Wizards didn't dress up for Halloween. Drew guessed it was because everyone was already in costume.

Anyway, she was really looking forward to was the fabled Halloween Feast.

Eliza walked beside her, and there was almost a skip in her step. She must've been excited too. Drew wondered if she might actually see her friend eat something that wasn't elegant, like a hamburger.

When they came through the tall doors, the Great Hall was full to bursting with decorations and food. Thousands of real bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling and swooped over the tables in low black clouds. The candles flickered, and once everyone had sat down, the feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates.

Drew eagerly picked up a steamed bun, Xiaolongbao, and had just bitten into it when Professor Quirrell came dashing into the hall. His turban was askew and his face was a mask of terror. He collapsed against the teacher's table, in front of the stunned Headmaster, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an instant uproar of panic. Eliza grabbed Drew's arm. Malfoy was freaking out, and Goyle nearly knocked him over in his fright.

Professor Dumbledore shot several purple firecrackers into the air to bring silence. "Prefects!" he rumbled. "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Among the pandemonium, the teachers all scrambled out the door in search of the troll. Professor Sprout carried Quirrell out.

"Um," Drew said loudly above the noise, "our common room is in the dungeons?"

The Slytherin prefects were arguing with each other. Quentin seemed to want to go to Hufflepuff Basement, but others were suggesting Ravenclaw Tower.

The Head Boy shut everyone up, "QUIET! We're going to the Basement. Everyone follow me. Carolina, go talk to Gabriel."

The fifth-year prefect bounded away from Quentin and pushed through the crowd of rushing Gryffindors to the Hufflepuff prefect.

"Don't panic," an older girl soothed as they walked out of the Great Hall. "We'll be safe with the Hufflepuffs. Your pets and belongings will be fine."

Instantly Drew thought of Jinx. She hoped her cat was in Ravenclaw Tower, not prowling the dungeons.

Eliza was still clutching at Drew's arm, obviously afraid. She was too, but she put on a brave front so her friend wouldn't worry.

Drew elbowed their way to the front so she could see how to enter the Basement. Out of respect, the Slytherin prefects were looking away. The Head Boy tried to grab her, but she was persistent.

Gabriel Truman tapped a barrel twice, then faster three times. She realized it was in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'.

The Badger House was distrustful of letting the Slytherins in, but they grudgingly did so. Ravenclaw would have let them stay more readily, but since reaching their Tower required going up the same stairs as the Gryffindors, Drew bet that the lions would start a fight and the whole school would burn down.

The lid of the barrel swung open, and they crawled into the passageway.

Emerging on the opposite side, Drew took in the cozy Basement. It was the exact opposite of the Slytherin dormitories. Warm light flitted through the windows along the upper wall, and plants in pots littered the room. The fireplace burned with warmth, and the sofas and chairs were made for comfort rather than style.

It was very crowded with every student in the common room, so many Hufflepuffs disappeared through round wooden doors into their dormitories.

All the prefects were gathered in the corner, talking amongst each other. Torch was distractedly fixing his hair while Blaise Zabini sulked in darkness.

A third-year Hufflepuff boy was recounting a match from the latest Quidditch World Cup, Scotland vs Canada, to lift spirits. His name was Cedric something. Many students were crowded around him, listening. The only Slytherins there, Wilby and a blonde girl, were paying close attention.

"We'll be fine," Drew assured Eliza. "Really, it's just one creature. There's no need to worry."

Eliza released her forearm, "Yes, I suppose you are right."

Eventually, the troll must have been taken care of. Food was sent down, and the Slytherins were allowed to return to the dungeons.

* ° * ° *

The troll attack had shaken the Slytherins considerably. Not only did the troll go through the dungeons, but one of their popular third-year Chasers had actually gotten injured, and a prefect had gone out to save him.

Needless to say, everyone needed some cheering up. It would also be seven days until Drew would return to her home for winter vacation, and she wanted to make the most of it.

But she never thought the chance would fall right into her hands. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan had found an ice cube that would freeze anything it touched, and Drew overheard their conversation and convinced them to lend it to her.

And that's how it started.

Neville screamed and dropped his toad when Drew and Eliza spun twice on a sled, slammed into a wall, and zipped past him down the hallway.

Drew had borrowed the sled from Hagrid (with permission, since it was in his hut and they didn't want to bother planning a heist), and attached the ice cube to the front, half-wrapped in a magical handkerchief so the sled didn't freeze as well.

The temperature had dropped to the negatives, and the sled left an icy white path on the floor, and frost raced up the walls like a reverse waterfall.

It wasn't as bumpy as she'd thought it would be, the ice cube made the ride extremely smooth, until they crashed into a wall and dislodged a brick or two. The Slytherin Head Boy had begun chasing after them, "STOP!! DETENTION FOR —"

They didn't hear what he said next, because they had already turned a sharp 90°, skidded against the wall, and continued onward. Going down a stairwell gave them enough boost to sled down the hallway and down the next stairway, and Eliza and Drew were having the time of their lives.

"THIS IS AMAZINGGG!" Eliza screamed, her black hair flying out behind her like a cape.

They reached the moving staircases, and everyone froze (not literally) when they saw a sled making its way down. Filch made a rude gesture at them from below. Most students were just shocked, some were outraged, and some were awed, like Wilby Blue.

At the top floor, the Weasley twins hooted and threw shredded pieces of parchment over the side. Then they turned and left, probably to get to Hogsmeade through a secret passage.

Drew took a dangerous risk when she steered the sled down a moving staircase that wasn't yet in motion.

They made it to the end and spun four times until they could continue on their way. Aurora saw them speeding towards her and dropped her books in horror, "DREW! What are you doing?"

Drew ignored her. They whipped around a corner and flew down the staircase to the dungeons.

Quentin and his two friends dived out of the way, and Drew yelled "hey brat!" when they flew past Isabell.

And that's when everything went wrong.

A flash of light and a mini-explosion took place right behind Drew, and Eliza was blown off the sled.

* ° * ° *

"I'm only talking to you because you're talking to me," Drew informed him unhappily.

In the Slytherin common room, Wilby nodded like the claim made perfect sense.

She supposed that it did. These last few days he'd just been following her around until she'd acknowledged his presence.

"Is Eliza okay?" he asked, always caring for other people.

Eliza Skull had not died, to Drew's relief, but she had a serious concussion and a sprained wrist. Nobody had believed her when Drew had said that Isabell had caused her to fall. Madam Pomfrey might have, but there was no proof. First years weren't even supposed to know how to blow things up.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Madam Pomfrey's skill is unrivalled. De Montmorency is such an evil little brat."

"Yeah," he was poking the table with his quill. They were doing homework, and Drew was trying to figure out the amount of opium needed for a Babbling Beverage in her head.

Drew wanted some opium to give Isabell.