In the final days of October, Hogwarts appeared normal on the surface, but underneath, the students were buzzing with restless anticipation. In History of Magic, the first years kept asking Professor Binns questions about ghouls and ghosts. This completely disrupted his lesson plan, which was minimal at best. The ghost professor lost his temper and roared at Seamus Finnigan, whose hand was raised high.
"Stop asking about those foolish ghouls. I will not answer any more. Put your hand down, Sean Patrick. Five points from Hufflepuff."
Seamus looked aggrieved. "Professor, my name is not Sean Patrick, and I am not in Hufflepuff."
Harry and Ron quickly grabbed him and clamped their hands over his mouth. With the exception of History of Magic and Potions, where no one dared ask a single question, the other professors were content to let the students unwind a bit after two months of hard work. Even Professor McGonagall conjured a troupe of dancing skeletons on her desk during class. Professor Flitwick cheerfully recounted a bizarre Halloween adventure from his own youth involving vampires and werewolves.
The days leading up to Halloween passed in a wave of restlessness and anticipation. By the day before Halloween, Hogwarts was already steeped in a festive atmosphere despite the increasingly harsh weather. Snow had begun to dust the mountains surrounding the school. The sky remained a uniform gray all day, and the morning frost grew steadily thicker.
Hagrid was forced to don his moleskin overcoat, rabbit-fur gloves, and hat. Looking for all the world like a shaggy monster, he labored to clear the frost from the grounds with a broom. October 31st was no different.
Warren, clutching his books, passed through the courtyard and greeted Hagrid. When he reached the Great Hall, he saw that the usual braziers and torches had been replaced with jack-o'-lanterns. Streamers and decorations hung from the enchanted ceiling. Everyone was excitedly discussing the decorations and speculating on what this year's Halloween feast might bring.
Fred and George remarked that Dumbledore had booked a band of ghosts to perform last year. Their wailing music had put half the Hall to sleep. Percy noted that as a prefect, he had not received any official notice, so there probably was not a performance this year.
Speaking of Percy, he had kept his distance for a long time ever since Warren was sorted into Slytherin. That changed, however, once he realized his younger brother seemed popular across all the houses. One day, Percy approached Warren.
"Warren, I have been terribly busy lately. I hope no one in Slytherin has been giving you a hard time?"
Warren merely smiled.
Harry whispered to his friends, "There is definitely no show. Dumbledore is still keeping his little secret. He would not let outsiders into the school."
Hermione looked at him with newfound respect. "I thought you would be disappointed that it was not more exciting."
"My life is exciting enough as it is," Harry said weakly.
The closer the Quidditch season drew, the more manic Wood became. If the team had not threatened mutiny, he probably would have scheduled practice for Halloween itself. But practice this afternoon was unavoidable.
"Ron, do you mind coming with me this afternoon?" Harry decided to bring his best friend along for the fun.
But when he turned, he noticed Ron had not said a word all morning. He looked dazed, tears welling in his eyes, staring around as if he were a dying man taking one last look at the world.
"Ron, what is wrong?"
Ron gripped Harry's hand earnestly. "Harry, look after yourself. When you make your fortune, do not forget me. And when you are enjoying good food and good times, remember to save a bit for me."
A Silencio from across the table cut him off instantly.
Harry glanced across. Warren was calmly eating his soup, slipping his wand away as if nothing had happened.
Harry looked around the table. Everyone else continued their conversations, completely ignoring the incident. After all, Ron being bullied by his brother was standard procedure, was it not?
Harry turned away without a word, pretending not to notice Ron's wide-eyed, frantic gestures.
That evening, Harry dragged himself back to the Great Hall after an exhausting afternoon of Quidditch practice. The wind had whipped his hair into a mohawk.
The hall was completely transformed. The professors had enchanted the jack-o'-lanterns so they now flickered with multicolored lights. Countless bats fluttered against the starry, moonlit ceiling, swooping between the gleaming walls and streamers. Below, the tables groaned under the weight of the delicious food.
Harry went to his usual spot and found only Hermione.
"Hermione, have you seen Ron?"
Hermione nodded, a little disdainfully. "He was here earlier, stuffing himself with roast beef and getting grease all over his face. Warren just took him away."
Harry did not ask any further questions. Ron had been going on all week about making a deal with the devil and how much he regretted it. It was probably just the brothers bonding again.
Starving, Harry quickly forgot about Ron amid the feast. He had just bitten into a roast potato when the Great Hall doors burst open. Professor Quirrell rushed in, his face a mask of terror. He stumbled through the rows of students, which had fallen silent, and gasped as he reached the staff table where Dumbledore sat watching him.
"Troll. Troll in the dungeons."
He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. No one noticed the look in Dumbledore's eyes as he fixed his gaze on Quirrell.
The students fell into a panic. The older ones, knowing the destructive power of trolls, went pale and murmured fearfully. The younger ones, unaware of the details, screamed. As ever, there were troublemakers ready to add to the chaos.
The hall was in an uproar. Dumbledore finally shook off his stupor. He signaled for the Heads of House to maintain order while he cast a Sonorus Charm.
"Silence," Dumbledore said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to announce that the Halloween feast must be postponed. Prefects, lead your students back to your common rooms. Professors, please accompany me to the dungeons."
Order was gradually restored as Dumbledore hurried away. The four Heads of House gave the prefects their instructions and rushed after him.
Harry and Hermione followed Percy in a daze, drifting along with the other students. They listened to their wizard-raised classmates discussing the troll with a mixture of fear and excitement. As they climbed the stairs, Harry suddenly remembered something. He grabbed Hermione's sleeve in terror.
"Ron and Warren."
Hermione went pale. "They do not know about the troll. I will go find Percy."
Harry stopped her. "Percy is too rigid. He will just look for the professors, and they are all in the dungeons. Warren and Ron probably have not gone far. Let us try looking for them upstairs first."
//==============//
------------------
Read ahead on Patreon!
Harry Potter: The Accidental Dark Lord is currently available up to Chapter 77 on Patreon.
Support me for instant access to 30+ advanced chapters:patreon.com/Fanfic121
If you cannot find my Patreon on Google yet, please type or paste the direct link into your browser. New Patreon accounts may take some time to appear in search results.