Chapter 19

Halloween dawned with shenanigans. Peeves was super-active today, something about the holiday riling him up something fierce. I skipped breakfast entirely to avoid him, as I'd had a vision whilst getting ready that he was divebombing people going to and from the great hall with buckets of orange and black paint. Indeed, as I made my way to Magnus Gamp's training, I passed by a number of groups of kids that still sported hints of orange and black on their robes. One kid had even been wrapped up in a spider's web and stuck to a statue like some sort of decoration. People were even saying Peeves had pranked the Weasley Twins, which was no mean feat.

"You seem remarkably unbothered by all the shenanigans. I notice your robes are clean, too." Remarked Magnus Gamp, approvingly as I arrived for training.

"I've learned how to not be where Peeves is." I shrugged.

"Yeah? That's good. Some students go the whole seven years without figuring that out." Nodded Magnus Gamp.

"What's going on with Peeves anyway? Is it just the Holiday?" I questioned.

"Well, what do you know about Poltergeists and Halloween?" Queried Magnus Gamp.

"More than I'd thought, less than I probably should. Halloween is supposed to be a time when the barriers between the Spirit World and the rest of us are thinnest. Poltergeists are Spirits of mischief and not actual ghosts. There's something to that, isn't there?" I asked.

"There is. All spirits have a sort of cosmic purpose, even dark ones like Dementors. With the barriers thin on Halloween, Peeves is trying harder to fulfill his purpose to show the folks in the Spirit World why he deserves to stick around." Answered Magnus Gamp.

"What, you mean Peeves has bosses? That's hard to believe." I snorted.

"Ordinarily, the hierarchy of spirits and their behaviors isn't generally taught these days. Spirit Studies was an elective back when I was in school, but these days it's only offered if enough people request it. Alchemy and Enchanting are the same way. Unfortunately, the younger generations aren't as curious about the less common subjects these days. I think the last class to have enough people for Alchemy and Enchantment graduated two years ago, and it's been half a decade since there were enough people for a Spirit Studies Class." Grumbled Magnus Gamp.

I frowned. Two years ago would have been Bill Weasley's Graduating Class. It figures that the class that produced one of the rising stars of Gringotts' Curse-Breaker Division would have had Alchemy and Enchantment Electives. I had no clue about Spirit Studies from five years ago, though. Regardless, the conversation soon ended and I was forced to defend myself against Magnus Gamp in one of our customary sparring matches. Once again, he wiped the floor with me, though I lasted just a little bit longer than last time. Incremental Progress in the spars was a theme that had been ongoing this entire time, after all. By the time he'd beaten me, Magnus Gamp gave an approving nod and handed me a Stamina Replenishing Potion. I drank it down and felt my flagging energy reserves perk right back up.

"You're getting better." Noted Magnus Gamp.

"Still not good enough, though." I groused.

"I'm a grown Wizard, a former Auror, even. If you could beat me at eleven, then there'd be no reason for us to do this." Scoffed Magnus Gamp.

"It's not that." I sighed.

"Then what? You're already the best duelist in your age cohort. I'd even put you against any of the Second Years and give you reasonable odds of winning." Pointed out Magnus Gamp.

"It's just. . ." I trailed off.

Should I trust Magnus Gamp with the visions of doom I'd had? On the one hand, my teacher was a badass ex-auror. On the other hand, he worked for the ministry, and the ministry leaked like a sieve, especially where Lucius Malfoy was concerned. Could I take the chance he'd report what I said to his superiors? If he did, Lucius would hear about it sooner or later and then I'd likely be targeted for Assassination or worse, kidnapped and forced to use the Sight for nefarious purposes. It's honestly the reason I had kept my Nightmares a secret from everyone but the folks who I enlisted to help me out. People gossip all the time and that gossip tends to make its way to the wrong people sooner or later.

"Well? Spit it out." Demanded Magnus Gamp.

"I just have a bad feeling about the future." I sighed, deciding the risk was too great.

"I see. This premonition, can you be more specific?" Questioned Magnus Gamp.

"Just that whatever's going to happen, it'll happen soon. I want to be ready." I answered, throwing my teacher a bone.

Not all Seers are created equal, after all. While some Seers maintain a record of visions and prophesies of great detail, the majority have their Sight more muddled and have a mixed record of visions and vague premonitions. Some only get vague premonitions and barely qualify for being a Seer at all. By telling Magnus Gamp this, I was banking on him thinking that my Sight was less potent than it actually was and relaying that to his superiors. That level of Sight could be overlooked by folks like Lucius Malfoy and wouldn't cause him to jump straight to assassination or kidnapping as soon as he heard about it. At least so I hoped, you never could tell with folks who were mad enough to willingly follow someone who would make multiple phylacteries. I mentally smirked to myself as I thought that, I refused to call them Horcruxes when there was already a perfectly good term.

Outwardly, though, I maintained an air of frustration and Magnus Gamp was deep in thought. He set me to work on the recipes for a Basic Stamina Replenishment Potion, along with a Basic Memory Enhancement Potion as he thought over the problem. Neither were actually part of the Curriculum for Second Year Potions and were actually Third Year Potions, but he insisted I could handle it. Once those were finished, he went through a brief lecture on the properties and uses of Foxglove but cut our ending spar from the lesson entirely. That was completely unlike him, however, and I said so to his face. When I did, he shook his head and proved me correct about not trusting him.

"Sorry, but I need to return to the Ministry. Given your family background, it'd be best if I spoke with Madame Bones of the DMLE. Maybe I can convince her to put a rapid response Auror Team on watch for whatever you feel is coming." Answered Magnus Gamp.

"You think she'll listen?" I queried.

"If I can get a meeting. She's a busy witch, what with being the head of the DMLE and all. Her job has to take priority over meeting with an old man who swapped departments years ago." Shrugged Magnus Gamp.

"And if my premonition comes true?" I asked.

"You'll be registered with the Ministry as a Seer. Grade two or three, most likely. Grade ones get far more detailed visions than vague premonitions. The Department of Mysteries keeps a ledger of all the known seers in Magical Britain. It's the law." Responded Magnus Gamp.

With that confirmation of my fears, Magnus Gamp headed out. The afternoon was creeping on toward evening and I knew that after tonight, I would be put on a list somewhere in the Department of Mysteries. That wasn't great, as I knew several of the Ministry's Unspeakables were secret agents of Voldemort or at the very least, Death Eater Sympathizers. Still, at least I would be put down as less powerful of a Seer than I actually was. That might cause the Death Eaters and their groupies to underestimate me going forward. I could use that against them somehow, I just had to figure out a way how to do it.

With that, I headed back to my Dorm Room for a few hours of practice. I managed to further my Occlumency, Leglimency, and Psychometry a bit. It was as I was doing my mindscape-ordering Occlumency Exercise that I realized that in all my preparations for the Trolls that were coming tonight, dealing with the Malfoy Ambush, and so on, I'd completely forgotten about using the full moon in October for the Ritual of the Bluemoon Garden. I'd come across the memory in my mindscape of reading about it during my Occlumency exercises and practically kicked myself. October was a super-busy month in terms of the Plot, after all. Flying Lessons, the Ambush, and Halloween all being big events in the same month. As far as I knew, however, the only thing I would be getting involved in during November was the Quidditch Match.

"November, then." I muttered as I exited my mindscape and changed for the Halloween Feast.

Of course, that also meant preparing to face the Trolls. To that end, I had Owl-Ordered a Mokeskin Pouch from Dervish and Banges. It wasn't a deluxe model, capable of fitting a few rooms worth of stuff inside, I had my trunk for that, but for being prepared for combat in the field? That it would do just fine. I put in several potions of all kinds. Gytrash Speed Potions, Girding Potions, Strength Potions, Stamina Replenishment Potions, Wiggenweld Potions, Bruise Salves, and more. I also put in my broom, all of my inherited magic tomes, the Zabini Concealment Cloak, and several hundred galleons just in case.

As I did so, I frowned, thinking just how unprepared I was for an ambush. True, most people would consider having a Mokeskin Pouch with all that stuff in it being overprepared, but I also felt like I could stand to throw in a few enchanted pieces of gear as well. Maybe I'd look into a Dragonhide duster over the Christmas Holidays. That seemed Like it would be a worthwhile investment, especially if I could get it alchemically treated and enchanted. True, doing that would be expensive, but I was rich, and what was money for if not to enhance my odds of survival? Obviously, a Goblin Silver Weapon was out, unfortunately. They stopped selling those to British Wizards after losing the last Goblin Rebellion in the Eighteen-Nineties out of spite. Still, I might try getting a Dwarf-Iron one from Norway, those were just as good, even if they didn't have the Brand Recognition in Britain that Goblin Silver did.

Once I had finished, I made my way down to the Halloween Feast, ready to face the Trolls. . .

XXXX

As I sat down at the Slytherin Table and took in the sights, I realized how much trouble the Staff had gone through to decorate the Great Hall. Jack O' Lanterns were piled atop each other in macabre parodies of snowmen, grimly grinning with magically glowing coals providing sinister lighting while being safe to touch. Candles hovered in mid-air, providing the light in the otherwise dim and darkly lit Great Hall, as the Ceiling showed spooky traceries of dull orange and ghostly blue. Illusory bats waited in the rafters, occasionally darting around on black wings and throwing up shadows. Meanwhile, the tables were piled high with autumnal foods, Chicken Pot Pies, Pork, Cider, and Sage Hot Pot, Potatoes Au Gratin, and lots more. Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Pasties were piled high next to Caudron Cakes of all flavors and Sugar Skulls like you'd see at Dia de los Muertos. Goblets of steaming cider threw up eerie smoke that belied the tastiness inside.

All told the party-planning committee amongst the staff deserved an A for how cool it all was. It was just unfortunate that it was all going to be ruined by Quirell letting trolls into the castle to camouflage his attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone for his Dark Master. I would very much like to enjoy tonight but because of that plot, I was going to be waiting for the other shoe to drop through the entire feast. Of course, things were already in motion on that front because as I sat down at the Slytherin Table, I noticed a distinct lack of Millie. Sometimes being a Seer sucked and knowing the future wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"Where's Millie?" I questioned.

"Ask Pansy." Huffed Daphne, sending a glare down the length of the Table toward Pansy Parkinson.

"What?" I queried.

"Pansy said something to Millie in class today that was. . .not great." Sighed Tracey.

"That's an understatement. You know, for someone so smart, you can be pretty dumb, Zabini. Millie's had a huge crush on you for a while. Pansy used that to utterly tear her down." Huffed Sophie Roper from nearby.

"Millie has a crush on me? Wait, is that why you're sitting with us? Usually, you keep to the center of the table." I asked.

"Yes. That sort of behavior is against the spirit of the Wager you made with Draco, even if he technically only swore for himself. It just isn't done and Sophie realizes that." Nodded Daphne.

"Great, that's not what I wanted to hear." I grumbled.

"It's worse than that. It sets a precedent. So long as Draco doesn't bug us himself or order his little gang of minions to do so, it technically doesn't break the magical wager." Insisted Tracey.

"Yeah, normally magical wagers and contracts don't get their limits tested like this. Just in case something goes wrong with your calculations and you cross a hard line. That generally winds up with you losing your magic, so it's an unspoken rule of that sort of thing not to try and find loopholes or workarounds. Pansy seems to just have been fed up with being forced to abide by the terms Draco set and went rogue." Informed Sophie.

"I see. Can we circle back to how Millie has a crush on me? When did this start?" I questioned.

"A while back. I don't think she's used to boys being nice to her." Sighed Tracey.

"Indeed. Honestly, Blaise, it's not like the rest of us hadn't had thoughts like that about you. I'd be willing to bet that half the girls in our friend group have crushed on you at some point or another. You being too obtuse to get that usually winds up allowing us to get over it." Huffed Daphne.

"Daphne, we're eleven." I groused.

"Some of us will be twelve next month. You're just going to have to face facts that you being nice and arguably the most powerful wizard our age makes you crushworthy." Pointed out Tracey.

I felt heat rising in my cheeks as I cringed away in embarrassment at that statement. I wasn't totally sure what to make of all this as my memories from my old life were a few years older than my current age. How do I let everyone know that I wasn't comfortable with having people the same age as my little brother from back in my old life on the previous Earth I'd lived on crushing on me? I mean I could see dating in a few years, but now? No way. I was interrupted in my trying to think of a way to let my friends down gently by Sophie who spoke up next.

"Look, he's blushing. Maybe we ought to switch topics." Remarked Sophie.

"Boys." Smirked Tracey, rolling her eyes.

"Father says boys mature slower than girls. It looks like he was right on that account. It would certainly explain why Blaise never understood how badly Millie was crushing on him." Teased Daphne, smirking. That was my opening and I grabbed it with both hands.

"Has anyone tried to talk to Millie? To reassure her that whatever Pansy said wasn't true and that she shouldn't be ashamed?" I queried.

"No. She locked herself in the Second-Floor Girls' Bathroom and won't come out for anyone." Sighed Tracey.

"Right. That figures. Well, as soon as I'm done eating, I'm going to go check on her." I nodded.

With that, I dug into my food with gusto. Susan, Hannah, Terry, and Hermione stopped by over the course of the feast to talk, but the conversations were less important than the one we'd just had about Millie. Mostly it was talk about favorite sweets. Terry liked sour stuff, while Susan and Hermione were Chocoholics, and Hannah preferred gummy stuff. All of that was on offer at the feasts, as sour candies in the shapes of eyeballs had been laid out near chocolate bats and jellied slugs, all provided by Honeydukes at a discount. When I asked why, as it seemed not great business to sell such a lucrative order at a discount, it was unsurprisingly, Hermione who had the answer.

"Hogsmeade Weekends make up a large part of Honeydukes' business over the school year. I'd think the discount would be worth it." She answered.

"Free advertising." Nodded Susan, sagely.

"I guess it makes sense when you put it that way." Shrugged Terry.

"It's just a shame Millie is missing the feast. She would have loved the Caramel Ghosts." Sighed Hannah.

"Speaking of which, Daphne said Millie has a crush on me and that ever girl in our friend group probably had one at some point?" I asked.

"Don't throw me in front of the train!" Huffed Daphne, there was no heat in it.

"That's probably true. I know I did." Shrugged Hannah.

"Me too." Nodded Hermione.

"I might still have a bit of a crush." Admitted Susan.

"Like we said, you're crushworthy." Insisted Tracey.

"Don't let it go to your head, Zabini." Intoned Sophie Roper.

"Dangerous ground you're treading there, Mate. Maybe we should switch the subject." Offered Terry.

I had to agree with Terry, there. I excused myself from the Slytherin Table and Terry and I headed for the Gryffindor Table to get some much-needed male bonding time in with Neville, Harry, and Ron. Ron, predictably, was stuffing his face with all kinds of sweets while Harry picked only a small assortment from which he rarely ate. I felt bad for both of them because this sort of thing was based on their upbringing. Harry had likely had to steal sweets from his cousin and hoard whatever he could grab away before his aunt and uncle could confiscate them. He was effectively squirring away sweets here even though his relatives weren't around to take them from him. Meanwhile, Ron had grown up in a family that had to stretch what little they had across seven children and two adults. He probably didn't get a lot of sweets outside holidays, so he was gorging himself while he could get them.

Neville meanwhile, was surprisingly normal for once. Despite his Uncle being an arse and his Gran being the wizarding equivalent of a Tiger Mom, he wasn't binging or hoarding, instead eating a normal amount of dessert. It was odd, but as we shot the shit, I realized that Terry was probably the most normal out of all my guy friends. Most of the others in my social circle had weird, abusive, or hardscrabble upbringings, and I included myself in that. It was an odd thought, but no less true.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and about halfway through Ron and Terry having a conversation over whether the Chudley Cannons or the Birsay Broom Barons would win the upcoming Season Opener for the Secondary League, Quirell came stumbling in screaming about Trolls that he bloody well knew he let into the castle. I'll give this to Quirinius Quirell, he was a damned good actor. There was just the right amount of terror in his pronouncement to get all the teachers ready to go after the Trolls instead of keeping an eye on the Stone. Of course, then he had to ruin it by pretending to faint.

"T-t-trolls! In the D-d-dungeon! Just thought you ought t-t-to know!" Gibbered Quirell before ending his performance with a bout of faux fainting.

"Right! Teachers with me! All students are to follow their prefects to their common rooms at once!" Called out Dumbledore.

i couldn't help but smirk at that command. He'd said it as if the Slytherin Common Room weren't in the Dungeon, where the Trolls supposedly were. There was no time for me to dwell on that little bit of inconsistency, though. I had a job to do. I looked over at Harry and Ron. They nodded at me, I nodded back. Then together, the three of us slipped out of the Great Hall in the confusion. I swore that we would save Mille or die trying.

Thankfully, as it would turn out, it wouldn't come to that. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have part one of Halloween and the Troll situation. I plan to stretch out Halloween further into October for a more festive update schedule. Hopefully you all like what I'm doing with it.

As for the thing with all of Blaise's female friends having had crushes on him. That's not really so much of a power fantasy thing where the SI builds a harem out of all the girls as it is a bunch of eleven and twelve-year-old girls having a cool and nice male friend and getting the equivalent of a schoolyard crush on him. For most of them, it'll pass soon enough, and for some it already has. That sort of thing happens when you reach puberty, you develop puppy love crushes.

At any rate, the next chapter will have Blaise, Harry, and Ron finding Millie and the Trolls.

Stay tuned. . .