The Third Attack

Hagrid rarely asked them for a favor, so the group didn't hesitate and readily agreed.

Fortunately, the Beast Repelling Charm was just a simple incantation. Although the task was enormous, with the combined efforts of the six people, it was finally completed by evening.

They also received a gift of thanks from Hagrid.

Cedric and Kyle obtained a large handful of Augurey feathers, all from the largest wing feathers, perfect for making quill pens.

Kanna and Qiu's bag was a small pouch for holding hair accessories and change. It was somewhat roughly woven, but the Unicorn Hair material made up for the lack of craftsmanship.

Of the six, only Fred and George returned empty-handed.

Kneazle aren't easy to find; it takes time.

Hagrid tells Fred and George to go back to the cabin after Christmas so they can see the Kneazle.

Whether Fred and George can gain the Kneazle ' trust and bring them home depends on their own abilities.

After all, these Fantastic Beasts are very intelligent; if they don't like something, they can always escape.

"I wish tomorrow were Christmas," Fred said expectantly on the way back to the castle.

"What if the Kneazle doesn't like us?" George asked nervously, glancing at Cho and Kanna. "Perhaps, a small bag would be nice; Ginny would like that too."

"Why didn't you say so then!" Fred glanced at him.

"I just remembered that too..."

The group chatted and laughed all the way back to the castle. With some time to spare before dinner, they decided to visit the Room of Requirement on the Seventh Floor first.

Ever since Kyle told them about that magical place, it has become a great place to kill time.

They had only just reached the third floor when a shrill voice came from the corridor on the left.

"They've attacked! They've attacked again! No one, human or ghost, can escape! Run for your lives!"

The sound has extremely strong penetrating power.

Kyle and the others exchanged glances, then, forgetting all about the Room of Requirement, rushed over there.

In a dimly lit corridor, they encountered Peeves shouting and yelling, along with two ghosts in bizarre states.

Nearly Headless Nick, and Bloody Baron, were now completely black and shrouded in smoke, lying flat and suspended six inches above the ground.

Nearly Headless Nick, had half his head missing, and a look of utter terror froze on his face.

Harry stood between the two ghosts, looking at them in a panic.

Meanwhile, more and more people flocked in, but surprisingly, no one approached the two ghosts or Harry. Everyone stood on both sides of the corridor, looking at Harry in the middle with complicated expressions.

"I... I'm not..."

Harry felt like his stomach had frozen solid. He wanted to explain, but the words that came out were weak and powerless.

Suddenly, someone broke the silence and asked:

"Harry, did you see who turned them like this?"

"I didn't see it." Harry, as if grasping at a straw, quickly explained, "They were like this when I arrived, and then Peeves came, and he..."

"Stop talking nonsense, you did it!"

Macmillan of Hufflepuff pushed his way through the crowd. "Kyle, don't be fooled by him, he's a Parseltongue."

Moreover, at the Duelling Club, he once controlled a snake and tried to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley.

And Justin Finch-Fletchley just said he was going to come up to the third floor to get the book he forgot in the Transfiguration Class classroom."

"You must have overheard our conversation, didn't you?" he said, looking at Harry. "Luckily, I lent him my book, otherwise you would have succeeded!"

Behind Macmillan, a curly-haired boy stared at Harry in terror. His face was ashen, and he instinctively moved closer to Kyle, as if that made him feel safe.

"No, I didn't..." Harry explained, "I've been in the library all afternoon, I didn't go anywhere else, how could I have been eavesdropping on your conversation!"

They were all caught red-handed...

"Enough, Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall stepped out from the crowd and said sternly.

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of Astronomy also arrived. They stepped forward and bent down to examine the two ghosts.

Peeves kept floating around above my head, looking very happy.

Ever since seeing Bloody Baron turn into that state, Peeves's smile has never stopped; he even composed a song about it.

"Oh, Harry Potter, you rascal, look what you've done!"

You played with the ghost and found it kind of funny...

"Stop fooling around, Peeves!" Professor McGonagall roared.

Peeves stuck his tongue out at Harry and ran to the other side to greet Kyle.

"Oh, Kyle, you'd better watch out, don't get killed... but it wouldn't be bad if you became a ghost."

"Peeves!" Professor McGonagall shouted again, and Peeves happily ran away.

The two professors dispersed the crowd, and Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan and handed it to Kyle, asking him to help take the Nearly Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron to the Hospital Wing.

Kyle nodded and fanned the two ghosts down the stairs like he was fanning balloons.

Professor McGonagall went upstairs, saying to Harry, "Come with me, Harry Potter."

"Professor!" Harry exclaimed quickly, "I swear I didn't..."

"This is beyond my control. Dumbledore wants to speak with you," Professor McGonagall replied briefly.

Their voices faded into the distance, and soon nothing could be heard at all.

Kyle led the two ghosts through the Entrance Hall toward the Hospital Wing.

They attracted so much attention that everyone they encountered along the way stared at them with curiosity.

"Kyle, what are you doing... Oh, isn't that the ghost from Gryffindor?"

In the courtyard, Kyle also encountered Lockhart, who looked at the Nearly Headless Nick and asked, "Did they make themselves a new set of clothes?"

"It's an attack, Professor," Kyle said. "Just like the last two."

"Of course I know that's how it is. They must be under some kind of curse." Lockhart grinned. "I've seen ghosts like that in vampire castles. They angered the vampires and could only float on the ceiling like balloons."

However, after my persuasion, the vampires finally broke their curse... I just happened to remember the incantation."

"That's great." Kyle continued walking without stopping. "Then come with me to the Hospital Wing. Professor McGonagall asked me to take them there."

"Of course, no problem, but I need to go back first and reply to my admirer."

Lockhart flashed two rows of gleaming teeth. "Please tell Madam Pomfrey to wait a moment; I'll be right there to help her with this."

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey was also helpless with the two ghosts. She could only have Kyle fan them into a corner and then surround them with a curtain.

They won't run around unless there's wind.

Before leaving, Kyle casually remarked, "Professor Lockhart might be coming over in a bit."

"What is he doing here?" Madam Pomfrey asked, frowning.

"They said it was to help solve the problem of ghosts."

"Help?" Madam Pomfrey laughed in exasperation. "He can't even tell the difference between a clover and a twoleaf clover. That good-for-nothing who only knows how to make up stories..."

At this point, she suddenly realized that Kyle was also there, and quickly shut her mouth.

"It's nothing... You should go back now."