章 96: Chapter 96: The Ghost and the Singer
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"Pluff!" A mud ball flew past the obstructing students, hitting the marble slab in front of Filch at an acute angle.
Filch, the caretaker, stared at the mud ball in front of him, his face turning unpleasant, and an aura of "keep your distance" emanated from him.
Albert and Lee Jordan also noticed the change in the corridor. They stopped in their tracks and joined the other students in looking towards the source of the low-pressure atmosphere.
Filch stiffly turned his head to look in the direction the mud ball had come from, only to find another thumb-sized mud ball flying towards him.
Filch quickly dodged to the side, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the spot where he had just been standing. Then he pushed through the crowd and chased after the direction from which the mud ball had come, with an unwavering determination not to give up until he caught the culprit.
The sight of Filch, vowing to catch the mastermind, drew astonished looks from the surrounding students. Some even prepared to follow behind and see what would unfold.
Meanwhile, the Weasley twins appeared at the corner, waving to Albert and Lee with cheerful smiles on their faces.
"How did it go?" Fred and George had just emerged from a nearby secret passage, while Albert raised his index finger and made a quiet gesture.
That's right, it was the Weasley twins who had thrown the mud balls at Filch. They borrowed the winged slingshot Albert had found in the Room of Requirement and used mud balls mixed with mooncalf dung, which they had obtained from Herbology class.
Of course, the twins didn't aim at Filch himself but at the marble slab beneath his feet. However, everyone who saw it believed the mud ball was thrown at Filch.
Now, Filch, furious and frustrated, chased after the perpetrator, unable to find anything or knowing if someone would inexplicably fall victim to his wrath.
After returning to the common room, the group immediately took a hot shower and changed clothes. As they came down, they heard others talking about Filch's situation. The administrator was frantically searching for the culprit.
"Wonderful, absolutely marvelous!" Fred's smile on his face became even brighter. It seemed that nothing pleased him more than seeing Filch being taken down a peg.
"Quiet, let's eat," Albert glanced at them and then looked up, nodding his head in the direction of Filch in the corner of the Great Hall, reminding them.
Albert hadn't eaten much for lunch, as there would be a grand Halloween feast in the evening.
However, Filch's situation made the afternoon enjoyable for the group.
Professor Brode, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, also realized that students had little focus for the class. So, the whole afternoon was spent telling interesting stories.
For example, in the mid-15th century, a certain minor count was planning to duel a child suspected of being a witch. He rode on a warhorse with a spear, intending to stab the boy to death. However, he ended up crashing into an iron armor barrier released by a witch and suffered multiple fractures and severe brain damage, ultimately becoming the imbecile count.
This story immediately piqued everyone's interest in the Iron Armor Charm. But the professor explained that this spell would only be introduced in the higher years, which left most people feeling disappointed.
"Is it difficult? By the way, isn't Albert good at that spell?" murmured Lee Jordan, his voice not loud but heard by many, attracting skeptical glances towards Albert.
Albert just smiled, neither confirming nor denying anything. Well, you can guess for yourselves!
The Halloween feast in the evening quickly dispelled everyone's disappointment. As they entered the Great Hall, their attention was immediately drawn to the Halloween decorations.
Twelve giant pumpkins from Hagrid's backyard were carved into lanterns, with enough space inside for two or three students to sit.
A large group of bats flew around the magically enchanted ceiling, occasionally swooping and dancing above the tables, causing the candle flames inside the small pumpkins to flicker.
Before the start of the feast, Dumbledore first invited the renowned witch singer, Sertina Wobek, to perform the song "Children, Bat the Wandering Ball, Toss the Ghostly Quaffle."
Albert, sitting at the table, had a bewildered expression. He didn't have much appreciation for the songs of this era, although he felt that the witch singer had a unique and infectious voice, he couldn't connect with everyone else on the same wavelength.
While everyone else was getting excited, he was sitting alone at his seat, feeling awkward and out of place.
Shanna, sitting across from him, was in a similar situation, equally bewildered by the song.
Fortunately, the song didn't last too long, and in the enthusiastic applause of everyone, the witch singer and her assistants temporarily left the stage.
"Why didn't you react? Don't you like Sertina Wobek's songs?" Angelina's eyes shimmered with cunning.
"It's very inspiring music," Albert cautiously organized his limited vocabulary. In fact, he wanted to say, "Were you all going crazy just now?" but after careful consideration, he swallowed those words back, so as not to be overwhelmed by the unidentified objects known as fans.
"Right, Shanna?" He looked at the witch across from him.
"Very peculiar music," Shanna, also from the Muggle world, couldn't appreciate this style of music either. Faced with Albert's question, she simply smiled reluctantly.
"It seems like you don't like Sertina Wobek's songs," Angelina's eyes flickered with a sly gleam.
"Well, it's not like that. I just... don't often listen to music," Albert answered vaguely after swallowing a piece of sliced beef. "By the way, I thought you were also immersed in this wonderful music, but I guess not..."
"Cough, cough!" Angelina coughed dryly, quickly burying her head in her food, while Alicia subtly shook her head.
"My whole family are fans of Wobek. We like to play her songs during the holidays," Fred said, stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth, his words indistinct.
"Yes," George agreed, "I heard that Sertina Wobek's team has a female ghost, and they often perform together. I wonder if we can see that ghost here."
"A female ghost?"
This topic quickly piqued everyone's interest.
"Are you sure it's a female ghost?" Albert raised an eyebrow and asked, "Female ghosts are dark creatures, and it is said that hearing their screams is deadly."
"Sertina Wobek is the most popular singer in the whole of Britain, rumored to be a Hogwarts graduate," Lee Jordan said. "But the rumors about the female ghost are true. My mother loves that song she sings with the ghost."
"How do you know?" Shanna asked curiously. "And besides, her ghost companion didn't appear here today?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore definitely wouldn't allow a ghost to appear at Hogwarts. It would frighten many timid students," Albert recalled the description of female ghosts from "Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection." "Female ghosts have long black hair trailing to the ground, a face resembling a skull, and their eyes shimmer with green light."
"Is it like that?"
Suddenly, someone asked.
"What does it look like?"
"On the stage..."
Albert turned his head to look at the stage, and instantly, his expression froze. The loaded baked potato in his hand slipped from his fingers, making a clattering sound as it fell into the plate, along with the fork.
Yes, what was on the stage was indeed very similar to the description Albert had just given.
It had long black hair trailing to the ground, a face resembling a skull, and its eyes shimmered with green light. Yes, it was a female ghost.
She opened her mouth wide, and suddenly, an eerie scream echoed in the hall.
At the moment when the scream began, the musical accompaniment also started, cleverly blending the two sounds together. Sertina Wobek, the seasoned witch singer, was holding a long golden microphone and singing passionately.
If Albert were to put it in his own words, she was practically singing with her life. However, the ghost's scream wasn't as piercing as the legends said; instead, it successfully blended with the music, becoming a part of the entire song.
However, the most admirable person was the dancer who danced with the female ghost. Albert was very skeptical about how they managed to overcome the psychological pressure brought by the ghost.
After the song ended, even Albert couldn't help but applaud along with everyone else. It wasn't that he understood the song, but he admired the group on stage for being able to use the accompaniment to cover the ghost's scream and create such a wonderful song.
Sertina Wobek's third song began at the end of the Halloween feast. When everyone learned the name of the song, "You Stole My Cauldron, But You Can't Have My Heart," it received a very enthusiastic response, and the applause almost lifted the roof.
"Is this song very famous?" Albert asked in confusion.
"It's very famous," replied Lee Jordan.
"My mom has always wanted to go to her live concert, but the tickets are always sold out as soon as they go on sale. (The ticket prices for her concerts often skyrocket on the black market)," Fred explained. "It is said that when Sertina Wobek first released 'You Stole My Cauldron, But You Can't Have My Heart,' her fans rushed to the concert venue disregarding everything else, causing a collision of three broomsticks."
"Oh," Albert responded with indifference. Since he wasn't a fan of stars, he didn't pay much attention to this aspect. However, he was curious about the charm of this song and quickly perked up his ears to listen:
You think you're a great wizard, using spells to conquer me
But guess what, Mister Wizard, you don't really know me
You think you're incredibly clever, but in reality, you're a fraud
...
You stole my cauldron
And the toad in the pond
The crystal vial of memories
...
You stole my cauldron, but you can't have my heart!
(Her heart!)
After the song ended, Albert was still puzzled.
To be honest, the song wasn't that great, or maybe it was just the style of the wizarding world that he couldn't appreciate. Moreover, without the ghost's accompaniment, this song was even inferior to the previous one. At that moment, Albert felt like he could no longer understand the aesthetic taste of the magical world.
Watching the people around him applaud enthusiastically, Albert also pretended to applaud. He heard shouts of "encore" ringing in his ears, but this momentary chaos was quickly quelled by Dumbledore.
Sertina Wobek left, taking her team and the female ghost with her from Hogwarts.
The Halloween party ended amidst a sense of regret. Albert followed the surging crowd back to the Gryffindor common room.
On the way, he overheard many people discussing the topic of the female ghost.
"How many people do you think will have nightmares tonight?" Mark put his arm around Albert's shoulder and asked with a half-smile.
"I don't know. But it's a strange and bold idea, isn't it?" Albert didn't mind Mark's joking tone and waved at Mario and the others. "I think when they form a circus, they should invite Nearly Headless Nick to join."
"That's a brilliant idea," Mark blinked and smiled. "By the way, you haven't been coming to practice lately."
"I've been busy with something, you know?" Albert was surprised by Mark's attempt to change the subject. "The homework is never-ending, and I have to attend the Transfiguration Club every week."
"Charlie wants you to take his Seeker position," Mark said directly. "Honestly, there isn't anyone in Gryffindor who could take that position."
"Ahem, maybe there will be more talented individuals next year or the year after," Albert noticed Mark's skeptical expression and said helplessly, "Well, if there really isn't anyone suitable... we'll see when the time comes."
"You would make a great Seeker," Charlie chimed in from somewhere, patting Albert's shoulder with a smile.
Everyone believed in Albert because during a friendly Quidditch match, he managed to catch the Golden Snitch before Charlie, which made Charlie think Albert would be a suitable successor.
After all, in Quidditch matches, the Seeker was crucial and almost determined the outcome of a game.
"You know, playing Quidditch doesn't hinder you from becoming an excellent wizard. Professor McGonagall was also an excellent Seeker in her younger days. Look, she excels in Transfiguration, and you're her proud protégé. How can you not play Quidditch?" Mark reasoned.
Yes, Albert was Professor McGonagall's proud protégé, at least some people thought so.
Although Albert was happy to hear what Charlie and the others said, he also understood why they cared so much about this matter.
Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup for several years.
But Albert didn't really care about it because after Charlie graduated, there was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who would take up the Seeker position.
That's right, please call him Harry "The Chosen One" Potter.
Although in Albert's eyes, he was just someone taking the blame.
"Ah!" Sitting on the edge of the bed, Albert yawned and covered it with his hand. He grabbed the nearby pillow and threw it at the Weasley brothers who were dancing a tap dance and singing off-key in the dormitory.
Merlin's beard, was this the legendary aftermath of attending a concert?
Actually, it's not surprising that the two of them were excited. It was a rare opportunity to hear Sertina Wobek's concert live.
"By the way, should we go for a nighttime stroll?" George suggested.
"Let's do it another day. Throw me the pillow," Albert raised his hand and caught the pillow Fred threw at him, yawned again, and lay back in bed. After a full meal, it was easy to feel sleepy.
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=> Sailing with Whitebeard: Starting with a Question
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