Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 731: Halloween, Slughorn’s Ball

Halloween arrived just after the first Quidditch match of the season. The pumpkins Hagrid had planted in the field by the gates were brought into Hogwarts. No one knew exactly what he’d done to them, but they were enormous—easily six feet tall. If they had been fitted with wheels, they might have passed for carriages.

Once the pumpkins were delivered to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall took over, expertly transforming them into a variety of shapes: soaring eagles, regal lions, coiling snakes, dignified badgers, and even a few famous ghosts. Professor Flitwick added his own magical touch, enchanting the creations to float gracefully through the air.

Nearly Headless Nick stood proudly beside his pumpkin likeness, happily posing for photos with young witches and wizards. Meanwhile, the Fat Friar from Hufflepuff wandered nearby, grinning in delight at the festive atmosphere. However, students from the remaining two houses didn’t get the chance to enjoy their ghosts in the same way.

The Bloody Baron, true to his nature, had no interest in the festivities and didn’t bother appearing in the Great Hall. Helena Ravenclaw, the Grey Lady, was nowhere to be seen either. She had vanished a long time ago, and despite repeated searches, no one had been able to find her. Kyle had looked for her more than once, as had Dumbledore and even the enchanted portraits in the Headmaster’s Office. They had scoured the castle from top to bottom, but their efforts were fruitless.

Eventually, Kyle gave up the search. If Helena Ravenclaw didn’t want to be found, there was little anyone could do. After all, the castle itself had been designed by her mother, Rowena Ravenclaw. If the Grey Lady wanted to remain hidden, Hogwarts would willingly keep her secrets.

“Hey, this looks great,” Mikel said, admiring the decorations as he made his way from the common room to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. “It’d be perfect if The Weird Sisters or the Skeleton Dance Troupe were performing this year.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that,” Ryan sighed. “Everyone’s too busy hiding from the Death Eaters to come all the way to Hogwarts for a Halloween dinner.”

“But the Skeleton Dance Troupe is made up of skeletons,” Mikel said, frowning in confusion. “Can the Killing Curse even work on them?”

“Er…” Ryan faltered, clearly stumped by the question. After a moment’s pause, he finally replied, “Maybe the Death Eaters have some other way.”

It was the only explanation they could come up with.

…

The group sat down at the Hufflepuff table just as the professors entered through the small door at the far end of the Great Hall.

“Oh no…” Kanna murmured suddenly.

“What?” Kyle turned to her, curious.

“Professor Slughorn…” Kanna began, her voice tinged with exasperation. “I just remembered he’s hosting another party right after dinner. Floda gave me the invitation an hour ago.”

“Oh, and there’s one for you too. Since you were in the library, Floda handed it to me.”

“What? How many parties is he throwing this month?” Kyle groaned.

“This is the fifth one this month,” Kanna replied, sounding as tired as Kyle felt.

“Okay,” Kyle said, a little at a loss. “Just use the same excuse as last time and turn him down. After dinner, I just want to relax in the warm common room. Even just sitting and daydreaming sounds better than going to one of his parties!”

“I’m afraid that won’t work this time,” Kanna sighed. “Professor Snape had to leave the school on some business, and Professor Slughorn must have heard about it in advance. He told Floda to pass on the message that I must attend.”

“Professor Snape left the school?” Kyle asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, just an hour ago,” Kanna confirmed. “And less than five minutes later, I got the invitation.”

“He timed that perfectly,” Kyle remarked, shaking his head.

“So…” Kanna hesitated, blinking up at him. “Can I invite you to the party?”

“Professor Snape leaving has nothing to do with me, and my excuse still works,” Kyle replied, raising an eyebrow. “After all, the Ministry of Magic doesn’t take a holiday on Halloween.”

“But Professor Slughorn insists that everyone bring their own dance partner,” Kanna explained, clearly anticipating his response. “If you refuse, I’ll have to ask Mikel to be my date. I heard Slughorn invited a ghostly dance troupe just for the occasion, and I think Mikel would love to go.”

“Actually, I am pretty interested in seeing a ghostly dance troupe,” Kyle said quickly. “And let’s face it, Mikel can’t even walk across the room without tripping over his own feet, let alone dance.”

Kanna let out a soft exclamation, surprised by his change of heart.

Thankfully, the dinner began at that moment. A lavish spread appeared on the golden plates, and the warm aroma of pumpkin filled the Great Hall, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

The enticing scent distracted Kanna, who stopped staring at Kyle and eagerly reached for a piece of golden-brown Pumpkin Pasty.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” she said with delight. “Outside of Halloween, it feels like the school kitchen only knows how to make pumpkin into drinks.”

Kyle grabbed a slice of pumpkin pie for himself, savoring its rich but less greasy flavor. It was one of his favorites.

“As you said, this kind of thing only shows up on Halloween,” he remarked. “The rest of the time, the only thing remotely pumpkin-related is Pumpkin Juice.”

“Oh, yes,” Kanna suddenly remembered something midway through dinner. “You should write a letter to Fred and George and tell them to stop sending Love Potions to school disguised as Invigoration Draught. Itʼs just adding to our workload.”

“What’s wrong with them?” Kyle asked, looking puzzled.

“You don’t know?” Kanna gave him a pointed look. “I’ve confiscated several bottles of Love Potion recently, all of them from Weasleysʼ Wizard Wheezes. They’ve been repackaging the Love Potions to look like Flasks of Invigoration Draught, complete with proper labels, so they can sneak past Filch’s inspections.”

“You know Dark Detectors only work on Dark Magic, right? Love Potions aren’t classified as dangerous, so they’re exploiting that loophole.”

“Well, actually, you don’t have to worry too much about it...” Kyle whispered, leaning in to explain. “Fred and George have made some adjustments to the Love Potion. They’ve reduced its ability to cloud judgment and increased its tendency to inspire harmless, over-the-top behavior. Basically, it’s closer to a prank now. The effects only last for ten minutes, so even if you let it slide, it’s not likely to cause major problems.”

“Hearing you put it that way, I don’t particularly care,” Kanna replied softly. “But Romilda Vane and Antonella, who bought some, seemed to be planning to pour it into the Pumpkin Juice you were going to drink, so you might want to be more careful.”

Kyle’s hand, mid-way to his mouth with a sandwich, froze. His eyes twitched slightly. “You must be joking. Who on earth would give me a Love Potion?”

“Quite a few,” Kanna replied matter-of-factly, counting on her fingers. “Besides the two I just mentioned, there’s Paya, Darlene, and Kvarl… and those are just the ones I’ve caught. Who knows how many more there are.”

“Anyway, good luck. I really don’t want to see you tap-dancing on the table one day.”

Kanna’s comment referred to an incident two days earlier when a Gryffindor student had leapt onto a table during breakfast and performed a clumsy tap dance in front of the entire Hall. It turned out that the unfortunate student had mistakenly drunk Harry’s Pumpkin Juice, which had been laced with Love Potion, and the results had been... memorable.

Recalling that scene, Kyle’s expression darkened.

“That’s too much,” he said angrily. “Fred and George have gone too far. Selling Love Potions to students is outrageous! It’s downright shameless. Don’t worry, I’ll write to them right now and give them a piece of my mind. They need to stop this immediately.”

Without waiting for dinner to finish, Kyle stormed over to a table in the Great Hall, pulled out parchment and a quill, and began writing furiously. His unusual behavior drew curious glances from students around him, who whispered among themselves, speculating about what Kyle was up to.

Kyle didn’t care. After finishing the letter to Fred and George, he still felt unsettled. So, he started writing another letter—this one addressed to Mr. Weasley himself. In it, he reported the Weasleysʼ Wizard Wheezes for illegally selling Love Potions to Hogwarts students.

Satisfied, Kyle tapped his wand on the letters. They immediately folded themselves into paper airplanes, which zipped out of the Great Hall, turned a corner, and flew out of the castle. Outside, a massive owl swooped down from the Forbidden Forest, snatched the letters mid-air, and carried them off into the distance.

Back in the Great Hall, Kyle let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling assured the situation was being handled. But after that, he refused to touch another sip of Pumpkin Juice—especially if someone offered it to him.

Dinner ended soon after, and students began heading back to their common rooms. Some rushed off quickly, while others left before dinner had even finished. After all, they needed time to change into their ball attire.

It was a formal ball, and Slughorn had requested that everyone dress accordingly. While it was technically possible to dance in regular school robes, he wanted to recreate the elegance of the Triwizard Tournament ball.

”If I had a choice, I’d rather go to the last dinner party than deal with some ball,” Kanna said, glancing at the two seventh-year Slytherin girls who had already changed into their dress robes. They stood in the middle of the foyer, preening like a pair of peacocks.

“Those kinds of dresses are so uncomfortable to wear, and they donʼt have pockets, so I don’t know where to put my cauldron…”

Kyle turned his head, startled. “You carry your cauldron with you?”

He could understand carrying a couple of potion bottles, but a cauldron seemed excessive.

“Yes,” Kanna replied matter-of-factly, pulling a small cauldron, no bigger than her fist, out of her pocket. “It can be resized with a counter-spell.” She tucked it back into her robes. “I got into the habit last year when I was working on perfecting the Recovery Potion. I always wanted to be able to test combinations of ingredients on the spot. It turned out to be pretty useful, so I’ve just kept carrying it around.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but why not put it in a Mokeskin pouch?”

“Because the pouch is already full,” Kanna said, her tone utterly practical. “There’s not enough room for all the finished potions and herbs—let alone a cauldron.”

Fair enough. Kyle couldn’t argue with her logic.

At that moment, Kanna was still mulling over how to carry her cauldron after changing into her dress robes. Seeing her dilemma, Kyle had an idea. He waited until no one was looking, then discreetly took out his wand and pointed it at her.

In an instant, her school uniform began to shimmer and shift. The fabric turned a deep blue-purple, the hem extending until it transformed into elegant dress robes.

“Transfiguration…” Kanna blinked in surprise.

“Well, I saw something similar at Madame Malkinʼs over the holidays,” Kyle explained, shrugging. “The details probably aren’t as fine as the real thing, but it’s a close enough copy.”

“This is fine,” Kanna said, examining the robes. She lowered her voice. “No one will be able to tell.”

In the wizarding world, wearing Transfigured dress robes to a ball was generally frowned upon. If discovered, the wearer would almost certainly become the subject of ridicule. Two years ago, Ron Weasley had only managed to alter his second-hand dress robes, and the thought of using Transfiguration likely never crossed his mind—or maybe it just didn’t occur to him.

“Don’t worry,” Kyle reassured her with a casual wave of his hand. “As long as Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore don’t show up, no one will notice.”

He then cast the same spell on his own robes, transforming them into something more suitable for the evening.

“That’s good,” Kanna said cheerfully, clearly trusting Kyle’s judgment. She gave the robes a small spin and smiled as she realized something. Aside from being convenient, these Transfigured robes had another distinct advantage: since they were still technically her school uniform, the weight and feel of the garment hadn’t changed. It was far more comfortable than the stiff, heavy gowns most people wore.

Since it was Halloween and there was a ball, Slughorn had invited a large number of guests. With everyone paired up with dance partners, the crowd was even larger than expected.

As Kyle and Kanna stepped into Slughorn’s office, the air was filled with lively noise. Laughter, music, and chatter grew louder with every step they took.

Slughorn had used magic to expand the room, making it far larger than the typical professor’s office. Draperies of every color hung from the walls and ceiling, which was adorned with a giant golden pumpkin lantern. Inside the pumpkin, rather than a candle, dozens of tiny fairies flitted about with lanterns, creating the effect of countless flickering lights.

The waitstaff, House-elves from the kitchens, darted between the guests, balancing trays of colorful drinks as they wove expertly through the crowd.

“Oh… Kyle, Kanna, my children!” Slughorn’s booming voice greeted them even before they had stepped fully into the room. “It wasn’t easy getting the two of you to come... but as I said before, you can’t hide from me forever.”

“Professor, that’s so sad,” Kyle said with an exaggeratedly remorseful tone. “We wanted to come to the party so badly, but there was no way around it. Professor Snape kept getting in the way and wouldn’t let Kanna come. And, as you can imagine, working at the Ministry of Magic can be so boring.”

“Oh, yes, I know all about that,” Slughorn replied with a wink and a jovial smile. “I was only joking. You’ve got your wish today, haven’t you? Come on in; there are so many people I want you to meet.”

He turned and cheerfully walked deeper into his office, leaving Kyle and Kanna no choice but to exchange glances and follow.

“That’s Worple, an old student of mine,” Slughorn said as they entered the bustling room, gesturing toward a short man not far away, who was currently in conversation with Harry. “He’s the author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires... and of course, his friend, Sanguini.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow at the title. It had the same self-aggrandizing flair as Lockhart’s books, but the difference was that Worple’s account was entirely genuine. He really had lived among vampires.

Standing next to Worple was Sanguini, a bona fide vampire. Tall and strikingly handsome, his pallid skin and deep, dark circles under his eyes gave him an air of perpetual exhaustion. His demeanor, however, shifted noticeably when a young woman passed by. His lips curled faintly as he licked them, his eyes gleaming hungrily.

Sanguini suddenly stiffened, his gaze locking onto Kyle. Then, as his attention shifted, he caught sight of Kanna. His dark eyes immediately brightened, his expression changing to one of almost predatory fascination. There was something about Kanna that stood out to him—a unique, enticing fragrance that she seemed to exude. To Sanguini, it was like the tantalizing scent of rosemary seasoning a perfectly cooked steak, making him involuntarily salivate.

Kyle noticed Sanguini’s behavior and muttered under his breath to Kanna, “Vampires like talented wizards. Especially witches.”

Kanna frowned, her unease visible. “I know. Lockhart mentioned it in one of his books. I just find the whole thing really strange.”

Kyle shrugged. “That’s easy to handle.” He casually bent down, reaching into his suitcase, and cracked it open just a little.

The other students in the room, preoccupied with the music, laughter, and their own conversations, didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. But Sanguini froze. His body stiffened as a shiver ran down his spine.

For a moment, he seemed to instinctively sense several overwhelmingly dangerous presences emanating from the slightly open suitcase. Each of those presences felt as if it could easily tear him apart.

Sanguini’s expression changed entirely. He stiffened, his earlier hunger dissipating in an instant. Without a word, he turned stiffly, trying to act casual as he moved to hide behind Worple, who was a head shorter and utterly oblivious to what had just transpired.

“You see? Easy,” Kyle said lightly, smiling as he expertly caught the Niffler that had jumped out of the suitcase. He tucked the mischievous creature back inside and shut the case with a satisfied click.