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Chapter 101: Feast of the Departed - Part 2
Chapter 101: Feast of the Departed - Part 2
"I think we should see if we know anyone here, no, I mean any familiar ghosts", Liam said to Hermione. Standing at the door like this felt a bit silly.
Soon, they spotted a familiar ghost: Puff the Pudgy Monk, who was chatting with a knight with an arrow through his forehead.
Upon seeing Liam and Hermione, Puff the Pudgy Monk quickly floated over and said, "I heard from Nick that you helped him a great deal at this banquet. As a member of Hogwarts, I want to thank you as well."
After thanking them, Puff was about to leave when he noticed Liam and Hermione looking a bit lost at the sight of the ghosts. He slapped his forehead and floated back. "I guess you don't know everyone here. Let me introduce you to some interesting people."
With that, he led Liam and Hermione to the knight with the arrow in his forehead and introduced him: "This is Earl the Valiant. During the First Goblin Rebellion, he held a stronghold for three days until reinforcements arrived, but he was ambushed by a Goblin crossbowman just as victory was within reach."
"Wait, I know you", Hermione said. "The Wizards' Chronicle featured you, praising you as the epitome of the bravery and resilience of Wizards at the time."
"Really?" The ghostly knight subconsciously touched the arrow in his head. "My deeds are that well-known? That's wonderful, considering I've been living in an abandoned castle in Wales, where news doesn't travel much."
Puff then introduced them to a few more ghosts, all of whom had played significant roles in major historical events. Some were even key figures like Earl.
These ghosts were fascinated by Hermione's interest in their past achievements and began to chatter excitedly around her. Hermione was thrilled to gather firsthand historical information and even pulled out a notebook to jot down notes.
Meanwhile, Liam, feeling a bit neglected, started to look around. He noticed a long table at the other end of the classroom, draped in black velvet.
On the table were dozens of neatly arranged plates, each covered by a silver dome. It seemed Nick had something special planned for the end.
A few ghosts were standing by the table, curiously examining the plates and discussing why Nick had covered them. After all, ghosts' banquets had never been done this way before.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from under the table: "Ha, little ghosts of Hogwarts. What are you doing here?"
It was Peeves, the only ghost with color.
"I helped Nick, so he invited me to the party."
"I can see you're a bit bored at this banquet. Let me spice things up for you", Peeves said, grabbing the edge of the tablecloth as if he was about to pull it off.
But just as Peeves was about to yank the cloth, a hoarse voice came from behind him: "What, something interesting? Could you tell me what it is?"
Peeves froze, then stammered, "M-My lord, I wasn't doing anything, I swear."
Nearly Headless Nick grabbed Peeves by the neck and said in his deep, raspy voice, "I finally found you. Nick asked me to keep an eye on you today. This is a big day for him, and he doesn't want you to ruin his party. Neither do I, as it would bring shame to Hogwarts. Now, come with me and sit over there."
After saying that, Barrow left with Peeves, who looked dejected. At that moment, Nick emerged from the crowd: "It seems your friend enjoys the party as much as you do."
Liam followed the direction of Nick's finger and saw Hermione, who had transformed into a reporter, writing something in her notebook. A circle of ghosts surrounded her, each one looking delighted.
"It is quite interesting", Liam said, not just out of politeness. Seeing so many ghosts at once and observing this species that hovered between life and death was very helpful for improving his mastery of Life Magic.
"Well, I think I should go up and give my speech. See you later." Nick then floated toward the stage.
As soon as Nick stood on the platform, a hunting horn sounded. Twenty ghostly horses burst out from the walls, each carrying a headless rider. Everyone's attention was drawn to them.
The horses galloped to the center of the dance floor, and the lead horse carried a headless knight who held his head under his arm. He dismounted and raised his head high to observe the crowd, which naturally drew cheers from the ghosts.
Seeing Nick, he placed his head back on his neck and walked over to Nick, saying, "Nick! How are you? Still got your head on straight?"
Nick removed his own head, causing another round of gasps from the crowd. He held his head in one hand and patted the headless knight's shoulder, laughing, "Thanks for the concern. I don't think you can stop me from joining the Headless Hunt now, Patrick."
Patrick, apparently Nick's old rival, had come with the intention of ruining the party. However, his usual tactics against Nick were now completely ineffective.
After seeing his centuries-old rival reduced to frustration, Nick strode to the podium and began his speech.
Patrick, after sulking for a while, stood up and continued to cause trouble for his old rival. He and the other members of the Headless Hunt started playing a head-topping ball game, which drew everyone's attention. It seemed that ghosts found their lives rather boring, so the theatrical nature of the Headless Hunt's activities was very popular.
Nick tried to regain the audience's attention, but dry speeches were no match for flying heads.
At that moment, Liam ran up to the podium and whispered to Nick, "Sir, it's time to start the meal."
"Right, right, how could I forget that?" Nick, realizing his oversight, gestured to Nearly Headless Nick, who nodded and whispered something to Peeves.
Peeves reluctantly waved his hand, and the silver covers on the plates flew up and stacked themselves at the edge of the table.
Soon, a faint, ethereal aroma, distinct from ordinary food, filled the dungeon. Many ghosts were drawn to the dining table, but they were unsure what to do and stood awkwardly by the side.
Liam saw that under Hermione's encouragement, Earl, the ghost with an arrow through his head, was the first to reach out and take a large piece of ghostly roasted lamb from the table and put it in his mouth.
As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Earl's expression froze, and he began to stuff more meat into his mouth frantically.
The commotion caught the attention of the other ghosts, and soon the table was surrounded by ghosts eager to eat. Nick, holding a bucket of wine under his arm, went around the table, pouring small cups of wine for everyone.
Patrick, noticing that no one was watching them anymore, continued to perform awkwardly for a while before joining the crowd of ghosts at the table.
It seems the "real food is the best" principle holds true in any world.
(End of Chapter)
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