Chapter 291: Shake It Off
Chapter 291: Shake It Off
For the next period, Kyle remained vigilant, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Strangely, the old whispering voice never appeared again.
He even increased his training intensity, pushing himself to exhaustion, and even stayed awake for an entire night, but to no avail.
It seemed that he must have misheard that day.
Two weeks passed, and gradually, Kyle stopped thinking about it.
...
A few days before Halloween, on a windy and rainy Saturday evening, Kyle, having just finished his Charms Club activities, almost collided with someone... no, more accurately, a ghost, as he turned the corner of a corridor.
It was Nearly Headless Nick.
The ghost of Gryffindor Tower was gloomily staring out the window, muttering under his breath, "...doesn't meet their requirements... just half an inch short."
So engrossed was he that he didn't even notice someone almost passing through his body.
Until Kyle greeted him...
"Hello, Sir Nearly Headless Nick."
Kyle preferred to address him this way rather than by his other name.
Ever since the last time, whenever he heard others calling him Nick, Kyle couldn't help but think of the old man far away in Devon.
"Hello, hello."
Nearly Headless Nick (or Nick, as some would say) was startled, and after looking around, he finally spotted Kyle.
"Few call me that," he said, his mood seemingly improved. "You look very tired, so good... I mean, I can't even remember what being tired feels like."
As he spoke, he folded a transparent letter and tucked it into his shirt.
Strangely, although the letter was transparent, it seemed to be made of real parchment, and once folded, nothing written on it was visible.
"I can only say it's a terrible feeling, one you wouldn't want to remember," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead. Changing the subject, he added, "You seem to have something on your mind."
"Oh, it's nothing," the ghost replied elegantly, waving a slender hand. "It's a minor issue... I didn't really want to join... I thought I could apply, but it seems I... don't meet the requirements."
His tone was nonchalant, but his face revealed deep pain.
"Hello, Kyle, and Nick," Harry greeted them, approaching from a short distance away. He had just finished Quidditch practice and was soaked, his clothes covered in mud.
"Did the badge not work?" Kyle asked.
"No, it's useful," Harry said. "But when I was catching the Snitch, I accidentally fell into a mud pit, and it fell off."
Harry took out the waterproof badge, still attached to a piece of cloth torn from his robe.
"Looks like you took quite a fall," Kyle observed.
Kyle drew his wand.
"Reparo."
The cloth, along with the badge, returned to his robe.
"Thank you, Kyle," Harry said happily. "Hermione wanted me to learn this spell some time ago... I think she was right."
After saying this, Harry turned to the ghost beside Kyle and said, "You seem to have something on your mind."
Having been asked by two young wizards in a row, the ghost of Gryffindor burst out.
"You tell me!"
He took out the letter from his pocket and loudly complained about how the Headless Hunt had rejected his application.
"Look at this," he said angrily. "We can only accept hunters whose heads are barely attached to their bodies... just a bit of skin and muscle connecting, which most people would consider no different from being headless. But it's not enough for Sir Podmore, who has completely lost his head."
Harry opened his mouth, unsure how to comfort him, and could only say, "I think you're qualified, truly."
"Thank you... but they won't agree!"
"Sir Nearly Headless Nick," Kyle said thoughtfully. "In my opinion, you don't need to be so fixated on joining the Headless Hunt."
"I'm not that eager to join... I just, out of boredom, applied for fun!" the ghost insisted.
"Okay, as you say," Kyle said, not exposing his lie. "I think you can start your own Nearly Headless Hunt."
"You want to start your own Hunter Squad?"
"Yes, Sir Nearly Headless Nick." Kyle said, "I think you're quite famous in the ghostly circles."
"Well... I do have quite a few friends."
"In fact, this Halloween is my five-hundredth deathday, and over a hundred ghosts have already confirmed their attendance."
As he spoke, his expression was filled with pride, indicating that this number was indeed impressive.
"Then it's settled." Kyle laughed, "You can announce the formation of your Hunter Squad during the event and have them help with promotion to increase your visibility."
"But... what about the performance?"
Nick hesitated, "Although I hate to admit it, I can't do tricks like horse-riding or balancing a Quaffle on my head, and my appearance isn't scary either."
"You can create your own performance." Kyle said, "There's no need to copy them; you have your own strengths."
"My... strengths?"
"That's right." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "For example, you can spin your head like a propeller; they can't do that."
Speaking of which, Kyle conjured a stone with a rope attached and spun it in his hand.
"Like this..."
"You can also find a nearly headless steed and spin together. If you can make some sounds or facial expressions during the process, that would be even better."
Nearly Headless Nick stared with wide eyes, as if discovering a new continent. He then leaned towards Harry and asked,
"Do you think it would be scary if I did that?"
Harry looked at the spinning stone in Kyle's hand and then at the head in front of him. An image immediately formed in his mind.
Unconsciously, Harry's face scrunched up.
Damn... The image was too beautiful, and it kept replaying in his mind. He wouldn't be able to sleep tonight! But Nearly Headless Nick was very satisfied.
"Oh, that's fantastic! That's the expression!"
He clapped his hands excitedly, "This is a great idea. If Patrick Podmore sees this, he'll be shocked."
Haha... Why didn't I think of this before!"
He floated excitedly in the air.
"If possible, could you come to my..."
"Meow..." A sharp, piercing meow came from near Harry's ankle, drowning out his words.
"It's Mrs. Norris."
Kyle glanced at Harry and the long mud line behind him.
"You'd better leave now. During Potions class, someone's cauldron exploded, and potion splattered everywhere. Filch has been cleaning up all morning. If he sees you dripping mud all over the place..."
"You're right." Harry said as he prepared to run upstairs to the Common Room, but it was already too late.
He had only taken a few steps when Filch burst out from behind a corner, panting heavily.
He had a thick, checkered scarf wrapped around his head, and his nose was unusually red, indicating he had a cold.
"That's it!" He pointed at the mud dripping from Harry's Quidditch robes, "This place is a mess! I've had enough, Potter! Come with me!"
Harry sighed in dismay and followed Filch downstairs, leaving a trail of muddy footprints on the floor.
"That direction leads to..." Filch's Office. He probably wants to make an example of someone."
"We need to help Harry." Nick said, "I remember there's a large cabinet in the Supply Closet. If we smash it onto Filch's Office, it should divert his attention."
"A large cabinet?" Kyle muttered, "Where's the Supply Closet?"
"No, you can't go there; it'll cause trouble."
Half of the ghost's body merged into the wall, "I'll find Peeves; he's the most suitable person for this."
"Wait..."
Before Kyle could finish his sentence, the ghost had already disappeared.
"That's a bit too hasty."
Looking at the empty corridor, Kyle paused and turned to run towards the second floor.
(End of Chapter)
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