https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-731-Slughorn-s-Ball-on-Halloween/13012947/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-733-The-Vanishing-Cabinet-Found-by-Malfoy/13012949/
Chapter 732: Peeves and the Vanishing Cabinet
Chapter 732: Peeves and the Vanishing Cabinet
In the wizarding world, many witches and wizards enjoy hosting various balls, especially the ancient pure-blood families, who hold them two or three times a year. For instance, birthday balls and Christmas balls have become regular events, but the focus of these gatherings has never been on dancing.
This occasion was no exception. The music in the office never stopped, but there were few dancers.
Most people just symbolically spun around a couple of times before grabbing a drink and chatting with those around them.
It must be said that Professor Slughorn had an extensive network of connections, and he had invited many well-known individuals.
In addition to the famous writer Volper and the vampire Bloodni, whom Kyle had met before, there was also a professional Quidditch player, the current Chaser for the Montrose Magpies, Bubril Hodd, and a reporter from the Prophet Daily, a male witch instead of Rita Skeeter.
According to Slughorn's introduction, he had conducted most of the exclusive interviews with department heads and above.
Kyle also spotted the owner of Honeydukes Candy Shop... that's right, there was a signed photo of him in Slughorn's residence. With the school so close to Hogsmeade, there was no reason not to invite him.
Even so, Slughorn seemed to think it wasn't lively enough. According to him, Halloween was just a simple get-together, and the real highlight was the upcoming Christmas party. He reminded Kyle and Cona not to miss it.
However, they had very different opinions about this.
The two found an excuse to get away from Slughorn and headed to the beverage area, which was relatively less crowded.
Kyle came here only to find some peace and quiet; he didn't touch any of the drinks on the table.
Ever since he learned that someone at school had purchased a Love Potion, he decided not to consume anything of unknown origin.
"Kyle, I didn't expect to see you here," Harry said, finally free from Volper's nagging after a few minutes. He must have talked a lot, as he immediately grabbed a cup of butterbeer and started drinking.
Kyle observed for a while and was disappointed to find that it was just a regular butterbeer.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"What..." Harry was momentarily at a loss for words, thinking Kyle was referring to the ball. He shook his head and said, "It's terrible. I can't believe Hermione insists on coming every time."
"Maybe she's used to it," Kyle replied, following his lead. "Why didn't you find an excuse to refuse him?"
Like Kyle and Cona, Harry had been looking for excuses not to attend Slughorn's dinner party, like Quidditch training.
As the captain, he could schedule training sessions during the dinner party and had successfully avoided many of them.
"I came with Ron. He really wanted to experience this ball," Harry said.
"You invited a male student to the ball?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I just wanted to try, but Professor Slughorn didn't object.
"Oh, by the way, have you seen Ron? I've been looking for him."
"No," Kyle said. "You can check at the other end of the room."
"Okay," Harry said, holding his butterbeer cup and walking towards the opposite side of the dance floor.
After a while, Kyle encountered Professor Sybill Trelawney, who was tipsy.
As one of the professors at Hogwarts and the descendant of the famous seer Cassandra Trelawney, she had some level of fame.
Slughorn should have mentioned that the ball offered free sherry, which was probably why she came.
There was also Luna, who was discussing with Neville whether Scrimgrub was a hidden vampire and the secret conspiracy he was planning, specifically controlling the Aurors and using the Gingivitis Curse to destabilize the Ministry of Magic from within.
Neville was visibly shocked, but Kyle couldn't help but laugh out loud, almost inhaling the mead into his nasal cavity.
"The Gingivitis Curse, that's something worth developing. I think it's more useful than the Tongue-Tying Curse," Kyle said with a laugh.
As for Scrimgrub being a vampire, that was pure nonsense. If he were a vampire, the large mirror in the Auror office would have been ringing non-stop.
The fact that no other Ministry staff had complained about him disturbing them was proof enough of Scrimgrub's identity.
Mr. Lovegood's statements were indeed quite interesting, and he always managed to bring up perspectives that others would never think of.
If you disregarded the logic and focused on the entertainment value, The Quibbler was indeed a decent magazine.
Kyle decided to order a copy when he returned, so he could enjoy it during his free time.
After Luna and Neville left, the ball became boring again, until ten minutes before curfew...
Kyle thought the ball was over, but to his surprise, Peeves suddenly flew in from outside.
He was flying on the ceiling, holding a large handful of water balloons, and without warning, he launched an indiscriminate attack on the students below who were still reacting.
In an instant, the entire office seemed to be raining.
Everyone screamed and dodged the water balloons falling from above, creating chaos in the room.
"Ha, I always felt like something was missing, but now it's fine," Kyle said with a laugh. "After all, how could a place this lively be without Peeves?"
He gently moved his finger, deflecting a flying water balloon to another spot.
"But Professor Slughorn is still here. Isn't Peeves afraid of professors?"
"He's only afraid of the four heads of houses. The other professors are just given face," Kyle said. "But tonight, his mood might not be so good.
"Do you remember what the Fat Friar said at the banquet? Peeves was upset because his pumpkin statue was missing, so he went crazy and started destroying the armor upstairs."
"I guess that's why he wanted to cause trouble at the ball." Kyle deflected another water balloon and pulled Cona towards the exit.
"It's better to leave now while most people are still unaware. Otherwise, they might block the door if they all rush in later."
Soon, the two reached the corridor outside.
Cona lifted her arm and sniffed her sleeve, frowning. "I was just about to say this, but do you smell something sour?"
"It's vinegar," Kyle whispered. "I actually asked Peeves to do this. Adding vinegar to the water increases its damage."
Cona gave Kyle a disgusted look.
"Don't look at me like that. This was a long time ago." Kyle shrugged, "I asked him to help me find a ghost, and this was my payment for the idea."
"After all, the new students often make mistakes when knocking on the barrels, wasting the vinegar that sprays out..."
"Those who got hit by Peeves' water balloons must hate you."
"You could've just said it was Filch," Kyle laughed. "He didn't spare any students for Umbridge last year, so this is a lesson for him."
The two made their way towards the stairs.
Behind them, a commotion of voices and spells could be heard... It seemed like most people had realized what was happening and were using magic to drive Peeves away.
However, by this time, Peeves had already thrown all his balloons and escaped.
As Kyle and Cona reached the ground floor entrance hall, they happened to encounter Peeves.
"Oh, it's you, Kyle. I didn't notice you were here earlier." Peeves said happily, but then he seemed to remember something and immediately tried to run away.
"Oh no, they're chasing me..."
"Wait!" Kyle called out urgently, "I asked you to do something a while ago. How did it go?"
Peeves' translucent body froze in place.
After a moment, he turned stiffly, a rare sight without his usual smile. "Okay, you asked me to find the grim-faced witch who never smiles. I think she's left Hogwarts."
"Impossible," Kyle shook his head firmly. "Miss Grey wouldn't leave Hogwarts."
"But she's not in the castle," Peeves said. "Even the Bloody Baron is looking for her, but he hasn't found her either. She must have run away."
Although he didn't get the answer he wanted, Kyle wasn't too disappointed as he had expected this outcome.
"It's fine if you can't find her." He waved his hand and prepared to continue towards the common room.
"Hey, Kyle, I'm not fooling you." Peeves didn't know what Kyle was thinking, but seeing him turn to leave, he quickly explained, "I've been looking for her, and I think she's being held by the Bloody Baron in a room without a door on the second floor."
"Oh?"
Kyle stopped and turned to face Peeves. "A room without a door on the second floor?"
If it was on the eighth floor, it would be the Room of Requirement, but on the second floor... Could there be a similar room there?
"Ah, yes." A proud smile appeared on Peeves' face. "No one knows this castle better than me. Hogwarts has such a place, very mysterious, filled with treasures from thousands of years. But no one knows where it is."
Hearing this, Kyle was certain that Peeves was talking about the Room of Requirement, and the second floor was probably a mistake on his part.
At this moment, Cona suddenly asked, "Peeves, didn't you just say that the Bloody Baron was also looking for Miss Grey?"
Mentioning the Bloody Baron made Peeves shudder, but he insisted, "That's all an act to confuse people. Half an hour ago, I saw a Slytherin ghost suddenly appear at the door of a storage room on the second floor, muttering something like 'She's gone, can't find her' and such."
"I guess the Bloody Baron sent him to check the situation, but the grim-faced Miss Grey has already run away."
Malfoy suddenly went to the second floor. What was he looking for? Or was there something he wanted there?
The storage room was filled with useless items, like broken furniture or outdated brooms. Why would Malfoy want any of these?
Kyle pondered, feeling like he had forgotten something important, but he couldn't quite recall it.
No wonder Dumbledore always kept a Pensieve in his office. After experiencing so much, it was necessary to sort through memories occasionally...
"Kyle, what's wrong? They're coming," whispered Connie's voice, accompanied by the loud chatter of numerous people.
Kyle snapped back to reality and realized that Peeves had disappeared. At the same time, Slughorn rushed down the stairs with several professors and students.
He was at the forefront, either due to his exaggerated movements or a full stomach from dinner. The magnificent violet robe he wore was stretched tight, seemingly on the verge of tearing.
"Kyle, Connie, have you seen Peeves?" Slughorn asked angrily, "Someone said he ran towards the entrance hall. That annoying ghost ruined my ball!"
"He ran that way," Kyle pointed in a random direction, not knowing where Peeves had gone.
"What? He ran back upstairs?" Slughorn looked at Kyle's hand pointing towards the second-floor library and felt his legs go weak.
Ghosts could fly, but he couldn't. After running up and down the stairs several times, he was exhausted.
"Kids..." He turned to the students behind him, "Leave Peeves to you. Help me catch him."
"Whoever brings Peeves to me will receive a small bottle of Felix Felicis as a reward."
At the mention of Felix Felicis, the students' eyes lit up with anticipation. They patted their chests and rushed upstairs.
Having been drenched in vinegar water earlier, they were already seeking revenge on Peeves. Now, with Slughorn offering Felix Felicis as a reward, they had no reason to refuse.
Several students dashed upstairs with great enthusiasm.
Slughorn leaned against the railing, catching his breath. He couldn't help but complain, "Armando should have listened to my advice and driven Peeves out of the castle. That ghost only causes trouble, and everyone in the castle resents him..."
"Yes, it's the same now," Kyle agreed.
"Kid, don't you want to try?" Slughorn said, looking at Kyle, "I think you have a good chance of catching that mischievous ghost and getting my reward."
He took out a small bottle with a cork from his pocket, filled with the golden Felix Felicis.
Kyle couldn't help but glance at the bottle, then shook his head, "Sorry, Professor. Although I really want this reward, I'm not sure if it's because I drank too much at the ball, but I'm feeling sleepy and just want to go back and have a good rest."
"Now that you mention it, I remember you were indeed by the drinks table all the time," Slughorn patted his head, "Listen to me, Kyle. Even though you're an adult now, you should still exercise restraint. Don't drink too much strong alcohol, or you can try the Butterbeer. I personally love its taste."
"I will, Professor," Kyle replied. After a few perfunctory responses, he made an excuse and left with Connie.
When they returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room, Kyle was still thinking about Malfoy's purpose in going to the Room of Requirement.
It was unlikely that Malfoy was just wandering aimlessly. There must be a reason... But what was it?
"Kyle, thank goodness you're back. I remember you have a book on 'Transfiguration and Vanishing.' Can I borrow it?" Ryan asked eagerly as he was doing his homework in the Common Room.
"Sure," Kyle replied casually, "The book is in the cabinet in our dorm. You can go and find it..."
"Wait," Kyle suddenly raised his head.
Cabinet... Vanishing Cabinet?
He finally remembered. In their third year, Nearly Headless Nick had tricked Peeves into moving a cabinet above Filch's office to help Harry, who had been caught by Filch.
And that cabinet was the Vanishing Cabinet.
Moreover, Nearly Headless Nick had also mentioned that the Vanishing Cabinet had always been kept in a storage room on the second floor.
Filch knew it was a Vanishing Cabinet and intended to use this opportunity to get Peeves expelled from the school, citing financial reasons.
Dumbledore would never expel Peeves, or rather, no one could expel Peeves from the castle.
Later, the matter was dropped, as if nothing had happened.
The severely damaged Vanishing Cabinet was also cleaned up by the house-elves.
Of course, this was the official story.
The truth was that the Vanishing Cabinet had already been taken away by Kyle before the house-elves cleaned it up... The house-elves had only disposed of a regular cabinet that had been Transfigured.
Besides Kyle, no one else knew about this.
...
Could Malfoy be looking for the Vanishing Cabinet? If so, how did he know there was a Vanishing Cabinet on the second floor? Unless he had been there before, but he was only in his second year, so he probably wouldn't have gone to a dirty storage room.
But if not, what was he looking for...
Kyle pondered as he walked over and sat down in an armchair. Connie, unaware of Kyle's thoughts, remained silent, sitting quietly beside him.
...
(End of Chapter)
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