𝘋𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏 𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘋𝘚 𝘛𝘐𝘌𝘋/𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 (English version)

Chapter 52

Halloween, 1997

Among the many things that had changed at Hogwarts, the holidays were one of the most evident.

Halloween, which had once been synonymous with sweets, laughter, and celebration, now seemed only a shadow of the past. Sarah remembered clearly the previous year, the party she had organized with so much care, the warmth of the Great Hall lit by carved pumpkins, and the cheerful chatter of the students.

Now, the school looked like the perfect setting for a horror movie.

The corridors, usually buzzing with students looking for tricks and treats, were now ghostly and deserted. The cold felt sharper, creeping through the castle's stone walls like a living presence. No one wanted to celebrate, no one wanted to take risks.
Everyone preferred to stay locked away in their rooms, protected. Or at least, fooled into thinking they were.

But the Carrows had done something.

The decorations, usually lively and festive, had been turned into something macabre. The once bright colors were now dull and dark, the orange and black garlands replaced by gloomy spiderwebs hanging from the ceiling like veils of death. The carved pumpkins no longer smiled, but instead twisted into crooked, unsettling grins, scattered messily across the tables. The candles, which normally lit the hall with warm, welcoming light, now flickered weakly, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls.

It was a celebration, yes.
But of fear.

Sarah pulled her heavy sweater closer around her as she walked beside Seamus and Neville. The air felt colder than usual, and not just because of the autumn weather. No one spoke. Almost unconsciously, she brought a hand to her left cheekbone. The wound she had gotten from falling during a Cruciatus still throbbed, a constant reminder of the pain she had endured.
These had been hard days.

The Carrows hadn't stopped. Every day, someone fell victim to their cruelty.
So far, at least, the younger students seemed to be spared. For now.

The hospital wing was full.
Hogwarts was chaos.

As they entered the Great Hall, the faint murmur of the students wasn't enough to lift the heavy oppression hanging over them. Sarah looked around: faces were pale and empty, shoulders hunched, fear thick in the air.
They sat at the Gryffindor table, and Pansy didn't hesitate to join them, leaving her Slytherin group behind. The discomfort in her eyes was plain to see.

Sarah scanned the hall.
Everyone kept their heads down.
No one dared to show excitement.

"This isn't a party," she whispered, her voice laced with disgust. "They just want to scare us. These decorations are just a way to make us believe things are normal. But they're not."
The silence was broken.

Amycus Carrow stood from the staff table and stepped to the front of the hall. His massive figure cast a threatening shadow over the students.

A shiver ran down Sarah's spine.
Even Snape looked tense. He sat still, his hands clasped in front of him, his unreadable gaze sweeping over the tables, as if trying to read every student's thoughts.

Amycus smiled.
"Welcome to our Halloween celebration!" he exclaimed, his tone dripping with false cheer.
No one answered.
"I hope you appreciate the new decorations."
His cold eyes swept across the hall, lingering on the flickering candles and the sinister-looking pumpkins.
"Certainly less frivolous than what you're used to."
Amycus let his gaze glide over the sea of students.
Few dared to look up.
Most kept their heads down, staring at the table still empty of food, hoping not to catch his attention.

The man slowly descended the steps, walking among the rows of students.
His heavy steps echoed like a slow, threatening drumbeat in the silence of the hall.
"Halloween," he continued, with a sneer. "What nonsense."
He took a few more steps forward, savoring the thick tension in the air.