Harry read frantically through his Charms notes on Halloween morning. He wasn't ready for the test he had or for the feast tonight. The fact that the rest of school seemed to forget he was there wasn't helping.

His fellow Ravenclaws had already been angry and like the Hufflepuffs, they'd been horrified at the dark curse he'd used on Ronald Weasley. The Gryffindors were angry about the curse, especially since it was one of their own that had been injured. At first Harry had opened that the Slytherins would accept him, even if it was only Draco. But they didn't want to be associated with Evil and dark magic and left Harry on his own.

Finally Harry put his wand down with a sigh and let his notes fall next to it. Since it was only six thirty in the morning the Great Hall was empty and breakfast hadn't appeared yet. Harry liked it in the mornings, he avoided almost everyone and got out of Ravenclaw tower before anyone could bother him. After taking a few showers that had been full of grease and getting his feet stuck to the floor he'd taken the time to protect himself from his year-mates and hopefully the rest of the students.

The first breakfast appeared at seven o'clock. It was the first breakfast , usually only teachers and students with morning detentions ever showed up, it was just too early for most people. But today the hall was empty, save Harry. A sparse fair covered the table, oatmeal, cereal, toast. Harry filled his glass with the sour grapefruit juice and snagged a few slices of toast.

As soon as he'd finished eating, Harry gathered up his belongings and headed away. This had remained a problem. After eating there was nowhere for him to go. The library wasn't open yet and it was far too early to appear at his first class. Professor McGonagall didn't open the Transfiguration classroom until five minutes before the start of class.

Harry walked through the corridors, not certain of where he was going, simply letting his feet take him where they will. He climbed a staircase and another after that, wandering through the winding halls of Hogwarts. Finally the corridor stopped, a thick wooden door prevented Harry from continuing on his journey.

The door wasn't locked, but it was stuck and when Harry threw his shoulder against it, it opened with the noise of rusty hinges squeaking. The room beyond it wasn't worth the effort either, at least that was what Harry thought at first.

There wasn't any lights, and although a few torch brackets were mounted on the walls, they were all empty. Empty bookshelves lined one wall and there was a fireplace filled with ashes and mice droppings. An armchair and couch sat in one corner, but they had become rather disgusting with age. The whole thing reminded Harry of the room his father had showed him in the summer.

After casting a Lumos charm, Harry put his wand into one of the torch brackets and took a seat on the wooden floor. He was slightly frightened of whatever lived inside the couch and armchair, doxies or worse. But there was time to waste and nothing had jumped from the shadows yet so he opened his books and tried to study a little more for his charms test, but the material just couldn't hold his interest.

When the castle bells chimed warning that there was only a few minutes until the first class, Harry jumped to his feet. He was probably going to be late for Transfiguration and was most likely going to land himself in detention on Halloween. So much for trying to enjoy the feast and get a few friends back.

McGonagall glared at Harry when he came in, but she didn't say anything about detention. She simply ordered him to stay after class. Harry gave a mental groan and focused on the day's assignment. Now that everyone had mastered making a match-book and matches that actually worked they were onto the next step. Making something that the matches could light.

By this point everyone in the class could make a stick into a candle. But no one could make that candle work, it wasn't truly wax. And for once Harry was finding that the answers didn't come to him immediately. But he concentrated and used all the visualizing techniques his parents and McGonagall had taught him.

When the bell rang for break, Harry could transfigure a piece of wood into a working torch. It wasn't a candle, but he could use it in the room he'd found and a torch was sort of like a candle. If he was lucky McGonagall might even accept it instead of the wax stick he was suppose to make.

“You wanted to see me professor?” Harry asked, pulling his bag over his shoulder. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for the woman to get mad, or upset or give him detention for being late. He wasn't expecting anything else.

Minerva McGonagall looked at the boy standing in front of her. I loved his parents and his new parents are my dear friends. And Harry is like a grandchild to me. So why does he always do the wrong thing! He used a dark curse, he can't follow the rules or show respect to anyone. He can't even keep a friend. The Hufflepuffs hate him and that's saying something.

“I'm disappointed in you Harry.” Minerva finally said. “Come with me.” She led the boy into her office and motioned for him to take a seat on the hard chair in front of her desk. “What's wrong Harry?” She asked gently after he'd settled into the seat.

Harry gave her a confused look. She was suppose to get angry, give him detention and possibly give him a lecture on punctuality. “What do you mean?” He asked, just a hint of nervousness and confusion audible in his voice.

“I'm worried about you Harry. Is there something wrong? Did you get in a fight with your parents? Or another one of your friends? What is going on?” Minerva gave him a hard stare. “Answer me please Harry.”

Harry sighed. “Nothings wrong. I just lost track of time this morning, okay?” His tone boarded on insolent and was becoming rather demanding.

“Not okay Harry.” McGonagall glanced at her own clock. “I expect to see you for detention tomorrow afternoon. Two o'clock. And don't even think about being late.”

Harry groaned. He hated getting detention on the weekends. “Fine.” He stood up and stormed out the door, rushing to make it on time for his Charms test. But even with a few seconds to spare the tiny teacher glared at him as he plopped into his seat as the bell began to ring.

The test was as bad as Harry had feared. He didn't remember all the theory work they'd done. Or all the different dates that Charms had been created, or made illegal. There was a whole section on the safety reading they were suppose to do. Harry hadn't even looked at that section of the book.

Harry sighed with relief when the bell rang for lunch. Sitting in the classroom stressing out over answers that he had no idea of and ended up making up wasn't his idea of a good day. Halloween never seemed to be a good day for him.

There was the time he'd been sick, the year he'd been grounded for being mean to Mrs. Norris, and of course the year that he'd found out about the saddest parts of the day, it was a lesson he'd never forgotten and never would.

**

October 31 1988

It was quiet in the Snape-LeStrange quarters of Hogwarts. Everyone was tired from the parties during the day and the feast in the Great hall that night. Bellatrix had dressed up as an angel from muggle mythology and she'd tried to convince Severus to dress up but he couldn't be persuaded.

“Can I have another piece of candy?” Harry asked, making his eyes wide and trying to convey his want for the sweet in his face. “Please Mum? Just one little piece?” He was sitting on his bed dressed in night robes, but he wouldn't lie down yet.

Bellatrix was regretting allowing her son to stuff his face with sugar at the feast. “May I have another piece, not can I.” She glanced at the clock. “And no you may not, it is time to go to sleep. Lie down and close your eyes.”

Harry protested but he got under the covers. “Mum, why is everyone except for you and Da so happy on Halloween? You're always sad.” He reached out a hand to her and got his goodnight kiss and hug before his answer.

“Harry, do you remember everything that you learned about October 31st 1981?” Bellatrix asked, running her fingers calmingly through her son's hair. Telling him stories was better then reading for getting him to fall asleep and most often she enjoyed sharing stories with her child.

“Yes, what does that have to do with anything?” Harry asked. He got good marks in school, but they didn't mean much. And like most children he forgot everything as soon as the test was over. There weren't any exams yet in his classes at the end of the year.

Bellatrix sighed. “The Dark Lord fell on that night Harry. Remember? And the wizarding world declared itself free of fear. People are still celebrating it today. We have an extra special feast in the Great hall and all over England people are hosting parties and setting off fireworks.”

Harry nodded, his eyes starting to drift close. “Do you celebrate today Mum? Does Da celebrate?” He asked, his child's voice full of innocence and sweetness.

Bellatrix pressed her lips to his brow in a final goodnight kiss. “We remember Harry. The day is not only happy, it is also sad.” She got to her feet, turning the lights off when she reached the door. After a glance back at her son, burrowing into the blankets with his eyes closed, she stepped out and closed the door softly behind her.

As soon as Harry heard the door close he shot up in bed. His mum's comment about remembering and celebrating had interested him. If his parents were going to be having fun and eating more sweets he wanted to be there. It's not fair that adults get to stay up later and eat more chocolates just because they are older!

Harry slipped out of his nice warm bed and into his slippers. It wasn't yet November, but the dungeons were already freezing cold and the cloth would muffle any sounds he accidentally made. After pulling a black robe on over top of his pyjamas, Harry pushed his nose out the door and looked around. The sitting room was empty so he gave the door a light push, hoping that the hinges wouldn't squeak and give him away.

There wasn't anyone in the kitchen or the lavatory. Harry looked nervously at the rooms he still needed to check. He wasn't allowed in his father's potions lab and both Severus' and Bellatrix's rooms were off limits.

With a pounding heart appropriate to the holiday, Harry touched his father's door knob lightly. When nothing happened he turned it gently. The door wasn't locked and Harry closed it after pulling it open large enough to stick his head in. The room was dark and empty.

Harry held his breath and tiptoed across the floor to the door of the Potion lab. He could see light coming from the crack under the door and was certain he'd find his parents here. Trying to be as quiet as possible Harry slipped the door open.

The room was mostly dark, save for a candle burning in the corner. Harry put one foot over the threshold, trying to figure out what his father was doing. It didn't look very fun, nothing like a Holiday. He bit his bottom lip and crept into the room.

Severus drew in a shaking breath as he struggled to control his emotions. Every year since she'd died he did the same thing; got out her pictures and lit a candle. He sat in his lab until the candle burned itself out, thinking of her and the time that they had been able to have together.

Harry got a look at the picture on the altar in front of his father. He knew that red hair and smile anywhere. It was his Mum, Lily. This was the day she'd died. He felt bad, intruding on his father's grieving. Harry couldn't get out of the room fast enough. I bet Mother is the one with the sweets. She likes candy.

But Bellatrix's room wasn't very well lit or happy feeling either. Harry peaked in carefully, he'd be in major trouble if she caught him after telling him quite clearly to go to bed. She was doing the same thing his Da had done. Only Harry couldn't understand who she was grieving for. Bellatrix had told him when he'd found out that he was Harry Potter that she hadn't known either of his parents well.

The candle in front of Bellatrix was black and she didn't have any pictures, just a crudely drawn image she'd scratched out on a piece of parchment. It was a symbol Harry didn't know the name of, a snake twisting and turning about a skull. It looked similar to the tattoo his parents both had. . .

**

Harry gave a shudder in the great hall as he remembered getting in trouble that night. Grieving made his parents short tempered and they had not taken into account that it was a holiday and he'd filled up on sugar. They'd simply filled his next weeks with detentions and groundings.

This Halloween will be better. Harry promised himself, as he took a seat in the Great hall. He had plans and if they worked his entire life would change for the better. Everything would be the way it was suppose to be.