Halloween

Yukimura Seiichi

It was easy to forget about the riddle and their loss when everyone was happily anticipating the Halloween feast. The large pumpkins at the edge of the Forbidden Forest had been transported to the Great Hall and were carved into massive jack-o-lanterns. There were now live bats that flew around the rafters. The ghosts were spending more and more time in the Great Hall to add to the spooky atmosphere, and Nearly Headless Nick was glad to tell horrific stories about his death to anyone who would listen.

On Halloween morning, Professor Reyna declared that they had finished their lessons on imps and that they would have a practical exam out on the grounds where she had converted a section of grass into a marsh that bubbled and frothed and smelled of something foul.

Imps—nasty, pale, little creatures with pointed ears and crooked smiles—were lounging on floating lily pads and protruding logs. One was using a twig to pick bug wings from its teeth.

"Do you think it's too late to pretend I'm sick?" Marui asked. "Quick, Jackal, fall down so I can take you to the Hospital Wing."

"I'm not hurting myself so you can get out of an exam," Jackal said.

"You would if you were my friend."

A spotted frog jumped onto Oshitari Kenya from Gryffindor and his cousin Yuushi in Slytherin laughed. Kenya pushed Yuushi into the marsh, but Yuushi dragged Kenya in with him. Professor Reyna deducted five hours points from each of them then shouted, "Hurry up and get out, you lazy bums. This is not a swimming lesson!"

The cousins dragged themselves out of the lake. The two were covered in algae and dripping wet. The rest of the students stood several feet away from them. They smelled horrible.

"Your goal," Professor Reyna told them, "is to get through the marsh. I will be grading you based on your performance. Do whatever the bloody hell you have to to get to the other side. You'll be sent across in groups of fives, but you will be graded individually. Whether you work together or not is up to you.

"The first group is Yukimura, Kawamura, Tachibana, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

"Are we Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" Kenya asked.

"If we are, you're Tweedledum," Yuushi said.

Kenya nearly pushed Yuushi back into the marsh.

"Stop messing around and head east to the starting line," Professor Reyna ordered.

On the east side of the marsh was a white chalk starting line. Seventy feet away, on the other side of the marsh, Professor Reyna pointed her wand into the air. Orange sparks shot up into the sky.

"Are we supposed to go?" Kawamura asked, hesitant. For a Gryffindor, he was surprisingly soft hearted.

"GO!" Professor Reyna roared.

Yukimura slowly put his weight onto a large lily pad, testing. When he discovered it could hold his weight, he stepped onto it. From there he jumped onto a log, waving his arms to keep his balance, then a moved onto a slippery, algae covered rock. There wasn't a single surface that wasn't wet or dangerously slick.

Halfway across, the imps began to pester them. One jumped onto Kawamura's back and pulled his robes above his head. Kawamura fell into the marsh with a panicked scream and a large splash.

An imp grabbed Yukimura by the ankle, tugging and pulling to make him lose his balance and fall in. It cackled as Yukimura tried to kick it off to no avail. The thing would not budge.

Yukimura pointed his wand at the creature and said, "Flipendo!" The imp was blasted back into the water.

Yukimura pressed on.

Tachibana from Gryffindor was several feet ahead of him and had also chosen an offensive approach, using the same Knockback Jinx to blast away the imps on the rocks in front of him. The imps did not appear to like that and several jumped on Tachibana at once, grabbing onto his legs and arms. Tachibana flailed in an attempt to get them off, but he lost his footing on the log and slipped into the marsh.

With the imps focusing on Tachibana, Yukimura hurried across a path of lily pads until he was one jump away from the shore where Professor Reyna and the rest of the class stood watching. Yukimura jumped, his legs hitting the water but his arms grasping the solid ground, and he heaved himself up onto dry land.

Professor Reyna looked down her nose at him. "You beat the course record by five and a half seconds. Impressive. Ten points to Slytherin."

Yukimura smiled proudly.

The rest of the class ran through the course. Sanada fell in once near the end, when an imp jumped and grabbed onto his head, yanking and pulling at his hair. Yanagi made it through without falling in by taking his time and avoiding the imps all together. Marui rode on Jackal's back, shooting imps with jinxes while Jackal treaded through the marsh with a miserable expression. Fuji had a staring contest with the imps and Niou took the chance to slip by without confrontation.

By the end of class, everyone smelled like rotten planets, and half of them had mud on their robes. No one came close to beating the record Yukimura had set.

The Slytherins headed straight to Charms after Defense Against the Dark Arts ended. They had to run to make it on time. Upon their arrival, Professor Watanabe laughed so hard he fell out of his chair. The Hufflepuffs gawked at them.

"Professor Reyna at it again?" Professor Watanabe asked with tears in his eyes. He sat cross-legged on top of his desk instead of in the chair. "She always does one of her obstacle courses this time of year. What was it this time? You all stink. Pee-ew!"

"Imps in a marsh," Oshitari said, adjusting his hopelessly dirty glasses. Every time his cousin Kenya fell in, he dragged Yuushi along with him. Professor Reyna said it would have been faster if they had just swum across the marsh.

"Imps, that's a messy one," Professor Watanabe said. "Who made it through the course first this year?"

"Yukimura," Fuji said. "He broke the course record."

"Tachibana was right behind me until the very end," Yukimura said, sounding modest. "Besides, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw still have to go through it. My record may be broken by the end of the day."

"Do you really believe that?" Tezuka asked with an unimpressed face.

Yukimura did not say anything, but his smile held his answer.

The Slytherins took their seats. Usually, the Hufflepuffs simply ignored them, but now that they smelled like marsh water, the Hufflepuffs stayed several feet away from the Slytherins. Oshitari managed to corner Mukahi at the end of a row. The redhead looked physically ill.

"Today we're going to be doing that Levitation Charm we've been learning about," Professor Watanabe said and the class broke into excited whispering. "Calm down, calm down. We're just doing some feathers. We'll work with heavier things next class. I want everyone to take out a feather—I did tell you to bring them today, didn't I? Oh, good, you all have feathers. That would have been embarrassing."

Professor Watanabe took his wand out of his pocket and did a swish and flick with his wrist. "Juuust like that, like we practiced. Who can tell me the incantation we've learned?"

"Wingardium Leviosa," a Hufflepuff said.

"Great. Everyone got it? Let's try it, then!"

It was more difficult than Professor Watanabe made it look when he floated a suit of armor last class. Yanagi fussed over the pronunciation of the incantation of the spell, Sanada nodding and listening intently.

All around the room, students were shouting at their feathers or waving their arms wildly. Mukahi had started a competition with Kikumaru, though Yukimura did not think that Kikumaru knew about it.

Then, on the other side of the room, a feather was floating off the table above the students' heads. Shiraishi was smiling and staring up at the feather levitating above his desk.

"Well done, Shiraishi!" Professor Watanabe shouted in pleasant surprise. "Everyone see that? That's what's supposed to happen. Five points to Hufflepuff."

Several rows behind Shiraishi, at the back of the room, Yukimura saw another feather floating. Niou had his wand pointed at the levitating feather, looking rather bored. No one around him seemed to have noticed his success.

Yukimura looked at his own feather. He flicked his wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

His feather slowly rose.

"You're doing well today," Yanagi said. "First Defense Against the Dark Arts, now Charms."

"You think so?" Yukimura asked. Both Sanada and Yanagi nodded. "Genichirou, do you think the Levitation Charm counts as an elemental charm since it requires manipulating the air?"

Sanada, who had not tried the spell, or any other elemental spell since the incident in Herbology for that matter, pointed his wand at his feather and said, "Wingardium Leviosa."

The feather shot up to the ceiling then slowly floated back down. No one else seemed to have noticed. Sanada carefully set his wand on the desk.

Yukimura, who was trying very hard not to laugh, said, "I think it counts as an elemental charm. Don't you agree, Yanagi?"

"Yes, I do."

Sanada turned a brilliant shade of red and sank into his seat.

The Halloween feast that night was magnificent—warm pumpkin bread, cinnamon apples, sweet potatoes, stuffed peppers, squash, and roasted hams the size of Yukimura's head. The bats swooped down from the ceilings and flew near their heads as they ate, flapping their wings and skimming over the pumpkin juice for a drink. Farther down the Slytherin table, Fuji was charming small decorative pumpkins to dance.

Before dessert replaced the main dishes, Marui and Jackal came over to the Slytherin table. They still smelled like marsh water—all the first years did, even after showering and rubbing their skin red with soap.

"We're out of pumpkin bread at our table," Marui said, reaching in-between Sanada and Yanagi. He grabbed the largest piece from the basket.

"Do you want to sit?" Yukimura asked. "We can make room."

Jackal looked nervously at the surrounding Slytherins, who were staring. "Maybe next time," Jackal said.

"Enemy territory," Marui joked before taking a large bit of his bread. "How'd Charms go? Who made the feather float first in your class?"

"Shiraishi from Hufflepuff," Yanagi said. "Yukimura was second."

"I was the first in our class," Marui said.

"Atobe was first," Jackal said.

"Okay, maybe not first, but definitely top ten," Marui conceded. "I did better than most of the nerds in Ravenclaw. They weren't acting so big when it was my floating feather that almost poked Professor Watanabe's eye out."

Yukimura smiled at Marui's story then said, "I actually think it was Niou who was the first to make their feather levitate in our class."

"He didn't say anything," Sanada said, looking confused. "Why would he levitate his feather and not say anything?"

"'Cause Niou's a freak," Marui said. He began to grab more bread, piling it in a makeshift bag he had made with his robes. "This was a nice chat, but we should go. I can only take Slytherins glaring at me for so long."

"Happy Halloween," Jackal said.

Dessert was met with candy-filled pumpkins, apples dipped in candy and caramel, black cauldrons of big lollipops, carrot cake, and the best pumpkin pie Yukimura had ever tasted.

The ghosts glided into the hall in practiced formations. Many danced and twirled overhead while the Bloody Baron shook his chains menacingly. Nearly Headless Nick appeared from under the Gryffindor table with his head in the pudding. Even the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost who frequented the hallways by the library and Astronomy Tower, was in attendance. She talked to an older Slytherin student at the entrance to the hall for nearly ten minutes before being whisked away by the Fat Friar.

The feast ended with the suits of armor fencing in front of the professors' table. Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi left before the end of the show.

While walking through the dungeons, they heard a loud voice coming from behind them.

"FIRST YEARS. I SEE FIRST YEARS!"

"Peeves," Sanada groaned.

"Who?" Yanagi asked.

"The poltergeist that lives at Hogwarts," Yukimura said.

Usually the poltergeist avoided the dungeons because that's where the Bloody Baron liked to roam. Peeves must have realized that the Slytherin ghost was at the feast and would not be in the dungeons to scare him off.

Peeves was a little man with slanted orange eyes that dressed in outlandish clothes that were better suited to a clown. He was not pearly white and transparent like the ghosts but solid, though Yukimura heard he could become invisible whenever he wanted.

Peeves flew above them in circles, holding a pumpkin the size of their heads.

"Akiteru said to ignore him," Sanada said.

Yukimura and Yanagi both nodded.

"Ignore me? How dare you ignore me!" Peeves sped ahead of them and, grinning wickedly, held the pumpkin in front of him. He shouted with glee, "Bombs awaaay!" and dropped the pumpkin over their heads.

"Seiichi!" Sanada grabbed the collar of Yukimura's robes and yanked him back just in time. The pumpkin exploded against the ground, splattering on the three of them. Yukimura was sure his feet would smell like pumpkin for a week, if not longer.

If that pumpkin had hit them, it would have hurt more than a Bludger.

"Seiichi?" Peeves grinned. "Yukimura Seiichi? Oh, the ghosts have been gossiping about you like a bunch of old whores on the rag!"

Yukimura looked at Sanada and Yanagi and said, "Let's go."

Peeves floated behind them, cackling. "All the ghosts are so-o-o happy you have magic. They won't stop talking about it. They thought you were a squib like that father of yours."

"My father is not a squib," Yukimura said.

"May as well have been! He tried to jinx me once, you know, when he was Head Boy, but he couldn't even light a candle."

Yukimura wrapped his fingers around his wand in his pocket. Beside him, Sanada was walking with clenched fists.

No one was supposed to know that. It was kept a secret from all the other pure-blood families, but of course the ghosts would know, they were here when his parents were. They would have seen his father's magic, or lack thereof.

"Too proud to respond?" Peeves asked. "Maybe I should run ahead and tell everyone that little Yukimura Seiichi has lost his precious magic."

"PEEVES!" a gruff voice roared.

Peeves startled. The Bloody Baron drifted through a tapestry, his dead, blank eyes staring at the poltergeist. He said, "Peeves, what have I told you about terrorizing students?"

"I think I've forgotten," Peeves said.

"Do not pretend to be stupid. Or maybe you truly are stupid. If that is the case, do I need to remind you?"

Peeves rolled his eyes. In a high, whiny voice, he said, "You told me not to terrorize the students."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"They started it!"

"Peeves."

Peeves blew a loud, wet raspberry in their direction then turned around and went back the way they came. Hopefully he would not find another pumpkin to smash into first years' heads.

"Are you three alright?" the Bloody Baron asked. They all nodded. "Do you know the way to the common room?"

"Yes," Yukimura said.

The Bloody Baron looked at Yukimura for a moment, then nodded curtly. "Then I will be on my way. Happy Halloween." He turned and floated through a wall, disappearing.

The three stood silently in the hallway for a moment.

Eventually, Yukimura looked around, saw that no one was near them, and said, "You can ask. I don't mind."

Yanagi cleared his throat. "What was that about your father?"

"With every generation, the magic in my family has grown weaker," Yukimura said with great difficulty and much pride. "My father was brilliant, but he could not perform magic, not really at least. He can hardly light his own wand. Anything above a first year level is too hard for him. He managed passing marks because classes were more theoretical than they were practical when he attended school here.

"My family used to be included in every history book. We created spells and potions that revolutionized the wizarding world, but that was centuries ago. Over time, our magic declined and our name started to disappear from history along with our power. Not many people know, but those who do say that our magic is fading."

"I didn't know that magic could leave a family," Yanagi said. "I've never read anything about it."

"Magic can appear randomly in muggles, so why can't it leave witches and wizards?"

"But you and your sister have magic," Sanada said. "Magic has not left you, or your family."

Yukimura nodded solemnly. He had magic and it was stronger than his father's, even at his young age.

"Everyone thought my sister and I would be squibs—wizard-borns who don't have magic—but when I was two, I started changing the color of the flowers in the garden. Apparently my parents were so relieved that they did nothing but cry for three days. My sister showed her magic around the same age as me. My parents say that we broke the curse of our family name."

Yanagi, who always had something to add, was silent.

"Don't look so awkward," Yukimura told him. "Like Genichirou said, I have magic, don't I?"

"You're the best wizard I know," Yanagi said.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, you're brilliant." Yukimura smiled. "We should go to the common room before Peeves comes back. I don't want to meet him again."

"I'll hex him next time he talks about your family like that," Sanada said.

"Oh, that will be interesting," Yukimura said happily. "I look forward to it. I hope you don't mind if I take the first shot, though."

They made it back to the common room without running into Peeves again. Inside, they saw Akiteru sitting in front of the fire with his wand out. The three walked by to go to their room and Akiteru called out, "Gen!" They changed course for the prefect.

"What are you trying to do to the fire?" Sanada asked. "And why weren't you at the feast?"

"Transfigure it into a snake," Akiteru said. "Saito taught me the spell. I've been working on it all afternoon, but I haven't been able to get it right... Anyway, Gen, Mom sent us homemade Pumpkin Pasties for Halloween. I put yours on your bed. She said she made enough for Seiichi, too."

Yukimura brightened considerably at that. Mrs. Sanada's homemade food was more than enough to make him forget about what Peeves had said.

"You can have some too," Sanada said as he looked at Yanagi, who smiled and nodded. Yanagi was always happy to be included by Yukimura and Sanada.

"Aw, you have friends to share with, Gen," Akiteru teased. Sanada blushed. "So how was your first Halloween at Hogwarts? I heard Reyna made you do an obstacle course."

"Imps in a marsh," Sanada said.

"Yukimura beat the course record," Yanagi said.

"Way to go, Seiichi," Akiteru said with a proud smile. "How'd you do, Gen?"

"I finished first in my group."

Akiteru's smile seemed to grow. "Just like your big bro. And you, uh, I don't know your name. How'd you do?"

"My name is Yanagi Renji. I was in your brother's group. I finished second."

"Good job, Yanagi." Akiteru looked between the three of them. "Anything else interesting happen today? See anything spooky?" Akiteru grinned, obviously joking. There was no such thing as spooky at a school inhabited by ghosts and witches and wizards.

"We ran into Peeves," Sanada said with a sour expression. "The Bloody Baron scared him away."

Akiteru nodded sympathetically. "Peeves is more annoying than usual this time of year—he's a downright pain. The prefects have extra patrol tonight to make sure he doesn't get up to trouble. Last year, he flooded the dungeons. Year before that, he got all the house elves drunk in the kitchens. Then there were the eggs, and the toilet paper on the Whomping Willow… Watch out for yourselves."

"We always do," Yukimura said.

"More than usual," Akiteru said seriously. "Strange things happen on Halloween night and I don't just mean Peeves."

"We will," Sanada said.

"Happy Halloween, you three."

Akiteru pointed his wand back at the fire and said the incantation. The fire curled and wisped like a snake, but did not change form. Akiteru sighed heavily.

Yukimura was unable to sleep that night. He kept remembering what Peeves had said. It had all been true except that his father was not a squib, but he was close enough that technicalities did not truly matter. His father was a brilliant man, but a horrible wizard in practice. They thought he would be the last wizard the Yukimura bloodline ever produced.

Yukimura would change that, though. He would make a name for himself and bring their family back into the history books. He would return the family's lost status and rise so high that no one could question him. He would reach the top no matter what.

Just before midnight, he gave up on sleep all together and headed towards the common room with his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. At first glance, the common room was empty, but Yukimura spotted someone moving near the entrance.

One second, he was looking at Niou's back—no other Slytherin had white hair like that—only the first year was wearing robes far too large for him. Then, without the uncorking of a potion or the flash of the spell, Niou had changed. He was taller with short dark hair and familiar broad shoulders, and he fit and filled the robes perfectly.

He left. He had not noticed Yukimura.

Yukimura had goosebumps on his arms and neck. Akiteru was right when he said strange things happened on Halloween night.