Chapter 21 - 21 The wilting Professor Dracula.

Chapter 21: Chapter 21 The wilting Professor Dracula.

And so, Dracula became the scene designer for the Halloween feast.

On the evening of the last day of October, when the young wizards arrived at the Great Hall in droves, they were instantly stunned.

The doors of the Great Hall at Hogwarts had turned into a gaping mouth ready to devour anyone who dared enter, with several sharp fangs hanging over the doorway, as if ready to chew the young wizards to pieces.

In the magical world, Halloween holds great significance for wizards.

Therefore, even the newly admitted young wizards had experienced the Halloween atmosphere no less than ten times. The current scene didn't scare them; they were just incredibly amazed by the decorations in the Great Hall, utterly shocked.

Of course, there were some first-year students from Muggle families who had never seen such a spectacle and were almost frightened out of their wits.

When a giant spider suddenly descended from the "fangs" above, a few timid girls nearly burst into tears.

The interior of the Great Hall had completely changed color as well.

The thousands of brightly lit candles floating in the air were gone, replaced by thousands of bats flapping their wings and flying around. Accompanying them were black clouds that filled the entire ceiling of the Great Hall.

A transparent enchanted ceiling now displayed a stormy sky, summoned by weather spells, with occasional thunderclaps and flashes of lightning.

Among the thunderclouds was a small gap, just large enough to reveal a crescent moon, casting a faint, silvery light as it peeked through the clouds.

Returning one's gaze to the Great Hall, one would see that the four house tables had transformed into blackened deadwood. Numerous withered, gnarled branches extended from the tables, with bats occasionally hanging upside down to rest.

At the front of the hall, Hagrid's giant pumpkins had been carved with sinister grins. Hollowed out and filled with bright candles, the flickering flames cast eerie shadows.

The largest pumpkin, enchanted with an Engorgement Charm, dominated the front area of the hall, enveloping the entire staff table within its belly. The young wizards could see the professors, each dressed in different costumes, through the pumpkin's gaping mouth.

Dumbledore sat in the center, wearing a pure white robe in honor of Halloween. The robe, enchanted to float occasionally, made him look like a ghost.

The small Professor Flitwick wore a pumpkin helmet on his head and sat in an extra-high pumpkin chair, resembling a tiny pumpkin knight.

Even the usually stern Professor McGonagall had softened her demeanor. She had used Transfiguration to turn her hat black, with a small black cat perched on top, its tail occasionally swishing.

Snape was the only professor not dressed in a Halloween costume. However, his sullen expression made him look like a large bat, perfectly matching the Halloween atmosphere.

As for Dracula, he seemed unchanged from his usual appearance.

With a flick of his red-and-black cloak, he returned to his seat at the staff table.

Thinking the Halloween feast would proceed smoothly, Dracula was surprised when, a few minutes later, the Weasley twins, still with their ridiculous skeleton faces, sneaked into the giant pumpkin lantern and approached the staff table.

"Don't even think about getting your dungbombs back," Dracula said impatiently.

"Professor, we're not here for that," Fred quickly explained.

George nodded, "We just thought, since it's Halloween, we should follow tradition."

With mischievous smiles, they said in unison:

"Trick or treat!"

Dracula looked at them in surprise, then smiled playfully.

"Here you go!" He grabbed a handful of lollipops from the table and tossed them to the twins.

"Thank you, Professor!" Fred and George gleefully caught the lollipops and immediately put them in their mouths.

The next moment—

"Ugh!"

"Professor, why do your lollipops taste like rust?!"

Dracula laughed joyfully, his sharp fangs gleaming.

"Can't you tell what character I'm playing? This flavor of lollipop is the most fitting, don't you think?"

"You win, Professor! Your vampire act deserves full marks!" Fred and George bowed in admiration.

At that moment, Dumbledore, who had been watching the scene, beckoned to the twins.

"If you've had enough of Dracula's tricks, come over here. I have plenty of real sweets for you." He pulled out two large bags of Honeydukes' special edition treats and handed them to the twins.

The twins accepted the candy, tears of gratitude in their eyes.

Compared to the mischievous Dracula, the headmaster was too kind!