Halloween Eve, second floor of the castle.
Cedric sat in an empty classroom, covering his face with his hands, whispering, "Kael, I think this is pointless, let's give up."
They had been here for several days without any results... well, that's not entirely true, they did gain something.
They became famous.
Almost half the school knew that the top students from third and fourth grade had been lingering at the library entrance for days, behaving very strangely.
No one knew who started the rumor, but it was said to be a new learning method using an ancient magic ritual to convert the library's knowledge into one's own.
This kind of nonsense was actually believed by many... and they believed it deeply.
Recently, more and more people started gathering at the library entrance, seriously imitating their actions.
To be fair, they learned quite well, their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Especially in the last two days, the library was almost like a tourist attraction, surrounded by people almost all the time.
However, Madam Pince's gaze at them seemed increasingly unfriendly.
Because that group of people severely disrupted the library's order, she tried to drive them away several times, but it was no use...
After all, Madam Pince couldn't stay outside all the time, as soon as she left, those people quickly returned.
Under these circumstances, she naturally wouldn't have a kind face towards Kael and Cedric, the two culprits.
Cedric felt that they probably wouldn't be able to visit the library in the short term.
Kael also sighed, nodding in agreement with his words.
Recently, the commotion here was indeed a bit much, today they even got blocked by the crowd outside, unable to approach the library.
It wouldn't be long until the professors come to drive them away.
After leaving the classroom, the two bowed their heads, bypassing the crowd and returned to the first floor, ready to attend the Halloween feast.
The auditorium had been newly decorated.
Dozens of giant pumpkins were carved into lanterns, the smallest of which could fit two people inside, if there was a Thestral upfront, it would be a perfect pumpkin carriage.
At the entrance of the auditorium, Kael encountered Gryffindor's trio...
"Say what you mean to do." Hermione was speaking to Harry, "You said you would attend the deathday party, you can't break your word, otherwise Nearly Headless Nick would be very disappointed."
"But Hermione, I didn't agree."
Beside him, Ron said with a bitter face, "And Scabbers is missing, I need to find it."
"That rat of yours?" Hermione frowned, "Haven't you always kept it in the dormitory?"
"That's right, it was still there today at noon, but it disappeared by the afternoon."
Ron mumbled softly, "It must have been when Neville left that he forgot to close the door... I can't even imagine, if Scabbers ran into Mrs Norris in the castle, what would happen? It'd be eaten."
"You don't need 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 guys headed to the underground classroom?"
A familiar voice came, and the three were startled, looking up to see Kael and Cedric.
"Hello."
Harry greeted the two, then nodded helplessly, "You're right, we're heading to the third underground classroom, where Nick is hosting the deathday party."
It was clear he was regretting his decision a bit.
"I suggest you bring some snacks." Cedric reminded, "There won't be suitable food for you there."
"But isn't it a party?" Hermione puzzled, "How could there be no food?"
"It's a ghost party." Kael corrected, "What they like is quite different from us."
After hearing Kael's words, Harry seemed to regret it even more.
But as Hermione just stated, he had already promised Nick, and since Nick helped him get out of Filch's punishment earlier, it wouldn't be appropriate to back out now. No matter what, he had to go.
At worst, leave early...
If time permits, they might be able to get back before the school feast ends.
After exchanging a few more words, Harry and his friends left in a hurry, needing to help Ron find his rat before heading to the underground classroom, the time was tight.
Kael and Cedric then walked into the bustling auditorium.
…
After about ten minutes, the feast officially began.
Just as speculated earlier, Dumbledore indeed invited the Skeleton Dance Troupe to entertain at the Halloween feast.
And they were not just named an edgy title, they were actual skeletons... similar to ghosts, but a different kind altogether.
Accompanied by music and the thunder on the ceiling, they appeared out of nowhere in the reserved space in front of the main guest table, immediately eliciting exclamations from the young wizards.
Then the music changed, and they directly started dancing to the rhythm.
At this moment, Kael understood why Nearly Headless Nick felt so frustrated upon learning the dance troupe was coming to Hogwarts.
Initially, seeing these moving skeletons might have been a bit chilling, but as they danced to the music, that emotion quickly vanished.
It was the first time Kael saw elegance on a skeleton, each of their moves was full of beauty and strength.
The contrast between their chilling appearance and graceful dance moves... created a huge paradox that instantly sparked deafening cheers in the auditorium.
From this point, the applause in the auditorium hardly ceased.
Especially during the final dance, they chose an even more lively and stirring music.
"Magic Things"
It's the Weird Sisters' most famous song.
In the merry drumbeat, some young wizards couldn't help but dance along.
Initially, it was only Fred and George, and a few Gryffindors enjoying themselves, but as the music continued, more and more people joined in.
Even at the main guest table, Lockhart left his seat and joined in the dancing, despite his mediocre teaching skills, he was quite good at dancing.
He tried to invite other professors to join, but Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout both declined.
However, Charity Burbage, who was responsible for Muggle Studies, gladly accepted his invitation and joined in the dance floor.
Dumbledore happily clapped along beside them.
The song ended, but the lively atmosphere still lingered in the auditorium, students cheered, hoping for another dance!
Dumbledore stood up, signaling everyone to quiet down.
"Dance... is more powerful than any words." He smiled, "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 pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pudding...
All featuring pumpkin, embodying the theme.
"Luckily we didn't go to the underground classroom with Potter and his friends..."
Cedric, who had just danced a bit, was still feeling the excitement, couldn't help but say to Kael, "This Halloween feast is truly wonderful, do you think next year Headmaster Dumbledore will invite them again?"
…