Costume Party ((All Gryffs!))

[Scott Ryder G7]

So, his costume idea hadn't exactly worked out like he had planned. Scott had high expectations, but realized that casting a spell on himself was rather risky just for a silly costume party. He had wanted to use a particular Charm that he and Lori had found which would make your entire body invisible except for your bones. He'd be a real-life skeleton. Needless to say, the charm was much to difficult (and dangerous, according to Lori), so Scott was left to explore other options. In the end, he settled for something less amazing, and more traditional.

Lori helped him to find four equally long branches from trees out in the courtyard, and they then transfigured them to look like long, black spider legs. Then, Scott spent his afternoon shredding a black t-shirt that he no longer wanted so that he could stick the stringy pieces of fabric to the legs to make them look more hairy and realistic. The four spider legs, paired with his own arms and legs, gave Scott eight limbs (all covered in black as he was wearing a pair of black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt) that at least somewhat resembled a walking spider. It wasn't the most creative, but Scott was fine with it nonetheless.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets (he failed to bother with trying to mimic spider-like movements with his eight 'legs') Scott entered the common room to make sure that things were ready to go. Music? Check. Food? Check. Lots of corny Halloween decorations? Check. All the party seemed to be missing was the guests. Scott looked at his watch, noting that it was still five minutes until the party officially started. Surely people would be arriving soon. Either that, or they were all too busy planning their amazing costumes which would make him look quite silly. Squash me now, he thought.

Scott hoped that some of the Gryffindor Quidditch players would show up. Aside form Lori and Theo, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was the only other real group of friends that Scott had. Then again, Oscar was on the team, and lately, it seemed as though Oscar was acting weird around Scott. They had been roommates for six years now, getting along fine. Sure, they weren't chatty with one another, but they had nothing against each other. Scott let the notion slip his mind, refusing to let it bother him. Where is everyone? Hey, maybe if he was lucky, somebody would come as a web...

((Everyone feel free to join in on the fun. Describe your costumes in as much detail as possible, and hopefully you can be more creative than Scott! Remember, when it comes time to vote, you will be sending your votes to ARIANE, not me. Enjoy the party. ))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Why was she going to this party? She was actually quite sad about the fact that they were not going to have a Halloween Ball. She wanted to spend her night Julian, not with the other members of her house. Cass had even gone so far as planning costumes for the two of them. She had spent hours over the sewing machine making them. Here she was though, Juliet had no Romeo. The blue saffron gown trailed across the ground as she walked across her dormitory. Large white wings graced her back. She also had the proverbial fairy godmother wand with a larger silver star at the top. Yes, Cassandra was dressed as the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. She had made Julian a rat costume to go along with her. Wasn't that how the movie went? The Fairy Godmother turned the rats into horses when it was time for Cinderella to go to the ball. Cass had actually tried to concoct a Cinderella and Prince Charming outfit for the two of them. Unfortunately, Cass could not see herself as the Cinderella in their story.

She walked down the stairs into the common room. People were already beginning to congregate around the large tables in the room. Refreshments were being served, but Cass didn't feel like eating. Her stomach turned at the site of food nowadays. It was strange. She either wanted to eat all the time, or not eat at all. At least she wasn't spending her mornings vomiting in the toilet every morning. That was getting old. Sitting down in one of the overstuffed armchairs, she surmised the room. There wasn't a single person she knew here besides Scott. It seemed that most of the older students had decided to skip this party.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

Costume party. It meant, obviously, you had to wear a costume. For a long time Oscar had contemplated this. He did want to attend the event- Oscar was never one to miss a social gathering after all. But he refused to go in a costume that he had created half-heartedly. If he was going to go as something, he was determined to at least make it worth the time and effort. The first few things that had popped into mind were the obvious ones; a cowboy, Dracula, a wizard. The last one was just too easy anyway, and Oscar didn’t fancy doing anything that involved frills, fangs or frocks. He wanted something strong, something… something shiny. And what was shinier than a knight in shining armour? Oscar had pounced on this idea, seeing it as the only thing that he could possibly be able to get together last minute. His costume contained a few main pieces. First were the front armour plates. It had been easy to find this, contrary to Oscar’s initial expectations. It had taken a little while to make the metal shiny once more, but a few simple spells had accomplished that before too long. His torso was encased in dark ‘chainmail’ metals and the plates, while he had found a pair of (fairly tight) dark trousers for his legs. These were a little too much like leggings for Oscar’s liking but he wore them nevertheless. On his feet he wore a pair of black boots that he normally only wore for Quidditch practise due to their small size and how easily he could move in them. He also improved for gloves, casting a simple charm on his Quidditch keeper’s gloves so they darkened in colour. At Oscar’s waist hung a very short, very blunt sword-like object that he had taken from one of the knights lining the Hogwarts halls. It was not in the slightest bit sharp, but Oscar made a quick black sheath for it anyway.

The costume was fairly simple but it looked the part. The dark colours made Oscar seem taller and he was pleased that he didn’t have to resort to comedy to make a decent outfit, although his mind had been ready for such a task, as it always was. As he buckled his belt in place around the ‘armour’ just beneath his ribs, Oscar grimaced at the thought that this was a Gryffindor party- Oscar’s boyfriend would not be attending. He would be in his own common room no doubt. Oscar didn’t even know what Theo would be dressing up as. He regretted that the Ravenclaw would not be able to see his own outfit, as it would have been something Oscar would have had fun showing. But he didn’t linger too long on wishing Theo could be at the party; for he was late, and not fashionably.

The Common Room was quite full and Oscar was pleased to see this- but it was soon clear to him that most of the party-goers were in the years below him. This did not bother Oscar considerably and he made his way towards the fire-place slowly, taking the time to greet some students. He enjoyed seeing what everyone else had come to the party as and they in turn seemed to approve of his outfit. It wasn’t long before he tired of talking with fourth years however. He spotted Scott a little way away and raised his hand ever so slightly in greeting. Perhaps they would talk later, but Oscar didn’t wish to now. He still had not decided what to do about his doubts concerning Scott and the other Gryffindor’s feelings for Oscar’s boyfriend. A quick glance and his eyes caught sight of a dark-haired girl with two elegant white wings at her back. Edging through the people, Oscar got closer to Cass without much hassle. He approached slowly and sat on the arm of one of the chairs opposite her, smiling at her outfit. It suited her nicely, the elegant folds of the dark dress complimenting her. “It seems the beautiful fairy is without a knight in shining armour?” This was not, contrary to what it may have sounded like, a chat-up line from Oscar. It was merely a joke that he was sure Cass would attack him for. With a further smile he cocked his head to the side slightly. “The knight is also missing his… princess.” It amused Oscar to refer to his boyfriend as this. “But that aside, how are you enjoying the night so far, Cass?”

[Ariane Chan]

Ariane closed her book with a snap and laid it on her bedside table beside her lamp and alarm clock. Glancing at the minute hand of the latter object, she swung her legs over her bed and stood up, grabbing her long cardigan. She wore plain clothes: a violet t-shirt and baggy black jeans. Even with the grey cardigan on she wrapped her skinny arms around herself in a vain attempt to block out the cold. It was only late October but the cold was beginning to seep through the castle's stone walls. The low temperature was even more emphasised by the fact that Ariane had been lying comfortably under a thick duvet. Having been aroused from it, a frown pulled her lips into its usual downward scowl. She cursed the pointlessness of occasions like Halloween, which she felt was a mere excuse to throw oneself into embarrassing situations and have 'the time of your life'. Frankly, the last thing that Ariane would think of to have 'the time of her life' was to throw a fancy-dress party. Who's idea was it to have house Halloween parties anyway? Ariane had narrowed her eyes when she had heard about it from the Head Boy and Girl as she and the other Prefects had been given their instructions and lowdown on the occasion. How pointless, she had thought at the time. Over the last few weeks, Ariane had yet to change her mind.

Ariane's displeasure was further incited when she was told she would be in charge of collecting the votes for the party. Yes, if it wasn't bad enough that they were to have a loud and pointless party in the Common Room, there was to be a competition for the best dressed person. No doubt this had raised the students' interest even more; Ariane could already imagine the outrageous costumes her fellow Gryffindors were wearing tonight. And she, as one of the oldest Prefects, was in charge of collecting the votes for it. Well, she could understand why she had been allocated this job - if they hadn't she would not have been of any use for this event whatsoever. No way would she have helped the other younger Prefects set up the party beforehand - what a waste of time. Ariane was the strictest Gryffindor Prefect, but she did not always follow what she was told. Hogwarts had tried to curb her isolated, anti-social ways, but all they had managed to do was force her to be severe with her classmates and be disliked even more for it. Ariane didn't care, though, whether or not these people liked her; as long as they stayed out of her business she was content.

Ariane slipped on a pair of shoes and reluctantly descended the stairs to the Common Room, where already she could hear the loud beat of the music and animated chatter of the students. Cringing from within, Ariane wondered if this was the same scene for the other houses - for Aurora and Harmony in the Hufflepuff Common Room. Ariane was under the impression that her little sister was going to the party dressed as Alice in Wonderland (and would later be extremely surprised that she had won); of course, Aurora had told her a while ago all the details of her Sailor Moon costume, and her and Lynne Collins' plans to make Kael Collins dress up as her Tuxedo Mask. Ariane knew of the Japanese cartoon, having lived in America in her youth when Sailor Moon was a hit TV series with young girls, but she had never watched it, and after seeing Aurora's costume before the party, did not feel anymore inclination to watch it than she had before. Ariane bravely entered the Common Room with these disturbing thoughts, and was immediately hit with a barrage of noise. Wincing visibly, she quickly crossed the room of brightly dressed students laughing and shouting. She grabbed the box that would be for collecting the votes and, standing on a chair, used her wand to turn down the music so she could address the room.

"Gryffindors," she began tersely, showing obvious distaste at having to be present. "You may now begin voting for your favourite Halloween costume. Please collect the voting ballots from one of the Prefects and then submit them to me. Please form a queue so you can put them into this box." She pointed at said object. Eventually, after about half an hour of frantic and excited shuffling, Ariane had collected the votes. It took her a further fifteen minutes to count them. Finally, she stood on her chair again and announced, "The winner is... Oscar Flynn!" A loud roar erupted and Ariane winced again. She hastily stepped down, silently but emotionlessly congratulating Oscar in her head. Her fellow prefects would give Oscar his prize later.