Bristlefrost yawned after a boooooooring history class. She had been sleeping over half Binns' booooooooring lecture. She would have very much liked a professor who was actually easy to listen to. Ugh.

"Well, that was a boring lesson," groaned Ivypool, "I swear I saw Flips drool through tho whole lesson. For the first time in my life, I'm jealous of him, Bris!"

"Ha! I'd have liked to be in a position to see that, but I was in front of him and also sleeping."

"Shh! There's Mrs. Norris," whispered Ginny. "Careful. Break a rule around her, and she'll go straight to Filch."

"Oof, okay," mumbled Ivypool. "Wait a minute, why are the teachers putting up clawed-out glowing pumpkins around the Great Hall?"

"Those are jack-o-lanterns, to decorate for Halloween," Ginny said simply.

"Hallowhatnow?" asked Bristlefrost.

"Y'know, Halloween, the time of year where Muggles - non-magic Twolegs I mean, sorry Ivy - dress up and go around house to house demanding candy."

"Candy?"

"Well, being a cat, you wouldn't have candy because it makes you sick... but it's a treat us hu - I mean Twolegs enjoy, you should try it while you are one."

"Well... okay," Bristlefrost muttered.

They headed towards the Great Hall, where they found the room expertly decorated with lower candles and numerous floating jack-o-lanterns. The food was equally shaped like strange creatures and pumpkins.

Bristlefrost tried a square piece of candy - and then stuffed her face with eighty more.

Ivypool did the same with the pumpkin cookies.

So did Ginny with the "Kit Kat"s she saw in a basket.

Bristlefrost left early because she was full. On the way back, she saw Mrs. Norris, stuck in a rather strange position. Her boots were wet, and she wondered what Mrs. Norris could have saw to be staring at it so intensely.

So Bristlefrost looked down on the inch-deep water on the ground.

A massive reptilian creature - a snake - was bearing down, staring straight at her.

But less than a second after she got to its enormous beachball-sized yellow eyes -

Everything went dark.