Chapter 732: Peeves and the Vanishing Cabinet
In the wizarding world, many witches and wizards enjoy hosting all kinds of balls, especially the old pure-blood families, who typically hold two or three each year. Events like birthday balls and Yule Balls have become routine, though the main focus of most of these gatherings has never truly been on dancing.
This time was no exception. The music in the office played continuously, yet only a few people were actually dancing. Most guests completed a couple of perfunctory turns before settling into conversation, wine glasses in hand.
It had to be said—Professor Slughorn still had an impressive network of connections and had invited quite a few well-known figures. Among them were the famous author Eldred Worple and the vampire Sanguini, both of whom Kyle had met before. There were also professional Quidditch players, including Brewerhold, the current Chaser for the Montrose Magpies, and a reporter from The Daily Prophet—not Rita Skeeter, but another wizard.
According to Slughorn's introduction, this particular journalist had conducted most of the interviews with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's directors and higher-ups.
Kyle also spotted the owner of Honeydukes. It was hardly surprising—there was a signed photo of him in Slughorn's office, and with the school being so close to Hogsmeade, there was no reason not to invite him.
Even so, Slughorn seemed to think the gathering wasn't lively enough. According to him, Halloween was just a casual get-together—the real highlight would be Christmas. He made sure to tell Kyle and Kanna they absolutely couldn't miss it.
They, however, did not share his enthusiasm.
Finding an excuse to slip away, the two of them made their way toward the drinks table, which was one of the less crowded spots in the room.
Kyle, however, had no intention of drinking anything. Ever since learning that someone at school had purchased a Love Potion, he was being especially cautious about consuming anything from an unknown source.
"Kyle, I didn't expect to see you here too."
A few minutes later, Harry appeared, finally having managed to escape from Worple. He looked exhausted—he must have endured quite a bit of chatter—grabbing a glass of Butterbeer and downing it in one go.