Chapter 54: Night Tour
Artel shifted his thoughts, causing the image in the crystal to morph once more. The versatility of this Isil spar was truly astounding, bordering on being a magical artifact.
After their meal, Hermione had shared a secret with him. The Weasley twins were planning a night adventure, with designs to enlist others in dressing as ghosts and specters to spook the unfortunate Mr. Filch.
Artel couldn't help but feel obliged to spoil this.
"The Weasley twins deserved every point deducted from Gryffindor for their exploits.
With this deduction, even if Harry defeats Voldemort, Dumbledore can't possibly allow Gryffindor to surpass Slytherin!" Artel chuckled, fire dancing in his eyes.
The crystal displayed an image of Gryffindor house.
The twins were now in the Gryffindor common room, but there were disappointingly few volunteers to join their escapade. Initially, many had approved of their plan, but after the troll incident, fear had driven most away.
Only two of the Weasley twins' roommates from the third year, none from the second year, and just Harry and Ron from the first year had remained, a total of six people.
"This here is a magical prank for Halloween. When we put on these ghost masks, a shroud of black mist envelops us, and we can move silently like phantoms," George Weasley explained, demonstrating as he donned the ghost mask.
A veil of black mist cascaded out, obscuring his entire form, with only the eerie ghost mask protruding from the inky darkness.
"Oh, Mr. Filch is in for a treat!" exclaimed the twins' roommates, while Harry and Ron exchanged astonished glances.
"Let's get ready then. It's a shame others won't experience the joy of this prank," Fred lamented as he put on his own magic mask.
The others followed suit, and soon, six swirling black mists shrouded the common room, each topped by a malevolent grinning mask.
Amid the dimly lit jack-o'-lanterns, it was an eerie sight to behold.
"Let's visit the basement and the fourth floor. Tonight's troll incident seems anything but ordinary," Harry whispered to Ron, and after a moment of contemplation, Ron nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go take a look later," Ron suggested.
George carefully opened the door to the common room, where the Fat Lady was already sound asleep. The six of them left the room in hushed silence.
"George, Fred, we have other matters to attend to," Ron informed them.
"Alright, alright. Unfortunately, you won't witness Mr. Filch's embarrassment. Just be cautious and avoid getting caught," George cautioned, knowing that he and Fred possessed the Marauder's Map, giving them the upper hand when encountering professors.
"We will," Ron replied, and together with Harry, they made their way to the fourth floor while George and Fred headed in the direction of Filch.
Meanwhile, Artel observed the six clouds of black mist scattered within the crystal ball and couldn't help but chuckle.
Knowing that the Weasley Twins had the Marauder's Map, he had no intention of personally intervening, but...
Artel retrieved his wand and made a graceful flick.
"Ephemeral Necronoxia!"
Artel's incantation was accompanied by a low voice, and over a dozen eerie ghosts materialized in the dormitory.
Their forms appeared somewhat ethereal, floating in the air and radiating a slight chill. At a first glance, they could be mistaken for dementors.
The flames in the fireplace trembled violently, and Malfoy and his companions, still slumbering in their beds, clutched their blankets tightly, feeling an inexplicable coldness seeping into the room.
"Go!"
Artel's mental control extended to the dozen or so ghosts. Under his guidance, they phased through the walls and swiftly descended to the castle's basement.
Artel, meanwhile, remained focused on the Isil spar, using it to manipulate the ghosts.
Artel first directed a few of the spirits towards Snape's chambers, while the rest headed for Professor McGonagall's quarters. Since Harry and the Weasleys had separated, they needed to locate both professors.
Professor McGonagall had long been exasperated by the Weasley twins. She had attempted to catch them on numerous occasions but always came up empty-handed. With Artel's assistance, perhaps this time, she could deduct a substantial number of house points from each of them in a fit of frustration.
Silently, several ghosts infiltrated Snape's chambers.
At that moment, Snape had just returned from outside and was tending to the wound on his leg. He leaned against the wall, reflecting on the events of the day.
He was certain that Quirrell was acting on behalf of Voldemort, but Dumbledore seemed to have a different plan in mind.
What left Snape feeling powerless was the presence of another clandestine group within the castle, of which he had no knowledge.
.....
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