Open Playing Into It

[Aine Thompson]

Aine had, for the first time, actually come in with a degree of enthusiasm for Halloween. She'd probably never celebrate it again after graduating, and that was okay. But she had had a silly idea for a costume after she'd received her badge, and accordingly was now idly patrolling the hall with a drink in one hand, notebook in the other and her wand by her side. After all, she could now take house points from any student. And she wasn't very good at being friendly and approachable in her eyes, so why not just go all in on it? Scare some witless younger students for the full Halloween experience. She hummed in amusement as she scanned the floor. Sometimes, you just had to make your own fun.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

It was Demetrius' last Halloween and for some reason or another, this had mattered to his mother. She'd previously been uninterested, or maybe Demetrius had just neglected to mention they had a costume contest every Halloween - he wasn't sure which. She'd decided on a costume for him - Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, something Demetrius knew very little about and cared about even less. He walked into the great hall feeling uncomfortable and stiff. The costume was excellent quality, but he wasn't used to it and it wasn't as easy to walk around in as he thought it would be. As he walked around, he recognised Aine - dressed up a police officer, by the looks of things. Demetrius gave a wry smile. It was a nice touch. "Good afterble constanoon*," he said. "Out to frighten some first years into behaving?" He looked better than he had in weeks; his moodiness had faded, and his eyes were bright with a mischievous mirth.

*realised this might not be so widely known but there was an NZ anti-drunk driving advert that featured this joke; it's a play on "good afternoon constable"

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine had to do a double take at Demetrius' appearance. She was ashamed to realize she found the costume attractive, her mind wandering off to classic damp shirts in the lake. But also, this was her friend and housemate, and she'd almost certainly make it awkward if she shared that thought. Instead, she just smartly brought her glass to her face to cover up any reddening of her cheeks while she laughed at the greeting. "I think I could frighten them with just my face. But at least I can remind them I can take house points off 'em now. More reason to have them freak out on me." Aine winced, shaking her head and looking back at Demetrius now she'd staved off the initial surprise. "Um, you, er, look nice." She took a sip of her juice, clearing her throat. "I'd almost say I'm going to miss these, but I don't think I will. How about you?"

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius didn't think Aine's face looked that scary but he wasn't sure how to say that without coming across awkward. Instead he followed his curiosity. "Had any reason to deduct house points yet?" he asked. He gave a shy smile when she complimented his costume. "Yeah, it was my mum's idea. She's big into Jane Austen. And yeah, it does feel weird that this is the last one. I didn't really come to many others, I'm not really a costume kind of person. So I won't really miss it either," Demetrius admitted. "I think I'll miss Hogwarts though," he said somewhat wistfully. "But not exams," he joked.

 

[Aine Thompson]

It probably was less Aine's face and more her general demeanor, but if she had an extra reason to feel uncomfortable and unhappy about her appearance she'd latch onto it. Even with the power of transfiguration at her hands to change things up - mostly her hair colour, really. "Not yet," she admitted, looking down for a moment with a small smile. "The person who's been acting up the most is me." She looked back up. "She's got good taste. Yeah, Halloween just...isn't something we do back home. I think I prefer it to the dances, though." Aine winced, remembering that in all the years she'd been at Hogwarts, she'd never had a date to any of them and by seventh year that just looked kind of sad. "I'm planning to try and scrounge up credits to get into uni, so I've still got plenty of exams to go. I won't miss the lack of freedom here. It'll be sad to finish up though."

 

[Cameron Roswell]

Cameron was doing his usual level best to spend the entire Halloween Feast lurking, using his camera to fend off any accusations about missing costumes. Not everyone enjoyed dressing up to embarrass themselves in front of the whole school.

He'd been making a beeline for Margo, thinking she actually looked pretty nice tonight, a thought which he quickly shoved aside when he spotted Michael with her. Making an immediate about face, Cameron nearly ran into Aine and Demetrius instead, feeling another fizzle of what he forcibly chalked up to feeling left out at seeing the two of them chatting together happily. "If she asks you any questions you shouldn't answer without your lawyer," he told Demtrius, finishing up his statement by purposely taking a picture of the pair with the flash on, heedless of interrupting this conversation. It wasn't like he'd totally done it on purpose or anything.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine had to resist the urge to make a rude gesture at Cameron, she had to provide a good example after all. Sometimes she thought she actually liked the Slytherin boy, but then he'd usually open his mouth and prove her wrong. And even then, she still didn't mind the barbs as much as she could. She was caught off guard by the photo though, blinking and being caught with her mouth open to say something. "Ugh. I probably look hideous, delete it." She groaned, remembering it was a magical camera. "Or don't develop it, or something. Or I'll take house points off you. You know, because that matters so much."

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius smirked at Cameron's interruption, then froze when he realised he'd just been photographed. For some reason he forgot that that was a thing - people took photographs during the Halloween feast. Forever he'd be immortalised in this ridiculous costume his mum had put together. But maybe it wasn't so bad. He kind of liked that it was a photo of him and Aine, whom he now considered a friend. Maybe in a few years time when he was feeling nostalgic the photo would remind him of his school days. "I'm sure it's fine," Demetrius tried to reassure Aine. "Enjoying your last Halloween, Cameron?" Demetrius asked, a hint of humour in his voice. He couldn't imagine Cameron being a big fan of these events; especially since he'd neglected to dress up.