Halloween arrived, with its black, orange and silvery white decorations all over the castle. There were floating pumpkins in the Great Hall, live bats, miniature ghosts and witches floating around the students letting out evil cackles. Silver threads woven into spiderwebs hung around almost every corner, and the stone walls were bewitched to look darker. It was very different from the Christmas decorations, but fascinating all the same. But for Megan, Halloween wasn’t quite as cheerful as it was for everyone else. Everyone would be in Hogsmeade and she would stay behind. Still, she didn’t see much point in spoiling her friends’ fun, so she tried to hide her glumness. But her friends knew her and saw through it easily.
“We’ll bring you loads of sweets from Honeydukes,” Hermione promised, looking sorry.
“Yeah, you’ll see, you’ll loose all you teeth over them!” Ron tried to joke.
They had gotten over their quarrel in face of her unhappiness. Megan was glad her being stuck in the castle by herself had served that purpose at least.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, hoping she sounded casual enough. “I’ll be fine. I’ll catch up on some homework, or something.”
Cedric joined them at the entrance. He too, looked sorry for her.
“It really won’t be the same without you…”
“Don’t worry.” She said, hugging him to hide her cracking façade. “You guys have fun.”
They followed the line, which Filch was examining closely.
“Staying here, Potter? What, too scared to go past the Dementors?”
It was Malfoy.
“She’s a damn sight less scared of them than you were on the train last month, eh, Malfoy?” George said loudly.
Many students laughed. Malfoy glared, but said nothing and strode off. Megan allowed herself a smile. Then, she turned away and climbed up the stairs all alone.
She was trying to think what she would do to occupy herself for the rest of the day as she approached Gryffindor Tower when she saw Colin. She tried to turn away but –
“Hey, Megan! Hi Megan!”
She sighed and turned around.
“Hullo…” she said wearily.
“Aren’t you in Hogsmeade? Why not? Why not come and sit with me in the common room…?”
That was the last thing she wanted to do. But saying it like that was unfair to Colin.
“Uh… I-Oh! Drat, I left my book at the library, I’d better hurry and get it…”
So she marched off before Colin could say another word, feeling even more depressed than before. She wandered dispiritedly along the corridors towards the library when she ran into Filch.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, eyeing her nastily.
“Nothing.” She said, truthfully.
“A likely story!” he snarled. “Why are you looming around, why aren’t you in Hogsmeade buying the same rubbish as your nasty little friends!”
Megan felt sorely tempted to point out that she, at least, actually had friends. But he seemed angry enough already. And she wasn’t in the mood to argue with Filch.
“Go back to your common room!” Filch ordered.
Megan turned away, the thought of heading to the Owlery in mind, and was walking across the covered bridge when she heard her name.
YOU ARE READING
Megan Potter - A saga of the Heart - Book 3 - Past and Present
Fanfiction- Things are seldom what they appear - Megan was ready for yet another long, boring summer at the Dursleys. Little did she know that this summer would soon turn out even worse than the last. The reason? Her cousin's aunt Marge. And as if that wasn'...
