The children were having a blast on the pirate ship, and the Merman tribe under the Black Lake, seeing the Flying Dutchman's hull made of what looked like flesh and bones, wisely chose not to disturb them.
On Halloween, the entire Castle was filled with a joyful atmosphere. A chilly drizzle began in the afternoon, and on the distant Quidditch pitch, the Slytherin team was still practicing.
Garrd was more like a captain than Flint; he was much more responsible, and everyone could see his love for Quidditch.
Whenever he had free time, he would proactively organize the team members to practice on the pitch.
He was very proactive in communicating with other teams to arrange pitch usage times, something Flint had never done before.
However, in Garrd's own words: 'It's average, not as good as Oliver Wood from Gryffindor. Now that's true passion.
As for me, I just hope to win more trophies to embellish my resume.'
It wasn't until dusk that the group, like drowned rats, with their silver and green robes covered in mud, returned to the common room.
After a quick wash and change of clothes, they headed to the Great Hall.
Dumbledore had indeed invited a skeleton dance troupe, who were performing a lighthearted dance on stage, while the entire Great Hall played cheerful tunes.
Ghastly masks, pumpkin heads, skull decorations—the entire Great Hall was adorned with spooky elements, yet the soft candlelight and intermingling laughter made everyone feel very warm.
Howl and Professor Flitwick were discussing the Duelling Club at the head table.
"Of course, no problem. Then let's change the time. The Duelling Club will hold its activities on Friday evenings," Professor Flitwick nodded generously.
"This way, if any Little Wizard gets injured, they'll have Saturday and Sunday to recover, which will significantly lessen the impact on the following week's classes."
The reason Professor Flitwick's approval was needed for this matter was that many Little Wizards joined more than one club, and Hogwarts had many clubs for different subjects.
Most of these clubs had scheduling conflicts. But there were some larger clubs that no one wanted to clash with.
For example, the Charms Club and the Transfiguration Club.
So, if Howl wanted to move the time to Friday, he had to discuss it with Professor Flitwick's Charms Club.
"I think we could organize duelling competitions within the club, what do you think?" Professor Flitwick said, his eyes gleaming with eagerness, clearly very keen on this idea.
It seemed the Duelling Club had helped Professor Flitwick rediscover something from his past; he had become much more passionate.
He even wanted to organize competitions.
Snape stood to the side, not participating in their discussion, but his attention was actually fixed on them the entire time.
He had never missed a club meeting, even more diligently than Professor Flitwick, and had already become the children's 'Number One Ruthless Person' in the club!
This 'ruthless' referred to his harshness in action.
Howl thought for a moment, then nodded: "I think it's feasible, but we might still need to arrange the time, after all, we can't let the children miss out on their studies or exams because of so-called club competitions."
Professor Flitwick nodded in agreement. Despite having many ideas, the principle could not change: to impact their studies as little as possible.
Amidst the cheerful conversation, the feast gradually came to an end. Howl leaned back in his chair, rocking it on two legs, looking very comfortable. Little Wizards gradually began to leave, and some Professors had already departed.
Soon after, Howl saw that most people had dispersed and was about to bid farewell and return to the Shrieking Shack. However, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
It seemed, for no apparent reason, a disturbance had arisen.
Not long after, Percy Weasley rushed in: "Professor, I think you should come and see."
Howl opened his eyes, his gaze following the sound like a track. After crossing the stairs twice, he caught sight of the crowd blocking the entire corridor.
His gaze continued forward, and soon, he found the source of the blockage.
An old cat, its tail hung from a torch bracket, its body stiff, eyes wide open, staring blankly.
And below this stiff cat, there was a message.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware!"
Howl retracted his gaze. At this moment, Percy had just finished explaining the situation, and the Professors' expressions were all grim.
Soon, the group arrived at the third-floor corridor. Filch had already reached the spot, staring rigidly at the words on the wall.
He had already taken Madam Norris down from the torch bracket and was holding her in his arms, his face pale, muttering to himself: "Norris... Norris..."
At this moment, Dumbledore led the way, and the group quickly arrived in the corridor. Percy was doing a great job, vigorously ushering away the Little Wizards blocking the area.
Even though his two younger brothers glared at him as if they wanted to kick him, he remained unmoved.
Dumbledore looked at Filch, then at the words on the wall, and then said gently: "Howl, could I borrow your office?"
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