Contrary to what Harry imagined, even without light or candle flames, the small room with the summoning array was as bright as day.
In the very center of the array sat a chestnut chair, upon which a noble lady in a black cloak, holding a cane, was seated.
She looked very old, yet even the marks of time couldn't erase her elegant and noble aura.
Seeing Harry push the door open, she smiled gracefully.
"We meet again, Potter," she said.
"Good evening, madam," Harry bowed.
Dumbledore and Mr. Leme stood behind, exchanging glances.
None of them had seen the Death God before; their limited knowledge stemmed only from a few words in records or legends.
They had heard Harry's description of the Death God, yet seeing her incarnation was still surprising.
Harry was different. He had seen the Death God in Cassandra's dream, so he was mentally prepared.
Cassandra, too, had played hide-and-seek with the Death God in her dream for nearly a hundred years and fortunately had won.
"It seems my little friends aren't very hospitable."
The Death God cast her gaze over Dumbledore and Mr. Leme behind Harry, as well as Vivi, Cassandra, and Newt who dared not look up.
Harry put on a cute and polite smile, trying to appear friendly.
He thought it crucial not to let the Death God misunderstand them all.
"You've misunderstood, madam," he said, "In fact, we have something to ask for your help with."
"Oh, I don't think it's a misunderstanding," the Death God glanced at the array and said to Harry, "If this array weren't so incomplete, I might have been bound after being summoned to the mortal world—and I don't think this is the attitude for seeking help, do you, Potter?"
"Allow me to be so bold as to ask..."
Mr. Leme suddenly trotted forward, eyes gleaming with fervor, "As an alchemist, it's hard to refuse any knowledge... So, do you know how to complete the array?"
The Death God didn't answer, just gave a meaningful glance at Vivi and Cassandra, and then said leisurely, "Even after so many years, you mortals are as arrogant as your ancestors—Is this how you treat guests? Summoning the Death God on Halloween, without any offerings?"
Harry tried to argue, "It's already November 2nd, madam..."
But the Death God tapped her wrist, "That's just mortal time."
Seeing the Death God's confident stance, Harry lowered his head to ask Vivi and Cassandra, "Offerings? What do you think the offerings should be? To the Death God..."
"It should be human," Cassandra whispered to Harry, "You know, freshly killed..."
To be honest, Cassandra's suggestion did make sense to Harry.
Indeed, what offering could the Death God need if not a living human freshly slain?
"We can't possibly meet her demand..." Harry murmured to Cassandra, "We can't really find someone to kill for her, can we? That would be too..."
"Perhaps we could find some Dark Wizards from Azkaban?" Vivi suggested from the side, "If your conscience can't take it, Harry, we could do that instead, don't you think?"
"I don't think that's a very good choice, Miss Grindelwald," the Lady Death interrupted their whispers, "I'd rather you offer me a feast than arrogantly assume, like your ancestors, that I require living humans as offerings."
So that's it...
Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief...
It seemed this Lady Death wasn't as difficult to deal with as the legends said.
Well, after all, it's just a meal; Hogwarts lacks everything but not good food.
After all, with so many house-elves...
"Please wait a moment," Dumbledore said with relief, "I'll have Hogwarts' house-elves prepare a delicious feast for you."
With that, Dumbledore swept out of Mr. Leme's Alchemy Room.
The group stood in the small room, silence hanging heavy among them as no one broke the quiet.
Especially Cassandra, who was now a little worried about catching the Death God's attention, so she tried her best not to attract it.
Yet, the more she tried that, the more attention she seemed to attract from the Death God.
Seeing Cassandra trying to make herself invisible, the Death God's gaze turned to her.
"Alchemy truly is a magical means. I had thought I could claim your soul in a year, Miss Malfoy."
Harry quickly nudged Cassandra, signaling her not to say anything unnecessary.
He knew her temperament; what if a few bickered words truly angered her?
But he clearly underestimated Cassandra, for she rarely used her sharp tongue on outsiders and had little to say to them.
Moreover, Cassandra clearly wasn't the kind of person to act inappropriately; she understood the difference between herself and the Death God.
Sometimes, being humble isn't shameful, especially in front of the Death God.
"It seems that this humanoid Magic Stone Potter before you infused you with life energy, right?" continued the Death God, her eyes glimmering with amusement, "What a touching sentiment..."