#petrifywelcome

everything  was  loud   .   naturally   ,   fun  parties  were  rarely  quiet  and  manageable   (   at  least  not  the  ones  doc  frequented   )    .   the  point  being  ,   despite  how  loud  it  was   ,    a  good  ten  people  near  the  edge  of  the  party  heard  a  resounding  SLAP     .   surprisingly     ,    caradoc  was  not  the  victim   ,   but  still   ,   he  flinched   .   “  ooof   .    ”   he  cringed          perhaps  not   because  he  felt  any  bit  of  empathy   ,   but  rather  because  he  lost  a  galleon  in  some  childish  bet   .   “   yeah   ,   alright   ,   alright   .   who  had  thirty  minutes  in  the  pool   ?   thirty  minutes   ?   ”

fuck. the witch tried to stuff the firewhisky under her robes, it wasn’t fitting. she knew she was late, but better late with a reason than late with nothing. smuggling spirits into Hogwarts was one thing, getting them pass filch was a whole nother story. but this wasn’t anything new for the witch. her friends were counting on her for this. when the spirit finial settled itself into her robes the witch flashed a smile, perfect. now she could start the year. sneaking around the castle was second nature to her by now, which lead her to be a bit cocky. so, when she hears someone approaching, she tries to hide behind a statue. shit. 

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?   

“  oi  !   ”  remy  exclaimed   ,   his  finger  raised  as  if  to  say  ONE  MOMENT  PLEASE   .    despite  the  request  for  time   ,   he  moved  calmly   .   his  relaxed  demeanor  was  unfitting  to  the  chaos  around  them   ,   but  it  was  clear  he  did  not  care    .    that  was  just  remy   .   he  could  strut  confidently  through  a  burning  building  and  not  seem  the  least  bit  rushed   .   remy  poured  himself  a  shot  and  brought  the  drink  to  his  lips   ,   liquid  burning  his  throat  as  he  lowered  his  hand   ,   glass  forgotten   .    “   i’m  sorry  you  had  to  witness  that  outburst    .   ”   he  was  being  sarcastic   .   he  was  always  being  sarcastic   .   “  i’m  better  now   .   would  you  like  one   ?  ”   remy  pointed  to  the  drinks  that  remain  laid  out  before  them   .   he  did  not  wait  for  an  answer  before  beginning  to  pour  himself  a  second  glass   . 

it was tradition. it was tradition. it was tradition. the phrase ran circles in her mind. the holidays had not been kind to the blonde, home life was horrid and her attitude wasn’t helping much. the witch was in a sour mood to say the least. but the few joys that came with being back at Hogwarts were the few vices she could indulge in. pulling out a cigarette out of her robes, she makes her way to a secluded corner. breathing in the smoke and exhaling the past couple of months. it takes her a while to notice someone beside her.