Hogwarts: From Little Wizard to White Lord

In the last few days of October, Hogwarts appeared to be carrying on as usual, but in truth, every young witch and wizard was harboring a restless excitement in their hearts.

During History of Magic lessons, first-years had started pestering Professor Binns with endless questions about the history of ghosts and spirits. This completely derailed his carefully planned lectures though no one could be sure whether the ghosts in question truly existed in the way the students imagined.

The ghostly professor finally lost his temper. He glared at Seamus Finnigan, who had his hand raised high, and barked, "Stop asking those foolish goblin-like questions! I will not answer them anymore. Put your hand down, Sean Panic. Five points from Hufflepuff!"

Seamus looked stricken. "Professor, my name isn't Sean Panic… and I'm not even in Hufflepuff…"

Before he could finish, Harry and Ron quickly grabbed him and clamped a hand over his mouth.

With the exception of History of Magic and Potions (where no one dared test their luck with Snape), the other professors seemed happy to let their students who had been buried in study for two months have a little fun.

Even the ever-strict Professor McGonagall took the time to Transfigure the classroom desks into a row of dancing skeletons, much to the class's amusement.

Professor Flitwick enthusiastically recounted a thrilling story from his youth about spending a Halloween night with both vampires and werewolves.

Amid such excitement and anticipation, October drew to a close. By the day before Halloween, Hogwarts was already wrapped in a festive air.

The weather, however, was far from pleasant.

At some point, the mountains surrounding the castle had become blanketed in snow and ice. The sky stayed an unbroken gray, and each morning a heavy frost coated the grounds.

This forced Hagrid to bundle himself up in his thick moleskin coat, rabbit-fur gloves, and matching hat, looking rather like a walking, furry mountain. With broom in hand, he worked hard to sweep frost from the schoolyard paths.

The morning of October 31st was no different.

Peter, carrying a book, passed through the courtyard and waved a greeting to Hagrid. Entering the Entrance Hall, he noticed that the usual braziers and torches had been replaced with glowing pumpkin lanterns.

Festive ribbons hung from the enchanted ceiling, and excited chatter filled the air as students discussed the decorations and speculated about what events might take place this Halloween.

Fred and George claimed that last year, Professor Dumbledore had invited a ghostly orchestra to perform. Their droning, eerie music had lulled half the audience to sleep before the evening was over.

Percy, however, insisted that as a prefect he had received no announcement from the school. He suspected there would be no special event this year. Speaking of Percy, Peter hadn't seen much of him since being sorted into Slytherin.

That was, until Percy discovered that his younger brother had somehow become popular across several Houses. One day, Percy approached Peter and said in a concerned voice, "Dear brother, I've been terribly busy lately, but I hope no one in Slytherin has been giving you trouble."

Peter had simply grinned in reply.

Harry, speaking in a low voice to Ron and Hermione, said, "There's definitely no performance this year. Dumbledore's still keeping all his little secrets. He'd never invite outsiders into the castle right now."

Hermione glanced at him with a hint of surprise. "I thought you'd be complaining that it wouldn't be lively enough."

"My life's already busy enough," Harry said gloomily.

As Quidditch season approached, Oliver Wood had been growing more and more obsessive. If his teammates hadn't threatened him with mutiny, he would probably have scheduled Quidditch practice for Halloween itself.

But that didn't mean Harry could escape practice this afternoon.

"Ron, you'll come with me this afternoon… uh…"

Harry decided to bring his good friend along to enjoy the evening.

But when he turned, he noticed Ron hadn't spoken a word. He sat frozen, eyes brimming with tears, wearing the expression of someone about to depart this life and taking one last, sorrowful look at the world.

"Ron, what's wrong with you?" Harry asked.

Ron gripped Harry's hand with great emotion and said, "Harry, take care of yourself from now on. When you grow up, make a lot of money. And if you ever have anything good to eat, drink, or do, remember to bring some back for me…"

Before he could finish, his voice was abruptly cut off by a Silencing Charm from across the table.

Harry glanced over to see Peter, calmly reading a book and sipping broth, tucking his wand away as though nothing had happened.

Harry looked around, but the students nearby were still chatting without the slightest hint of surprise.

Was it really that normal for Ron to be bullied by his own brother?

Without a word, Harry turned back, pretending not to notice Ron's wide-eyed, frantic struggle, his arms and legs flailing in protest.

…

That evening, after a grueling afternoon of Quidditch practice that left his hair sticking up like a windswept Mohawk, Harry trudged into the Great Hall. The place had been utterly transformed.

The professors had enchanted the pumpkin lanterns, filling them with dazzling bursts of color.

Bats flitted through the air in great swarms, weaving between shimmering ribbons and the starry sky enchanted onto the ceiling. Moonlight gleamed over the hall, and the long tables were piled high with an extravagant feast.

Harry made his way to his usual spot but only saw Hermione.

"Hermione, have you seen Ron?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, though her voice carried a note of distaste. "He was here earlier, stuffing himself with barbecue until grease covered his face. Then Peter called him away."

Harry didn't press further. For the past several days, Ron had been muttering about agreeing to some "devil's bargain" and regretting it ever since.

Perhaps the two brothers had gone off for another one of their "heart-to-heart talks."

Harry, feeling ravenous, quickly forgot about Ron once he set his eyes on the steaming plates in front of him.

But he had barely begun eating chewing on a potato when the doors of the Great Hall burst open.

Professor Quirrell came rushing in, his face drained of color. He hurried past the suddenly silent rows of students, crossed the length of the hall, and reached the staff table, gasping as he cried out to Dumbledore:

"Troll! Troll! In the dungeon…"

With that, he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

No one seemed to notice the peculiar way Dumbledore's eyes lingered on Quirrell. The students erupted into panic.

The older years, well aware of a mountain troll's destructive power, turned pale and spoke in urgent, hushed voices. The younger students, who didn't know the full danger, shrieked and shouted.

A few troublemakers even took advantage of the chaos to stir up more commotion.

The noise swelled until the hall was filled with bedlam.

At last, Dumbledore rose, his voice cutting through the clamor. After instructing several Heads of House to restrain their students, he cast a Sonorus Charm to amplify his voice.

"Silence! Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, the Halloween feast must be suspended. Prefects, please lead your Houses back to your common rooms. Professors, follow me to the dungeons."

Although Dumbledore left in haste, order was eventually restored. The Heads of the four Houses quickly followed his instructions, issuing orders to the prefects before hurrying toward the dungeons.

Like the other students, Harry and Hermione trailed after Percy without really understanding what was happening, overhearing classmates from wizarding families whispering about trolls some with genuine fear, others with unsettling excitement.

It wasn't until they were climbing the stairs that Harry suddenly froze. A jolt of realization shot through him, and he grabbed Hermione's sleeve in alarm.

"Ron and Peter!"

Hermione's face drained of color. "They don't know about the troll… I'm going to find Percy!"

Harry quickly stopped her. "Percy's too stubborn. He'll just insist on looking for the professors, and they're all down in the dungeons right now. I don't think Peter and Ron could have gone far. Let's search for them upstairs first."

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