Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

If you see cats or leopards on the roadside or in trees, please do not approach, touch, or make eye contact with them. Meat is often hung in various locations in the area; well-fed cats and leopards will not attack anyone.

The leopard cat is a magical animal resembling a cougar, but without a mane on its neck, with a tuft of hair at the tip of its tail, a well-proportioned body, medium-length limbs, and relatively short fur.

[If you have seen a cat-leopard with large ears, it is likely a cat-leopard injured by an expansion charm. Please contact the Magic Council immediately.]

After reading the sign, Vizet couldn't help but chuckle. "It looks... a bit like a ghost story."

"Ghost stories?" Luna blinked. "You mean the urban legends that Muggles talk about?"

“Yes… but this should just be a warning.” Vizette nodded. “When I was making plans a couple of days ago, I learned about something from the past.”

“There was once a wizard in Cincinnati who claimed to have tamed cats and leopards. It was only after the Magical Congress conducted a surprise inspection that they found out that this wizard was only good at inflating spells.”

“The grown-up leopard cat looks somewhat like a leopard cat, and some wizards who do not know much about it will be fooled into buying it at a high price to take home as a pet to guard their house.”

Luna stared at the sign, somewhat lost in thought. "But I think... this ghost story is a really interesting idea. Dad would probably like it!"

“Let’s take a picture here!” Wizette suggested, “and share it with Mr. Lovegood later.”

……

Go a little further in, and you'll find wizard vendors.

They were selling amulets that looked like small net bags with a few ogre bird feathers tied around them; they looked quite appealing.

According to the wizard vendor, this amulet can filter dreams; only good dreams can pass through the net and flow into the wizard's dreamland along the feathers.

Nightmares will be trapped in the net, and when the sun rises the next day, these lingering nightmares will be destroyed by the sunlight.

Perhaps because there weren't many wizards around today, or perhaps for other reasons, the wizard vendor was exceptionally enthusiastic, constantly talking about how good and precious the amulet was.

Luna listened patiently to the wizard vendor's words, but ultimately shook her head and declined, saying, "Sir, thank you for saying so much..."

"But now every dream I have... is a beautiful dream, I haven't had any nightmares, so I feel that there are other people who need it more than I do!"

Seeing Luna's smile, the wizard vendor was speechless for a moment.

Although he thought it might be an excuse, he also felt that what Luna said was true.

In the end, he could only nod, pondering his sales pitch while continuing to look for the next buyer.

……

Besides selling amulets, there were also wizard vendors selling snacks along the way.

This is a snack similar to zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). The cornmeal needs to be seasoned beforehand, wrapped in corn husks, steamed, and then deep-fried. It is served with sweetened sour cream.

The taste was passable; at least Luna enjoyed it, while Vizet felt there was too much sugar, making it too sweet.

The two finally arrived at the lake in Central Park, where they could see many long-horned water snakes floating in the clear water.

After asking the nearby zookeepers and confirming that it was safe to feed her, Luna took out a small piece of meat and dripped a drop of magic potion on it.

Before the piece of meat even had a chance to enter the water, a long-horned water snake leaped out of the water, swallowed the piece of meat into its mouth, and then glided a short distance in mid-air before returning to the water.

As the name suggests, longhorned water snakes not only have colorful skin, but also horns on their heads, which they can even use to drive water currents to attack.

That gliding long-horned water snake is an even rarer and more precious species;

It has a gem on its forehead, which is said to grant magical items the ability to become invisible and fly after simple processing;

The Firebolt is the fastest flying broomstick today, and it is said that some of this gemstone powder is added during the manufacturing process.

Time always flies when you're playing. Before she knew it, a silver tabby cat landed from the air and leaped to Vizet's side.

The tabby cat guardian spoke in Professor McGonagall's voice, "Vizet, Luna, you can come over now."

Chapter 77 The Magical Congress Hidden in the Woolworth Building

Unlike the English Ministry of Magic, the headquarters of the Magical Congress is even more peculiar, hidden inside the Woolworth Building.

Built in 1913, this skyscraper was the tallest building in the world at the time, with 57 floors and a height of 241 meters.

As Vizette and Luna flew through the air, they could easily spot the building, which was steeped in Gothic style, with just a little attention.

Just as they swooped down, intending to plunge into the alley, a peregrine falcon suddenly appeared.

Vizette immediately moved closer to Luna and shielded her.

The peregrine falcon is probably also an animagus, and it falls even faster than them, piercing the ground like an arrow.

As the two regained their human form in the alley, they heard distinct footsteps and the sound of small objects colliding in the distance.

The visitor was a middle-aged wizard with dark brown skin and many decorations on his body.

One of the decorations was particularly peculiar, featuring feathers, a sharp beak, and claws, and it was the source of the collision sound we just heard.

The man had a thin face, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes, giving him a serious demeanor similar to Professor McGonagall.

He looked at Vizette and Luna with a friendly smile. “Mr. Vizette Lovegood…right? Chairman Dumbledore has been mentioning you quite often lately.”

……

President Dumbledore?

Dumbledore has many titles, and if he is referred to as "President," then he is most likely a member of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Combined with the man's appearance, his strikingly similar serious demeanor, and Dumbledore's instructions to him...

Wizette asked tentatively, "Excuse me, are you... Mr. Babajid Akinbad?"

“It’s me!” Babajid Akinbad replied. “Seeing is believing. Even in Vagado, it would be incredibly difficult to complete Animagus at your age.”

The three of them walked along Broadway, chatting briefly as they navigated the bustling traffic.

During their conversation, Babajid Akinbad told Wizette and Luna that in addition to serving as the vice president of the International Federation of Wizards, he was also a member of the Animagus International Symposium.

He spoke about his experience reading the paper, saying, "I was truly amazed! Your understanding of the Animagus really puts me to shame..."

“Mr. Akinbad, you flatter me!” Vizette waved his hand. “I still have so much to learn…”

"Perhaps it's the school atmosphere that allows me to focus better on my studies, which is my duty as a student, and it just happens to be something I'm good at..."

“Yes! School is the best place to learn,” Babajid Akimbad agreed. “No wonder Chairman Dumbledore speaks highly of you.”

“I heard from President Dumbledore that... Hogwarts seems to be planning to study the Animagus topic in depth. You should get involved, shouldn’t you?”

“I do have some further ideas,” Vizette did not deny. “I’ve been researching moonstone recently… and I plan to use it as a breakthrough.”

"Moonstone?" Babajid Akinbad asked curiously. "Have you noticed that moonstone has some special function?"

“The research has only just begun.” Vezet nodded. “I intend to use this as a stepping stone to open the door to the second Animagus form.”

“The second Animagus form? That’s amazing!” Babajid Akinbad exclaimed naturally and without batting an eye.

He asked a few more simple questions, then casually changed the subject and started talking about herbalism.

It was only then that he realized that Vizet was far more outstanding than he had imagined, and also had a great deal of knowledge about the properties of various herbs.

Wizette naturally understood that Babajid Akinbad would steer the conversation to other topics because he didn't want to reveal too much.

In fact, this was within his and Dumbledore's expectations. As the second-in-command of the International Wizarding Federation, he was obviously not so easy to catch, so this was just the stage of setting up bait and catching fish.

……

Before they knew it, the three of them arrived at the foot of the Woolworth Building. Like the other pedestrians around them, they filed into the large revolving door.

In the blink of an eye, Vizette found herself in a brightly lit hall that resembled a church.

A large clock hangs in mid-air, but instead of displaying the time, the dial is marked with words such as "Magic Exposure Threat Level".

There is also a tall monument in front of you, with many names engraved on it, all of whom were victims of the Salem witch trials.

The History of Magic briefly mentions the Salem witch trials, which were similar to a witch hunt.

It occurred in the late 17th century, and only a few of the victims were wizards; the majority were ordinary people.

"Hey! Tell me your name! I need to register your contact information!" a guard suddenly shouted from nearby. "Stop right now! Petrify them all!"

Babajid Akinbad frowned slightly and quickly grabbed Vizette and Luna's arms, pulling them aside to avoid being bumped into by the approaching figure.

The human image possesses considerable practical experience; with his back to the guard, he narrowly evaded the incoming full-body binding spell by making a timely turn.

Vizette could barely make out the figure's appearance, and felt that it looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place its name.

The figure was dressed in a tattered robe, like a vagrant, and looked very forlorn, with deep worry lingering between his brows.

"How could he be so lucky?" the guard muttered between breaths. "I wonder if he's taken too many painkillers? He seems a bit neurotic...is he hallucinating?"

Babajid Akinbad asked, "Sir, what just happened?"

The guard frowned and said, "He said there was an attack... but when asked about the specific time or any other information, he started to stammer..."

“I wanted to take him to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, at least to clarify things and register his information… and then he just ran away…”

“Vizet, Luna, are you alright?” Professor McGonagall’s voice rang out. “Mr. Akimbard, it’s been a long time!”

“Long time no see!” Babajid Akinbad nodded. “I have some things to attend to… How about we have a proper chat at the dinner after the seminar?”

“Of course, see you at the dinner.” Professor McGonagall nodded, turning her attention to Vizzet. “What happened just now? I heard some noise in the waiting room and came to check it out.”

“A mysterious wizard…” Vizet explained, “He said there would be an attack, but he ran away before he could finish his sentence.”

“I heard what the guard said…” Professor McGonagall sighed. “Both the wizards and Muggles here are showing a tendency to abuse drugs.”

Just then, two more people appeared beside Vizet and his group through the large revolving door.