Chapter 21: And so it begins

The Halloween feast promised to be spectacular. There were already rumors going around regarding what Dumbledore might have booked for entertainment. As the day was coming to an end, Merlin felt a shift in magic. Samhain had begun. He was delighted that the modern magic community had not forgotten its roots yet. A proper Samhain feast was a treat, even if they didn't call it that anymore.

Back in the old days, Samhain was an important holiday. Magic was most potent while the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest. It had an effect on all magic practitioners even when they weren't aware of it. A lot of important events had a tendency to happen on this day.

He wasn't the only one that was looking forward to it.

"I bet there will be giant Jack O'Lanterns. Mister Hagrid was growing these huuuge pumpkins," Colin tried to demonstrate the size with his hands. "I bet he carved them up and they'll be so big, they could even fit him inside. Have you seen the size of him? He's like a giant. Or are giants larger than him? What else do you think will be at the feast? What do wizards use for Halloween decorations?"

"It's pretty similar to what Muggles do," Merlin answered, "but we don't dress up in fake wizard costumes."

"We have real ghosts in this castle," Colin mused. "Maybe they'll put on a show?"

"I hope not," Jack said.

"Don't worry, Jack." Merlin clapped him on the shoulder and pushed him out of their dorm. "Ghosts are going to be busy tonight. Hermione said that Sir Nick's Deathday Party is happening tonight."

Colin skipped next to Merlin, his camera already strapped around his neck. "Deathday Party. You don't hear that in the Muggle world. Do ghosts come out in pictures? I'd love to get a shot of that gathering."

"Uninvited guests are not welcome," Merlin grumbled.

He tried to tag along to the Deathday Party with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Hermione thought it wouldn't be appropriate to invite himself in—like Merlin needed another proof that he wasn't officially part of their group yet. But the tutoring sessions were not a complete waste of time. The trio conversed freely in his company now, although, he still felt like a piece of furniture—ignored until needed.

The three of them made their way to the ground floor, but Jack split off before they reached the Great Hall.

"You guys go. I'll catch up," he said to them, going in the other direction. "I need to drag my sister out of the library before she misses the whole feast."

"How do you know that she's in the library and not at the feast already?" Merlin asked but Jack walked away without answering.

"Merlin, look!" Colin pointed at the Great Hall and started taking pictures of everything.

No decorations were spared. Carved giant pumpkins, each one unique, were set up all around, and the lights inside them flickered playfully. The ceiling was decorated in orange streamers and live bats who flew around happily. Spooky mischief seemed to hang in the air, and Merlin wondered what that mood was doing to the resident mischief spirit, Peeves. He was probably outdoing himself tonight, pranking everyone in sight.

The food was Halloween-themed as well. Traditional autumn dishes awaited them on the house tables, joined by spooktacular desserts like candied apples, black cauldrons filled with candy, breadsticks shaped like bones, and mousse-filled ice cream cones turned upside down to look like wizard hats.

Unlike on regular days, tonight, students did not stay at their house tables but mingled around. It was nice to see house loyalties put aside, even if for one night. Merlin did not like how the House system separated kids who would otherwise be friends and wondered if the school would ever be open to the idea of dropping this concept.

Hours passed before Jack and Elsa entered the Hall, arguing among themselves. They split up, and Jack came over, huffing in exasperation.

"You have no idea what it took to get her…" he abruptly stopped and stared at the ceiling with an open mouth. "Are they real?"

Merlin looked up and observed the bats that quietly flapped above them, "Yes and no. Yes, they're real bats, but no because they were conjured. They're temporary. You can tell they're made of magic by how they're constantly flying in circles and not trying to get away. When you conjure animals, they are under your control."

"Wow," the boy mouthed. "Do you think I could learn a spell like that?"

"It's a little early, Jack. This is an advanced spell. Be patient. You'll get there one day."

"I want to try," Jack said eagerly. "I have a feeling I can do this one."

Merlin crossed his arms and appraised the boy. He'd seen Jack's struggles with advanced magic. Merlin had assumed that anyone knowing Old Religion, or whatever unorthodox magic the twins practiced, would find learning the wand spells as easy as he had when he first attended Hogwarts a millennium ago, but Jack was an expert at surprising him.

"Have you conjured anything so far?"

"No."

Merlin shook his head. He didn't know where Jack got this confidence from, but today was a special day, and he was in the mood to humor the boy.

"The spell is Avis. Wave your wand like this," he demonstrated, "and keep a bat in mind."

Jack pulled out his wand and waved it. "Avis," he said confidently.

White sparks came out of the tip of his wand, but nothing else happened. He tried again with the same result. Merlin chuckled. He wasn't sure why he showed him a spell this difficult. There was no way a first-year student could figure it out.

He clapped him on the back. "As I said, you'll get there one day."

Jack sighed. "Maybe not today. But it's okay. I have other ways."

"What do you mean?"

Jack looked back at the bats. "I'll show you one day."

"Merlin," Colin asked after snapping a picture of the ceiling, "how do you know that spell?"

Merlin swallowed. He forgot that he was supposed to be a clueless first-year. "I've seen it done. My uncle conjures bats all the time."

"Why?"

Merlin's mind started swirling with possible explanations. "Guano, you know, their poop. It's the best fertilizer."

"But wait," Jack asked, "if the bats are temporary, won't their poop," he giggled, "be temporary?"

Colin giggled too. "Temporary poop," and now they were both shaking with laughter.

Merlin rolled his eyes. Oh, the maturity. He wished he had come up with a different explanation, but now he had to stick to this one. "Well, if they eat real food, then their poop is real too."

"Reeeeal poop," Colin repeated.

"Let's hope the ones above us weren't fed," Jack said, and they laughed again.

Merlin thoroughly regretted the decision to tell them the guano story. He did not need to hear poop puns every day now.

"Guano of these days we'll make you laugh, Merlin," Jack joked and shoved his shoulder playfully.

Merlin couldn't roll his eyes any harder. "Poop jokes are not my favorite form of humor."

"But are they at least a solid number two?" Colin barely finished the sentence before he cracked up.

Merlin shook his head in defeat but then smiled a little. These two were rubbing off on him.

He took a look around the Great Hall, concerned why Harry wasn't back yet. Merlin had attended ghost parties and knew well that spirits of the dead did not serve food appropriate for the living. He expected that they should be starving by now.

Some commotion started happening at the staff table, and he was thankful for the distraction. He thought that maybe Dumbledore was going to end the feast, but instead, he introduced the evening's entertainment. The Headmaster was wearing shiny baby-blue robes tonight. Merlin supposed that only Gilderoy Lockhart dressed with more pizzazz. Yes, orange with frills and a peacock feather in his hat. Nothing surprised him anymore.

Strange music announced the arrival of their guests. A skeleton walked in through the main entrance with an instrument made of bones strapped to his chest and played a melody on it by banging bone against bone. He was followed by six other skeletons who bobbed their heads to the music in unison. They walked up to the staff table, turned on their bony heels to face the students, and the music stopped. The skeletons froze in place.

Everyone in the Great Hall went quiet and waited. The music-playing skeleton resumed the melody and the others began dancing to it in a very animated way, dropping bones in the process and discreetly reattaching them. Students started to get up, cheer and whistle. Finally, Merlin realized why. The melody played on the bone instrument resembled that popular song, "Do the Hippogriff." Kids were going crazy for it, especially Colin who snapped many photos of the group and tried to sing along with others despite not knowing the words.

The performance ended, and the skeletons bowed deep. One of them lost a hand, picked it up promptly, and waved it to the crowd. The students stood up, clapped, and cheered loudly. It was a perfect ending to this festive night. Dumbledore knew how to throw a good party.

The skeleton show concluded the feast and everyone started making their way out of the Great Hall, laughing and talking excitedly. To Merlin's chagrin, his roommates resumed their poop jokes while they walked back to their dorm. Lesson learned. He had to avoid using that word in their presence.

A large group of students was gathered in the second-floor hallway to look at something on the wall.

"Do you think skeletons poop?" Jack asked.

"Skelepoop?" Colin suggested.

"Guys, stop," Merlin said.

"Did you say stoooop?" Colin joked, and they giggled again but then quieted down once they saw what the commotion was about.

On the wall in front of them, between two tall windows and two lit torches, was a message written in red paint.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

As if this wasn't disturbing enough, the cat, Mrs. Norris, was hanging from a torch bracket by her tail, looking stiff and dead. Her eyes were frozen open in horror.

"Is that blood?" Colin whispered and raised his camera to take a picture, but Merlin stopped him.

This was bad. Very bad.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in front of the wall in a puddle of water. They looked just as bewildered as everyone else, but the way that they stood there, so separated from the group, singled them out. Everyone stared at them, the wall, and the dead cat.

The silence was broken by the snooty voice of Draco Malfoy. "Enemies of the Heir, beware. You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Merlin did not like this boy before but he despised him now. The Chamber of Secrets or killing cats in such a manner was not a joke.

Alerted by the commotion, Filch bounded over and started shrieking when he saw his cat. He noticed Harry's group and spat mournfully, "You killed my cat!"

From the silence of everyone around, Merlin guessed that the Caretaker wasn't the only one who thought that Harry and his friends had something to do with it.

Dumbledore arrived with other teachers, freed the poor cat, and called in Harry's trio to Lockhart's office, shooting Merlin a knowing glance. Merlin wanted to go with them to be a part of that conversation, but the timing was wrong. He would have to catch up with Dumbledore about this later.

The students lingered by the wall for a while and slowly dispersed to their dorms. The mood of the night had drastically changed from what it was just minutes before. Everyone watched the shadows with caution and stuck in close groups. Whispers passed around, carrying theories as to what happened or what the Chamber of Secrets could be.

Merlin could tell them but wanted to speak with Dumbledore first. This was a serious situation. The students were in danger. If the Chamber of Secrets had really been opened, Mrs. Norris was only the beginning.