#abevent

new years eve, 1976

five days earlier, a letter had been sent to all students both on and off campus, welcoming them to a new years festival as a thank you from the faculty for being a united strong front through such a tough year. but while the students turned up in groups on the night, expecting to trawl through all the shops hogsmeade usually had to offer, they were surprised by an entirely different set up.

fairy lights line the roofs of closed stores, leading the party-dwellers through the snow. a red glow of firepits can be seen in the distance, accompanied by blankets, cushions and gazebos. near each set of blankets are baskets full of glow sticks, party hats, and glow in the dark bangles, necklaces and anklets. there was also supposed to be a set of streamers and horns, but someone who got there early seems to have taken them (hopefully to not set all off at once!)

there are at least a dozen stalls and activities littered around, including:

stalls dedicated to all things sweet! liquorice wands, sugar quills, chocolate frogs, candyfloss, caramel popcorn, pudding, cauldron cakes, you name it - if you can imagine it, honeydukes has provided it!

it’s your lucky day! mcgonagall has given the okay to sell very safe, approved, small fireworks and sparklers. she will be watching the stall with a close eye, so no one get any ideas! students are free to light them at any point throughout the festival, but please use common sense.

a tree has been set up near the furthest stall for students to write their new years wishes on ribbon and hang on the branches. binn has assigned himself to watch the tree and make sure all those wishes come true. they will not be ruined by nosey peekers, not on his watch!

a hot chocolate stand has been set up right by a temporary ice rink. there is a sign up asking students to not take the hot drink onto the ice. charms can only do so much! there are also enchanted marshmallows that change the colour and scent of the hot chocolate depending on which you pick.

five game stalls have been set up to entertain the students. prizes can be won at ring toss, apple bobbing, pin the tail on the manticore, bowling and whack-a-niffler.

a face-painting booth has been set up - there is a single charmed face painting brush so don’t get upset if you don’t get what you ask for!

for those who dare, there is a kissing booth set up (don’t ask which professor allowed it) and six blindfolded students’ puckered lips await! you can choose between ambrose burke, gilderoy lockhart, frank longbottom, and seraphina parkinson , harriet arya or emmeline vance. all proceeds are going to the frog choir.

and last but by no means least, dumbledore himself has requested a ferris wheel! filch will be running it, so there’s no guarantee it’ll go at the correct speed, but the headmaster would not take no for an answer. rumour is he’ll spend the whole evening going around and around.....

She was rounding off the day with a nice frothy Butterbeer when a sharp pain speared through her abdomen making her gasp. She plonked her glass down abruptly, sloshing amber liquid over the side as she gripped the edge of the heavy wooden table. The sharp pain came again and she gritted her teeth trying not to make a scene. When the third stabbing pain came it was too much and she stumbled to her feet.

Luce braced herself against a wooden beam in the Three Broomsticks, feeling violently queasy; her stomach was roiling and her vision blurring slightly at the edges as she had stood up. She felt awful. The vein in her temple had begun the slow thud thud thud of what was sure to be the migraine from hell and the pains just kept coming. She couldn’t think clearly enough to think back on what she’d had today to make her feel so sick aside from the few drinks she’d had in here.

“Oh my god.... it’s so painful,” she gasped, swaying on her feet.