Halloween Day

The new year's Halloween had arrived. The Great Hall was brilliantly lit, and countless Pumpkin Lanterns made the entire hall especially enchanting.

Dumbledore had specially invited the renowned Skeleton Dance Troupe to take part in the Halloween celebrations.

Perhaps Carter and Johnny could join them.

As Wes watched the dance troupe made entirely of skeletons, the thought came to him involuntarily.

It had to be said that every member of the Skeleton Dance Troupe possessed an exceptionally high level of artistry. Every movement was filled with strength and beauty, and their spectacular performance quickly drove the atmosphere to its peak.

The students were all captivated by their charm and began dancing freely along with their movements. Laughter rang constantly through the Great Hall.

The professors were not idle either. They temporarily set aside their usual seriousness and thoroughly enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation.

A skeleton approached the teachers' table with elegant steps. Its body leaned slightly forward as it made an inviting gesture.

Snape coldly glanced at the skeleton from his seat. Startled by Snape's icy gaze, the skeleton shuddered involuntarily before tactfully choosing another target.

After making the rounds with its invitations, only Dumbledore and Lockhart gladly accepted. Lockhart in particular was brimming with excitement, practically unable to wait.

When the music began, Lockhart's body started moving with graceful lightness.

It had to be said that Lockhart was genuinely an excellent dancer. His movements were smooth and natural, full of rhythm. His turns and jumps were perfectly timed, and he was unexpectedly no worse than the professional troupe.

"If only his teaching were as good as his dancing."

Watching Lockhart dance, Professor McGonagall could not help making a sarcastic remark.

Snape cast Lockhart a disdainful glance and let out a contemptuous snort.

Hearing Professor McGonagall's remark, the other professors all voiced their agreement.

At Hogwarts, Lockhart's teaching could only be described as a disaster. Aside from his female fans, almost no one was satisfied with his lessons.

The students had long since been utterly disappointed in this professor. They yearned for a teacher with genuine ability to teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts.

After sighing, Professor McGonagall changed the subject. "Wes, George and Fred have changed so much. They have barely had any points deducted this year. How did you do it?"

The other professors also turned curious looks toward him.

The twin brothers were famously mischievous troublemakers and notorious point-losers. Everyone was curious how Wes had made them behave themselves.

"I didn't do anything."

Wes spread his hands. Seeing that the professors did not believe him, he continued, "I merely taught them alchemy. They became engrossed in it themselves and simply had no time to cause trouble."

"So that's what happened. I never expected them to be interested in alchemy."

Only then did the professors understand.

At that moment, the final dance came to an end, and the Skeleton Dance Troupe formally said goodbye. The students were all reluctant to see them leave.

As one of the wizarding world's biggest stars, the Skeleton Dance Troupe had a packed schedule and still had another engagement to attend.

Seeing that the students still wanted more, Lockhart stepped forward.

But without music to accompany him, his dancing looked somewhat ridiculous.

His fans immediately cast a spell, and the music began playing again.

Lockhart danced with even greater enthusiasm.

"That guy was born to live under the spotlight." Watching Lockhart perform, Wes could not help commenting, "There's an occupation in the Muggle world called a celebrity. I think it suits him perfectly."

Wes's words made the professors laugh, their laughter echoing through the air.

Wes, however, had no idea what was so funny about what he had said.

The Halloween feast ended pleasantly. The students returned to their dormitories, while the professors also went their separate ways.

Wes had been held up by the twins asking him some questions, and on his way back to the dormitory, he unexpectedly ran into Harry and the other two.

"I told you we shouldn't have accepted Nearly Headless Nick's invitation. I'm so hungry I'm dizzy. If there were a pumpkin pie right now, I could finish it all by myself."

Ron rubbed his empty stomach and complained.

"Don't mention pumpkin pie. Thinking about any food right now makes me want to throw up."

Remembering the food at the Deathday party, Hermione's stomach began churning.

Harry Potter wore an apologetic expression and was just about to apologize when—

"You attended the Deathday party?" Overhearing their conversation, Wes could not help asking.

Only then did the three of them notice Wes.

"Professor Erwin?" The three of them jumped in fright.

Hermione was especially worried that Wes would deduct points from them, since it was already past curfew.

"Please don't deduct points from us," Hermione pleaded.

Ron and Harry also came to their senses and began pleading as well.

Harry in particular was still replying to readers' letters for Lockhart. At the thought that the deadline might be extended, goosebumps rose all over his body.

"All right, I won't deduct any points. But did you really attend the Deathday party?"

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief when they heard they would not lose any points.

"Yes, Professor Erwin, we attended Nick's Deathday party."

Hermione answered cautiously.

"Just what I'd expect from Gryffindors." Wes curled his lips into a faint smile. "What were you thinking? Living people attending a ghost's party!"

The three lowered their heads. They regretted it deeply as well.

"Meow~~" The cat's cry startled the three of them.

"Mrs. Norris!!"

Hermione's face went pale when she saw the cat. What she feared was not the cat itself, but its owner, Filch.

Filch was Hogwarts's caretaker, and his hobby was making trouble for students. He always wore a stern expression and used all sorts of methods to punish students who broke the rules. Rumor had it that he even collected many instruments of torture specifically for tormenting students. Behind his back, the students called him "Filch the Pervert."

This cat, Mrs. Norris, was his assistant and had helped him catch quite a few students sneaking around at night.

Sure enough, Filch's voice came from the next second. "Well done, Mrs. Norris. Let me see which disobedient student has been caught. I'll hang them up and give them a good whipping."

When he saw Harry, Filch's eyes lit up with excitement. "So it's the famous Savior..."

"Enough, Mr. Filch. Don't scare my students." Wes shielded the three behind him.

Only then did Filch notice that Wes was there as well, and he hurriedly greeted him. "Professor Erwin, why are you here too?"

"Mr. Filch, the school abolished corporal punishment long ago."

"What a pity. These disobedient little Wizards deserve even harsher discipline."

There was jealousy in Filch's eyes, but even more envy.

"The three of them missed the time because they were helping me grade assignments. I was on my way to escort them back to their dormitory when Mrs. Norris happened to find us."

Wes scratched Mrs. Norris beneath the chin, and she affectionately rubbed against him.

Filch did not believe Wes's explanation. Years of experience told him that Harry and the other two had returned from outside.

But with Wes covering for them, he decided to let the three off this time.

"So that's how it is. You three are very lucky."

Filch stared at the three of them as though they were prey.

"But you won't always be this lucky."

With that, he left with Mrs. Norris.