The Order of Mischief I

1.11

Bronze colours began sprouting amongst the leaves of October, setting the tone for the last days of autumn. The hallways were buzzing with chatter and excitement as students rushed around, trying to get to their supper on the chilly Friday night. Lessons had ended and the festive celebrations were due to start soon. It was Halloween and the students were excited for the feast, and the party they would enjoy in their own common rooms.

"I love Hogwarts," Nahara exclaimed, hopping into the Great Hall as she admired the floating candles that hovered above. The tables were laden with gory but pretty looking foods; from a deep golden roast that was broken awkwardly, to look like a corpse, to the mountain of treats and desserts of various colours. One of the many difference between this meal and every other one was the way the food was displayed to look creepy, with a charm that discoloured the meal, while huge piles of treats covered more of the table than anything else.

Kai pulled her friends to the Ravenclaw table, settling beside Pandora and her roommates. The girls were informed by their prefects that as a meal came to an end, the students were allowed to sit at different tables, even though most evening feasts demanded students to be allocated in their house tables. Professor Dumbledore had already given his festive speech of the week and indulged in conversation with his colleagues. There was no restrictions regarding who sat where, as long as the students stayed on their best behaviours.

"I am just saying, these sausages look unfortunately awful, especially since they look like they're dripping with blood," Phoebe commented, staring at the large tray of sausages dipped in red sauce of some sort.

"Well, it's a good thing you are a vegan then," Pandora smiled, avoiding the sausages for their appearance too. Just as the seven girls were about to dig into their meal, Anya joined them and sunk into her seat. She did not look happy, she seemed agitated.

Nahara looked up, "Everything okay?"

Anya grunted, "No. That 'Stupid Snape' bumped into me on the way here. He, apparently, had a great deal to say about my house and how he is supposedly superior to me."

"Well, if you did stop calling him 'Stupid Snape', I am sure he would not be such an a-hole to you," Ernesta said, taking a bite out of her finely cooked chicken. The children were still getting used to hearing older people swear, it surprised them whenever another first year did, but Ernesta was the fastest to pick up on the French.

"She has a point, you know. I mean we all know how Potter and his friends wind him up by calling him names. Behaving just like them, doesn't help." Eralia tutted as she joined the table, picking up a small cup of bloodied cheesecake. She had eaten with her friends before joining them, bringing her girls to the blue-bannered table too.

"You really need to stop behaving like those fools, and more like the Zion you are," Lily rolled her eyes as she joined them. Anya would have no problem following those instructions, except her family dedicated a great portion to avoiding their relatives until now, so, she had no idea how to behave, and what was expected of her. She ignored the advice, not knowing what it meant and watched as Sahara brought Dorcas, Mary and Marlene with her as she stood behind them. The non-Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls had clearly already eaten their meals, and were now just waiting for their peers to finish their meals.

"I don't call him that to his face though! I barely even talk to him!" Anya whined. The answer was not in how she treated him, on most days she would avoid him and accidentally reveal her lack of fondness for the boy. But the issue was how she was frequently seen talking to Peter Pettigrew, which would lead to her being caught in the company of his friends, who were Snape's enemies.

"Oh look, here comes greasy, greasy Snivellus!" Sirius loudly sung from his table, pointing and laughing as Mulciber and Severus entered the Great Hall together. The two boys looked furious, while the whole hall laughed, many trying to hold back.