That Halloween seemed to approach much faster than any of them had expected. According to Harry, something interesting always occurred on the last day of October, and Lilleth was keeping her eyes peeled for anything strange around her, although she was almost distracted by the Halloween decorations around the hall.

The Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared very suddenly on the plates, just as it had at the start of term banquet, nearly two months ago.

The food was delicious. Lilleth continuously fed Mourka little titbits under the table throughout the meal, giggling when she forgot and Mourka began clawing at her leg. She, Piper, Ella, Mira and Missy revelled in their first Halloween at Hogwarts, stuffing their faces with more food than they had ever seen before.

The feast finished with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading.

At the end of it, Lilleth was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into her soft, warm bed and sleep for days and days. They all got up and slowly shuffled down the steps to the basement corridors along with the older students, and headed into the Hufflepuff common room.

"I'm kind of disappointed." said Lilleth, fighting off her closing eyelids as she got changed into her pyjamas. "Harry said there's always some kind of drama on Halloween."

"Like what?" asked Missy curiously.

"Well in his first year, a troll got into the castle and attacked Hermione." said Lilleth. "And last year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. I was expecting something exciting this year."

Just as Lilleth was about to crawl into bed next to Mourka, who had already made himself comfortable on her pillow, shouts sounded in the common room, and a few seconds later, someone banged loudly on their door.

"Everyone up!" they shouted, before their footsteps moved further up the stairs.

The five girls all looked at each other in confusion, and quickly climbed back out of their warm beds. Lilleth scooped up Mourka and held him tightly in her grasp, and then they all hurried out of the dorms and back down the stairs to the common room, where all the other Hufflepuffs were gathering. The prefects stood at the front of the room with very serious looks on their faces, and once all the year groups had gathered, at least a couple hundred people all squashed into the common room, they called out for quiet.

"What's going on?" someone shouted from the back.

"Sirius Black has attempted to break into the Gryffindor tower." said the sixth year prefect, Cedric Diggory.

Whispers erupted throughout the common room, but the prefects quickly called for silence again.

"The Fat Lady wouldn't let him in, so he attacked her." said Otto. "The teachers believe he is now somewhere in the castle."

"As such, everyone is to go up to the Great Hall for the night." said a seventh year that Lilleth had yet to meet. "You'll be sleeping there as well so that we can make sure you're all safe while the teachers search for Black."

"Sirius Black is in the castle?" Piper whispered to Lilleth. "How did he even get in? The dementors are everywhere!"

"I don't know." Lilleth muttered.

"Come on, we'd better go." said Piper.

People were beginning to go through the tunnel that led to the main castle. Mourka moved up to wrap himself around Lilleth's shoulders again as she hunched over to walk through the tunnel.

They were greeted by the Slytherins as they headed up to the Great Hall, who all looked equally confused and concerned, and walked quickly up the stairs. In the Hall, the Gryffindors were already waiting for them, still dressed in their robes. Lilleth spotted Harry immediately, talking to Ron and Hermione in a corner of the stone hall.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle." Professor Dumbledore told them as Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick closed all doors into the Hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge."

He turned to mutter something to Percy, and then paused, about to leave the Hall.

"Oh yes, and you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the Hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well." said Professor Dumbledore, closing the doors behind him.

The Hall began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the other others what had happened.

"Pipes!"

Lilleth and Piper turned around to see Blake and Dennis running over to them, and Piper threw her arms around her brother.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course I am you ninny." said Blake, rolling his eyes, although he hugged her too. "I think the real question is, what are you wearing?"

Piper pulled away and looked down at her clothes.

"My pyjamas." she said in confusion.

"Haven't you had those since you were six?" he smirked.

"Oh shut up Blake." she said, rolling her eyes, and she punched him playfully on the arm.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"Come on, we should get sleeping bags before they're all gone." said Blake, motioning towards a set of four sleeping bags close together.

The four of them quickly grabbed sleeping bags and pulled them over to one of the walls – well, tables – and arranged their sleeping bags so that their heads were all next to each other so they could talk.

"So what actually happened?" asked Piper in a hushed voice.

"Sirius Black attacked the Fat Lady!" said Dennis excitedly. "Cut the portrait with a knife and all. She's terrified and won't let anyone into the common room now, and the teachers have to find him before he attacks anyone else."

"I wonder how he got in." said Lilleth, sighing. "Ow, Mourka, that's my ear."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the Hall, Lilleth felt as though she was sleeping outdoors in a light wind.

Before long, with the comfort of the sleeping bag, the warm purr of Mourka as he nuzzled his body against Lilleth's chest and the gentle shushing whispers around the hall, Lilleth found herself lulled into sleep.