chapter 181 part 1
Chapter 178: The Headless Horseman (Mistake)
"Hey, Harry, what do you think the Professor is doing, all mysterious-like?"
After circling the tables and finding absolutely nothing edible, a disappointed Ron started chatting idly with Harry.
Celebrating Halloween surrounded by ghosts sounded cool, but the reality was just so-so, especially without any food. Growing boys get hungry easily, and once their stomachs started protesting, everything else lost its appeal.
"How should I know—" Harry was hungry too. If he hadn't promised Nick he'd put in a good word for him, he would have slipped out long ago.
Having the Professor around provided a great sense of security, but you couldn't eat a Professor to fill your stomach...
"Heavens!"
A cry of surprise came from the distance, and then, as if contagious, it spread throughout the entire venue.
"What happened!"
"Baron!"
"Quick, let's go see!"
As Harry and Ron exchanged surprised glances, the ghosts in the area began to stir into a frenzy. The pearly-white ghosts dropped whatever they were doing and rushed recklessly toward the ceiling.
"What's wrong with them?"
Ron's mouth hung open. Even though he had grown up in the Wizarding World, he had never seen such a spectacle. Hundreds of white orbs of light shot toward the sky, looking as if they were about to punch right through the ceiling.
"How should I know!"
Harry looked just as stunned. He began to look around, hoping to find a ghost he knew to clear up his confusion.
But there were none. The once-joyful dungeons seemed to have become empty in a matter of seconds—the dancers, the guests, and even the band were gone.
The noisy musical saws were scattered on the floor, their masters having already charged toward the ceiling.
Harry finally managed to spot the 'person' who had invited him, the one and only Nearly Headless Nick.
The knight was a step behind the other ghosts, but just as Harry's confused gaze fell upon him, the host, as if in a fit of pique, shot upward faster than anyone else and slammed headfirst into the ceiling.
The light from the chandelier with its burning blue candles flickered in the draft created by the passing ghosts. The flames wavered, shrinking and growing, before being extinguished completely. Darkness began to consume the already faint light, and the chill in the air became even more pronounced in the dark.
A massive fireball abruptly appeared in mid-air, followed by a ball of blue fire lighting up beside it.
"Two more. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, where are you?"
The Professor's voice came from afar. Only then did Harry pull out his wand and light it with a Lumos.
"Professor, we're over here!"
Ron waved his hand—his wand was malfunctioning, so he wouldn't take it out unless he absolutely had to.
"Good, as long as you're safe," the Professor's voice replied, his tone relaxed. "Those fellows are quite rude. Leaving is one thing, but turning off the lights too."
Harry heard a finger snap, and the chandelier above began to grow brighter. He couldn't help but look up—the extinguished candles were being relit, row by row, from the inside out. Though the color of the flames was still intimidating, the light had finally returned.
'Not bad. Spellcasting has become much easier with the ghosts gone. A horde of ghosts is quite terrifying in its own right.'
William nodded, the fireball he controlled still burning in his hand. "Miss Weasley, how did it go with questioning the ghosts about their memories?"
He received no answer, but one look at the child's face told William everything he needed to know. The atmosphere was just too awful. He figured that once the novelty wore off, no one would want to stay any longer, let alone conduct a detailed interrogation.
"Alright, then try to find some friends you made when you started school and see what they have to say. But remember, don't acknowledge any conditions or promises your past self might have made. If anyone tries to force you, go find your Head of House."
William had no qualms about adding to Professor McGonagall's workload.
"What about the rest of you? Is there anything else you haven't done—who's there?"
William's wand moved faster than his voice. An Impediment Jinx shot toward the corner of the wall before he had even finished speaking.
But it was useless. Twelve ghost horses passed through the Impediment Jinx as if mocking it, the Headless Horsemen atop them charging fiercely toward the center of the venue.
'Damn it—what is this?!'
William gritted his teeth and waved his wand. A strange purple light emanated from it, rushing frantically toward the lead knight. The large ghost let out a scream and spurred his horse downward, but it was no use. The purple light struck him, and a thin layer of ice spread across his body, swiftly freezing both him and his horse in place.
The once-smug knights came to an abrupt halt, their headless bodies facing William. "What did you do!"
William didn't say a word, merely aiming his wand at the next knight. Having just left a crowd of ghosts, he wasn't in the best condition; he could only use Dark Magic a few more times.
"We surrender! We're just here to attend the feast!"
The Headless Horseman targeted by the wand quickly raised his hands. The head he had been holding tucked under his arm fell to the ground, sank halfway into the floor, then floated back up, shouting loudly.
'Attend the feast?'
William, who had been about to cast a second spell, stopped instantly. Although the place was now as empty as a ghostly realm, a short while ago it had literally been a ghostly realm, with a bunch of ghosts celebrating a birthday...
'Are these late-arriving guests?'
William suspected this in his mind, but his actions didn't stop. He waved his non-wand hand behind him. "You lot, get behind me."
The four children quickly moved to his side. Only then did William turn to question the Headless Horseman in front.
"The feast started long ago. Why are you only just arriving?"
'What feast? This place looks like it's just been robbed!'
The Headless Horseman looked at the messy floor, complaining inwardly, but didn't dare to voice his thoughts. He spoke with a particularly aggrieved tone, "We're the Headless Hunt, the final act! We came especially to celebrate Nick's birthday. We're quite famous..."
'Quite famous?'
How come I've never heard of you? The rumors in Azkaban spread like wildfire, but I never heard of a group like this.
"You lot, have you heard of the Headless Hunt?"
William asked in a low voice. His information on this subject was indeed weak. Although they were only students behind him, they might know more anecdotes and tall tales, especially since two of them were from pure-blood families.
But William never expected that the one to answer was Harry, the person he thought least likely to know.
"I remember, Professor," Harry said, also lowering his voice. "Nick asked me to put in a good word for him with this group's leader. He's always dreamed of joining them."
So they really are guest performers?