The moment Leo returned to the Slytherin dormitory, a dangerous idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
If Hogwarts already celebrated Halloween every year...
Then surely it was time for the wizarding world to experience a proper ghost story.
Closing his eyes, Leo focused.
Mental energy he hadn't seriously used in quite some time began circulating quietly through his body. Slowly, his feet lifted from the floor until he hovered silently in midair like a corpse suspended by invisible strings.
Then the transformation began.
A tattered crimson robe materialized around him. Its long sleeves swayed unnaturally despite the still air inside the dormitory. The fabric looked ancient and weathered, as though it had been dragged from some forgotten grave.
Leo continued refining the disguise.
His eyebrows became thin black lines painted delicately across pale skin. Under the effects of Transfiguration, the faint hairs across his body faded until his complexion turned deathly white, completely devoid of warmth.
His lips became a vivid crimson.
Bright.
Wet.
As though he had just finished drinking fresh blood.
Finally, Leo adjusted the robe itself, stretching its proportions until it resembled the clothing of a tall adult figure. Combined with his floating posture, the result was deeply unsettling.
After studying himself critically for several seconds, he frowned.
Still not enough.
Reaching into his pocket, Leo retrieved the remaining cinnabar powder he had prepared earlier. He painted a horrifying wound across his neck and added streaks of fake blood around the injury.
Perfect.
Leo admired his work with immense satisfaction.
Tonight, Hogwarts would learn fear.
Meanwhile, Draco had already finished changing clothes and stepped out of the dormitory ahead of him.
His plan was simple.
Meet everyone in the common room before heading to the Halloween banquet.
The moment he entered the lounge, however, he froze.
A tall crimson figure floated silently in the center of the room.
At first, Draco assumed someone had chosen an unusually dramatic costume.
Then the figure slowly turned toward him.
"AHHH—!"
Draco's scream nearly shattered the windows.
The horrifying sight struck him so violently that his entire body went numb. His face instantly turned pale while his eyes widened to a ridiculous degree.
After the initial scream escaped him, Draco clamped both hands over his mouth.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably.
His body staggered backward several steps.
The thing floating before him looked completely inhuman.
Its paper-white skin.
Its blood-red lips.
Its ragged crimson robes.
Combined with the floating motion, the image resembled a nightmare dragged directly from a cursed grave.
Draco's breathing became frantic.
His heart pounded painfully against his ribs.
Fear flooded through him like electricity.
Every instinct screamed at him to run.
His scream echoed throughout the common room, immediately attracting attention from nearby Slytherins.
Students turned toward the disturbance.
And instantly regretted it.
Some gasped and covered their mouths.
Others stood frozen in horror.
One younger student nearly fainted on the spot.
Watching everyone's reaction, Leo felt deeply satisfied.
Then he casually spoke in his normal voice.
"It's me. Leo. Well? Scary enough?"
Draco stared blankly for several seconds.
The familiar voice emerging from that horrifying apparition completely shattered his brain for a moment.
Then anger slowly replaced terror.
"Y-you...!"
He pointed at Leo with a trembling finger.
"How did you even get inside Hogwarts looking like that?!"
"What did you do to Leo?!"
Fear and outrage battled for dominance, finally giving him enough courage to shout properly.
Leo rolled his eyes.
"It really is me."
With a flick of his wand, the corpse-like skin immediately returned to normal. At the same time, he released the mental force holding him aloft and gently settled back onto the floor.
The terrifying specter vanished.
In its place stood Leo wearing tattered robes and ridiculous makeup.
Draco finally released a long breath.
"You nearly killed me."
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
Then, as though he hadn't screamed loudly enough to wake every ghost in Hogwarts moments earlier, Draco immediately straightened his posture.
"Obviously I knew it was you the entire time," he declared shamelessly. "I was simply cooperating with your performance."
Leo stared at him.
"Thank you greatly for your emotional support, Draco Malfoy."
Fortunately, Leo was kind enough not to expose him further.
After all, Draco really had calmed down the moment Leo revealed himself.
Suddenly, Draco's eyes lit up.
He leaned closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"What if later we..."
Several seconds later, Leo's expression slowly became dangerous.
"That's actually brilliant."
Using Transfiguration once more, Leo restored his horrifying appearance before casting a Disillusionment Charm over himself entirely.
Moments later, Draco walked back into the common room alone.
Nearby, Crabbe and Goyle were sprawled on the floor like two unconscious walruses.
"Oi. Wake up."
Draco crouched beside them and shook them impatiently.
"I'll come clear as spring water—"
A strange voice suddenly floated through the room.
The next instant, a jet of water blasted directly into Draco and Crabbe's faces.
Both jumped violently.
"What happened?!"
"Why was I asleep?!"
Goyle frowned thoughtfully.
After several seconds of intense concentration, he finally answered.
"I think I was hungry."
Draco briefly looked as though he wanted to strangle both of them.
After forcing himself to calm down, he waved dismissively.
"You're probably still hungry. Go to the Great Hall already. I'll wait for Leo."
Crabbe and Goyle obediently departed without asking questions.
Their brains had clearly activated emergency self-protection measures after witnessing Leo's terrifying transformation.
Not long afterward, Draco exited the Slytherin common room alone.
The Hogwarts corridors had transformed completely for Halloween night.
Torches burned inside enchanted pumpkins.
Black smoke twisted upward from the flames and transformed into tiny bats fluttering beneath the ceiling.
Shadows danced across the ancient stone walls beneath flickering orange light.
Draco walked slowly through the corridor wearing a long black cloak while speaking quietly to empty air.
"Leo, do you think Potter and the others will scream?"
An invisible voice answered from beside him.
"No idea. Let's find out."
Draco grinned wickedly.
"I'm actually looking forward to it."
Suddenly—
"A troll!"
Professor Quirrell came sprinting around the corner in absolute panic.
His face was pale.
His turban hung crookedly from running.
"There's a troll!" he screamed. "A troll in the girls' bathroom!"
After delivering the warning, Quirrell immediately continued running toward the Great Hall.
Draco blinked.
Before he could process what had happened, two terrified screams echoed from the direction Quirrell had come from.
His expression changed instantly.
"That sounded like Her—"
"It's Hermione and Rose! Move!"
Leo's voice exploded beside him before Draco could finish.
The two immediately rushed toward the source of the screams.
Long before reaching the bathroom corridor, they could already hear chaos ahead.
Footsteps.
Panicked shouting.
Terrified screams.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Then they saw them.
Harry.
Ron.
Hermione.
Rose.
Charlotte.
All of them were sprinting frantically down the corridor with expressions filled with terror. Their hair was disheveled and parts of their clothing had already been torn during the escape.
And behind them—
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The troll charged relentlessly forward.
Its enormous footsteps shook the corridor.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Torchlights swayed violently with every impact.
The creature towered above the students like a moving fortress.
Its skin resembled rough stone.
Its muscles bulged grotesquely.
And in one massive hand, it carried a giant wooden club capable of crushing a human being into paste with a single swing.
"Harry! Neville!" Leo shouted instantly. "Calm down! Load and fire!"
....
Join my P@treon and get 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/0LordSilvere0 (Remove the *)
Free members get 2 chapters free.
Join Right Now