Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 542 (540): The Timid Witch (4k)

Border area.

On the eve of dawn.

A witch with long hair was looking around at the bushes.

She walked barefoot in the soft soil, and as soon as she saw a wizard, she quickly hid herself.

“Ariana”.

Just then, a clear and melodious voice rang out. A beautiful witch was standing in front of the wooden house by the sea. She called out to the timid witch and invited her in with a smile.

This is the fifth time Rita has met Ariana.

Seeing the other person's eyes, which showed a slight sense of relief but remained wary, Rita pursed her lips tightly.

"Would you like to stay here for a while? I made some delicious candied quince and Devonshire pudding."

Rita gently guided him.

"Do not……"

Ariana refused, her empty pupils revealing a resolute determination.

“You’ve been looking for a long time, child. You need to rest for a while.”

After Rita finished speaking, she lowered her head.

Wandering souls, searching is their mission.

Souls like these have no home in the borderlands.

There's a saying in the border region: Where the heart finds peace, a wooden house will grow.

Where does a lost and bewildered heart find a home?
So they could only keep searching and wandering, waiting for the day when, before they completely lost their emotions and wisdom, good fortune would come to them.

Ariana turned around, like a frightened little animal, and tried to hide deep in the forest again.

Rita's expression suddenly turned anxious.

"Ariana!"

She called out,

"You're looking for a messenger of good fortune, aren't you?"

The timid witch visibly froze for a moment, then cautiously and discreetly glanced at the side of the door of the seaside cabin.

There was not only a simple drawing of a black cat, but also a mysterious black cat statue.

She put her hands behind her back so that Rita wouldn't notice the simple, cute black cat sketch in her hand.

Seeing Ariana pause, Rita quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Encountering a wandering soul is no easy thing; in nearly seventy years, she had only seen Ariana five times.

In other words, even at this ambiguous juncture of time, she hadn't encountered the timid witch for over a decade.

The next time we meet, I'm afraid...

"At least have some Windsor soup, okay?"

Rita, like a queen tempting a princess to eat a poisoned apple, invited her in the softest possible tone.
"I've met Mr. Good Fortune. Would you like to hear his story? The story of how he bridges the gap between life and death and brings eternal good luck to wizards? Would you be willing to stop and admire him?"

Ariana finally stood outside.

But she didn't go in; she just stared at Rita with those bright, rekindled eyes.

Rita knew that this was all she could do.

She looked at the timid witch. She was very close to her, close enough to see the strands of her hair; yet she also seemed very far away, so far that her entire figure was blurred.

At the boundary, what determines distance is the distance between hearts.

Ariana is far removed from everyone's heart, except for the one she is waiting for.

Aside from the two incompetent people she had waited a hundred years for... forgive Rita for describing it that way.

Because of them, they are truly incompetent...

Rita's gaze went unfocused.

How can we leave a girl who fears the world to wait alone for a hundred years?
She still believed they would come looking for her.

Even if they don't come, she's willing to muster the courage to go and find them herself.

"Stay a little longer, okay? I have many more stories to tell here."

Rita brought out two stools and picked up a bowl of steaming hot soup.

This is Windsor soup.

Originally, this was a particularly unpalatable dish. It contained a lot of minced meat that had been cooked to a dark brown color, resembling a varnished wooden floor, which was quite unappetizing.

But Rita made some modifications to it, and ended up brewing a pot of thick white soup that made Ariana's empty stomach urge her to eat.

“Besides Mr. Lucky’s story, I know many other stories. Have you heard of Newt? He was Mr. Dumbledore’s favorite student… I know he was still wetting his pants when he was six years old…”

Rita smiled warmly.

She would only offer a silent prayer when she occasionally caught a glimpse of the mysterious black cat statue.

Faster, Mr. Black Cat, faster...

The black cat's whiskers trembled as it walked across the white expanse. It looked thoughtfully at a wisp of mist that suddenly thickened.

This is Rita thinking about it.

However, this happens often; the threads often become thicker or thinner. Black Cat guessed that this was probably a wizard's normal emotional fluctuation.

The fog was thick, and the black cat had been walking along the border for quite some time.

It followed Rita's misty cloud, thinking about the witch Rita had mentioned, and time slipped away unnoticed.

The black cat's paws trod on the boundary between clouds and mist, its thoughts racing.

Logically speaking, the black cat believed it could find anyone, as long as it had enough impressions in its mind.

The borderlands will follow its will and guide it.

But this doesn't mean the black cat will definitely find the person.

After all, once you have a direction, you still need to consider the distance.

If the distance is too long, the black cat may not be able to find it before leaving the border area.

That's Ariana.

The black cat always felt that it was very far away from her, which is why it wanted to ask Torita for help.

By the time we arrived at the seaside cabin, it was already dark.

Dusk arrived at the border, carrying the veil of sunset.

The white landscape was also tinged with orange.

"Six and a half hours..."

The black cat counted as it stepped into Gabriel.

Rita gazed at the horizon from the front of the wooden house, lost in thought.

"Miss Rita."

The black cat calls.

"You are too late, revered deity."

Rita said,
"I couldn't keep her either."

Her brows furrowed sadly, and her tone inexplicably carried a hint of self-reproach.

"She searched for so long, all alone, with nowhere to go..."

Rita gazed at her god.

"Good luck doesn't favor the slow learners, right?"

The black cat paused, as if it understood something.

"you……"

"Have some Windsor soup, my esteemed messenger of good fortune, and I shall tell you the story of a foolish boy."

Rita's azure pupils shimmered with light, and she turned her head slightly to wipe away the glistening liquid.

In Rita's cottage, the fireplace roared.

The black cat's furry body was outlined by the firelight.

From Rita's fragmented narration, the black cat learned what kind of life the witch it was looking for led.

A witch who has fallen into the borderlands, a witch with no place to turn, stubbornly drifting in the boundless ocean of fog, filled with fear of the world.

Loneliness and cowardice are common, but perseverance shines like the stars in the night.

"She always murmured about her brothers, but where are they? Sir? Incompetent man, treating her like that in life, does he not allow her rest even in death?"

Rita pursed her lips.

The black cat fell silent.

It gazed at the falling dawn and the gloomy dusk, experiencing for the first time the cruel laws of the borderlands.

"It's getting dark..."

The black cat gazed into the distance at the night, bidding farewell to Rita.

"The master of dreams and mists, the bridge between life and death, the symbol of eternal good fortune..."

Rita watched the black cat's silhouette disappear into the night, and prayed devoutly.

"May you hear the heavy rain of the world, may you wipe away the tears of those who have departed..."

……

The black cat didn't know what its existence meant to the souls of the border region, but Rita's words silenced it.

It could imagine how a witch like Ariana, a timid witch, would wander in this unfamiliar borderland.

So it just ran.

The starry sky and distant stars guided the black cat's way.

It swept past like the wind, startling the sparse bushes.

But it's still too far, still too far.

As it looked up, something suddenly made it stop in its tracks.

[You observed the night sky at the border, and your prophecy magic proficiency has increased by 100.]

[Basic Prophecy Magic Unlocked]

[Basic Prophecy Magic: Beginner Level (99/300)]

[A new Prophecy Magic Realm title has been unlocked, please check it out.]

[A wizard talent has been unlocked, please check.]

Indeed, the account in "Dream Stories," or rather "Merlin's Tale," is true.

The border region boasts the brightest night sky, where astronomy can truly shine, and where wizards can gain insights into the future.

The black cat paused slightly; it was too far from Ariana.

Unless it can directly locate Ariana's location, making the vague guidance precise, it will likely be unable to find her.

The black cat seemed to have a premonition that perhaps the prophetic magic could reveal her whereabouts?

[Title: The Prophet Who Has Not Mastered His Talents]

[The third eye slightly opened]

What do you mean?
Is your third eye slightly open?

Black Cat had anticipated this.

But what about its third eye?

where is it?
It carefully extended its paw and touched its forehead.

Sure enough, there was nothing there.

The black cat recalled the description of the Heavenly Eye in the Hogwarts books.

"The third eye, also called the field of vision, is a divination term. It is a very rare talent that occasionally appears among prophets."

Having this talent allows one to see the future.

Only Cassandra Trelawney and her great-great-granddaughter Sybil Trelawney have been confirmed to possess this ability.

However, Sybil Trelawney was not adept at using the field of vision, and in most cases, the prophecies she divined were not true.

So it silently started looking at the panel again.

[Name: Sheehan Green]

Special forms unlocked: Cat Lizard, Cat Leopard.

Unlocked: Unknown

[Special Ability Unlocked: Slightly Open Third Eye]

[A slightly open third eye: In special circumstances, a slightly open third eye can grant you the revelation you desire.]

The black cat was taken aback.

A special boundary... where else could it be but a border area?
But how do you use it?
Before the black cat could figure it out, its vision went dark.

It lay down in the forest at the border, its eyes glazed over, its whiskers trembling.

Sheen felt as if he were falling, falling continuously. Many images flashed before his eyes, and he vaguely felt that these were scenes from the future, but he couldn't see them clearly.

He was like a drowning child, clinging to the scene before him as his lifeline.

But he couldn't do it.

So he could only strain his eyes to see as much as possible, hoping to capture a glimpse of the future.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw it.

He saw a girl with long hair walking barefoot in the swamp, the moonlight casting a long shadow over her.

Her face showed both fear and unease, but she continued walking stubbornly.

Occasionally, she would glance at the wooden house not far away, which had a picture of a black cat on it.

So she could only clench the little note in her hand slightly.

"The master of dreams and mists, the bridge between life and death, the symbol of eternal good fortune..."

She mumbled absently, as if she had heard something from somewhere.

By the time the black cat started running again, the night was already deep.

Occasionally, a few scattered sounds would be heard, but the black cat ignored them.

It crossed hills, passed through valleys, leaped over streams, and traversed fields.

Finally, in that muddy swamp, it saw the timid witch.

She huddled in a patch of grass, the tender green blades serving as her blanket.

A cold wind swept by, and she shivered slightly.

"She is a homeless witch, sir. She will only enter the cabin when she is looking for someone."

This is not the cruelty of the border region, but only loneliness can make obsession last.

Forgetting always makes everything more beautiful, so pain becomes the law against forgetting.

Rita's words echoed in the black cat's mind.

It approached the witch step by step, growing larger with each step.

It quickly became an extremely majestic big cat.

With a gentle flick of its tail, it enveloped Ariana.

It insulates against the cold wind and brings warmth.

The large, dark-colored cat heard the witch hum softly, and after a short while, she shakily opened her eyes.

The big cat had disappeared, leaving only the black cat she longed for.

Its tail is so big that it can completely envelop her.

"Good evening, dear Miss Ariana."

"The black cat said."

"ah……"

Ariana paused slightly, her small nose trembling. She stared blankly at the black cat, a faint sound escaping her throat, a sound that was both a roar and a sob.

And the black cat will know.

In her heart, the pain of separation and disappointment had become unspeakable.

“You are the first wizard I have met tonight. Make a wish upon me, Miss Ariana, and I will help you make it come true.”

The black cat's voice was incredibly warm, like humming an ancient ballad, with a captivating melody.

It knew that Ariana was only a fourteen-year-old witch before she died, so the black cat preferred to tell her a heartwarming story.

Let's just assume he really is a god who holds eternal good fortune; he saw the wizard's wishes and was willing to help the wizard fulfill them.

Never before had the borderlands been so bright, and Ariana felt she was the luckiest wizard in the world.

The night casts starlight, as if celebrating her, celebrating that her century-long journey has finally come to an end and she can rest.

But why would she cry when she's so happy?

Her tears wet Mr. Black Cat's fur, and she frantically tried to hide, but the black cat simply stretched out his front paw, and her tears were gently wiped away.

She tried to speak, but made incomprehensible sounds.

But the black cat wasn't surprised; the world is a place where tens of thousands of people live in solitude.

It's just talking to a black cat; there's nothing strange about it.

(End of this chapter)