Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

Halloween.

Tonight's dinner is exceptionally lavish.

The candles above the hall transformed into glowing pumpkin heads, and swarms of magically conjured bats flew by.

The long tables in each college were filled with all sorts of delicious food, including pumpkin pie, chocolate frog, and steaming soup.

The ghosts of Hogwarts floated in together, circling and cheering around the Great Hall.

The atmosphere was lively and bustling.

It's a pity.

John was not present.

Inside the faculty and staff lounge.

John was sitting miserably at a table, copying down his potion notes.

Damn it.

Today's last class happened to be Snape's Potions class.

This is not a big deal. Even if I am assigned to do chores, I can wait until after the Halloween banquet to come back and do them.

But during class, he suddenly had a brain fart.

Thinking that this potion tastes so awful, I wondered if adding some sugar would make it sweeter.

As soon as he tried it, his crucible started hissing and making a piercing sound.

If Professor Snape hadn't waved his wand in time to stop the potion's reaction, his cauldron would probably have exploded.

However, the crucible didn't explode; he did.

Professor Snape's face was darker than ever before.

He punished John by making him copy the entire Potions Notebook, forbidding him from using magic, and forbidding him from attending the banquet until he finished copying it.

John had no choice but to accept the consequences of his own actions.

"John, what are you still doing here? Dinner has already started."

At that moment, Professor Lu Ping suddenly appeared.

He leaned against the doorframe, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, and smiled at John.

"Professor Lupin, what else could have happened? He was punished by Professor Snape for courting death."

John shrugged and said.

"Hehe, is that so?"

Professor Lupin smiled, walked over to John's side, and looked at the potions notes he was copying.

Although he had little contact with Snape, he recognized the handwriting in the notebook as Snape's.

In other words, what John is copying now is the essence of Snape's knowledge.

"Professor Snape's potion-making skills are far beyond those of ordinary people, John. I think you can learn a lot from him."

Professor Lu Ping took a sip of hot tea, a smile playing on his lips, and spoke slowly.

"Perhaps," John muttered to himself as he wrote, "but I've learned quite a few ways to bluff from him, more than potions."

He always wore a big black robe, walked like a bat, and looked at everyone with a sour face as if they owed him money.

Hearing John's rant, Professor Lupin couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, John, you'd better watch out, Professor Snape might be hiding somewhere watching you."

"Oh, it's no big deal, I can just copy it again."

John waved his hand dismissively.

Professor Lupin shook his head helplessly at John's nonchalant attitude.

John is a very talented boy. During his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he demonstrated exceptional skill with knockback and healing spells.

Besides being talented, he was also a very precocious child.

Sometimes talking to John makes you forget that he's just an eleven-year-old boy.

Just like now, the punishment that other students avoid at all costs doesn't seem like a big deal to him.

"So John, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Professor Lu Ping continued with a smile as he asked.

"What are you saying? How could I possibly cause trouble?"

"It's just that the potion smelled awful today, so I added some sugar."

Hearing John's confident words, even the well-informed Professor Lupin was taken aback.

Sugar? Sugar in a potion?

"...John, you deserve this punishment..."

Professor Lu Ping was silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile.

"How can you say that? I call it innovation and experimentation!"

"How can anyone bring themselves to drink those stinking potions if they don't have something sweet?"

John retorted, unconvinced.

Professor Lupin inexplicably recalled that the wolfsbane potion Snape had brewed for him last time was indeed smelly and unpleasant to drink.

But then he shook his head and chuckled.

"But at least the medication is effective."

Upon hearing Professor Lupin's words, John suddenly fell silent.

Then he spoke softly again.

"...Is that so? Is the effect of that wolfsbane medicine also very stable, Professor?"

As soon as John finished speaking, Professor Lupin's smile froze, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace.

And there was the scratching sound of John's pen nib gliding across the paper.

The silence lingered in the air for a long time.

Professor Lupin's fingers gently traced the rim of the teacup, his gaze slightly lowered, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes as he looked at John.

"You found out?"

"What was uncertain before is now certain."

John didn't look up, continuing to copy notes, and said calmly.

"Oh."

Professor Lu Ping chuckled softly, but there was a deep bitterness hidden in that laughter.

The air fell silent once again.

At that moment, John suddenly slammed the book shut.

"Damn it, I'm not copying anymore!"

John suddenly stood up, causing his chair to slide backward a distance.

He looked up at Professor Lu Ping and said with a smile.

"Professor, let's go to the banquet. It's probably not over yet."

Professor Lupin looked at John's smiling face and didn't know what to say for a moment.

It was obvious that John was changing the subject.

He didn't seem to care that Lupin was a werewolf.

Instead, she treated him as usual.

This warmed Lupin's heart, and at the same time made him think more highly of John.

He had only been with these children for two months, and not everyone could accept his werewolf identity as easily as John.

But in reality, most students wouldn't care too much about the werewolf's identity.

Because they cared more, Professor Lupin made their Defense Against the Dark Arts class lively and interesting.

After a moment of silence, Professor Lu Ping resumed his usual gentle smile.

"Alright, let's go to the banquet together."

He hadn't originally planned to attend the dinner party, but now he didn't want to refuse John's invitation.

The two walked out of the faculty lounge one after the other and headed towards the auditorium.

Professor Lupin also became much more lenient with John.

The two chatted casually as they walked, as if nothing had happened.

They arrived near the Great Hall of the People, and before they even went inside, they could already hear the lively sounds coming from inside.

Just as they were about to go inside, John suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar dark figure darting out from the spiral staircase ahead.

"Little Black?"

John looked closely and realized that the figure was none other than Little Black.

Why did he suddenly run into the castle?

Professor Lupin also noticed John's gaze and followed it.

Suddenly, a large black dog that he could recognize even if it had turned to ashes came into his view.

Professor Lu Ping's pupils contracted as he stared at the large black dog in disbelief.

The big black dog had obviously noticed them too.

It stopped fleeing and stared blankly at Lu Ping.