"So, you know, that's what happened and that's why I have to go to Nearly Headless Nick's death day party so would you please both go?"

Freya and Will looked up from their homework with similar expressions of bemusement on their faces and Fred and George who were supposed to be doing homework and instead were seeing what happened when you fed a fire salamander a filibuster firework raised their brows.

"I think you lot should go," Fred said suddenly then looked to Will seriously. "Especially you. I mean, aren't you curious?"

"About what a deathday party is like?" questioned Will.

"No, about what it's like to be the life of the party."

George, Freya, and Harry each laughed and after a moment even Will grinned, "Clever. I walked right into that one, I guess."

"Walked like a ghost through a wall," Freya agreed smiling before turning to Harry bemused, "Sure sure, we'll go to the party and whatnot. But we best not bebored to death."

Will shook his head as the group laughed again, "Stop it."

"Oh, come on, you aren't at the party yet," Freya said reaching over to muss Will's hair, "Liven up a bit!"

Will flushed what Harry guessed was an angry red as he reached up to fix his hair, frowning at Freya as right after the twins had to run off because their salamander had suddenly began flying around, breathing out colorful sparks. Will glanced over to look disapprovingly.

"Don't frown at my brothers like that," Freya chatasized, kicking Will's leg under the table as he startled, "You'll make me all jealous, looking at them like they annoy you as much as me."

Harry laughed as Will shook his head, fixing his hair hastily still.

"Honestly, between Harry's luck and you Weasley's trouble," Will grumbled, "You'll all be the end of me."

There was a pause and as the grin's started spreading on Harry's and Freya's faces Will closed his eyes and groaned.

"That wasn't a pun."

"And yet, it was," noted Harry as he ducked his head down to get started on his Transfiguration homework. "Just kills you how those things slip into conversation so easily, huh?"

Halloween came almost instantly, the month that passed passing as quick as a whisper.

"No."

Freya and Harry glanced at each other and then looked at Will imploringly.

"What about-" Harry started.

"No." Will interrupted."

"How about we say-" Freya began.

"Denied." Will said cutting her off quickly.

"Please?" Freya and Harry pleaded together.

"No," Will cut his gaze to the two of them as they turned the corner of the hall and his frown was icier than the hallways were getting, "A promise is a promise. We are going to the Death day party."

"Bossy, bossy." Freya grumbled as they made their way closer to the door with the 'Happy Death Day, Nicholas' banner strung across it, "I mean, you're right and I'd feel terrible if I skipped it-"

"See?"

"But I could live with myself either way."

Harry, who was taking a sip of the pumpkin juice he had nabbed had to deal with a coughing fit for a bit before he could properly laugh as Will groaned beside him, "Harry?"

"Got it." Harry, still grinning, reached out and yanked a bit of Freya's hair, "Repeat after me. No more dead jokes."

"No more dead jokes," she repeated obediently. "But, why?"

"Because it's rude."

"You know what's really rude? The boy who bloodylived going to a party full of everyone who's died." Freya smirked as that settled into Harry and Will's mind as each looked winced, "Mmmhmm,nowwho's being disrespectful?"

"Please do not bring that up at the party." Will said disgruntled, "I beg of you. Oh, hello, Nick!"

Harry looked to see Nick hovering on the side just at the front entrance mournfully as he gave them a smile, "Welcome my friends."

They greeted him in turn as they entered and were instantly hurriedly pushed to the right side by Freya as she told them, sounding frantic, that she'd seen Myrtle, and she didn't feel like getting to close.

"Okay, this may sound like a joke, but serious question," Freya whispered as they passed Myrtle's hovering space, and she glanced at the signs of Death Day celebrations quizzically. "Do we say Happy Deathday or do we say our condolences?"

"In your case, just don't say anything at all." Harry whispered back, grinning as they looked around at the festivities. If you could call them festivities as he watched some ghost glide over…" Is that rotting food?"

The table was filled with old, molding, and rank food that made Harry feel instantly sick as they watched ghosts glide through the table occasionally.

"Can you...taste it?" Will questioned to one as he passed through.

The ghost gave a sigh. "Almost."

Feeling uneasy by both the smell and the sad scene they hurriedly moved away from the table, but they barley turned around when they were halted by the sudden appearance of a small man.

"Hello, Peeves." said Harry cautiously.

The colorful poltergeist grinned at them wickedly and bowed down to show them a bowl full of moldy peanuts. "Nibbles?"

"Peeves, even if those weren't covered in fungus and my dying-oops, excuse me-my most needed wish in life was to have one peanut at this moment, I still wouldn't take food you offered." Freya said wrinkling her nose, "For future refrence."

"Hmm," Peeves looked down at her and grinned. "I heard what you was talking about with Myrtle. RUDE you were to Myrtle! Poor Myrtle the crybaby turtle." He took a deep breath then bellowed, "OI! MYYYYYYRRRRTTTTLLLLEEE!"

"Peeves, if you weren't already dead, I would kill you." Freya hissed looking around, "Hurry up and tell her to go aw- HEY, Myrtle!"

The ghost that came to them was the mopiest ghost that Harry had ever seen for this girl was actually gray. She was stout too with glasses that, he realized feeling suddenly self-consience, were a lot like his.

"Hey Myrtle, hows it going?" Freya asked, her voice pleasent enough as she looked around with a small smile. "Peaceful party, huh?"

Myrtle stared down at her for a moment and then she frowned, her lip trembling as silver tears whelled up in her eyes. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"No, of course I-" Freya paused, closed her mouth, then scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "No, I wouldn't make fun of you. But admittedly I don't really like you because you're always crying and that makes me uncomfortable. Especially when you do it in the bathroom."

Harry and Will blinked in surprise at her sudden serious tone, but Myrtle's eyes only teared up more. "You say that to sound nice and stuff, but I know what you really think! Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Moaning Grumbling Complainy Myrtle!"

"Don't forget pimply!" Peeves suggested unhelpfully.

The trio winced as the ghost let out a pitiful wail and set off, Peeves following after gleefully yelling insults.

"Why did you tell her you didn't like her?" Will asked curiously as they turned away, "That only made things worse.

"That really isn't my problem, she does make me uncormfortable so what else was there to say?" Freya shrugged, "But I'd rather tell people how it is then smile at their face and say nice things, you know?"

"Yes, we know." Will and Harry said in unison, earning a sheepish grin on Freya's part.

Soon they couldn't take much more of the Deathday party with the chill, the smell of the rotting food, their own hunger, and the irritating scene of the Headless taking over Nick's party-the trio finally left.

"I feel so bad for Nick," Will tutted as they made their way down the corridor, getting warmer by the second. "If I could find a way to magic his head clean off, I would."

"That's a weird thing to do out of kindness," Harry noted.

"The best sort of kind offer," Freya grinned before putting her hands to her stomached and letting out a complaining groan. "Bloody Hell, I'm hungry~ Please let there be pudding…"

They were just near the steps of the entrance hall when Harry heard it.

"Rip…"

"Tear..."

"KIIILLLL!"

"Enemies of the Heir, Beware! You'll be next, mudbloods!"

When Draco Malfoy saw the three of his rival Gryffindor's standing pale under the words written in blood and the immobile cat, he couldn't help but shout the words, grinning as he added to the shock factor of it all. He shouted it out to be part of the marvelous Halloween prank that a Slytherin or someone else rather brilliant must have pulled…

He didn't get how serious, right then, it all was.

And he certainly didn't get that the situation, and all the ones that followed, were all his father's fault.

Colina Creevey woke up in the middle of the school grounds feeling highly confused for three reasons.

First, she had no idea what she was even doing in the middle of the school grounds. Secondly, the camera she made sure to bring with her everywhere wasn't around her neck.

And thirdly, there was paint as red as blood all across her hands and rooster feathers sticking to her hands, the paint still fresh enough to be sticky.

Looking around bewildered she dug into her robe pockets and pulled out her prized journal and opened it quickly, writing with the inked quill she also kept in her pocket quickly: Tom? What was I doing before right now, do you know?"

The answer came back to her in an elegant scrawl.

Let's just say, you were having a rather interesting time.

Happy Halloween, Colina.

Colina tilted her head at the words as they faded and felt a shudder go through her. As she walked discreetly and hurriedly towards the castle, she told herself it was because of the wind.

It had to be.