Before starting this new chapter, I wanted to thank Ielenna again for this wonderful story. You'll see as chapters will go by, that not only did she think about a story, she also created a whole new world and extended the one Rowling created. She made me see that there was more than only a story about Harry Potter. There was a complete universe, a complex universe. She thought about every detail of it. So much that I started to love her characters as if they were real, as if they were my friends. I, now, shiver with them when danger comes, laugh with them when they hang out or tease each other, cry with them when they're despaired...

I completely fell in love with LMA, and it's becoming stronger with each new chapter, each new riddle, each new year of little Kate.

So a big THANK YOU to Ielenna, for this tremendous adventure!

Also, thank you to Emi, for her wonderful drawings of the story (you can find them on DeviantArt, her name is Tokio92 : gallery/52931114/Commissions but watch out for the spoilers! Drawings are named after the chapters so you can only look at the ones you already read if you want, or watch all of them if you don't care)
Thank you Emi for your beautiful art work and for your lovely comments! They make my day each time I read them!

And now: enjoy your reading!

4. Pumpkin juice

To the greatest disappointment of the first years, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher didn't meet their craziest dreams' criteria. It was an old stunted witch, with an Irish background – which was noticeable by her accent, her pale skin and her impressive, dull red, curly hair –, a yet intact smile and whose name was Miss O'Joovens. The decoration of her classroom was reminiscent of those Muggles' rites consisting in calling demons. Purple tapestries were adorned with embroidered golden pentacles. Moving items, in glass or clay, had been suspended along the staircase banister that led to her office and an animated skull was watching the students from one of the shelves. And, unlike everybody thought, her lessons were as thrilling as a horned toads' race, despite this new teacher's sympathy. But what everybody didn't know, was that Miss O'Joovens was only here as the theory teacher, not the referent. And that the teacher in charge of practical classes hadn't presented himself yet...

The surprise was considerable, a rainy Monday morning of October. First years were waiting at their desks, taking out their supplies for the lesson: parchments, quills and ink bottles. First thing they saw was that the heavy red felt curtains had been opened. They were used to the darkness of the room when it was Miss O'Joovens who was in charge; she lit the classroom with only gloomy black candles levitating like the ones in the Great Hall. Whispers went through the room where all four houses were. Kate sat next to Morgana, like she did for several weeks now, each time she had the occasion to. She had to stand up to Maggie's offended look, the same one she was giving her since the start of the school year. Why did she blame her that much to prefer Morgana's presence, much more pleasant and comprehensive than that arrogant and selfish bitch? Kate answered to her black look by a nod, arranging her stuff on her desk.

'Something's wrong?' worried Morgana, noticing her friend's haggard face.
'Nothing, don't worry...'

The lateness of their professor made the ambient hubbub to brew. Some took advantage of it to have fun, send parchments balls or cast small mischievous spells. Suddenly, the classroom door opened abruptly.

'S-sorry, I'm late!'

The young man crossed the room with haste while pulling off his jacket, under the dumfounded looks of the students. Everyone had stopped their games or conversations, their stunned eyes fixed on the newcomer who, with a skilful movement of his wand, sent his coat to hang on the coat rack. Then, he turned towards the children assembly, straightened his rounded glasses with an embarrassed smile, before clapping his palms, not knowing what to say in those circumstances:

'Good... I think, considering my late, it's useless to introduce myself and...'

A feverish hand raised in the middle of the astounded students and the young teacher allowed him to talk with a nod of his chin:

'The Daily Prophet said you wanted to be an Auror, not a teacher! Is that normal?'
'I do', he answered, clearing his throat. 'I'm studying to become an Auror, that's why I'm really busy outside my teaching schedule. But professor McGonagall proposed me to teach you Defence Against the Dark Arts in parallel, at least for a year, the time for Hogwarts to recover from the recent events and to organize afterwards. From what she said, I would be... in the best position to do that. I accepted, under the condition that I would only teach practical, which is the essential of this subject. Otherwise, it wouldn't have any interest, if you ask me...'

The students struggled to compose themselves when the hero of their world was standing in front of them. Harry Potter himself. Far from the preconceived ideas, or his representation on the Chocolate Frog card Kate won in the Hogwarts Express, because the heroic warrior that got rid of England's greatest threat seemed so much uncomfortable, shuddering about the idea of saying something wrong in front of twenty eleven year old students... Whispers started to become louder. As for Kate, she was staring, fascinated, at the young man. How such a common boy could have stand up to an entire army of dark wizards his whole adolescence? That's when the last months' settlement took on, in her mind, the aspects of a true miracle instead of a serious problem's simple solving... Harry Potter was, for her, the proof that anybody can change the world.

After the tsunami of redundant questions, the new professor spoke:

'I think that each and every one of you have been, more or less, touched by Voldemort's return during these last years. Perhaps, some of you went through terrible things or, on the contrary, took refuge in some place safe. I am, indeed, here to teach you new things, but I think you already have things to teach to yourselves, to teach me. Also, I'd like to give you the occasion to share about this taboo subject, which will help me to know you better, as well as your expectations about the program. I will also know what you learnt about the dark arts. Your real-life experience of the situation when the wizarding world was giving in under the yoke of dark magic...'

Immediately, a wave of reprimands raised in the room. The students were afraid of judgements, didn't want to reopen old wounds. Harry Potter tried to calm them down, until a hand rose in the middle of the assembly, making everyone quiet. A little girl, her hair gathered in a long braid, spoke up. Kate remembered her, like everyone else, as Juno Nightingal, the girl who cried at the repartition, tearful for being sorted in Slytherin.

'Last year, I came back home one night, after playing outside with my little brother. My mom was gone. We found ourselves alone, just the two of us, and the house had been destroyed. I never knew my father, who was a wizard and left a long time ago to study chimeras in Greece. My mom is a Muggle-born. And the Death Eaters took her for a trial. They seized her wand. They humiliated her, while I was alone with my brother, at home... I didn't witness the Death Eaters' spells. I don't know dark magic. But I know their consequences now... And I want to learn to protect myself against it and to fight it, as I wanted to, back then, to help my mom...'

Her story touched a lot of students who followed her example. Edgar Vince told he assisted to Diagon Alley's devastation. Irwin Peakes had to go to the children's school pension for Muggles to protect himself. For the first time since she met her, Hygie Smethwyck, the mute little girl who was reading all day long, spoke up. Her father told her the Death Eaters rounded up in the St Mungo's Hospital, searching for Muggle-borns or Harry Potter's supporters. They had to hide a big part of their patients in a magical secret room behind a painting, preventing them to provide the best care, sometimes in difficult conditions. Griffin Gale told about the feat of his brother, who heroically saved a young witch from a Death Eater's attack in the middle of a London street. Terry recounted about his father's role in the Order of the Phoenix since the beginning of the war and his participation in the final battle of Hogwarts. As for the Ledger twins, they related together their trip in Australia in order to flee Voldemort's influence.
Then, it came to Morgana's turn to talk about her very particular experience:

'I was in contact with dark magic. I saw it, but not like the others. Because my father is a Death Eater.'

She had said those words with so much gut, that everybody tensed up, gobsmacked. Harry Potter himself was taken aback.

'I know my father committed huge mistakes. He killed innocent people, he casted unforgivable curses, he went to Azkaban. I know the basics of dark magic because he taught me. I heard about the Dark Lord, in good terms, without having seen him ever. But that came from my father's mouth. I saw the disasters. All the bad things around him, around me. If I live with the fact that I am his daughter, I don't approve what he's done... I'm not responsible of his acts... And I've been hurt a lot. So, if I know dark spells, I'd like to learn in return, the ones that can protect from them. I want to prove to people that I'm not like him... And that I'm capable of good things.'
'Well...!'

Harry had a slight cough, while Morgana was fixing him with her big grey eyes, as incisive as sharp blades.

'I think you're very brave for your age, and very mature', declared Harry more seriously. 'You went through very difficult things... And detach yourself from your father's principles is a proof of daring few would be capable of. From the time that you're determined, there's nothing you can't do...'

Few were the professors that allowed themselves to declaim such compliments. From the Chosen One, that kind of assertion was worth a lot of Galleons… Then, Harry Potter's gaze turned towards Morgana's quiet and inscrutable neighbour: Kate was fiddling with the end of her quill, her eyes down.

'What about you?' he addressed her friendly. 'Do you have something to tell us?'

Kate bit her lips and scanned the room with a slow look, while still keeping her quill between her shaking fingers.

'My mother is a Muggle. And my father... was constantly chased by the Death Eaters, until last June. He was in Slytherin with them when he was at Hogwarts and refused to become an ally back then, when Voldemort was at the height of his powers, before his spell turned against him. At school already, they were hunting him like an animal… And when Voldemort came back, they promised to kill him, because he betrayed them. He was on their list, like you were. But it wasn't in Voldemort's interests; just an old revenge story. They destroyed my house, twice. They burnt it. They killed my uncle and my aunt. They tortured my cousin, who is at St Mungo's now, in a coma. To protect ourselves, my mother and I stayed locked up in the cellar of an old abandoned house, day and night, while my father was taking care of tracking down and taking away the Death Eaters. I remember a night when they turned up at the house. My father was there and he fought alone, against three of them. My mother was holding me in her arms, her hand on my mouth so the Death Eaters couldn't hear my screams. I saw the lights under the door. I heard the furniture explode. Then they smashed the cellar's door and a Death Eater came in. I would have received the flash of green light, if my mother didn't tackle me… I found myself in such a terrifying magic duel; I was only hearing my heart racing. Until a Death Eater took my mother and pointed his wand to her throat, in front of my father… Everything went so fast and I was so scared, I didn't want to see this… But I remember the Death Eater, lying on the floor, not moving… He was dead… I can see my mother in tears again, kneeling in front of my father whose hands were covered in blood, his face full of wounds. She was begging him, because he wanted to make us forget. About everything. My father nearly walked out of my life, that day, by erasing himself of my memory. He wanted to keep us safe and sound, because he knew the Death Eaters would come after us to make him more vulnerable. Today, my family is reunited, happy and I'm finally at Hogwarts. I kept my father, but I also kept the memory of all that. Of this war that almost killed me… Because I was the daughter of an innocent man.'

Kate was sobbing while saying those last words, her eyes full of tears. Further, Maggie's eyes were watery; looking at her friend's reddened face.

'I don't want to avenge myself', sniffed loudly Kate. 'I don't want to defend myself. I'd rather have dark magic out of this world. No wizard should use it for evil purposes, against other people, just to be superior. To be honest, my heart hurts to have a subject called "Defence Against the Dark Arts". Because it shouldn't exist… And even less, be taught to children.'

A deafening silence fell on the class, serious and quiet. Affected by his young student's speech, Harry Potter walked in a slow pace towards her, his hands in his Muggle clothes' pockets.

'Then think this lesson is only here in prevention. So you can all be able, later, to eradicate every evil forces, if they come back.'

Then he talked to the whole confused class:

'You're the future wizards of this world. The future Ministers, the future Aurors, the future professors. Even though the memory is painful, you have to remember and be able to keep peace. Of course, it shouldn't exist… But wizards, humans, are unpredictable. It would be showing blind trust to believe they're fundamentally good…'

Harry Potter turned and went back to his desk.

'Furthermore, don't think these classes are there only to know how to protect from dark wizards only', he added while passing his fingers through his jet-black hair. 'This world is full of creatures that don't apply human logic. Goblins, ogres, elves, dragons… Don't think you could make them change their mind about you by telling them about kindness and mercy! You have to be able to face them, to protect yourself. And this again, to preserve peace in the wizarding world.'

In contrast with the beginning of classes, the professor was talking with ease and conviction: he felt at home in this subject. Harry Potter maybe was young and inexperienced, but something was certain: he would make an excellent teacher.

As days passed by, the other students' attitudes with Kate changed radically. Their taunts ran dry and let place to an accommodating, pleasant sympathy. She wasn't the laughing stock anymore, since she told about her story of the last few months that moved her whole year. When Kate was accidentally breaking a phial in Potions, there always was someone to help her repair it, instead of parodying her clumsiness to make others laugh. One day, as she was unsteady on her feet, balancing in the big staircase after she had walk again on her cape, she had been caught at the last minute by young Griffin. And Kate had to admit she was beginning to like her clumsiness and she should take advantage of it, if it helped her to have such a beautiful smile from the most appreciated boy in her class. Also, one rainy morning, when Kate went alone in the Great Hall, Maggie – who didn't say a word to her for a long time – met her up. The young girl with golden curls granted her with an embarrassed and clumsy smile before giving her a package in a brown wrapping paper. Kate's suspicious look travelled a moment between the little parcel and Maggie's contorted face. She could tell that a smile wasn't something Maggie was used to do! Maybe she trained for days in front of her mirror! Kate answered by a polite grin before taking the gift:

'Is that for me?'
'No, it's for the bogey-man, you silly goose…'

When she realised what she just said, she swallowed, embarrassed. Nevertheless, Kate laughed while unpacking her gift, like she was more amused than hurt. Abashedly sliding her hands between her thighs, Maggie sighed, relieved she didn't have to apologize; that would be something way harder for her than smile!

'A box of Sugared Butterfly Wings?' exclaimed Kate, delighted.
'You really are gifted for asking such perceptive questions, by the name of stupefied owls!'
'How did you know they were my favourite candies? How did you get them?'
'Hmmm, an owl to my parents, an order and it's in the cauldron! And I may be a bitch; I'm able to observe, when needed!'

Yet, Kate didn't open immediately the painted box to set free the sugared insects. She put it on the table and made it turn several times with her fingertips.

'Are you trying to buy me?'
'More like trying to be forgiven', qualified Maggie, disrupted to have to make concessions. 'I really acted like a pest... I didn't know you went through all of that. And I'm sorry I said your father's job was like exterminating cockroaches...'

She punctuated her words with a personal remark:

'See! I also have an excellent memory!'

Then, her face became serious again as she went on with her excuses:

'Also, you had perfectly the right to go with McNair in classes. I'm sorry I was jealous for nothing. I'm acting like a selfish and arrogant rich girl. I never really told you but, when I first met you, I was happy to know you; and to be with you in Gryffindor. Even if, technically, it's not your real house! I thought you dropped me because you were really mad at me while I was the first person you talked to, and that was me who saved you from drowning when you nearly fell in the lake on the first day! I like you, Kate, you're great. Not very smart but, well... Maybe that was the reason I was up worried to see you with McNair and not with me.'

Touched by her roommate's words, Kate blushed before she began to attack her Sugared Butterfly Wings' wrapping. When the box opened, a spotless little butterfly went out, beating its crystallized wings. Then, Kate approached her face and gently blew on the candy, which followed the draught, fluttering towards Maggie, who delicately caught it. The two little girls shared a smile of complicity while Maggie shoved the butterfly in her mouth without further ceremony.

Supported by her friends – and particularly by her colleagues Gryffindor – in learning practical magic in order to master her spells, Kate applied herself and tried twice as hard without giving up. And yet, nothing worked out. Every try was failing and nothing was happening, in the best of cases. But explosion being the most frequent result, students got used to see the Gryffindor first years training Kate on her spells in the courtyard, come rain or shine. Nobody despaired seeing the little girl cast a proper spell.

Autumn came at Hogwarts. Students started to favour common rooms to covered courtyards or cold corridors. A mist was settling a bit more everyday above the surface of the lake, like a prowling spirit. Kate started to find her feet in this school she finally got into as such. With Morgana's unquestionable help, she managed to recognize the faces of the different personalities of Hogwarts, or to know better about her schoolmates. And so, she could recognize, in the group of seventh years, the famous Ginny Weasley. Everybody knew the kind of relation she had with Harry Potter, and rumours were circulating now that the young man with the scar had his professor's chair, even though not often here. Kate spotted Luna Lovegood too, very recognizable with her turnip earrings. She was bearing, for the new season, a scarf of a doubtful fuchsia colour, which was animating every twenty steps and moving on its own into the air. The young woman maintained that it was chasing Wrackspurts very well since she noticed they were a lot less in Hogwarts than last years.

Kate learnt to know a bit more her Gryffindor roommates, other than Maggie. Moira was totally living with the fact she was dwarfish and, on the top of that, she was strong-willed with a sharp sense of repartee, particularly with her elders. Encouraged by professor Flitwick, who proudly considered her as his best student, Moira was excelling in Charms and was taking care of Kate most of the time during practical lessons. A dwarf girl, barking orders to another student who was suffering from difficulties with her exploding wand, was a show a lot of people enjoyed. Scarlett, shier than her classmates but of outstanding kindness, was showing a particular gift for the art of potions. For her age, the young girl was already very organized, loathing the slightest mess in the room she was sharing with the four other girls. She found her opposite in Suzanna, particularly messy and not very diligent in her homework. It thus became frequent to see Scarlett, raging, tidying Suzanna's stuffs in the middle of such an apocalyptic upheaval, that it looked more probable a drunken dragon went there. All of this, under SirSulkington's searching look, perched on the top of Kate's four-poster bed.

Halloween revelries getting closer, big pumpkins with monstrous faces had been installed in the Great Hall. Students were excited in front of the animated skeletons that were pacing up and down the school, giving out candies; the youngest being more amazed than the oldest, used to the annual entertainments. The evening of the 31st of October, the first years were becoming impatient, even though some girls showed reluctance after some elders told them real bats would be flying upon the tables at diner. And it wouldn't be abnormal to see some of them hanging on their hair! The Gryffindor girls were the first to come at their table, enthusiastically commenting on the decorations. Flying pumpkins were punctuating the stormy ceiling. The organ of the Transfiguration room had been moved to the professor's stage and was playing a far from reassuring background music to complete the evening theme. Nearly-Headless Nick had taken advantage of this musical moment to invite the Grey Lady to share a dance. Gradually, the students joined their respective tables. And when Kate saw Morgana sitting alone at the Slytherin table, she apologized to her friends and went to her, to chat a little before the festivities opening.

'Are you alone?' asked sadly Kate, taking place on the bench in front of Morgana.
'Juno and Calypso are not ready yet', smiled Morgana. 'As for Lawrence and Amy, I don't like to be with them.'
'You don't know any boy from your house?'
'Boys are stupid at this age... I'd rather be alone. Or with you. Do you want some pumpkin juice?'
'Gladly!' accepted Kate, holding out her cup. 'Thank you! You know... I don't know the Gryffindor boys either. Only by names. But I never really tried to talk to them.'
'You should, they seem nice!'
'Only if you do it too!'
'Deal!'

They both high-fived to strike their deal. Then, they saw the first professors coming in and taking place on their seats.

'Well! That's stunning, Wolffhart changed his scarf!'

Indeed, it was an exceptional fact; the transfiguration teacher, as stoical and intimidating as usual, his hands behind his back, had exchanged his scarlet scarf with an orange one, fitting the pumpkins' colour. This change was almost hilarious.

'And Harry Potter is not here', regretted Kate, noticing the eternally empty chair of their professor who never occupied it.
'Did you make it up with Maggie?' asked Morgana, changing suddenly the subject.

Kate nearly choked on her pumpkin juice.

'Y-Yes! I mean...'
'Hey, I didn't ask you to explain yourself! That's great if you're friends again!'
'Really? You don't mind?'
'Why would I?' wondered Morgana, frowning her eyebrows.
'I-I don't know...!'
'You do what you want! As long as you don't put her first, I don't see where the problem is!'

She said those last words in a comforting smile which relieved Kate.

'You should go back to your seat before the Slytherins decide to throw you fire balls...!'
'You're right', hurried Kate, looking with a little reassured eye some sixth years who were sizing her up with a rebellious look. 'Enjoy your meal, see you later!'

Kate went back to her table in small furtive steps and jumped over the bench while the Great Hall was still filling with students. She arrived in the middle of a discussion between her roommates, very focused on betting who, between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, would win the first Quidditch match of the season, next week. Minutes passed by, when Kate got a sudden overwhelming urge...

'Oh oh... I should have gone to the toilet before coming here!' she castigated herself.

She estimated the assembly: some latecomers were still missing and she decided to take advantage of it to make off, the time to go to the closest toilet.

'I can come with you if you want!' suggested Maggie, while getting up too.
'I'm going to the toilet', notified Kate, 'not in the Forbidden Forest. It's nice of you, but I can go alone!'
'Oh, you'd be surprised! It's Halloween! Who knows? You might bump into a troll...!'

At her friend's taken aback look, Maggie answered by a semi-despaired one.

'My poor friend... You obviously don't know a lot about the history of Hogwarts!'

The two girls hightailed, weaving in and out between their elders who were blocking the way to the entrance.

'I hope we won't miss McGonagall's speech!' worried Kate rushing about in the toilet and running in a cabin. 'She'll be furious if we arrive after everyone!'
'If you ask me, I'm much more afraid to embarrass myself in front of everyone than of McGonagall's look', put forward Maggie, behind the door.
'Do you think she has already turned students into frogs, like Wolffhart?'
'Stop speaking and hurry up!'

Suddenly, a terrible din coming from the Great Hall broke the silence, accompanied with high-pitched screams. Maggie jumped, while Kate went out of the cabin, anguished.

'What's happening?' she stammered.
'They probably opened the Halloween ceremony... We should hurry, before we miss everything!'

The girls ran again on the way back, their capes floating behind them. Nevertheless, a panicked, agog background noise was persisting as they were coming closer to the Great Hall. In the distance, they noticed some students were evacuating the room in maximum panic, while multiple detonations were still resounding.

'We shouldn't stay here!' shouted out Maggie, as white as a snowy owl, while catching Kate's sleeve.
'But, the girls! They're still in there!' she shouted back, trying to make her let go of her arm to continue her race.
'They're going to get out! Don't go it could be dangerous!'
'I don't care!'

Kate edged her way into the scattering, without anyone telling her to run away. Her heart was racing in her chest and she was thinking about what could have start this total collapse. Did something simply degenerate? Did a troll appear through the service door? Or worse, surviving detractors, dark magic supporters who came back to avenge themselves...

Kate finally made her way through and got into the Great Hall, which was unrecognizable. The walls and tables were covered in a flask, fibrous and orange material. Benches had been knocked down in the students' rackety run. Some poor souls were taking refuge under tables, hoping not to be noticed by hundreds of flying pumpkins, as brisk and violent as Bludgers. They were looking for new heads, charging at their targets, their sculpted faces animated with a high-pitched evil laugh, before exploding in a powerful orange spray. And their shells, in pieces, were spurting out towards the students. Brave students had stayed to fight, while professors were applying to neutralize the enchanted pumpkins.

Confused by such a chaos, Kate didn't notice immediately the pumpkin that was charging her. When a spell resounded at the last second:

'Finite!'

Straight away, the pumpkin slowed down into the air and its face liquefied, before it crashed on the floor at Kate's feet – who was transfixed by surprise –, its flesh exploding on her legs.

'Merlin's beard, what are you still doing here?!' raged Hermione while rushing towards her, her messy hair covered in orange porridge.

However, before she could have time to say anything, Kate opened her mouth, thunderstruck, when noticing five new pumpkins charging at them in a collective evil laugh. With battle-hardened reflexes, Hermione flip-flopped while pulling Kate behind her in order to interpose and with a large move of her wand, sent the pumpkins to crash against a wall.

'Go, right now!' ordered Hermione.

The young woman went back to the battle with the pumpkin army, while Kate, chilling out, scanned the Great Hall in a brief look. Hiding under the red and gold table, now buried under orange, dripping with juice fibres, Suzanna and Scarlett were crawling on their hands and knees towards the door, while Moira was chasing away the pumpkins with skilful moves of her wand, intoning spells with energy.

'Kate!'

Called out, the little girl ran towards the Slytherins' table, under which Morgana had taken refuge, curled up, holding her wrist. Kate hastily kneeled next to her friend, letting herself slide on the stone floor.

'What happened?!' she shouted in the racket.
'The pumpkins have gone crazy! They have started to attack students! I have fallen in the crush and hurt my wrist...! I think it's broken!'
'Come here, I'll help you get out!'

Catching her shoulder, Kate pulled her from under the table and brought her with her. The two kids scampered towards the exit, hoping not to be spotted by the possessed pumpkins. But they didn't succeed and one of them whirled on itself in a satisfied snigger before charging at them.

'Kate!' warned Morgana in a big shout while the pumpkin was approaching more and more.

With a long glance, Kate estimated the distance that was separating them from the door. It was too far. So, she took a deep breath of courage and, plunging her hand into her witch cape's pocket, seized her wand, while Morgana was squeezing up against her, terrorized and unable to hold her weapon with her hurt wrist.

'Finite!' shouted Kate.

The pumpkin exploded in a mix of sparks, red smoke and vegetable flesh, like a wet firework. The conclusion might not be the one she expected, but Kate congratulated herself in succeeding to put their opponent down with magic. But she lowered her sight very fast when another pumpkin charged her and took her wand between its orange teeth.

'Give it back!' snarled Kate, pulling on the red twisted handle.

But the pumpkin was harpooning it, like a dog with its bone; so hard that, gradually, Kate felt her feet leaving the floor. And before Morgana could catch her friend's clothes with her able-bodied hand, the pumpkin flew through the air with the speed of a geyser. Kate's terrorized scream resounded in the Great Hall for a long time while the pumpkin was giving her a rough ride accelerating and making vertiginous bends. Her hand was still clung on her wand while the other one was hitting the pumpkin in the eye, hoping to make it release its catch. In front of this top-notch show, students and professors didn't manage immediately to help Kate, because the risk of hurting her while aiming at the pumpkin was too big.

'Give it back you... you vegetable!' Kate kept yelling while the pumpkin was getting higher and higher in narrow swirls.

It immobilised in midair, above the floating candles and in the middle of the fake stars, when Kate hit it in the jaws. Then, the pumpkin's eyelids squinted with malice and the shiver provoked by its devious laugh vibrated in the white wood of the wand Kate was holding tightly. When she understood its maleficent intentions, she opened wide alarmed eyes.

'No, no, no!' she begged in a heart-breaking supplication while beating her legs in the air. 'Don't let go, don't let go! Please, don't let go!'

The pumpkin turned a deaf ear and released gradually its jaw. Powerless, Kate saw her wand slip through its fleshy teeth, before taking a nose dive from the ceiling, that was quickly receding into the distance, her arms and legs up. Her frightened scream turned into an astonished hiccup when she felt herself rebound on a soft surface, like a mattress, instead of crashing against one of the tables. The professors hurried around the wavering table.

'Miss Whisper!' said professor Longbottom, alarmed, helping her get on her feet while professor Flitwick was chasing the surrounding pumpkins. 'Are you ok?'
'I am', she stammered, overwhelmed. 'But... how...?'

She felt the pasty surface that was once wood.

'A child's play, Fräulein...' articulated professor Wolffhart while thoroughly arranging his orange scarf, like if not seeing that his beautiful black felt coat was covered in pumpkin juice. 'Now clear off before I decide to turn you into a pumpkin too, schnell!'

When students and professors overcame the six hundred and eighty-three pumpkins that had spread panic during the Halloween festivities, those who had ran came back gradually in the Great Hall to help cleaning and restoring the decoration.

'Well, well', sighed Suzanna, collecting her thoughts. 'I don't know what doxy has bit them, but I will never see a pumpkin the same way again!'
'In any case, we exploded so much of them, the house elves can make pumpkin pies for two months!' giggled little Moira, her hair weirdly placed.
'Did it happen like that? All of a sudden?' asked Kate.
'Yes, they have gone all crazy', whispered Scarlett, peering at the other students who were talking about the incident too.

Moira pulled on Maggie's sleeve to draw her attention; the latter answered her with a haughty look.

'Lucky for Miss Spoiled, she didn't get her dress dirty with mashed pumpkin!' she mocked her with a wide, provocative smile. 'That was well played!'
'Yes, that was close!' exclaimed Kate before Maggie could revile little Moira.
'And, talking about that, could I know where you've been?'

The five girls turned around suddenly under the kind, as well as severe, look of their prefect: the young Dennis Crivey. He was dominating them in height, tall and thin, his blonde and dull hair falling on his forehead in a large lock neatly combed and his rounded ears brought out. New prefect, very appreciated by his schoolmates, he was lenient and tuned to requests, but was showing enough authority to inspire respect to his younger mates.

'Where… Where have we been?' repeated Maggie, impressed.
'Both of you…'

He pointed out at Kate and Maggie alternatively before crossing his arms on his chest.

'I saw you sneaking out before the diner began and all this mess happened…'
'W-we went to the… toilet', stuttered Kate.

Denis nodded, while the two girls were sharing a worried look.

'And how could I be sure you didn't take your heels because you knew what would happen? I find it really peculiar that you chose the last minute to go to the bathrooms…'
'That's a girl thing, it's unpredictable!' Kate tried to argue in vain.

As for Maggie, she preferred to pick out the accusation:

'Us?!' she got indignant, open-mouthed. 'You really think we could have been able to make hundreds of innocent pumpkins to turn into biting and exploding Bludgers?!'
'That was a sick joke nobody enjoyed and it had been prepared by someone… I'm just trying to know who…'
'Kate sucks at magic', interceded Suzanna on Kate's behalf. 'She's incapable of casting anything but bangers from her wand! Do you really believe she could have managed to enchant so many pumpkins on her own?! That's getting our hopes up or being completely crazy!'

Kate turned towards her roommate and granted her with a half offended, half satisfied grin. Even if she was aware of that, the fact that her incompetence in casting spells was brought up hurt her feelings.

'What about you?' asked Dennis to Maggie.
'I'm only in first year and my parents are very respectable people! Do you really think I would stoop to the level of attacking people with pumpkins? If someday I decided to make joke, I will try to be more inventive and less rude than that!'

Young Dennis sighed, staring at the girls who were, all five, observing him with a unanimous look. Then, his face broke into a smile:

'Good. Be more discreet next time you do your girls stuffs… May I don't see you into such things again!'

The Gryffindors unblinkingly followed with the eyes their prefect, walking away to meet his colleagues from other houses in order to share some information that may help the investigation.

'What a cheek… Such slanders, towards me!' rebelled Maggie, without taking her eyes off Dennis.
'Honnestly, you're lucky we have Crivey as our prefect! He's not like the Hufflepuffs' one, I heard he was special!'
'Don't be so mean with Crivey', intervened Scarlett with a little thin voice while putting a lock of her hair behind her ear.
'Why do you say that? If he's prefect, he should accept us to be, right?' teased Maggie.
'He is an exemplary Gryffindor. Both his parents are Muggles. He joined Dumbledore's Army at the age of twelve. And his big brother died in the battle of Hogwarts…'

A short grieving silence fell on the group.

'But, tell me, you seem to know a lot about Crivey!' said Suzanna, mischievous. 'That's hiding something!'

Scarlett's face immediately matched her hair colour.

'N-no! That's rubbish! I just keep informed about what is said!'

And while the little girl was being teased by her roommates, Kate was scanning the surroundings; the small groups of prefects and professors. They all had a single word in mouth. The same one that was resounding in the little witch's head: "who?"