Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 511, page 509: Leaving the Breaking Cauldron Bar
Sirius Black has returned to reality, but Black Cat hasn't.

It walked through the white expanse, carefully sensing and searching for something.

During this time, it observed that the fog here would occasionally evolve into something tangible.

For example, the hillside beneath our feet, and the irises swaying on it.

As the black cat walked, it skillfully calculated the time it would spend at the border.

Five hours and forty minutes...

It's getting longer and longer.

As the walking time increased, the black cat saw more and more wooden houses.

It curiously approached a wooden cabin, where a black cat statue next to the small oak door looked nothing like it.

But the wizards in the border region seem to be keen on doing this.

Both the black cat image on the oak door and the black cat statue beside the oak door truly reveal this fact.

The change brought about by this fact is that the black cat has more and more tangled yarn.

At first, they were just simple things, intertwined like real balls of yarn, about the size of a black cat.

Now, there are more and more of them, and the balls they form when they intertwine are getting fatter and fatter, as big as a cat or leopard.

The black cat thought that this was probably not only because of the wizards in the border region, but also because of the wizards in the magic world.

Black Cat didn't know whether he should thank Hufflepuff, his senior.

Regardless, Newt revealed some of the secrets of the Borderlands to it: such as the existence of evil spirits; and helped it form some bonds with other wizards—whether it liked it or not.

Now, it can stay for longer.

This also filled the black cat with a hidden expectation.

The Dream Story once frankly stated: Seven hours later, the sky will darken and the stars will fill the night sky.

The priest told Merlin that the stars here were the brightest... and that he would also learn the ability to divine the future from there...

Divining the future...

The black cat thought about how it had been stuck on the last step of divination, and felt that there must be some key magical secret it hadn't yet discovered.

But none of that matters anymore.

The black cat saw dusk descending, descending upon the roots and leaves of the wild grass, upon the yellow flower buds, upon the boundless green fields.

This was the first time it had stayed so long, the first time it felt that night was coming.

It felt a sense of ease, as if it were waiting for the Hogwarts Library to open.

To the black cat's disappointment, the mist still rose.

It didn't wait until nightfall, but the black cat soon stopped feeling disappointed—it had already enjoyed a sunset.

And it will always wait for the best time to learn divination.

Therefore, the necessary waiting has become a kind of happiness.

As time is stretched out, so too is the anticipation.

The only thing that made the black cat hesitate was that it couldn't find Rita.

She seems to be in a very far place.

This means that it cannot quickly find the witch who has troubled Headmaster Dumbledore for many years.

At the same time, the black cat also realized something definite.

Its way of traversing the border seems somewhat peculiar.

In Dumbledore's eyes, the Boundary was an uncharted and unknown territory, fraught with unimaginable danger.

Even in "Dream Story," Merlin is carefully exploring this place.

But for the black cat, the border was too gentle.

Those dangers targeted at wizards never harmed him in the slightest.

The black cat didn't know the reason, only had some vague guesses.

At the same time, it also gave rise to some reflections on the future.

The suddenly appearing Principal Waggadu told it that Waggadu was waiting for the return of his eldest son;
Headmaster Dumbledore told it that only wizards who could bring souls in and out were considered the firstborn sons of the god Vargado.

So the black cat began to ponder why it could bring souls into dreams, and whether its special authority had any special meaning.
Or is it simply in accordance with the special rules of the border area?
So, can it really bring the soul into the world of the living?
Although magic has never followed the principle of equivalent exchange or the law of conservation of energy, it is still too magical.

When the fog rolled in, the black cat also left.

It thought that next time, perhaps it could find Rita. ...

The second to last week of summer vacation.

More than one wizard moved away from Diagon Alley in an instant.

As Sheehan walked to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, he saw the Weasleys busy carrying all the trunks down the narrow stairs of the pub.

Their belongings were piled up at the front door, with Hedwig and Hermes's cage—Percy's long-eared owl—on top of the crates.

Next to the box was a small wicker basket from which came loud snores.

That was Hermione's Crook Hill. With her parents' permission, Hermione also stayed at the pub for one night.

"Good morning, Sheen!"

And of course, there's Justin.

"Good morning."

Sheen said softly.

The young wizards and Weasleys were sitting around in chairs, waiting for breakfast.

As Sheen walked out of the bar, he looked up and saw that the window of room 10 was open, and a black dog was peering out from inside.

The moment the black dog met Sheen's gaze, it slightly bent its knees, its eyes flashing with a human-like, fervent respect.

Good morning, sir.

Sheen didn't say whose name it was, but the black dog knew, and felt a warmth in his heart.

Although he didn't need it, it was always pleasant to be noticed, especially... to be watched by the gods.

Just then, Mr. Weasley, looking hurried, suddenly came out and walked onto the street where only Sheehan was, with Harry following behind him.

"We're going back to the Burrow, and before we leave, there's something I must tell you—"

Mr. Weasley said nervously.

"No need, Mr. Weasley,"

Harry whispered,
"I already know."

"You found out? How did you find out?"

“I—uh—I overheard your conversation with Mrs. Weasley last night. I couldn’t help but listen,”

Harry quickly added,

"sorry--"

"I don't want you to know about this the way you did it."

Mr. Weasley seemed very worried.

“Harry, you must be terrified—”

"No."

Harry said seriously.

"real,"

Seeing Mr. Weasley's disbelieving expression, he added,

"I'm not trying to be a hero, but honestly, Sirius Black couldn't possibly be more terrifying than Voldemort, could he?"

Mr. Weasley flinched at the name, but didn't take it to heart.

“Harry, I know you, well, you’re braver and stronger than Fudge thought.”

I'm certainly glad to see you weren't scared, but—"

"Arthur!"

Mrs. Weasley called out, already tending to the others as they prepared to leave.
"Arthur, what are you doing? Hurry up!"

"Coming right now, Molly!"

Mr. Weasley said, then turned to Harry and said in a lower, more urgent voice,

"Listen, I need you to promise me..."

The two were talking quickly and urgently, causing not only Sheen to frown slightly, but also the black dog by the window to tremble.

Even Professor Snape, who had just emerged from the distant horizon of Diagon Alley, was watching this place with a cold gaze.

(End of this chapter)