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𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄, faded back to their original colors, but the inquisitive stares remained.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked, her eyes following his as they leapt from person to person.

Thomas jumped at Penny's voice, pushing his hand hard against his chest to calm his racing heart. "But you guys--we were outside--and then..."

"Slow yourself," Luc said. "You're not making any sense."

"The-the giant squid!" Thomas stammered, his voice coming out louder than he anticipated. "It got you all--"

"Hold on," Jackson spoke up, cutting him off. "What giant squid?"

Thomas stumbled backwards, nearly falling backwards over the desk, and sucked in his breath. His wide eyes watched Jackson's unblinkingly, waiting for them to turn gold again, but they remained brown.

"You seriously don't remember the giant fucking squid?" Thomas exclaimed, his stare lingering on Jesse in particular.

Jesse gave Thomas a strange look. "No...because that never happened..."

"Maybe you're remembering a strange dream or something," Madelynn offered.

"No, no, NO!" Thomas shouted, stamping his foot in unison. "We came down the stairs and saw that the front door was open, and then the inferi surrounded us, and then--"

"You've got to stop," Luc cut him off, standing up with his hands out as he carefully approached Thomas. "You're not feeling right. There's been no inferi, no giant squid. None of that happened."

Thomas scoffed in disbelief but Luc's eyes didn't lie. "And what about the dead bodies?"

"The only bodies that have been here have been living bodies. Our bodies."

Thomas suddenly felt light-headed, his lungs ringing the air out like a rag. He rushed from the parlour out into the foyer, his arms folded behind his head as he tried to catch his breath. The rest of the group slowly followed, gathering near the parlour door.

"Thomas, listen to me," Luc said, pushing his way through to the front. Thomas froze.

"You called me by my name," Thomas muttered, his eyes wide.

"Of course I did, what else would I call you by?" Luc asked with an arched brow.

"You're not supposed to know my name," Thomas replied, his tone becoming harsher, his eyes squinting. "How do you know my name?"

Luc glanced behind him to the rest of the group, his eyes pleading for help, but everyone shrugged their shoulders and took a step back. With a sigh, Luc turned back to face Thomas. "I know your name because we're best friends, Thomas. Don't you remember?"

"Best friends?" Thomas repeated in disbelief. "I barely even know you! We only met two days ago!"

"But you do know me," Luc responded, taking a step closer to Thomas. "We've been best friends since first year when we both got sorted into Slytherin. Remember third year, when we went to Hogsmeade for the first time and we snuck away to see the Shrieking Shack? Remember how we both dared each other to see who could get closer, and you nearly got all the way to the door but then you chickened out when I howled and scared you off?"

Thomas shook his head.

"It was your idea to have the Halloween party here, don't you remember? We've been obsessed with this place since we were kids."

Thomas shook his head again.

"Did you accidentally obliviate your own mind or something?" Jackson asked from where she was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Thomas, it's us, your friends," Willow said, a concerned look plastered across her face as she stepped forward to stand beside Luc. Luc wrapped an arm around her waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Whoa, hold on, what is this?" Thomas asked, pointing between Willow and Luc. "You two hate each other."

"Hate?" Luc asked in disbelief, a confused chuckle escaping his throat. "Willow and I have been dating for the past three years. We went to the Yule Ball together."

"I mean, to be fair, I guess we hated each other at first," Willow added with a small smile. She glanced up at Luc and swept aside a piece of hair that had fallen onto his forehead. Luc returned the smile. "You always gave me so much shit for being second-string seeker until third year when Cho Chang was out sick and my team won against your team when I caught the snitch."

"The match wasn't the only thing you won that day," Luc replied, leaning down to kiss Willow on the lips.

"I think I'm going to vomit," Thomas said, quickly turning his head away.

"You and me both," Jackson agreed with a roll of her eyes. "That's why Madelynn and I are the superior couple."

"You know it, babe," Madelynn said with a big smile, hip-bumping Jackson before collapsing against her in a half hug. 

"And where do you two fit into the picture?" Thomas asked Jesse and Penny. He was still reeling in confusion, but the shock had started to diminish. If this was some sort of trick from the host, it was better than the nightmares, the inferi, and the giant squid.

"I'm your astronomy tutor," Penny answered.

Thomas stared up at the ceiling as he did the math in his brain. "Aren't I older than you?"

"Yes," Penny replied with a straight face that told Thomas to drop it. He did. 

"Somebody told me there'd be food, so here I am," Jesse responded. This answer made sense to Thomas so he didn't inquire further.

"So let me get this straight..." Thomas began, wiping his hands over his face. "We're here for a Halloween party..."

The group nodded their head in unison.

"And not because some mysterious host invited us here to expose our deep, dark secrets..."

The group nodded again, although this time a little less enthusiastically and a little more confused. 

"Wonderful."

The shrieking of a timer echoed through the foyer and Thomas yelped in surprise. 

"The biscuits are ready!" Madelynn said with a bright smile as she rushed towards the kitchen. Jesse followed close behind. 

The rest of the group slowly meandered into the dining room, each taking a seat around the large table that was decked out with a massive spread of food. Chocolate frogs, fizzing whizzbees, caramel apples, assorted flavors of popcorn, pumpkin pasties, a whole bowl full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans...it was a dream. 

Madelynn entered through the door that connected to the kitchen, two large mitts on both hands holding a steaming tray of bat-shaped biscuits. Jesse followed closely on her heels, his hand snaking over her shoulder in an attempt to grab one for himself, but quickly recoiling when he burned his fingers.

"Happy Halloween!" Madelynn announced as she placed the tray in the center of the table. After waiting an appropriate amount of time for the biscuits to cool (which was exactly thirty seconds), everyone took a biscuit off the tray and raised them above their head in cheers. 

"Mmm, great work, babe," Jackson said, her eyes shut as she savored every bite. "Best cookie ever."

"Yeah, what she said," Jesse said between bites, the words coming out in a slur of sounds. He had already shoved two into his mouth and was reaching for his third when Penny smacked his hand to stop him. 

"Americans," Luc said with a roll of his eyes. "They're called biscuits, not 'cookies'."

"Nuh-uh," Jesse argued after swallowing. "Biscuits and gravy, case in point."

Thomas sat frozen, his hands gripping the edges of his chair as the group began a lively debate about which term was correct. As badly as he wanted to partake in the feast, he was still weary that it was all part of some evil trick. What if he took a bite into one of the caramel apples and poison leaked out? What if one of the chocolate frogs jumped down his throat and choked him? What if...

"Thomas, you should really eat something, it might help you feel better," Willow said, her voice knocking Thomas out of his bout of anxious contemplating. 

"Yeah, have a biscuit or a cookie or whatever the hell the damn things are called before Jesse eats them all," Penny added. 

Thomas took one of the biscuits gingerly, holding it between two fingers like it might explode at any moment. With the encouraging looks of everyone around him, Thomas took a small bite, letting the crumbs dissolve on his tongue. A look of pure joy consumed his face, washing away any anxieties that were previously plaguing him. "Okay, that is a good biscuit."

"Cookie," Jesse corrected him. 

Thomas continued nibbling away at the biscuit, every bite cementing him more and more in his current reality. Maybe the secret letters and the inferi and the giant squid really had all just been a bad dream. Maybe he really was at a Halloween party with all his closest friends.  

"Hey, Thomas, can I have a word with you in the kitchen for a moment?" Luc asked, his eyes gesturing towards the door. 

"S-sure," Thomas answered, slowly standing from his chair and following Luc. He found Luc waiting for him near the pantry in the back corner, his hand fidgeting with something on a shelf out of sight. "Quite the party," Thomas said with a smile in an attempt to make small talk. Luc's arm quickly flew back to his side. 

"Yeah, you're quite the host," Luc replied with a chuckle and a pat on Thomas's arm. Thomas attempted to chuckle in response but it got stuck in his throat. 

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Thomas asked, quickly changing the conversation after clearing his throat. He found his eyes dropping to the shelf where Luc's hand had been moments previous, and noticed the tip of a wooden handle. His eyebrows furrowed in recognition, trying to place why it looked so familiar and what it connected to. Within seconds, Luc gave him the answer. 

A flash of red arced through the air, narrowly avoiding Thomas's head and embedding into the counter behind him. Thomas dropped to the floor in surprise, looking up at his "best friend" and the bright red axe in his hand. 

"Last man standing," Luc said, a malicious glint in his eye. Luc pulled the axe out of the counter and brought it over his head again, intent on bringing it down on Thomas, but Thomas had rolled out of the way before the sharp metal could cleave his chest in two.

Thomas pushed himself to his feet and backed into the island in the center of the kitchen. He quickly scrambled over, dropping to the other side right before Luc swung the axe down again. The island was too wide for Luc to reach Thomas with the axe, giving Thomas an opportunity to bolt for the door that connected to the dining room.

"It's him!" Thomas choked out between heavy breaths as he crashed through the door. "He's the killer, Mr. Green is the killer! Mr. Green in the kitchen with the axe!"

But help wasn't waiting for him on the other side.

Waiting for him in the dining room was Miss White with the rope, Miss Scarlet with the garden shears, Colonel Mustard with the dagger, Professor Plum with the candlestick, and Miss Peacock with the lead pipe. 

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A/N:  Happy Valentine's Day! It's been a while, but here's another update! The story is getting a little more murder-y...hopefully you guys enjoy!

Who do you think is going to be the last man...or woman...standing?