Halloween / Samhain

The magical duel incident ended without a sound.

Kano did not go with them; he knew Malfoy was a total rookie. Ron went along as Harry's assistant, while Hermione, worried they would be caught by Filch and lose points, was dragged along as well.

When they returned, the front of Harry's pajamas was speckled with blood, but he was absolutely exhilarated.

Kano had not woken up at all, and Harry did not want to disturb him. He stayed up all night just to tell him the good news. By the time Kano woke up to do his morning training, Harry had already fallen asleep.

It was not until noon that Harry, yawning and exhausted yet unable to hide his excitement, told Kano about what had happened the night before at the dining table.

"When Malfoy showed up, his face was terrifyingly pale," Harry said excitedly. "He seemed really unwilling to fight."

"Looks like our guess was right." Kano nodded, signaling for Harry to continue.

"He raised his wand to cast a spell on me. It sounded like it might have been the Bucktooth Curse."

"But I didn't wait for him to finish the incantation. I stepped forward and punched him right in the nose."

Ron leaned in too. "Malfoy's nose started bleeding right away, and he began crying too. What was it he said again?"

"I'm telling my father!"

Hermione added, and the Gryffindors nearby who had been listening burst into laughter.

"The best part was that he forgot to surrender," Ron continued. "When Harry saw that he wouldn't admit defeat, he used every spell he knew on him."

Kano turned to Harry, who sheepishly held up three fingers.

"The Dancing Spell, the Bucktooth Curse, and finally the Full Body-Bind Curse."

Kano immediately pictured Malfoy with blood streaming from his nose, his front teeth stretched absurdly long, dancing nonstop—then, with a smack, his limbs snapping tight against his body as he fell stiffly to the ground.

Everyone looked toward the Slytherin table at the same time. When Malfoy saw Harry, he instinctively covered his nose.

This time, every table except Slytherin erupted in laughter.

Malfoy really was unpopular.

After sharing the happy news, Harry told Kano that they had nearly been caught by Filch.

That was because Malfoy's lackey, Crabbe, knocked over a suit of armor while carrying the rigid Malfoy away, alerting the constantly patrolling Filch.

The three of them had been forced into the forbidden area that Dumbledore had said might get them killed.

"There was a huge three-headed dog inside, and beneath it was a trapdoor." Harry sounded extremely excited.

Hermione immediately sternly warned Harry and Ron to forget the whole thing, but Harry's expression made it clear that none of it had sunk in.

Ron once again said Hermione was meddling, and Hermione left angrily.

Kano smiled and did not give the matter another thought. It was all part of old Dumbledore's excellent fishing tactics.

During morning training, he and Owen once again fought to a draw. Owen told him to go to the edge of the Black Lake on the night of Samhain to perform a ritual.

Merlin had made some progress in his research on hell and needed to speak with him in person.

Samhain was one of the four seasonal festivals of the ancient Celts.

Imbolc celebrated the coming of spring, Beltane marked the arrival of summer, Lughnasadh celebrated the harvest, and Samhain marked the end of the year.

During Samhain, the barrier between Fairyland and the mortal world would weaken, allowing countless fairies to wander the mortal realm.

It was a day when order collapsed and common sense failed, and many Druid rituals were tied to it.

Halloween had absorbed some of Samhain's traditions, even falling on the same date.

For Kano, Samhain held even more extraordinary significance—it was the day his mother had conceived him. It could be said that his soul had arrived in this world on that day when heaven and earth were turned upside down.

The days passed one by one. Every day, Kano either trained, attended class, or buried himself in the library. He was gradually integrating the ancient Druid knowledge he had learned with modern wizardry, designing a unique combat style.

On the eve of Halloween, the entire castle smelled of roasted pumpkin.

Kano could not help missing the fried foods from New Year celebrations in his previous life. Pumpkin cakes had been a yearly staple.

Even though he was an adult mentally, he had to admit that he was homesick. Not only for the tiny rented room from his previous life, but also for the little wooden house in Fairyland that belonged to him in this life.

Carrying a faint, inexplicable melancholy, he attended the Halloween feast.

Yes, the main dishes were still all kinds of roast meat and potatoes.

Kano vaguely remembered that Quirrell would cause trouble today, and that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would officially become the Golden Trio.

He had no intention of interfering. He only wanted to fill his stomach quickly and go meet Merlin later.

Just as Kano started on his third piece of roast meat, Quirrell rushed into the Great Hall, his face full of terror.

"Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."

With that, he collapsed to the floor. The younger students cried out in terror, while Kano calmly swallowed his last bite of meat.

"Silence!"

Several bursts of purple fireworks shot from Dumbledore's wand, and the restless Great Hall quieted down.

"Prefects, lead the students back to their common rooms."

Percy immediately sprang into action, leading the Gryffindor students toward their common room.

Harry suddenly remembered that Hermione had not attended the feast. She was still crying in the girls' bathroom.

"Ron, there's a troll roaming the castle right now. Hermione didn't come to the feast—she doesn't know anything."

Ron pursed his lips. "Fine, just don't let Percy see us."

Harry looked around, wanting to bring Kano along. But Kano had already slipped out of the Great Hall amid the chaos and was walking slowly toward the Black Lake.

He took off his Hogwarts school robes, revealing the close-fitting clothes beneath, transformed from the Oak Robe.

Then, beneath the moonlight, the Oak Robe turned pure white.

Kano took out a small piece of bread containing mistletoe seeds, which he had asked the Hogwarts house-elves to make, then pulled out a vial of potion brewed from morning dew and herbs. He stuffed both into his mouth.

After swallowing them, he found an oak tree by the Black Lake and lay back directly beneath it.

Countless supple branches immediately drooped from the oak, forming a hammock that caught Kano.

Kano had already fallen into a deep sleep, his spirit leaving his body.

Kano entered the gap between Fairyland and the mortal world. Unlike the simple ritual usually performed in the mist by the lake, this place was closer to Fairyland and could bear far greater power.

Without doing this, there was simply no way someone as powerful as Merlin could appear before Kano.

Within the gray mist, a figure with a long beard and a diagonally striped robe appeared before Kano.

"Teacher Merlin, you're here."

"I'm here, Kano. Happy holidays." Merlin smiled as he stepped forward and patted Kano on the head. "Looks like you've grown quite a bit taller."

"That's how children are. They look different every day."

After the master and disciple exchanged a few pleasantries, Merlin's expression turned serious.

"Let's get to business. I've found a way to defeat Mordred without entering Hell."