From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

After all, there is no reproductive barrier between wizards and Muggles. Wizards have all the same weaknesses as ordinary humans, and the back of the head and eyes are areas that need special protection.

Ivy crouched down in front of the sleeping little wizards and carefully examined their injuries.

The young wizards' punches weren't very powerful, and their spells were even less intimidating than their fists. Therefore, most of their injuries were not serious, just minor scrapes and bruises.

However, some girls lost large chunks of hair, and some even had their scalps bleeding profusely.

Ivy wasn't sure what kind of injury this was according to wizards, but in the Muggle world, it was considered disfigurement.

A few unlucky souls trapped under the pile of people may have broken one or two bones. Ivy is not a professional doctor and cannot make a more accurate judgment, but since the bone protrusion can be seen on the skin, it must be broken, right?

"Rolanda! What on earth is going on?" Ivy turned around and saw Professor McGonagall running out of the castle in a state of shock and anger.

Mrs. Hooch, upon seeing the vice-principal, could no longer hide her panic: "I...I don't know! I just took Mr. Crevy to the school hospital, and when I came back I saw them fighting...If it weren't for this senior student, I'm afraid...I'm afraid..."

“Mr. Doom? No wonder I heard your voice in the classroom…” Professor McGonagall also noticed Ivy crouching in front of the student and asked, “Do you know what’s going on? Could it be some kind of dark magic?”

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Ivy stood up and used a levitation charm to lift all the first-year wizards into the air. “It’s a rare beautiful day today. I was planning to read a book on the lawn for a while, but as soon as I stepped out, I found them all huddled together. At first, I thought it was just a normal student conflict, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t. They seemed to have fallen into some kind of collective hysteria and berserk state.”

"So I used magic to put them all to sleep. They'll wake up again in an hour at most." The sleep spell only lasts for a minute, but the effects of Ascending Ring and Super Spell Duration extend the effect to an hour.

“Thanks to you.” Professor McGonagall seemed relieved, waving her wand to catch the first-year student who was flying through the air. “Leave the rest to me. Could you please inform Dumbledore? I remember he told you the password?”

“I’d be happy to help,” Ivy replied.

“Rolanda, you look terrified. Go have some hot tea and rest,” Professor McGonagall said to Mrs. Hodge, who was standing there in a daze.

“You’re so thoughtful, Minerva.” Mrs. Hodge wiped her eyes. “You have no idea how terrible it was. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even the most fanatical Quidditch fans don’t fight like this…”

€€€€€€€€

Soon, the four heads of Hogwarts and the headmaster met at the school hospital.

They examined the injuries of the first-year students together and discussed them for a long time.

“I found no trace of dark magic on them…” Professor Snape frowned and pried open a student’s eyes to take a look.

“Indeed, the possibility of black magic causing all this is very low,” Professor Flitwick agreed, tiptoeing towards the bed. “Black magic that has affected so many people cannot possibly have left not a trace.”

“This is the second accident this year. We must find out what happened as soon as possible.” Professor McGonagall’s brow remained furrowed.

“Hmm…actually, I think their condition is more like poisoning, or the effect of some kind of poisonous fungal spores,” Professor Sprout added. “However, I didn’t find any seeds on them other than grass seeds. Even the little bit of blood they shed didn’t contain any trace of toxins…”

“Professors,” Ivy interrupted the four deans’ conversation. Ever since arriving at the university hospital with Dumbledore, Ivy had remained silent until just now. “Now that we’ve ruled out dark magic and plant toxins, there’s only one possibility left—magical creatures, right?”

Dumbledore cast an inquiring glance at Ivy: "What kind of magical creature do you think it is?"

“Wicked birds.” Ivy shrugged. “At least a hundred years ago, when I was in Hogwarts, there were some wicked birds living in the Forbidden Forest. Their calls could drive people insane, into a state of hysteria and rage…” Ivy didn’t hide the fact that he came from over a hundred years ago, and almost every wizard in the castle, big and small, knew a little bit about his story.

“Impossible,” Snape interrupted Ivy. “The Evilbird is native to Africa and cannot survive near the Scottish Highlands unless it is kept in captivity. It’s too cold for them.”

“Minerva,” Dumbledore asked his vice-principal softly, “did either Sylvanas or Hagrid put the name of the Witchbird on the list of magical creatures to be introduced?”

“I can assure you, no.” Professor McGonagall recalled the long list. “The first batch of magical creatures that passed my review consisted only of two types of pegasus, Iserlong and Glalinger, and two types of mammals, Moonfox and Swallow-tailed Dog. Then I crossed out the Venomous Horned Beast, Griffin, Thunderbird, Owl, Chimera, and Fire Dragon, and even the Poisonous Leopard! I didn’t think it was appropriate to have more magical creatures on the ‘Base’ until new faculty and staff joined Hogwarts.”

Hearing the long list of 4X and 5X level magical creatures, the professors present were all worried for Hogwarts. Fortunately, they had a responsible vice-principal like Professor McGonagall; otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos might have ensued.

“Thank you for your diligence, Minerva.” Dumbledore’s expression was serious; it seemed the injury of so many young wizards had taken him seriously. “Since it’s neither dark magic nor poison, then the Wicked Birds that Ivy suggested are indeed the most likely cause. After all, they can drive people mad with just their voices. The Headmasters need to inform their students that some unsafe creatures may have escaped from the Forbidden Forest. Tell everyone to be vigilant. I will tell Hagrid to keep an eye out for Wicked Birds around the Forbidden Forest and the castle.”

Chapter 178 Rumors and Halloween

The legend of the Chamber of Secrets has once again begun to circulate at Hogwarts.

Although the explanation that "the disturbance caused by the first-year students from both colleges during flight class was influenced by the call of the Evil Witch" had been conveyed to every student through the deans, there were always some brilliant minds who would question the professors' authority.

They combined the two bloodshed incidents this semester with the Ministry of Magic's investigation team during the summer vacation, and finally came to a shocking conclusion—the Chamber of Secrets had been opened again.

"Salazar—the heir to Slytherin will unleash the monster hidden in the Chamber of Secrets to purge all those in the castle who have tainted the wizarding bloodline!"

In the corridor, a Ravenclaw student with a sky-blue robe lining lowered his voice and recounted the legend of the Chamber of Secrets in a heavy tone, trying to frighten the younger students surrounding him.

Hufflepuff, his tan-lined clothes shivering, asked cautiously, "So... both bloodshed incidents this semester were caused by the monster hiding in the secret room?"

“Of course.” The older Ravenclaws were pleased with their expressions.

"Then...why did I hear that it was the big black dog 'Ominous' that bit Filch, while the thing that caused the two house students to fight was the madwoman bird that can drive people crazy?" another Ravenclaw student asked.

"Who told you there's only one kind of monster hidden in the secret room?" the upperclassman Ravenclaw asked, his eyes wide.

"You mean, the Chamber of Secrets built by Slytherin was actually a zoo?" The Hufflepuff student was clearly a Muggle, and most wizards wouldn't know what the word "zoo" meant.

"What is a 'zoo'?" asked a younger Ravenclaw student.

“It’s a Muggle attraction filled with animals from all over the world, where Muggle visitors can take photos with them,” the Hufflepuff student explained.

"Isn't that similar to the 'Fantastic Beasts Breeding and Production Base' that's already been built?" asked a senior Ravenclaw.

“It’s not quite the same. Animals kept in zoos are generally not of much use to Muggles; they are only for decoration,” a Hufflepuff student said.

"So... Slytherin secretly built a magical zoo at Hogwarts that can kill people?" an older Ravenclaw exclaimed excitedly. "I love that idea!"

“I still don’t believe there really is a monster in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts.” The younger Ravenclaw maintained his usual skepticism. “What kind of monster can live for a thousand years? Besides, Slytherin raises monsters to purge the castle of Muggle-borns who have polluted the wizarding bloodline, so why would Slytherin students get injured? It just doesn’t make sense.”

"You wouldn't know this!" It seems the older Ravenclaws were prepared for this.

He glanced around to make sure no professors were in the corridor before lowering his voice and saying, "Because there are no purebloods anymore! If wizards didn't intermarry with Muggles, they would have gone extinct long ago! The so-called Twenty-Eight Pureblood Clans actually all have a few Muggle relatives. Those wizarding families that clung to the pureblood ideology have long since disappeared from the wizarding world!"

"So, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets can actually wipe out everyone in the castle! Including the Slytherin members!" The older Ravenclaw's eyes gleamed with an indescribable light as he stated his final conclusion.

“Oh…I see.” The younger Ravenclaws looked enlightened. “That explains it…no wonder those first-year Slytherin students were attacked…”

The Hufflepuff students who had gathered together immediately screamed in terror and huddled together in fear.

“Don’t…don’t worry!” said one of the braver Hufflepuffs. “He’s just kidding us! Look at him, he’s not scared at all…”

“There’s a reason I’m not afraid! Look at this!” The older Ravenclaw pulled open the inner lapels of his robe, revealing three or five delicate little pendants hanging on it.

"This is... the Dragon Tooth Amulet!" The younger Ravenclaws recognized it immediately and exclaimed in surprise.

"You've got some knowledge!" The older Ravenclaw curled his nose. "This was left to me by my grandmother. It's supposedly a baby tooth from an Australian white-eyed creature. Even though it's just a baby tooth, dragons have always been among the most powerful magical creatures. The monsters in the Chamber of Secrets can distinguish their scents, so they'll stay away from me!"

"Sell me one!" the younger Ravenclaw said decisively. "You have so many. How about ten silver dollars?"

“Not for sale.” The older Ravenclaw quickly closed his robe. “This is an heirloom!”

"A Galleon?" a younger Ravenclaw exclaimed. "We're from the same house!"

The older Ravenclaw looked conflicted, gritting his teeth as he said, "Fine... then one Galleon... I'm only offering it so cheaply because we're both Ravenclaws."

The younger Ravenclaw pulled out a Galleon, while the older Ravenclaw gave him a Dragon Tooth Amulet.

Payment and goods are settled on a level playing field, with no deception of the young or old.

Seeing that the two were about to leave, a group of Hufflepuffs quickly grabbed the older Ravenclaws, while the younger Ravenclaw who had bought the Dragon Tooth amulet first disappeared without a trace.

"Wait, wait!" said a brown-haired male student. "Sell one to us too! We want one too!"

"Just one?" The upperclassman Ravenclaw was a little dumbfounded. They had been putting on this act for so long, not for just one Galleon.

“Yeah, right!” said Hufflepuff with brown hair. “We always travel as a group, so one amulet is enough. Who knows, the monster in the secret chamber might mistake all of us for a single adult fire dragon!”

The little badgers beside him nodded in agreement: "You have no idea how much Honeydukes candy one Galleon can buy!"

“Fine… one it is.” With a reluctant look, the senior Ravenclaw took a Dragon Fang amulet from his robes, but as soon as he got the Galleon, he said in the shortest tone, “Heirloom, no returns or exchanges!”

Then they quickly disappeared into the corridor.

Only the Hufflepuff students remained, seemingly much more at ease now that they had brought the amulets.

The two Ravenclaws met again at the corner of the corridor.

The older student complained, "They only bought one! What a waste of my breath."

The younger student comforted him, saying, "One is fine too, since our costs are almost zero anyway."

"Hi..." Someone suddenly greeted them quietly, startling both of them.

They turned around and saw Neville, wearing a red undershirt.

"Could you sell me one of those dragon tooth amulets?"

€€€€€€€€

Halloween arrived amidst a flurry of rumors.

As in previous years, Hagrid's giant pumpkins were carved into the shape of monsters. A flock of bats and many orange ribbons that breathed fire danced in the Great Hall. The festive atmosphere reached its peak when the skeleton dance troupe appointed by Dumbledore took the stage. Everyone in the Great Hall shouted and cheered. The slight sense of horror created by the bloodshed and the legend of the Chamber of Secrets seemed to dissipate in the laughter in the blink of an eye.

Besides Harry, Ron, and Hermione, there are three people.

“Think about your promise, Harry!” Hermione said haughtily. “You promised to attend the Death Anniversary Party.”

So the three of them walked through the foyer leading to the auditorium, through the festive atmosphere, away from the sweet pumpkin pie and holiday treats, and headed towards the underground classroom.

“This isn’t the way to the Great Hall.” Ivy had just returned from the map room; he had gone to feed Nobeta.

That grumpy dragon's appetite was growing bigger and bigger; if it weren't for the Philosopher's Stone, Ivy really wouldn't have been able to afford to feed it.

“Oh! Ivy.” Harry looked up at his Slytherin friend, who had suddenly grown much taller. He still remembered the time they had been left to die on the train.

"We're going to a death anniversary party." Hermione was very excited; attending a banquet where all the guests were ghosts would be a rare experience.

“Understood.” Ivy took out her wand and tapped it on the shoulders of the three people, turning their robes into thick fur cloaks.

"What are you doing?" Ron couldn't help but rub his face against the soft fur and ask.

“Trust me, this will be very useful.” Ivy glanced at the bulge in Ron’s pocket and replied with a smile, “And I also suggest you pack some food from the banquet. Food for the dead isn’t for the living.”