Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 514, Section 512: Destroying the Locket
After Snape finished speaking, he suddenly fell into the same state as the little wizard in front of him.

After a brief moment of shock, he angrily kicked the only young wizard out of the underground classroom.

Only after slamming the oak door shut could he come to his senses and look at himself directly.

What are you saying?!

He questioned.

"Ah, ah, that's great, hey! Severus, a very good start."

In the cellar's picture frame, a chubby little gray zebra slowly walks onto the grass and begins to graze casually.

Snape had grown accustomed to the fact that the figures in the Hogwarts portraits would come to life, leave their frames, and visit each other.

But no portrait dared to stay in his cellar for long.

Apart from……

Sure enough, a short, stout knight in armor chased after his pony, clattering into the scene.

Judging from the grass stains on his knees where his metal armor was worn, he must have just fallen off his horse.

"Aha!"

He shouted at Snape,
“Severus, you must be thinking—what kind of villain dares to trespass on my private property?”

Maybe they're here to make fun of me?
But Severus, I sometimes think that way too—

Damn Severus, is he going to laugh at me for falling down?
"Ha! If that's the case, then draw your sword, you coward Severus!"

The short knight drew his sword from its sheath and began wildly swinging it around, pretending to be furious as he jumped up and down.

However, the sword was too long for him. He exerted too much force, lost his balance, and fell face down on the grass.

"hehe--"

Snape laughed in exasperation and leaned closer to the drawing.

In the painting, the knight gripped his sword again, using it to support himself as he stood up. But the blade was stuck too deep in the grass, and no matter how hard he tried to pull it out, he couldn't.

Finally, he had no choice but to collapse onto the grass once again, as usual, push off his mask, and wipe his sweaty face.

"Severus, even if you throw me into the fire and roast me into a pulp; even if you toss me into a pile of trolls, where I stink to high heaven—"

I still have to say, Severus.

The truth is, it can't be spoken properly; it will inevitably lead to stuttering and incoherent speech.

Oh, it's so annoying, but it won't die..."

The knight's feigned anger seemed to vanish instantly. He stood up with a thud and shouted:
"Severus, we must find our target, and then die heroically in the charge!"

He tried to pull the sword out again, but still couldn't. He then tried to ride the chubby pony, but failed again. So he cried out:
"That's it, Severus, stripped of the sword, abandoning escape, left to be slaughtered—that's the moment—"

But so what! It's a moment of willing acceptance, a moment of turning away from darkness and embracing light! That's it! Forward! Forward!

You must have a brave heart, Severus! Disregard reason, yet you can win every possibility!

The knight shouted, tears welling in his eyes.

Snape fell silent and silently threw the knight's portrait away.

But he knew it was no use.

There must always be some portraits in the cellar, and the little wizards who come to the cellar will secretly tell the knight who the new portrait is.

And then those annoying things will come knocking right on your door.

However, although Snape was annoyed, he did not stop it.

Instead, they allowed the young wizard to make seeing the portrait a weekly task.

After all, that way he would stay longer.

……

Night fell.

A fireplace still burned in the Slytherin common room.

This is a long, narrow, and low basement with walls and ceiling made of rough stone. Round, green-glowing lights are chained and hang from the ceiling.

Beneath an intricately carved fireplace in the basement, a crackling fire illuminated a tall figure seated in ornate chairs. Snape stood motionless, staring at the flames like a statue.

Finally, the Hogwarts bells rang.

He unconsciously turned his gaze to the ceiling, to the towering Hogwarts towers.

He was thinking about this night, this foggy night.

In the tower he was silently gazing at, Sheen found himself with an unusually long extra half day.

He arrived at the door of the principal's office, waiting for the stone beast to ask its questions.

"Password?"

The stone beast asked.

"lemon……"

Before Sheen could finish speaking, the stone beast jumped away, as if it had completed a procedure.

"Snowball".

After speaking in a low voice, Sheen silently walked into the principal's office.

The sun had completely set, and Dumbledore's office was bathed in the night.

The glass case containing Godric's Gryffindor sword gleamed with a moderate light.

Behind Sheen, the fledgling bird Fox was chirping faintly in its ash-covered nest.

"Mr. Fox."

Sheen naturally fed the phoenix some herbs.

[You have gained the favor of the magical creature Phoenix (Fox) by meeting the beginner's standards, affinity +3]

[Phoenix Focus: Slightly Approachable (Entry-Level) (13/300)]

Mr. Fox's affinity has already surpassed the beginner level, and Sheen's progress in making the Phoenix Cookies is also steadily increasing.

Slightly happier, Sheen glanced around the office again; Headmaster Dumbledore was still not there.

Fortunately, Sheehan had written to the headmaster in advance, requesting to use the Gryffindor sword, and Bai also brought back a letter from Headmaster Dumbledore agreeing to the request.

Therefore, Sheen placed the letter on the table and drew his Gryffindor sword, whose blade still gleamed sharply in the evening light.

Goodbye, Mr. Fox.

Sheen said.

The moment Sheen stepped out of the principal's office, he had already put his arm around the shoulder of the butler, Pukchi.

“Although I don’t know what you always do in that square, Mr. Green, please hold my hand.”

Will leaned down and snapped his fingers.

The two of them vanished from the spot in an instant.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place, in a house that cannot be discovered.

Sirius Black and a small, old, thin creature were waiting anxiously.

They would glance out the window every now and then, then listen carefully for any sound of the door opening.

Of course, they couldn't hear it.

Because Will went straight into the room, he and Sheen were walking through two long, worm-eaten curtains—Sheen knew there was another door behind them.

Next, they bypassed a large umbrella frame that looked like it was made from a giant's severed leg, and went up a dark staircase with a row of wrinkled heads clustered on a panel on the wall beside them.

Upon closer inspection, Sheen discovered that they were all the heads of house-elves.

He recalled the Black family's ancestral precept—when house elves grew too old to work, their heads were cut off.

He frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

Soon, he arrived at the floor where Sirius was located.

(End of this chapter)