Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

Chapter 150 The Skull Dance Troupe

"Look! Something seems to be coming out over there!"

A commotion arose at the Hufflepuff table, directing the students toward the teachers' table.

The open space in front of the teacher's long table turned into muddy ground, on which stood several tombstones. As the tombstones swayed and collapsed, several skeletons emerged from the ground.

These skeletons, adorned with glittering silver decorations on their necks and wrists, lined up and moved swiftly to the academy's long table.

Anthony, who was standing nearby, said, "This is the Skull Dance Troupe."

Vizette's gaze swept over the skeletons. "At least a levitation spell was used, and probably also transfiguration magic..."

The deep sound of a pipe organ filled the air, and the skeletons danced to the rhythm of the music.

Their movements are sometimes stiff and strange, and sometimes full of wild vitality, as if they are walking on the edge of life and death.

As the sound of the glockenspiel joined in, the skeletons moved even more frantically, throwing their bones into the air to form the emblems of the four colleges.

The bone emblem of the academy danced and swirled in mid-air, emitting various colors;

It could be azure and bronze, emerald green and silver, warm yellow and jet black, or bright red and gold...

These colors sometimes stand alone and sometimes blend together, like the clear and ethereal sound of a glockenspiel, creating a magical and mysterious feeling.

As the skeleton danced faster and faster, the entire auditorium was enveloped in dazzling, mesmerizing colors.

Just as the colors were about to become blinding, the music stopped abruptly, the entire auditorium returned to calm, and the skeleton stopped dancing and stood quietly on the stage.

As a puff of smoke appeared and dissipated, the patch of earth with the tombstone disappeared, and a dozen or so white-haired wizards took their place, appearing in the open space in front of the teachers' table.

These wizards were the real members of the skeleton dance troupe; they all had smiles on their faces and waved to the students.

Thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium, as everyone cheered for the spectacular performance.

Vizette was naturally one of them. The Skeleton Dance Troupe didn't use much magic, mainly a combination of levitation and transfiguration spells.

The Levitation Charm controls the movement of the skeleton, while Transfiguration magic is used to create different performances...

The fact that two seemingly ordinary magic spells could produce such an extraordinary stage effect is undoubtedly a very difficult thing that requires a long period of practice.

Vizette took out her notebook and wrote down her thoughts: "Through extensive practice and precise application of magic, grasp every detail and movement..."

"Finally, it's presented using levitation and transfiguration magic, which requires a high degree of focus and control... It's important to dare to try... It also requires patience and perseverance..."

……

At the teachers' table, Flitwick noticed Vizet taking notes, stroked his beard, and said, "Precise control... is very important for spells."

Professor McGonagall's eyes revealed a hint of envy. "Yes...it's obvious that Vizette understands this, and he's a perfect fit for Ravenclaw!"

Lockhart had just finished shaking hands with the members of the Skull Dance Troupe when he returned to his seat and overheard Professor McGonagall's words.

He immediately flashed his signature bright smile and said, "Suitable for Ravenclaw? Are you talking about me?"

Flitwick didn't say anything, just stared straight ahead as the Skull Dance Troupe left the auditorium.

Professor McGonagall did the same, ignoring Lockhart's increasingly awkward smile.

Lockhart's embarrassment didn't last long. Dumbledore left his seat and walked to the podium to announce the official start of the Halloween dinner.

Dumbledore waved his hand, and a sumptuous feast immediately appeared on the house table.

Unlike the opening banquet, the food served at the Halloween banquet is much more distinctive.

The black pepper sauce that completely covers the steak, seasoned with squid ink, not only adds a marine flavor but also makes the overall color much darker, literally a "dark cuisine".

On the college's long table, there were also several giant pumpkin-shaped cakes;

The cake is topped with various tombstone-shaped chocolates, and a ring of bright red jam is drizzled around the chocolates, making it look like the color of fresh blood.

Next to the cake were plates of realistically decorated "eyeballs" and "fingers";

Although it looks gruesome, it is actually just ladyfingers decorated with candy or chocolate to make it look bloody, as if it had just been chopped off.

In addition, the long table was filled with many ingenious foods, such as chocolate bats that would fly when touched, and chocolate spiders that would shoot peanut butter silk...

"Look! The professors seem to be drinking Coollik too!"

The sharp-eyed Hufflepuff spotted Coolick on the teachers' table as well.

For Dumbledore, a sweet-tasting potion held a special appeal.

He even helped Professor McGonagall unscrew the bottle cap and demonstrated how to drink the beverage.

As white smoke billowed from his ears and head, Dumbledore chuckled, his long beard trembling.

Even Snape opened a bottle of Coolick, but instead of drinking it down, he used magic to transfer the drink to a glass and took a few sips.

And so, the students who were watching the teachers' table saw Snape's smile, a smile that stemmed from pure joy, slightly unnatural yet perfectly natural.

“Cool… Rick!” Fred whistled. “Can you believe… Snape actually has that kind of smile?”

George chuckled and said, "I thought he only knew how to smirk, grin, and sneer... a fake smile. I never expected him to have such an 'innocent' side."

Not only were the Weasley twins surprised, but the other students were equally astonished, raising the level of mystery surrounding the Coolick drink in their minds to a whole new level.

George's tone was full of eagerness, "I've asked the Ministry of Magic... Once they finish evaluating the potions next week, Ms. Pomfrey can issue the Krueger!"

Fred rubbed his hands together. "Once the cloudy days end and the school hospital stops supplying Coolick, it'll be our turn to shine!"

This was the result of discussions between M·S·C. The two of them were already skilled at selling various prank props and had more experience in how to buy and sell them.

The auditorium was filled with a joyful and excited atmosphere, as students enjoyed the food and immersed themselves in the Halloween spirit.

The Halloween dinner is simply about enjoying special food and experiencing the festive atmosphere.

After the students had eaten and drunk their fill, Dumbledore stood before the owl's platform once more, white smoke still rising from his forehead and ears.

Seeing the students' barely suppressed laughter, he smiled as well, "I'm so glad... we were able to fully enjoy the Halloween dinner this year..."

He picked up his wand and held it above his head. "Like the holiday gifts I prepared last year... I can deliver them to you all smoothly this year..."

As he gently raised his wand, the unburnt candy candles turned into flames, showering down countless colorful candies...

Chapter 151 The Whispers Return

Seeing the students reach for the candy, Dumbledore added, "Don't worry, the candy is from last year, because last year's candy has all been eaten properly..."

Mrs. Pomfrey looked ahead, her eyebrows raised high, her gaze extremely sharp.

Dumbledore seemed to sense something, he coughed lightly, and said calmly, "The same goes for this year... the remaining candy will be eaten properly..."

Hearing this, Professor McGonagall shook her head helplessly and murmured softly, "Albus, you still need to be realistic about your abilities..."

Dumbledore seemed to hear her and raised his hand to wave gently.

Snape crossed his arms, his eyes full of mockery, as if to say, "I'll show you what bitter medicine is."

……

As the students left the auditorium, Colin Crevey went against the flow and went to the teachers' table.

Holding up his Polaroid camera, he asked with a mixture of excitement and timidity, "Professor... Principal... may I take a picture of you?"

“This potion is certainly interesting.” Dumbledore looked toward the entrance to the Great Hall. Fred and George made a face, then broke into a bright smile.

He seemed to understand something, nodded, and squatted down. "How do you plan to take the photos? Are you planning to take a group photo?"

"The camera, what a wonderful invention. Why don't I give it a try? My hand is a little longer than yours..."

Colin trembled, clearly not expecting Dumbledore to be so easygoing, and stammered as he began to explain.

“Dumbledore… this is the shutter… this is the lens… then press… press it down…”

……

As Vizet and Luna left the Great Hall with the group, they encountered the Weasley twins making faces. "Aren't you going back?"

Fred grinned and said, "We'll have to wait a bit longer. The idea of ​​'leveraging trends' is fantastic!"

George looked at Colin, who was taking pictures, and said, "Using Dumbledore for publicity? I can already see Galleons waving at us!"

Luna asked with some curiosity, "Leveraging a trend for marketing?"

Fred nodded. "Yes! This method is described in a Muggle book, and we're putting it into practice!"

"Mr. Arthur Weasley really loves Muggles. He even reads books about them. It's truly admirable," Wizette said sincerely.

“Dad does like Muggles, but he prefers studying Muggle everyday items,” George explained. “As for that book… it’s a dark magic item that Dad confiscated…”

Vizette continued, "A black magic artifact? Is it cursed?"

“There’s no curse…” Fred waved his hand. “According to Dad, someone tampered with the book and added some belladonna potion powder.”

“Bellagio potion powder?” Vizette raised an eyebrow. “It has some hallucinogenic properties… Is it for a prank?”

“Yes! Some wizards like this kind of thing.” George nodded. “They buy some books that Muggles find interesting and then mix hallucinogenic potions into them.”

Fred said, "When Muggles buy books and read them at home, they may experience hallucinations and all sorts of daydreams due to inhaling these potions."

"Like that book about 'leveraging marketing,' its previous owner... apparently had a dream about getting rich... dreaming that he met with the Prime Minister of England..."

"At this time, wizards would appear at the Muggle's window and just lie there watching... They enjoyed seeing Muggles daydreaming."

Vizette frowned and said, "That's disgusting!"