Halloween, Halloween
He begins the story!
These are deaths, injuries, fears!
Halloween, Halloween —
This is a grief for us.
Try your luck!
***
—Take your positions,— said our familiar referee, Austin.
We formed a kind of arc, trying to keep all three opposing teams within sight.
"Seamus, you're attacking Ravenclaw with me. Ron, Hopkins is on you — strain him as much as you can, he constantly takes the side of the Ravens. Hermione, cover us with a new find, but keep an eye on Nott and Malfoy — they can forget about our arrangements at any moment and play on a surprise attack," I assigned roles in the upcoming battle.
"Got it, Kyle,— Seamus nodded.
— Let's tear them up! Ron said enthusiastically.
"After the first spell, I need two to three seconds to renew the spell,— Hermione replied.
— Did you guys hear that? Do not forget about evasion, as our defense is only undergoing the first tests. And we don't block each other out like we did last time!
"At least we'll have that protection," Seamus chuckled. "I still can't believe you managed to learn it, Hermione." Even Kyle couldn't do it!
And it was true. Since the Protego spell was much more difficult to learn, Hermione and I sat down in the library and started looking for a suitable replacement for shield charms. And they found it! Even though only Hermione has been able to learn them so far, continuously memorizing the correct pronunciation and gesture for several days in a row.
—Sticks at the ready,— the referee said. The training match is about to start, so we've completely stopped talking.
— And, fight! — he gave the go-ahead, and the first flashes of simple spells lit up the space of the dueling hall.
—Incarcero! Depulso! — I used the first set of spells I learned. And almost immediately I jumped back, as two beams from different directions flew straight at me.
"Ron, don't sleep!" Why is the badger attacking me!
— Tarantallegra! The locomotive! "Seamus was casting spells at the ravens.
— Slagulus Eructo! Ron joined the fight, forcing Hufflepuff Wayne Hopkins to jump back from where he had been standing.
— Carmine Kaptonem! — I heard the pronunciation of that spell from Hermione behind me. "Kyle, I'm ready." Don't think about defending, attack!
— Petrificus Totalus! Conjunctivitis! — I sent two more spells into the crowd of ravens, causing them to stray and move around the designated area.
At the same time, Roger Malone managed to launch his spell at me in response. Instinctively, I wanted to dodge, but I remembered Hermione's words in time and literally forced myself to remain motionless.
The girl reacted perfectly, pointing her wand at a small transparent bubble directly in the direction of the flying beam. Instead of my carcass, the beam hit his area and began to fly in a circular loop from the inside, gradually losing its strength and weakening.
The "spell trap" proved its effectiveness as a protective charm, although it could only catch one ray at a time. And it was necessary to control this bubble on an ongoing basis, as it happened with the spell "Wingardium Levios" with objects.
There was, of course, a variation of the same charms, where the bubble acted automatically and independently caught an incoming spell, but this modification was still too difficult for sophomores to fully master, so we settled for its simplified version.
— It worked! Well done, Hermione," I said, turning back for a moment, after which I returned my focus to the battle.
The fights in the second year were very different from the ones between the seniors. We could usefully use many simple spells that would otherwise inevitably shatter against the Protego shield without causing any inconvenience to the opponents.
Initially, I was thinking of honing and using a couple of the most effective spells in combat. But in practice... A variety of different spells, which, when hit, either took another opponent out of the game or caused him significant inconvenience, turned out to be a much better option in battle.
The spell of tickling, uncontrolled dancing, the spell of wobbly legs, tongue—tied, conjunctivitis - all this had a different color of the flying beam and, most importantly, a different speed. Since the sophomores had been unable to ward off spells in any way so far, active evasion remained the only option. And most of the flying enchantments came across at different speeds: either they jumped away much earlier than necessary, thereby wasting precious moments of battle, or they did not have time to react and fell under the spell.
—Incarcero! Baubillius! — I used a great bunch of charms in the thick of the fight. The first is a binding spell, which flies slower than all the others. The second, the fastest, releases a white-and-yellow lightning bolt, the impact of which is equivalent to using some kind of Muggle taser. Having cast spells one after the other quickly enough, the second gets lost from sight of the opponents in front, manages to catch up and overtake the first somewhere in the middle of the way, which is why it hits the target much earlier than it seems at first glance.
Stefan Kornfoot proved this by collapsing to the floor from a magical electric shock.
— Great, minus one! Kyle, come on! Seamus shouted in the thick of the fight.
— Don't get distracted!
—Got it, boss,— he saluted me, dodging another spell. — Depulso! Mimble Wimble!
Mimble Wimble... Some of the spells caused me an uncontrollable attack of shame by their pronunciation. It's good that at least there is no "Abra Kadabra". Although, maybe we just haven't heard about him yet...
Strangely enough, neither Malfoy nor Nott showed aggression in our direction, which is why, after Stefan's elimination, the other crows and their eternal ally Hopkins began to fall for the spell one by one.
So, Seamus managed to get Michael Corner's tickle charms, which is why he couldn't use any spells properly anymore. Then Theodore Knott hit Roger Davis in the side with a spell — he noticed him too late and did not have time to dodge. Realizing that I would no longer need protection, Hermione, with my tacit consent, broke the spell and, together with Ron, knocked out the only badger from the duel, pushing him into the wall with a Depulso spell.
The most difficult crow remained, which we attacked en masse. In response to the spells she sent, she displayed some unimaginable wonders of acrobatics and reactions. Korean Sue Lee completely stopped her attack, and was quite weak in it initially, focusing on dodging the stream of various charms flying at her.
Six of us continuously sent spells and combinations of them in her direction, but to no avail! I wouldn't be surprised if her middle name is Mary.
But even the most agile people get tired sooner or later. My next "Baubillius" still got the girl, marking the final elimination of the ravens from the training competition.
The Slytherins looked at our foursome, ready to attack, and without a word lowered their wands, acknowledging our superiority.
—Good job, Golden,— Theodore said to me.
"It was pretty simple," I replied with a nod.
Our agreement with the Slytherins was made when Badger joined the Ravenclaw four during the first training sessions. There were three of us then, without Hermione, so we decided to team up with two snakes against five opponents, even if there was a conflicted Malfoy among them.
Since our team turned out to be significantly stronger than the other team, we defeated the Ravens time after time. But now, together with Hermione, the opponents simply had no chance.
— The fight is over! Learn, third year, how to fight without knowing "Protego". It was impossible to look at you last year without tears," the referee shared his opinion, causing dissatisfaction among the entire third year with this remark. Cormac McLaggen looked like an offended tomato. — So, there's still plenty of time before dinner — which of the courses wants to have a rematch? The fourth? Huck, can we show you who's driving in the fifth year again? No? Okay... The third one! Come on, finally show us a good team fight. And don't make unhappy faces, go ahead, to the playground! Sophomores, let's make room, no one even needs medical help... — the referee was giving instructions.
—And why haven't they betrayed us yet?" Seamus asked, nodding at Nott and Malfoy.
— Because it's just a training session. I'm sure that when the tournament starts, they will be very happy to team up with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff against us. They will play on surprise, and we won't have any difficult combat practice because of this," I shared my thoughts with the guys.
— And how do we win then? Four against seven? Ron asked, annoyed.
— We will prepare and train hard. We'll do our best, in short. But even so, the numerical advantage will be on their side, so it won't be so insulting to lose. After all, this is the only competition mode in which even a single Hopkins can win, if he is very lucky and all the rivals beat each other up. So let's focus on the singles matches instead.
Actually, I had an idea of how to practice "against everyone" for the tournament. All they had to do was break the pact with the Slytherins themselves and attack them first. But in this case, the sheepskin was clearly not worth the effort, as there were plenty of other things to do. Besides, winning such training sessions boosted our morale and improved the attitude of the seniors who watched the fights.
"Well, you have no equal there, Kyle," Ron said with conviction, referring to my still unbroken streak of victories in single duels.
— Then aim for the second place, my friend. Or would you rather give it to Korean Sue or the same Malfoy? I grinned at him.
— Nah. Fuck them all, not the prizes. Yes, Seamus?
— Of course. We should get them and nothing else," the boy patted him on the shoulder.
"I'll have to keep an eye on the third—year training sessions," I said quietly. "Did you hear what Goodwin said?" The tournament will start with group battles between courses. And if we win the third one, we'll start fighting the fourth one, and so on... In short, we will lose anyway, but even one victory will provide us with a standing ovation.
— Yeah, it would be cool to beat them. But it's not clear how to do this, because they are already studying Protego with all their might, and they will study it by the beginning of the tournament anyway," Seamus shared his thoughts.
— Then we need to study the standard "Stupefy" and "Expelliarmus", which are constantly used by most undergraduates in duels. The first one penetrates the shield well, and the second one flies very fast, accurately and immediately knocks out the opponent thanks to the removal of the wand, " I told my friends my plan of action, which they all agreed with.
These spells were quite difficult for our course, but we saw them used so often that studying these spells should not be an impossible task for us — we just need to put in enough effort, and find compliant undergraduates who will point out our initial mistakes.
"Then we should offer it to the other sophomores, as well as study with them," Seamus said thoughtfully. — We will fight together with them against the third year.
"Let's think about it after today,— I shrugged.
— Ha, you're right, we need to get through another Halloween first, damn it.
Since we were standing and chatting on the lower floor, in the common area, and not on the faculty level, our Slytherin allies approached us without any problems.
—Golden, Weasley, Finnigan,— Malfoy nodded. — Good fight.
Draco, after several instances of his own ridicule on my part, began to behave more restrained with us and stopped bullying the guys about and without. A good trend, as for me — I thought that sooner or later he would have to be taught a lesson and given a good beating, but Malfoy himself was gradually letting go of his humiliation at the trials.
The only one of his friends was Theodore Knott, and he didn't exactly communicate well with him. Rather, the two of them looked like two single snakes who spent a lot of time together only because of circumstances. The other three Slytherin boys joined the Headmaster's Club, the fanatics, so Draco didn't have much choice about who to be friends with.
— We're all waiting for someone to attack us from behind, but that's not going to happen. In that case, the fight would be even better, don't you think? — I hinted to the guys with a smile about their "cunning plan", which I had known for a long time.
"We have a deal, Golden. And we observe it," said Malfoy with apparent indifference.
— I would argue with that and even make a good argument, but I won't. Did you want something? Or did they come over purely to exchange pleasantries?
"What kind of spell was that?" Nott asked. "That bubble over your head. We saw him grab the flying beam, and you didn't even have to move away.
"Hermione's secret find," I replied in an ominous whisper. — Without Protego, we are looking for protection options, so we have unearthed one of them.
Hermione herself was silent all this time, and at the mention of the girl, only Malfoy spared her a glance.
— Will you share the source? Would it be useful for us?" Nott asked me.
— Only if you are willing to spend a lot of time studying it. By the way, it still doesn't work out for me.
When I said that even I couldn't cast these spells, the Slytherins' fervor subsided noticeably.
— Okay. Then we won't distract you anymore. We have solo training sessions next week — will we spar more? I can't get used to your fighting style the first time," Nott told me awkwardly. Apparently, the guy doesn't like to admit those moments when something doesn't work out for him.
"We still have to live until next week to do that," I grinned. "I'm sorry, Theodore, but I'm in high demand from both my own people and Ravenclaw. I can guarantee two duels, but no more.
— At least that way. Okay, see you soon," he waved his hand and the Slytherins moved to their tier to watch the next match from there and go about their business.
It is significant that they had almost no contact with Hermione, and if they wanted to ask her something, they asked me. That's the fate of those who signed the contract — Hermione was accepted into the club, as Chairman Goodwin promised me, they stopped bullying her, but here's the status of the girl... Let's just say that some students treated forced laborers, to put it mildly, like furniture.
This offended Hermione at first, but I did not make her an obedient toy for the entertainment of undergraduates, I politely responded to such requests with a peremptory refusal and treated the girl completely differently, which I encouraged all my friends to do.
I might have such strong power over another person, but Hermione's sincere gratitude was much more important and pleasant to me than full control over her actions.
Realizing this, I even stopped considering myself a bad person, since I fulfilled my part of the deal in full in front of the girl — honestly and fairly.
"I still don't understand why you're being so nice to them, Kyle," Ron snapped. "Nott wasn't with us at the trials, but Malfoy was so scared and almost screwed up. Why would we pretend to be friends with people like them? I would have sent snakes, and that would be the end of it...
— And then spend six years with them, not only in classes, but also in the club? Ron, don't rush to make enemies, there are plenty of other troubles at Hogwarts as it is.
"I still don't understand,— Ron muttered, but he didn't dare to argue further.
Weasley often divided people in his head into "good", "bad" and "neutral", after which he wondered why I was treating a certain type differently from his system of good and evil. Fortunately, I had already formed a strong friendship with Ron, and my indisputable leadership forced the boy willy-nilly not to arrange squabbles and arguments, accepting my motives as something, albeit not entirely understandable, but subconsciously correct and correct.
This concerned both the Slytherins and Hermione, with whom the boy's relationship was strained so much that it was possible to tune out some kind of melody. Only the systematic joint presence of Ron and Hermione in my company over time made it possible, if not to improve the relationship of the guys, then at least to bring them out of the acute phase.
Together with my friends, we ascended to the Gryffindor tier and took another look at the opposition of the third-year students, noting their strengths and weaknesses, discussing their arsenal of spells and strategy.
— That's it, the Dueling Club. Dinner's in half an hour," Austin announced. — It won't be possible to predict what awaits us, but you know the basic set of actions. And may Fortune preserve us,— the guy kissed some kind of talisman located on the chain, after which he left his place as the referee, who was appointed every day among the seniors.
Halloween. It's the only day of the year when all students are absolutely in danger. The day when some of the students will inevitably die, and many of them will be seriously injured.
In the second year of study, the reaction of students to the approaching event was much more noticeable. The upperclassmen, who had the chance to be the guardians of the freshmen's lives, were especially worried.: Since a dozen of them went to another school for the Tournament of Seven Schools, there were much fewer of them in quantity and quality.
It was easier for Dylan Blair, who, because of his status as the head of the school, did not go to the tournament, and did not receive a ward from the first year. But he had a much more difficult task: to ensure the organization of students when faced with danger.
For example, it was the last head of the school who managed to gather the students that year on the main staircase and equip its defenses, after which he just as skillfully conducted a tactical retreat due to the influx of animated animals. The senior students unanimously agreed that it was thanks to the actions of the head of the school that unnecessary deaths could be avoided, which made them look hopefully at the harsh and hot-tempered, but still authoritative Dylan.
Every day, it was not a pleasant experience for me to feel that Halloween was getting a day closer. Last year it was easier, because we found out about a deadly event day in, day out, which is why we just didn't have time to worry in advance.
"Well, let's go to dinner," I said to the gloomy guys.
"I wish they could have done something simple for us.".. Seamus fantasized, "I remember last year." I thought you were eaten by those monkeys, but Ron... Well, you remember.
At the mention of Ron, he instinctively hid his hand from sight.
"I'm afraid it might be more difficult this time." From now on, the seniors won't be taking care of us, but the first year students. Today we are, in fact, on our own," I made a disappointing conclusion. —But we can handle it." We'll stick together, think with our heads, and act carefully. Plus, we'll have a little ace up our sleeve.
As we walked down the stairs-in-motion, we noticed how the mood of the students was gloomy and collected. The guys were heading towards danger because it was impossible to do otherwise - attendance at dinner was mandatory for everyone, and malingerers or self—harmers were severely punished.
— Kyle! Ron! Harry called out to us from the flight above, "Wait for me!"
We waited for a friend to catch up with us, and we all went down the last floors together.
"I'm just back from practice." Wood was freaking out again and didn't want to give an extra hour of rest even today, can you imagine! — he was indignant with his captain. — I just got up to tidy up, as it's time to go to dinner...
"Better tell us: did you take it?" I asked Harry conspiratorially.
"Yeah," he quietly opened his robe, under which he had an invisibility cloak deftly wrapped around his body, "it doesn't seem to be very noticeable from the outside if you don't touch your outer clothes.
— Yes, it's a good idea. Well done, Harry," I praised my friend. — If necessary, immediately disappear from sight, become invisible and stay close to us. You can help me if it's really hard.
"I'll do that." It's just a pity that we won't all fit under the mantle.
— Yes, with our complexion, we can be together under her, or at most three of us, and even then she will bully and show everyone our legs. So it's better to hide under it alone, so that you can help us from the outside without being discovered.
I still chastised myself for completely forgetting to tell Harry to take the invisibility cloak when hiking in the Forbidden Forest. From now on, the boy goes into any adventures and dangers only with her.
There was already a small crowd in front of the entrance to the Great Hall: we arrived just in the midst of the students' arrival for dinner. The atmosphere itself was saturated with some kind of ominous energy and seemed to portend impending trouble.
When I saw Dumbledore himself at the faculty tables, I swallowed, felt my wand in my pocket and moved to my place at the table. Others followed my example.
—Parvati, Lavender,— I nodded to the girls, who were already sitting in their favorite places.
—Hello, Kyle, hello, boys.. Hermione,— Lavender replied, stumbling a bit at the end. She hasn't gotten used to the fact that Hermione now goes everywhere with us and is part of my entourage.
Neville, Sally-Ann, and Faye soon joined us.
—Nev, I heard you and Terry arguing in front of the door," Faye said. "What happened?"
"It's nothing... He just doesn't understand me at all lately...
Even though the two boys were in different clubs, they were lonely there and were able to become friends with each other. I was genuinely happy for Neville, as he finally stopped looking at our dueling company with envy and a bit of resentment.
— Can you tell me more specifically?
— Let's think about something else now, — I intervened in the conversation. — Did you have any briefing in the clubs?
—Pf, only if it's completely general: be careful, stick by your elders, and listen to what they say," Sally—Ann snorted.
—And the Sorority advises asking the boys from the course for help,— Lavender replied. "Kyle, you're not going to leave us in the lurch, are you?" — She blinked her eyes.
"Who do you take me for?" Of course, we will help each other as much as we can. It's just that we don't know what exactly we're going to face, and that's what pisses me off the most," I shared my thoughts.
"One senior told me that they were all separated on Halloween, which was why everyone was on their own,— Faye replied.
—It could be,— I nodded. — So let's solve the problems as they come.
I noticed the first-year students who were sitting very close to us and because of whom we all learned to communicate quietly enough so that our conversations would not be overheard.
Poor devils. They are sitting, waiting for the feast, but they do not even imagine that something terrible awaits them today. We also have no idea, but at least we are sure, based on last year's experience, that all students will face some kind of hardships. Freshmen don't know that either.
Of course, they had already been informed by the "guardians" that they needed to stay close to them as soon as possible. But this year's freshman year was no match for us... There was no Kyle Golden among them, who would have united the whole course around himself. None of the freshmen still knew about the points, where they could be obtained and how to spend them. But it's been almost two months of study!
The feast began. The students looked warily at the calm professors and the director, but they did not react in any way, as if today was the most ordinary dinner, albeit a festive one.
The first year students at other faculties attacked the food as if they were on a hunger strike. Although, that was the case in fact — only the cubs received an improved portion of food due to belonging to the winning faculty.
And then, personally, I've already gotten used to spending some of my earned points on the periodic mini-parties that the four of us and the guys used to have, and now the five of us with Hermione. How to live at Hogwarts on nothing but tasteless rations during meals in the Great Hall, I was afraid to even imagine.
Concentration is what I would call the main reaction of the students during the feast. Each of the senior students was preparing for danger, nervous and looked at each other, had a meal, but whispered to each other.
And the danger was not long in coming.
— Guys, look up! — the attentive Hermione told us as soon as she discovered the strangeness.
On the enchanted ceiling, which initially showed a clear evening sky with stars, thick gray clouds began to form quickly. But what is more strange is that these very clouds began to descend down, straight into the Great Hall!
"What is it?"
— It looks like a fog that descends from the sky for some reason... — I made a guess.
As the students watched the thick gray haze warily, Dumbledore stood up from his seat. And I don't know how he does it, but everyone noticed the director's actions, after which the students fell silent as one, waiting for his address.
— Detect the danger. Find the traitor," he said four words just at the moment when the teaching desks on the dais disappeared behind a thick layer of swirling fog.
The teachers were no longer visible, and they themselves, like last time, were most likely already leaving the place of the Halloween test.
"What kind of danger?" A traitor? What traitor? Lavender asked the people around her in a panic.
"Among the students, I guess,— Harry answered her thoughtfully.
— And how to find him?
— Look, the fog is getting lower!
"Out, let's go," I directed my friends to the door, trying, as last year, to leave the Great Hall before a huge crowd and confusion formed at the exit.
But then my plan failed: the oak doors of the Great Hall were closed and did not want to open at all.
"So what do we do?" There, the other students are coming here too! Ron pointed his finger at the crowd of seniors rushing to the exit.
And the fog was getting lower.
"What have you got here, Golden?" Why don't you come out? — Dylan Blair joined our group. He looked extremely serious and menacing.
"The door is closed," I replied briefly to the headman.
"Damn it.".. "Blair tried a couple of spells, but none of them opened the door," Sonorus! Attention, the door is closed! Don't crowd at the exit, disperse around the hall and look for another way! I repeat, the door is tightly closed!
The thick fog finally descended, completely blocking all our small visibility.
— Let's hold hands! Seamus, Harry! I grabbed the two nearest hands. "Take the others!" Move to the right corner of the hall!
Now it was difficult to make out the face of the man in front of him even at close range. The fog didn't interfere with my breathing, and my skin didn't feel it at all, but it was time to say goodbye to my eyesight, because in such visibility, even the devil would break my leg.
Like blind kittens, we moved along the wall to the right of the double-leafed entrance door. They moved literally by touch, with their backs against the walls and columns of the Great Hall.
And then there were some flashes of turquoise-colored spells.
— Ah-ah-ah! — a student's scream was heard all over the room. After it, a crash was heard in a completely different part, followed by similar screams.
— What the fuck is going on here! Seamus swore, holding my hand tightly. — I can't see a damn thing, I can hear a lot, and it's scary!
"We're standing here, we've reached the corner," I said to the guys on the left. "Are you all right?" — there were responses in response, according to which all the Gryffindor sophomores seemed to be in relative order.
—Kyle, should I put on my robes?" Harry asked me.
"What's the point?" And you can't see anyone or anything. The robe won't help here.
— Ah-ah-ah-ah! It hurts! — with the new turquoise rays, a girl's cry was heard from somewhere on the other side of the hall.
Suddenly, the exact same beam landed very close to me!
— Who was hurt? I shouted, not moving from my seat.
"This.".. Parvati. She seems to be paralyzed! Lavender shouted in a hysterical voice.
So Parvati was alive, which was good news. But if these are paralysis spells, then why is someone screaming in pain?
After standing against the wall for another minute and listening to what was happening in the hall, we waited for the moment when the fog began to rise to the ceiling again.
A very bleak picture was revealed: crowds of students were standing at the walls of the hall, hiding under tables or huddled on the floor in the position in which they expect an explosion. In the opposite corner, a bench lay smashed to splinters against the wall, and a senior lay next to it, broken by a blow. Some third- or fourth-year girl had her face burned by a spell, which was why she was still screaming and crying under the ravens' table.
"Gee," I said, watching the chaos unfold, which hadn't been there just five minutes ago. — Parvati, — I came to my senses and ran up to the girl. "How is she?"
— He's not moving, but he's breathing and there's no visible damage.
"Hey! Cancellation charms are needed here, help me! I shouted to the seniors who were standing very close.
Dylan Blair was still at the door, so he heard me, came over and cast an undo spell. Dylan looked extremely serious and even somehow aggressive.
—That's strange... "Didn't it work?" he said. Apparently, some kind of more serious enchantment than a simple "Petrificus". Finita Incantatem! He tried an enhanced version of the counterspell, but the girl remained motionless. "It's some kind of special charm. Consider that she was eliminated from the Halloween ordeal, but she remained alive. — Blair said and went to other parts of the room to find out the details of what had happened.
"How are the others?" Are you okay? — I examined my fellow students and made sure that everything was fine with them.
— Okay, listen to me carefully! — while we were dragging the girl's body away from the pandemonium, the head of the school reactivated the "Sonorus" spell so that it could be heard by absolutely all students. — I assume that the purpose of this Halloween is to find a traitor among us, who threw spells. This is most likely the danger that needs to be discovered. You heard the director's words yourself... So that's it: The Dueling club in full force is going to that corner," Dylan pointed to one of the corners of the hall with his hand. — Travelogues — you collectively occupy the opposite one. The women's club is over there. Quidditch players are the opposite. Artisans, fanatics, and scribes remain in the center, between the tables. The freshmen are next to their bodyguards! We carry the injured and unconscious students to the teachers' table so as not to trample them in the process. Let's go, let's work!
The instructions of the influential headman were listened to without argument. Even we had to split up, even though none of the sophomores wanted to.
But then, when the students went to the clubs, Dylan gave new instructions that not everyone liked.
"So everyone's gone?" Fine. Now, understand one simple thing: there is a student among us who poses a danger to everyone else. Therefore, as the head of the school, I ask the Craft Club, the Headmaster's Club, and the Book Club to give up their chopsticks. Do you see the fog? He hasn't gone anywhere and will soon come down again. If the attacks continue, your clubs will be out of the zone of suspicion. If they stop, there is a traitor among you. Am I making myself clear?
"Why should we give up our wands and become defenseless?" Let the duelists do it! You specialize in spells, you're more suspected," the head of the Book Club said indignantly.
"What are you talking about, Bird?" Have you completely lost the coast with your books? One of the dueling seniors shouted back at him.
A skirmish broke out, which was stopped by the head of the Director's Club, who voluntarily surrendered his wand the very first. The rest of the fanatics followed the leader's example, followed by the scribes and artisans.
When the wands were passed, the fog really began to descend again—as Blair had predicted.
—Okay, we're being calm," Dylan Blair admonished people. — we are watching the trajectory of the spells, if they will be used again. We don't create too many people so that fewer people get hurt. Yes, go your separate ways along the wall, but don't leave the backbone of your club!
This time, I was almost in the middle of the dueling, and Seamus, Ron, and Hermione were next to me.
"It's best to squat down, flatten yourself against the wall and cover your head," I advised my friends, "this way we will reduce the likelihood of being hit and at least protect ourselves a little from splinters and accidental injuries.
The guys listened to me, and when the fog began to spread thick clouds over the ground again, we were at least a little ready for a new round of Halloween chaos.
And once again, turquoise-colored spell beams were flying in all directions. And again they found their targets. But it was completely unclear from which side they were sent.
— These are Travelogues! A traitor among them!
— No, Chris got hit by the duelists!
— Yes, you're driving, I saw a tractor — it's all a Women's club!
— Give us the wands, we have nothing to do with it!
When the fog repeated its ascent, the students started shouting and hurling accusations, while the less conflicted helped the wounded by dragging them to the teaching desks.
I kept waiting for Blair to quiet the loudmouths, but... The head of the school was lying unconscious against the wall, and his arms and legs were broken.
—Holy shit, Dylan!
"Blair's hurt!" Who knows the spells for setting bones?
"I know, but nothing works on those who are under the spell!"
— And who's going to drive now?
"I am," came a voice from the fanatics, their leader speaking. — We were without wands, which means there is no traitor among us.
An undergraduate student unknown to me straightened up and captured the attention of the crowd.
"And what do you suggest?"
— Let's do the same thing, but on the contrary: all other clubs will hand over the sticks to us.
Through outrages, screams and conflicts, the head of the Director's Club still managed to force the duelists, travel guides, girls and Quidditch players to hand over their wands. Without mine, I felt out of place: I felt naked and helpless.
How could the students not discover which side of the spell was being used? Are there more than one traitor? Or does he move skillfully in the fog?
While the seniors were solving their questions, I had my own. Something strange kept bothering me. Spells...
The new round has not changed in any way: a complete lack of visibility, monochrome rays and injured students.
"Who is this traitor?" Everyone lost their wands at some point, but the charms were still used!
— Did they take away the wands from the first-year students? What if the traitor took advantage of one of them?
When it dawned on the upperclassmen that no one had thought to take the chopsticks from the first year, everyone was very depressed.
"I won't give up mine anymore!" You should know that! You just have to cast spells in response and that's it! Follow the trajectory to throw the answer, but more helpfully!
— Turn on your head, you bastard! You'll put even more students down this way than a traitor!
"Then how do we find him, genius?" Tell me, and we'll all listen...
The students were nervous. The seniors still hadn't agreed on the new wave of fog, which was why no one got any closer to finding the traitor, and the wounded were joined by five more students, including Faye Dunbar and Draco Malfoy from my class.
There could be more wounded than healthy people at this rate...
And those turquoise spells again... Why are they the same color, but the effect is different? It doesn't work that way for wizards!
Wait a minute...
"Brandon, right?" I have an idea. — having formed my thought, I ran to the center of the hall, where the newly-minted student leader from among the fanatics was.
"Fuck off, you little brats. I'm not up to you right now," another senior told me in response, who was actively arguing with this very Brandon.
"Hey, it's actually Golden, he figured out Dumbledore's idea last Halloween!" Give him the floor," Denis Green, a sixth—year student from the Dueling Club, said in my defense.
— Arrange silence! Brandon barked at the others. "Kyle Golden, right?" We're all listening, speak up," he said to me, after which all the students fell silent and stared straight in my direction.
"I have, uh, a theory. All spells have the same color, but the effects are very different: from fractures to paralysis, from euthanasia to burns. It shouldn't be like this. Plus, the trajectories are different each time — if it were one student, all the spell beams would be directed from about the same point, or he would have to actively move around the hall, which would arouse suspicion from the rest.
"What's your point?"
"What if there's no traitor?" And the spells aren't directed by a student, or even a human? What if it is... A house elf?
The hall fell silent, and the seniors digested my suggestion.
I knew for sure that brownies could do magic. That they can become invisible and that there is a whole community of them at Hogwarts who cook for us and report directly to the test organizer, Dumbledore.
The theory was flimsy, but at the moment I had no other explanation for what was happening.
— An interesting version... I know a couple of spells against brownies. Now we'll check it out," Brandon said just as the fog began its smooth downward movement again.
The students ran to take up relatively safe positions, spreading out across the Large Hall. I stayed in the very center, next to the senior.
— Domus elf ostend de ipsum! I heard Brandon cast a spell. And at the same moment, he appeared right next to me... The house elf!
I was right!
"I see him!" I shouted loudly. "It's an elf!"
The creature that had already knocked a couple dozen students unconscious blinked, smiled at me, and snapped its fingers, disappearing without a trace. After him, the fog began to dissipate completely.
— We did it!
— Golden, you're a beauty!
— Help the wounded!
— The door, it's open!
— LOOK, THERE'S A CORPSE HERE!
I headed in the direction from where the screams came from, and saw a dead first-year Slytherin. He wasn't breathing, and there were clear handprints on his neck that had strangled him. Human hands.
"Who?" Who is its keeper?
The guy who was arguing with Dylan about the need to hand over the chopsticks walked stiff-legged over to the dead freshman.
"How... how.".. He looked around hungrily at the rest of the students, who were bowing their heads and turning away from the doomed senior.
The guy saw the open door and rushed out of the castle with all his strength, in an attempt to escape from imminent death.
The next day, we were told that someone had killed him near Hogsmeade.
But the traitor Dumbledore told us about did exist. And he started killing.