Chapter 40: Spiritual Alert
On his way back to the dormitory, Tom was stopped by Padma, the cute and charming girl who was holding a steaming cup of milk tea. He had no reason to refuse, so Tom thanked her repeatedly as he accepted the cup.
The cup was filled with a caramel-colored milk tea, and although Tom had a strange feeling, he couldn't pinpoint the reason. However, with Padma looking at him expectantly, he took a small sip. It was surprisingly delicious!
"Wow, this is really good!" Tom praised, and then he drank the entire cup. As he did, he suddenly remembered that today was the eve of Halloween. There were rumors of a giant monster roaming the castle. All he needed to do was make sure Hermione didn't get separated, and everything would be fine. With this thought in mind, Tom's suspicions faded away.
In the afternoon, there was another Transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall, followed by the eagerly anticipated Halloween feast in the evening. However, as Tom left the Transfiguration classroom, he had an odd look on his face. He turned to Hermione and said, "You go ahead to the Great Hall. I need to use the restroom."
Hermione didn't think much of it and continued to the Great Hall, where the colorful Halloween decorations caught her eye, momentarily distracting her from Tom.
The Hogwarts staff had put a lot of effort into decorating the Great Hall for Halloween. Thousands of bats fluttered on the walls and ceiling, low-hanging clouds swirled above the dining tables, and their movement created eerie winds that made the candles in the jack-o'-lanterns flicker. All the candles in the hall had been enchanted to burn with blue flames, except for the ones in the pumpkin lanterns.
The suits of armor scattered throughout the hall had been bewitched by Professor McGonagall. As students passed by, they would randomly emit spooky howls.
Of course, what's Halloween without Peeves the Poltergeist? He hid inside lanterns, startling passing students by jumping out unexpectedly, or he would control the suits of armor to make them both howl and lunge at students. The worst prank he pulled was extinguishing all the candles in a classroom and locking a lone student inside while he invisibly tormented them. By the time their friends found them, the poor student had fainted from fear.
The Halloween feast was sumptuous, and the food appeared and disappeared magically, as was customary. Hermione was enjoying her meal, but as the feast reached its halfway point, she noticed that Tom hadn't returned. She began to feel anxious.
"It looks like it's more than just an upset stomach," Hermione thought to herself. "I should pack some food for him." As she attempted to make a sandwich with a piece of roast, the head of Ravenclaw House, Professor Flitwick, rushed into the hall, looking pale and disheveled. He stumbled toward Professor Dumbledore's chair and stammered, "Giant... in the underground... I thought you knew..."
After delivering the message, he collapsed in a faint.
The entire hall erupted in chaos, but Professor Dumbledore swiftly took control of the situation. He ordered the heads of houses to take their students back to their common rooms and directed the professors to search for the giant and either drive it away or eliminate it.
The heads of houses, experienced in these matters, efficiently gathered their students and departed, each responsible for a specific year group. Hermione followed the Ravenclaw prefect assigned to her year, and they headed for the common room. But as they were leaving, Hermione noticed Tom's absence and immediately informed the prefect.
The prefect frowned and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll take you to the common room first, and then I'll figure out how to contact Professor Flitwick."
At this moment, the prefect couldn't abandon their current responsibilities to search for Tom. In such a chaotic situation, leaving the group would be impractical and might even lead to disciplinary action. The prefect could only hope that Tom had already returned to their dormitory.
With a heavy heart, Hermione followed the other Ravenclaw students, but she couldn't shake her concern. A nagging feeling told her that something was terribly wrong. She quickened her pace, hoping that Tom had already made it back to the common room.
However, as she walked through the eerily lit corridors of the castle, she couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. The blue flames of the enchanted candles cast long, unsettling shadows on the walls. Despite her earlier decision to return to the common room, she found herself on the first floor.
Hermione was completely alone in the corridor, and the silence was unsettling. She was supposed to be heading back to the common room, but she didn't know why she had ended up here.
It was clear that she had made up her mind to return to the common room, but something had drawn her to the first floor. She shook her head, feeling foolish, and began to hurry back upstairs. However, just as she turned a corner on the second floor landing, a figure appeared in front of her.
Hermione was unable to stop in time and collided with the person, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
(End of Chapter)
[ Vote STONES plz ]