Chapter 393 Evan Received By The Phantom
Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, the two conversed joyfully.
Neither of them had the inclination to concern themselves with anyone else.
Beauxbatons had more regulations than Hogwarts, and strolling during meals was not permitted.
As they observed the expressions of some students, it seemed like they wanted to approach and stir up trouble with Evan, but in the end, none took action.
The Great Hall was lively as the summer holidays were approaching. Most students were engrossed in discussions about their vacation plans and the recently concluded annual exams.
After discussing some of Evan's previous adventures on behalf of his sister, Fleur invited him to visit her home in Paris this summer.
If he didn't have to continue searching for the other half of the Philosopher's Stone, Evan would truly love to visit, not only for little Gabrielle. He had heard Hermione talk incessantly throughout the semester about the unique, fascinating, and alluring magic of Paris and was greatly intrigued.
Now, he had to politely decline the invitation.
Fleur was not displeased, and the conversation shifted to the upcoming Quidditch World Cup.
The banquet continued, and under a spell, the exquisite golden chandelier slowly rotated above the immense sky-blue ceiling, its flickering flames forming various exquisite patterns.
Ghosts were also descending from the ceiling, performing extravagant antics in the air, gliding around the huge circular Great Hall, then clustering and gossiping.
It was evident that the ghosts were highly interested in Dumbledore, Sirius, and Evan.
They were discussing the past experiences of the three and collecting gossip from around the hall.
Interestingly, more and more ghosts were gathering around Evan.
Their number far exceeded the seating for the main guests, as the ghosts' attraction to him seemed to surpass that of Dumbledore and Sirius.
"You're quite popular!" Fleur remarked with a smile, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.
Observing the crescent-shaped smile on Fleur's face, Evan was puzzled.
Being popular was nice, but it was all too strange with all those fanatic ghosts! It didn't seem quite pleasant to think about...
These ghosts were pointing at Evan, yet none dared to approach.
"So, you are that Evan Mason!" Just as Evan wondered, a male ghost dressed in medieval French aristocratic attire rigidly landed beside him, resembling Nearly Headless Nick to some extent...
Like Nick, he lacked a neck, as if a slice had been cut directly above his shoulders!
Only his body and head floated in the air, making him look very odd and amusing.
If not for the stern expression on the ghost's face, Evan would have almost burst into laughter. He quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin to conceal his smile.
"This is Vincent Duc de Trefle-Picques!" Fleur approached and whispered, "You must have offended him. He doesn't usually do this."
Evan had seen this ghost's name in "History of Magic" before. It was said he cast a Disappearance Charm on his neck to pretend his head had been chopped off and escaped the gallows.
Considering the current effect, the Disappearance Charm was too perfect.
Even after his death, the charm's power had not diminished.
Of course, the primary reason he was mentioned in "History of Magic" was that he invented the Disappearance Charm based on ancient magical texts, a revolutionary high-level spell.
This Charm could make something vanish permanently, but the success rate of casting it was very low, and it was a specific spell from Beauxbatons, so not many people were familiar with it.
Although he had heard the Duke pronounce his name, Evan was certain that he had never seen him before today and did not understand why this ghost was glaring at him with anger.
"The 'Hogwarts Magic' you have created!" exclaimed the Duc de Trefle-Picques loudly, his milky white translucent body now tinged with a pink hue. "Like other ghosts, I wrote many things and sent them by mail, but all the news I provided were not used! I have already been rejected 76 times! Nearly Headless Nick, that unpleasant fellow, said my news was too superficial..."
Upon hearing this, Evan understood what was happening.
It was no wonder that so many ghosts surrounded him, all like Duc de Trefle-Picques, hoping to get along with him so their respective contributions would be adopted by the 'Hogwarts Magic'.
Evan had encountered this situation before at Hogwarts. Now, he was nearly the most popular among the ghosts. Wherever he went, ghosts always seemed to be around him.
Indeed, the life of ghosts is exceedingly dull, with hardly any entertainment.
With barely any assistance, many ghosts had provided news and reports to the 'Hogwarts Magic' since last year and were proud when their articles got adopted.
This had originally been a whim of Evan's, hoping to add a little to the lack of contributions to 'Hogwarts Magic'.
Who would have thought? But gradually, it became the newspaper's biggest highlight.
Ghosts knew many secrets and saw things from a different perspective. Their unique reports were unexpectedly well-received by the wizards.
The presentation also stirred an unexpected enthusiasm among the ghosts. Even though Evan didn't pay them anything, he gave them something to boast about!
After all, they could use their previously empty and boring time to write, and their articles could be published in the living newspapers, drawing the attention and discussion of the wizards.
Having their work in the spotlight of the living was an incredible achievement for a ghost!
With the increasing influence of 'Hogwarts Magic' and the rise in subscribers, contributing to the newspaper had gradually become the most important thing for the ghosts.
Today, not only the ghosts of Hogwarts and the UK but also many foreign ghosts like Duc de Trefle-Picques had started contributing and providing news to the newspaper.
This matter was mainly handled by Nearly Headless Nick. According to Evan, he did a good job.
However, it did not surprise Evan that Nick 'mistreated' the work of Duc de Trefle-Picques.
Nick was good at everything. He was annoyed that they hadn't completely cut off his head. Even after hundreds of years, he still complained about it.
Not surprisingly, he must have been jealous of Duc de Trefle-Picques, whose neck had completely disappeared.
Although this was due to an enchantment, in Nick's opinion, the only thing that mattered was that Duc de Trefle-Picques' neck was not there to be seen!
With this in mind, it was only logical not to expect Nick to adopt the contribution of Duc de Trefle-Picques.
Seeing the angry ghost, Evan had to try to calm him down and promised to ask Nick to review the case and use his manuscript when they returned to Hogwarts.
Duc de Trefle-Picques nodded approvingly and flew off, but encouraged by him, more ghosts hurried immediately towards Evan...