Chapter 128
The decorations in the Great Hall at lunch left no doubt about this year's theme.
Just like last year, live bats swooped overhead, and streamers hung from the ceiling.
"Do we really have to attend Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party tonight?" Harry looked around the Great Hall with a sinking feeling.
"You gave your word. You can't back out now! Isn't that right, Ron?"
Hermione spoke sharply, reminding Harry of his promise and fixing Ron with a look. Harry had hounded him until he finally agreed to come.
"Yes, yes, yes! I really don't understand. We could be sitting comfortably in the Great Hall, enjoying today's feast and having a perfectly pleasant Halloween. Why do we have to go to some gloomy Deathday party?"
Ron jabbed at his potatoes. "I truly don't understand why anyone would celebrate the day they died."
"It's probably because it marks the beginning of their new life as ghosts, just as we celebrate our birthdays. It's their birthday, in a way." Hermione hoped this explanation would ease Ron's resentment.
Recently, Ron had been gloomy and silent, a stark contrast to his usual self. Harry had tried to have a heart-to-heart with him, but didn't get a response, leaving both Harry and Hermione worried.
"Ethan still won't go?" Harry remembered how Ethan kept refusing. Ever since he'd heard about the invitation, Ethan had made it clear he wasn't interested.
"He said he didn't want to." Hermione shook her head. She'd invited him several times since, but without success.
She remembered what Ethan had said when he refused her.
"I can't imagine what a deathday party for ghosts would be like, given how different they are from us. Besides, I missed out on the feast last year because of the troll incident. I certainly can't miss it again this year."
Hermione felt a pang of regret as well. Last year, Ron's cruel words had sent her running to the bathroom in tears for hours, making her miss the feast entirely.
Remembering that, she shot Ron a fierce glare.
"That's a pity." Harry shook his head and polished off the last piece of chicken on his plate.
"Ron, try this chicken. It's delicious."
"Really? I'll have some then."
Before his spoon reached the serving platter, the chicken vanished and desserts began to appear. Ron's expression darkened even further.
Harry quickly scooped some onto Ron's plate. "Have some Yorkshire pudding. It's delicious, too."
Evening fell quickly, and the Great Hall was fully decorated. The biggest difference from the previous year was Hagrid's pumpkins.
Giant jack-o'-lanterns, carved by house-elves and filled with candles, cast a warm yellow glow from within. They hung in even rows along both sides of the Great Hall.
Golden platters covered the long tables. Dumbledore spoke just one sentence. "Tuck in, children. Let's enjoy a happy Halloween!"
Food kept appearing on the plates. The carved roast pumpkins suited the festive atmosphere perfectly.
Ethan ate with relish. He'd missed the Halloween feast last year, so he was finally making up for it now.
The trio, however, was not quite so happy.
At seven o'clock, the three of them left the Gryffindor common room and headed toward the dungeon classroom where the Deathday party would be held.
As they passed through the entrance hall, they caught a glimpse of the Great Hall through its open doors. The hall was decorated for the Halloween feast and filled with bright lights and colors. All three instantly regretted their decision. Still, they exchanged glances and continued their descent underground.
The corridor leading to the classroom was also lined with candles, but they gave off no warmth at all.
The slender black candles burned with a cold blue light, casting an eerie glow over the entire corridor.
"Heh, I suppose it suits them," Harry said, looking somewhat embarrassed as he tried to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Mmhmm, yes. Nick and the others must have gone to a lot of trouble," Hermione agreed, though she couldn't help clutching her robes tighter.
The deeper they went, the colder the air grew, until their breath began to fog in the chill.
By this point, they couldn't care less about the rules against using magic in the corridors. Hermione cast a Warming Charm on the group, bringing them much-needed relief.
They rounded a corner and found Nearly Headless Nick standing in a doorway, waiting to welcome them.
"We welcome you, my dear friends." His tone was melancholy, completely lacking the joy everyone had expected.
"If he's so miserable, why hold a Deathday party at all?" Ron said flatly.
The dungeon classroom was packed with milky-white, translucent figures.
In the vast classroom, they were the only three living souls. Their breath misted in the air.
"Let's look around, but be careful not to walk through anyone."
"Moaning Myrtle?" Hermione spun around.
"Who's that?" Harry and Ron turned as well.
"There's a ghost who spends all day in the bathroom. She constantly floods the place and splashes water everywhere. We all avoid going there," Hermione whispered as she crept along.
"Is that right?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
But the good times never last. Back in the Great Hall, the final dessert had already been served.
"All right, I think everyone's had their fill today, yes?" Dumbledore, wearing purple robes, stood up once more with a smile.
"Full!" "I could still eat!" the students below shouted back in a chaotic chorus.
Once the noise had subsided somewhat, the old man announced, "I've heard from all of you. Since you're all full and the time is right, I declare the Halloween feast officially over!"
The students stood up, chatting and laughing as they headed toward their respective common rooms.
Suddenly, a scream rang out from the second floor, immediately drawing the attention of every student who hadn't yet returned to their dormitories.
The Slytherins who hadn't yet made it down to the dungeons were instantly seized by curiosity. They rushed to the stairs, surging toward the source of the sound.
"What happened? What happened?" The corridor was already packed with students. Those in the back kept asking those in front, like bystanders desperate for a glimpse of the action.
"Look there!" Someone reached over the heads of those in front, pointing at the cat hanging from a torch bracket by its tail.
"Mrs. Norris?!" Draco clearly recognized the cat that had chased him before.
Its body was stiff as a wooden carving, motionless, its eyes wide open and staring at a puddle of water.
Using his size to his advantage, he kept squeezing forward. Ethan, right behind him, took the opportunity to push through as well until he reached the front of the crowd.
Harry and Hermione, who hadn't attended the feast, stood surrounded by students leaving the Great Hall.
And on the corridor wall, illuminated by the torches, words glowed with a faint light.
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.
Enemies of the heir, beware!
Paint dripped from the blood-red letters, and combined with Mrs. Norris's lifeless state, the scene looked even more terrifying.
"The legend is true. There really is an Inheritance Chamber," Draco muttered, staring at the words on the wall with surprise and bewilderment.
After the initial frightened silence, the students had recovered somewhat. Now, everyone present was looking at Harry and Hermione, who stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by whispers. The corridor had grown rather noisy.
Although Draco's voice was barely a whisper, Ethan, standing right beside him, heard him clearly. He looked at Draco in surprise. "Inheritance Chamber? Is there really an Inheritance Chamber of Slytherin inside? Not just a Basilisk?"
But now wasn't the time to press for answers.
Ethan noticed the dazed look in Hermione's eyes and asked her, "What happened?"
"Ethan! We don't know either. After leaving Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, we came up from the dungeons... and when we got here, we saw Mrs. Norris hanging there, and the words on the wall."
As the others began asking questions, Hermione quickly seized the opportunity to explain. As she spoke, she glanced at Harry, carefully omitting any mention of the strange sound he had heard.
Some believed Hermione's explanation, while others did not. The clamor grew even louder.
"What happened? Make way!" Filch's voice rang out.
He shouldered his way through the crowd. The first thing he saw was his beloved cat hung from the wall.
He stared in horror at her wide, unblinking eyes, stumbling backward a few steps, nearly bumping into the watching students.
Finally, he buried his face in his hands. When he lowered them, the scene before him was unchanged.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stared blankly at the stiff cat for a moment before looking away. Then he noticed the words on the wall, and Harry and Hermione standing there alone.
Filch's anger flared instantly. He screamed and lunged at Harry. "Was it you? Did you kill my cat? It must be you! I'll kill you! I'll avenge Mrs. Norris!"
"Calm down, Mr. Filch. Mrs. Norris isn't dead! A dead cat wouldn't be this stiff. It would just hang there, limp." Ethan wasn't actually sure if the cat was dead. He didn't know how the Basilisk killed its victims, after all. If the cat had been killed, it wouldn't be strange for her to end up like this. The story had already deviated from what he remembered.
To appease the caretaker, who seemed about to strangle Harry, Ethan had no choice but to resort to Muggle logic.
"Filch!" Dumbledore called out, arriving at the scene. He waved his wand to stop the caretaker, who was already on the verge of breaking down.
He freed Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. "Come with me, Filch."
He glanced at the others in the corridor. "And you as well, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and you too, Ethan."
"Hmm?" Ethan hadn't expected to be included.
Just then, the other teachers who had emerged from the Great Hall made their way to the front of the crowd.
Lockhart, overhearing this, quickly stepped forward. "Go to my office. It's the closest."
"Yes, thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore nodded. Holding the cat, he followed the group through the crowd of onlookers toward Lockhart's office.
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Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 286
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 199
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 288
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 126
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