chapter 182 part 1
Chapter 179: A Chaotic Halloween Feast
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Halloween Eve was a very important festival, and Hogwarts was no exception.
Just as William and the others were heading to a dungeon classroom for their feast, the Great Hall above was also celebrating Halloween. The golden plates, a long-standing Hogwarts legacy, were brought out for use today. Candles and ribbons filled the hall, and even the castle's decorations had been changed to live bats, filling the entire castle with a joyous atmosphere.
Beside the enormous pumpkin lanterns provided by Hagrid, so large you could play a game of Wizard's Chess inside them, the Weasley Twins were whispering to each other.
"George, what about the professor?"
"Which professor?"
"Which other one could it be?"
"Alright, I know you mean Professor William, but right now I'm more concerned about our 'Great Plan'—"
George sighed helplessly. The live bat decorations, which he usually loved, seemed utterly dull today.
"But we can't keep focusing on that. Anyway, you and I both know our 'Great Plan' definitely wasn't just about attacking Filch."
"And that's what's so frustrating, Fred," George said, glancing around. "We lost a month's worth of memory, got saddled with two months of detention, and completely forgot everything about putting on the diadem. Bloody hell!"
After a brief period of hospitalization and observation, the three students who had been attacked were advised to return to their dormitories to try and recover their memories. The Weasley Twins naturally became the center of their house's attention. Their friends gleefully described the heroic deeds they had accomplished during that month, and of course, the 'Great Plan' they had been constantly talking about was an inseparable part of it.
"As expected of the 'Great Plan'!"
Everyone said in unison, attributing their success to the diadem—if it weren't for that magical diadem, how could the Weasley brothers have successfully attacked the caretaker and hung him outside the castle?
But the twins knew things were definitely not that simple. Although they couldn't remember what the 'Great Plan' was, it was absolutely not just a simple attack on the caretaker.
'How could something as low-tech as attacking the caretaker be worthy of being called the 'Great Plan'? Besides, blabbing about it everywhere before the attack is definitely not our style.'
Amidst the chorus of praise, the two exchanged a look and, with a tacit understanding, neither of them stepped forward to deny it.
But that was where the problem lay—though the two were keen to find out, having no memory of the events left them with no leads. They were still stuck in the investigation phase.
"Let's just watch the show, Fred. The skeleton dance troupe isn't something you see every day," George said softly. "Although having to ask a professor for help is a bit annoying, at least this professor really keeps his word. We did get to wear the diadem, didn't we—what's that?"
Before their astonished eyes, a ghost shot up from underground. It was one the Weasley Twins were very familiar with: the aloof Slytherin ghost, the Bloody Baron.
The Weasley Twins had their eyes on this cold-faced ghost, whose power could suppress Peeves, ever since they started school. It couldn't be helped; Peeves was already a famous poltergeist at Hogwarts. The twins had even heard their mum tell stories about Peeves when they were toddlers. So the Baron, who was a cut above Peeves, must be out of this world, right?
Although their investigation after enrolling had shattered the twins' dream, the aloof and taciturn Baron had still left a deep impression on them—he was ruthless, perpetually cold, and looked like he'd kill you over a single disagreement.
"She remembers me, she remembers me!"
A voice that the two could hardly believe came from the Baron's mouth. At the same time, the aloof ghost was comically swinging his chains as he rushed towards every student at an incredible speed.
"Yes, that's right, she remembers me!"
"She remembers me, even at the very end!"
…
The Baron madly repeated similar phrases, leaving the Weasley Twins completely dumbfounded.
"What spell is he under?"
"Can that diadem even control ghosts?"
The two looked at each other, getting completely different guesses from the other's eyes.
But what happened next was utterly baffling. With a sudden chill, the Weasley Twins found two ghosts passing through their bodies.
"Sorry, excuse me."
Following the chill was an apology, and then the two saw the ghosts float out of each other's bodies and hover in mid-air.
But they weren't the only ones being "attacked"—hundreds of ghosts burst out almost nonstop from beneath the floor and through the walls, heedlessly passing through the students to surround the Bloody Baron in the center.
"Ah!"
"Heavens! What is this!"
...
Screams echoed continuously through the Great Hall. Not everyone was like the Weasley Twins, who had experienced a ghost passing through them due to their love of wandering around. That jolt from a ghost passing through was more startling than having ice water thrown on you.
With the arrival of the large number of ghosts, the temperature in the Great Hall began to plummet. The draft they created blew out the candles, and the glow from the few that remained unextinguished was heavily suppressed, their pea-sized flames struggling to maintain the tiniest bit of light.
But the students' initial fear was gone; they all grew excited instead.
"Is this a new act?"
"Cool!"
"It's just a bit cold..."
...
Amidst the confused chatter, the prefects stood up to maintain order. "Stay quiet, stay quiet, and wait for the show to start!"
The staff table was even livelier, with many of the professors laughing out loud.
"This is a fantastic show! Hogwarts hasn't had such a large-scale performance in a long time."
"Yes, yes, it seems the funds are plentiful this year. This show ranks in the top five of all the ones I've seen since I came to Hogwarts."
An older professor was beaming—if they could put on a show like this, his drama report would probably get approved.
Even Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore curiously. "Albus, how much did this cost—no, that's not it, I'm not concerned about the funds. It's just, with so many ghosts, did you hire a large ghost circus?"
As Professor McGonagall was speaking, eleven ghosts riding ghost horses burst out from the ground.
"They don't have heads!"
A hushed exclamation came from among the students, but a glare from a prefect in the faint glow of the ghosts silenced them.
But he was right. The ghosts indeed had no heads. Their heads were held firmly in their hands, while their necks were completely empty, perfectly fitting the Halloween aesthetic.
The appearance of these ghosts made Professor McGonagall look at Dumbledore—it really was a circus, the famous Headless Hunt.
As the students marveled, the next ghost horse appeared. Unlike the other knights, this ghost horse was upside down, its four hooves pointing to the ceiling.