Countless shimmering ribbons of scale-like light hung down like fallen rainbows. Thousands of bats darted through the dark clouds formed beneath the enchanted ceiling. A poster for the famous Skeleton Band was pasted beneath the hall's school rules board—they would be putting on a grand performance tonight.
Just hearing about it made Harry's eyes nearly pop out.
But—
Thinking of Nearly Headless Nick possibly waiting for them eagerly, Harry really could not bear to stand him up.
Hermione said sternly, "We have to keep our promise!"
But Ron thought Miss Know-It-All was simply driven by curiosity.
"She just wants to see what a ghost party is really like. We shouldn't listen to her crazy ideas. Experience proves that whenever Hermione gets interested in something, it's probably not something normal people can accept!"
Unfortunately, Ron's complaints could not sway Harry's conscience.
As night fell, the Iron Triangle walked against the flow of the bustling crowd. The crowd headed toward the Great Hall, where firelight and laughter gathered, while they reluctantly made their way into the depths of the castle.
The location of Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party was beneath the castle's main tower, in the Slytherin dungeons. Hogwarts had numerous underground structures, and the Slytherin dungeons were only a small part of them.
Over the long years, many underground areas had fallen into disuse. They were usually sealed off with magic, and no one was allowed inside.
Not even ghosts!
So Nick could only ask Snape, the Head of Slytherin House, to spare a few classrooms for the party.
"Honestly, when Nearly Headless Nick told me Snape had generously agreed to his request, I thought the sun had risen in the west."
As they headed down the gloomy staircase toward the Slytherin dungeons, Ron said sarcastically, "That old bat actually didn't