Chapter 22: Halloween

Recently, with Halloween approaching, Hogwarts' Great Hall has become a prime bombing area for the fighter planes—ehm*—owls.

Groups of owls hooted in during breakfast, and after throwing the items they carried to their owners, they hooted away. After the owls raided the Great Hall, only feathers were left on the ground.

These items were the students' preparations for Halloween, including costumes and masks of various kinds. Eda thought she should indulge herself a bit and decided to join the Weasley twins in their Halloween pranks this year.

However, this decision was made on the spur of the moment, so Eda had no idea what she should dress up as. Those ready-made costumes and masks were probably not cheap, and buying them for just one Halloween seemed wasteful to her.

In the end, it all came down to money. The Weasleys chose to make the simplest Jack-o'-lantern costume because it was the cheapest option—all they needed was a large pumpkin.

"What do people usually dress up as?" Eda decided to ask first to see what options she had.

"Ghosts, ghouls, zombies..."

"Demons, wraiths... basically, anything scary," 

Eda felt a headache coming on; she didn't like any of the suggestions. Ghouls were too ugly and would ruin her image. Zombies were out of the question, as she envisioned them with big pigtails and traditional clothes, something she definitely couldn't pull off.

She could dress up as an old witch, making herself look over a hundred years old—just go for the old and wrinkled look. However, the thought of seeing herself aged made Eda unhappy. Plus, since everyone was already a witch or wizard, dressing up as one wouldn't scare anyone.

"What do you think about me dressing up as a vampire?" Eda suddenly thought of a good idea. She had watched "Bram Stoker's Dracula" before and had some impression of Dracula. The key was that this would look good.

The twins thought about it: in the general impression, vampires were pale, charming, and irresistibly attractive, noble, and elegant monsters—traits that Eda pretty much had.

Pale skin with a slight hint of sickness was the twins' first impression of Eda. Although her complexion had become much healthier and rosier, she was still very fair—her skin was as milky as it could get.

Her charm was already well-known. Since her arrival at school, a group of infatuated "flies" had always surrounded her. Although Eda's cold demeanor and combat prowess had deterred some, there were still a few persistent "flies" who would spy on her in the library.

Fred spoke first, "I think it suits you, but here's the problem... do you have a formal robe?"

"Or something similar?" George added, "It doesn't have to be perfect, just something that can be altered to fit."

"I don't have one," Eda replied, touching her school robe. "I only have my school robe." She firmly believed she would grow taller, so any clothes bought now might not fit in a year or two. Hence, Eda hadn't spent much money on clothing.

If Eda were to say a kind word to those "flies," she would immediately have a formal robe. Such was the power of "love." But the twins knew Eda wouldn't do that—she disdained such actions, so they didn't even bring it up.

"Then let's alter your school robe and do some makeup to cover up the rosiness in your face, making you look paler," the twins suggested.

Eda wasn't keen on altering her school robe again; it had already been torn once, which had distressed her for a while. Like the twins said, buying a second-hand robe and altering it would suffice. But getting and making it right now seemed a bit late.

"Do you have any extra pumpkin heads?" Eda thought she might as well join the Weasley twins and all dress as Pumpkin Jack. It would be great to be all coordinated.

"Hagrid grew plenty; that's no problem at all."

On Halloween Eve, the corridors were filled with the sweet, enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin. This scent eased Eda's always-tense nerves. She had been at Hogwarts for two months now, and the castle was starting to feel more like home.

The Great Hall was adorned with thousands of hanging pumpkins, all grown by Hagrid. Hagrid had even grown a few gigantic pumpkins to make pumpkin carriages. Many students had donned their prepared costumes to enhance the festive atmosphere.

Overnight, Hogwarts was filled with all sorts of ghouls and ghosts, like a modern version of a night parade of a hundred demons.

The Weasley twins had already donned their pumpkin heads. Though their expressions were hidden, their excitement was evident in their voices. Eda stood nearby, a pumpkin under her right arm and a pumpkin lantern in her left hand, both crafted by the kind-hearted Hagrid.

"So, you two plan to scare passing students here?" Eda asked, a bit exasperated, as she looked at the twins at the corner. She hadn't expected that after all their brainstorming, they would come up with such a silly idea.

"The Halloween feast is about to start. This path is a shortcut to the Great Hall, so someone is bound to pass by," Fred said, his hands continually adjusting his pumpkin head.

The twins had scouted this route in advance and carefully chosen it, having prepared for this prank for several days.

"Eda, you go scout ahead for us. If you see any lower-year students like us coming, let us know," George instructed Eda.

"If there are too many people, don't bother. We want to target smaller groups; it's easier that way," Fred added, showing his experience.

Eda thought to herself, "Look at these two, so timid," but she still followed their instructions and moved ahead to "scout for the enemy." She glanced back and saw the Weasley brothers sneakily hiding at the corridor corner, ready to pounce on unsuspecting first-years.

Several groups of students passed by, all in large numbers, and the trio decided to let them go. As the time for the feast drew closer, Eda began to doubt Fred and George's judgment.

However, the route the twins had pinned their hopes on did not disappoint. After a while, two lower-year female students approached together.

Spotting the "prey" within sight, Eda quickly returned to the twins to relay the information and put on her pumpkin head.

Fred kept a close eye on the approaching girls while George helped Eda adjust her "tool of the trade."

The two girls, chatting and laughing, were unaware of the three "miscreants" lurking around the corner, waiting with ill intent.

Fred signaled to George and Eda and then leaped out. George and Eda followed, waving their arms and making spooky noises.

The two girls, deep in conversation and dreaming about the upcoming feast, were caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of the twins and Eda. They turned to run but tripped and fell right in front of the trio.

Without any mental preparation and given the suddenness of the scare, the two girls were genuinely frightened by the crude costumes.

Sitting on the ground, the initial panic of the girls began to subside. Their intelligence regained control, and the tears that had started to form were quickly wiped away.

Seeing that they had achieved the desired effect and the two girls on the ground were no longer afraid, Eda extended a hand to help them up. The twins also handed out a few pieces of candy to the girls.

Since it was Halloween, the two girls didn't get angry. They dusted off their clothes, accepted the candy, and went on their way. As they left, the bolder of the two girls even gave Eda a playful pinch.

After that, Eda and the twins successfully scared a few more passing students. Eda, who initially only planned to tag along, began to understand the fun of playing pranks. No wonder the twins loved it so much!

The three of them took off their pumpkin heads, exchanged glances, and burst into laughter.

"Let's head back now. I don't want to miss the feast; I heard there will be toffee apples tonight," Eda suggested. The time was about right, and the Great Hall should be ready for the feast.

Missing a meal was out of the question. Although Eda had struggled with this before, the house-elves at Hogwarts had cured her of this particular affliction.

The food provided by the house-elves suited Eda's taste perfectly. In just two short months, she had gained five pounds (about 2.26 kilograms) and even grown a bit taller. She no longer looked as frail and sickly as she did at the start of the school year.

 The twins who were having fun were reluctant to leave, but they still followed Eda to the auditorium. Eda walked in front with brisk steps, and the twins followed her with gloomy looks.

The way back to the auditorium is not long, but in this short journey, in addition to the trio, there are other people who are "ambushing". Fortunately, the trio are very brave, and these are all leftovers from their play, so they will not be scared by these people.

Arriving safely at the auditorium, Eda had just sat down in her seat, and delicious food happened to appear on the golden tableware on the long table. The toffee apples specially provided for Halloween were shining with an attractive luster, making people want to take a bite.

Just as Eda was enjoying the delicious food, the school caretaker Filch broke into the auditorium at an inopportune time.

"Professor, professor, a student has been attacked!"

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