Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 560, Episode 558: The Dementor Invasion (4k)

Sirius was stunned for a moment and remained silent.

He looked at Lu Ping, who was also staring at him in disbelief, and the two of them didn't know how to describe their feelings at that moment.

The dilapidated, leaky house fell silent.

Water was seeping everywhere in the house. Black water stains covered the wooden pillars, making them slippery and cold.

The reinforced areas of the sheet metal were covered in dark red rust, and the hay on the ground was no longer hay. It was soaked with water, heavy and clinging together. Stepping on it made no sound, only an uncomfortable feeling of sinking in, as if stepping on something soft yet repulsive.

Water droplets slid down Snape's gloomy face. He would rather have a noisy knight portrait to break the silence than be left alone in this silent house.

He instinctively resisted what he thought of, what those fools flocked to, he found like poison.

He was never used to gaining anything; he was always losing.

Like a beggar who has been starving for a long time, his stomach is no longer able to digest food properly. If you force anything into him, he will most likely die from overeating.

in the corner.

Peter regained consciousness, opened his tiny, beady eyes, and looked around in confusion.

He seemed to remember something; his breathing became rapid, and his gaze kept drifting towards the door.

Everyone present had their own thoughts.

Sheen was observing Little Pettigrew, and every now and then, he could sense what Little Pettigrew was thinking.

He was somewhat satisfied.

It seems the plan is proceeding as scheduled.

The Fairy Contract is used to control the mind and body of servants, so Sheen naturally chose a different way to use it.

While Little Star was in a coma, he quietly blurred this part of his memory.

Thus, Pettigrew only remembered that he had been discovered and that Sirius and Lupin were going to kill him.

However, Professor Snape barged in, and a battle ensued, which "luckily" gave him a chance to escape.

On the other side, Lupin and Sirius cast puzzled and cryptic glances at Sheen, and for a few seconds, they seemed to be trying to convince themselves.

Naturally, at that moment, Peter effortlessly stole a magic wand that had been left on the ground, and he could no longer be careful, so he turned into a mouse.

After a rustling sound, a mouse missing a finger scurried into its dark, damp hole.

After an unknown amount of time, the rats emerged from outside the secret passage of the Man-Beating Willow.

It peered cautiously; the ground was dark, with only a faint light filtering through the windows of the distant castle. It quickly crawled forward, panting heavily and occasionally letting out a cry.

Sheen only breathed a sigh of relief after the rat left.

Sheen didn't intend for things to change too much until Peter officially found Voldemort.

Otherwise, who knows if Peter will be able to find Voldemort?

Sheen was always cautious during these times.

However, once Peter has done those things, Sheen will make him recall the real experience.

That was on this day.

The Dark Lord's servant was freed. Three-quarters of an hour before midnight, the servant broke free of his chains and set off to reunite with his master.

The Dark Lord will return with the help of his servants, stronger, more terrifying, and more cunning than before.

"Where's Peter?!"

Sirius suddenly uttered a question filled with anger.

Lupin and the "completely unaware" Sheehan quickly turned their gazes toward that corner.

They easily discovered that the rat-like man was gone.

Along with him, Lupin's wand also disappeared.

Snape emerged from his resistant yet tender state, frowned, and glanced at the corner, but indeed did not see that lewd figure.

The sound of rain seeping in masked his movements, preventing those present from noticing the noise he made as he transformed.

"I've waited twelve years for this moment!"

Sirius roared furiously.

"Severus!"

Snape let out a sneer.

He concealed the worry that flashed in his eyes.

Peter ran away, as everyone knew.

When the Whomping Willow came out, Sirius Black went up to Sheehan.

"Was my performance alright, Mr. Green?"

He said, looking refreshed.

Although the Snape incident had dealt him a blow, he had said that he was entrusting his life to the wizard he recognized before him.

He's always been that kind of person; once he's made up his mind about someone, he's unwilling to question any of their decisions.

“Excellent, Mr. Sirius.”

Sheen nodded in approval.

"We... we really won't tell Professor Dumbledore?"

Lupin lowered his voice and asked with slight concern.

"Oh, come on, Moonface. What have you told Dumbledore all this time? What's the point of you always having to ask?"

Sirius whispered, but he was laughing so hard that tears were almost coming out of his eyes.

Snape walked directly ahead, listening to the faint sounds from the two people behind him, and suddenly said with a cold laugh:
"You'd better watch out, fugitive. Your portrait is still plastered everywhere. Why don't you become a dog? Dogs suit you well, don't they? After all, you always bark, don't you? Oh, right, there seems to be someone ahead."

Sirius, though furious, dared not speak out. He looked ahead with a hint of panic and could actually see several young wizards wandering around at this hour, right at the castle gate.

"We're sure to find the messenger of good fortune today!"

"A little witch who was out at night said excitedly."

"I think we should just give up. This is the ninety-third time you've said that, Ginny."

Another little witch added irritably.

"Hey, keep your voice down, what if the patrolling bats spot you..."

Ginny quickly covered the mouth of the little witch next to her.

But it was clearly too late, because a large bat was parked at the corner.

Sirius made no attempt to hide his mockery; it was a mystery how a black dog could produce such an expression.

"Night tour!"

Snape charged forward angrily.

The young wizards all looked ashen-faced.

They already knew which toilets they needed to clean.

……

After entering November, the weather became very cold.

The mountains surrounding the school were shrouded in a gray haze, covered with ice and snow, and the lake was as cold and hard as quenched steel. Every morning, the ground was covered in frost.

The first Quidditch match is about to begin.

On Friday, Sheen woke up unusually early, before dawn.

At first, he thought the howling wind had woken him up, then he felt a cool breeze on the back of his neck, and he sat up straight—the mischievous ghost Peeves was floating around him, blowing hard into his ear.

“Oh dear, your face is so red, Mr. Green. I’m just trying to help you. Oh, no need to thank me, and no need to say a few good words for me to the sir…”

The mischievous ghost giggled.

"Thank you, Mr. Mischief, but I have a cold." Sheen realized he was sick as soon as he said his first words.

His voice was muffled and hoarse, as if something was stuck in his throat. His face was burning hot.

In a place like England, getting sick is a very common occurrence.

The weather is cold and foggy all year round, and the sun rarely shows its face, like a miser holding gold coins. Dampness seeps into the bones, and you can easily catch a cough or rheumatism if you're not careful.

People have long been accustomed to this and have developed a unique way of coping—a cup of piping hot black tea with milk, a few slices of toast with jam, and sitting in front of the fireplace wrapped in a thick blanket, as a moment of rest bestowed by life.

Sheen used magic far beyond his normal capacity last night, spent a considerable amount of time in the damp house, and walked for so long amidst the raging wind and rain... It's only natural that he would catch a cold and have a fever.

But Sheen wasn't used to stopping.

Practicing magic has become the main theme of his life; he once practiced magic for 25 hours a day, out of 24 hours.

—This is all thanks to Professor Snape for the time-tamper.

Now, his head was spinning and his limbs were weak, so he could only practice magic at a low level.

That would result in too little increase in proficiency and magical understanding.

So Sheen had to stop and summarize his progress.

Black magic has already made him a master, and reshaping black magic has also provided him with the path to becoming a legend. Sheen only needs to accumulate proficiency step by step to achieve the legend according to the plan.

Polymorphism is the branch of magic he is most familiar with and also the branch of magic he is most powerful. Many of his self-created polymorph spells, such as "Fire Dragon Wings", "Vine Stone Guardian" and "Elemental Animation", have considerable power. However, unfortunately, Shin's proficiency is still not high enough. While these spells have powerful effects, they are also accompanied by severe energy consumption.

To reduce losses, Sheen must rapidly increase their proficiency.

Allocating time becomes a necessity.

Sheen focused his attention on "Vine Stone Guardian" and "Elemental Animation," whose proficiency levels were [Expert] and [Beginner], respectively. Sheen planned to raise both of them to [Expert] within one to two months.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and a fierce wind lashed against the castle walls. In the distance, branches snapped and cracked softly in the forbidden forest.

Sheen entered the Ravenclaw common room and then walked along the corridor into the hallway.

The statues in the corridor always seemed to have double images, and even with a scarf around his neck, Sheen could feel the howling wind.

He planned to go to the school clinic to get some energy drinks, but before that, he had to attend a potions class.

Potions class for older students always starts very early.

Before he even reached the Potions classroom, Sheen heard someone calling him.

"Mr. Green!"

She was an older witch he didn't know very well.

Good morning. Oh, do you have a cold?

Sheen nodded.

“Um, Mr. Green, I’m over here.”

The voice said awkwardly,

"Oh, are you alright? Will you be able to finish this class? Please, please don't abandon us..."

The voice trembled.

Sheen turned around and nodded again.

Although they cannot cast spells, instructing wizards on how to brew potions is not a big problem.

"Mr. Green—"

The voice was choked with sobs.
"I'm here."

"What are you doing--"

Before Sheen could pinpoint the Shadow Wizard's exact location, a stern voice drifted over.

At the same time, there was a kind voice:

“Severus, you should be more lenient with the students who have to take exams… Oh, Green, are you alright?”

"I'm fine, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Sheen said.

He realized it was time for him to tell Headmaster Dumbledore about Sirius Black.

"You should go to the school clinic!"

Snape said sternly, his voice urgent and rapid.

“Oh, Severus, didn’t you hear? He said he’s alright.”

Dumbledore looked at the disoriented young wizard and laughed so hard his beard trembled.

"Shut up, Dumbledore, this isn't yours—"

Snape suppressed his anger, and after seeing Dumbledore's slightly widened eyes, he swallowed back what he was about to say.

"Walk--"

Sheen felt his arm being grabbed.

"Oh...it seems there's been another commotion at the castle?"

Dumbledore watched with a smile, his gaze full of meaning.

……

Sheen had a rare day off, and he thought the day would have been more comfortable if his ears hadn't been burning.

The energizing potion worked immediately, and even the strict Mrs. Pomfrey agreed to Ron and the others taking him to see Quidditch.

"Take a good day off and watch a Quidditch match, you busy little guy."

Mrs. Pomfrey closed the doors of the university hospital without hesitation.

Sheen could only follow the young wizards to the Quidditch pitch.

Despite the rain, Quidditch matches are not canceled because of minor things like thunderstorms.

In the corridor, they also ran into Wood, Harry, and Hufflepuff, who looked gentle and reliable.

“That’s Diggory, a fifth-grader, much bigger than you. While Seekers are generally light and agile, Diggory’s weight is an advantage in this weather; he’s less likely to be blown around by the wind.”

Wood pointed to the Hufflepuff and said to Harry,

"It's definitely going to be a fierce battle."

"Don't worry, Oliver,"

Arya, who was beside Wood, comforted him,

"We don't care about this little drizzle."

However, this is by no means a mere drop in the ocean.

The rain was so heavy that even from the sheltered stands, droplets of water occasionally drifted down.

Sheen and Justin sat together, each holding a bowl of pumpkin juice that Justin had made.

The warm, sweet juice soothed her throat, and Sheen felt much better.

A large, black dog with disheveled fur huddled at Sheen's feet, seemingly invisible to most, as if it had been subjected to a disillusionment spell.

The match was in full swing when suddenly a chill ran through me, which was definitely not a normal occurrence.

"What is that?!"

Sheen heard someone shout.

Then Sheen saw them, Dementors, at least a hundred of them, a dark mass approaching them along the green lawn.

He stared at the Dementor, the chill penetrating to his very core, and the fog began to blur his vision.

At the edge of the arena, more and more Dementors appeared from all directions and surrounded the area.

(End of this chapter)