The Beginning of Halloween

Witches and wizards adored Halloween. For those whose ancestors had not suffered at the hands of Muggles obsessed with finding Wizarding folk to murder, it was a time of great hilarity and irony. Often, macabre gifts would be exchanged between friends and family. For vampires and werewolves it was strangely the time when they were most wanted within the community and indeed it was often hard to tell who was who given many people’s penchants for transfiguring bits of themselves into fangs or furry coats and wagging tails. The costumes, with the help of magic, were always elaborate and the Transfiguration department at Hogwarts had been spending the days leading up to the infamous event working on costumes with many of the younger students to whom Hogsmeade was open for the first time.

All week, décor had been going up in the village with orange and black garlands being strung between the overhanging roofs of houses and shops. Lights were charmed to flicker orange and paper bats as well as real ones had been fluttering up and down the high street intermittently for days. Hot spiced pumpkin cider was overflowing in the Three Broomsticks and the Hog’s Head and skeletons – thankfully not real but charmed nonetheless – were striding down the pavement, doffing their hats to members of the community, to go and purchase themselves a mug of the sweet drink. Cobwebs, courtesy of Aragog’s spiders from the Forbidden Forest, had also been popping up around the village and though largely benign there had been a few incidents with fifth years and even a few adults getting stuck.

Finally though, the stalls for the festival began to go up and everything from apple bobbing to spooky kissing booths – which concerned the Rookwood man who had entered Hogsmeade on the final day, the evening before Halloween began, which would see in three days of celebrations. After purchasing a pumpkin pasty for his daughter from a witch dressed up as a medieval Muggle, Theodore picked up Esme who he’d dressed as a bee. Her antennae were beginning to get in the way but after charming her wings to flutter there was no changing the costume so he was a vampire and he had a little bee for a companion. What confused him was that his daughter – somewhat blessedly – wasn’t afraid of all of the festivities. That said, he doubted that if he’d been dressed as a bee as an infant and given sweets and pasties he would have been that afraid either.

Getting up onto the steps where the band had set up, ready to begin. Theodore set down his daughter. She hopped over to inspect the drum kit and he smiled, taking his wand out of his pocket. He swallowed, shyness overcoming him slightly. Then, he gathered himself and managed to quirk his lips up into a broad, cheeky smile. His face was vampire pale and as his lips pulled up over his teeth it revealed the fake fangs he’d put in with a bit of magic. He brought his lips together again and flicked his want through the air, lighting all of the lamps a little bit brighter and illuminated the flooring set down to level out the street and allow people to dance.

“Let the festival – begin!” He exclaimed brightly, the music beginning behind him.

A slight fizz could be heard overhead then suddenly a BANG as fireworks spread out, illuminating the night sky and truly, truly beginning the festival.

A tawny tail, flecked with white, flipped back and forth, the end wiggling almost in excitement as the woman it was attached to stretched up onto her tip toes, her pointed ears wriggling above the heads of the crowd gathered in Hogsmeade, beginning to spread out to look at the different booths or onto the dance floor, as she strained to see what was going on. Vertical inferiority to her neighbours in this crowd made it difficult – if not completely impossible – to view where the fireworks were coming from. A grin lit up her face as a bright green snake flew across the night sky and she turned, bustling through the crowd onto dance floor that was alight with different colours – all Halloween orientated.

Throwing her arms up over head, Isadora Malfoy-Nott began to dance to the music that rose up into the air with the fireworks. A lazy, coquettish smile spread over her lips as her eyes slid shut and she moved her hips from side to side, content to let the sounds and smells wash over her as she danced. She deserved the break, she told herself. The event had been weeks in the making and now she was determined to just enjoy it. She was going to enjoy everything it had to offer, she was determined. Then, when she was too fatigued to carry on she’d go home and find her spot in the tall armchair by the fire to sleep in until her husband returned home from the ministry, having chosen to work late yet again.

Until then, however, she wold dance.

Leading up to the festivities that were going to take place over the weekend, Isadora had been busy making her costume – brewing potions and applying sequins painstakingly – in order to make sure she had a good chance to win some sort of ‘best costume’ prize. What she’d ended up with was something akin to the mess that Hermione Granger had ended up in during her second year. Isadora, of course, had a little bit more time and experience on her hands to work it out better, however, so she was a much more put together looking cat. Certainly, she had a fair chance of winning that prize.

No soul could escape. Brice almost laughed at that, but at least he didn't fail at making him look like that. At first he thought of the Grim Reaper, but then again, what if you mixed him with the Dementors? They weren't all that different. In appearance terms, anyway. So, with a couple spells, a sort of a mask and some bits and pieces of potions mixed in with a grim reaper costume as well as a bone-made scythe. All of that, and the black aura coming out of him, could only make him think "If that isn't creepy, I don't know what is."

After he stopped thinking about his own prowess on making costumes, he walked on down to Hogsmeade, not only bringing his scythe and costume, but also plenty of prank-items hidden in his back. Wearing a mischievous smile under the mask, he walked on out, and as soon as the fireworks went up and the music started, he quickly walked around searching for someone to prank first. He quickly pulled a plastic bag out, and moving to a corner, filled it with acid pops, all of them disguised to look like normal candies. He dropped the plastic bag out in the street, open for anyone that wanted it. Walking away giggling to himself, he ended up near the dance floor. Deciding to skip that for now, he started watching over the acid pops sitting there, wondering who his first victim would be.

Hallie hadn't been back in Britain one full day. Earlier she had ran into Gideon Pierce, watched him claim an excessively large batch of Polyjuice Potion in a run down Spanish Apothecary. Spain had been the place Hallie and her Mother had fled to, escaping Gideon and an Azkaban sentence.

The life they'd started for themselves had been pleasant. Both had claimed a muggle identity, Amelia being a teacher, and had stayed in a spanish cottage on the outskirts of Madrid. For the first month or so Hallie rarely left the neighbourhood, instead finding her way out of a haunted web that was her past. Eventually she came to accept what had happened, placed a pin in her history and moved on. That was until she had crossed paths with Gideon Pierce earlier that day on her way to the florist where she'd managed to secure a job.

Seeing Gideon reminded her that although she, herself, had recovered there was still unfinished business in England. The witch couldn't hide out forever, she couldn't pretend her life had never happened. Hallie wanted to return. She was ready.

Around lunch time, Spanish time, Hallie had packed her bags and waited for her Mother to return for Siesta. Not that there was much sleeping. The faux-brunette told her Mum of her encounter, told her that she'd learnt about the falling of the Ministry, told her that Gideon was still out there cooking up some sort of plan to dethrone Robert Lupin.

Naturally Amelia tried to talk Hallie out of leaving but, as always, she failed. When Hallie had her mind set on something she followed through, even if that mean't returning to a country where the last time you were there the dementors were swooping towards you. Hallie had no idea how people would take her return, heck she didn't even know if people knew she'd been gone for two months as she'd already resigned from her work at the Ministry. Of course there may have been word in the Prophet about her evasion of Azkaban but many would have most likely forgotten that detail - at least until they were reminded.


Crack. Hallie had arrived at Hogsmede. It was Halloween and after arriving in Diagon Alley earlier and withdrawing a lump sum from her vault at Gringotts she'd learned about the festivities at Hogsmede. Of course she hadn't lingered in London for long, it was a quick matter of withdrawing money and heading to Cooper Cottage but the witch had noticed a poster advertising the event in a shop window after noting that she preferred the brunette reflection besides the poster.

Walking up to the main stage where a band was ready to play her heart skipped a beat. A little girl dress as a bee was inspecting the drums and a man Hallie recognised only too well was giving some sort of speech.

Finding her way through the crowd, unaware she was one of the few not in fancy dress, her blue eyes stared up at Theodore. This was the first time the witch had seen her husband since he'd walked out on her after losing their child. However, Hallie wasn't feeling what she'd expected. In fact, Hallie didn't feel much at all. Instead a soft smile spread across her face as she watched her ex-husband ignite the fireworks.

Seeing Theodore in the flesh without her palms going sweaty, without breaking down into tears and without a desire to turn and walk away was evidence of how therapeutic Spain had been for Hallie. She'd found the strength within and fought off the weeds that had coiled around her ankles.