After a visit to the Owl Shed, Jon mailed letters to several potion shops in Diagon Alley, asking them if they had any bicorn horns or boomslang snake skin fragments, and how much each of these two herbs cost.
This took a lot of time, and when it was getting dark, he hurried back to the castle.
As soon as you walk into the corridor in front of the auditorium, you can smell the sweet and tempting aroma of roasted pumpkin.
"What a nice smell!" Jon couldn't help but sniff it hard.
Walking into the auditorium, it was decorated with lights and candles, dazzling the eyes; a thousand bats were fluttering on the walls and ceiling, and another thousand were swarming like low dark clouds; many huge pumpkins were carved into lanterns, and three people could almost sit inside.
Just like the banquet at the beginning of the school year, four long tables were densely packed with students from the four colleges.
"Jon, this way!" Hannah Abbott waved at him eagerly.
He hurried over and sat between her and Ernie MacMillan.
"It's been a while since I last saw you, Jon!"
...
...
"Yeah, long time no see."
As they greeted each other, all kinds of delicious food suddenly appeared on golden plates in front of them.
"It is said that Professor Dumbledore has invited a skeleton band to perform soon!" Ernie said as he came over while gnawing on a chicken leg.
Jon was peeling a potato when something flashed past him from behind, startling him.
It was a moving skeleton. At such a close distance, even the ribs and intervertebral bones could be seen clearly... It was holding a bass in its hand, letting out a strange laugh, and then walked to the front desk.
"Wow..." The whole hall was filled with screams.
In addition to the bassist, there are also drummers, guitarists, pianists and a lead singer. Without exception, they are not living people, but skeletons.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore stood up first and applauded.
Following his lead, teachers and students began to applaud together.
The skeleton lead singer bowed in four directions one by one, and then the music began:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts.
"Please teach us knowledge,
"Whether we are bald old men...
The first song they played was actually the Hogwarts school song.
…
The enthusiastic banquet lasted for more than two hours.
The last song of the Skeleton Band seemed to have a strange power of incitement, making everyone excited.
Ernie boasted excitedly at the banquet that the Macmillan family had produced two Ministers of Magic in history; Hannah pulled Jon to point out Harry Potter from Gryffindor, but unfortunately failed in the end. Mr. Potter once again did not show up at the banquet; the most outrageous one was undoubtedly Zacharias, who said that Professor Sprout was about to appoint him as Hufflepuff's Seeker. The loud voice was loud enough to be heard from the castle to Hagrid's hut...
Jon, however, did not seem to be affected by the singing; when he first heard the singing, he did have a strong urge to show off, but he quickly suppressed that emotion...
You know, even Cedric Diggory, a top student in the fourth grade, was not immune to the influence of this music; he boasted that from childhood to adulthood, a total of forty-six girls had secretly written him love letters.
Could it be the effect of Occlumency?
Unfortunately, Jon couldn't be sure of one thing. All the students were celebrating together and he couldn't even see where the teachers were.
Finally, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, and everyone in the hall recovered; the Skeleton Band also left quietly.
"It's been a great night, isn't it?" Dumbledore said with a smile, "But now, everyone should probably go back to rest!"
Students began to file out...many with red faces.
Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were all in the dungeons, their groups mingling together.
"Jon..." Astoria Greengrass squeezed over.
"What did you say after you heard that song just now?" Her face flushed.
Jon saw Astoria's sister Daphne right behind her, she glanced at him and left quickly.
"As for me..." Before Jon could figure out how to answer, the crowd in front stopped.
Everyone was crowded at an intersection.
"What's going on? Make way..." Hufflepuff prefect Gabrielle Truman and Slytherin prefect Gemma Farley began trying to walk out of the crowd.
Squeezing forward as far as he could, Jon saw through the crowd something shining on the wall ahead.
Just between the two windows, on the wall one foot above the ground... there seemed to be some writing scribbled there, vaguely visible under the burning torch.
The handwriting was bright red and looked a bit scary. The noisy and chattering sounds had disappeared, and all the students had become quiet.
"The secret chamber has been opened... Enemies of the heir, be aware." Gabrielle had already squeezed to the front, and he read in a low voice.
"What is that? Hanging down there?" a student shouted, pointing at a dark shadow under the slogan.
There was a puddle of water on the ground, and above the water, hanging upside down on the torch stand, was a cat... Mrs. Norris, the cat of the caretaker Filch.
There were three other students standing alone in the corridor, between the crowd and the slogans.
"Harry..." Hannah was heard whispering, "And Ron, Hermione...why are you here?"
Three second-year Gryffindor students...except for Potions class, they usually don't pass by here!
…
"What happened here? What happened?" Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts Castle, seemed attracted by the noise here.
Then he saw Mrs. Norris and he stumbled back, clutching his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he screamed.
Then his bulging eyes caught sight of Harry.
"Potter, you!" he screamed, his voice extremely miserable. "You...you killed my cat...you killed her..."
"No... I'm not... I didn't... don't talk nonsense..." Harry Potter stuttered as he backed away.
Looking at his panicked expression, Jon suspected that if he replaced the detective, he would be able to prove the case directly.
"You did it..." Filch spat. "You saw the letter in my office, and you knew I was a Squib, so you..."
"Wait a minute, Argus!" An old but firm voice came from behind the crowd.
Albus Dumbledore arrived at the scene, along with several teachers.
The crowd quickly made way for him, and he walked past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and untied Mrs. Norris from the torch stand.
"Come with me, Argus." Dumbledore's voice was full of majesty and solemnity: "And you too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."