to it, dangling from a torch bracket. Neville stepped closer, despite the obvious danger. Harry and Ron moved in to investigate as well, none of the boys wanting to admit their fear. All at once, they realized the shape was furry and cat-shaped. Harry gasped.
"It's Mrs. Norris! Filch's cat! Come on, we have to get out of here now." Harry turned sharply, and began to hurry down the hall. He paused after a moment, realizing his friends were not following. "There's nothing we can do for her! We don't want to be caught here, trust me. Now come on!"
Ron and Neville's eyes met, and they realized Harry was right. They were about to hurry after him down the hall when footsteps broke the tense silence. The echoing sounds of pounding feet on stone made Neville feel as though there was no place to go; it seemed to be coming from all directions. The three boys backed up together. They were directly in front of the mysterious message when the first students rounded the corner, laughing and talking boisterously.
All at once, the hall became silent as students began to read the message. It then filled with the whispers of informants, explaining to those unable to see what was going on.
Draco Malfoy, who was quite near the front of the crowd laughed in the silence. "Enemies of the heir? Hah! That means you'll be next, Mudbl-" Draco broke off, not finishing his exclamation, for Professor Dumbledore had just stepped upon the scene.
He stood silent for several moments, clearly trying to grasp what had occurred, though his eyes did not show a trace of fear. Neville watched him nervously, wondering if he knew what had happened.
Just then, Filch burst through the crowd. He had clearly not been having a very good night, which grew much worse as he stepped up to the message, confused, and spotted his beloved Mrs. Norris hanging beside it.
Filch turned upon the three boys, his face contorted with rage. "You killed my cat! I know you did, you filthy little troublemakers!" He reached out a gnarled hand as though to grab them. Neville stepped backwards, afraid of the evil old man. The crowd of students gasped.
Thankfully, Dumbledore intervened. He had spent several moments examining Mrs. Norris from where she hung limply. "Mr. Filch, please! Your cat is not dead. She has just been petrified. We will be able to cure her, though perhaps not right away." In the light of the fire, Dumbledore's face seemed old and tired, even among the warm feathers of his costume. Neville could see the shadows of many wrinkles upon his wizened face.
"That's just what I thought!" Gilderoy Lockhart exclaimed loudly, stepping forward and grinning at the crowd of students, clearly expecting them to applaud, or something of the sort. No such reaction occurred, and Lockhart stepped hastily back into the shadows.
Dumbledore sighed. "Everyone off to bed, now! There has been quite enough excitement for one evening." He waved his arms as though shooing away the students. Groups began to turn away and trudge back to their respective common rooms. Several shot curious glances at Harry, Ron, and Neville as they did so.
Neville felt extremely uncomfortable. Some of the students clearly suspected he and his friends were to blame. He began to trudge back to Gryffindor Tower, only dimly realizing the fact that he was still wearing a skirt.