Halloween

Chapter 154: Halloween

As long as there was enough profit to be made, there were always journalists brave enough to publish articles that those in power would rather not see.

Fortunately, once the finger of blame pointed at Barty Crouch, the Ministry of Magic's initially hardline stance softened.

Barty Crouch had once been the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was considered the most promising candidate for Minister for Magic.

In other words, he was Fudge's strong competitor in the past.

However, after Voldemort's downfall, Barty Crouch's son was found to be a Death Eater, and he personally sent his son to Azkaban.

This incident caused Barty Crouch to gradually lose prestige, preventing him from becoming Minister for Magic. He now served as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

This position was similar to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Muggle governments, but its importance was nowhere near comparable to the latter. Most of the time, it dealt with trivial matters like "the thickness of imported Cauldrons" or "differences in prohibited item standards between countries."

The journalists weren't worried at all about Barty Crouch retaliating against them. They freely depicted Crouch during the war as a ruthless tyrant and began to investigate other individuals who had been sent to Azkaban without trial.

The Ministry of Magic was also happy for Crouch to bear the responsibility. During reporter interviews, Fudge shed tears in front of the camera, regretting that he had "trusted the wrong person."

Regarding Sirius's release, the Ministry of Magic still maintained an ambiguous attitude. However, public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor, pressuring the Ministry to make a decision quickly, and Dumbledore had been tirelessly working towards this as well.

"Lupin said that after Halloween, there should be a hearing to re-examine Sirius's case."

Harry told his friends, "Many people believe he's innocent, and there's a good chance he'll be acquitted."

Michael knew that Harry's understanding was always the most optimistic version. He quietly asked Wade, "Is that really true?"

Wade nodded. "This time, it is."

Only a small faction within the Ministry of Magic insisted that Sirius should not be released; most people were largely indifferent.

Marchioni told Wade that most prisoners in Azkaban went mad within weeks, unable to maintain even the simplest thoughts.

Therefore, many believed there was nothing to worry about in releasing a madman who likely had no self-awareness, especially since he had been wrongly imprisoned.

The students at school were completely oblivious to the shifting public opinion and various pressures.

They only saw newspapers filled with extensive reports about Sirius Black, sometimes even including photographs of the young Wizard during his school days.

The young man's handsome appearance and tragic plight evoked sympathy from almost all female Wizards, bringing him unexpected support.

Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think this was a hot topic he could capitalize on. In this week's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he uncharacteristically refrained from having students perform skits and instead talked at length about his friendship with Sirius Black.

Even though the Marauders quartet was already nearing graduation when he enrolled, in Lockhart's stories, they admired each other greatly.

"I could tell at a glance that Peter Pettigrew was a malicious fellow, and I even warned them specifically, but unfortunately, no one took my words seriously."

"Alas, I was as young then as you are now. Although my eyesight was extraordinary and my insight astonishing, I didn't receive the respect I deserved."

"If only they had listened to me earlier, perhaps everything would have been different?"

Lockhart shook his head regretfully as he spoke.

The girls in the classroom gazed at him with adoration, tears welling up in their eyes, and comforted him sympathetically, "It's not your fault, Professor! You did everything you could!"

Ron, seeing that Harry seemed somewhat swayed, quickly said, "You're not taking his nonsense seriously, are you, mate? You know Lockhart's just a brainless idiot."

"But... but he's written so many books, hasn't he?" Harry said. "Maybe he really is good at observing."

After Umbrella Room finished his homework, Harry asked Lupin in the Book of Friends.

[Lupin: Gilderoy Lockhart?]

Lupin's reply seemed to be filled with question marks: [Who's that?]

So Harry wrote down all of Lockhart's self-aggrandizing remarks.

After a long while, Lupin seemed to finally recall who he was.

[Lupin: I have indeed heard of this person you speak of; he was a very famous Ravenclaw.]

[But that wasn't because of his insight or powerful magic. It was because shortly after he enrolled, he claimed he could create the Philosopher's Stone before graduating and would lead the English Quidditch team to win the World Cup.]

[The Ravenclaw team exceptionally allowed him to participate in tryouts, but he simply fell off his broom.]

[He also had a few other famous incidents, such as carving his name in 20-foot-tall letters on the Quidditch Pitch.]

[Also, in our later years at school, we were busy competing with Slytherin, exploring everywhere to draw the Marauder's Map, or concerning ourselves with the war's situation at the time. We didn't have time to deal with a younger Ravenclaw student.]

Lupin's reaction seemed quite intense...

Looking at the stream of words appearing on the parchment, Harry thought to himself.

Michael pointed out incisively, "It seems he really doesn't want to be associated with Lockhart. You'd best not mention him."

Harry silently nodded.

He set aside his unrealistic expectations of Lockhart and turned to ask everyone, "Hey, guys, do you want to go to Nick's deathday party? It's on Halloween."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Michael: "I think I misheard... what kind of party?"

Theo: "Who's Nick?"

Neville: "Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost."

"A ghost's deathday party?" Padma wrinkled her nose. "Will there be a lot of ghosts?"

"It… it should be," Harry said hesitantly, then tried to rally everyone.

"This Halloween is Nick's five hundredth Deathday. Think about it… Halloween happens every year, but a Deathday party might only happen once in a lifetime! Don't you want to go?"

"Uh…" Michael asked, "You haven't already promised to go, have you?"

"I have!" Harry said, then looked at his friends pitifully.

"I want to go," Hermione said excitedly. "It must be wonderful!"

"Is anyone else going, Harry?" Theo asked. "Or is it just you… and Hermione?"

"…Ron also promised to go with me," Harry said.

"Well… if you want, I can too…" Neville said, a bit hesitantly.

But after he said it, judging by his expression, he immediately regretted it.

Harry didn't give him a chance to back out and immediately said happily, "It's settled then! What about the rest of you?"

"No," Wade said, shaking his head.

He knew that party would be full of disgusting food and had no interest in attending.

"Of course we're going!" Fred said excitedly. "Ghosts! I haven't seen ghosts anywhere else besides school!"

George also nodded.

Harry felt a bit relieved, but then he thought about it…

Huh? Aren't all of them Gryffindors?

He looked at the others.

Theo glanced at Ryan and said with a smile, "We're not going either… but I'll save dinner for you."

"What do you mean?" A bad feeling bubbled up in Harry's heart. "The Deathday party… doesn't have food?"

Theo tactfully said, "They probably only serve ghost food."

Harry blinked.

Should I have… not promised Nick I'd go to his Deathday party?

"But you already promised," Padma said gleefully.

Hermione nodded. "A promise made is a promise kept! Besides, the party isn't just about eating!"

Michael said with a smile, "It's a rare sight, isn't it? Most people don't get this opportunity."

"Do you want this opportunity, then?" Neville asked nervously.

"Uh… I'll pass," Michael gently but firmly refused.

"Dress warmly," Wade reminded them finally. "It'll be very cold where ghosts gather."

...

In the blink of an eye, Halloween arrived.

That evening, Wade and the others arrived at the Great Hall. Just like last year, countless candles hung above the Great Hall, and bats decorated the ceiling.

Giant pumpkins were carved into various lanterns, Fairies flew among the vines, and tiny Wands sprayed colorful starlight from their tips.

The golden plates on the long tables were piled high with delicious food, most of which wasn't usually seen at dinner.

Michael took two pieces of crispy pan-fried cheese, took a big bite, and the rich, savory flavor was almost addictive.

He finished it in a few bites, then put two more pieces on his plate, happily telling Wade, "If Harry and the others knew how much delicious food there is tonight, they'd definitely regret it."

"I bet they already regret it," Wade said, spearing a piece of French lamb chop. "Ghost food is all rotten."

"Uh…" Michael advised, "Can we not talk about such scary things while we're eating?"

During dinner, a skeleton dance troupe came on stage to perform.

The pale skeletons danced to upbeat music, sometimes holding hands, sometimes floating like boneless snakes, and even suddenly scattering into a pile of bones before reassembling.

These skeletons clattered their teeth, encouraging the entire audience to clap and cheer along with them, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.

Except for Snape, who had his usual grim expression, the students and teachers were all extremely happy, with applause ringing out in waves.

"This is amazing!"

Lee Jordan from Gryffindor pulled a dark-skinned girl, and the two jumped on stage, dancing enthusiastically with the skeletons, taking the energy of the whole hall to a new level.

After the feast ended, as the students returned to their common rooms, Wade saw Harry and his group emerging from underground.

Except for Fred and George, who still had smiles on their faces, everyone else looked utterly haggard.

"It was horrible," Ron groaned. "Moldy, maggoty, stinking food… everything there made me sick."

Theo and the others laughed heartily, sharing the food they'd brought from the Great Hall with them.

"Thank you so much," Harry said, stuffing the food into his pockets with a sigh. "But I can't eat anything right now… I think my nose is about to give out."

The group walked out of the Entrance Hall, then split up, heading with the crowd toward their respective common rooms.

"This was the best Halloween of my life."

Michael was still excitedly chattering on the way back to the dorm.

Padma hummed a tune from the Skeleton Dance Troupe, then said, "Yeah. Last year was great too, but the Troll ruined everything."

"I wouldn't say that," Michael replied. "You joined us after that day, so that Halloween was still great."

Padma looked at Michael and gave him a sweet smile.

Wade discreetly left them behind and returned to the common room first.

He took out the gifts for the House-elves—transforming masks—from his bag, then wrote a blessing on each and placed them on the table.

This way, they could pick them up that night.

Even though Wade already had a good relationship with several of the elves, they still adhered to the House-elf code of conduct. Unless summoned, they rarely appeared before Wade.

Wade stood by the window, waiting for a while.

The vast castle gradually quieted down. The Ravenclaw students were drifting off to sleep one by one, and he presumed students from the other houses were doing the same.

No screams, no petrification, no chaos or fear.

This was exactly what he had hoped for—a peaceful, fulfilling, and interesting school life.

Wade smiled.

...

The day after Halloween, after classes in the afternoon, Wade received a note from Professor Sprout.

Come to the Third Greenhouse after dinner.

Wade's heart leaped with joy. After dinner, he eagerly went to the Third Greenhouse, where he saw the grown Mandrakes gently swaying.

"Although the Mandrakes aren't fully mature, their leaves can already be used," Professor Sprout said.

A purple vine tried to subtly hook around her shoulder, but she calmly brushed it away.

"That's great!" Wade said happily. "So I can use them to practice Animagus, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Professor Sprout said with a smile. "Actually, they were ready a week ago, but I thought it would be a shame for you to miss the Halloween Feast for it, wouldn't it?"

"Thank you, Professor," Wade said gratefully.

"Learning to be an Animagus is a long process, Wade."

Professor Sprout said this while taking out a large pair of scissors and carefully searching among the Mandrakes.

"You've always had an easy time with your magical studies, but you need to know that it's very normal to fail two or three times when practicing Animagus, especially the first step."

"For a whole month, you must keep a Mandrake leaf in your mouth. You cannot swallow it, nor can you take it out. If you fail, the entire process has to start over."

"Today, we'll choose the leaf. Before the full moon, you need to get used to the feeling of talking, eating, and sleeping with a similar-sized leaf in your mouth, and you must be careful not to swallow it. Practicing beforehand will help you know what mistakes not to make when you officially begin."

Professor Sprout held the scissors and smiled. "So, pick one, Wade."

Still a two-in-one, 4000 words.

Tomorrow's update will likely still be in the evening.

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