The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

in the corridor.

Harry and Ron quietly discussed Quidditch tactics without looking at the road, letting Loren lead them forward.

"How about the Pokov baiting technique? This is a classic tactic to eliminate the speed gap?" Ron imitated the chaser with his hands, pretending to throw the Quaffle to score, but in fact he was preparing to pass the ball to the ball at a subtle angle. Teammates, assisting in passing breakthroughs.

"No, the speed difference is too big. They can switch defenses in time." The more Harry discussed, the more frustrated he became. It seemed that all hope lay in whether he could catch the Golden Snitch in time to end the game and close the gap in the Slytherin team. Pull it before 150 minutes.

Loren didn't know Quidditch or broomsticks, so he guided the two of them calmly and leisurely, preventing them from falling out of a certain window or down the stairs without paying attention. If it really happens, it will be on the front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow.

"Speed, speed, speed..." Ron frowned and muttered, his mind unconsciously simulating the players on both sides, one was faster and the other was better coordinated.

How to use coordination to eliminate the speed advantage?

As he pondered deeply, the flying broomsticks and players gradually turned into black and white chess pieces, which fell on the chessboard and turned into an endgame.

The black pieces represent Slytherin. There are live chess pieces everywhere on the chessboard, so they are fast and have sufficient advantages. As long as they use the live chess pieces to make step-by-step moves, they can win.

Baizi represents Gryffindor. Baizi has very little energy and is struggling to move in the cracks.

However, it seems that there is no hope. Ron's eyes became brighter and brighter, Quidditch transformed into a form he was more familiar with, and his thinking was liberated at a certain moment, as if sublimated.

Breaking, interception, pick-and-roll, transformation, blocking, and breakthrough. The fallen chess pieces turned into fourteen broomsticks, flying all over the sky. According to his ideas, he implements Quidditch tactics such as reverse passes, counterattacks on Bludgers, Parkin's pincer tactics, and eagle-head offensive formations.

In this case, it seems...

Ron, who was deep in thought, turned around and walked towards the trophy display room on the fourth floor, without even thinking of saying goodbye to Harry and Loren.

Harry looked at his retreating back with a puzzled look on his face. Was his little friend going crazy thinking about Quidditch?

Loren and the two continued to walk towards Lockhart's office, turned a corner, and saw an almost headless Nick looking melancholy at the rain in the night.

A very fashionable feathered hat was fastened on his long curly hair, and he wore a knee-length tunic with a wheel-shaped ruff on it, which covered his neck and was almost covered by it. The fact of complete separation was as vague as a wisp of smoke.

He was holding a letter in his hand, like a melancholy poet, muttering: "If it doesn't meet their requirements, it's just half an inch short. If that..."

"Good evening, Sir Nicholas." Loren stepped closer, looking out through Nick's ghostly body at the dark sky and pouring rain.

"No, young Morgan and Potter, I'm not fine." Nick turned to look at them, deep pain evident on his face.

Nick is a cheerful and kind-hearted ghost. He is always willing to guide the lost little wizards, cover for the little wizards traveling at night, and even throw his own head to make the little wizards happy.

Loren and Harry were a little worried when such a sad expression appeared on Nick.

Could it be that the basilisk was causing trouble? Loren looked around and saw no victim. He asked: "What happened?"

"No, it's okay. It's just a trivial matter... I thought I could apply, but it seems I'm not qualified." Nick wanted to rub his face to hide his sad expression, but with a gentle touch, his His head was shaking precariously.

Nick collapsed, his emotions gushing out like a flood. He waved the letter angrily: "You guys should tell me! Is a person who was struck forty-four times on the neck by a blunt ax eligible to join the Communist Party?" Headhunters?”

Loren and Harry took two steps back and tentatively said, "Oh - of course."

Nick floated in front of the two men and unfolded the letter towards them.

I don’t know what kind of material the ghost’s letter paper is made of. It is also somewhat transparent and emits a faint light. It reads:

[We can only accept hunters whose heads and bodies are separated. You will be fully aware that without this it would be impossible for members to participate in Hunter Team activities such as jugglery and head polo. Therefore, I regret to inform you that you do not meet our criteria. Best regards, Sir Patrick Delaney Podmore. 】

"More than anyone, I want things to be done neatly, and my head to be completely severed. I mean, that would save me a lot of pain and ridicule. But..."

Tears flowed from Nick's ghost face, and his anger subsided, becoming helpless and dazed, "There is only a little bit of skin and tendons connected to my neck, Loren! Harry! Most people would think that this is actually It's the same as losing his head. But no, in the eyes of Lord Podmore, who has completely lost his head, this is not enough."

The ghost uncle who was originally full of joy, always hiding in his armor and frightening them with his loud voice, acted like a fragile child, which made Loren and Harry feel heartbroken.

Nick looked at the two people who were at a loss and concerned about him, calmed down and said, "Want to hear my story?"

"Of course!" Loren climbed up the window first, sat down facing the night rain, put his feet out of the window and wandered outside, as if he wanted to listen to a story.

Harry opened his mouth. He wanted to remind Loren that Lockhart was still waiting for them in the office. But seeing Nick's expectant gaze, he didn't say anything and followed Loren's example and sat down on the window.

Nick floated out of the castle and let the raindrops penetrate his body: "I was born into the noble Minsey-Porpington family, and I was born with noble blood..."

He spent a stable and happy childhood, inherited the honor of the Popington family, and was proud of the family's ancestors. At the age of eleven, he entered Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor House.

"Hey! Don't let Professor McGonagall know that I was terrible at transfiguration when I was a student."

When Nick recalled that memory, he had a smile on his face, but he soon became lonely again: "You may not know that at that time, Hogwarts was not as famous as it is now. I was indulged in the glory of my family and thought about it without overestimating my capabilities. Carry him forward. Many friends advised me not to have contact with Muggles, but I was greedy for fame and did not listen to these heartfelt advice."

In the magic world, he is just a wizard with not very good grades, unable to let the glory of his ancestors shine again. So Nico set his sights on the Muggle world. Many friends and family members advised him, but he still entered the court at that time and became a courtier of King Henry VII.

Nick sneered at himself: "On the night of October 30, 1492, I will always remember that day..."

While walking in the park, he met Ms. Greif, who forcefully asked Nick to use magic to straighten her crooked teeth. Nick felt that he couldn't do such a thing. He tried to shirk the problem several times but failed to get rid of it, so he had no choice but to try. But Nick's attempt backfired, causing her to grow terrifying fangs.

Nick wanted to calm Ms. Greif down. Just tap the wand on the fangs and the teeth would change back. But Ms. Greif's scream overwhelmed everything, and the knight in cold armor took away his wand and put him in jail regardless of any excuse.

At night, a priest came to Nick's cell to comfort him, but at dawn the next day he escorted him to the execution ground with a cold face.

"I will always remember that the priest said to me, "You don't need the fur hat anymore," and the executioner said to me, "It might hurt a little..."

When the executioner asked him to kneel down in front of the stone, Nick was so frightened that he could not speak. Worst of all, the executioner's ax was dull because the stone for sharpening it could not be found. So Nick was slashed forty-four times in total, and even so there was still a little bit of skin and tendon connected to his neck.

"This, but -" Harry was so shocked that he couldn't speak clearly, he simply couldn't accept it.

It is hard to imagine that a wizard and courtier with a title was executed so hastily, without a decent interrogation or a decent execution ground. The butchers in the countryside do not kill the family's cattle and sheep so casually.

Loren could probably guess that in the eyes of King Henry VII, the status of wizards was not as good as that of domestic animals. Executing wizards also showed the king's power.

In short, there is one less Sir Nicholas of Mimsy in the world, and one more Nearly Headless Nick.

"I'm afraid of death, so I choose to stay behind. Sometimes I wonder if I should..." Nick shook his head and did not continue.

Loren and Harry couldn't guess what he regretted. Perhaps he regretted becoming a courtier of the king despite his friends' dissuasion; perhaps he regretted not firmly rejecting Ms. Greif; perhaps he regretted not facing death and going on bravely.

"I couldn't accomplish anything when I was alive. Now that I've died and become a ghost, I can't even join the Headless Hunters." Nico smiled at himself. After telling the story, his mood became much more stable.

Harry was still immersed in the story and had not yet recovered.

Loren comforted: "Be happy Sir Nicholas! The Headless Hunters cannot play with the entire Hogwarts little wizards."

Nick smiled at him and said nothing. You can understand the meaning by yourself.

Haha, who cares about you little wizards? How can little wizards join the headless hunter team?

Hey! This ghost old man. Loren wanted to complain, but thought about it and let it go. The concept he brought over from his previous life was that the dead are the most important. This man has been dead for hundreds of years, which is huge.

Nick glanced at it suspiciously, always feeling that the little wizard's eyes were not very polite.

Loren pursed her lips and kept her composure.

Forget it, Nick talked about another thing: "This Halloween is my 500th death anniversary."

Loren immediately wanted to congratulate: "Oh! Congratulations so much——"

He stopped mid-sentence to congratulate him on his death anniversary, but it always felt weird, as if something was wrong.

Nick continued with some anxiety: "I'm going to hold a party in a relatively spacious underground classroom. Friends will come from all over the country, and I will be honored if you can also attend. Of course, Mr. Weasley , Miss Granger, and your other friends are also welcome."

He looked at Loren and Harry's expressions, feeling a little anxious: "But, I dare say you are willing to attend the ghost's banquet, right?"

How could Loren and Harry refuse such a humble invitation from a ghost who was hundreds of years old? Moreover, Nick helped them delay the night they sent off Charmander Norbert last time, and they still owed Nick a favor.

They nodded in agreement.

"Oh, my dear children, Harry Potter and his friends are coming to my death anniversary party, how wonderful!" Nick's ghost body circled excitedly in the air, and suddenly, he stopped in front of the two of them. In front of them, the two people sitting on the window were so frightened that they shook for a while and almost fell down.

Nick looked at them expectantly: "Excuse me, could you please mention to Mr. Patrick that you think I am particularly scary and impressive, okay?"

"no problem."

"sure."

Harry and Loren sat upright, forced a forced smile, and watched Nick dance away.

Harry turned down the window and returned to the corridor: "No need to pretend, Nick is indeed scary sometimes. Remember to call Seamus and Neville, they think Nick is really scary."

"How can someone celebrate their own death? Is this considered a day of mourning?" Loren and Harry ran quickly and continued to rush to Lockhart's office.

"We are probably half an hour late. I hope Professor Lockhart will not extend my confinement..."

As soon as they opened the door, they saw dozens of Lockhart portraits and photos in the office staring at them. Especially the real Lockhart sitting in the middle. He maintained a stiff smile on the lower half of his face, but his eyes looked cold.

Faced with the weird smile and gaze, Harry took a step back in fright.

Loren did not wait for Lockhart to ask why he was late. He walked into the office with a natural look and said as if he was taking credit: "Professor Lockhart, we know that a world-scale ghost party is going to be held at Hogwarts. I think, maybe You could write about it in a book, and even unearth the story of the ghost's life, making Hogwarts more famous. We spent some time trying to find out, so we were late."

bloody hell! what!

Harry's eyes widened, his pupils shaking violently.

Is this Loren?

It's obviously the same thing, but if you put it in another way, it's completely different.

Visible to the naked eye, the coldness in Lockhart's eyes melted away, and his smile became warm again: "Oh! Really? I have been waiting for you for a long time and I thought you were in trouble and were worried!"

yes!

ghost! ghost!

Why didn't he think of that? He has already written about banshees, ghouls, hags, trolls, werewolves, and vampires. There are not many magical creatures left for him, and he is worrying about future material.

Ghosts can be used as both material and readers. A book with ghosts as the theme will make his reputation grow again.

Lockhart suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked pretending not to care: "When will this ghost party be..."