Chapter 154: Halloween

Chapter 154: Halloween

There are always journalists brave enough to publish articles that those in power would rather keep hidden, as long as there is sufficient incentive.

Fortunately, now that the blame was directed at Barty Crouch, the Ministry of Magic's initially stern stance had indeed softened.

Barty Crouch used to be the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was once a strong contender for the position of Minister of Magic—in other words, Fudge's formidable rival.

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

This incident caused Barty Crouch to gradually lose credibility and prevented him from becoming the Minister of Magic. He now served as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

This position was similar to the Muggle government's foreign affairs department, but its importance couldn't be compared to the latter. Most of the time, it dealt with trivial matters like "the thickness of imported crucibles" and "differences in prohibited item standards among countries."

The journalists had no fear of retaliation from Barty Crouch and wantonly portrayed him as a ruthless tyrant during the war, and they also started digging into the cases of other individuals who were sent to Azkaban without a trial.

The Ministry of Magic was all too happy to let Crouch take the blame. During the interviews, Fudge appeared in front of the cameras, wiping away tears and confessing that he had "trusted the wrong person."

Regarding the release of Sirius Black, the Ministry of Magic remained ambiguous in its stance. However, public opinion had already turned against them, now pressuring the Ministry to make a decision quickly, and Dumbledore had been working tirelessly toward this end.

"Lupin said that a retrial for Sirius Black's case will likely take place after Halloween," Harry told his friends. "Many people believe he's innocent, so there's a high chance he'll be acquitted."

Michael knew that Harry was only hearing the most optimistic predictions. He quietly asked, "Is that really true, Wood?"

Wood nodded. "This time, it is."

Only a small fraction of the Ministry of Magic continued to insist that Sirius Black should not be released, and most people didn't really care one way or the other.

Machiaroni told Wood that most prisoners in Azkaban went insane within a few weeks, unable to maintain even the most basic cognitive functions.

Therefore, many believed that releasing a likely insane individual, especially one who was wrongfully accused, wasn't something to be concerned about.

The students at school were completely oblivious to the shift in public opinion and the pressures mounting from various quarters.

All they saw were the newspapers, which tirelessly reported on the story of Sirius Black, sometimes even including photos of the young wizard from his school days.

The youth's handsome appearance and tragic circumstances evoked sympathy from almost all female witches, garnering unexpected support for him.

Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think that this was a trending topic he could ride on. In this week's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he surprisingly didn't make the students perform dramatic reenactments but instead talked at length about his own relationship with Sirius Black.

Even though he had enrolled at Hogwarts when the Marauders were close to graduation, in Lockhart's stories, they were kindred spirits.

"I immediately saw through Peter Pettigrew's deceitful nature and specifically warned them about him, but sadly, no one heeded my words."

"Ah, I was as young then as you are now. Despite my exceptional perceptiveness and insight, I didn't receive the respect I deserved."

"If only they had listened to me back then, perhaps everything would have turned out differently?"

Lockhart shook his head regretfully as he spoke.

The girls in the classroom gazed at him with adoring eyes, their eyes brimming with tears, as they comforted him, "It's not your fault, Professor! You did all that you could!"

Seeing that Harry seemed a bit swayed, Ron quickly interjected, "You're not taking his nonsense seriously, are you, mate? You know Lockhart's just a brainless twit."

"But... but he has written so many books, hasn't he?" Harry said. "He might actually be good at observing people."

After finishing their homework in the Three Broomsticks, Harry used the friend page to ask Lupin about Gilderoy Lockhart.

[Harry: Gilderoy Lockhart? What do you think of him?]



Lupin's response was filled with question marks: [Who?]



Harry then wrote down all the boastful things Lockhart had said about himself.

It took a while before Lupin seemed to recall who Harry was talking about.

[Lupin: Oh, that person. Yes, I've heard of him. He's quite a famous Ravenclaw.]



[Not because of his insight or magical prowess, though. It's because shortly after he started Hogwarts, he claimed that he would create a Philosopher's Stone before graduation and lead the English National Quidditch team to win the World Cup.]



[The Ravenclaw Quidditch team made an exception and allowed him to participate in the selection, but he fell straight off his broom.]

"He also has a few other famous stunts to his name, such as carving his name in twenty-foot-high letters on the Quidditch pitch."

"Also, we were busy competing with Slytherin, exploring and drawing the map of live points, or worrying about the war situation during our later years at school. We didn't have time to deal with a first-year Ravenclaw student."

Lupin's reaction seemed quite intense...

Harry thought, looking at the strings of messages that appeared on the parchment.

Michael cut straight to the point: "It seems he doesn't want to be associated with Lockhart at all. It's better if you don't bring him up again."

Harry nodded silently.

Letting go of his unrealistic expectations of Lockhart, he turned to his friends and asked, "Hey, guys, do you want to attend Nick's memorial party? It's on Halloween."

The group fell silent.

"Did I hear that right... what party?" Michael asked.

"Who's Nick?" Theo inquired.

"Nick Nearly Headless, Gryffindor's ghost," Neville supplied.

"A memorial party for a ghost?" Padma wrinkled her nose. "Will there be a lot of ghosts there?"

"Er... probably..." Harry said hesitantly, then tried to rally their enthusiasm. "This Halloween marks Nick's 500th memorial anniversary. Think about it... Halloween comes around every year, but a memorial party like this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Don't you want to go?"

"Umm..." Michael asked, "You didn't already promise to go, did you?"

"Yes!" Harry said, then looked at his friends with a pitiful expression.

"I want to go," Hermione said eagerly. "It'll definitely be fascinating!"

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

"... Ron also promised to come with me," Harry replied.

"Then... if you want, I could..." Neville hesitated.

But after saying this, he immediately looked like he regretted it.

Harry didn't give him a chance to back out and quickly said with a smile, "Then it's settled! What about you guys?"

"No," Vic shook his head.

He knew that the party would only have dark cuisine, and he had no interest in attending.

"Of course, we're going!" Fred said excitedly. "Ghosts! I've never seen ghosts anywhere else besides school!"

George nodded in agreement.

Harry felt a little relieved, but then he counted...

Hmm? Aren't these all Gryffindors?

He looked at the others.

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

"What do you mean?" Harry had a bad feeling about this. "Won't there be food at the memorial party...?"

"They'll probably only provide ghost food," Theo said diplomatically.

Harry blinked.

"Should I... not have promised Nick that I'd attend his memorial party?"

"But you already did," Padma said, sounding amused.

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

"It'll be a rare sight," Michael said with a smile. "Most people don't get this opportunity."

"Do you want this opportunity?" Neville asked anxiously.

"Well... I think I'll pass," Michael said gently but firmly.

"Dress warmly," Vic reminded them at the end. "It'll be cold where the ghosts gather."

...

Before they knew it, Halloween had arrived.

In the evening, Vic and the others arrived at the Great Hall. As in the previous year, countless candles hung above the hall, and bats decorated the ceiling.

Huge pumpkins were carved into various lanterns, fairies flew among the vines, and the tips of tiny wands sprayed colorful starlight.

The golden plates on the long tables were filled with delicious food, most of which they hadn't seen on the dining tables before.

Michael took two pieces of crispy fried cheese, took a big bite, and the rich and crispy taste was almost addictive.

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

"I guess they're already regretting it," Vic said as he speared a piece of French lamb rack. "Ghost food is all rotten."

"Ugh..." Michael urged, "Can we not talk about such scary things while eating?"

During the meal, a skeleton dance troupe also took the stage to perform.

Those pale skeletons danced to the rhythm of lively music, sometimes holding hands and sometimes swaying like boneless snakes. They could even suddenly scatter into a pile of bones and then reassemble.

The skeletons' teeth clattered and clicked, guiding the entire audience to clap and cheer along, creating an incredibly enthusiastic atmosphere.

Apart from Professor Snape's perpetually grim expression, the students and teachers were delighted, and applause rang out again and again.

"This is fantastic!"

Gryffindor's Lee Jordan pulled a dark-skinned girl onto the stage, and the two of them danced along with the skeletons, taking the excitement in the room to a whole new level.

After the banquet ended and the students returned to their common rooms, Vic spotted Harry and his friends climbing up from the basement, looking utterly exhausted except for Fred and George, who still wore broad smiles.

"It was horrible," Ron moaned. "Moldy, maggot-infested, stinky food... Everything there made me nauseous."

Theo and the others laughed heartily and shared the food they had brought back from the Great Hall.

"Thanks so much," Harry said, stuffing the food into his pockets. "But I can't eat anything right now... I feel like my sense of smell is ruined."

The group walked out of the entrance hall and then parted ways, each heading toward their respective common rooms with the flow of students.

"This has been the best Halloween of my life," Michael said excitedly on the way back to the dormitory.

Padma hummed the tune the skeleton dance troupe had sung, and said, "Yes. Last year was great too, but the troll ruined everything."

"You can't say that," Michael replied. "After that night, you joined us, so that Halloween was amazing as well."

Padma looked at Michael, a sweet smile spreading across her face.

Vic consciously detached himself from them and returned to the common room ahead of the group.

He took out the gifts he had prepared for the house-elves—transforming masks—from his bag, wrote blessings on them, and placed them on the table.

That way, the house-elves would be able to receive them that evening.

Even though Vic had already established good relationships with several house-elves, they still abided by the house-elf code of conduct. Unless summoned, they refrained from appearing before Vic.

Vic stood by the window, waiting for a while.

Gradually, the vast castle fell quiet, and the Ravenclaw students drifted off to sleep, as he assumed the students from other houses had as well.

There were no screams, no petrification, no chaos, and no fear.

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

Vic smiled.

...

The day after Halloween, after classes in the afternoon, Vic received a note from Professor Sprout:

[Come to the third greenhouse after dinner.]



Vic was delighted and hurried to the third greenhouse after dinner. He saw the mature Mandrakes swaying gently.

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

A purple vine tried to sneakily wrap itself around the witch's shoulder, but she calmly brushed it away.

"That's wonderful!" Vic exclaimed. "So, I can use them to practice Animagus, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Professor Sprout said with a smile. "In fact, they could have been used a week ago, but I thought it would be a shame for you to miss the Halloween feast because of it, don't you agree?"

"Thank you, Professor," Vic said gratefully.

"Learning Animagus is a lengthy process, Vic," Professor Sprout said as she spoke, brandishing a pair of large scissors and carefully searching among the Mandrakes.

"You've always excelled in your magical studies, but you should know that it's normal to fail two or three times when practicing Animagus, especially during the first step."

"For an entire month, you must keep a leaf of the Mandrake in your mouth without swallowing or taking it out. If you fail, you'll have to start the process all over again."

"Today, we'll select a leaf. Before the full moon, you need to get used to the feeling of having a leaf of similar size in your mouth while talking, eating, and sleeping, and be careful not to swallow it. Practicing beforehand will help you know what mistakes to avoid when you officially begin."

Professor Sprout held the scissors and smiled as she said, "So, choose a leaf, Vic."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end