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#41 WSWW
🕑 Added 2025-03-17 10:46:40 +0000 UTCMost of the teachers and students at Hogwarts still held good intentions toward Ted and his group.
How should one put it? When it came to pranks and jokes, the wizarding world—especially in the Hogwarts—had quite a high tolerance.
And in comparison to other mischiefs in Hogwarts' history, this one was relatively tame.
At least, that's how Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff saw it.
Gryffindor students admired the audacity of it all. Pulling a prank on the entire school? That was the kind of troublemaking they lived for.
Ravenclaws, on the other hand, appreciated the prank’s sheer organization and execution.
There was strategy, planning, and a level of magic involved that made it more than just a silly trick—it was an art.
And Hufflepuffs? Well, most of them were just happy to be part of something thrilling.
For once, their year had some real excitement! Some, however, were still patting down their slightly damp trousers, grateful that the scare hadn’t led to something even more embarrassing.
The only ones who weren’t amused? Slytherins.
They hated being on the receiving end of any joke, and the idea that they had been made fools of in front of everyone was infuriating.
But now, the excitement was dying down, and the night’s main event was about to begin.
The Halloween performance.
Rumors had been flying around about what Dumbledore had planned. Some whispered that he had invited a troupe of dancing skeletons. But, as usual, the rumors had spiraled out of control.
Instead of skeletons, the Great Hall welcomed the Weird Sisters!
The most famous wizarding band in all of Britain had arrived, and the hall erupted into cheers.
Despite their name, the Weird Sisters were all men—rockstars through and through, with long, unkempt hair and wild outfits that made Muggle rock bands look tame in comparison.
They launched into their hit song, "Can You Dance Like a Hippogriff?" The crowd went wild.
Acrobatics followed, then a few magical performances, and finally, the grand Halloween feast began.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the empty plates and goblets instantly filled with food.
A mouth-watering aroma spread through the hall, filling the air with the scent of roasted meats, pumpkin pasties, butterbeer, and all sorts of wizarding delicacies.
Ted was busy digging into his steak when he leaned over to Hermione and whispered, "I've heard that Hogwarts' Halloween is cursed. Something happens every year."
Harley and Ron, sitting nearby, froze mid-bite. "Wait, what?!"
Ted didn’t elaborate. Instead, he smirked and said, "Eat up. If you don’t eat now, you might not get the chance later."
The warning only made Ron eat faster, inhaling his food at an even more alarming rate. If there was any chance of missing out on dinner, he wasn’t about to take it.
But then—
BANG!
The doors to the Great Hall burst open.
A figure in a purple turban stumbled in, gasping for breath. It was Professor Quirrell, and he was in full panic mode.
"M-Monster!" he shrieked. "Monster in the d-dungeon! Thought you ought to know—Gah!"
With that, he collapsed dramatically to the floor.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Every student just stared at Quirrell, their forks and knives frozen mid-air. For a long moment, no one moved. No one even breathed.
Something about his delivery felt... off. His panic seemed almost theatrical.
Ted narrowed his eyes. 'Professor, why did you go off-script?'
Glancing at Hermione, Ted could tell she was having the same thought. This whole thing felt a little too much like an over-the-top performance.
And sure enough, the students' first reaction wasn’t fear.
Instead, someone whispered, "Wait... is this another Halloween prank? Is this part of the show?"
Another student giggled. "Professor Quirrell's acting is so dramatic. Is he auditioning for the lead role in a horror play?"
The awkward silence stretched on. Five whole seconds passed where nobody screamed, ran, or panicked.
It was the kind of silence that made even Quirrell, lying on the floor, start to feel uneasy.
'Why weren’t they freaking out?'
He cracked one eye open, peeking at the students.
'Are kids' nerves just stronger these days?!'
Realizing his first attempt had failed, Quirrell "woke up" again with a gasp. He shot up from the floor, eyes wide in exaggerated terror. "Quick! Run! The monster—it's coming! Dumbledore! The monster is here—Gah!"
And down he went again, dramatically fainting for a second time.
Ah, there we go, Ted thought. That’s more like it.
The second performance hit harder. This time, Quirrell's sheer commitment to the bit—his shaking limbs, the terror in his voice—finally broke the spell of doubt in the room.
Screams erupted.
Students shot to their feet, chairs clattering as they scrambled away from the tables.
"Monster!"
"A real one this time!"
"We’re all doomed!"
The Great Hall erupted into chaos.
Ron, in his panic, shoved an entire chicken leg into Jerry’s mouth and grabbed his arm. "Run! We need to get out of here!"
Jerry, Neville, and a few others looked equally horrified.
But Harley? Harley simply banged her fist on the table. "Run? Run WHERE? What monster? I don’t see a monster!"
Her defiance was so fierce that Ron, Jerry, and Neville hesitated. They had seen her determination before, but this? This was new.
Ted took a calmer approach. "Relax, everyone. Dumbledore’s here. The Great Hall is the safest place in the castle."
His words managed to soothe the handful of students around him, but the rest of the hall was already lost to full-blown panic.
At some point in the mayhem, someone—no one knew who—ended up stepping on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head as he lay on the ground.
And thus, Hogwarts’ annual Halloween chaos began anew.
A clear footprint was now imprinted on Professor Quirrell’s purple turban.
Pain shot through his head, but he didn’t dare to move—not with Voldemort lurking at the back of his skull. His only hope was that no one noticed.
Dumbledore, as calm as ever, waved his wand and cast an amplifying spell. His voice echoed through the Great Hall. "Quiet! Prefects, escort your houses back to the common rooms."
The students, still jittery but obedient, hurried to form lines and began filing out of the hall.
"Called it," Hermione muttered, sighing as she glanced at the untouched food still left on the table.
"No worries, I packed some," Ted whispered, patting his wide sleeves with a smirk.
But just as they reached the entrance of the Great Hall—
Ding!
A notification flashed before Ted’s eyes:
_________________
[Quest Triggered!]
Come Fight! (Blue Rank)
This is your first big event at Hogwarts! Are you going to just stand by and watch? What’s so scary about that so-called monster? You’re at Hogwarts—don’t be a coward, take action!
Objective: Defeat the monster Professor Quirrell warned about.
Reward: 500 experience points, and card [Troll (Blue)].
Bonus: The golden invisibility cloak—won’t be be given unless the monster is defeated!
_________________
A combat mission.
Ted’s mind whirred. A blue-rank quest wasn’t impossible. It would be risky, but also a rare opportunity.
He quickly assessed his combat potential. If he played this right, he had a chance.
And that reward… A Troll card and experience points? Too tempting to ignore.
He swiftly pulled a small paper bag from his sleeve and handed it to Hermione. "I just remembered something. Take the food back with you, alright?"
Hermione’s sharp eyes narrowed immediately. "What are you up to? Don’t even think about ditching me!"
Before Ted could argue, Jerry—always quick to notice the slightest shift in his friends' behavior—caught on and nudged Ron and Harley.
Harley’s eyes lit up the moment she realized Ted was planning something. She exchanged a look with Jerry and Ron. Without a word, they knew what had to be done.
And just like that, they were in.
Neville, however, was less enthusiastic.
Panic welled up inside him as he realized what was happening. He had no idea what they were planning, but he knew it couldn’t be good. And worse—they were dragging him along!
'No, no, no! Grandma will kill me if she finds out!'
Neville’s inner monologue was one long scream of terror, but he lacked the courage to protest out loud.
He wasn’t the kind of person to rat out his friends, but Merlin help him, he really wished he could.
Ted, now standing in the dimly lit corridor with his entire friend group staring at him expectantly, let out a deep sigh. He had planned to go alone, but now?
"Great," he muttered. "This just got a lot more complicated."
If it was just him, he could handle it. Worst-case scenario? He’d make a run for it.
But dragging all of them into this? That was a very different story.
And yet… the moment had already passed. The die was cast. They were all looking at him, waiting.
A leader had to take responsibility, right?
Ted sighed. "Alright, listen up. We watch first. No impulsive moves. Got it?"
"Got it!" they all nodded eagerly—way too eagerly.
Ted wasn’t convinced.
Yeah, right. This is going to go so well…
Comments
Lord Of the Mysteries
Nice Chapter
