“I swear Harry I am going to put pillows on either side of your bed, so if you fall, you will at least not have another chance at getting a concussion.”
It was Halloween morning, and Jasper was once again scolding Harry gently about him falling off his bed.
“I’m actually surprised I haven't gotten one yet.” Harry commented.
Jasper scoffed. “I am going to freeze you before you go to sleep, so you stay still.”
Harry laughed. “We’ll try the pillows first.” He went over to Jasper’s bed, and he looked over at the twins. “It’s Saturday. They are probably going to sleep in.”
“Even on Halloween?” Jasper asked.
Harry shrugged.
“Do wizards dress up for Halloween?” Jasper asked. “Usually people - I mean muggles - would dress up as witches, and other different types of costumes like a superhero or a character from a movie.”
Harry thought for a moment, trying to remember if his mum had ever mentioned dressing up at Hogwarts for Halloween. “I don’t think at Hogwarts people usually dress up, not that I have heard, but they do put up decorations!” He hugged a pillow. “And there is a Halloween feast.”
Jasper nodded. “That all sounds fun...do wizards trick or treat? Do you know what that is?”
“I have trick or treated.” Harry said. “But I don’t know if that is a wizard thing.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I have done a mix of muggle, and wizarding stuff, but it isn’t done at Hogwarts.”
Jasper nodded. “Well that’s alright. It’s just every year I take my brother's trick or treating.”
Harry titled his head. “Alone?”
Jasper quickly shook his head. “No, no. With my parents of course.” He hopped off his bed. “Which reminds me, I need to write them.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Sure.” Jasper replied. They both got dressed, and let Jonathan, and Gifford sleep in, and they headed to the owlery. Hogwarts was now filled with Halloween related decorations. There were jack o lanterns, and candles floating around, and cobwebs hanging at each part of the wall. They both said hello to the ghosts they passed, and they both noticed that the ghosts looked a little more alive today. Maybe it was because of the holiday? Jasper looked over at Harry as they entered the owlery. “Have your parents contacted you at all since we arrived at Hogwarts?”
“They have.” Harry told him. “My mum has written to me four times, which is actually pretty good, she is really busy.”
“And your dad?”
“He does it weekly.” Harry said. “Though I think he is still a little afraid of the owls.” He looked over to where Jasper was getting his quill, ink, and parchment out. “How are your parents reacting to the owls, and all of this?”
“Oh…” Said Jasper slowly. They are happy I am out of the house, but also hate it because they actually have to do stuff? Well his mum did some things, but usually Jasper felt like it would just be better if he did all the work so they wouldn’t be annoyed or mad with him or his brothers. A lot of the time their parents just forgot about them so Jasper would end up doing the job anyway. Now Toby felt this way - he was making sure their little brothers were okay, and it made Jasper feel horrible for leaving, but if everything went according to plan, they would all have Hogwarts as a safe haven by the time Jasper was 17 years old, and once Jasper were to be graduated from Hogwarts, he would not be going back to that house, and neither would his brothers.
And he knew another thing for sure, his parents hated him more than they ever did. “I think they are okay with the owls, a little weird, but they are adapting.” He answered, and dipped his quill into the ink, and started to write.
Dear Toby, Ethan, Francis, and Edgar,
Hope you’re doing alright! It is Halloween today at Hogwarts. There are these floating pumpkins, and candles all about the school.
He once again hoped he wasn’t bragging, but Toby had specifically said he wanted to know everything about Hogwarts in his last letter so Jasper continued on.
Apparently at Hogwarts you don’t dress up for Halloween, but I guess we are all dressing up as wizards? Yesterday we had the first quidditch match of the season! Have I told you what quidditch is? Well in case I didn’t, it is this game on broomsticks, and there are seven players on each team, and they try to score a ball called the quaffle through these hoops, and another player hits another ball, a bludger with a bat, and directs it to other players! And the seeker tries to catch this tiny golden winged ball. It was Gryffindor v.s. Hufflepuff yesterday, and we did lose, but it was still really fun to watch! I want to try getting on the team next year. I hope you’ll get to see a game one day. Anyway enough about me, how are you guys? Don’t lie. Is everything okay? If it isn’t, tell me immediately. I hope school is going well. Tell me about it?
Love you guys.
Jasper
P.S. Have any of you started to display magical abilities yet?
Love you again.
He folded the letter up, put it in an envelope, selected a brown tawny owl, and tied the letter to its leg. It flew off alongside the one Harry had selected to carry his letter.
They both then headed back to the common room, and chatted about different Halloween traditions. The girls came down a bit later, Maryrose had black hair with orange streaks throughout it along orange eyes to match the festivities. Gifford came down around 11:00 dragging Jonathan behind him, and they all sat, and discussed what they usually did for Halloween, (if they celebrated) and also chatted about yesterday's match again. The common room was pretty crowded with the older kids so the first years decided to go up to the boys dorms, and they played games like the Halloween addition of gobblestones which exploded with pumpkin, cinnamon, apple cider, and other autumn scents. They ate Bertie Botts' Every Flavoured Beans, trying to see who would eat the most beans without backing out, and Jasper told them about pumpkin carving.
“You carve the pumpkins yourself?” Marty asked, interested.
Jasper nodded. “Haven’t you ever carved pumpkins?”
They all nodded. “Well usually my dad would.” Maryrose said. “With magic of course.”
The twins, and Dorothy agreed with this.
“Well one time I tried to do it the muggle way.” Penelope said. “It was...messy.”
“Yeah, if we were doing it the muggle way, I would want to scoop out the guts.” Harry said. “It was one of my favourite parts.”
Dorothy turned. “Pumpkins have guts?”
Jasper nodded, and quickly said, “They, do, but they aren’t actual human-”
Dorothy quickly got up, and picked up a pumpkin. She swung it over her head, and smashed it to the ground.
The pumpkin surprisingly fell apart with Dorothy’s strength, and pumpkin guts were now all over the floor.
“Ew, why are they orange?” Dorothy asked.
“Maybe because the pumpkin is?” Gifford speculated. He looked at the smashed pumpkin. “Ugh, now we have to clean this up.”
Harry waved his wand, saying the incantation for the levitation charm, and floated the pumpkin to the rubbish bin.
Penelope looked surprised. “You can already do the levitation charm?”
Harry flushed. “Oh…well I have been practising.” He looked at the remnants on the floor. “Does anyone know a cleaning spell?”
“I have been working on this potion with Quinn.” Gifford said. “It is a cleaning potion.” He went over to his trunk, and pulled a bottle of blue liquid out.
“Awwww, potion dates with Quinn.” Jonathan singsonged.
“Shut up Jon.” Gifford snapped. “We are friends, and only friends.” He poured the liquid on the pumpkin remains making them disappear. “There.”
“That’s a handy potion.” Jasper commented, thinking it could have come in handy when he had to clean up the mess if his brothers had gotten sick.
“Thank you.” Gifford said. “Quinn, and I have been working on it for a while.” He put the potion back in his trunk.
Jonathan snorted. “Only friends, okay.”
“Do you want purple hair again?” Gifford challenged, taking out his wand. Jonathan shook his head quickly. “Then I suggest you zip it.”
“I am only teasing, little brother.”
“We are twins!”
“Yeah, but I am a minute older.”
Gifford rolled his eyes.
They headed down to the Great Hall, and it was a beautiful sight. The air was filled with grinning, and frowning pumpkins, and floating candles were dripping black, and orange wax. The walls were covered with black, and orange drapes, and snaked between were cobwebs, and Dorothy whispered about how Venom would love to scuttle across those walls, making the others uneasy. Professor Slughorn had brewed a potion that sat at the front of the hall, that gave off pleasant Halloween, and autumn scents making everyone who passed fill with excitement.
“This is amazing.” Jasper said in awe with wide eyes,
“Isn’t it?” Maryrose asked, looking around her hair, and eyes still matching the Halloween spirit. She had her camera out, and was ready to take photos of the Great Hall.
Jasper once again really wished he had a camera so he could also document his time here, and be able to show his brothers, but would they think he was showing off? Or would they be interested? What if they were interested, but actually seeing the place would make them sad because they weren’t there?
What if they all weren’t going to be able to go here? What would Jasper do then? Panic? Yeah, he would definitely panic.
“And the ghosts look more alive.” Harry commented as they sat down, shaking Jasper out of his thoughts. “I think on Halloween they are granted the ability of almost life. They can smell, taste, and look more lively today.”
“Interesting.” Jasper said, trying to put his worry aside, and he continued to admire the decorations that filled the Great Hall.
Dumbledore came up to the podium smiling. “Happiest of Halloweens students! Tonight we feast with the living, and recall the dead, whose spirits live on, reminding us of the shortness of time which we are bequeathed on this earth.” Well that’s a cheerful thought. Jasper thought. “Let us lay aside our differences.” Dumbledore continued. “Trick or treat!”
“Trick or treat!” The people in the Great Hall replied.
All of a sudden an assortment of food appeared on the tables of the Great Hall, and everyone started to eat. Jasper was just looking at one of the ghosts that had a plate of pumpkin pie, and he wondered how ghosts even came to be. Would he be a ghost when he died? He would ask Harry after dinner, he would probably know.
“Hey, Jasper.” Harry said, nudging him.
“Yeah?”
“Look.” Harry picked up his rat, Lou.
Jasper stared at the rat, and laughed. “How did you do that?”
“Allen showed me, isn’t she adorable?” Harry was smiling.
“Yes, she is very much in the Halloween spirit.” Jasper patted Lou’s little head.
And Lou sat on Harry’s shoulder the rest of the meal, orange, with a little pumpkin hat strapped to her tiny head.