HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 20 Halloween Invitation

Because of the torrential rain that fell on the night of the full moon, Leila and the twins had a meager harvest in the Forbidden Forest.

But the weather was beyond her control, so Lyra had no choice but to patiently wait for the rainy season to pass. These days, besides going to the library to do her homework, she would curl up in the soft armchair in the Gryffindor Tower and write her melodramatic novel.

After all, the contract with the editor strictly stipulates the amount of manuscript that needs to be submitted each month.

For Galleons' sake, Lyra resisted the urge to join Fred and George's happy little gang—the two identical red-haired, freckled boys were studying a salamander scorpion "rescued" from a magical creature conservation class.

The twins were about to feed the firecrackers they had painstakingly pulled to the fire lizard when a group of curious people quickly gathered around them.

The salamander swallowed the firework Fred offered it to, and it lay on the table burning sullenly. But after a dozen seconds, the salamander suddenly shot into the air, then spun wildly, crackling and popping sparks, and occasionally making loud banging noises.

Everyone in the common room was captivated. Soon, the fire scorpion spinning in mid-air spewed orange-red stars from its mouth, turning the room into a dazzling red meteor shower—a truly beautiful and spectacular sight.

Lee let out an excited shout and pulled Fred into a lively dance. The two deliberately made all sorts of exaggerated faces and even imitated Percy and his girlfriend being affectionate, which made Percy furious and scold them.

"Pfft." Lyra happened to see Fred mimicking Percy's stern expression, while Lee shyly leaned into Fred's arms.

The people around who saw the two perform burst into laughter. Soon, someone started playing music, and many people joined in the dancing.

Harry sat not far from Lyra, trying to find a suitable opportunity to invite her to the anniversary party.

At first, he saw Lyra sitting in an armchair, writing intently, occasionally stopping to bite her quill pen, as if lost in thought.

Harry felt that interrupting Lyra at this moment was not appropriate.

Then the fire scorpion that sprayed fireworks attracted everyone's attention, including the conflicted Harry.

Later, Fred and Lee's impersonation made everyone burst into laughter, and Harry himself grinned as he saw Lyra being amused. With everyone around them laughing heartily, Harry immediately realized this was the perfect opportunity to invite Lyra over when no one was looking—

But then George came running like a whirlwind and pulled Lyra up from her armchair. The two of them danced the cha-cha joyfully and twirled into the crowd.

Harry silently pulled his right foot back to its original position.

*

Leila's plan to grow a bonsai of the willow tree was not going very well; the branches grew too big to stay in the small pot.

Ironically, the twins, because of the damp and cold rainy weather, both started to unconsciously research flame-related products.

What's even more outrageous is that the two of them secretly researched it behind her back, claiming they had a brilliant new idea and were going to give her a surprise once it was successfully developed.

Lyra wasn't against having different projects within the experimental group, but the Whomping Willow research was progressing too slowly on her own without the twins.

Lyra slammed the thick Potions manual shut, clearly having gained no useful information from it.

Not wanting to have made a wasted trip to the library, she borrowed many more books on herbal medicine, planning to read them slowly back in her dorm.

Lyra had just stepped out of the library carrying a pile of books when she was bumped into.

"Ouch—"

Harry, who was in the corner of the library, saw Lyra leave with her books. Without bothering to explain to Hermione and Ron, he hurriedly chased after her. But as soon as he took a step, his toe slammed into the table leg.

When he recovered from the excruciating pain and ran out of the library, he saw the dark-haired girl with a Ravenclaw boy by her side, helping her carry her books, and they were walking and chatting happily together.

Harry's steps slowed involuntarily. He didn't want to invite Lyra when she was with others, but since he hadn't found an opportunity for her to be alone for the past two days, this was his last chance: tonight was the anniversary of her death.

Harry tried to encourage himself, just as Lyra happened to see him not far away and waved enthusiastically at him.

Harry didn't hesitate any longer and strode forward. As he got closer, he noticed that the Ravenclaw boy next to Lyra had a pair of deep, clear blue eyes.

Harry didn't want to appear intimidated in front of that Ravenclaw boy, so he tried his best to ignore the sudden spasm in his stomach and forced himself to act more naturally, as if it were the most common thing British people do when chatting about the weather: "Hey Lyra, the Gryffindor ghosts are having a 500th anniversary party tonight, do you want to come with me?"

“Uh, I mean us, me, Hermione and Ron together. Hermione said the anniversary party was very rare and wonderful.” Seeing Lyra’s slightly surprised expression, Harry quickly added.

"Oh, I've never been to a ghost party before," Leila said, intrigued. "I bet not many living people have ever attended one; it must be really interesting!"

"Hmm, do you want to come along?" Harry's voice rang with excitement.

“If you’re going to attend the anniversary of the death of a ghost, I suggest you eat something beforehand,” the Ravenclaw boy suddenly interjected. “Because the people attending the anniversary are ghosts, and their food isn’t fit for the living, like cheese with green mold, rotten pies, burnt cakes, and the like.”

“Ah, but the school’s Halloween dinner is always very lavish…” Harry noticed Lyra’s obvious hesitation.

"Also, when attending a ghost party, be sure to dress warmly," the annoying Ravenclaw boy continued to interject. "Ghost gatherings can be very cold and gloomy, and it's said to affect the health and fortune of the living."

“Oh, I just ordered a new silk robe to wear to the Halloween party, and Fred George and I have been having really bad luck lately—” Lyra began to waver.

"Is your experiment still not going very well?" the Ravenclaw boy asked.

“Yes, Dexter, you know, the bonsai project is off the table, and George and Fred have come up with new ideas behind my back—” Lyra complained coquettishly.

“Sometimes research hits a bottleneck, and a change of perspective can lead to new discoveries,” Dexter comforted her. “This year, Dumbledore has booked the Skeleton Dance Troupe for everyone, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching it.”

"The Skull Dance Troupe! Number one on the Wizarding Weekly's popularity chart!" Lyra whispered excitedly.

Harry watched helplessly as the troublesome Ravenclaw gradually thwarted Lyra's desire to attend the anniversary party, and sure enough—

"Thank you for the invitation, Harry, but I'll attend the school party instead."