chapter 182 part 2
'Riding a horse upside down?'
The students, who didn't dare speak under the prefects' gazes, praised it in their hearts—'This last one must be the main act; even his entrance is unique.'
But they soon noticed something different. The last horse wasn't carrying a person; it was being carried by one. A headless ghost emerged from the floor, carrying his horse on his shoulders and holding his own head in one hand. The sight was so comical it was impossible not to laugh.
"Hahaha!"
...
Countless laughs erupted from the dining tables, followed by thunderous applause. The performance of this last knight was simply ingenious, amusing everyone.
And amidst the thunderous applause, the voice of the overlooked Bloody Baron suddenly rose.
"Thank you, thank you, she still remembers me!"
A brilliant glow emanated from his body. The face of the once-aloof ghost was now wreathed in smiles. In the soft white light, he began to fade away, bit by bit. And wherever that white light shone, the chill brought by the ghosts vanished almost instantly, replaced by a warmth reminiscent of a September sun.
"Ooh!"
This sound escaped from one ghost and spread contagiously to another, eventually merging into a great chorus of sighs and praise. Even the students who didn't know what was happening let out gasps of wonder. Though they didn't understand what had happened, that light was truly beautiful.
But the glow soon dissipated, and the warmth was quickly driven away. The chill brought by hundreds of ghosts once again took over the entire Great Hall, causing the somewhat excited students to cool down instantly.
Worse still, the meticulously prepared dishes on the tables quickly lost their mouth-watering warmth in the plunging temperature, becoming cold and inedible.
"Why isn't the show starting?"
After a long silence, a voice rose from among the students, but the ghosts remained indifferent. They returned to their usual state, staring blankly at the spot where the Bloody Baron had turned into light.
To ghosts, time held little meaning. Compared to their usual random thoughts, a fellow spirit choosing to move on was an excellent topic for contemplation, one that made them feel very comfortable.
"Isn't that Nick?"
Professor McGonagall, snapping out of her surprise at seeing another ghost choose to move on, spotted Nick with his head hanging dejectedly (just barely attached to his neck). She recalled the application this ghost had made earlier to borrow a dungeon classroom to hold a Deathday Party.
She glanced at Dumbledore, who was smiling but not speaking, then left the staff table and approached Nick.
"Nick, what happened?"
"Sorry, Professor," Nick, who had been in a daze, replied hastily, only then realizing it was Professor McGonagall speaking to him. "My apologies, Professor McGonagall. Something special happened. The Baron chose to move on. I couldn't control the guests' desire to come here and watch, you know—"
Nick finally noticed his skewed perspective and straightened his head. "You know, Professor, very few ghosts have the courage to move on, not even at Hogwarts. It's such a rare event, I couldn't possibly stop them. I'm terribly sorry for disturbing the feast. I'll take them back right—"
Before Nick could finish his sentence, the Great Hall was filled with another sound.
"Haha!"
Peeves's distinctive voice echoed through the Great Hall. "The Bloody Baron is gone, the Bloody Baron has ascended!"
Normally, Peeves would never be so audacious in front of Dumbledore, but today was different—the ghost he feared most in all of Hogwarts was gone, having chosen to ascend!
He could no longer control the joy and surprise bubbling up inside him. This happiness had to be vented immediately, right this instant, without a second's delay!
"Whoopee!"
Peeves grabbed two golden plates, soared gleefully into the air, and then flipped them over onto the heads of the students below.
"Silly old Fat Friar, dowdy Moaning Myrtle, idiotic Nick—and long live Peeves!"
"I'm back!"
He then zipped back to a dining table, grabbed the tablecloth, and shot towards the sky. When he had pulled about half of it off, he swooped down, sending cutlery and juices from the dishes flying everywhere, causing the nearby students to scramble away from the table.
But he wasn't finished. Peeves draped the long tablecloth over his back like a cape. "Who's the king of Hogwarts? Not the Headmaster, not the professors! It's Peeves, it's Peeves!"
"Albus?"
Professor McGonagall, having returned to the staff table, looked at Dumbledore. With so many students present, she didn't want to usurp Dumbledore's job. In theory, it was now the Headmaster's duty to deal with Peeves.
But Dumbledore just smiled, showing no intention of acting.
"Don't worry, Minerva. The food is already cold anyway. It can't be reheated," Dumbledore said, smiling at Peeves as if the joyfully singing ghost wasn't causing trouble at all.
"Albus!"
Professor McGonagall was getting a little angry.
"Wait, Minerva. I'm wondering if he's celebrating or if he's being controlled."
Dumbledore softly voiced a bit of his speculation. He didn't want Professor McGonagall to stop Peeves, but he was reluctant to reveal all his suspicions just yet. After all, the person connected to the chaos in the castle was far too dangerous.
"Very well. I'll inform the kitchen."
Professor McGonagall sat back down, which led the surrounding professors to wonder, "Could Peeves's troublemaking also be part of tonight's activity?"
After all, the night had been exceptionally wild, with a succession of grand spectacles that even the professors had rarely witnessed.
This made Peeves even more frantic. He began to make up songs about the ghosts below—after all, the students changed every few years, so songs about them wouldn't last long, but the ghosts were old pals. Attacking them would at least double the fun.
The ghosts named by Peeves quickly dived underground. Peeves was a professional at insults, a fact the ghosts had learned long ago over their many years of death. They couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Besides, the feast was still going on underground; if they went back now, they might just be in time to continue the music and dancing.
As more and more ghosts were called out, swathes of them began to disappear from the Great Hall. If you can't beat them, run away.
This made Peeves even more arrogant, and his inspiration came fast and furious, the lyrics of his songs never repeating. This quickly brought the temperature in the Great Hall back to normal—the ghosts had all been insulted away.
"Haha, those cowards!"
Peeves shouted proudly from high above.
Just as Peeves was at the height of his mischief and was about to target the professors' table, Dumbledore finally raised his wand and gave it a gentle flick. The cocky Peeves was yanked by something unseen, plummeting towards the floor and getting stuck to a plate on the ground.
Peeves struggled with all his might, but it was useless. The plate, himself, and the floor all seemed to be glued together, completely immobile.
Filch came over with a grin and carried Peeves away along with the plate, as if he were carrying an empty dish.
"Let me go, let me go!"
Peeves yelled desperately, swinging his hands at Filch, but they passed right through the caretaker, failing to land any attack.
PS: Originally, this was supposed to be a simple introduction before moving on to the next part of the plot, but I ended up writing it all out... After all, I thought this scene I came up with was too brilliant... If you don't like it, just let me know, and I won't write this kind of thing in the future.
(end of chapter)