Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 557 (555): Only One Can Live (4k)

The scene before him was utterly bizarre, and it felt as if a million different thoughts were swirling in Ron's head.

One voice said that was his pet Banban, a loyal companion for several years...

It even bravely lunged at Malfoy, Goyle, and their group!
Another voice reminded him that what the man said might actually be true...

How can rats live so long?
It is indeed missing a finger.

What a coincidence!

Ron swallowed hard.

What should I do?

He tentatively asked Sheen.

"Give Scabbers to me, and the new Magic Mirror will record a video of him turning into a human. As for whether Mr. Sirius is credible or not, the Daily Prophet will report on it."

Sheen said.

The new version of the Magic Hand Mirror includes a photo-taking function.

Wizards can record a short video, a few minutes long, which can be viewed by other wizards connected to the same magic network when they open their magic mirrors.

However, this feature has significant limitations; recordings can only be saved for one week.

The first edition was in Sheen's possession, but it had not been officially released or promoted.

However, it just so happens that it can be used now.

"Become a human?"

Ron felt a sudden dizziness.

Why didn't he think of that?

When they said that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew, he subconsciously ignored the fact that Scabbers was a rat.

But now that he's remembered, that means...

“No! Little Pettigrew… Little Pettigrew… How could he… Oh, Sheen, of course I believe you, you know, I believe you the most. But… but…”

Ron's face flushed red as he looked at Sheen, the words stuck in his throat.

How did Little Pettigrew turn into a mouse?

Sheen knew what Ron wanted to ask, so he nodded slightly.

To Ron's horror, the haggard man in front of him suddenly transformed into a large black dog.

He was horrified to discover that this black dog was the one they had met at the Leaky Cauldron.

“He is an Animagus, an unregistered Animagus, just like me.”

The black dog leaped and transformed back into the haggard wizard.

Ron was now completely convinced.

He slumped into a chair, utterly dejected.

"I actually let him sleep in my bed..."

Ron said.

"Think of something better, Ron."

Sheen said.

"what?"

Ron still harbored a sliver of hope.

"At least, as Voldemort's henchman, he didn't take your lives."

Sirius said "gently".

Ron was completely dumbfounded.

……

Half an hour later.

In the corridor.

"Is there anything else I need to do?"

Ron's face was grim, as if Scabbers' true identity was an insult to his character.

"After the last class, we'll meet at the castle gate, and I'll take Peter away."

Sheen simply said,

"By the way, where's Harry?"

"He's still training in Quidditch, isn't he...?"

Ron said,
“He hasn’t been there much in a long time, ever since… oh, we decided… you know, to strive to become Aurors.”

Sheen looked towards the distant horizon.

The weather in Scotland is always unpredictable; just a moment ago it was sunny and clear, and now it's covered in dark clouds.

Bai Yi fluttered down from the beech treetops and landed on Sheen's finger.

"Tell Harry I brought him here, after the last class, at the castle gate."

Sheen said.

Although the magic hand mirror has become the mainstream communication method among wizards, they still prefer to use owls when transmitting very specific information.

Just like in the information age, there are still people who write love letters by hand.

The owl's wings pierced through the dark clouds.

The sun shone brightly above the clouds, and the harsh weather did not affect the wizards' training at all in the Quidditch stadium below.

With the first Quidditch match fast approaching, the Gryffindor team is training even harder under Mrs. Hooch's supervision.

Distracted, Harry chased after the Golden Snitch and overheard Oliver Wood telling the team some bad news.

"We're not playing against Slytherin!"

He said to them, very angrily.

“Flint just spoke to me. We’re going to fight Hufflepuff. The second match is Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff.”

"why?"

The team members asked in unison, but Harry didn't seem to care.

Flint's reason was that one of their batters was injured.

Wood gritted his teeth angrily and said,

"Their reason for doing this is obvious. They don't want to play in this kind of weather, believing it will reduce their chances of winning..."

Yesterday, a fierce storm raged all day, and as Wood spoke, they could still hear distant thunder.

"A problem at this time?! They must be faking it!"

"He is indeed injured..."

Wood said somewhat awkwardly,

"But we've always trained using tactics designed for dealing with Slytherins, and now we're fighting Hufflepuffs, whose style is completely different."

They have a new captain and a new Seeker, it's Cedric Diggory—"

Angelina, Aria, and Katie suddenly burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

Wood said he frowned as he watched this frivolous behavior.

"Is he that tall, handsome guy?"

Angelina said.

"Sturdy build, not talkative."

Katie said they giggled again.

"Like Mr. Green, oh, I certainly won't miss their games."

"You're comparing him to the great Green?!"

Fred's expression was exaggerated.
"He doesn't like to talk because he's too slow-witted to form sentences."

Angelina and Katie glared angrily at Fred.

Although Fred's words were unpleasant, they at least agreed with one point he made.

No wizard in the magical world can compare to Mr. Grimm.

"The greatest wizard of the future", "A destined legend", "A wizard who surpasses Dumbledore"...

It's hard to imagine that they could live in the same era as such a wizard, even though he showed his extraordinary talent from the moment he enrolled.

Fighting giants one-on-one, defeating werewolves with bare hands, and even stealing dragon eggs right in front of a fire dragon...

Oh, and they've also heard that half the girls at Hogwarts are in love with Mr. Grimm.

The other half haven't even met Mr. Green.

Not far away, the voices of the Gryffindor Quidditch players could be faintly heard by Harry.

He often found himself in this state after returning from Hogsmeade.

Harry only looked up when they mentioned the name Grimm.

His mouth slowly opened wider, and he even unconsciously rubbed his eyes.

"Sheen's messenger—"

Harry saw Bai Yi land on his shoulder and unceremoniously toss a letter over his shoulder.

He then seemed to snap out of his daze and began to examine the contents of the letter. After a while, he seemed to have lost his soul, remaining silent for a long time before exaggeratingly raising the corners of his mouth.

What is he doing?

Fred asked.

"Oh, I see."

Angelina looked at Harry with envy.

"what?"

George was also puzzled.

"If I were to receive a handwritten letter from Mr. Green, Merlin..."

Angelina blushed slightly.

Fred and George suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to faint."

Fred said.

"I'd be overjoyed."

George winked.

"Oh, you think so too?"

Katie asked curiously.

"Believe me, no one at Hogwarts thinks otherwise."

Fred said, feigning seriousness.

Harry could no longer understand their conversation.

He just wanted to finish the last prophecy lesson as soon as possible.

However, things went wrong.

When he found Sheehan in the prophecy classroom, Professor Trelawney insisted that they make some prophecies themselves.

Harry and Ron could never satisfy her, so she kept pestering them.

Shen was the only one who wasn't bothered by her; it seemed she had assigned Shen an important task.

As long as he sits there, Professor Trelawney will say:
"Correct!"

"All correct!"

"That was an absolutely brilliant answer!"

Harry and Ron suspected that even if Sheehan said Professor Trelawney would be hit by a meteorite tomorrow, Professor Trelawney would still consider staying in the castle all day.

"Oh! I see! We should—"

Harry suddenly realized what was happening.

"what?"

Ron, who was also troubled and distressed, asked.

Harry whispered something mysteriously to Ron, whose eyes immediately lit up.

Next, after predicting his own terrible death, Professor Trelawney was very pleased with them.

However, they were distracted as she explained the different ways tea could interfere with daily life, and she quickly became annoyed.

I think,”

She spoke in a low, mysterious voice, but it did not conceal her obvious annoyance.
“Some of us,”

—She gave Harry and Ron a meaningful look—

"If I had seen what I saw during my crystal ball divination last night, I probably wouldn't be so indifferent."

Last night, as I sat here, engrossed in my needlework, I suddenly felt an irresistible urge to ask my crystal ball for advice.

I stood up, sat down in front of the crystal ball, and gazed into the depths of the crystal… What do you think I saw gazing at me?

"An ugly old bat wearing oversized glasses?"

Ron muttered in a low voice.

Harry, preoccupied with his thoughts, tried his best to keep a straight face and not let himself laugh.

He poked Sheen hard, trying to relieve the pressure of wanting to laugh but being unable to.

Sheen smiled slightly, but he always managed to hide it well.

"It is death, my dear."

Parvati and Lavender both covered their mouths with their hands, looking terrified.

"Yes,"

Professor Trelawney nodded solemnly and said,
"It's coming, getting closer and closer. It's circling overhead like a vulture, getting lower and lower... lower and lower, right above the castle..."

She stared sharply at Harry.

“If I collapsed and died every time she said I was going to die, I would become a medical miracle.”

Harry, unusually free of his worries, spoke to the two people beside him.

"You will become a super-concentrated ghost,"

Ron said,
"As the number of deaths increases, it becomes more and more concentrated."

And so, the last class was finally coming to an end.

Sheehan looked at Ron and Harry with his usual expressionless expression.

The two of them made eye contact with him at the same time.

Harry's eyes held a mixture of confusion and anger, while Ron's were simply filled with panic.

But then, things went wrong again.

By this time, most of the students had left, leaving only three students who had deliberately stayed behind the wizards in the classroom.

Sheehan saw that Professor Trelawney's head was drooping to his chest, making a gurgling sound.

He was surprised yet somewhat understanding.

Professor Trelawney had already predicted the escape of the little dwarf.

Now it seems the predicted time has come forward.

"What's wrong with her now?"

Harry and Ron asked in alarm.

Professor Trelawney spoke, in a harsh voice, quite unlike her usual tone.

"The Dark Lord lay there all alone, without friends, abandoned by his men, whose servants had been in chains for twelve years."

Tonight, before midnight… this servant will set off to meet his master. Though still bound in chains, the Dark Lord will return with the servant's help, stronger, more terrifying, and more… cunning than before.

Their battle had to begin; only one of them could survive. Only one could survive…

Professor Trelawney suddenly stood up, startling Harry and Ron again.

Sheen, on the other hand, seemed to be deep in thought.

He watched as Harry and Ron stared blankly at her, then walked towards her.

Is something wrong, darling?

“You—you just told us that—that the Dark Lord is going to return…his servants are going to go back to him…”

Professor Trelawney appeared greatly shocked.

"The Dark Lord? That person whose name can't even be mentioned?"

My dear child, that's no joke... a comeback, oh my god—"

"But that's what you just said! You said the Dark Lord—"

"I bet you're asleep too, darling!"

Professor Trelawney said,
"I certainly couldn't have predicted something that absurd!"

Harry and Ron were even more surprised. Were they facing a goldfish?

"It's time."

Sheen suddenly said.

Harry and Ron shuddered, stopped asking questions, and followed Sheen to the castle gate.

It was already very late, and the light was fading quickly. By the time they reached the edge of the castle, darkness enveloped them like a spell.

At that moment, Sheen raised his wand.

The wand's glow illuminated a thick tree trunk; they had arrived in the shadow of the Whomping Willow.

"Go through the Whomping Willow, through the secret passage, and in that room, Harry, you'll know everything you want to know."

Sheehan said that he was also holding a cage in his hand, which Ron had given him, containing Ron's rats, rats that Ron had fed with a bottle of Dreamless Sleeping Potion.

Ron has already returned to the castle.

Only Sheen and Harry stood before the wildly swirling willow branches.

Harry watched as Sheen's figure appeared as a blurry outline in the fluorescent light, the branches constantly whipping the ground as if questioning his inner thoughts.

"I understand."

Harry raised his wand, which glowed, and walked step by step toward the Whomping Willow.

(End of this chapter)