Infiltration Incident

"What time is it?"

Isobel had just woken up. She snuggled her head against Albert's chest and asked groggily.

"Almost half past six."

Albert reached for the pocket watch on the bedside table and checked the time by the faint candlelight. "We need to get up. We still have to attend the Halloween Party later."

"A little tired," the girl mumbled.

"Your blood sugar is probably a little low."

Albert gently held his girlfriend, set the pocket watch back on the bedside table, then casually took a box of chocolates from the pile of sweets. After unwrapping one, he held it to her lips. "Something sweet will make you feel better. Come on, open up—ah!"

"Blood sugar?"

Isobel vaguely took a bite of the chocolate and curled further into Albert's arms like a kitten. "What's that?"

"Want some more?"

"Mhm."

After Albert slowly fed Isobel an entire piece of chocolate, the two finally got up. The girl stood before the mirror, smoothing the wrinkles from her clothes, then seized the last ten minutes to hurry downstairs to the Great Hall.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of jack-o'-lanterns floated above the Great Hall. Since Hagrid had neglected the giant pumpkins in his patch, Professor Flitwick had been forced to make up for it another way.

Albert quickly found Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. The three were sitting beneath a swarm of fluttering bats, and they had even saved Albert a seat.

"It cost thirteen Galleons in all."

Pretending to watch the orange streamers breathing fire across the ceiling, Fred whispered to Albert, "But we can't be sure that bastard didn't fob us off with fakes."

As he spoke, George took some shriveled black-pod-like Venomous Tentacula seeds from a bulging bag.

Albert held the seeds to his ear and could vaguely hear a faint