Harry Potter: Who cares about belated motherly love?

Chapter 290 Pansy Parkinson

Over the next three weeks, although there were occasional minor conflicts involving Ginny and Colin Creevey's "paparazzi" problems, there were generally no major problems.

The only exception was that Harry was invited to the 500th anniversary party of the death of our own Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick.

Harry was almost punished because he was wrongly taken to Filch's office before, and finally got Nick's help, so he couldn't refuse this invitation. At first, Harry was full of enthusiasm, thinking that Nick was a friend and was happy to attend the party, but as the preparations for the Halloween party gradually unfolded, he began to regret it.

If I remember correctly, Halloween night in the original novel should be an important turning point in the plot, but Ginny has not shown any abnormality so far. To be exact, she seems to be more confident than before she entered school, without any signs of fatigue, and can even be said to be full of energy. Not only me, but also Percy, Fred, George, and even Charlie, who rarely spends time with Ginny, are puzzled by her transformation. However, since she is so lively every day, we decided to intervene when necessary, but generally keep a wait-and-see attitude. Percy and the others are also paying close attention, so the only thing we need to worry about right now is the "Death Anniversary Party."

Percy had informed all the Gryffindor prefects about the party and obtained permission to be absent from the Halloween party. In addition, Fred and George had the house elves help prepare a dinner for us in the common room, which made Harry feel relieved and determined to attend the party.

Finally, at 10pm on October 31st, we walked through the Great Hall where the Halloween party was being held and headed for the dungeons. As the nights at the end of October were very cold, Hermione and I cast a warming spell in advance.

It turned out to be the right decision. With each step down the stairs leading to the dungeon, the white breath became more obvious. Fortunately, we were protected by the warming spell, otherwise we would have been frozen.

When we arrived at the dungeon entrance, we were greeted not by music but by a loud, piercing noise like fingernails scraping across a blackboard.

"This is a rare experience. It's music to the ghosts," I explained to Harry and Hermione in a low voice.

Nearly Headless Nick stands (or slightly floats) next to the dungeon entrance, which is decorated with black velvet curtains, making it look particularly eerie.

"Thanks for the invitation, Sir Nicholas. I wasn't sure whether I should congratulate you." I greeted Nick.

"Oh, my dear friend, Miss Weasley, you are the only one who would address me as such. You are very welcome."

Nick took off his feathered hat, bowed deeply, and led us into the dungeon.

The scene inside the dungeon was incredible. Hundreds of ghosts waltzed on an impromptu dance floor that reminded me of a ride I had experienced in Dreamland in a previous life. The band played scary music with saws, and hundreds of black candles burned in the chandeliers above, emitting eerie blue flames.

The scene was both scary and dreamy, perfectly in line with the atmosphere of Halloween. We seemed to be the only living people in the venue, and only our breath condensed into white mist around us.

"I'm curious, how was this place arranged? Did the teachers help?" I whispered to Harry and Hermione.

Just as we finished our secret discussion and were about to leave, Nick floated over.

"Are you guys having fun?"

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and nothing could be more perfect for Halloween," I responded with a smile.

"Oh! How glad I am to hear you say that! Many friends have come from far and wide for this evening! The Weeping Widow even came all the way from Kent."

"That's the charm of Sir Nick."

"Haha, I'm glad to hear you say that. But my speech is almost time, so I have to get the band ready."

As soon as Nick finished speaking, the band stopped playing. At this moment, an ancient horn sounded.

"Ah, it's begun..." Nick's expression showed dissatisfaction.

Suddenly, 12 headless horses and 12 headless knights rushed out from the dungeon walls, and all the ghosts applauded wildly. I stopped Harry from clapping and reminded him to look at Nick's expression.

Then, the situation became awkward. The 12 headless horsemen who broke in began to laugh at Nick and made fun of him. Even the ghosts who came for Nick were attracted by these headless horsemen and ignored Nick completely.

Seeing that things were not going well, I resisted the urge to butt in. If the living interfere in the affairs of the spirits, it usually does not end well.

So we said goodbye to Nick and hurried out of the dungeon.

But unfortunately, we were not able to return to the college safely.

……

As we climbed the stairs and left the basement and walked into the entrance hall, Harry suddenly stopped and looked around in confusion.

“What’s that sound…?”

As he spoke, he looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Did you hear that?!" Then he quickly rushed up the stairs, left the hall, and ran directly to the second floor.

(Indeed, if I didn't know the "original", I would also think Harry's behavior was abnormal.)

I motioned for Hermione to follow us and just tried my best to chase after Harry.

(The voice that only Harry could hear... was it really the voice of the basilisk? However, Ginny showed no signs of using the diary...)

Confused, I ran after Harry until we finally stopped in the deserted corridor on the third floor.

"Look!"

Hermione gasped and pointed to the corner of the corridor. Following her finger, I saw something glowing across the corridor.

On the wall between the windows, a line of words about 30 centimeters high glowed faintly under the torchlight:

"The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heirs beware."

When I saw what was hanging under those words, I couldn't help but shudder.

"Look, over there..."

My voice trembled involuntarily, my legs went limp, and I sat down on the cold corridor floor.

Almost at the same time, Harry and Hermione also noticed what it was. There were gasps from both sides.

Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, had her tail wrapped around the torch stand and was hanging there stiffly, her body as stiff as a stone, not moving.

Could it be... that Ginny did it?

As soon as this thought flashed through my mind, indescribable emotions surged in my heart, and I couldn't help but scream:

"Ah ah ah ah ah--!"

Maybe it was my scream that attracted them, or maybe it was the end of the party. Accompanied by an indescribable noise, hundreds of footsteps swarmed in from both ends of the corridor.

The students gathered around, whispering about what was going on, but when they saw Mrs. Norris, who was motionless and we couldn't take our eyes off her, they all fell silent.

Everyone realized something was wrong.

In this ear-piercing silence, someone suddenly shouted:

"Enemy of the Heir beware! You 'Mudbloods' are next!"

It wasn't Draco who was shouting, not "Draco Malfoy".

The one who screamed was Pansy Parkinson, a second year Slytherin.

——At that moment, the trajectory of the story twisted.