After Nick knelt down, the atmosphere in the Room of Requirement became strange. Hermione covered her mouth in surprise.
Ryan felt his hair stand on end. According to Eastern beliefs, making someone older kneel before you could shorten your life. How much life would Nick lose after 500 years?
Not to mention, this was a country steeped in tradition, and Nick's actions looked far too much like an act of courtship. Hermione might have misunderstood the situation entirely.
To salvage his image, Ryan quickly said, "Sir, if you need my help, just say it. Please don't do this. I can't accept such an honor."
Nick, realizing his mistake, immediately stood up. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, but I really need your help with something important."
Then, to Ryan's horror, Nick pulled his own ears off his head. Hermione let out a sharp breath behind him, and Ryan himself felt his stomach churn.
"You see," Nick explained, pointing to his partially severed neck, "I was struck 44 times with a dull axe. I wanted a clean cut like the others, but alas, just a small piece of skin remains. It kept me from being fully beheaded, and so they never let me join their ranks."
Ryan could see the resentment in Nick's expression.
"They didn't suffer as much as I did," Nick continued, his tone bitter. "Yet because their heads came off completely, they were accepted. Meanwhile, I have endured this humiliation for centuries."
He took a deep breath, then turned to Ryan. "I saw you cause damage to ghosts earlier. You have a special ability, and I need you to use it on me—to finally sever my head."
Ryan was stunned. Cutting off someone's neck, even if it was just a ghost, was far too extreme.
"In the East," Ryan hesitated, "having the head fully separated from the body is a terrible omen. Even during executions, they tried to leave some skin intact. Maybe you should reconsider?"
Nick let out a dry chuckle. "I have reconsidered, for nearly 500 years." He looked at Ryan earnestly. "You don't have to worry about superstitions—this is Britain, after all. Things are different here. Just do me this one favor, as a friend."
Ryan turned to Hermione for help, hoping for an argument against it. But Hermione looked just as shaken, staring down at her shoes, arms clasped to her chest.
After a long silence, she finally spoke. "I think 'Nearly Headless' is an awful title for a ghost. Nick has suffered this humiliation for five centuries. Ryan, if you can help him, you should."
Ryan hesitated, but Hermione had given a strong reason. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and looked at Nick, who was watching him anxiously.
"All right," Ryan said. "I'll do it. But you mustn't tell anyone."
"I swear by Sir Popington, I won't," Nick said solemnly.
Ryan nodded. Nick held up his head with both hands, and Ryan took a deep breath. With a swift motion, he swung his blade at the last piece of flesh connecting Nick's head to his body.
With a snap, the flesh tore. Nick's head flew toward the ceiling before bouncing back down into his hands.
Nick struggled at first, adjusting to his now fully severed head, but Ryan could tell he was ecstatic. His ghostly form shimmered more brightly than before.
After floating in the air for a while, Nick finally turned back to Ryan and beamed. "Thank you. You have granted me a wish I've held for centuries. You are my eternal friend."
As Ryan and Hermione left the Room of Requirement, Nick requested that Ryan keep his transformation a secret until his upcoming banquet. He wanted to make a grand reveal.
On their way to the library, Hermione asked, "Are ghosts always this different from us? Normal people wouldn't make such strange requests."
"In books I've read, most ghosts remain as they were in life," Ryan explained. "But sometimes, strong obsessions carry over. Nick's obsession was his neck, so this meant everything to him."
Halloween Arrives
The days passed quickly, and soon, Halloween was upon them. The Great Hall was decorated with bats and carved pumpkins. Rumors spread that Dumbledore had invited a band of skeletons to perform.
At the entrance, Ryan and Hermione prepared to head to the dungeons when Ron scoffed. "I don't get why you're going to that cold, damp place. The feast in the Great Hall is better than usual tonight."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "All you think about is food. You don't understand the joy of learning." Then she grabbed Ryan's arm and led him away.
On the way, Ryan pulled out a prepared talisman and handed it to Hermione. "It's not good for the living to stay with the undead for too long. This will protect you."
Hermione examined it curiously. "Is this a British rune? It looks different from our ancient scripts."
Ryan nodded as she slipped the talisman into her pocket.
The dungeon corridors were dimly lit with small black candles emitting an eerie blue glow. Nick had outdone himself with the atmosphere—it felt far more like Halloween than the Great Hall did.
As they descended further, the temperature dropped noticeably. White breath escaped their mouths, but the talisman kept the chill from truly affecting them.
A strange sound—like fingernails scratching a blackboard—echoed through the corridor. Perhaps it was the music of the dead.
When they reached the classroom serving as the banquet hall, they found Nick at the door, dressed in his finest attire, greeting guests.
"Welcome, my dearest friends," Nick said, bowing deeply. "Come in, and thank you again. Tonight shall be the grandest banquet in Britain in 300 years."
The temperature inside was even lower, almost unbearably so. Ryan and Hermione could see their breath clouding before them.
Hundreds of ghosts waltzed on a makeshift dance floor in the classroom's open space. On stage, a spectral band played eerie, wailing music on musical saws. Thousands of blue candle flames flickered in the air, illuminating the entire spectacle.
"This is more like a real wizarding Halloween than the Great Hall's banquet," Hermione whispered in excitement.
Ryan had to agree.
Then, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived. Nick floated onto the stage and cleared his throat dramatically.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "for centuries, I have been mocked as Nearly Headless Nick. But tonight, that changes!"
With a theatrical flourish, he lifted his head clean off his shoulders. A gasp rippled through the audience, followed by applause and cheers.
For the first time in centuries, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington was not Nearly Headless Nick—he was Completely Headless Nick.
Ryan couldn't help but smile. He had done something truly bizarre tonight, but in a strange way, it felt like the right thing to do.
As the music played and the ghosts continued their revelry, Ryan and Hermione stood at the edge of the dance floor, observing the festivities.
"This might be the strangest thing I've ever witnessed," Ryan said.
Hermione laughed. "It's certainly the most magical."
And with that, they enjoyed the most unusual Halloween celebration Hogwarts had ever seen.
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