"Glittering Glow~"
As Evan chanted the spell, a dazzling light pierced the darkness, shining upon the Devil's Snare. The light-fearing and heat-dreading plant immediately retracted its tendrils.
The drop was about four meters. After judging the distance, Evan had Harry, Ron, and Hermione help him lower Fluffy to the ground using the Levitation Charm.
Harry hung the music box on the chain around Fluffy's neck to prevent it from waking mid-way.
Fluffy's size made it a struggle even for four people using the Levitation Charm, and at one point, the Cerberus nearly woke up.
Fortunately, the music didn't stop, and after a bit of a struggle, they successfully lowered Fluffy down where the previously dispersed Devil's Snare closed back up.
"But what about this trapdoor? And this empty space will surely raise Minister Fudge's suspicions," Hermione said worriedly.
"Do you have any useless items on you? I can dress up the place with a Transfiguration spell," Evan sighed, feeling like he was becoming a professional at cleaning up messes without any compensation from Dumbledore.
At his prompting, the three searched their wizard's robes' pockets and indeed found quite a few small items.
Ron produced a bag of cocoa beans, Harry had some Galleons and Sickles, and Hermione found small items like wooden combs and round mirrors.
There were quite a few items in total, especially the cocoa beans from Ron which easily numbered over a hundred once opened.
To avoid the Transfiguration looking too amateurish and being seen through, Evan refused their help and completed the decoration himself.
"Well, not bad," Evan said, looking around with satisfaction after he finished.
"Wouldn't this be a bit too much?" Harry suddenly felt worried looking at the items hanging from the ceiling.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will have a way to explain it!" Evan said with deep resentment. He wasn't the type to let himself be undermined without retaliation.
He had actually hoped to give Dumbledore a bit more of a challenge...
Evan felt a little disappointed since they didn't have any large items on them, making a big scene seemed unlikely.
As Evan cast the spells, Professor McGonagall's loud voice echoed from afar.
"There's nothing special about the fourth-floor corridor; the additional door is simply to facilitate space separation."
Now what to do?
Harry didn't dare to speak but communicated with his eyes.
Evan also hadn't expected the Ministry's people to arrive so quickly. He thought Dumbledore would lead Fudge on a wild goose chase around the school to buy them time.
Fortunately, McGonagall's voice served as a timely reminder.
"We can jump down; it's the Devil's Snare below. We just have to not resist," Hermione whispered, pointing to the trapdoor, then took the leap first.
She had already seen the tendrils of the Devil's Snare close back up, providing a cushion to prevent a deadly fall.
Harry and Ron gritted their teeth and jumped, hoping Fluffy was still asleep below.
Evan barely had time to stop them, and they were already gone.
"Actually, I can use the Disillusionment Charm..." Evan muttered under his breath, cast a Transfiguration spell on the trapdoor, and entered just before the spell was complete.
As the trapdoor closed and blended with the floor, Umbridge's annoying voice filled the corridor beyond the wooden door.
"I don't think so; perhaps there are secrets hidden here."
Umbridge, with a smirk, stepped in, and as she turned her head, it seemed as if a mechanism was triggered, and ghost masks hanging by thin strings dropped down. They dangled in mid-air, some smiling, some joyous, all with hollow gazes staring at her—one was even directly in front of Umbridge.
"Ahhh!!!" Umbridge sat down on the ground with a shriek.
McGonagall tensed immediately outside the door, and Dumbledore feared Umbridge had discovered Fluffy, thinking he might have miscalculated by entrusting the transfer of the Cerberus to the children.
It was indeed improbable for a few young wizards to relocate a Cerberus in such a short time.
But once inside, Dumbledore found the situation different from what he had expected. The corridor was lined with diverse ghost masks hanging from the ceiling, leaving Dumbledore amused yet exasperated.
McGonagall was startled too and looked at Dumbledore, questioning.
Dumbledore subtly shook his head, indicating he was also unaware, seeming to imply that Evan managed to surprise him each time.
"Albus, what is happening here?" Fudge asked, looking at the corridor that seemed to have turned into a haunted house, his expression a mix of emotions, gazing at Dumbledore with a peculiar scrutiny.
He couldn't help but suspect Dumbledore might be conducting dangerous Dark Arts behind his back; in fact, Fudge now somewhat regretted coming to the fourth floor, fearing he might be silenced.
But upon closer inspection, Fudge realized the ghost masks were not Dark Arts artifacts; they were just ordinary masks.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment; Evan's arrangements were unexpected, but clearly, they were no significant challenge for him.
In just a few seconds, Dumbledore pretended to be forgetful, often forgetting things, and slapped his hands together.
"Ah... I remember now, I had Severus purchase these for Halloween. If it wasn't for coming here, I would have forgotten them here."
Dumbledore then put on a vampire mask, adorned with red paint at the corners of the mouth resembling bloodstains.
"Looks good, doesn't it?" Dumbledore said.
Severus?
Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched slightly, finding Dumbledore's excuse quite flimsy, as she didn't believe Snape would do such a thing.
Fudge, still unsure, picked up a mask for inspection. It was a finely crafted demon mask, likely made of mahogany, and seemed innocuous.
Umbridge had climbed up from the ground, her public humiliation fueling her rage. She drew her wand and cast a spell at the ghost masks.
"Reveal your true form!"
A ripple of magic spread out from the tip of her wand in all directions, the hanging ghost masks shaking continuously, emitting faint noises...