Chapter 22 — The Released Troll
After a few more minutes of playful antics, students from the four Houses gradually filled the Great Hall.
Dumbledore stood and announced that the Halloween feast had officially begun, ceremoniously introducing the first guest performer of the evening—famous singer Loken Deis!
A pale-skinned, handsome man in a black high-collared wizard robe stepped onto the stage set in front of the giant pumpkin.
In his hand was a microphone crafted from a string of skulls. He smiled charmingly at the young witches and wizards, two sharp side fangs glinting from his mouth.
The hall erupted with enthusiastic applause, with the younger female students letting out excited shrieks.
"Thank you, thank you all!" the half-blood vampire Loken waved to the audience before turning and bowing respectfully to the faculty table. "Here's my song By Your Side for everyone!"
Since his debut in the wizarding world, Loken had cultivated a cool, aloof, abstinent vampire image. His handsome appearance and sultry voice had captured the admiration of many witches.
By Your Side was his breakout hit, brimming with vampire charm.
Looking at the title, the song's English name was a playful pun: Necks to You, which sounds very similar to Next to You.
It vividly depicted a suave vampire bending close to a young witch's neck, teasing her with kisses and gentle bites—transforming the act of feeding into an alluring, seemingly harmless gesture.
This seductive imagery made the love song a massive hit, topping the magical world's music charts for nineteen consecutive weeks.
Its creation and popularity greatly improved the perception of vampires among wizards, also encouraging a rapid expansion of vampire-themed treats in the wizarding world. This was one reason Dracula had been able to find all sorts of vampire snacks recently.
When the song ended, the students were fully immersed in the music and its slightly blush-inducing imagery.
Loken Deis bowed deeply to the audience before stepping off the stage.
At the same time, Dracula gave him a subtle nod and rose from the Great Hall.
…
Amid occasional thunder, Dracula left the hall and found a quiet corner in the Hogwarts entrance courtyard. He leaned against an ornate stone pillar, lost in thought.
A few minutes later, Loken Deis emerged from the hall as well. He jogged over to Dracula and suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Half-blood vampire Loken Deis pays his respects to Count Dracula!" he declared solemnly.
"No need for such formality. Call me Professor Dracula here at Hogwarts," Dracula said, helping him to his feet.
"Judging by your age… you must be Deis's great-great-grandson?"
Dracula observed Loken's black hair and blue eyes, guessing.
"Yes. My great-great-grandfather left us a family rule: the Deis family must obey Count Dracula unconditionally, without ever acting against him!" Loken said seriously.
"There's no need for such obedience. For now, just tell me about the vampire community's current situation during my century-long slumber," Dracula said. "It seems vampires are rarely seen in England. Are they still gathered in Romania?"
"Yes, Lord Dracula," Loken replied. "Most lower-class vampires prefer to gather in Romania, where there is unified leadership and better allocation of blood resources. Romania remains the first choice for low-ranking vampires."
"Our family doesn't have extensive contact there, so we don't know the exact details. But during my father's time, I vaguely heard that vampires clashed significantly with werewolf groups."
"As for England, most wizards still hold prejudices against vampires, believing they can only feed on life through brutality. My songs have tried to change this perception, and so far they've received fairly positive responses."
Dracula nodded slowly. "I see. I appreciate the efforts your family has made."
"Lord Dracula, don't you want to personally visit Romania? Your presence could quickly resolve any lingering conflicts between vampires and werewolves!"
"We'll see," Dracula said noncommittally, shaking his head.
He then turned his gaze to the Great Hall, noticing a few ghosts drifting in from other parts of the castle toward the hall.
"Let's return to the hall. The ghosts are about to perform, which means the Halloween feast is nearly over."
When Dracula and Loken entered, the feast was indeed winding down. A few ghosts were already slipping through walls to leave.
Students were making their final struggles with the remaining food.
Harry was eating a potato with the skin on when Professor Quirrell suddenly burst into the hall. His long scarf was crooked on his head, and his face was full of terror.
Everyone watched as he staggered to Dumbledore's chair, leaning against the table and gasping: "Troll—in the dungeons—you should know."
With that, he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
Chaos erupted in the hall. Dumbledore had to shoot a few purple fireworks from his wand to calm everyone down.
"Prefects," he said in a low voice, "escort the students back to their dormitories immediately!"
Seeing Quirrell fainted so easily, Dracula frowned.
This was someone who had escaped his supervision before—there was no way he could fail to notice even a mindless troll. And the cleaned troll had already been secured in the trap below the flap door. So where had this troll come from in the dungeons?
Thinking this, Dracula leapt from the faculty table and appeared beside Quirrell.
"Tell me—are you really unconscious, or faking?" he asked coldly, yanking Quirrell up. "Also, didn't you put the troll in the trap? Then where did this one come from?"
Quirrell's expression was almost imperceptible, as if he had truly passed out.
But when flames flickered in Dracula's hand, Quirrell suddenly acted confused and said, "I…I had a spare… troll hidden in my office, but I seem to have failed to watch it… and it ran out."
Hearing this, Dracula's lips curled slightly into a light laugh.
"Interesting," he said. "Then tell me, exactly which part of the dungeon should I go to find the troll?"