A First And Last

[Sam Prince]

Floating pumpkins filled the spot of the Great Hall's usual mass of candles and upon closer inspection, each pumpkin had been carved so fabulously detailed that it really could have only been done by the use of magic. Sam Prince now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts loved how he could still be completely and utterly gobsmacked with the elaborate decor of the Great Hall at Halloween. This year could have had a very melancholy effect on the Hufflepuff, but he wasn't going to let it. Yes, it was his NEWT year and yes he would be harshly thrown out of his comfort zone by the time May came about but that didn't mean he couldn't (and wouldn't) make the most of things like his last ever Halloween Feast. He leaned casually against the wall next to the large open doors, something which reminded him a little too much of when he waited for his date, to the same Halloween Feast, in his first year all those years ago. He tried to recall who his date was at that time and decided it was either Jenn or Toni, however he didn't bother dwelling long on the memory. This year, he was waiting for Indianna and although it was his last ever feast at Hogwarts, it was her first and he wanted to make it just as special as his first one was. Sam even agreed on dressing up in joint costume. The pair decided on going as superheroes and although Sam persisted it was totally lame, he secretly thought dressing up as a superhero, was nothing less than awesome. Indianna didn't have to know that though.

His hands dug deep into a long trench coat and his blue eyes peered out at the passing crowd from under the hat he was sporting. One of Sam's first loves happened to be his muggle comic books and even now at seventeen, the hobby fell just below his love for Quidditch. So ultimately he was disappointed when he couldn't get his hands on a bad ass batman suit or even sleek spiderman one but this undercover superhero disguise turned out pretty snazzy, especially when it was such a last minute job. His mind wandered to how Indianna's costume turned out and having absolutely no idea what she was going to look like didn't help the situation of trying to spot her in the crowd full of crazy, out-of-this-world like costumes. He couldn't remember a Halloween feast with such a spectacular effort made by the students, it was really and truly marvellous. His mind yet again returned back to his girlfriend and how she was feeling in the midst of all this. Did they do stuff like this in Beauxbatons? He couldn't really imagine that uppity student body actually dressing up although, maybe he was just being plain ignorant in thinking that? He made a mental note of asking Indianna when she arrived. There was still something unreal about Indianna being here, in New Zealand, in Hogwarts. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Indianna going to this feast with him, it just seemed completely out of the question, like an impossible possibility. But yet here he was, waiting for her outside his last ever Halloween Feast like it was some sort surreal dream. It was going to be the first and last of many things that would happen this year for the young pair, the Yule Ball being the next big one. To be honest, Sam didn't really fear the idea of these things being his 'last ever' anymore. He knew he would be facing them with his girlfriend and his best friend by his side and the thought just didn't seem as scary. Besides, the 'Superhero Sam' wasn't afraid of anything, in fact he was raring to get out into the big world. Which made Sam appreciate that he was only 'Superhero Sam' for one day. He had become accustomed to the idea of these things being his last ever, sure, but he wasn't quite ready to leave Hogwarts and his childhood memories behind him just yet and so he planned on acting not at all like his age tonight, simply because it was his last ever chance to do so.​

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[Indianna Lee]

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<COLOR color="#000">“What do you think Atticus? Am I superhero material?” Indianna Lee spoke aloud, seemingly to no one as she surveyed her outfit in the full length mirror. Beneath the red cape that she had tied around her neck, her hands smoothed the fabric of her dress over her waist. She hadn’t exactly found a leotard a la superwoman to match nor was she sure she’d be bold enough to wear it if she had but for last minute planning, she had done a commendable job. “Atticus?” She questioned again and flicked her eyes across to her dorm bed where the egyptian mau had curled himself up into a ball and promptly fallen asleep against her pillow. The girl sighed, shook her head and returned to her reflection to adjust the black mask over her eyes. The excitement was quickly beginning to grip her. From what Sam had told her about the Hogwarts festivities, Indi could safely say that Halloween had never been celebrated to this extent in Beauxbatons. There was a feast sure but the efforts that the student body had put in had never exactly been what the seventeen year old would call fun-filled. Honestly? She wished that she could have transferred schools years ago, Hogwarts New Zealand was a much better fit on Indianna Lee. But no matter, she was here now and she had a feast to attend. So once she had slipped on a pair of heels she hoped would aid the height difference between her and her date, Indianna grabbed a toy gun from the side table and all but danced out of her dorm room.

The Great Hall was quite the trek from the Ravenclaw common room and that didn’t do much to calm her jittery anticipation of the night ahead. Indi especially couldn’t wait to see Sam in his costume. Throughout the time they had spent talking about it, he had insisted over and over again that he thought dressing up as a superhero was lame but Indianna knew better than to take his word for it. A smile sparkled in her eyes as she skipped down another flight of stairs. He secretly loved it, she just knew he did and before the night was out Indi would have him admitting he was wrong. It was hard to believe that it had been almost two years since he had thrown those galleons into her guitar case on that sunny day in Brightstone. Indianna didn’t know whether to conclude that the time had flown or that it still persisted to feel like she had know him all her life. Because as contradictory as it was, the girl felt like both were equally true. But what she was certain of was that the prospect of knowing him for another two years was growing stronger every day. She had never felt this way about anyone, ever and even back then she had known that Sam was something wonderfully different.

At the end of the final dimly lit corridor, Indianna was able to see the light flooding out into the shadows from the double doors of the Great Hall. Against them she spied a silhouette, one who’s posture she recognised immediately and still after all this time managed to make her heart skip an excited beat. But the raven-haired girl kept her cool and fell into a portrayal of the character she resembled. Indianna stalked towards him, her heels clicked with firm purpose against the floor and her speed was fast enough to have her cape whispering around her thighs. Her boyfriend looked so damn fine in his costume that when she stopped before him she really wanted to sneak a kiss beneath that fedora but instead she pressed her toy gun against his chest. “Any last words Prince?” ​

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