Ghosts and Spirit World Creatures

The feast was still underway, and the ghosts of Hogwarts had joined the banquet. They kept popping up suddenly in front of the first-years, trying to give them a fright.

A ghost with a ruff collar drifted over to Harley, watching her cut her steak, and said sadly, "That looks truly delicious."

"Are you a spirit world creature?" Harley looked at the pearly-white, translucent ghost before her and asked instinctively.

"Spirit world creature? What is that? Is that what Muggles call us?" The ghost frowned, then introduced himself, "I am a ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower. You may address me as Sir Nicholas." As he spoke, the ghost straightened his collar.

Harley suddenly remembered that while waiting in that small room before the Sorting, some first-years had indeed shouted the word "ghost." However, she had been closing her eyes to rest at the time and hadn't paid much attention to the sounds outside.

Harley became instantly interested in the ghost. She put down her knife and fork, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and began to converse with Sir Nicholas: "Respected Sir Nicholas, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course you may!" Sir Nicholas replied happily. "My child, ask whatever you like! As long as I know the answer, I shall tell you! You are such a delightful little witch. The other students only call me Nick or use my nickname, and they never like to chat with me."

"That is truly unfortunate," Harley lamented casually, pulling out a notebook and a Muggle ballpoint pen before beginning her inquiry, "Sir Nicholas, may I ask how you became a... 'ghost'?"

"Oh, that is a very long topic." Nick seemed to want to launch into a long-winded speech, starting from his own birth. However, Harley cut the topic short with crisp efficiency: "Sir Nicholas, I don't think the banquet will last long enough. If the topic is too long, we shall have to discuss it another time."

Nick seemed disappointed, but he had no choice but to keep it brief: "Very well, I shall get straight to the point. Wizards can leave a mark on this world. When they die, if they fear death, they can choose to become a ghost, continuing to walk in the places where they once lived and left their mark. If one chooses this path to become a ghost, one must live as a ghost forever and can never embark on the journey after death. Of course, those who die unnaturally and harbor very strong emotions, especially resentment, before death may also form into ghosts. They still have a chance to choose to move on, but it requires meeting certain conditions."

"May I ask what those conditions are?" Harley asked a new question while taking notes rapidly.

"I do not know." Nick shook his head. "Not many have explored this question; after all, such ghosts are very rare."

Harley nodded thoughtfully. After learning quite a bit of information, she ended the conversation and expressed her gratitude to Nick.

By now, the banquet was drawing to a close, and the main courses and desserts on the tables had vanished. Professor Dumbledore stood up, offered a few points of caution, and requested everyone to sing the school song together before heading to bed. However, the singing was truly indescribable—it was two Ocean Songsters worse than the Sorting Hat.

The fifth-year prefects began leading the first-years back to their respective house dormitories. The entrance to the Gryffindor dormitory was located in a corridor on the eighth floor. There was a portrait in the corridor depicting a very plump woman in a pink dress. According to the prefect Percy, the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was behind this portrait, and the "Fat Lady" in the painting was the guardian of Gryffindor. Only by giving the correct password to the Fat Lady could one enter Gryffindor Tower.

Once inside Gryffindor Tower, one found the Gryffindor common room. Usually, Gryffindor students could choose to study here. After a brief introduction, Percy guided the girls through a door, which led to the girls' dormitory. Percy did not follow, however, merely standing outside the door. The remaining work was completed by a previously inconspicuous female prefect. She held a roll of parchment and pointed out the beds to the first-years.

Harley was in the same dormitory as Hermione, the very arrogant girl who had left a deep impression on her on the train, along with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Harley's luggage was already at the head of her bed. After the roommates performed simple self-introductions, Harley quickly tidied up her bedding and set up her curtains.

After washing up, Harley ignored the still-chattering Hermione, quickly lay down on the bed, and performed a simple ritual of tranquility to shut out Hermione's voice. The hour was late, and Harley lay in bed, pondering what she had seen and heard today, especially the ghosts. After all, ghosts existed in a form akin to a spirit body, though they could not interfere with reality, making them slightly different from true spirit bodies. Did this prove that this world also had a spirit world or something similar?

Harley was very curious now and particularly wanted to perform a small ritual to allow her own spirit body to enter the spirit world directly. However, Harley was not that reckless. With her current strength, she dared not enter directly. If the spirit world of this world were as dangerous as the spirit world of the Sequence Pathway world, Harley could be obliterated by some behemoth at any moment after entering. Forcing down her inner curiosity, Harley chose to go to sleep quickly, lest she succumb to her curiosity and start some ritual.

In the headmaster's office, the Sorting Hat was forcibly engaging the headmaster in awkward conversation. "Albus, that little girl Harley is truly fascinating," the Sorting Hat said with great interest. "It has been a long time since I have seen someone suitable for three houses at once; the last such person was over a decade ago."

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied without looking up from the Transfiguration Today in his hands, "she is a gifted child, is she not?"

And she hides quite a few secrets on her person. Though, I suspect she doesn't even know about the secrets she carries herself."

"Indeed, she is truly a good child. It would be even better if she didn't dislike me so much." At this point, the Sorting Hat even mimicked the sound of sobbing.

"I originally wanted to place that child into Slytherin, as she was much better suited for Slytherin after all.

But you insisted that I put her into Gryffindor."

As it said this, there was even a hint of resentment in the Sorting Hat's voice.

"I can't be blamed for that, old friend." Dumbledore turned a page of Transfiguration Today and replied casually, "When I went to fetch her, the things that child said to me were too concerning.

If I haven't guessed wrong, the facts that child described point to some of Tom's traits having attached themselves to her.

Now, for some unknown reason, those traits have been destroyed, or rather, have merged with Harley.

As a result, she now commands quite a few special types of magic, and their essence is somewhat evil, leaning toward Dark Magic.

I must ensure that Harley is in an environment filled with courage and love to guarantee the child's healthy growth.

This is my duty as a headmaster, and it is also how I, as an elder, atone for the mistakes I have made.

It was my error back then, choosing the wrong person for the task, which led to the death of Harley's parents."

(Thanks to book friend 20200324232426523 for the tip!)