The Halloween celebration for the Sphinx Club was a lively affair, with the 'Griffon Club' members in attendance as well. Apparently Lavender and Parvati had gotten some of the 7th year Gryffindor students to transfigure some costumes for the occasion, after hearing some of the muggleborn students describe their halloween festivities and found it fun. Harry had been given a vampire costume, complete with cape and fake fangs. Hermione was a muggle interpretation of a witch, complete with green skin and wart on her nose. Padma was a mummy, wrapped in bandages. Daphne had managed to get a costume representative of Cleopatra, complete with a rather appropriate snake circlet. Tracey meanwhile had white make-up on making her look like a ghost. Susan and Hannah matched, both being black cats. Parvati had styled herself after American moviestar Marilyn Monroe, and Lavender had gone for Audrey Hepburn. Neville was dressed as a dullahan, with a pumpkin where his head would be. Ginny decided to have her costume be an american cheerleader, and Astoria had gone for a simple zombie get-up. Luna however, decided she was Frankenstein's monster, and spent the evening walking around on boxes she had attached to her feet to make her taller.
Harry had felt much better about the day after their celebration. Nothing bad had happened, and he had fun dancing and playing with his friends and girlfriends. His anxieties had all but melted away when the made their way to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast. Dumbledore as always started the feast with great fanfare, and the students tucked into their food with fervor.
Harry sipped his pumpkin juice as he and his friends chatted amiably at the Ravenclaw table. The addition of Luna into the relationship had shaken up their normally seating arrangements. Despite the general Padma on the left and Hermione on the right arrangement, Luna was now occasionally usurping one of their spots, which Harry found amusing.
The friendly competition the girls had to simply be close to him had been a constant source of entertainment for Harry. Daphne and Padma in particular had developed a bit of a rivalry, each trying to claim the position as "top girlfriend", despite the fact that no such position would exist. Harry wouldn't let himself do that. Despite that however, the competition persisted. Daphne and Padma would display obvious, and more salacious means of affection, passionate kisses, meaningful innuendo and the lot. Hermione and Susan however were more content with the less active side of affection though, more cuddles on the couches in the Sphinx Club room, warm hugs and sweet tender kisses. Luna was the wildcard though, and seemed to flip wildly between the extremes, while simultaneously finding her own methods to show her affection. From piggyback rides, to tickle fights, Luna's affections sparked a unique kind of joy that it seemed only she could provide. Harry was immensely grateful to all five of them for what they did. He cared for them all very deeply, and wanted nothing to happen to them. Was that love? Harry was unsure about that, but felt that it didn't matter if that was the word for that feeling anyway. He would protect it, and them, with all he had. Come Basilisk, Voldemort, or whatever else would get in their way.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Professor Lupin making his way hurriedly, though not running, up the center aisle of the great hall. Had he not been here for the feast up to now? Harry hadn't noticed his absence. Lupin made his way to the Heads table, where he appeared to whisper something to Dumbledore. Whatever it was certainly seemed to surprise the aged headmaster, as he quickly rallied Professor McGonagall and Snape with him, and the quartet made their way quickly out of the Great Hall.
"Wonder what that's about?" Padma asked, pulling Harry out of his own thoughts for a moment. "Must be important for all of them to rush out in the middle of the Halloween feast."
"I don't know, but I have a very bad feeling about it." Harry said, his earlier anxieties coming to the forefront. Luna seemed to notice, and squeezed his hand.
"I guess we don't exactly have a good track record with Halloween do we?" Hermione said, almost in a defeated manner. "Troll first year, Basilisk the second."
"I'm sure everything will be okay this year. All of the Sphinx Club members are here, as well as Ginny and Story. Harry doesn't need to rush off to save anyone this time." Luna said.
"You do have a bit of a saving people thing Harry." Hermione said, looking at him.
"I don't like people being hurt." Harry said. "I wouldn't exactly call it a 'saving people thing' though."
"Well, you fought a troll as an eleven year old novice wizard for a girl that you still didn't know particularly well." Padma said.
"Hermione was my friend! I was worried about her." Harry said defensively.
"And don't think I don't appreciate that, and love that you thought so highly of me, but you had no reason to not just tell a prefect that I wasn't in the great hall." Hermione said.
"I didn't think they'd take it seriously." Harry said.
"I suppose that's fair enough, later events with a Basilisk being loose in the school support that." Hermione said.
No sooner had Hermione finished speaking, than Professor McGonagall reentered the Great Hall, making her way quickly to the Head Table for an announcement. "Students, there has been an incident outside of Gryffindor tower. For your safety, we will be not be releasing you back to your dorms tonight. You will remain here in the Great Hall while the staff investigates the situation. Prefects, please report to the Head table so we can discuss how to organize everyone for this evening."
-----+------
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Vermeail
If you guys wanna check it out.