The Halloween Feast.
The students below happily ate the delicious food before them.
The decorations in the Great Hall were no different from those of previous Halloweens.
A thousand bats fluttered around the walls and ceiling.
Another thousand circled above the tables like low clouds, making the candle flames inside the pumpkins flicker.
Douglas watched the bats closely, afraid they might fly over his head and crap on him.
As Snape ate from his plate, he said in a mocking tone:
"Heh. Do certain people consider bats a delicacy too?
"Then why have none of the bat innards or wings ever gone missing from my lessons?"
Douglas rolled his eyes and did not volunteer to take the insult personally.
Dumbledore seemed interested:
"I remember a kind of bat sweet, a tiny thing. Put it in your mouth and it hangs upside down from your palate, then flies away when you open your mouth..."
Almost nobody responded. After all, when it came to sweets, not even the most food-loving Hufflepuffs dared claim to know more than Dumbledore.
Douglas looked at the enormous pumpkins, almost big enough to seat three people inside, and wondered whether to liven things up in a bit.
Otherwise, this feast was far too dull.
In previous years, the ghosts had sung, and occasionally Dumbledore had even invited creatures that did not belong to the world of the living to perform.
The Skeleton Dance Troupe, for example.
But Dumbledore had not invited the Skeleton Dance Troupe this year either.
Everyone could only enjoy their delicious food in peace.
Just then, Hagrid leaned toward Douglas and spoke in what he thought was a quiet voice:
"Hey, Douglas, those pumpkin lanterns are pretty, aren't they? I grew them all and carved them myself.
"By the way, fancy some chicken tonight?"