A new Halloween had arrived. The Great Hall was brightly lit, with countless pumpkin lanterns decorating the space beautifully and enchantingly.
Dumbledore had specially invited the renowned Skeleton Dance Troupe to perform for the celebration.
'Maybe Carter and Johnny could join them.'
Wes couldn't help but make the association as he watched the dance troupe made entirely of skeletons.
It had to be said, every member of the troupe possessed incredible artistic talent. Every movement was filled with strength and elegance. Their brilliant performance quickly pushed the atmosphere to its peak.
The students were utterly captivated by the skeletons, unable to resist following their moves and dancing along freely. Laughter and joy filled the Great Hall.
Even the professors weren't idle. Everyone put aside their usual seriousness to enjoy this rare moment of lighthearted fun.
A skeleton strutted over to the faculty table with elegant steps. It bowed slightly, making an inviting gesture.
Snape, seated, glared coldly at it. The skeleton shivered at his icy gaze and wisely moved on to another target.
After a round of invitations, only Dumbledore and Lockhart happily accepted. Especially Lockhart—his excitement was borderline impatient.
As the music began to play, Lockhart moved gracefully to the rhythm.
To be fair, Lockhart danced surprisingly well. His movements were smooth, natural, and full of rhythm. His spins and jumps were perfectly timed, on par with the professional troupe.
"If only his teaching ability matched his dancing skills," Professor McGonagall muttered as she watched.
Snape glanced over with a sneer and gave a disdainful huff.
Hearing McGonagall's remark, the other professors all nodded in agreement.
At Hogwarts, Lockhart's teaching was a complete disaster. Aside from his female admirers, almost no one was satisfied with his classes.
The students were thoroughly disappointed. They longed for a real, competent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
With a sigh, McGonagall shifted the topic. "Wes, George and Fred have changed so much. They've barely lost any points this year. How did you manage that?"
The other professors all looked over, equally curious.
The Weasley twins were notoriously mischievous and a constant source of point deductions. Everyone was curious how Wes had tamed them.
"I didn't do anything," Wes said, raising his hands innocently. Seeing their doubtful expressions, he added,
"I just started teaching them alchemy. They got so absorbed in it they didn't have time to cause trouble."
"So that's what happened. I didn't expect them to take an interest in alchemy," the professors murmured in realization.
At that moment, the final dance ended and the Skeleton Dance Troupe bid farewell. The students were clearly reluctant to see them go.
As one of the magical world's top-performing troupes, their schedule was packed. They had to rush off to their next show.
Seeing how the students still wanted more, Lockhart jumped back in.
But without musical accompaniment, his dancing looked a bit ridiculous.
Fortunately, his fans quickly cast a spell, and music filled the hall again.
Lockhart danced even harder with renewed enthusiasm.
"This guy was born to live in the spotlight," Wes said, watching him perform. "In the Muggle world, there's a job called a celebrity. I think it suits him perfectly."
The professors chuckled at Wes's remark, their laughter echoing through the air.
Wes, however, had no idea what was so funny about what he said.
The Halloween feast ended joyfully. Students returned to their dormitories, and the professors dispersed as well.
Wes, held back by the twins with a bunch of alchemy questions, was on his way back to the dorm when he unexpectedly bumped into Harry and his friends.
"I told you we shouldn't have agreed to Nearly Headless Nick's invitation. I'm starving and lightheaded—if there were a pumpkin pie here, I could eat the whole thing myself."
Ron rubbed his empty stomach and complained.
"Don't mention pumpkin pie. Just thinking about food makes me want to throw up," Hermione said, her stomach churning at the memory of the food served at the Deathday Party.
Harry looked apologetic, about to say something, when—
"You went to a Deathday Party?" Wes asked, unable to hold back after overhearing their conversation.
Only then did the trio notice him.
"Professor Elwin??" All three jumped in shock.
Especially Hermione, who instantly worried Wes might take points from them—after all, it was past curfew.
"Please don't deduct points," Hermione pleaded.
Ron and Harry quickly caught on and began begging as well.
Harry, in particular, felt miserable—he was still replying to Lockhart's fan mail and couldn't bear the thought of an extension on that dreadful task.
"Alright, I won't take any points," Wes said. "But did you really go to a Deathday Party?"
Relieved, the three students let out a collective sigh.
"Yes, Professor Elwin. We went to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party," Hermione answered cautiously.
"Well, that's just like Gryffindors," Wes said with a small smile tugging at his lips. "What were you thinking? Living students attending a ghost's party?"
The trio looked down, clearly regretful.
"Meowww~"
A cat's sudden cry startled them.
"Mrs. Norris!!"
Seeing the cat, Hermione's face turned pale—not because of the cat, but because of its owner: Filch.
Argus Filch, Hogwarts's caretaker, seemed to take joy in tormenting students. With a permanent scowl and an obsession with punishment, rumors said he kept a collection of torture devices. Students privately referred to him as Creepy Filch.
His cat, Mrs. Norris, was his loyal assistant and had helped catch many students sneaking around at night.
Sure enough, Filch's voice followed right after:
"Well done, Mrs. Norris! Let's see which disobedient students you've caught—I'll string them up and whip them good!"
Filch's eyes lit up when he saw Harry. "Well, well, if it isn't the famous Boy Who Lived…"
"That's enough, Mr. Filch. Don't scare my students," Wes said, stepping in front of the trio protectively.
Only then did Filch notice Wes standing there. He quickly changed his tone. "Professor Elwin! What a surprise to see you here."
"Mr. Filch, corporal punishment has been abolished at Hogwarts for years."
"A real shame," Filch muttered. "These unruly brats need stricter discipline."
Jealousy flashed in his eyes—but more than that, it was envy.
"They were helping me grade some essays and lost track of time. I was escorting them back to the dorms when Mrs. Norris spotted us," Wes explained calmly, reaching down to scratch Mrs. Norris under the chin.
She purred and nuzzled into his hand affectionately.
Filch didn't buy it. His instincts told him Harry and the others had come from outside. But with Wes covering for them, he decided to let it go.
"Is that so? Well, you three are very lucky."
He stared at the trio like a hunter eyeing cornered prey.
"But don't count on being this lucky forever."
With that, he turned and left with Mrs. Norris trailing behind.