Paranormals of Ilvermorny

Chapter 17

The day had arrived, the time was now; Thanksgiving had finally arrived. Many students couldn't contain their excitement for the holiday and woke up early, including Lorelei and Robin. Despite recent events, they were still filled with happy anticipation to spend a meal with friends and family. The only downside was the feast wasn't until supper, but it allowed students to get caught up on their assignments.

Starting the day with Arithmancy, Lorelei looked over her notes while Robin fought off a frustration headache, as the class deduced that Thanksgiving has twelve letters, one plus two is three, and three indicates happiness and high energy. Professor Holly-Oaks assigned the class a reading for them to learn the history of certain ancient traditions and rituals some parts of the states used to keep dark forces away, including flying serpents and hexes casted by evil wizards.
Taking a small break for a quick lunch, because no one wanted to miss out on any of the delicious food later, then it was back to work. For Herbology, Professor Juneberry tasked the class with explaining the uses of common Thanksgiving herbs, like rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Finally, after an arduous essay for Spanish spells, dinner was ready to be served.

The entire school made its way down to the dining hall and found a seat, some at their usual table while others were asked to join their friends or siblings. At their corner table, Lorelei sat with Robin, Quinn next to her, Jordan, Poppy, and some of their friends. They discussed what they hoped would be served, along with the decorations that adorned the room. There were falling leaves from the ceiling, magically disappearing before they could land on anyone, realistic turkey figurines that were walking around and pecking at some of the students. Each table had a beautiful red and orange table cloth with turkeys and leaves woven in brown thread, along with a cornucopia filled with pumpkins and pinecones in the center of each table.
Once everyone had settled into their seats, the headmaster stood up and tapped a glass with his wand to get the hall's attention.
"I do not wish to keep the festivities from starting," he began in a loud speaking voice, "but I do wish to share a few words. With this upcoming long weekend, I hope you all use your time wisely and with purpose. You are young, and every moment you have should be cherished and spent filling your minds with knowledge, and your hearts with friendship and joy." The room erupted into applause and cheers, the headmaster once again speaking after the excitement died down. "Now, let the feast begin!" He finished, clapping his hands twice.
At the clap of his hands, the dining hall's doors opened and several pukwudgies emerged, each carrying a large silver platter covered by an adjoining silver dome. They hurried across the floor, going up to each table and placed a tray upon tray onto each table until they all had at least six different platters of food. After every table received their platter, the pukwudgies ran back through the doors with one left behind. He must have been Erok, the head chef, for he had on a red and navy bow tie around his neck. Before leaving, he too clapped his hands twice, causing every silver dome to disappear with a whoosh, revealing the delectable feast in his wake. The students once again clapped their thanks for the pukwudgies and their service, waiting until the doors shut to begin eating.

Sitting on each table was a bowl of corn on the cob, buttery mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, boats of gravy, stuffing that tasted otherworldly, and cranberry sauce made with locally foraged berries. But of course, the pièce de résistance was the whole turkey, already carved with crispy golden skin, that each table had for themselves. Of course there were also the usual condiments like butter, ketchup, salt and pepper. To drink was pumpkin juice and fresh apple cider, seasoned with cinnamon and cloves, warming up even the coldest student on this deep fall day.

The feast lasted for hours, students trying to fit as much as they could into their stomachs without feeling sick, knowing dessert was yet to come. The conversation was lively as well, with everyone discussing several different topics it was hard to keep track of, like the upcoming Quodpot match that saw Wampus vs. Horned Serpent. Robin was chatting with Andreas Elrod, the star player for the Wampus Quodpot team, and what he hopes to do after graduating this year. Lorelei was in a deep conversation with Poppy about the history of Beauxbaton and their involvement in the French Revolution. Quinn and Jordan discussed her new found friend in a stray dog she found wandering the woods, after he questioned her for putting turkey into a paper bag. Towards the end, Lorelei and Robin talked about the not so subtle act of Jordan and Poppy playing footsie under the table, both hoping their relationship goes far.

When it seemed the main course stifled the masses hunger, the silver trays and bowls disappeared. In their absence, different pies took their place as dessert. There was pecan pie, apple pie, blueberry pie, pumpkin pie, and strawberry rhubarb all still warm and gooey, paired with bowls of vanilla ice cream. But out of all the classic pies was Ilvermorny's famous cranberry pie, usually the first to go during the holiday season. With perfectly tender and tart berries, buttery and golden brown crust, all topped off with a sweet crumble on top, it was easy to see how the students gobbled it up within minutes.  The best part of each pie, Lorelei believed, was the intricate lattice work and hand cut shapes on top of the pies. They were a beautiful art that tasted just as good as they looked, each top crust covered in an even layer of sanding sugar, big crystals of sweetness that melted in your mouth.

With everyone's sweet tooth satiated, the headmaster called the feast to a close and everyone was free to return to their common rooms. All in all, it was a very good Thanksgiving dinner and the only thing that could make it better, was the traditional post-dinner nap.

The girls decided to retire in the Horned Serpents' common room, the crackling of the fireplace and dim lights provided the perfect backdrop for a nap, each girl taking a chair and an ottoman to prop their feet up. With her eyes lightly closed and a lazy grin on her face, it was times like these that Lorelei would often think of her cat Poe. She smiles remembering the first few years she would bring him to school to feel less lonely, but ultimately decided he should stay home as he got older. But the times Lorelei allowed herself to be a full blown lazy bones, she thinks of her cat and his love of finding the perfect napping spot, usually in the sun.
The silence of the room, save for the occasional pop from the fireplace, was interrupted by the growling of a stomach. Opening her eyes, Lorelei looked over to her left where Robin sat, also perfectly laid out in relaxation, and guffawed. "Are you serious?"

"I can't help it," she replied with her eyes still closed, "I have a freak metabolism." She then opened her eyes and took her time standing up from the chair. "I'm gonna go bother the 'wudgies for a snack, feed the monster in me."

Lorelei replied with a, "Hurry back", before shutting her eyes once more and letting the calm of the room overtake her.

"Lorelei! Wake up!"

Feeling someone rustle her body, she opened her eyes and found herself face to face with Robin. Thinking she must have dozed off due to the fact that she didn't recall hearing the door open, signaling her friend's reemergence. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Lorelei sat up to best hear what her friend was saying.
"Good, so, you know how I said I was gonna bother the pukwudgies for something to eat?" Lorelei gave a tired nod. "Well, when I got down there the kitchen was empty. So, naturally, I see some leftover blueberry pie and grab a slice. But I heard some muffled voices nearby so I snooped a bit and overheard one of the puks' say something about more missing food." This perked Lorelei's ears right up, like a cat hearing the can opener. "But that's not all," Robin continued, "apparently the pukwudgies had their own little feast, but while they did so someone, or something, entered the castle and took turkey scraps. Specifically, they mentioned bones, gizzards, and feathers. By the way, what are gizzards?"

Blinking after hearing all of this new information, Lorelei spoke. "Turkey organs."

"Eww!" Robin exclaimed, making a disgusted face that said she regretted asking. "Even for a wild animal that's rank!"

Although Lorelei could agree, there were still questions that this new revelation brought up. What did it want the leftover parts for? How was this thing getting into the castle? But most importantly, is it preparing to try for a bigger prey to mediate its hunger? After all, with a castle full of unsuspecting students the beast basically had a free meal ticket for the next year.

The girls had to do something, and hopefully it won't be too late.