Scarlet Darkbloom and the Secret Tower

Chapter 16: Hallow's Eve

The next few weeks flew by as the air turned cooler and summer transformed into autumn. The activities outdoors transitioned from cooling off in the lake to enjoying the cool breeze among the trees and grassy areas. I was ecstatic about autumn in Hogwarts - I mean, have you seen how well they do Halloween here?

The only negative, however, was the amount of work that seemed to increase exponentially as the weather grew colder. "I can barely carry my bag, it's so heavy," Layla moaned as she dragged her bag down the hallway on our way to Charms after a brutal lesson in Herbology.

Pierre, who was a natural in Herbology, was unfazed and chuckled at her. "Miss Smartypants, where is your sense of magic? Wingardium leviosa!" He called and picked up her bag and floated it behind her.

Riley, more engrossed in her studies, both secret and regular, had started trailing behind us, following the sounds of our voices, so she could read and walk at the same time. We would make fun of her for it if we didn't absolutely respect it. Her tower work alone was almost twice what Layla and I had done, and her passion had hardly ebbed. One thing was for sure: Riley was going to be the top of our class, if not the top of the entire school by the end of this year.

Serena had also become an essential part of our group, and thank goodness, everyone had warmed up to her. Even Auden, the sassiest of us all, had begun to appreciate Serena's thoughts when we were up studying into the early hours of the morning. In all truth, first year work isn't difficult enough to stay up that late, but once we go down a rabbit hole of curiosities about magic, we delve into another dimension of research. So, maybe we all weren't doing so bad in the intelligence department.

The most exciting thing, however, was the growing anticipation for the annual Halloween concert, in which both Pierre and I would be performing. Professor Summerby could hardly contain her pride of how excellent the orchestra was this year, and had been spending all of her free time working with our pieces and teaching us how to accent our performance with magic. One thing was for sure: magic brings music onto a much higher playing field.

"I'm sure you guys will be just amazing," Serena told us as we settled into the Charms classroom. "I can't wait to see how you bring the tradition of the frogs in with it."

Layla giggled. "Hey, you could be singing in the most awful way possible and I would still have a wonderful time. I'm practically drooling thinking of all the wonderful food!"

Pierre grinned at us all. "I can't wait! And if you think Halloween is good, I can't imagine Christmas! Or, I suppose the winter concert, considering I'll probably go home..."

Riley looked up from her book, another from the tower, to give me a look. These happened more and more frequently, as Pierre still hadn't been looped in the secret tower. I just could not find the right time to do it - especially with Serena a part of the picture. I was afraid that exposing her to the truth too soon might have the opposite effect of what we needed. So, I did what I had been doing - ignored it, and eventually a distraction would come up and it would be forgotten. Temporarily, anyway. Professor Catchlove did an excellent job with her surprise pop quiz.

After Charms, as everyone headed to lunch, I slipped away to get some reading done from the tower. It was too much effort to disguise my book and field the questions. Tightening my robe around me, I headed out through the courtyards and towards the Forbidden Forest, finding a quiet spot underneath a large oak tree, quite hidden from the pathways to the castle. The weather was cool and just lovely to be out in, and the fresh air felt wonderful on my cheeks. Settling in, I pulled out a book over dueling, one Riley insisted I read. Page after page, I studied wand movements, incantations, and practiced them on the tree across from me.