Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 530, Part 528: Ominous Signs and Death

Chapter 530, Part 528: Ominous Signs and Death (4k)

That concludes our lesson for today.

Professor McGonagall spoke in that emotionless voice.

She stormed out the door, leaving behind a group of bewildered little wizards.

"Professor, what's going on?"

Ron leaned close to Sheehan and asked in a low voice.

"get out of class is over."

Sheen explained.

Then he quickly caught up with them.

Before even entering the corridor, Sheehan heard Professor McGonagall's cold words:

“Dumbledore, I suggested from the beginning that you should reasonably assess the teaching quality of the professors…”

Instead of sending a wizard who predicts the deaths of students every year to Hogwarts—even if she is the great-great-granddaughter of the famous prophet Cassandra Trelawney.

Stepping through the elm gate, Sheen could see that Headmaster Dumbledore had appeared there at some point and was being confronted by an angry Professor McGonagall.

"Oh, who died this year?"

Headmaster Dumbledore smiled slightly and asked with great interest.

Professor McGonagall remained silent, only staring coldly at Dumbledore.

"Harry, that kid?"

Professor McGonagall seems to have approached Dumbledore more than once, Headmaster Dumbledore asked, quite habitually.

They chatted like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years. When a young wizard nervously and excitedly greeted Headmaster Dumbledore, he would respond with a kind smile.

"I guessed wrong... This is a very rare phenomenon..."

Dumbledore turned around, and Professor McGonagall's anger was practically bursting out of her head.

“Oh, Minerva, give me another chance, could it be… dear Mr. Green—”

Dumbledore saw Sheehan.

Professor McGonagall's expression seemed to have softened somewhat.

Sheehan was slightly stunned. Whenever he saw Professor McGonagall, he always felt that he was a size smaller than usual.

"Your second class is about to begin, son, and I need to discuss some important matters with Headmaster Dumbledore..."

Professor McGonagall spoke as calmly as possible.

Sheen left silently.

Before he left, hair grew on his ears, which soon stood up.

This is an advanced transformation technique by which Sheen transforms from "self" into "living thing".

Now, he will have the hearing of a cat.

"Dumbledore!"

Professor McGonagall spoke slowly and deliberately.

“Green…”

Dumbledore seemed to fall into a momentary daze.

“You must rigorously assess her teaching abilities; until now, I haven’t seen her make a single accurate prediction…”

Professor McGonagall was making accusations.

Dumbledore seemed completely unconcerned, and suddenly asked bluntly:
“We’re in big trouble, Minerva.”

I need to know, Professor Trelawney, whether she was lucid when she made her prophecy?

"what?"

Professor McGonagall thought she hadn't heard clearly.

“Come with me, Minerva.”

As Dumbledore spoke, he walked toward the castle gate where the young wizards were gathered.

Today, Slytherin and Gryffindor have a Magical Creatures Protection class this afternoon.

"You're going to fire her?"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips.

“No, quite the opposite, Minerva,”

Dumbledore glanced at a suit of armor.
"In fact, Sybil did inherit her grandmother's talent..."

“You should know that Dumbledore—Since Sybil Trelawney came to this school, he has predicted the death of one student every year. So far, none of them have died—”

Professor McGonagall spoke at an extremely fast pace, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"That's most of the time..."

Dumbledore's expression was very serious.
"If Sybil hadn't proven her talent to me, how did she get into Hogwarts Castle?"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

She looked at Dumbledore with a panicked expression; she only ever showed this kind of look in front of Dumbledore.

“We’re in big trouble, Minerva…”

Dumbledore didn't elaborate further; he simply repeated what he had just said.

"Divination is the least rigorous branch of magic... True prophets are extremely rare..."

Professor McGonagall walked quickly alongside Dumbledore, and only asked the question after a while.

"I hope so... Good afternoon, Mr. Finigan. Children, may I inquire about your studies?"

Dumbledore stopped in front of Seamus.

“Of course not, Dumbledore… Headmaster.”

Simo's throat bobbed with difficulty.

Although he didn't know how Headmaster Dumbledore would find out, he obviously couldn't say "no."

On the other side, by the stained-glass windows in the corridor.

Sheen quietly followed behind them, pretending to be a student on his way to class.

He was absolutely certain that Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had misunderstood something, but what exactly it was remained to be seen.

Dumbledore gazed kindly at the trembling Mr. Finnigan, his gaze growing increasingly solemn with time.

"Minerva, we have to find Sybil, right now—"

Dumbledore turned and left.

He walked faster and faster, and finally simply dragged the extremely uneasy Professor McGonagall away in a phantom teleportation.

—Right here at Hogwarts, where Apparition is not an option.

Is this the principal's privilege?
Sheen thought to himself.

But now, he understands what happened.

Professor McGonagall believed that Professor Trelawney had foreseen her death, but in fact, Professor Trelawney had indeed made a real prophecy about himself.

Headmaster Dumbledore had clearly confused them.

In other words, Headmaster Dumbledore thought it was him...

At the same time, Sheen thought of another fact that made him think deeply.

The students Professor Trelawney predicted would die each year all ended up dying in the Battle of Hogwarts.

In the north tower, silver ladders are displayed, with sunlight filtering through each wooden step.

"She has made another true prophecy—"

Dumbledore murmured.

"Dumbledore—"

Professor McGonagall seemed to have anticipated something, and she said defiantly.

“Oh, Minerva…”

Dumbledore couldn't let himself continue.

He'll be alright, won't he?

Professor McGonagall felt dizzy.

“I can’t lie, Minerva…”

Dumbledore could no longer restrain himself, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

……

Misunderstandings can always be cleared up.

Sheen thought.

Now he has to take animal protection classes.

It wasn't about attending a lecture; it was about giving lectures to the wizards.

Hagrid had repeatedly instructed him to arrive early.

“Ron,”

As they reached the castle gates, Hermione happened to be standing in front of Sheehan.

"You heard what Professor McGonagall said?"

"I heard it..."

Ron responded with a reply, then spoke in a serious tone to Harry in a low voice.
"Didn't you see a big black dog anywhere?"

"I've seen it,"

Harry said,
“We’ve all seen it, right here at the Leaky Cauldron.”

Ron's jaw dropped with a snap.

"It's just a black dog."

Hermione said calmly.

Ron stared at Hermione as if she had gone mad.

“Hermione, if Harry saw something ominous, then—that would be terrible,” he said.

“My—my uncle Billiers saw one, and—and he died twenty-four hours later!”

"coincide."

Hermione said nonchalantly.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

Ron started to get angry.

"Most wizards would be terrified out of their wits if they saw something ominous!"

That's how it is,"

Hermione said in a condescending tone,
"They saw the ominous sign and were frightened to death. The ominous sign was not a bad omen, but the cause of death!"
Harry is still with us because he's not so stupid as to see something ominous and think, "Oh no, I'm doomed!"

Ron said something to Hermione without speaking, and Hermione opened her bag, took out a brand-new arithmetic and divination textbook, and opened it.

"I think divination classes are a complete mess,"

She flipped through the textbook and said,
"To be honest, it's just wild speculation."

"The ominous sign in that cup is no joke!"

Ron said excitedly.

"When you told Harry it was a sheep, you didn't sound so sure."

Hermione said coldly.

Professor Trelawney says you don't have the right aura!

You're just used to being strong and unwilling to admit you can't do something!

He touched a nerve with Hermione.

Hermione slammed her arithmetic and divination textbook shut with such force that it startled all the young wizards around her, causing them to scatter.

"If learning divination means I have to pretend to see a death omen in a pile of tea leaves, then I might not study it anymore!"

Compared to my arithmetic and divination class, that subject was utter garbage!

She grabbed her schoolbag and stormed off.

Ron frowned as he watched her retreating figure.

What is she saying?

He said to Harry,
"She hasn't taken any arithmetic or divination classes yet."

Hermione set off from the other side to attend her Magical Creatures Protection class, and Sheehan saw her storm onto the lawn.

The sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly.

The grass underfoot was wet after the rain stopped, and it felt springy when you stepped on it.

Sheen walked down the grassy slope toward Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid stood at the door of the cabin waiting for him.

He was wearing that mole-skin coat, and his big hunting dog, Tooth, stood at his feet, seemingly eager to get off to class.

"How do you feel, Sheen? Send Buckbeak, he'll make sure they never forget this!"

Hagrid rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"I think it's a good idea."

Sheen said.

"Ah—you said that..."

Hagrid's eyes brightened.

"You would make a great professor of magical creature conservation, Hagrid."

Sheen said with a smile.

Hagrid certainly has extensive experience with magical creatures.

If Buckbeak hadn't attacked Malfoy... and if Hagrid had clearly realized that the young wizards' structures were different from his own, Sheehan believed Hagrid would most likely have become a very good professor.

"However, Hagrid, you'd better watch out."

Sheen unusually said something extra.

"Oh! I know! I know—you've reminded me so many times, I'll be gentler with the little ones."

Hagrid laughed heartily, his tangled beard trembling.

Judging from his cheerful appearance, Sheen thought he probably didn't understand.

"Come on, come on, hurry up!"

The students approached.

Hagrid shouted happily:
"I have something really interesting for you today! This lesson is going to be amazing! Is everyone here? Okay, come with me!"

Harry panicked, thinking Hagrid was going to lead them into the Forbidden Forest.

He had many unpleasant experiences in the Forbidden Forest that he would never forget.

He quickly glanced at Sheen, the little wizard following behind them with a book in his hand, which reassured Harry.

Fortunately, Hagrid was walking along the edge of the woods, and five minutes later they found themselves outside a small enclosure.

There was nothing in the paddock.

"Everyone, gather around this fence!"

Hagrid shouted,

"Right—make sure you can see it. Okay, first you need to open your textbooks—"

How do I open it?

It was Draco Malfoy's cold, languid voice.

"Uh?"

Hagrid said.

How do we open the textbook?

Malfoy asked again.

He took out his book, "The Book of Monsters," which was tied with a rope.

The other students also took out their textbooks.

Some people bundled their books tightly like Harry did, while others stuffed them into narrow, tight bags or clipped them together with large clips.

"None of you—none of you were able to open your textbooks?"

Hagrid asked, looking a little disappointed.

The whole class shook their heads.

"Sheen, please help me—"

Hagrid called out as if he were aggrieved.

"Some seemingly fierce objects may only need to be touched."

With a flick of his finger, Sheen obtained a copy of "The Monster Book of Monsters." The textbook seemed to be about to bite, but Sheen used his index finger to stroke it down the spine. The textbook trembled slightly and then lay open quietly in his palm.

The little wizards remained motionless.

But their attention seemed to be on Sheehan's fingers, not on the book.

"what is this?"

Someone asked respectfully and in a low voice.

"Spellcasting without a staff, you fool—"

Malfoy chuckled.

“I’ve never heard of this at Hogwarts…”

Someone was quietly refuting this.

"Because no student at Hogwarts can be without a wand..."

Malfoy raised his face high.

Sheen glanced around at the young wizards, and it seemed that no one was paying attention to how to calm the book. He sighed silently.

Surprisingly, Malfoy was the first to smooth out the book, and even gave Sheehan a cautious yet smug look.