Halloween

By October, Hogwarts was already bitterly cold. Chilly winds swept dead leaves past the stone walls, a thin frost formed over the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest looked bleak and desolate, and the castle was pierced by cold. Mist clung to the corridor windows, and even roaring fireplaces could not keep out the chill. Students wrapped themselves tightly in cloaks and thick scarves, their white breath clearly visible. The wind on the Quidditch pitch cut like knives, hot drinks in the Great Hall quickly went cold, and the entire castle was steeped in crisp, biting autumn cold.

Madam Pomfrey suddenly noticed that more and more people had caught colds, leaving her so busy she could barely catch her breath. So she specially brewed a Pepperup Potion. Although it made smoke pour from one's ears for several hours after drinking it, it truly worked like a charm and cured colds immediately.

Ginny Weasley had always been frail, and her brother Percy practically forced her to drink some potion. For the next few hours, smoke kept rising from beneath her bright red hair. Anyone who did not know why might have thought her entire head was on fire. When Su Yu ran into her in the corridor, she was lowering her head and hurrying past, white smoke streaming from her ears in a thin trail behind her. When she saw Su Yu, her face reddened, and she ran even faster.

For several days in a row, raindrops hammered against the castle windows day and night like bullets. The lake rose, much of the soil in the flowerbeds washed away, and every path became a muddy mess. Hagrid's pumpkins went wild in the rain, all growing as large as little garden sheds.

Hermione Jane Granger was sitting at the Slytherin long table, telling Su Yu about what had recently happened to her two beloved sons. Coming to the Slytherin table now felt as natural to her as sitting with her own House. Naturally, Slytherin had nothing to say about it, and those little lions of Gryffindor were even less likely to go looking for trouble. The Nine-Tailed Fox lay beside her with a piece of cheesecake in front of her, taking small bites and occasionally looking up at Hermione.

Hermione said that one night, Harry had returned from Quidditch practice in the rain, soaked through and covered in mud. Then he ran into Nearly Headless Nick, and because they chatted for too long, Filch discovered them. Filch immediately rushed out, furiously berated Harry for dirtying the corridor, and dragged him into his dim office to fill out a punishment form. Just as Harry was about to write, a loud crash came from the corridor. Peeves was causing trouble.

Filch stormed out to catch him, and Harry took the chance to spot the "Kwikspell Introductory Correspondence Course Letter" on the desk, confirming Filch's secret as a Squib.

Hermione added that she had only learned what the word Squib meant later, after looking it up.

When Filch returned, he noticed that the letter had been moved and nervously demanded to know whether Harry had read it. Harry denied it. Afraid his secret would be exposed, Filch hurriedly let him go. Once Harry was outside, Nearly Headless Nick admitted that he had urged Peeves to create the commotion and save Harry. While causing the chaos, Peeves had also smashed one of Hogwarts' cabinets.

Hearing that, Su Yu seemed to understand something. So this was how the Vanishing Cabinet Malfoy spent an entire movie repairing had been broken. Poor Malfoy. Vanishing Cabinets came in pairs and could transport things across space.

Afterward, Nearly Headless Nick formally invited Harry to his 500th Deathday Party. It was a grand celebration for ghosts, and Nearly Headless Nick hoped human friends could witness his important moment. Harry happily agreed. To show support for his friend, he even promised to bring Ron and Hermione along to this special feast.

Hermione also said that when Ron heard the news, he looked thoroughly unwilling and complained, "Who wants to spend Halloween with a bunch of ghosts?" He wanted to attend the lively Halloween feast in the Great Hall instead. He had no interest whatsoever in the gloomy Deathday Party and was completely resistant to the idea.

But Hermione herself was intensely interested. She thought attending a ghost's Deathday Party would be incredibly special and was looking forward to it. As she spoke, her eyes even lit up. She leaned forward and unconsciously grabbed Su Yu's sleeve.

"Su Yu, could you come with me that night?" Hermione's voice carried a pleading note as she blinked up at him.

Su Yu had no choice but to agree to Hermione's request.

Then Su Yu also told Sister Fa, Sister Ka, and Daphne about it, asking them to return directly to the common room after dinner while he attended the party, then came back to celebrate the holiday with them. The three girls had no objections. As long as Su Yu could be with them when the Slytherin common room held its Halloween party, that was enough.

Rain still pattered against the windows, and outside was pitch-black, but inside was bright and cheerful.

Fireworks burst into beautiful colors and drifted down onto the chairs. Fred and George wanted to see what would happen if they fed Filibuster Fireworks to a salamander.

The little lions of Gryffindor were as energetic as ever. A large crowd gathered around to watch the salamander, which had already hidden beneath the table.

To everyone's surprise, the salamander suddenly flew into the air, circling the room wildly while spraying sparks and making thunderous noises. Percy shouted at Fred and George, his face turning red. "Make it stop!"

The salamander was headed straight toward Su Yu. The Nine-Tailed Fox lifted her head from her cheesecake, caramel sauce still clinging to the corner of her mouth, and fixed her amber eyes on it. She thought the salamander was coming to steal her food. At once, she bared her teeth and let out a low, threatening growl.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's growl was not loud, but the salamander trembled in fright, and even its sparks sprayed crookedly. It flew back in a frenzy while spitting fire, plunged headfirst into the fireplace, and refused to come out again.

As Halloween arrived, the Great Hall's Halloween feast was piled high with all kinds of food. Hagrid's giant pumpkins had been made into lanterns, and the biggest ones could fit three people inside. Rumor had it that Headmaster Dumbledore had even invited a skeleton dance troupe to perform.

At exactly seven o'clock, Hermione tugged Su Yu along while he wondered what was so entertaining about a skeleton dance troupe. What sort of mindset did someone need to enjoy watching skeletons dance?

The passage leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party was also lined with candles like the Great Hall, but these were far less pleasant. They were thin, long black candles, their flames bright blue, casting dim, ghostly shadows across their faces.

With every step they took downward, the temperature dropped a little further. Hermione shivered and wrapped her robes tightly around herself before snuggling into Su Yu's arms, accidentally squeezing the Nine-Tailed Fox out. The Nine-Tailed Fox gave Hermione an unhappy look, then let Hermione hold her and warmed her instead.

Then they heard a sound like a thousand fingernails scraping across an enormous blackboard.

"This isn't music, is it?" Ron said quietly. His face had gone pale, and his lips trembled, whether from cold or fear, nobody knew.

They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing beside a doorway draped in black-and-purple curtains.

"My dear friends," he said mournfully, "welcome, welcome... I'm so glad you could come..." He removed his feathered hat, bowed to them, and let them inside.

The scene within was even more unbelievable. Hundreds of pale, transparent people floated around the dance floor, waltzing to dreadful, spine-chilling music. On a platform beneath a black curtain, an orchestra enthusiastically played thirty chainsaws, while a branch-shaped chandelier overhead glowed blue. Their breath turned to mist, as though they had stepped into a freezer.

"Shall we walk around and have a look?" Harry suggested. He wanted to move his numb feet.

"Be careful not to walk through anyone," Ron said nervously. They walked along the edge of the dance floor and saw a group of glum nuns, a ragged man in shackles, and the plump Fat Friar—a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost—talking to a knight with an arrow lodged in his forehead. Harry was not at all surprised to see the Bloody Baron, a haggard Slytherin ghost covered in blood.

However, what Harry and the other two had not expected was that every ghost greeted Su Yu politely. The Bloody Baron drifted over, complaining that he had not seen Su Yu in a long time and asking why he had not been playing in the Forbidden Forest lately. The Fat Friar also came over to greet him, saying that Eastern University joke Su Yu had told him last time was hilarious and had kept him laughing for days. Even the knight with the arrow in his forehead nodded at Su Yu.

Ron muttered quietly that Su Yu had incredibly good ghost connections; almost every ghost here knew him.

Still in Su Yu's arms, Hermione complained to him that Moaning Myrtle was always scaring people in the girls' bathroom on the first floor. Every time Hermione went there, she had to knock three times first to make sure no one was inside—no living person, anyway—before she dared enter.

Ron suddenly shouted excitedly from the side, "The food's here!"

Ron and Harry eagerly walked over, only to be stunned by what they saw. A huge rotten fish lay on a silver platter, cakes burnt black as coal sat on trays, a massive piece of cheese covered in green mold and crawling with maggots was nearby, and there was an enormous gray cake shaped like a tombstone. Written on it in tar were the words: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington died October 31, 1492.

Harry watched in amazement as a burly ghost approached the table, bent over, and passed through the food with his mouth wide open, going straight through a stinking salmon.

"Can you taste anything when you pass through food?" Harry asked.

"A little," the ghost answered mournfully before floating away.

Ron looked as though he was about to vomit. He covered his mouth, his face turning green as his stomach began to feel unwell.

Su Yu, still holding Hermione, kept chatting with several ghosts. He asked the Bloody Baron about the Chamber of Slytherin, but the Bloody Baron said he did not know. After dying, he had not paid much attention to what happened in the castle. Then Su Yu glanced to the side and saw Moaning Myrtle being teased by Peeves and picking on Harry and Ron.

Moaning Myrtle floated over Harry and Ron's heads, tears falling drop by drop onto their hair and shoulders. Peeves pulled faces beside her, making Moaning Myrtle cry even harder. Harry and Ron stood between them, shivering and stammering, unsure whether they should comfort Moaning Myrtle or drive Peeves away.

Su Yu could not help laughing at the sight of the two boys. Hermione also poked her head out from Su Yu's arms. Seeing the miserable state of her two beloved sons, she finally left Su Yu's embrace, hugged the Nine-Tailed Fox, and went to rescue them.

By the time the orchestra began playing again and everyone returned to the dance floor, the three of them were chattering their teeth. Hermione was doing a little better, since she was still holding the Nine-Tailed Fox. Ron was nearly frozen solid, his lips purple and his entire body curled into a ball like a quail struck by frost.

The three decided to leave. They headed for the door together, smiling at every soul they passed, and during their retreat Hermione pulled Su Yu along too. Su Yu had been chatting happily, and the Bloody Baron had just been about to tell him an interesting story about Slytherin when Hermione grabbed his sleeve.

Seeing Hermione shivering from the cold, Su Yu could only pick her up and leave with Harry and the others.

A minute later, they hurried back into the corridor lined with black candles.

"Maybe they haven't finished the pudding yet," Ron said hopefully as he headed toward the Great Hall's stone steps.

Then Harry heard that voice.

"...tear... tear... kill..."

It was the same voice—the cold, spine-chilling voice he had heard in Lockhart's office. He stumbled and stopped, one hand against the stone wall, listening with all his concentration as he stared into the dim corridor.

"Harry, what are you—"

"It's that voice again—don't talk—"

"...I'm so hungry... waited so long..."

"Listen!" Harry said urgently. Ron stood frozen beside him, staring at Harry.

"...kill... time to kill..."

Su Yu sent a massive Susanoo fist directly toward the direction Harry had heard it from.

The entire castle of Hogwarts shook. A huge hole was punched through the wall, rubble and dust clattering down to reveal an empty room behind it. Aside from an overturned table and several broken chairs, there was nothing inside.

Hermione blanked out in Su Yu's arms for several seconds before she finally came to her senses and asked, "Why did you smash the wall, Su Yu? Harry might have been hearing things, you know! What do we do now? What do we do now..." She scrambled out of Su Yu's arms in panic, her mind racing through how to use a repairing charm. She raised her wand, lowered it, then raised it again.

Harry was startled too. He had not expected Su Yu to attack directly. But that voice was still there, only growing weaker. Harry was certain it had gone somewhere—upward.

There was nothing Su Yu could do. He did not have the Byakugan. If he had, that snake would not have survived past the second chapter.

"This way!" Harry shouted as he ran toward the stairs. He raced up the granite steps to the first floor, with Ron and Hermione close behind. Su Yu strolled after them. After all, he still had not found that diary, so Hermione remained in some danger.

"Harry, what are we—"

"Shh!" Harry strained his ears. Far away, above them in the ceiling, and growing fainter, he could still hear that voice. "...I smell blood... I smell blood!"

"It wants to kill someone!" Harry shouted. Ignoring Ron and Hermione's confused expressions, he charged upstairs three steps at a time. Amid the thud-thud-thud of his footsteps, his ears kept carefully tracking the sound. Harry raced to the second floor, Ron panting after him, while Su Yu leaped over holding Hermione and landed in the final empty corridor.

"Harry, what on earth is going on?" Ron wiped sweat from his face. "I can't hear anything..."

Suddenly, Hermione pointed down the corridor from Su Yu's arms and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Look!"

Something gleamed on the wall ahead. Step by step, they slowly approached the dim corridor with their eyes wide.

On the wall between two windows, letters the size of handprints gleamed faintly under the flickering torchlight.

"The Chamber has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware!"

"What's that—hanging underneath?" Ron said in a trembling voice.

They slowly moved closer. Harry suddenly slipped and nearly fell—there was a huge puddle of water on the floor. Ron and Hermione caught him.

They approached the writing, their eyes fixed on the black shape beneath it. They recognized it at once and all jumped back quickly.

Mrs Norris, Filch's cat. Her tail was tied to a torch bracket, her body stiff as a board, her eyes wide open and pupils dilated, utterly motionless.

They froze for several seconds. Su Yu narrowed his eyes at the cat, suspecting everyone. Who had taken that diary and come to Hogwarts? With no Ginny this time, who could it be?

Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"We should try to help—" Harry stammered.

"Trust me," Ron said, "we can't be found here."

But it was already too late. Several thunderous sounds in the distance told them the party had ended. Footsteps climbing stairs sounded from both ends of the corridor where they stood. Well-fed people talked happily and loudly, laughter and chatter mingling as they echoed through the hall. Before long, students poured in from both directions.

The moment everyone saw the upside-down cat, every sound stopped. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Su Yu stood in the middle of the corridor as the others silently crowded forward to look at the terrifying words on the wall.

In the silence, someone shouted.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You're next, Mudblood!"

At that moment, Malfoy stepped out from the crowd, his usually pale face flushed red as he said helplessly, "Chief, how many times have I told you not to kill people so openly... uh... kill cats... I mean, what's done is done, but so many people are watching. It really affects your image. It damages your dignity, you know..."

Theodore stepped out as well. He pushed up his glasses and slowly said, "The cat was not killed by the Chief. I just came out and killed it. The Chief merely happened to see it." His expression was calm, and his voice was not loud.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

Blaise walked over with a pained expression, holding his forehead, and smacked both Theodore and Malfoy on the back of the head. "Did you two eat so much that you left your brains in the Great Hall and only brought out the food? Forget killing a cat—if the Chief killed someone, would he need to scribble on the wall? Wouldn't it be better to let the Nine-Tailed Fox eat them and destroy the evidence?"

The Nine-Tailed Fox was in Hermione's arms. Hearing that, she immediately exploded.

She cursed from Hermione's embrace, "Bullshit! I don't eat human flesh, and I definitely don't eat cat meat! Stop pinning everything on me!"

Sister Fa, Sister Ka, and Daphne also came over to Su Yu at that moment and asked whether he was all right. The four of them tugged and fussed over him, making students from the other Houses twitch at the sight—if they had known this would happen, they would not have eaten so much just now. Looking at this made them want to throw up.

"What happened? What happened?"

There was no doubt that the students' cries caught Filch's attention. He shoved his way through the crowd with his shoulder. When he saw Mrs Norris, he staggered backward in terror, his face filled with horror.

"My cat! My cat! What happened to Mrs Norris?" he shrieked.

Then his eyes widened as he turned his gaze toward Harry.

"You!" he screamed. "It was you! You killed my cat! You killed her! I'll kill you! I'll—"