Halloween Boogie 1977

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all stood by the food table, watching the students and teachers dance. It was the Halloween Boogie, a dance that only the seventh years are allowed to attend. Since it was required to dress up, James had arrived at the dance as a vampire, Sirius with a lampshade from the Gryffindor common room on his head, Remus as Dumbledore, and Peter in his pajamas.

James looked around at Remus. "I was beginning to wonder if that Grow-Your-Own-Beard Kit would ever come in handy."

Remus snorted. "I'm never using that thing again," he muttered. "I have to keep spitting hair out of my mouth and picking it out of my nose."

"Come on, Moony, it's not that bad," laughed Sirius. "Actually, that'll win the Costume Contest for you, that will." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at his head. "Hey, look at this!" He muttered a charm and his head lit up under the lampshade.

"Cool!" said Peter as the judges walked by. They stared openly at Sirius for a moment, then scribbled on a piece of parchment. They examined the others closely, then scribbled some more. They finally moved on.

The crowd around them was noticing Sirius as well. Sirius gave them no notice and helped himself to a treacle tart. Apparently it didn't phase him in the slightest to know that he was now a human lighthouse.

Professor Dumbledore stopped at the food table and gazed at Remus, who was clearly visible now because of Sirius. Dumbledore chuckled. "I see me!"

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Remus said, smiling sheepishly.

Dumbledore looked closer. "You did a very good job, Remus. If you were a little taller people might actually confuse you for me!"

"Thank you, sir... I think," said Remus, now going slightly red.

Dumbledore now turned his eyes to Sirius, who was now chatting with James, head still glowing brilliantly. "That has to be the most original costume I've ever seen."

"Huh?" Sirius whipped around. He saw Dumbledore, then grinned and said, "Oh, thanks Professor."

"You two should do well with the contest."

With that, Dumbledore walked away.

Another song began, and with it came the announcement that this dance was girls' choice. James was immediately whisked away by Lily. It wasn't long before two Ravenclaw girls came for Sirius and Remus. Finally, a Hufflepuff girl came and asked Peter.

After the song ended, a man walked into the center of the hall with a piece of parchment. "It's time to announce the winners of the Costume Contest!" he said. "In third place, Severus Snape, who has dressed as a clown!"

Snape looked bewildered. "What?" he gasped. He looked down at his costume. "Oh… my…"

James and Sirius looked affronted. "Our masterpiece only got third?"

"Your--you--you--" Snape stammered. He found his voice and said, "DIE!"

"Severus, please come get your prize!" called the man. Snape paused and then walked toward the man, throwing James and Sirius a very nasty look over his shoulder as he went.

"In second place," continued the man, "Lily Evans, who dressed up as something she calls a 'hippie'."

"You'd be surprised how many there are in the Muggle world," said Lily as she went to claim her prize.

"And tied for first place, we have Remus Lupin, who dressed up as Professor Dumbledore--" there was laughter in the crowd, but applause-- "And Sirius Black, who is one of the lamps in the Gryffindor common room."

The students laughed again and watched as Lamp Boy Sirius and Remus Dumbledore went to collect their prizes. Snape glared at them as they approached.

Sirius and Remus opened the bags as they made their way back to their friends. The prize turned out to be… a Grow-Your-Own-Beard Kit. Remus glared at it.

"Cool!" cried Sirius. "I can have a beard to go with the shade now!"

They rejoined James and Peter. Lily came over at the same time.

"Cool costumes, guys," she said to Sirius and Remus.

"Thanks," Remus replied.

"How'd you get the idea for the lampshade, Sirius?"

"Well, I slacked off on finding a costume until it was too late to get one, so I just nicked a lampshade before we came down," Sirius said casually.

"I see."

Remus looked over Lily's shoulder and saw Snape coming toward them. "Uh, guys," he said, tapping James on the shoulder, "Snivellus doesn't look happy…"

Snape pulled out his wand.

"He really doesn't look happy…"

Snape was ten feet away.

"He's really hacked off…"

"We get the point, Moony!" snapped James.

"Should we be running now, Prongs?" asked Sirius unconcernedly.

"Nah."

Snape raised his wand. "Rictusempra!" he cried.

The four boys dodged the jet of red light. They pulled out their own wands.

An instant later, Snape's clown costume was replaced by a cow costume. The surrounding students doubled up with laughter. Remus quietly muttered another charm as Snape recovered from the shock.

Snape raised his wand and meant to say, "Furnunculo!" but the only sound that came out was a loud "moo". The students laughed harder. But no one was laughing harder than James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

Their laughter died away quite suddenly as Professor McGonagall stormed over to them.

"DETENTION!" she screamed. "All four of you!"