Chapter 537 Halloween Without Umbridge
Umbridge has always believed in the information Marietta provided.
After all, this is not the first time that this little spy codenamed "Pangolin" has brought her key information to help her avoid those annoying pranks.
More importantly, Marietta's background gave Umbridge a little more trust in her.
Her mother is Mrs. Acmore of the Floo Network Administration of the Department of Magical Transportation, and the Department of Magical Transportation happens to be within Fudge's sphere of influence.
In short, with a prosperous background and a good reputation as a guardian, Umbridge doesn't believe Marietta - who does she believe?
However, Umbridge has always been a bit confused about the codename "Pangolin".
She knew that this was an animal unique to the East that was good at digging burrows, but why did Marietta choose such a code name?
Umbridge once curiously asked Marietta, "Why did you choose this code name?"
Marietta blinked and replied playfully: "Spies, they just dig holes in the ground and get information every day. In addition, I am currently lurking next to Zhang Qiu and Levin Green, who are descendants of the Dragon Nation, so this code name is even more Appropriate.”
Umbridge couldn't help laughing after hearing this, thinking that this little guy was quite good at explaining. As a result, she valued Marietta even more.
On this day, Marietta brought exciting news to Umbridge: "Professor, I learned about Levin's secret base from my good friend Zhang Qiu!"
She lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "That base was originally a Slytherin secret room, and the entrance was hidden in an abandoned bathroom."
Umbridge's eyes lit up after hearing this.
She knew about the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, one of Levin Green's brilliant achievements.
It is said that at the end of the second grade semester, Levin and his two companions bravely broke into the secret room, defeated the basilisk hiding there, and successfully rescued two classmates.
It now appears that Levin took possession of the chamber after that operation and used it as his secret base.
"So," Umbridge said, "Normally Levin always seems to be in trouble but never sees the end. It turns out that he is probably hiding in a secret room and plotting some kind of conspiracy."
She smiled slightly, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
"Yes, Professor." Marietta agreed, and I felt that Levin must be brewing some kind of plan in the secret room.
Speaking of Zhang Qiu, the little wizard, Umbridge has actually been eyeing her for a long time.
She believes that Zhang Qiu is more valuable in instigating rebellion than Marietta.
This is because the relationship between Zhang Qiu and Levin is close enough, and they are core figures in both the Erotic Society and the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.
Umbridge knows very well that as long as he can win over Zhang Qiu, obtaining information about Levin will be like picking up the pieces.
Moreover, her mother also worked in the Ministry of Magic, which could be considered a handle, but unfortunately it was not within Fudge's sphere of influence.
But in the end, she couldn't do that, because it was Marietta who brought a conversation. She told Umbridge that Zhang Qiu was disgusted with her and even called her "Pink Peeping Toad" in private.
What made Umbridge even more unbearable was that Zhang Qiu actually laughed at her as an unmarried old aunt who had a twisted heart because she could not get the nourishment of love.
These words were like a sharp thorn, piercing the softest part of Umbridge's heart.
Does she really not want to have love?
She also wants to find a little girl who can love and cherish her.
But the reality is always cruel. Those young and handsome wizards seem to keep away from her, unable to discover the beauty and tenderness deep in her heart.
"Another little brat being spoiled by Levin."
Umbridge said through gritted teeth.
She swore in her heart that if she had the chance, she would hit Zhang Qiu hard!
Closer to home, after getting that precious piece of information, Umbridge decided to go out and investigate in person.
She was not the kind of person who would easily hand over important tasks to others. After all, this operation was related to whether she could further consolidate her position in the ancient castle of Hogwarts.
She had already planned every detail of her action, including the timing.
Halloween dinner is the perfect time.
At that time, the little wizards in the castle would gather in the auditorium to enjoy the annual feast.
Even Levin, who is usually invisible, will appear in the auditorium at that time to celebrate the festival with everyone.
At that time, the secret room must have been unguarded, which gave Umbridge an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it’s Halloween, which Professor Umbridge and the little wizards are all looking forward to.
But as the festival approaches, everyone feels that something is wrong, and the air in the castle seems to lack the joy and noise of previous years.
If I have to describe it, it's like celebrating the New Year, but I didn't receive the New Year's money as usual.
Although every time during the Chinese New Year, when the juniors receive red envelopes from their elders, they will try their best to give in. Or in other words, they will try their best to give in when they are asked to do so, as if they don’t want the new year’s money at all.
But it doesn’t mean that the elders can skip this step and really don’t give red envelopes.
The same goes for Halloween.
Students still complained privately about the monotony of Halloween activities, which seemed to have nothing new except pumpkins.
However, when the first ray of sunlight on Halloween morning shone through the windows in the castle, everyone was surprised to find that the familiar scent of roasted pumpkin seemed to be missing from the air.
"How can this work?" Many people muttered dissatisfiedly, "How can Halloween be without the smell of roasted pumpkins?"
At this time, everyone suddenly realized that Hagrid, who planted pumpkins for them every year and added to the atmosphere of Halloween, had not appeared for a long time.
In previous years, Hagrid would always plant huge pumpkins with the [Expansion Curse] in his field, and transport them to the castle on Halloween eve.
Then these pumpkins will become the main theme of the day at the castle, or be baked into pastry dishes, or juiced into drinks, or hung high as decoration...
In short, the whole castle is full of festive atmosphere.
This year, his absence made the festival a bit deserted.
Although many students were not interested in Hagrid's class, at this moment, they all inexplicably missed that tall figure.
After all, Hagrid is also an integral part of Hogwarts.
It's like every year has passed, except for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, there are always those familiar faces on the faculty desk, as if they will never change.
And...there is a rule that something will happen on Halloween.
The professors probably also realized that the festive atmosphere was not strong.
Early in the morning, Professor Flitwick personally led people to Hagrid's field, hoping to find some wild pumpkins to add a touch of atmosphere to the festival.
Unfortunately, they didn't find any pumpkin until late in the evening.
...Please give me flowers...
In desperation, Professor Flitwick had no choice but to use magic to turn a handful of Bibi's multi-flavor beans into a jack-o'-lantern, which he hung in the auditorium for a while.
In addition, in order to add to the festive atmosphere, the professors also placed a group of fluttering large-mouthed frogs and many colorful ball fish spraying water in the corridor.
However, these temporary arrangements cannot make up for the vacancy caused by Hagrid's absence.
As the dinner was about to begin, everyone noticed that Umbridge did not appear at the faculty table.
Although this is not a strange thing - she has been injured recently and often does not eat in the auditorium - - but it still makes people curious.
Dumbledore didn't seem to care about her absence, or he was too lazy to look for her, and directly announced that the Halloween dinner had officially begun.
As Dumbledore's voice slowly fell, the lights in the auditorium gradually dimmed, creating a mysterious and dark atmosphere. A unique Halloween dinner kicked off.
The long table is filled with a dazzling array of delicacies, and each dish exudes an alluring aroma.
The performance was also very interesting, and even the Weird Sisters band came to sing a song, which added a lot of joy to the dinner.
Umbridge's absence seemed to make the students more at ease, as they devoured the delicious food. Without the stern witch present, the entire auditorium was filled with a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
The professors also have their own ideas.
Professor Flitwick planned to use the wine to ask Trelawney, when did she calculate her marriage destiny?
What happened in the divination class before has been widely spread.
In order to prove her divination ability, Trelawney insisted that Flitwick had come to her many times to divine marriage.
Now there are rumors in the school that Flitwick likes Trelawney, which is why he harasses him again and again. This made Flitwick very embarrassed.
Professor McGonagall was happy about Umbridge's absence. She raised her glass and drank a few more sips of wine with Professor Sprout, with a cheerful smile on her face. Without the witch who was always looking for trouble, she felt particularly comfortable.
However, it was Professor Snape who was the most unhappy. He specially brewed a potion for Umbridge and planned to give her some color at the dinner party, but who knew she didn't come tonight!
Snape felt that all his efforts were in vain, and his heart was filled with disappointment.
Although everyone had their own thoughts, everyone still enjoyed the Halloween dinner happily.
The climax of the dinner was the entertainment program presented by the ghosts of Hogwarts.
With a burst of mist, the ghosts quietly emerged from the walls and tables, and began to line up and glide in the air. They floated gracefully in the air, and danced a death song along with the weird and trembling notes emitted by the music saw. Waltz.
Nick, as the leader among ghosts, especially showed his experience of almost being headless.
His head was seen hanging precariously on his neck, as if it would fall off at any time, causing the students to exclaim.
The whole performance is full of the atmosphere of the underworld, making people feel like they are in another world.
After the dinner, the students walked upstairs in an orderly manner under the leadership of their prefects.
While they were discussing the ghosts' performances, they were looking forward to tomorrow's class.
However, some people feel that this year's Halloween seems to be missing something.
For example, there is no group tour this Halloween!
