Extra 9: Don't Flatter Yourself, Potter

Cassandra nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She finished her hot cocoa and handed the cup to Harry.

"Practice will proceed as scheduled next Monday. Also, I found some records about time anomalies. Although most are classified as secret by the Ministry of Magic, some interesting cases are mentioned in the 1862 edition of the * Yearbook of Magical Anomalous Events *."

Harry wasn't surprised, nor was he so careless as to think that Cassandra was studying Time Magic out of concern for him.

After all, she's an elite young lady from Pure-blood families; there's no reason she wouldn't be interested in this kind of thing.

However, out of duty as a follower, Harry still thanked him.

"Thank you, Miss Malfoy."

Cassandra stood up and handed the cloak back to Harry: "Don't get me wrong, I was just curious."

She turned and walked towards the stairs, pausing at the doorway without looking back.

"Put your cloak on, Potter. If you get sick, I'll have the Board of Governors cut your funding."

The door closed, leaving Harry alone on the Astronomy Tower, holding the still-warm cup in his hands.

Harry decided to retract the idea; that Miss Malfoy was truly—

That's incredibly lame.

On the eve of Halloween, a peculiar festive atmosphere began to permeate Hogwarts.

The sweet aroma of pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup wafted throughout the castle's corridors.

The portraits were dressed in autumn attire, some even wearing pointed hats, and they told each other frightening stories.

Sir Cadogan, in particular, somehow acquired a pumpkin helmet and told everyone he met that he was the Headless Horseman.

"Hoo hoo hoo ha ha ha ha---- My body is strong and pure, now, let me heal you dark souls!"

As he passed the portrait on the stairs, Sir Cadogan, longsword in hand, shouted loudly.

However, none of his classmates paid any attention to him, which hurt him a little.

"You know what?" Gareth said excitedly to Harry on the way to Potions Class, "The Halloween party is one of the best things to do at Hogwarts! My aunt said the ghosts will put on some special shows, the Kitchen will have a whole roasted wild boar, and there will be Apple Divination games!"

"Apple Divination?" Harry asked curiously.

In his hazy memory, Dudley had attended a neighbor's Halloween party with Aunt Petunia and the others, and returned with a big bag of candy, but he never mentioned any divination games.

"Yes! You peel Apple, and if the peel doesn't break, you can throw it on the ground and see if it spells out the initials of your future partner's name!" Gareth exclaimed excitedly. "Or you can Leviosa Apple on water and bite into it—the first person to bite into the Apple will be the first to get married!"

Harry imagined the scene and found it a bit comical.

But this is 1887 after all; perhaps the "ancients" had their own preferences too?

In Potions Class, Professor Sharpe assigned a special Halloween task—to make a "Wakefulness Potion," a Potions that would keep people sober after staying up all night celebrating.

"Considering that most of you will be getting very little sleep tomorrow night," Professor Sharpe said expressionlessly, "This potion might save your lives, lest you fall off your chairs from sleeping too soundly in Wednesday's History of Magic class."

Harry and Cassandra were assigned to the same group—this seemed to be the standard pairing ever since their first Potions Class.

Cassandra seemed to be in a good mood today, as she precisely weighed the Moonstone Powder with fluid and elegant movements.

"What are you planning to do for Halloween, Potter?" she asked suddenly, her eyes never leaving the scales in her hands.

Harry paused for a moment. Cassandra rarely asked about his private plans.

"Perhaps—I'll go to the banquet with Gareth and the others," he said hesitantly. "And you, Miss Malfoy?"

"Slytherin has a traditional Halloween Feast." Cassandra poured powder into the cauldron. "Some customs of Pure-blood families —though I might be leaving early this year. My brother sent some information from the Ministry of Magic about cases of time anomalies."

Before Harry could speak, Cassandra spoke again.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter." She stirred the liquid in the crucible. "I'm just interested in this subject. Besides, as my sidekick, if you cause any problems because of time discrepancies, it'll get me in trouble."

"Anyway, thank you," Harry said sincerely.

"Hmph." Cassandra curled her lip in utter disdain, her disgust reaching its peak.

On Halloween, Hogwarts was completely transformed.

Real pumpkin lanterns floated on the ceiling of the Great Hall, not the kind of pumpkin lanterns that Muggle have, but complete pumpkins that were enchanted and floated on their own, emitting a warm orange glow.

The truly warm light feels cozy on the skin and can even dispel the chill of late October.

It's quite magical.

The long table was laden with food: roast goose, venison pies, mountains of vegetables, huge bunches of grapes, and baskets of Apple.

It is said to symbolize a bountiful harvest, according to Gareth told him so.

The ghosts were particularly active, Nearly Headless Nick, floated Gryffindor Long Table, recounting the details of how he "nearly" got beheaded.

Bloody Baron, stood silently Slytherin Long Table, the bloodstains on his silver robes starkly visible in the candlelight.

Before the dinner began, Headmaster Black stood up.

The students let out a chorus of sighs, expecting another long lecture.

But the Headmaster seemed to be in a good mood tonight.

"Before we enjoy the feast, let's have a traditional Halloween activity," Headmaster Black said with a smile, "Apple Divination. The House Elf have placed bowls of water and Apple on each house's table. The rules are simple:

Try to bite Apple out of the water using only your teeth, without using your hands. The winner will receive a special reward – a candy box from Honeydukes!

The students cheered immediately, partly for the reward, and partly because Headmaster Black hadn't given his annoying long-winded speech.

Harry looked at the basin of water in front of him, Apple Leviosa, and hesitated.

He had never seen such an interesting game at the Dursley family.

"Go for it, Harry!" Gareth urged from the side, "Just bury your face in it!"

Harry took a deep breath, bent down, and buried his face in the cold water.

He heard various sounds around him—splashing water, laughter, and triumphant shouts after biting into Apple.

He tried to reach the Leviosa Apple with his teeth, but it always slipped away.

Just as he was about to give up, a hand gently pressed down on the back of his head.

"Don't move, you fool." Cassandra's voice rang in his ears, very softly, only he could hear it. "The Apple is Fang Yi little bit to your left and slightly in front of you. Move it slowly."

Harry did as instructed.

Guided by Cassandra, his teeth finally touched the smooth surface of the Apple.

He bit down hard -

"We did it!" Gareth cheered. "Harry got it!"

Harry looked up, water droplets dripping from his hair, a red Apple dangling from his mouth.

He was panting as he looked at Cassandra, who had somehow moved from the Slytherin Long Table to the Gryffindor side.

The surrounding Slytherin students cast surprised glances, but Cassandra paid no attention.

"Well done, Potter," she said calmly, handing him a handkerchief. "Wipe your face; you look like a drowned rat."

Harry took the handkerchief, which was embroidered with the Malfoy family crest.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"Don't get it dirty." Cassandra turned and left, returning to her long table.

Harry noticed that the Apple in front of her was still Leviosa in the basin of water—she hadn't participated in the game at all.

It makes sense; how could the dignified Young Lady Malfoy participate in such an image-damaging game?

Once the dinner officially began, the food was more plentiful than I had imagined.

Harry tasted delicacies he had never eaten before, such as pork roasted with honey and various spices, roast goose stuffed with chestnuts and fruit, and all sorts of magical desserts.

There are jellies that jump into your mouth by themselves, candies that make you exhale colorful smoke after eating them, and chocolates that change flavor.

The piece Harry ate initially tasted strawberry, then turned peppery, making him cough.

But he coughed while smiling happily, a feeling he had never experienced at the Dursley family.

"Try this!" Gareth handed Harry a glass of bubbly drink. "Pumpkin Juice! My aunt said it's a Halloween special from Hogwarts!"

Harry took the cup and glanced at Gareth with some suspicion.

No, buddy?

Your drink----

Is it authentic?

In other words, what kind of kind person would make a drink that's this color—purple tinged with black, black with a hint of red, and red with a touch of green!

"Try it, I won't hurt you," Gareth said with a grin.

Trusting his good friend, Harry closed his eyes and took a sip with an expression of heroic sacrifice.

Immediately afterwards, a sweet and spicy flavor made his eyes widen instantly.

The drink warmed slightly in his throat, followed by a warm current that spread throughout his body, making him feel as if he were about to break out in a sweat.

"It has a little chili and Cinnamon in it," Randall, sitting across from me, explained. "A traditional recipe, said to ward off evil spirits."

Whether it can ward off evil spirits is unknown, but Harry is certain that this drink can ward off the cold.

Halfway through the banquet, the ghosts began their performance.

Nearly Headless Nick, started performing his head-tilt act, the Fat Friar performed the stunt of passing through a pumpkin, Peeves also brought a full set of prank props to perform, even launching fireworks at several classmates, until Bloody Baron glared at him, at which point he left dejectedly.

"Now," Headmaster Black stood up again, "It's the traditional Halloween ghost waltz! Music!"

A slow and beautiful waltz began playing in the Great Hall, as if there were a gramophone playing nearby.

The ghosts floated up in pairs, passing through the dining tables and students.

The people in the portraits also began to pair up and dance gracefully within the portraits.

"Want to dance?" a gentle voice asked. Harry turned and saw a ghost he had never seen before.

A young woman, very beautiful, but with a pale face.

That's normal, though; ghosts, after all, would look strange if they weren't pale.

"I—I'm not very good at dancing," Harry said awkwardly.

"Oh, alright then." The ghost smiled slightly. "You can call me Gray."

"I know you. You're Ravenclaw resident ghost," Harry suddenly said, remembering who the woman in front of him was.

He had heard Gareth mention that Ravenclaw had a very beautiful older sister ghost named the Grey Lady.

"You are special, Harry Potter," Helena whispered in his ear, her voice like the distant tolling of a bell. "I can feel the marks time has left on you, and the marks yet to come."

"You—you know?" Harry swallowed hard.

"I know many things," The Grey Lady smiled mysteriously, "But don't worry, your secrets are safe with me. I just want to remind you that the past, present, and future are not always as you imagine. Sometimes, they intertwine, creating new possibilities."

ah?

Harry didn't quite understand, but he didn't ask further, given the presence of many people around.

You riddle makers are really something else!

The Grey Lady floated away with a smile, leaving Harry standing there in a daze.

"Still watching?" Gareth said with a grin. "The person has already floated away, and you haven't had enough yet? Wake up, hey! That's a ghost, it can't be your girlfriend!"

"Pah." Harry rolled his eyes. "I was just thinking about what the Grey Lady just said. Who's like you, whose only thoughts are girls and food?"

"Yes, some brothers, some," Gareth said. "Besides girls and food, I also really enjoy Quidditch and Galleon. I'd be so happy if you ever became Quidditch star, Harry."

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked curiously.

"You forgot? You did very well in Professor Furukawa's Flying Lesson. Even Leyes from Slytherin praised you highly," Gareth said. "Think about it, Leyes is a proud woman, even more discerning than Malfoy. If she affirmed your abilities, it means you're truly capable."

Harry thought about it and realized that it did make sense.

However, flying well doesn't necessarily mean that Kwai Kei can fight well.

Thinking about this, Lingli felt a renewed dislike for Headmaster Black.

Seriously, why ban Quidditch Match?

Is it simply because it could lead to injury?

You might choke while eating or drinking, so does that mean you should stop eating and drinking altogether?

"Who says otherwise?" Randall chimed in from the side. "If I had that kind of flying talent, why would I bother playing in Gobstones? Wouldn't it be better to go to the flight field and take some flights when I have free time?"

"But you don't have the talent for it, buddy," Gareth said bluntly. "Flying is 99% perspiration and 1% talent—without that 1% talent, no matter how much perspiration you put in, it's useless."