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Chapter 294: Halloween Feast
Chapter 294: Halloween Feast
On the evening of Halloween, on the second floor of the castle.
Cedric sat in an empty classroom, covering his face and speaking softly, "Kyle, I don't think this is working. Let's give up."
They had been there for several days, and during that time, they hadn't made any progress... or so they thought.
They had become famous.
Almost half of the school knew that the top students from the third and fourth grades had been loitering outside the library for days, behaving in a very peculiar manner.
Someone even spread the rumor that this was a new type of study method, using an ancient magical ritual to absorb the knowledge from the library.
This absurd claim was surprisingly believed by many... and they believed it wholeheartedly.
Recently, more and more people had started gathering outside the library, carefully imitating their movements.
And they were doing a pretty good job at it, their actions were so synchronized and uniform.
Especially in the last two days, the library had almost become a tourist attraction, constantly surrounded by people.
However, as a result, Professor Prince's gaze towards them became increasingly unfriendly.
The crowd was disrupting the library's order, and she had tried to disperse them several times, but to no avail...
After all, Professor Prince couldn't possibly stay outside all the time. As soon as she left, the crowd would return.
Under these circumstances, it was natural for her to have a less than pleasant attitude towards Kyle and Cedric, the main culprits.
Cedric felt that they might not be able to visit the library for a while.
Kyle sighed and nodded in agreement.
Indeed, the commotion on this side had grown a bit lately. Today, they were even blocked by the crowd and couldn't get close to the library.
It wouldn't be long before the professors came to disperse the crowd.
After leaving the classroom, the two of them, with their heads down, made their way through the crowd and returned to the first floor, preparing to attend the Halloween feast.
The Great Hall had been beautifully decorated.
Several enormous pumpkins had been carved into lanterns, the smallest of which could accommodate two people sitting inside. With the addition of a Nightmare in front, it would have been the perfect pumpkin carriage.
At the entrance to the Great Hall, Kyle also encountered the Gryffindor trio...
"You have to keep your word," Hermione was saying to Harry, "You said you would attend the Remembrance Night Gala. You can't go back on your word; otherwise, Nearly Headless Nick will be very disappointed."
"But Hermione, I didn't promise anything," Harry replied.
Beside them, Ron frowned and said, "And Scabbers is missing. I need to find him."
"Your rat?" Hermione furrowed her brows. "Haven't you been keeping it in the dormitory all this time?"
"That's right," Ron said. "It was still there at noon today, but it disappeared in the afternoon."
Ron muttered softly, "It must have been when Neville forgot to close the door... I can't bear to think about it. What if Scabbers encounters Mrs. Norris in the castle? It will be eaten."
"You don't have to worry about that at all," Hermione said. "Mrs. Norris never eats students' pets... In fact, she only eats what Filch feeds her."
"Are you going to the underground classroom?"
A familiar voice startled the trio, and when they looked up, they saw Kyle and Cedric.
"Hello," they greeted.
Harry acknowledged them with a nod, then sighed, "You're right. We're on our way to the third underground classroom, where Nick is hosting the Remembrance Night Gala."
It was evident that he was already feeling a bit regretful.
"I suggest you bring some snacks," Cedric advised. "There won't be any food suitable for you there."
"But it's a gala, isn't it?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "How can there be no food?"
"It's a ghost gala."
"Kyle corrected, "Their preferences are quite different from ours."
Upon hearing Kyle's words, Harry seemed even more regretful.
But as Hermione had said earlier, he had already promised Nick, and the ghost had just helped him avoid Filch's punishment. It wouldn't be appropriate to back out now, so they had to go, no matter what.
At the very least... they could leave early.
If time allowed, they might even be able to return before the school banquet ended.
After a few more words, Harry, Hermione, and Ron hurried off. Before heading to the underground classroom, they still needed to help Ron find his rat, and time was running short.
Kyle and Cedric entered the bustling Great Hall.
...
A few minutes later, the banquet officially began.
As they had guessed, Dumbledore had indeed invited the Skeleton Dance Troupe to liven up the Halloween banquet.
And they didn't just have a rebellious-sounding name; they were actual skeletons... similar to ghosts but of a different species.
Accompanied by music and thunderous flashes from the ceiling, they appeared out of thin air on the stage in front of the main guest table, immediately eliciting gasps from the young wizards.
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Then, as the music changed, they began dancing gracefully to the rhythm.
At this moment, Kyle understood why Nick, the nearly headless ghost, had seemed so distressed when he learned that the dance troupe was coming to Hogwarts.
Although it was initially a bit startling to see these moving skeletons, that feeling quickly dissipated as they danced to the music.
It was the first time Kyle had witnessed elegance in skeletons; each of their movements was filled with beauty and strength.
The contrast between their eerie appearance and graceful dance moves... instantly elicited deafening cheers in the Great Hall.
From that moment on, the applause in the Hall seemed to never stop.
Especially during the last dance, when they chose a more upbeat and exhilarating piece of music.
Magical Mischief
This was the most famous song by the Weird Sisters.
With a series of lively drumbeats, some young wizards couldn't help but start dancing along.
At first, it was only Fred and George, along with a few Gryffindors, who were entertaining themselves, but as the music progressed, more and more people joined in.
Even on the main guest table, Lo Hart left his seat and started dancing. His teaching skills might be average, but he was a good dancer.
He wanted to invite other professors to dance as well, but Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout both declined.
However, Professor Kettle, who specialized in Muggle studies, readily accepted his invitation and joined him on the dance floor.
Dumbledore stood by, smiling and clapping along.
The song ended, but the joyful atmosphere continued to spread throughout the Great Hall. The students cheered, wanting them to dance another number!
Dumbledore stood up, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
"Dancing... has more power than any words," he said with a smile. "But filling your stomach is just as important."
As soon as he finished speaking, the empty plates on the tables were filled with various delicious foods.
Pumpkin roast chicken, roast beef with pumpkin sauce, pumpkin pies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pudding...
Everything was pumpkin-themed, perfectly fitting the occasion.
"It's a good thing we didn't go to the underground classroom with Potter and the others..."
Cedric had also joined in the dancing earlier and was still excited. He couldn't help but ask Kyle, "This Halloween banquet was amazing! Do you think Headmaster Dumbledore will invite them again next year?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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