Chapter 293: There's a Story Here
Chapter 293: There's a Story Here
The fact that the Vanishing Cabinet was brought by Dumbledore didn't surprise Kyle; however, the time frame of over fifty years ago was intriguing.
As everyone knew, it was in 1945 that Professor Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and received the Order of Merlin, First Class. In the same year, Grindelwald was imprisoned in Nurmengard Tower.
Dumbledore had discarded the Vanishing Cabinet at that time... Tsk tsk, there was a story here.
Of course, when it came to gossip about the headmaster, Kyle didn't dare say much.
After all, Harry's mouth was as loose as Hagrid's, and if he accidentally let something slip one day, it would be a big deal.
"So, according to you, this cabinet was already broken before?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, Peeves would often hide in this cabinet to avoid Filch," Nick said. "If it had been working, Peeves would have ended up who-knows-where."
"I see..."
Kyle nodded. He had indeed noticed several cracks inside the Vanishing Cabinet, and the marks looked old and couldn't have been made from the recent fall.
"What are you going to do with this cabinet now?"
"Just leave it here," Nick replied nonchalantly. "No one comes to this classroom, and Peeves will probably take it away sooner or later."
Kyle nodded thoughtfully.
Then they left the classroom, and Harry noticed that Nick was still holding the transparent reply letter.
Perhaps he wanted to repay him for his "life-saving grace"...
"Regarding the Headless Hunt, I wish there was something I could do to help," Harry said.
"No need," Nick casually put the letter back into his coat, "I've decided to form my own hunt. One day, they will regret rejecting me."
At this, Harry's mind once again flashed with the bizarre image of Nick swinging his head.
He quickly snapped his fingers in front of his face to dispel the disturbing image and forced a laugh, "Then... good luck to you."
"Thank you, but I have one request."
"What is it...?" Harry asked.
"Although this request may be a bit much... would you come to my deathday party?"
Nick asked expectantly, "It's on Halloween Eve. I'll be announcing the formation of my own hunt to all my friends, and it would be my honor if you could attend."
"I'll be there," Harry readily agreed. "Can I bring others along?"
"If you mean Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, of course. They are also among the most welcome."
He then looked at Kyle.
"I'm sorry, Sir Poppleton," Kyle apologized. "As much as I would like to witness the birth of a great hunt, I've already promised Cedric that I would watch the performance of the Skeleton Dance Squad with him, so..."
"Oh, of course..." Nick said with a smile, "I meant that if you've already made a promise to others, you should definitely keep your word. It's my fault for asking too late.
But did Dumbledore really invite the Skeleton Dance Squad?"
"That's what Professor McGonagall mentioned a few days ago, so it should be fine," Kyle said.
"Oh... why did it have to be this year!"
Nick tugged at his hat, "I've been a fan of their performances for two hundred years... and I heard from the Baron that they've recently added new dance moves to their routine, which are fantastic.
Why did it have to be this year!"
Nick spun a few times in mid-air, "Do you think the Skeleton Dance Squad would agree if I invited them to come to my deathday party after their performance?"
"They... probably would," Kyle said uncertainly.
Although skeletons and ghosts were essentially the same, they were still different species, and it was hard to say if the skeletons would be interested in ghostly affairs.
...
After leaving that corridor, the staircase was just a short distance ahead.
Kyle and Harry parted ways to return to their respective common rooms, while Nick went off to find Peeves, and the group went their separate ways.
...
By the time Kyle made it back to the common room, it was already close to curfew.
However, the common room was still bustling with students hard at work on their assignments, a longstanding Hufflepuff tradition.
Kyle found Cedric and Connor near the window.
"Deathday party?" Cedric exclaimed, "It's a good thing you didn't agree to it. I bet that kind of event is not meant for the living."
"Have you been to one?" Connor asked.
"No." Cedric shook his head, "But when I was in the kitchen earlier, I saw some house-elves moving freshly prepared food out of the kitchen.
They said it was for a ghostly feast and that it needed to be left out for a long time until it completely rotted or grew mold."
"The house-elves probably wouldn't allow that kind of food to be kept in the kitchen." Connor whispered.
Having spent a lot of time in the kitchen herself, she knew it was always spotless, and the food was always fresh.
"Exactly," Cedric shrugged, "That's why they took it outside."
"Just imagine, having to face a bunch of moldy, rotten food during the Halloween feast. That doesn't sound like a fun experience at all."
"So I turned him down." Kyle said, "But from the look of it, Potter seemed pretty interested."
"Harry Potter..." Cedric mused, "No wonder he was able to defeat the Dark Lord. He's just not like the rest of us. I don't think any normal person would want to attend a ghostly party.
Should we go remind him about it?"
"It's useless, Potter already agreed." Kyle said, "He didn't even hesitate for a second."
"Then I guess there's nothing we can do..."
Outside, the torrential rain continued, the night as black as ink, yet the room remained bright and cheerful.
Taking advantage of the others' focus on their homework and a game of Wizard's Chess, Kyle recounted his strange experience outside the library to Cedric and Connor.
This new topic quickly made them forget all about ghosts.
"So, as you were passing by the library, you suddenly became smarter?" Cedric exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in astonishment, as if he could fit an entire potato in it.
"How is that possible!"
He had lost count of the number of times he had walked past that library door, and if that were the case, why hadn't he experienced it even once?
Connor was also skeptical.
She had never heard of such a thing from Professor Snape.
Moreover, if walking past the library door once could make someone smarter, who would bother with classes? Everyone would just line up there every day.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it really happened to me. I'm not lying." Kyle whispered.
"Could it be that you're just too tired and imagined it all?" Cedric still found it hard to believe.
"Or maybe there was something you didn't understand before, and it just suddenly clicked."
Connor glanced at Kyle and contemplated, "That happened to me once. I was struggling to brew the perfect Elixir of Life, but one day, as I picked up the crucible, I suddenly understood where I had gone wrong, and then I was able to brew it perfectly."
She felt that Kyle's experience was probably similar to hers.
"Maybe..." Kyle felt less confident as the two voiced their doubts.
He decided to give it another try in the next few days, and if it didn't work... then he'd have to let it go.
(End of Chapter)
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