When they reached the front door, Ivan saw that the entrance to the castle was crowded with young wizards, who were cursing loudly and rushing into the castle in twos and threes.
"What are they doing?" Hermione wondered, as a large red balloon full of water fell from the ceiling and crashed into the head of an unfortunate young wizard.
The ball of water exploded, drenching the unfortunate young wizard and inevitably affecting the other wizards nearby.
"Fucking Peeves, get out of here!"
There was a great deal of cursing from the crowd, which was greeted by more balloons full of water, and a great deal of cackling.
Yvonne looked up and saw Peeves, a small man wearing a bell-hat, floating twenty feet above them, his arms full of water balloons.
"Hey, you little devils catch!" Peeves cackled as he grabbed a green balloon with his right hand and smashed it over the head of another unfortunate victim, causing another small commotion.
Some of the junior wizards, who had managed to get through the rain and were now drenched in it, were so angry that they nearly cried, but Peeves showed no intention of letting them off the hook.
Of the students present, Hermione and Ivan were the most special, as they were both dry, with only the corners of their robes and shoes showing signs of water damage.
Peeves's eyes rolled as he remembered how Ivan had teased him last term. He suddenly let out a strange cry, grabbed a water ball with both hands, and threw it at Ivan.
Ivan, of course, saw this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Peeves really didn't know when to stop. He pulled out his wand and pointed.
A red beam of magic shot out and exploded in midair, detonating the two water balls.
Several of the witches below screamed and moved away to avoid being splashed with water.
However, the scattered water did not fall under the influence of gravity. Instead, it gathered under the influence of magic and rushed towards Peeves like a water cannon.
Such a physical attack would have little effect on the average ghost, merely passing through them.
However, Peeves is an exception, as it can touch and pick things up, and is technically not a ghost, but some sort of special entity.
As a matter of course, the water cannon hit Peeves and knocked him off balance.
At first, Angry Peeves tried to resist by throwing more water balls at Ivan, but it turned out that he was only "providing Ivan with more ammunition," and it wasn't long before Peeves was left running for his life in a hail of water.
Hermione, remembering the spell Lupin had taught her in Defence Against the Dark Arts last term, pointed her wand at Peeves.
"Wadiwasi!"
The broken balloons in the ground shook and flew up to stick to Peeves's face. Peeves, unable to see anything, crashed into the wall.
Several third and fourth year students followed suit, and the others soon joined in.
Peeves couldn't stand it any longer. He let out a piercing scream and fled into the Great Hall. Even though the attacks didn't do him any harm, it was still painful to be hit so many times.
'Well, stop for a minute, boys!'
While some of the wizards were still interested, Professor McGonagall's voice came from the Great Hall, and Peeves took advantage of the distraction to pop out of the window.
McGonagall glanced at Peeves as he fled, then ignored him and turned her attention to Ivan.
"Well done, Harles! I think Peeves will be willing to let it go for a while after this lesson!"
"I just got rid of a few loose ends!" Ivan replied modestly.
"Very good, Gryffindor five points!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, nodding in satisfaction.
Although the journey through the rain did not feel good, and they were harassed by Peeves when they entered, most of the young wizards were still in high spirits, as they had just personally chased off the annoying naughty boy.
Professor McGonagall was not stingy with her praise. After a few words of praise, she asked the prefect to lead the way to the Great Hall.
Perhaps in response to the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, the interior of the Great Hall was lavishly decorated, looking more dignified than ever, with hundreds of candles floating over the tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle.
The junior wizards and witches of the second year and above were led by their prefects to their seats at the long table in an orderly fashion. The ghosts that floated around them greeted them politely, welcoming them back to the school.
Nearly Headless Nick poked his head out from under the table, startling the young wizards around him with his swaying head.
"Good evening, everyone!"
"What's good about it? It's awful, I wish they'd hurry up with the Sorting…so I could go back and change," Harry complained. He and Ron weren't as lucky as Hermione; they were probably half-wet and had water in their shoes, which made them uncomfortable on their feet.
Ivan looked at the staff table for Barty Crouch Junior, who was pretending to be Moody, but there was no sign of him.
"The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor hasn't arrived yet this year?" Hermione asked, looking in the same direction.
"Probably later, but of course, it's possible they won't be able to find the right person," Ron grumbled.
It was no secret in the British wizarding world that Defence Against the Dark Arts professors at Hogwarts were expected to resign after less than a year, and Ron wondered if it was because of this that no one wanted to take the post.
"If only Sirius could teach here! Lupin is the best Defence Against the Dark Arts professor I've ever met, and I'm sure Sirius would be the same!" Harry exclaimed in anticipation.
"I'd advise against it, Harry! It's not a safe job!" said Ivan, rolling his eyes. You're throwing Sirius under the bus!
Not to mention that Sirius was officially cleared of all charges only a few months ago, and neither the students' parents nor the school board allowed him to teach!