Two consecutive sounds, akin to cannons firing, echoed through the hall, as a purple haze filled the air, and the silhouettes of two students flickered amidst it, accompanied by intermittent coughs and snippets of blame, such as "It's all your fault" and "It was your idea."
Felix couldn't help but chuckle. These were two Hufflepuff students, punished to stay back at school for tarnishing the institution's reputation by accidentally turning each other into Nifflers. However, they got lost during the transfer process, and Professor Sprout had to mobilize half the house of Hufflepuff to search the common room before finding the unfortunate pair.
More people trickled in, and Felix chatted quietly with Valen.
"What about those four? I heard they were from the same dormitory and planned to secretly study Animagus transformation. They even formed a clandestine study group, but their uncontrollable tiger roars were overheard by the neighboring dorm, leaving the other three terrified..."
As the four Ravenclaw girls passed by, they shot embarrassed glances at them.
Professors also began to arrive, taking their seats at the long tables. Dumbledore, adorned in a moon-white robe, beamed, "Merry Christmas, everyone!" he exclaimed warmly. "We have a large turnout this year, so I've added an extra batch of Wizarding Cracker to the mix. Please, have a seat!"
Few people seemed as jubilant as him. Most students—either those serving detention (with Gryffindors being the majority) or members of the "Animagus" class—attended with somber expressions. Only a handful had stayed back voluntarily.
Dumbledore scanned the room, observing the downcast students, and remarked, "Today is Christmas, and I believe our task is to fill our mouths with food, not a tiny leaf... don't you think so, Professor McGonagall?"
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "You're absolutely right, Dumbledore," she concurred. With that, the students gleefully spat out the leaves from their mouths, and the atmosphere immediately turned lively. Seizing the opportunity, Dumbledore distributed a handful of Wizarding Crackers to everyone within reach.
Then, they all glanced at Snape out of the corner of their eyes. Last time, he had pulled out a lady's pointed hat. What would it be this time? Even Dumbledore looked on with interest. Snape, expressionless, unfurled his cracker, and when the smoke cleared, he revealed a hat with deer antlers.
This left Harry feeling rather disgruntled. He envied those beautiful antlers and thought they were wasted on Snape. Perhaps, if nobody wanted them after the banquet, he could quietly take them... Snape clearly didn't like them and promptly passed the hat to Professor McGonagall, who quite liked her feathered hat, leaving Dumbledore with the final hat.
"Eat up!" Dumbledore, wearing the deer antler hat, said with a smile.
The crowd began to feast, and Valen also secured a seat, sitting opposite Professor Flitwick. Their chairs were custom-made, giving off an odd yet satisfying sense of symmetry.
Harry indulged in the soft and creamy mashed potatoes, while Ron tore into the meat on his ribs. Some students devoured their food with ferocious hunger, and Felix couldn't help but feel sympathetic to their suffering.
However, this was their only respite, as tonight was the full moon. These students would undergo more rigorous trials, and Felix had seen Professor McGonagall preparing a special menu for the kitchen house-elves, mostly comprising tasteless yet filling items.
During the banquet, everyone was busy eating, except for Trelawney, who kept spreading rumors about how "six-legged creatures bring misfortune to the castle." Just as Felix wondered what she was talking about, Professor McGonagall leaned over and whispered in a peculiar tone, "Albus is planning to recruit a Centaur into the school."
Felix suddenly understood.
Just as Trelawney mentioned it for the twelfth time, sounding increasingly convinced, Dumbledore stood up.
"... Not just one death, I saw—"
"Filch," Dumbledore asked cheerfully, "is that thing ready?"
Felix lifted his head from his plate, bending forward to say, "Yes, Headmaster, I've placed it in the corner, covered with a green tarp."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, scanning the room, and others followed suit. With a wave of his wand, an inconspicuous corner lifted a green cloth, revealing an intricately designed machine underneath.
"The latest model of the projector—" he exclaimed joyfully, "I bought it and tested it myself, particularly loving the 'immersive' mode." He glanced at Felix before pulling the machine closer and placing it nearby.
With a click, the magical projector emitted copious amounts of dark golden smoke, seemingly endless yet perfectly filling the space they were in—the Great Hall. Soon, a foot-thick mist of golden fog spread beneath their feet.
Mrs. Norris emerged from under Felix's feet, leaping onto his lap. "Don't be scared, Mrs. Norris," Felix said hoarsely, although its bulbous eyes remained watchful of the machine. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Then, the air filled with song, as if the music was playing right beside them. The smoke swirled and gathered into golden dancers, each looking exactly like real people, gracefully dancing around the long tables, their skirts sprinkling fine mist like gold dust.
The students' eyes widened as they felt like they'd stepped into a lively party, witnessing performances from eccentric sister duets, skeleton dance troupes, and robust dwarf dances. There seemed to be a siren's melodious voice interspersed with a strange, incomprehensible language in the singing...
"This Christmas is truly incredible," Ron exclaimed in admiration. The surrounding students nodded silently in agreement.
As the banquet concluded, students slowly pushed back their chairs, preparing to leave. Felix gave Valen a stern look as it sneaked over to Grindelwald and retrieved a very handsome Christmas hat from him.
Grindelwald reflexively leaned back, his hand patting his chest.
Dumbledore's movement paused slightly before continuing to stand up—Harry keenly caught this moment, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. "What's wrong, Harry?" Hagrid leaned over, asking across two tables.
"N-nothing—" Harry suddenly stuttered, staring at Hagrid, a small piece of onion caught in his thick beard.
He remembered Hagrid mentioning in passing that Dumbledore seemed to have known Bathsheda Babbling from a young age, and Bathsheda was a follower of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. Also, Harry happened to learn from the letters Lily wrote to him, given by Sirius, that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were once best friends... A vague clue was laid out before Harry, connecting these three individuals.
"Students from the Animagus class, stay behind," at this moment, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out loudly, "Get dressed, we're going to the courtyard."
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