The Weasley family finally reconciled. After the recent events, Percy had become much calmer. Although he occasionally scolded the twins for their mischief, he no longer reported them to Mrs. Weasley.
The Instant Pimple Vanishing Sweets eventually became a sensation, even though the inventor was listed as "Cornelius Fudge." However, the young wizards knew it was actually the work of the Weasley twins.
This infuriated the Gryffindors, as it meant one less—no, two less—entries in the "Gryffindor Hall of Fame." Percy apologized to the twins in the Great Hall, which somewhat changed everyone's perception of him.
"At least he owns up to his actions," Stebbins said to Robert. "I thought he'd hide and pretend nothing happened."
Exploration of Hogwarts Castle continued, and the twins seemed to have quieted down a bit. Mr. Zonko was banned from selling the Weasley brothers' Instant Pimple Vanishing Sweets, but he offered to rent the counter to the twins, with the rent deferred until they had new products to sell.
Developing new products wasn't easy, and the twins spent a lot of time reading herbology books, much to Professor Sprout's delight. At least for this year's Potions and Herbology classes, the twins were likely to perform well.
"Thank Merlin, Robert, we finally found you," Fred said, sitting down in front of Robert, panting.
Robert looked at him curiously. "What's up?"
"What's up?" Fred repeated. "You forgot again, didn't you?"
Robert looked confused. "Forgot what?"
"It's the Halloween feast!" Fred exclaimed. "If you miss it, you'll be complaining about it for a year!"
"Oh no!" Robert slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about it!"
"Hurry up, the feast is about to start!" Fred said. "I'll go get George. He must be at the library looking for you!"
Robert waved him off and quickly stuffed his books into his bag. When the three of them rushed to the Great Hall, the food was already laid out on the tables.
The ceiling of the Great Hall had been transformed into a stormy sky, with countless bats flying around. Hollowed-out pumpkins with eerie carved faces and lit candles floated in the air, casting a dim glow over the hall.
Delicious pastries and candies filled the tables. Robert finally got to taste the Halloween pumpkin pie. "It definitely tastes different from the usual one, much better."
"That's because pumpkins are at their best this time of year!" Stebbins said, his mouth full of candy crumbs. "Want an apple candy?"
"Absolutely," Robert replied, taking a bite and savoring the sweetness.
The young wizards ate until they couldn't fit another bite, reluctantly stopping as the plates were cleared and the feast ended.
Nothing unusual happened, and the well-fed students returned to their dormitories in an orderly manner.
Robert thought the night was over, but as he prepared for bed after washing up, a note appeared on his bedside. It was signed by Cole, asking Robert to come to the kitchen in the middle of the night.
Curious about what the elderly house-elf wanted, Robert went to bed and woke up promptly at 1 a.m. He put on his homemade Invisibility Cloak and sneaked out of the common room.
After scratching a certain smiling pear, Robert saw Cole standing behind the door.
"Is that you, Mr. Leslie?" Cole whispered, his voice even more high-pitched than usual.
"It's me, Mr. Cole," Robert whispered back.
"Oh, Cole can hear Mr. Leslie's voice but can't see him," Cole said, looking around with wide eyes.
Robert took the opportunity to slip into the kitchen and removed his cloak.
"Hey, Cole, I'm here," Robert called out, startling the elderly house-elf.
"Mr. Cole, what do you need me to do at this hour?" Robert asked curiously. "Is there something you need me for?"
"Oh, no, no, house-elves don't ask wizards to do things," Cole shook his head. "Actually, we've discovered a spirit realm."
"What?!" Robert's eyes widened. "In Hogwarts? A spirit realm?"
After a brief lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he knew what a spirit realm was—a separate space rich in magical energy, possibly containing rare potions and ancient spellbooks, often used by ancient wizards to store important items.
"Listen, Mr. Leslie, the spirit realm isn't stable. We reported it to Headmaster Dumbledore, but he said it would only last for one night," Cole whispered. "The Headmaster has already checked it and found no danger. He gifted the spirit realm to the house-elves, but we decided to bring you along for the adventure!"
Robert's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yes, the other house-elves have already gone in," Cole said. "Shall I take you there?"
Robert thought about it. It wasn't practical to go back and fetch the twins now—they were probably off exploring some secret passageway and wouldn't be found quickly. Seizing the opportunity, he followed Cole to the fireplace in the corner of the kitchen.
The fireplace had gone cold, and an oval-shaped, faint blue light floated inside it. When Robert looked closer, it seemed as though a layer of water rippled within the light.
Cole gestured and stepped inside. Robert reached out to touch the light, finding it soft, like high-quality fabric. However, the problem was that the light seemed only slightly larger than a house-elf. How was he supposed to fit through?
Hesitating for a moment, Robert pressed on. To his surprise, as his body made contact with the light, it expanded momentarily.
The next moment, Robert's vision opened up to a lush, glowing forest. The sky was obscured by branches, and in the distance, he could hear the occasional exclamations of house-elves. Cole stood nearby, waiting for him.
Robert didn't speak to Cole right away, as he was captivated by the beauty before him. The translucent trees bathed in soft light resembled a fairy-tale kingdom of elves.
(End of Chapter)