"Now, let's begin with the awards. For the most ironic costume, the winner is... Frack Bowman of Hufflepuff! For coming dressed as a hospital patient, complete with bandages, crutches, and all. Ironically, it seems he actually got injured amidst the chaos and now genuinely needs to visit the infirmary. Here's your prize!" I announced, tossing a small trophy his way.
"Ow!" Frack yelped as the trophy hit him square on the head, eliciting a wave of laughter from the crowd.
"Now, for the most adorable costume. It was a tough call, but the winner is... Luna Lovegood, with her axolotl costume! And before anyone calls this nepotism, you can kiss my ass... but only if you're a girl," I added with a cheeky grin as Luna came up to the stage. "Anything you'd like to say, Luna?" I asked, handing her the enchanted microphone.
"Yes," Luna replied, accepting the microphone along with her trophy. "Red told me that axolotls are endangered, and I think that's very sad. We're all axolotls in the lake of life, aren't we? That's why I propose turning Hogwarts into the largest axolotl sanctuary in the world."
The hall fell into complete silence at her words. Only our group, along with Kettleburn and Hagrid, clapped timidly. Luna, of course, was unfazed.
Taking the microphone back from her, I exclaimed without hesitation:
"Clap, you jerks!"
Gradually, the hall filled with applause as I promised Luna I would help her with her noble mission. Afterward, I sent her off the stage to continue with the award ceremony.
"Let's move on to the next one. For the sexiest costume... No, I'm not playing favorites, so I won't pick my sister, even though she's clearly the most beautiful here," I teased, making Ginny blush and try to hide behind Luna. "But if anyone looks at her the wrong way, I warn you, the next horror story will be about what I'll do to you. Anyway, back to business, the winner is... Charlotte Harper of Gryffindor. I never thought something so childish could turn into something so... excessively obscene."
All eyes turned to Charlotte. Some people blushed, regardless of whether they were students or teachers. The latter seemed torn between covering up the girl or pretending nothing was amiss. Charlotte walked up to the stage to collect her trophy, but she was swiftly ushered away because from up there, everyone could see her better, and there were already too many erections and wet panties in the room.
"Alright, let's move on before everyone here ends up with entirely warped sexuality. The next award..." I said, pulling out a paper (though in reality, it was all improvised, judged solely by my own criteria). "The award for the most terrifying costume goes to... Bitch Snape! Oops, I mean Severus Snape. For coming dressed as himself. Such dedication! Even from here, he makes me shiver. Look at Neville; he looks like he's about to faint. No one could have chosen a scarier costume. Professor, come on up to claim your prize..."
If looks could kill, Snape would've set a world record for genocide. His expression was so grim I actually grew concerned as I watched his knuckles turn white from clutching his robes so tightly.
"Actually, you'd better stay there. It's a bit scary having you approach. I must admit, you really got into character," I added, dramatically dodging a red beam of light that seemed to aim for my head. "Well, dear guests, the party is over. You're free to leave... No, seriously, get out. We need to clean up the place."
And with that, I brought the celebration to a close. The attendees started trickling out, some heading off to change out of their costumes, others to take a shower before the Halloween feast, and a few, exhausted, went straight to their beds.
My group of girls stayed behind, taking advantage of the showers and other amenities of the venue. Besides, we needed to tidy up a bit. Although, well, some of them clearly had other plans in mind.
...
After changing following the party, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried to make it to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday anniversary. Although they hadn't left together, they ran into each other on the way to the dungeons. Hermione, despite having heard my warnings about how unpleasant the event would be, couldn't resist her curiosity. Her pride and need to investigate pushed her to attend, even though she knew there would be teasing afterward for her stubbornness. She even tried to convince her friends to join her, but they had all flatly refused.
"Welcome, welcome... I appreciate your coming," Nearly Headless Nick greeted them solemnly, floating with his usual ghostly demeanor.
The three were received, but the awkwardness was palpable. Hermione started to notice every detail of what she had been warned about and soon regretted letting her stubbornness bring her here. Still, she decided to stay a few minutes to avoid seeming rude.
"This is horrible. Look at the food..." Ron muttered with a grimace, eyeing the table laden with rotting, dripping dishes. "Good thing we ate a little before at the party."
"Yeah, it was great... well, most of it," Harry added, recalling some of the tenser moments of the previous night.
"It's strange... there's no music. Red said it was ghastly," Hermione remarked, looking around as if expecting something to match the description I had given.
"It's not that there's no music; it's that you can't hear it," a ghost suddenly interjected, emerging from the floor. "It's remarkable. In all my time since death, I've never heard anything as delightful as this music."
"Music? Is there really music?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Indeed," the ghost explained. "There's a wizard who can produce music that we ghosts can enjoy. Nick invited him to the event. It would be wonderful to meet him and see if he could perform at my own deathday anniversary." Without another word, the specter drifted toward another corner of the room.
"What do you think he meant?" asked Ron, watching the ghosts silently dancing, struggling to grasp the idea of music they couldn't hear.
"I don't know," Hermione replied thoughtfully. "It might be something magical... though it seems oddly specific."
Harry, meanwhile, couldn't help but think about the voices only he seemed to hear, wondering if this might be something similar and whether it was worth investigating.
The three wandered around the room, avoiding the ghosts, until a particular scene captured the spirits' attention—and, by association, the trio's as well. Everyone turned to look at one of the doors in the room.
From there, a pair entered with solemn elegance, dressed for the occasion. It was Red and the Grey Lady, walking hand in hand as though they were ancient nobles arriving at a grand gala.
"Red?!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised and visibly annoyed. Not only had he convinced everyone not to attend, but now he was showing up with another girl.
All eyes in the room turned to the peculiar couple as they walked toward the center of the floor. With precise movements, they began to dance at ground level, contrasting with the ghostly couples who floated in the air. Their hands rested gracefully on each other as they spun in circles, neither too fast nor too slow, exuding an elegance straight out of a fairy tale.
...
After a striking dance with Helena, I left the dance floor. My hands and parts of my body that had been in contact with her burned. Due to her newly spectral nature, her touch was necrotic, slowly consuming my flesh. Although I tried to suppress it, I couldn't neutralize it completely. During the dance, I did my best to act as though everything was fine, but deep down, I felt relieved when it ended, and I could discreetly use my powers to heal myself.
"Red!"
I turned at the sound of Hermione's voice. She was walking toward me with an expression of anger, followed by Harry and Ron.
"So this is what a 'party not fit for the living' looks like, huh? And now I find you here after telling us not to come," she accused, her glare full of judgment.
"I never said you couldn't come. I only said it wouldn't be enjoyable for you," I replied calmly.
"Oh, really? And that wouldn't have anything to do with you wanting to come with another girl?" Hermione shot back, her tone reminiscent of a wife confronting an affair.
"Well, I admit it would've been awkward to bring anyone else, but I could've handled that with clones. Anyway, let me introduce you: this is Helena, known generally as the Grey Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw."
"Hello, Hermione. I loved your dentist costume and what you did on stage during the last party," said Helena with a faint smile, more expressive than she usually was with others.
"Hi," Hermione replied curtly, though I noticed a hint of discomfort in her voice.
"I promised Helena I would be her partner for this event long ago, and I kept my word. I understand that you might be upset, but even though you are my girlfriend, I had to honor my promise. Besides, as you can see, this isn't exactly a party for the living. I was obligated to come anyway, so I decided to accompany Helena and give her a pleasant evening. She's a good friend and companion," I explained, throwing Helena an apologetic look that Hermione didn't miss.
"Obligated? Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"I'm the DJ. The music tonight is my doing."
"Music?" Now it was Harry who frowned, recalling the words of the ghost from earlier.
"Yes. You see, I sometimes hear music in my head," I said, pointing to my temple, but the three of them looked at me as if I'd just confessed to being insane. "Better to show you."
I closed my eyes and focused. Instantly, the hall filled with classical music. It didn't start just then; it had been playing all along, but now everyone could hear it, not just me and the ghosts. Since I'd leveled up my skill, I could make this possible.
"How...?" the three asked in unison, looking around, surprised by the sudden melody, which faded shortly after.
"It's a special ability. I can hear music in my mind that normally only ghosts and I can perceive. If I want, I can make it audible to everyone, but it consumes magical energy, so I prefer to leave it as is when only ghosts are present," I explained, pondering how to improve the skill further. With enough practice, maybe I could turn it into a limitless traveling orchestra.
"Miss Granger, I apologize for borrowing your boyfriend without notice. Few are kind enough to dance with a ghost at an event like this, and I took advantage of that. I deeply regret it." With the grace of a noblewoman, Helena bowed in apology.
"No, it's fine… it's not like he can't come," Hermione replied, slightly flustered by the unexpected apology. Helena's eyes, pure and sincere, were fixed on her. There was no trace of malice in her gaze, yet Hermione felt as if they pierced through her.
Suddenly, Hermione felt uneasy, as though everyone was watching her. Helena exuded the demeanor of a well-mannered and kind lady, while Hermione, with her outburst, came across as a controlling and toxic girlfriend, like one of those cheap romance novel characters. Red couldn't cheat on her with a ghost, and she'd heard how introverted the Grey Lady was. For her to attend an event like this had to be something truly extraordinary. She couldn't come here and make a scene without cause.
"No, it's all good. Just keep enjoying the party. I got upset because Red didn't tell me anything, but it's fine. I hope you have a good time… I should go before I freeze," Hermione concluded, trying to sound friendly as the heat of embarrassment consumed her.
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1st Additional Chapter
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