Hallowe'en - Part 1

After a night filled with action, I can safely say that everything went according to plan. I mostly told Theodore and Anne what happened, leaving out the unicorn riding.

I spoke with Draco last night, deciding to hold back on saying some things. Theodore was happy to have one of his friends back, and after a few apologies, Anne forgave him and they became friends. Draco seemed genuinely remorseful and willing to make amends for his past behavior, which gave me hope for his future. It was heartwarming to see the group of friends come together and reconcile their differences.

After my shower, I went to Hagrid's, where I was greeted by some bad news: Apparently, the unicorn who had helped us last night had passed away because he was too hurt. I felt foolish because I knew he was hurt, but I still climbed up on him. Because it was his wish and I simply followed his instructions, Hagrid assured me that it was not my fault. Nevertheless, I vowed that whoever injured him would pay. Hagrid's words brought some comfort to me, but the anger inside me burned like a fire. I promised myself that I would not rest until justice was served.

after I left Hagrid with my pockets full of stone cakes, I went to the library, the library was big. No, to say it was big would be an understatement. The library was massive. It was some kind of eidolon to the prowess of writing books, some kind of monolith of knowledge and information, a veritable trove of discoveries and arcane theories and... They had twenty copies, in various editions, of how to pet birds magically. The books were written by a certain Scroogey MacDucky, some local celebrity for a bird sightseeing club in the wilderness of Scotland, and who had won international acclaim for discovering a magical bird of some kind in the lost jungles of South America.

Since I spend so much of my free time reading, I honestly think that Hogwarts is not the center of this magical universe. I'm eager to discover what the outside magical world is like. I learned that there are various magical academies; perhaps I should speak to my aunt about the possibility of enrolling as an exchange student for a while the following year. It would be a great opportunity to experience different cultures and learn new magical techniques. Additionally, attending a different academy could broaden my horizons and help me become a more versatile wizard...

Some people seated next to me prevented me from thinking any further.

"Are you working on Slughorn's latest essay, Prince?" the voice that asked me was a polite one, It belonged to a Hufflepuff, Irene Denholm, my Herbology partner, whom I practically did not meet unless we were both at herbology. I glanced up from my parchment, stared into the eyes of a hopeful eleven-year-old, and then gave a quiet nod in reply. took a seat at my library table, soon followed by another girl I knew nothing of. "This is my friend, Parvati Patil," she said as a way of making presentations. "She's in Gryffindor with Harry Potter! The youngest seeker in generations" she added excitedly, in a low whisper.

No one except those in my house knows that I am also part of the team. those from Slytherin know how to keep a secret well.

"Nice to meet you," I kindly remarked as I added a few more words to my essay.

When you finish your homework, can we look at it? Irene questioned, and as I continued working on his assignment, I answered, "Sure, I'll be happy to show you my homework once I'm finished."

"But don't copy it straight, or Slughorn's going to catch on." I continued

"Hey, we weren't going to copy it," Irene took offense to that, but I merely shrugged once more. "Really," she added.

"It doesn't bother me whether you do or not," I said, scribbling one more line on the usage of the Bezoar. "At the end of the day, there's no reason to sweat for the knowledge you don't need to learn." I flipped open the book by my side, taking the citation and adding it to the bottom of the parchment. "Though the knowledge you don't know you need...that's tougher to decide whether you need it or not." I sighed, realizing that I had been reading for hours and my eyes were starting to strain. But I couldn't help feeling a sense of satisfaction knowing that I was expanding my knowledge and improving my skills.

Parvati blinked. "Bookworm," she said in the end.

"Guilty," I answered with a nod and a smile. "So?" I pushed my finished homework ahead of me. "Your choice, brave Gryffindor. Do the easy thing, or do the right thing." I pulled out a free parchment. "I'll work on Transfiguration in the meantime."

As I began to flip to the assigned chapter that McGonagall wanted to read, and from which she wanted us to write an essay on the difference between transfiguring a needle into a matchstick rather than the opposite, I briefly watched Parvati's expression flicker with doubt, but then she shrugged it off and began to earnestly read and copy my essay. Irene hesitated a bit more, but in the end, she copied from it too.

Perhaps it was because I was now so busy with Quidditch practice nearly every day of the week and a few meetings with a Ghost from Ravenclaw any other 'free' night, most other nights, when I wasn't going through endless flying drills to sharpen my reflexes and reaction times, I learned how to play Quidditch the Slytherin way. I especially had an appreciation for learning strategy ever since Draco had taught me how to play Wizard's Chess. All in all, the days at Hogwarts were starting to blend into one another. I could hardly believe that I`d been at Hogwarts for two months. There were lessons, there was theory and practice, there was breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and rarely something was deviating from the norms.

"Prince!" someone shouted, and I blinked at the figure who asked it. Frizzy dark hair, brown eyes, and a Gryffindor tie belonged, the voice belonged to Hermione, which stopped me while I was heading towards the library to do my homework. She had zeroed in on me after lunch and was pretty clearly looking ready for a fight of some kind. I wondered what could have caused her to be so agitated, but before I could ask, she blurted out

Well, I still didn't have the Protego charm, and my Flipendo could use some more practice, but I was willing and ready to get the party started if she wanted a scuffle.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You're letting Parvati copy from you, and if you don't stop, I'm going to the professors with this," she said, firmly looking ready to defend the honesty and sanctity of homework from all evil individuals. I started a bit more at her, furrowing my eyebrows and half-losing myself in thought. I stared at her for a bit longer than the norm, so much so that she began to fidget.

"I will if you don't stop," she pressed on.

"I'm sorry but...Parvati who?" I asked, nonchalantly feigning ignorance.

The stern appearance of Hermione slipped. "But I overheard her say she copied her Potion essay from you-" she began in a mutter, only for me to shrug once more at her words.

"I'm headed to the library to get started on my Defense Against the Dark Arts homework," I said as politely as I could. "If you want, after I'm done with it I can let you have a look and see if there's anything in it you can use in your essay?"

Hermione`s eyes widened ever so slightly. "So that's it!" she blurted out. "You-Don't you even bother checking!? She just copied it all, don't you know the professors are going to punish you if..." I shrugged once more at her words. "And stop shrugging! It's rude." She said

"Amen," I said. "Well, I'm going to the library. If you want, you can come along."

"The professors..." Hermione said, hesitantly.

"The fool knows not the dangerous precipice he heads to when he takes knowledge without having learned it," I looked straight back at her with a small smile. "When the exams come around, I suppose they will cry?" I mused and then shrugged. "The greatest punishment of those who cheat comes when they are put to the test."

"I don't like that at all," the girl said. "I'm telling the professors."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I'll say I just let them look at my homework to get a general idea of how the work was to be done. They're the ones who copied, so they're the ones who'll get in trouble. I won't hold it against you, and if you want, I'll keep you a seat in the library, but think what they're going to do to you. Do you think they'll appreciate you sticking your nose in their affairs?" I sighed and glanced in the general direction of the library. "I'm going, or I'll never be done with my homework. Feel free to come whenever you want."

And with that said, I walked away much to the annoyed spluttering of Hermione.

Because we have far too few classes with Gryffindor and I only had a few conversations with her after our initial encounter, I regrettably lost touch with her. I overheard Elias complaining about her, and I think I'm beginning to see why.

Later that night, using an invisible-creaking ring I had borrowed from Theodore, I snuck to the spot where I usually ran into the ghost of Ravenclaw, or more precisely, the lady in gray. The lady was a tall witch with waist-length hair. She was gorgeous. Although I wouldn't say our first encounters were the best, her curiosity ultimately prevailed. I explained why I wanted to meet her, then I only received the following response: that she doesn't believe in me, which means that she is aware of the person I need to save…She said she wants to avoid making the same mistake again and that she needs to get to know me better. and this gave me hope. I am planning to take things slow and give her the space she needs to build trust. I believe that with patience and understanding, we can develop a strong connection.

"Arthur, I'm glad you could come, I know how busy you are with training," she said I smiled and replied, "Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Plus, it's always good to take a break from training and catch up with friends."

"I'm glad you think the same, another pleasant and quiet night, don't you think?" she asked

"Yes, it's always nice to have some peace after a long day. What do you have planned for tomorrow?" I answered

"Tomorrow is Halloween, I don't think too much, although it will be a party... It's called The Deathday Party" she looked sad "but I don't think I will go...I haven't gone for a long time... "She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before adding, "It's just too painful to be reminded of all the loved ones I've lost."

"I understand, but probably if you go there, maybe it will make you feel better, it's a party after all," I said

"Tomorrow is Halloween, I don't think too much, although it will be a party... It's called The Deathday Party" she looked sad "but I don't think I will go...I haven't gone for a long time... "She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before adding, "It's just too painful to be reminded of all the loved ones I've lost." Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked away, trying to hide her emotions. It was clear that the memories of her past were still haunting her.

"I understand, but probably if you go there, maybe it will make you feel better, it's a party after all," I said She looked at me with a mix of hesitation and hope in her eyes as if considering my suggestion. "Maybe you're right," she finally said, giving me a small smile. "but I have no one to go with..." "I understand," I replied sympathetically. "But maybe we can go together? It could be fun to try something new with a friend."

"know that I would like this Arthur..." she said "Then it's a date. "

The two of them smiled at each other and made plans to meet up for dinner the following day.

a little later, laying down in bed I thought

So, what could possibly go wrong if I asked a ghost to accompany me to a Halloween party?