Otherwise.
Since William's family, out of affection, didn't personally send him off on his long journey, Ian thought he might have to prepare a bed for William at Wu Orphanage.
"Talk less, talk less..." Ian shoved a big turkey head into William's mouth. Although it wasn't Thanksgiving yet, turkey was a regular on the menu, and tonight was the eve of Halloween—the Hogwarts feast was even grander than usual.
Even the Great Hall had been decorated; a thousand bats flapped endlessly on the walls and ceiling, and another thousand dark clouds swirled thick and fast inside the hall.
Many enormous pumpkins had been made into lanterns, some so big they could be used as small boats. They were much larger than the ones Ian had seen at Hagrid's place before.
The atmosphere was perfectly set.
There were even several animated human skeletons, each holding a different instrument, wandering the hall and performing some hellish music for the little wizards.
It really was Halloween to the max—bassist, drummer, guitarist, accordionist, pianist—all sorts of cackling skeletons, tall and short, with that classic "clack-clack" laughter.
When Ian got to the Ravenclaw table, he curiously touched... Wow, it really was a genuine human skeleton. No idea which era the "donor professor" came from.
"Oh, don't touch my head!" William got whacked on the skull by one of the hidden skeletons, and his mouth—too full of turkey to be stopped by the turkey butt—finally stopped complaining about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. All the students felt both curious and a bit scared, though lots were bold enough to try touching, just like Ian.
Maybe thanks to Gilderoy Grindelwald, students in all years were noticeably braver, and these gentle skeletons were definitely friendlier than the ones seen in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Dumbledore has lost it!"
Ian still found it inconceivable that Grindelwald was here at Hogwarts. Just on the way to the feast, he'd overheard a sixth-year couple discussing Defense Against the Dark Arts—they even mentioned Gilderoy Grindelwald in their class, hinting that any wizard hungry for powerful magic should go see him in his office afterward.
What kind of powerful magic?
Crucio?
Killing Curse?
Or a gas cooker?
Maybe students at Hogwarts would never have to worry about not getting the chance to study at Nimongard—since someone seemed to have moved Nimongard straight to Hogwarts!
"Will Voldemort really have to face a bunch of Avada Kedavra-happy students next year?" Ian felt vaguely uneasy, as if something about the learning environment was beginning to change.
[Mysterious Man invades Gringotts! Goblins deny anything is missing!] Aside from ghosts and monsters, the daily news was the big topic at this Halloween feast.
Especially sudden events like this.
Even the owls delivering letters had been dressed up Halloween-style, and all the little wizards in every year were fired up—this was probably the first time in years something like this had happened at Gringotts.
Even the teachers looked completely shocked.
"Who did this? Someone's actually got the guts!" Gilderoy Grindelwald's reaction was downright theatrical; he looked terrified, as if he hadn't pulled off the same thing himself back in the day.
"Luckily, I've got no deposits in Gringotts."
Ian was probably the least concerned person about the Gringotts robbery.
He even suspected the goblins could've staged the whole thing for show.
"Well, well, well! Finally, you're here!"
After the feast.
As Gilderoy Grindelwald left with Aurora, Ian immediately pulled out his Living Map. At last, he saw Dumbledore's name appear on it tonight—a Dumbledore who hadn't been back for ages, and yet was missing from the Hogwarts Halloween feast.
This definitely didn't fit Dumbledore's usual style at all.
"Hiss, maybe he's finally gone senile and wants to slowly hand over the Headmaster's job to Aurora's grandfather. Grindelwald—that old bat—has been napping in his office half the week lately!"
Wild thoughts.
It made Ian want to storm the Headmaster's Office and arrest the sneaky old headmaster. But just as he walked out the Great Hall doors, he was blocked by Snape, who looked awkward and fidgety as ever.
"Did you destroy what you were supposed to destroy?"
Snape's eyes stared right into Ian's face.
"I'm always well-behaved; it's not in the library anymore." Ian blinked, choosing to answer honestly. No way was he going to give Snape an excuse to scold him.
"Destroyed... good. Looks like you actually listened to me." Snape's gaze flickered a few times, but his expression still looked a little off—not happy at all.
There was a complex feeling he couldn't put into words.
Relieved?
Or maybe disappointed... Under Ian's gaze, the Old Bat didn't keep asking questions—he just swished his cloak and strode quickly out of the hall.
"You should really get some sleep! Your eyes are as dark as charcoal already!" Ian called loudly after Snape's retreating figure, genuinely worried Snape was going to turn himself into a lich if he kept this up.
Snape, who never responded anyway, melted away into the corridors. Only then did Ian start jogging again, checking along the way that Ariana's letter was still inside his robe.
On the way,
Any little wizard who greeted him just got a wave in return—Ian was panting as he ran up to the eighth floor, genuinely anxious the headmaster had come back just to use the bathroom and had already disappeared into thin air again.
Outside the Headmaster's Office,
that giant, comically ugly Stone Beast was still squatting out front as always, with a vicious face and razor-sharp claws, ready to pounce on any would-be intruder who dared approach.
"Password!"
The Stone Beast rumbled at Ian.
"Jelly Slug."
That had been last time's password.
But clearly the Headmaster had already changed it.
The Stone Beast kept staring at Ian and didn't budge.
"Drooble's Super Bubblegum."
Without an invitation, Ian could only take wild guesses at the door's password. But luck wasn't on his side today; the Stone Beast didn't react at all.
"Lemon Snowdust Candy."
Still guessing.
Still no luck with the door opening.
"Cockroach Cluster!"
Ian thought for a moment and guessed another possible password—the Stone Beast moved, but only shook its head at Ian, staying put and blocking the door.
"Open, Sesame!"
Ian was out of snack ideas Dumbledore might love, so in frustration he kicked at the Stone Beast—only to have it leap aside, revealing the wall behind it.
"Tsk~"
Ian hadn't expected to kick into thin air.
"You're a funny one~"
He gave the Stone Beast an amused look, then jogged up the stairs to the Headmaster's Office door. The wooden door was half-open, and light could be seen from inside.
It wasn't closed automatically.
Almost as if the room's owner was waiting for a visitor.
"Is he waiting for me?"
Ian peeked in through the crack in the door.
There was Albus Dumbledore, sitting behind his desk, illuminated by flickering candlelight, turning something golden over and over in his hands.
The old headmaster looked utterly focused.
Ian squinted to get a closer look.
What Dumbledore kept turning in his hands shone with a golden glow.
It was a cup with a handle of pure gold.