The Halloween feast was even more spectacular than the start-of-term banquet.
Mountains of incredible food piled high on the tables, and the dessert and sweets selection was even more breathtaking.
"Alice, use Rabbit Tackle!" Anthony called out.
The next second, Charlie felt something violently crash into his heel.
He looked down to see Alice the rabbit, who had somehow made her way down to the Great Hall.
"Oh? You brought her down?" Charlie asked, pleasantly surprised as he scooped her up.
Alice, however, was clearly slightly miffed. She kicked her back legs furiously in the air.
"The little one's angry," Hector noted. "You remembered to bring Miss Riley's portrait out of the dormitory, but you completely forgot about her."
Charlie offered a sheepish smile. He hadn't meant to, but he had entirely forgotten.
He gently patted Alice's head. "Alright, calm down. Come celebrate Halloween with us."
He sat down at the long table, settling Alice comfortably onto his lap.
"Hey, Charlie, just put her on the table. You don't need to hide her away," Padma Patil said. "I'm sure she's a smart girl. She won't make a mess."
"I was just conscious of the fact that this is a communal dining table," Charlie replied.
He lifted Alice slightly. "Are you lot sure you don't mind?"
"There are literally countless owls dropping onto these tables every single day. Don't worry about it, there are cleaning charms woven into the wood," Roger Davies explained from nearby.
"Honestly, keeping Alice completely off the table is what's weird to us," another girl chimed in.
Anthony laughed quietly to himself. He and Hector knew full well whether Charlie was actually strict with Alice or not.
Back in the dormitory, he let her sleep on his bed and hop across his desk without a second thought. He was only being overly polite because they were in the Great Hall.
The Muggle concept of keeping pets off the dinner table simply didn't exist in the wizarding world.
"It's perfectly fine. Even the most stuck-up Slytherins let their owls and pets onto the tables," a Ravenclaw boy laughed. "Our pets aren't just animals; they're our mates."
Alice hopped around the table, her little nose twitching as she sniffed everything in sight. Eventually, she stood up on her hind legs and thumped her foot repeatedly at Charlie, her eyes locked intensely on a bowl of vegetable salad.
"See? She's incredibly smart," Padma smiled. She grabbed a spare napkin, laid it on the table, and carefully portioned out some salad for Alice.
Charlie patted Alice's head affectionately as the group fell into easy conversation.
Anthony had successfully gifted his two pieces of chocolate to Cho Chang. The gesture sparked a lively discussion about Muggle Halloween traditions.
"Hey, Charlie."
Harry walked up behind Charlie, found an empty spot, and casually sat down.
He pulled out the chocolate he had bought—a matched pair of Sunshine and Moonlight—and handed them to Hector, Anthony, and Charlie.
"Wait, you bought these to give back to me?" Charlie asked, completely bewildered.
"Obviously," Harry nodded. "If I bought a load of sweets for my friends and didn't give any to you, that would mean I didn't consider you a friend, wouldn't it?"
"Thanks, mate," Charlie said, accepting the chocolate.
He glanced around the Hall. "By the way, where's Hermione?"
"She's here. I gave her two pieces as well," Harry replied, assuming Charlie was just making sure she had been included.
"So, what are you all talking about?" Harry asked, looking curiously around the group.
"A bit of everything. Right now, we're talking about Muggle Halloween traditions."
Harry nodded and easily joined the conversation.
"So, does the entire world celebrate Halloween? I always thought it was strictly a magical holiday," someone asked.
"How isolated are you?" Hector sighed.
"We don't celebrate it," Padma and Cho Chang said in unison.
"And in some countries, they celebrate something completely different," Hector explained. "For example, in Mexico, they have the Day of the Dead."
"The Day of the Dead? What's that?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. He had never heard of it before.
"During the Day of the Dead, people dress up as skeletons and ghouls, just like we do. But they aren't trying to scare off evil spirits. On November 1st, they believe the spirits of their deceased family members return home to visit."
Anthony nodded slowly in understanding. "So, while we're dressing up because we're terrified of ghosts, they're dressing up because they're actively waiting for them. Because the ghosts are their family."
"Exactly," Hector nodded. "There's a saying over there: Death is not the end of life; it is simply a reunion with family."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That makes a lot of sense."
He had never considered that on the exact same day, halfway across the world, a festival honoring the dead could carry such a profoundly different, deeply comforting meaning.
"Right, I'd better head back to my table," Harry said, standing up.
Just as he spoke, a frantic figure burst through the massive doors of the Great Hall.
Professor Quirrell sprinted up the aisle, practically collapsing against Dumbledore's table. "Troll! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know."
Charlie carefully unwrapped his piece of chocolate, popped it into his mouth, and shook his head in complete exasperation.
What an absolute load of rubbish. I cannot think of a single logical reason why you would assume everyone already knew.
Unless they specifically decided to skip the massive feast to go wandering around the damp dungeons looking for a miserable time.
Unfortunately, the rest of the student body wasn't nearly as calm as Charlie. The Great Hall instantly erupted into pure, unadulterated panic.
Having delivered his message, Quirrell promptly dramatically fainted dead away, leaving the entire school to deal with the absolute chaos he had just incited.
Dumbledore was forced to fire several deafening, magical fireworks from his wand to finally silence the terrified screams.
He immediately ordered the prefects to escort the students back to their respective House dormitories.
Charlie scooped Alice up from the table. The little rabbit kicked off his hands and hopped directly onto his head, magically transforming herself into a round felt hat.
As he turned to leave, Charlie cast a quick glance over the crowd.
Hermione was there. Harry Potter was there. Ron Weasley was there.
Right. Then there shouldn't be any massive disasters tonight, Charlie thought.
Content, he followed the Ravenclaw prefects out of the Hall.
By the time they reached Ravenclaw Tower, a massive spread of the Halloween feast and sweets had already been magically transported to their common room.
The prefects gave a quick speech urging everyone to remain calm, before officially declaring that the Halloween feast would continue within the safety of the Tower.
Charlie found a seat in the corner of the room. Resting against the wall right beside his chair was a completely blank picture frame.
Ten minutes into the relocated feast, a quiet tap, tap sounded from the floor. Charlie didn't process it at first and simply glanced around.
"Down here, Mr. Wonka."
Charlie looked down to his right and saw that Riley had returned to her canvas.
He quickly grabbed the frame, bid his friends goodnight, and headed straight back to his dormitory.
The room was completely empty. Charlie set the portrait down on his desk and pulled up a chair.
Riley was practically buzzing with excitement, her painted cheeks flushed a bright, vibrant pink.
"So, what happened?" Charlie asked curiously.
"H-Harry Potter! He defeated the troll!"
"What?!" Charlie leaned forward sharply, staring intently at the portrait. "Are you absolutely certain?"
How is that even possible?!
Riley nodded frantically. "I heard the professors calling the boy Harry Potter! And his friends were there too—a boy with red hair and a girl with large front teeth!"
Charlie instantly fell completely silent. His brow smoothed out. He took a long, deep breath and slowly leaned back in his chair.
"So... did he tell the professors why he left his House group and actively sought out the troll?"
Riley thought for a moment before answering hesitantly. "He looked like he was going to explain at first. But then another professor arrived, and he completely shut his mouth."
"Which professor? Quirrell or Snape?"
"The professor with the shoulder-length black hair and the hooked nose."
Charlie tapped his fingers lightly against the desk. After a moment, he nodded.
"Alright. Did anyone spot you?"
Riley shook her head. "No. I stayed hidden in the very corner of the frames the entire time."
"Brilliant. Thank you for your hard work today, Riley. Happy Halloween."
"Happy Halloween, Mr. Wonka!" Riley beamed happily. "If you ever need any more covert surveillance, I am more than happy to oblige."
"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Charlie nodded before standing up and leaving the dormitory.
---
Meanwhile, on a pitch-black staircase leading up to Gryffindor Tower, three first-years were currently locked in a heated argument.
"You should have gone straight to a teacher," Hermione stated flatly.
Harry wasn't backing down. "I was going to a teacher! We were heading down to the dungeons, remember? All the teachers were heading down!"
"Except Snape! He was heading up! We all know there's something massive hidden on the third floor!" Harry argued fiercely. "Think about it! Whose classroom is in the dungeons? Whose office is in the dungeons? Why did the troll conveniently appear in the dungeons?"
The more Harry spoke, the more convinced he became of his own theory.
Ron immediately backed him up. "He wanted to lure all the professors down into the basement so he could sneak up to the third floor unnoticed!"