Everlasting candles were enchanted candles that could burn indefinitely. In the past, when students stayed at school for Christmas, these candles would be placed inside the helmets of suits of armor.
With the Christmas holiday, very few people remained at school to celebrate. Even though the candles would never burn out, no one had the inclination to clear them away, leaving them inside armor that had not been cleaned for years.
On Halloween Eve, the candles were placed inside jack-o'-lanterns, and Pomona had not paid attention to them for a long time.
People who liked making plans and following them strictly also tended to dislike change.
It was like novice chess players who, after envisioning a few "brilliant moves," expected their opponents to play exactly as they wished, so that they themselves could win "just as planned."
But a novice's little tricks were easily seen through by an expert. If the expert went easy on them, perhaps the novice would not lose so badly that they lost all interest in chess.
The day after the "chessboard" had been arranged, an "accident" occurred. The entire maze was shrouded in thick fog, and nothing could be seen.
This strange occurrence drew the attention of many people, including those who believed construction on the maze had not yet begun. They thought work had finally started.
Ludo Bagman told the headmaster that he very much wanted to go in and have a look, and Albus let him enter. In a sense, the fog also blocked sight and protected secrets, but that did not mean they could let down their guard. Who knew what Bagman might do in the maze?
Pomona had originally intended to use a tornado instead of alternating hot and cold water to create a whirlpool, but now there was no need.