A Dementor's Kiss - Phan

A Truly Scary Halloween

 October 31st dawned cold and grey. Frost was on the ground and for one day only the fires burned black and purple in the hearths.

Trick or Treating had been banned in Hogwarts centuries back, but students still found ways to celebrate.  The pumpkin carving was particularly elaborate. While the largest were saved for the Great Hall decorations, any extra that Hagrid had grown were given to the students to do with as they pleased. For the third year running a particularly leering pumpkin had been bewitched on to the thoroughly angry head of Mrs Norris, and Filch was to been seen chasing her around the grounds in the early hours of the morning trying to lever it off with a broom handle.

“It’s animal abuse,” Carrie muttered. “I don’t like it.”

“She’s more evil than animal, I promise.” Chris grinned, but got only a scowl in return.

Fake spiders dangled from every archway and had a habit of jumping out at unsuspecting first years, their overlarge fangs dripping with blood. Skeletons rattled in the broom cupboards and the Hogwarts ghosts were partying hard throughout the corridors of the castle. There was even rumoured to be a vampire somewhere in the dungeons, brought in from Scandinavia especially.

Dan, Phil, PJ and Chris were seated around one large pumpkin, working on it together. Carrie had carved an elaborate floral pattern around the rim before heading back to her dormitory to change for the evening.

“Have you met the ghoul in the charms corridor yet?” PJ asked. “He has a top hat and I’m very jealous.”

“You have two top hats.” Chris complained.

“This one’s purple and sparkly.”

Chris tsked, turning back to his quarter of the pumpkin. It was a gaudy collection of cartoon penises disguised as faces, Chris’s master plan being that the candle would illuminate the obscenity when lit. In PJ’s section intricate characters rode surfboards through the galaxy, and Dan had created a screaming face that almost seemed to protrude out of the vegetable. It wasn’t until the pumpkin was lit till Phil’s image was visible: a gradient sunset in hues of orange and yellow. It was an eclectic mix of personalities.

“Are we just going to leave it floating there?”

“Yeah, why not. I think it brightens up the room beautifully.”

The festivities continued well into the afternoon, but it was as the sun sank behind the clouds that the real excitement started.

Screams were the soundtrack of the evening, and students with arachnophobia were warned to stay clear of the fourth floor corridor. The teachers too were getting into the Halloween spirit. Professor Flitwick had bewitched a cheery crowd of decapitated heads to float up by the ceiling, occasionally muttering to themselves or emitting blood curdling screams. Professor Vector had conjured up a mysterious green fog that smelled oddly of cabbage, and even McGonagall was to be seen sporting a huge, elaborate velvet witch’s hat covered in cobwebs.

Despite the scares, the atmosphere was a happy one as the students made their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast.

“Did you hear?” Chris said excitedly as they clattered down the stairs. “Umbridge found four toads in her underwear drawer this morning. Four!”

“What I want to know is how the hell they managed to get into Umbridge’s underwear drawer.” Phil laughed.

“Why? Fancy taking a peek? Wow Phil, I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.” Chris sniggered, and Phil hit him over the head with a rubber snake.