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"Come with me, Minerva," Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall. "You too, Misters Longbottom, Weasley and Black."
Gilderoy Lockhart, who had managed to reach to the incident scene in his horrid and flashy orange-purple wizard robes, stepped forward eagerly.
"My office is nearest, Headmaster – just upstairs – please feel free –"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore, in a tone which managed to be at the same time thankful and cold towards the incompetent Defence Professor.
The crowd parted to let them pass in a silence of death, punctuated only by the whining of Draco Malfoy. Lockhart, looking excited and important as usual, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. After that, every student began to depart to return to their respective Common Rooms, the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors in their towers, the Hufflepuffs towards the first floor and the Slytherins in the dungeons.
Saying goodbye to Hermione and Nigel for the night, Alexandra left with Morag.
"What is the Chamber of Secrets, by the way?" Asked Michael Corner, one of their fellow second-year housemates.
"No idea." Replied his friend Stephen Cornfoot, one of the pure-bloods who was among the specialists of Wizarding legends and traditions. "But I hope they catch the culprit rapidly."
Exchanging a dismayed look with Morag, Alexandra was not wasting her breath to wait such an unlikely resolution. If last year was any judge, the culprits at Hogwarts weren't caught until it was too late.
"Ready for Samhain?" Whispered Morag. «At the next corner we turn to the right and we run to Professor Babbling's office."
Alexandra nodded with firm resolution. She had had some doubt to participate in an Old Ways ritual, but with another Halloween turning to disaster at Hogwarts, going to MacDougal Manor was a safer course than she would have thought in other circumstances.
31th October 1992 and 1st November 1992, MacDougal Manor, Ireland
In the stupor provoked by the mysterious attack on Argus Filch and Mrs Norris, none of the other Ravenclaw students had remarked Alexandra and Morag's departure. Opening the unlocked door of the Runes Professor Batsheda Babbling, the two young witches had taken the Floo powder (which by a mysterious coincidence was largely in evidence among the mantelpiece ornaments), they had shouted "MacDougal Manor!" and disappeared in a whirlwind of green fire. On the good side, this method of transport was way more pleasant in Alexandra's opinion than the Portkey taken to Black Cobra Manor. On the bad side, it was less enjoyable than teleportation or broom riding.
When they arrived to the Irish Manor, all lights were out. Morag explained quickly to Alexandra how they would not be re-lightened until the end of the ritual, and now they had to hasten. The ritual of Samhain was about to begin, and Lady MacDougal, Morag's mother, had according to the principal interested threatened to her to decrease her monthly allowance by half if she dared come late to the celebration.
"You were late once?" Could not stop to ask Alexandra, as they entered in a room which looked like reserved for invites as it was relatively lightly decorated with two simple paintings representing Irish fields full of wild flowers.
"When I was ten." Admitted the red-haired Ravenclaw. "I had gotten to the little village not far from here where several other children live, I forgot the time and I came...very late home. Never forgot the sermon my mother spoke to me afterwards."
Morag then turned towards with her, her perfect white teeth shining in the penumbra. With a gesture of her hand she showed her some clothes on the unoccupied bed.
Approaching it, Alexandra realised it was a wizarding robe, but very different from the large black ones of Hogwarts. To start with, it was red. A deep crimson red. Unlike the Hogwarts robes, it had not been conceived to be large and for anyone to wear pulls, shirts or any sort of clothes under it. It was really skin-tight...and to Alexandra's astonishment it was clear not much would be able to be worn under that, not even tights.
"You're kidding right?" The green-eyed Ravenclaw asked to Morag, uncomfortably aware she was blushing and that her Ravenclaw friend was laughing silently of her embarrassment.
"Strip, Alexandra." Laughed Morag. And to give the example, Morag joined the gesture to the speech and began to remove all her clothes.
Sighing and wondering at sometimes the curious traditions of witches and wizards, Alexandra took off in turn her own robes, though she suffered another blush when she realised every clothes had really to come off for the celebration, including bras and panties.
Imitating Morag, Alexandra then put the red robes and most of her blush went away. The new clothes had warming charms and were less difficult to put-on than she had expected. They were as revealing as they seemed, alas. Standing on her feet and looking in the only mirror of the room, she could not stop to gasp as the teenager in red robes certainly couldn't be her. She looked...elegant.
"Is that all?" Alexandra asked to Morag, without looking behind her.
"Not quite." Replied the red-haired witch. And as Alexandra was still busy watching her reflection in the mirror, the other witch came behind her and posed a red mask on her face, which instantly fit closely around her head.
"Wow. Just, wow." Whispered Alexandra. In the mirror, she and Morag were now virtually indistinguishable, the red robes moulding their bodies, the masks hiding their visages and a sort of Colouring Charm worked because their hairs were now both a deep purple instead of black and red. Only their feet were not concerned by the different Samhain clothes, the robes stopping at their ankles.
"Now we don't speak until dawn, Alexandra. Not a word." Said Morag in a deadly serious tone. "Enjoy the instant, and remember, let the magic flow into you."