Chapter 16- A plot to break into Hogwarts.
"Neville, Evan, come here," said Professor Colleen Craft, who was decorating the Great Hall for Halloween. "I need your help decorating. Can you hold this for me?" She shoved one end of a sign into his hand.
"You do know we have magic, you can just levitate it," said Evan.
"I'm perfectly aware of that. I just want to make sure it is right before I put it up. So, stand there and let me look at it from this angle. What do think?"
"Just a smidge to the right," said Evan.
Colleen flicked her wand, and the banner levitated and hung itself above the flags in the hall. "Now, Neville, where are my pumpkins?"
"They're right here," said Seamus, who was levitating two giant pumpkins while Flitwick followed with two more. "Where do you want them?"
"One in each corner, near the house tables. There should be one for each house," said Colleen.
"This place looks fantastic," said Seamus.
"Thank you," said Colleen, "but I'm not done yet, and neither are you. I also need you to be chaperones for the Masquerade Ball to be held after the feast."
"Really?" said Evan.
"Show a little enthusiasm! It's a dance. It's supposed to be fun. You should bring dates."
"You're kidding, right?" said Evan. "You can't bring a date to chaperone the school dance. They are boring. And besides, most of the time is spent getting on to students who try sneaking alcohol in and wondering how they did it."
"But you do get to drink it after you confiscate it," said Flitwick. "But I agree with Colleen, you should bring dates. The party is for us, too. Neville, you should bring Ellie.
"Definitely," said Colleen. "She's a nice girl. Rumor has it that she is also the heiress to the Bells Hotel fortune. I'd love to meet her."
"There's just one problem- she isn't magical."
"But she's Rosmerta's niece and Rosmerta is pretty powerful."
"Her father wasn't magical, and her mom is a muggle." Said Neville
"Can she see the castle?"
"Yes, she can," said Neville.
"Then she has just enough magic to see through some of the glamours and if she can do that, she can get into the castle."
"I thought magic was one of those things that you either had or you didn't," said Evan.
"Not necessarily. Many have just enough magic to see some things in our world, but not enough to use magic. I imagine Ellie is one of those, like Jacob."
"Who is Jacob?"
"Jacob Parks- I dated him in my Seventh year. He was a very nice guy, but muggle born. He could see the castle though. It turns out that he's a distant relation to the Flints. Anyway, I decided to bring him as my date to the May Ball. We had a marvelous time."
"How did you get him in?"
"You know as well as I do that there is more than one way into the castle- I used the Shrieking Shack tunnel. It was actually quite easy. I don't think anyone was the wiser. My friend Andrew Scott lent him some formal dress robes, so he was able to blend in quite easily. Truthfully, I don't think anyone was the wiser."
"If you think that you totally got away with it," said Flitwick, "You'd be wrong. I wound up using a confundus charm on the poor boy after the ball."
"You knew," said Colleen. "Why didn't you say anything? I don't remember getting in trouble."
"You were a seventh year, top of your class, about to graduate and the Ravenclaw Prefect," said Flitwick. "The normal punishment for breaking the Statute is severe, and the Ministry has to be notified. I didn't want to deal with it, nor did Dumbledore. So, the next day, I simply used a small confundus charm on the boy. You graduated with honors. So, everything turned out ok. No harm done. So, there's no reason Ellie can't come."
"That would explain why he didn't remember me when I went into the village to see him right after graduation," said Colleen. "Though I don't think it scared him away from magic. He married Beth Richards. They have a lovely little boy, and I hear his name is already down for Hogwarts."
"I don't want to have to use magic on Ellie," said Neville.
"If she can see the castle, she'll be fine," said Colleen. "This is actually a good chance to introduce her to your world. If she can't deal with magic, she's probably not the girl for you. However, I think she can."
"So, it isn't just a dance, it is a test," said Neville.
"One she will pass," said Flitwick. "And if magic sends her in a tailspin, you have enough people to deal with it without the Ministry finding out."
"See, it's kind of hard to chaperone the dance and have a date at the same time," said Neville.
"No, it isn't," said Colleen. "In fact, if you are that worried about it, I can get Peter to take over chaperone duty and you can bring Ellie."
"Why on earth do you care so much?"
"I'm curious. Ellie sounds like a great girl. You two will make a great couple. Just promise me you will ask her," said Colleen.
"Fine," said Neville, "I'll ask her, but only if you get dates as well."
"I'm not dating anyone," said Evan, "besides, if these two have dates, someone has to actually chaperone."
"Isn't she dating Alfie Richards? Besides, Lavender still hasn't forgiven me for messing up her potions work first year."
"I know- my friend Alex Woodhall would be perfect for you," said Colleen. "She's lots of fun. She's Hannah Abbot's cousin."
"I vaguely remember her from first year," said Neville. "Didn't she leave and go to school abroad?"
"Yes," said Colleen. "But you'll like her. She's a riot."
"Now, Evan, you need a date," said Colleen. "How about Paige Williams?"
"I'm fine. Someone has to actually chaperone this thing," said Evan. "I just don't like being set up."
"I'll let you off for this dance. But my friend Paige would be perfect for you. I'll get you two together for Christmas,"
"Now I have something to look forward to," said Evan.
"See, now you all have dates. Was that so hard?" said Colleen, smiling. "This dance can serve the same purpose for students and professors alike."
"Good grief! Is that the real purpose of this dance?"
"If by "real purpose" you mean encourage young members of the wizarding world to get to know each other thereby forming relationships, which might lead to longer relationships or marriage, thereby increasing the declining wizarding population, yes.
"Does this mean that Hogwarts and maybe the Ministry are taking a leaf out of those Regency novels that are so popular?"
"Yes, that's exactly what's happening.
"It's just kind of weird. I thought the whole arranged marriage thing among wizards had been outlawed."
"Yes, but no one is arranging marriages. This is just a little dance, a mixer, a way for people to get to know each other," said Colleen.
"Sometimes the old tricks are the old tricks for a reason," said Seamus. "And we're all doing our part. You've matched us up so quickly I have to wonder if you planned it."
"Of course I planned it," said Colleen. "Now, Evan, you need to move that pumpkin just a little to the left."