This Hogwarts is not normal

Chapter 1336 The Living Ghost

For most students at Hogwarts, the Christmas holidays are the most anticipated time of the year, second only to summer vacation.

But unlike the somewhat quiet atmosphere of staying at school in previous years, this year, due to the "frequent activities" of the Dark Lord Vincent Wayne, the situation in the wizarding world has become extremely tense. Almost all parents have chosen to leave their children at the safest school, which has made Hogwarts Castle a bustling winter like never before.

The corridors are always full of students laughing and playing with snacks, and empty classrooms are often temporarily requisitioned as small gathering places.

The giant magic projection screens in the auditorium, provided by the Nobili brand, were always surrounded by students watching the show from morning till night.

Outside the castle, despite the freezing weather, the energy remained undiminished.

Are you still struggling to answer the question about the seven uses of Bubble Pods? Are you still staying up all night copying class notes? Are you still worried about falling asleep in the next History of Magic class?

On the snow in front of the castle gate, Fred and George stood on a makeshift wooden platform, holding up brightly colored red and blue candies.

"Stop putting up with it!" Fred said passionately. "Stop swallowing the bitter shackles called 'good student'! Stop pretending to love the knowledge that makes your eyelids droop!"

George unwrapped the candy and snapped it in half. "Eat the red half, and you'll immediately develop a high fever, turn blue, and break out in a cold sweat. Even Madam Pomfrey will think you have severe draconis and personally issue you an expedited pass to St. Mungo!"

Fred held up the other half of the blue candy. "Eat the other half of the blue candy—bang! All symptoms will vanish! You'll be refreshed, clear-headed, and even able to explain the twelve obscure treatments for dragonpox to a therapist on the spot! Snape would question his existence after seeing this and ask if you want to start the NEWTs exam early!"

The students below the stage, ignited by these words, screamed excitedly.

Hermione stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the distorted and highly persuasive propaganda, and couldn't help but facepalm, feeling goosebumps creeping up her back.

She had to admit that these two were practically natural geniuses when it came to understanding the psychology of their peers and using marketing techniques.

Upon seeing this, the twins on stage immediately waved their arms and shouted in unison, "We don't sell disease, we sell the right to freedom! We don't create suffering, we offer legitimate miracles! You are not sick, you are awakened!"

"Then—" Fred waved his hand, pointing to the vast area to the left filled with snowdrifts and obstacles, "the first Hogwarts Snowball Fight officially begins! The winning team will have priority access to a whole dozen quick-acting skip-class candies!"

The revelry began, snowballs flew everywhere, mixed with the students' various fancy little spells, and laughter instantly ignited the cold air.

On the edge of the bustling excitement, Draco's figure retreated silently, shrinking back into the shadows of the castle gates, like a living ghost.

He originally intended to take a walk by Black Lake to clear his mind, as it is usually a very quiet place.

He hadn't expected that the castle gate would turn into a sea of ​​joy, and the students' noise acted like a solid wall, pushing him back heavily.

Looking at the faces running and laughing in the snow, Draco felt as if he were observing another world through a thick pane of glass.

Those vibrant expressions and simple joys stood in stark contrast to the cold, heavy anxiety and fear in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment, then silently walked away down the corridor, completely shutting himself out from the noise behind him.

Such scenes played out repeatedly during the Christmas holidays.

The twins seem to have inexhaustible energy, coming up with new activities every day.

Today's activity might be a competition where participants shoot slapstick spells at each other in a specific area of ​​the frozen Black Lake, seeing who can fall into the funniest pose on the ice. Tomorrow, it might be a snack-hanging challenge from the auditorium ceiling.

Their quick-acting truancy candy wasn't officially released, but it had already become the second most popular topic on campus after the Dark Lord.

Some Slytherin students couldn't resist the temptation and participated in these activities.

Even Crabbe and Goyle got excited when they saw the giant Honeydukes candy gift pack as a prize in a contest and participated in the Flobber Caterpillar toss game.

They were surprisingly engrossed in playing, and when they came back, they were still grinning foolishly with snowflakes on their faces.

As time went by, only Draco remained detached from the situation.

His ghostly figure moved through the bustling castle, yet remained completely detached from all the laughter and joy.

He no longer chooses to go during peak dining hours in the auditorium, but always goes when it's quietest, and leaves quickly after finishing his meal.

He no longer went near public areas such as the library, preferring to huddle in a corner against the wall in the Slytherin common room and daydream.

When Crabbe and Gore excitedly wanted to share their adventures with him, he would always dismiss them with the briefest "uh-huh" and "okay," or simply pretend he hadn't heard them.

Pansy tried to talk to him, but he coldly interrupted her each time.

Draco now felt himself slowly sinking to the bottom of a cold lake, the world above, a vibrant tapestry of light and shadow, growing ever more distant and its sounds becoming increasingly indistinct.

The task he carried was like a heavy stone, pulling him down relentlessly.

The Christmas holidays passed in a state of general bustle in the castle and personal utter silence.

By the end of January, Christmas decorations had been taken down, and the winter sun occasionally pierced through the clouds, reflecting a dazzling light onto the snow.

The anxiety brought on by the mission gnawed at Draco constantly. He read many books and also observed Professor Trelawney of the Divination class from a distance.

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This woman spent most of her time immersed in her own world, muttering to herself to the air, or suddenly gasping in terror at a cloud, talking nonsense.

Forget about getting straight to the point, you need courage just to get close to her.

He considered some underhanded methods, such as tying people up and torturing them, but his remaining rationality ultimately pulled him back.

On the afternoon of the last day of the holiday, he rarely left his dormitory and walked along a secluded corridor, watching the students in the distance outside the window having a "magical snow sculpture competition" in the snow.

The figures chasing each other, the colorful magical lights, and the faint sounds of laughter did not improve his mood; instead, they drowned him in a cold tide of loneliness and despair.

Just then, that word, with its faint, desperate glimmer, pierced his chaotic mind:

Truth serum.

If we can't get Trelawney to recall things on her own initiative, then we should force her to talk about them. This is the most direct, and perhaps the only, way to get something out of her.

As for whether the truth serum would work on that woman who wasn't even fully conscious... well, that's another story.

Veritaserum is a strictly controlled substance by the Ministry of Magic. While it's easy to obtain through family connections, it will almost certainly be discovered afterward.

Brewing it himself? Impossible. He knew his own limitations. No matter how excellent his potion-making skills were, Truth Potion was not something a student could successfully brew.

From day to night, Draco stayed in his dormitory alone, lost in thought.

As night fell, he finally remembered someone: their Slytherin headmaster, Potions Master Snape.

He arrived at the auditorium, ate something quickly, and then headed toward the dimly lit potions office.

He stood in front of that heavy wooden door for a long time, so long that he felt as if his legs had lost all feeling.

There's no time to hesitate any longer. If we hesitate any longer, it will affect him, his parents, the Malfoy family...

Draco took a deep breath of the cold air, raised his hand, and gently knocked on the wooden door, producing a dull but clear sound.

Soon, that emotionless voice rang out:

"Come in."

……

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