#petrifyevent

the first quidditch match of the year was a raucous affair between hufflepuff and gryffindor.   the stands were full   ━   most professors and prefects wanted to attend the match,  an excuse to step out into the crisp september air,   so headmaster slughorn had long declared that anyone not in attendance would either need to stay in their common rooms and dormitories   or   join the librarian for a study hall.   

even if those options weren’t the alternatives,  it ended up being a game worth watching.   the badgers were a bit of an untested team this year,  as most of their starting positions had been held by last year’s crop of seventh years.   they put up a good fight,  but in the end,  gryffindor captain benjy fenwick kept their quaffles out and his seeker kept hufflepuff’s from the snitch.   the full stands were aflutter with whispers from gryffindor fans about how well he wore victory.   no one was surprised when his name popped up in even more whispers as everyone filed back into the castle   ━   a victory party was in order,  and as captain,  it was only right that mr. fenwick orchestrate it.   

directions for accessing the room of requirement slipped from one group to another,  until more students than just gryffindors found themselves sneaking past the unlucky prefects & professors on patrol that night.  inside the room,  the party was in full swing;   music pumped through the room,  drinks flowed freely,  and spirits were high.   the current king of gryffindor quidditch had decided attendees were his subjects for the night,  and he had only one decree:   some party games were in order,  and he would be the one making their rules. 

"  ....  and  one  last  thing  losers  .  to  kick  of  the  first  gryffindor  victory  party  of  term  ,  i  have  arranged  a  special  game  for  us  to  play  tonight  !      i  have  started  to  feel  that  we  haven't  —-  meshed  enough  yet  ,  so  it  is  to  my  great  happiness  that  we  will  be  playing  '  7  minutes  in  heaven  '  and  yes  ...  you're  all  playing  .    and  just  to  take  the  stress  off  of  y'all  ...  i  have  already  picked  your  partners  .  i  think  we  should  start  with  .....  and  good  luck  and  hopefully  you  get  lucky  !    "

the pairs are as follows:

benjy  &  vivian  

rita  &  sybill  

miray  &  doc  

alecto  &  mary  

harper  &  andromeda  

amelia  &  remus  

lily  &  narcissa  

lune  &  rodolphus  

charlie  &  theo  

evan  &  dorcas  

marlene  &  peter  

frank  &  alice

oh,  of course everyone knew the rules.   headmaster slughorn talked through all of them after the sorting ceremony,  before the feast   —   only roam the halls with a companion,  and never later than two hours after dinner.   the rules this evening,  he said,  were different;  with dinner at a later hour due to the bustle of everyone’s arrival to the castle,  curfew was to begin immediately following the feast.   his eyes sparkled with humor as he reminded all the upper years that that meant no secret funny business. 

ha!  good try,  headmaster.   the notes passed hands on the hogwarts express,  flitting from compartment to compartment.   no one could recall who first sent them out;  all that mattered was that,  for all the new rules,  some routines were to remain.  after all   —   if it was sometimes unsafe in the castle now,  shouldn’t a party outside be perfectly safe?  

between the great lake and the forbidden forest,  just beyond the greenhouses and out of sight of any frequented windows in the castle proper was a small stretch of lawn that most every hogwarts student knew about.   after all,  it was where the secret,  illicit start of term party was always held.   all of-age students were invited,  regardless of blood status.   ringing in the new school year could allow for a loosening of social norms.   

the sneaking around,  the carefully calculated wait until the younger years were safely ensconced in bed   —   it was tradition,  one that the mystery monster wouldn’t take from them.   

spiked punch and strong firewhiskey changed hands.   some students had charmed an old,  muggle record player to blast music perfect for dancing;   others could be seen kicking off the night with dazzling fireworks shot out of their wands,  others still telling them to keep out of sight of the windows.   of course,  headmaster slughorn likely knew of the party;   that knowing wink before the feast said it all.   but who was he to stop a night like this?   

the castle has had over a month to settle down following the unfortunate fate darius hedgeflower  &  andrea fawcett found themselves in the morning after the illicit gryffindor victory party;   and settle it did,  in a way.   the monster that’s plagued hogwarts for two years seemed to have returned to its usual habits   —   as startling as it was to see three students petrified in the month of september alone,  it did not forespell the unknown monster ramping up its attacks even more.  the rest of september finished with a whimper,  and october was as calm as it could be,  when the halls buzzed with chatter of slughorn’s impending halloween masque.  

the event has only been held since he took up the role of headmaster,  but it’s fast become a date students are sure to circle on their calendars.   say what you will about the man,  but he knows how to throw a party.   half traditional masque,  half masquerade party,  slughorn has yearly arranged for members of hogwarts’ very own drama club to wander a spectacularly decorated great hall in costume  &  masks,  performing scenes and vignettes from his chosen play at random through the crowd.   half the fun of the night?   well,  when slughorn yearly encouraged everyone else to come in masks  &  costumes   —   to keep their identities concealed.   the party itself was a treat;   the trick was that slughorn turned the night into a game,  where it’s every attendee’s mission to solve the riddle of the year’s play before the final scene signaled that the night is over.   

this year,  he had the hall decorated in gothic splendor;   lit only by candlelight,  the night was thrown into high relief.  as was tradition,  only students were were of-age were allowed to attend the masque.   slughorn knew well the stress all living in the castle were under,  so he wished to present his students with a chance to drink and let loose.   there was just one rule for all this fun:   don’t leave the great hall.