On Halloween night, all the young wizards headed down to the Great Hall. Word was that Dumbledore had specially invited a famous skeleton band to perform, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione had received an invitation to Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party instead. They had tried to invite Iblis along, but she gave them a cryptic, mischievous smirk and flatly refused. Only upon entering the party hall did they discover that the grand celebration consisted entirely of ghosts hovering over rotting, reeking food.
Two hours earlier, everyone had gathered in the Great Hall for the pre-party preparations. Ginny, however, slipped away from the crowd, sneaking off to Hagrid’s cabin and entering the paddock. Perched atop the chimney of Hagrid’s roof sat a small white sparrow.
Seduced by Riddle's diary, Ginny had slit the throats of every rooster she could find, collecting their blood in a bucket. Lugging the iron pail into a girls' bathroom in the Castle, she hissed in a raspy, low voice at one of the faucets. Then, moving like a mindless automaton, she hauled the bucket back out into the corridor.
Chapter 52