"What's Hogwarts' Halloween feast really like?"
"I was late to last year's Halloween feast. By the time I got to the Great Hall, I ran straight into a troll attack. So… I've never actually seen how the feast is decorated."
"Then we're both in for a surprise!"
"Exactly! This time, there shouldn't be any trolls. We might even get to dance for once…"
The moving staircases at Hogwarts were as unpredictable as ever—some would suddenly widen or narrow, others would sway alarmingly, and every so often a step would simply vanish beneath your feet.
But it wasn't just the staircases that came alive. The portraits lining the walls would slip in and out of their frames, paying visits to their neighbors. Even the suits of armor seemed to have caught the Halloween spirit—stomping their feet with a clang to startle unsuspecting students.
After weeks of exploring, Luna had grown adept at navigating the ever-shifting staircases, her trusty hand-drawn map now covered in cryptic notes and doodles.
Before Wyzett had even finished speaking, she bounded ahead, hopping down a step with a grin.
Together, they made their way down the stairs, playing an impromptu game of hopscotch as the castle creaked and shifted around them.
The rain hadn't let up—in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Silvery sheets hammered the windows, the drops rolling down like strings of crystal beads. Outside, the grounds were soaked, and a wide puddle had formed right across the path to the Great Hall.
Ron tiptoed around the puddle, muttering, "Hope there's a fireplace in the dungeons, or we're doomed…"
Harry sounded less than convinced. "I just hope someone remembers… It's supposed to be a party for ghosts only."
Hermione tried to cheer them up. "Look on the bright side! Think of all the history—ghosts from who knows how many centuries! Isn't that fascinating?"
Harry sighed, resigned. "If Professor Binns shows up, I'll probably fall asleep the moment I see him."
"It might be meaningful… maybe?" Ron glanced at Hermione's raised eyebrow and swallowed. "I just hope there's some real food… maybe a chicken leg or two?"
"Impervius!" Luna tapped her robes, then her boots with her wand.
"Your turn! Impervius!" She pointed her wand at Wyzett with an air of solemn ceremony.
Wyzett stepped squarely into a puddle. The water splashed up, but before it could soak his robes, the droplets shrank into perfect green beads and rolled harmlessly back into the puddle.
"Brilliant!" Wyzett praised. "You're getting even better at this than I am."
Luna beamed, her smile as radiant as sunlight, and fell into step beside him.
The Impervius Charm, straight out of The Standard Book of Spells, was a practical bit of magic—waterproof, and, according to the footnotes, even fire-resistant. Wyzett always preferred these everyday charms to flashy attack spells; they made life so much easier.
After a while, Wyzett and Luna spotted Harry and his friends ahead, carefully tiptoeing to avoid the puddles.
"Harry! You haven't gone in yet?" Wyzett called.
Harry turned. "We're on our way to a feast… but not the usual one. It's a Deathday Party."
Wyzett nodded. "A Deathday Party? That's a big deal. The ghost who invited you must really care."
Harry gave a wry smile. "He does—Nearly Headless Nick invited me to his five-hundredth Deathday Party."
Hermione noticed the water splashing around Wyzett and Luna's feet wasn't soaking their shoes. "Did you enchant your shoes?"
"Yeah, the Impervius Charm. It's really handy," Wyzett replied. "I picked it up from The Standard Book of Spells—you should check it out."
Just then, Anthony hurried over. "There you are, Wyzett! Penelope was just asking where you'd gone…"
"I told her you were right behind us, but when we got to the Great Hall, you'd vanished. Fred and George are already inside."
With their group now much larger, Anthony gestured excitedly as they walked. "Wyzett, did you hear? There's a ton of stuff planned tonight—Professor Dumbledore's even invited a skeleton dance troupe…"
When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, Wyzett waved to Harry and his friends. "We'll head in first. Happy Halloween!"
"Happy Halloween…" Harry and the others echoed.
Harry and Ron looked longingly at the Great Hall. The dazzling decorations inside called to them, making it hard to resist stepping through the doors.
But Hermione nudged Harry. "Nearly Headless Nick really cares about you. Let's go!"
As they left the warmth of the hall behind, the air grew colder.
The closer they got to their destination, the more they noticed a piercing, almost shrieking sound. It set their nerves on edge.
The light dimmed around them. Ron glanced at Harry's increasingly pale face and whispered, "You look like you're turning into a ghost yourself…"
Harry shrugged. "You're not far off…"
Ron took a deep breath—and immediately gagged. "Merlin's moldy socks! What is that smell?"
Before he could finish, a chilling voice floated through the gloom. "Welcome… dear friends."
Nearly Headless Nick drifted toward them, beaming. "I can't believe you all came! I'm so pleased! Come in, come in!"
Led by Nick, Harry and his friends entered the Deathday Party—and were instantly overwhelmed.
Everything was washed in cold colors: black candles, blue flames, the wailing of a ghostly orchestra, and dozens of spirits swirling in a ghastly waltz overhead.
It felt like stepping into the world of the dead.
Though winter hadn't yet arrived, every breath they took turned to white mist in the air.
"Good news! There's chicken!" Ron called out, rushing to the table, his voice cracking. "Bad news—it's crawling with maggots!"
Meanwhile, the Great Hall had been transformed for Halloween. Everywhere you looked, there were festive decorations: enormous pumpkin lanterns glowed in the corners, and swarms of bats swooped across the enchanted ceiling.
The floating candles had been replaced by ones shaped like sweets. As the flames melted the wax, candies really did rain down onto the tables below.
While waiting for the feast to begin, students craned their necks upward, hoping to catch a falling treat.
"Got one!" Luna cheered, holding up a giant piece of nougat.
She broke it in half and popped one piece into Wyzett's mouth. "I never expected the Halloween feast to be this much fun!"
"Yeah, not gloomy at all," Wyzett agreed, handing Luna a Fizzing Whizzbee he'd just caught…
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