The group fell silent for a moment.
Michael: "I must have misheard... what party?"
Theo: "Who is Nicolas?"
Neville: "Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor's ghost."
"A ghost's deathday party?" Padma wrinkled her nose. "Will there be lots of ghosts?"
"I... I guess so..."
Harry hesitantly said, then tried hard to encourage everyone:
"This year's Halloween is Nick's 500th deathday. Just think about it... Halloween happens every year, but a deathday party might be a once-in-a-lifetime event! Don't you want to go?"
"Uh..." Michael asked, "You didn't already promise to go, did you?"
"Yes, I did!" Harry said, then looked pitifully at his friends.
"I want to go." Hermione said enthusiastically, "It must be quite magical!"
"Is anyone else going, Harry?" Theo asked. "Or is it just you... and Hermione?"
"...Ron also promised to come with me," Harry said.
"Well... if you want, I can also..." Neville said, a bit hesitantly.
But after speaking, judging by his expression, he seemed to regret it immediately.
Harry didn't give him a chance to back out and immediately said happily, "Then it's settled! What about you guys?"
"Not going," Vid shook his head. He knew the party would have lots of questionable food and had no interest in attending.
"Of course we're going!" Fred said eagerly. "Ghosts! I haven't seen ghosts anywhere else besides at school!"
George nodded along.
Harry felt somewhat comforted, but then upon reconsideration...
Hmm? Aren't they all Gryffindors?
He looked at the others.
Theo glanced at Leian and said with a smile, "We're not going either... but I'll save dinner for you."
"What do you mean?" A bad premonition rose in Harry's heart. "The deathday party... doesn't provide food?"
Theo said tactfully, "They probably only serve ghost food."
Harry blinked.
"Should I... have not promised Nick to go to his deathday party?"
"But you've already promised," Padma said gleefully.
Hermione nodded, "A promise is a promise! Besides, it's not just about eating!"
Michael said with a smile, "It's a rare sight, isn't it? Most people don't get this opportunity."
"Do you want this opportunity?" Neville asked nervously.
"Uh... I'll pass," Michael replied gently but firmly.
"Wear something warm," Vid reminded them, "It'll be cold where ghosts gather."
...
In the blink of an eye, Halloween arrived.
In the evening, Vid and the others arrived at the Great Hall. Just like the previous year, countless candles hung above the hall, and bats decorated the ceiling.
Massive pumpkins were carved into various lanterns, fairies fluttered around the vines, and the tips of tiny magic wands sprayed colorful starlights.
The gold plates on the long tables were filled with mouth-watering food, much of which was not usually seen at meals.
Michael grabbed two pieces of crispy cheese, took a large bite, and the rich, savory taste was nearly addictive.
He quickly finished and placed two more pieces on his plate, happily telling Vid, "If Harry and the others knew how much good food is here tonight, they'd definitely regret it."
"I bet they're regretting it already," Vid speared a piece of French lamb chop and said, "The ghost food is all rotting."
"Uh..." Michael advised, "Maybe don't talk about such scary stuff while we're eating?"
As they ate, a skeleton dance troupe took the stage to perform.
The pale skeletons danced to the cheery music, sometimes holding hands, sometimes floating like boneless snakes, and they could even suddenly collapse into heaps of bones and reassemble.
The clattering bones led the audience to clap and cheer along with them, heating up the atmosphere.
Except for Professor Snape's usual sour expression, students and teachers were ecstatic, with applause roaring continuously.
"This is amazing!"
Gryffindor's Lee Jordan and a dark-skinned girl jumped onto the stage, dancing energetically with the skeletons, taking the crowd's enthusiasm to a new level.
When the feast ended, as the students returned to their dormitories, Vid saw Harry and his group emerging from the lower levels.
Except for Fred and George, who still wore smiles, everyone else looked utterly exhausted.
"It was terrible," Ron groaned, "Moldy, maggoty, stinky food... everything there was disgusting."
Theo and the others laughed heartily, sharing the food they'd brought from the hall with them.
"Thanks a lot," Harry stuffed the food into his pockets, sighing, "But I can't eat anything now... I feel like my sense of smell has been ruined."
The group walked out of the foyer, then separated, following the crowd to their respective house common rooms.
"This is the best Halloween ever."
On the way back to the dormitory, Michael was still excitedly chatting.
Padma hummed a tune from the skeleton dance troupe and commented, "Yeah, it was great. Last year's was too, but the troll ruined it all."
"That's not quite true," Michael countered, "You joined us after that day, so that Halloween was great too."
Padma looked at Michael, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.
Vid tactfully slipped away from them and headed to the common room ahead.
He took out a gift intended for the house-elf—a transformative mask—and wrote down a message of good wishes, placing it on a table.
So they could receive it at night.
Even though Vid had a good relationship with a few house-elves, they still adhered to house-elf ethics, not showing up in front of Vid unless summoned.
Vid stood by the window for a while.
The large castle gradually quieted down; Ravenclaw students drifted off into their dreams, as presumably did those from other houses.
No screams, no petrifications, no chaos or fear.
This is exactly what he hoped for—a peaceful, fulfilling, and interesting school life.
Vid smiled.
...
The day after Halloween, after the afternoon classes ended, Vid received a note from Professor Sprout—
[Come to the third greenhouse after dinner.]
Vid's heart leaped with joy, and after dinner, he eagerly headed to the third greenhouse, where the grown Mandrakes were gently swaying.
"The Mandrakes aren't mature yet, but their leaves can already be used," Professor Sprout said.
A purple vine tried to stealthily hook the witch's shoulder, but she calmly swatted it away.
"Great!" Vid said happily. "Then can I use them to practice becoming an Animagus?"
"Yes, indeed," Professor Sprout smiled and said. "Actually, you could have a week ago, but I thought it would be a shame to let you miss the Halloween feast, wouldn't it?"
"Thank you, Professor," Vid said gratefully.
"Studying Animagus is a long process, Vid,"
Professor Sprout said while taking out large shears, carefully searching among the Mandrakes.
"You've been doing very well in magical studies, but you must understand, failing a few times is normal, especially at the first step."
"For an entire month, you must hold a piece of Mandrake leaf in your mouth, not swallowing or removing it, or the whole process must start over."
"We'll choose a leaf today. Before the full moon, you need to get used to the feeling of talking, eating, and sleeping with a leaf of similar size in your mouth, and be extra careful not to swallow it. Practicing in advance will help you avoid making certain mistakes when you officially start."
Professor Sprout smiled while holding the shears, "So, pick one, Vid."