Late Arrivals and Lifetime Rivals: Snape's Worst Halloween
Professor Vector seeking a costume of her own and the first hour of the party. It is going to be a long night.
Chapter 2: Early Arrivals
I made my way to the library where I would hopefully find the Gray Lady. I walked down a back aisle of bookcases in order to avoid the nasty glares of Madam Pince, who at times convinced me that I had done something wrong that I was not aware of.
As I approached an old desk in a far corner of the room, I saw the house ghost was there. She was contentedly reading, amidst a sea of dusty, leather-bound books.
I explained to her that I admired her scholarship and esteemed our friendship and would like to represent her as my inspiration for a Halloween guise.
She appeared to be genuinely touched I showed an interest in her and the world she once lived in.
She said that I should seek out a house elf who would lead me to a room in the castle that could accommodate all of my needs. I thanked her profusely and left the library, eager to reach the kitchens where I knew a house elf would be found.
7:00 p.m.
I made my way to London by apparition after having left the Hogwarts grounds. I arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place and was anxious to see what everyone else would come as. The other stipulation that Sirius and the Weasleys had made was that nobody should discuss beforehand what their costumes would be, so they would be a surprise.
I was dressed as the Gray Lady who lived during Medieval England. I looked similar to what she had been in life. I let my hair hang loose and had borrowed a tiara. My gown and robes were dark blue in honor of her House.
As I neared the doorway to the house, my excitement could no longer be contained. I knocked on the door and waited as patiently as I could…
A second later the door swung open. I jumped back in shock and gave a yelp. Taken aback for a moment, I then proceeded to laugh nervously. Two identical spiders greeted me and waved me in several times due to the multiple, hairy legs that danced in the air. Obviously, they were the Weasley twins.
"Mum, Professor Vector is here." I looked around and saw that I was early. No one had arrived yet.
"…coming, Fred….Septima, how are you, my dear?" said Molly Weasley with a smile. "You look lovely. Who are you supposed to be?" she inquired of my costume.
"The Grey Lady," I replied with a grin, and told her how I pulled everything together.
"Oh, I am sure she was thrilled that you honored her that way. I always liked her when Arthur and I were at school. I chose Helga Hufflepuff as my costume. I also admired her from what I learned in my History of Magic classes. The few things I retained from Professor Binns," she smiled. "She was accepting of everyone and I wish more people were like her. Have a seat and Arthur will fetch you a drink." Molly put an arm around me and coaxed me into a chair.
Mr. Weasley. That was a shock…but not if you knew him well. All in all, throughout the night, he was probably the most excited person at the party, including the children. He served food and drinks and was so animated it caused his curly, gray periwig to constantly stunt his vision and nearly slip off his head. He told me and later every guest who arrived that he was the greatest muggle of all--- George Washington.
Arthur handed me a glass of butterbeer and stated enthusiastically…"Septima, I can not tell a lie."(giggle) "Get it!"(giggle) He elbowed me with glee. Quite pleased with himself, he added, "I am just quoting President Washington…Fascinating man!"
It was then that Sirius Black came down the stairs and into the living room.
"Hello, Septima. Grey Lady, right? I saw her roaming the halls at night." He gave me a lop-sided, yet devilishly, charming smile. "I must say you really do her justice. I couldn't help but guess. Actually, excuse me for a moment, luv."
"Molly," said Sirius. "There is no way Ron is coming down unless Fred and George change their costumes. I tried talking to him about it but it seems that it's no help. I haven't even dressed myself yet. I'll check on him again later," he said, and made a helpless gesture with his shoulders.
"Really…" Molly made a noise in the back of her throat, and apparently began to talk to herself in the kitchen. However, I am sure it was meant for Ron's ears as well. "…a grown boy. Honest to goodness…there are worse creatures to be frightened of."
"Ron!" She peeped out of the kitchen door and I am quite sure that her voice carried to wherever Ron was upstairs. "You are being silly. You will be the laughingstock of the party." (This is where Molly was wrong, however.) "Your sister, Ginny, is down here and she is fine."
"Oh, well," said Molly. "He will come down when Harry and Hermione arrive with Professor Dumbledore.
Ginny, I noticed, looked adorable and was sitting on the couch with Fred and George playing Exploding Snap. She was dressed in a silver and white robe, with a silver horn atop her bright red hair. She was lovely as a baby unicorn.
Now that the initial surprise was over and I had seen Sirius and most of the Weaselys, I decided to sit back and relax with my butterbeer and await the next arrivals.
