Chapter 39: Halloween Eve
October 31st Halloween Eve.
The Hogwarts Castle was decorated in full Halloween spirit. The torches lining the corridors were covered with glowing pumpkin lanterns. From early morning, the house-elves had been busy preparing for the evening feast, and the air was thick with the sweet, mouthwatering scent of pumpkin.
"Halloween originates from Celtic mythology. The Celts believed that on the last day of October, the souls of the dead would return to the world of the living, seeking a substitute to take their place in death. The living, fearing the spirits and worried about being chosen as scapegoats, came up with various ways to cope with the situation.
"Some extinguished their fires and hid in the dark; some disguised themselves as ghosts and demons, concealing their faces to scare away the spirits; others tried to appease the dead by placing delicious food outside their homes for them to enjoy. That, of course, is the origin of 'Trick or Treat'…"
It was a third-year Muggle Studies class in the morning.
Professor Lewynter combined a geography chapter from the encyclopedia to explain how the natural environment influences the lifestyle of local residents, how it shapes their physical features, and how different cultural customs evolve from these conditions.
Unfortunately, wizards didn't fear ghosts, so dressing up as them to ask for sweets had never caught on and the students weren't very interested in the origins of Halloween either.
During lunch, Angelina from Gryffindor kept complaining to her friends about her skin color. Her ancestors had darkened under the sun for survival, but now that she didn't need sun exposure, why couldn't she be pale again?
Spinnet was speechless.
The last class of the afternoon was fifth-year Muggle Studies.
Percy Weasley, Gryffindor Prefect, arrived early and sat in the front center row.
Professor Lewynter was unlike other teachers there was no clear pattern to his random questioning. The odds of being called from the front or back rows were the same, though sitting up front made it easier to copy from the board. Ravenclaws, being quick thinkers, had already figured that out.
As Percy expected, when he entered the classroom, almost all the Ravenclaws were already there, clustered near the center.
He also spotted two Ravenclaw prefects Penelope Clearwater and a boy.
He couldn't remember the boy's name.
Percy took a seat beside Penelope. She looked up, and they exchanged a smile.
Half a minute before the bell rang, Professor Lewyn walked into the classroom.
With the colder weather, her attire had grown noticeably thicker. She was often seen in mid-length coats of varying colors, layered over sweaters her color combinations overlapping in a cozy harmony that somehow brought warmth to the gray tones of autumn and winter. A few young witches had already started taking notes on her outfits.
Their impressions of Muggles were… subtly shifting.
Professor Lewynter's teaching style was also quite unique. Though her pace seemed brisk, her lessons never felt rushed or slow.
"We held a periodic assessment last week, and the corrected exams were handed back last night. You should've already reviewed your mistakes. We'll go over them now."
Percy quietly pulled out his test. His multiple-choice section was dismal.
Melvin opened her notebook it already contained questions from four past exams. "Question one. The correct answer is C. Those who got it wrong, raise your hands."
The classroom fell silent, and then every hand went up. Percy's among them. His expression was calm and collected he wasn't embarrassed; this scene had repeated itself several times before.
"Mr. Hilliard, please explain why you chose C."
"…"
Ah, right his name was Robert Hilliard. Percy recalled it belatedly.
This new teaching method was unique to Muggle Studies. Instead of the professor explaining wrong answers, students did it themselves an approach that greatly improved their initiative. To avoid embarrassment in front of the class, students who made mistakes would think more actively and ask questions until they fully understood.
At first, everyone had resisted the idea, but now they saw it as a chance to show off.
Two hours flew by.
Ten minutes before the bell, Melvin checked her watch it was just time for the last question. She set down the notebook.
"That's all for today. If there's something you don't understand, don't just answer carelessly. Reflect on it afterward until you've mastered the concept completely. Remember, test scores aren't what matter the point is to find your weaknesses. If you're unsure, discuss it with your classmates. If you still can't figure it out, come see me. I want to be lazy."
Laughter rippled through the room.
Melvin nodded. "It's Halloween let's end early and head to the Great Hall for dessert."
"Thank you, Professor Lewyn!"
Melvin watched them cheer at the early dismissal, smiling as she gathered her notes and left briskly.
Before class had started, she'd received a letter from Wright, asking to meet at The Three Broomsticks.
…
On the fourth floor of the castle, in the Charms classroom,
the first-year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students were learning the Levitation Charm.
Professor Flitwick spent the first half of the lesson explaining its theory its origins, spell evolution, wand movements, and famous examples of casting failures. In the second half, he handed out feathers for practical training.
The young wizards waved their wands in circular motions, chanting the spell repeatedly but most could only make their feathers twitch or wobble. A few managed to make them float.
Hermione was one of them.
Thanks to the sweets Professor Lewynter had given her that day, Hermione's interactions with her dormmates and classmates had become much smoother. She felt like she'd finally made friends.
As class neared its end, Hermione watched her friends practicing and couldn't help but correct them.
"The spell is Wingardium Leviosa. Harry, emphasize the 'ar' and stretch the syllables. Cast it more gently. Neville, just wave your wand it's fine, your feather won't explode like Seamus's did."
"…"
Harry, helpless, said nothing. He kept practicing, repeating the spell the same way.
Seamus's face reddened. He sighed, his expression dark and offended.
Only Neville nodded. "Thanks."
Ron, gripping his wand cracked, with its unicorn hair exposed felt his irritation rising.
"It's Win-gar "
"Enough!"
Ron burst out, staring at her wide-eyed. He paused, then spoke seriously:
"It's been two months since school started, and every spell lesson is like this. It's a nightmare. Can't we just practice on our own for once?"
Hermione froze. "I… I just wanted to help."
"You can help by being quiet."
"I thought we were friends."
Hermione looked around, panic flickering in her eyes, searching for someone to back her up.
Harry felt a pang of guilt and couldn't meet her gaze. He didn't know what to say. He did think of Hermione as a friend but he also hoped she'd stop offering so much advice.
Neville opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the bell rang.
As it did, Hermione grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom.
(End of Chapter)