The Vanishing Cabinet was brought by Dumbledore, which didn't surprise Kael much, but the timing from over fifty years ago was interesting.
As everyone knows, Professor Dumbledore received the Order of Merlin First Class because he defeated Grindelwald in 1945, and in the same year, Grindelwald was imprisoned in Nimongard Tower.
At that time, Dumbledore threw away the Vanishing Cabinet... tsk tsk, there might be a story here.
Of course, when it comes to gossip about the headmaster, Kael dared not say much.
After all, Harry's mouth was as loose as Hagrid's, and if he accidentally let something slip, it would be quite a scene.
"So, are you saying this cabinet was already broken before?" asked Kael.
"Exactly, Peeves used to hide in this cabinet to escape Filch," said Nick. "If it was working, Peeves would have gone who knows where."
"I see..."
Kael nodded. He had indeed found a few cracks inside the Vanishing Cabinet, and those marks were very old, not likely caused by a recent fall.
"What do you plans do with this Vanishing Cabinet?"
"Just leave it here," said Nearly Headless Nick indifferently, "Nobody comes to this classroom, and Peeves will probably take it away later."
Kael nodded thoughtfully.
Then they left the classroom, and Harry noticed that Nearly Headless Nick was still clutching that transparent letter of reply.
Maybe he was trying to return the favor for saving him earlier...
"About the Headless Hunter Team, I hope I can do something for you."
"No need." Nick casually put the letter back into his coat, "I've decided to form my own Hunter Team. Someday, they'll regret shutting me out."
Speaking of which, Harry had another bizarre image of Nick shaking his head in his mind.
He quickly slapped his face to force himself to forget that "dirty stuff," and then laughed awkwardly:
"Well... good luck to you."
"Thank you, but I have a request."
"W-What..." Harry asked.
"Although this request may be a bit much... could you come to my deathday party?"
Nearly Headless Nick said expectantly, "It's on the eve of Halloween. I'll announce the formation of my own Hunter Team in front of all my friends. I'd be honored if you could make it."
"I'll be there," Harry agreed readily, "Can I bring others along?"
"If you mean Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger... Of course, they are very welcome."
He then looked at Kael.
"Sorry, Sir Nicholas."
Kael said regretfully, "Though I'd love to witness the birth of a great Hunter Team, I've already promised Cedric to watch the Skeleton Dance Troupe performance together, so..."
"Oh, of course..." Nearly Headless Nick smiled and said, "I mean, if you've already promised someone else, you should stick to it. I'm asking rather late.
But, did Dumbledore really invite the Skeleton Dance Troupe?"
"That's what Professor McGonagall mentioned the other day, so there should be no problem," Kael said.
"Oh... Why this year!"
Nearly Headless Nick tugged at his hat, "I've loved their performances since two hundred years ago... And I heard from Baron Howl that they've recently choreographed new dance moves, which are spectacular.
Why this year!"
Nearly Headless Nick spun a few rounds in mid-air, "Do you think, if I invite the Skeleton Dance Troupe to my deathday party after their performance, they'll agree?"
"Maybe... they will," Kael said uncertainly.
Although skeletons and ghosts are essentially the same, they're two different species... It's hard to say whether they'd be interested in ghostly affairs.
"It would be great if they agreed."
Nearly Headless Nick gazed longingly out the window and murmured, "The Skeleton Dance Troupe, and Harry Potter, together at my deathday party, that would be fantastic!"
…
After leaving this corridor, the stairs weren't far ahead.
Kael and Harry were heading back to their respective common rooms, while Nick was looking for Peeves... then everyone parted ways.
…
When Kael returned to the common room, it was almost curfew time.
Yet, there were still quite a few students sitting in the common room, working on their assignments, which was a Hufflepuff tradition.
Kael found Cedric and Conna near the window.
"Deathday party?" Cedric said with relief, "I'm glad you didn't promise to go. I dare say that kind of scene is definitely not suitable for the living."
"Have you been to one?" Conna asked.
"No." Cedric shook his head, "But when I went to the kitchen before, I saw house-elves moving food they had just made out of the kitchen.
They said it was for the ghost party, and it had to be left for a long time until it completely rotted or grew mold."
"House-elves probably wouldn't allow such things in the kitchen," Conna said softly.
She had visited the kitchen many times, and it was always very clean, with food that was very fresh.
"True, so they took those things outside," Cedric shrugged.
"Think about it, having to face a bunch of moldy, rotten food at the Halloween feast, that's not a pleasant experience."
"That's why I refused," Kael said, "But seeing Potter's reaction, he seemed quite interested."
"Harry Potter..." Cedric smacked his lips, "No wonder he could defeat You-Know-Who. He's different from us. Normally, people wouldn't want to go to a ghost's party, right.
Should we remind him?"
"It's useless, Potter has already agreed," Kael said, "He didn't even hesitate for a second."
"Then there's no choice..."
Outside, the rain was still pouring, the night was as dark as ink, but inside it was bright and lively.
While others were doing their homework and playing Wizard Chess, Kael told Cedric and Conna about his magical experience in front of the library.
This quickly made them forget all about the ghostly matters.
"You suddenly became smart while passing by the library?" Cedric opened his mouth in surprise, feeling like it could fit a whole potato.
"How is that possible!"
He had walked that path to the library countless times, how come it never happened to him.
Conna wasn't convinced either.
This kind of thing... Professor Snape had never mentioned to her before.
Besides, if walking to the library could make you smarter, why go to class at all? Just queue up there every day.
"I find it unbelievable too," Kael whispered, "But I really experienced it, I'm not lying to you."
"Could it be that you've been so exhausted lately, you're hallucinating," Cedric still found it hard to believe.
"Maybe you just suddenly understood content you hadn't before."
Conna glanced at Kael, pondering, "I was like that before, couldn't brew the perfect Draught of Living Death, but once when I picked up the Cauldron, I suddenly knew what I had been doing wrong, and then I successfully brewed the perfect Draught of Living Death."
She felt Kael might be in a similar situation.
"Maybe..." After what they said, Kael felt a bit less confident.
He decided to try walking past the library again in the coming days, if it still didn't work... then there was no helping it.