Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

After calming down, Qiu looked around at the unfamiliar space. In front of her was a small wooden house with a simple layout, about the size of an ordinary bedroom, with simple and empty furnishings. A clear look of doubt flashed in her eyes, and then she spoke with a hint of disappointment.

"Isn't this still the same room as before?"

Puni saw through her thoughts at a glance, smiled and explained softly, dispelling her disappointment.

"Of course, it's not just this small area. This is just the outermost transit and buffer space, not the real inner area."

He gently helped Qiu to her feet, took her hand again, and led her to the wooden door deep inside the room, where he grasped the rustic doorknob.

"Next, I'll give you a proper tour of my world."

After saying that, Puni exerted a little force with his wrist and pushed the wooden door open directly inward.

Glitter.

Holy Light Descends

"Wow!!"

She looked up at the sky above this small world. The blazing sun hung high in the sky, adorned with the bright moonlight and stars. She could tell that the celestial bodies here were not real celestial phenomena; they did not follow the laws of motion of real celestial bodies. But it was these magical structures that provided a continuous source of light for this enclosed secret realm, keeping the entire world bright and clear.

The pure and natural scenery before her eyes filled Qiu Xin with heartfelt admiration.

"How could this be? Where am I?"

"Yes, I am my own world, you can think of it as the foundation of our family."

Puni didn't intend to give Qiu too much detail.

"My God, it's so beautiful, so magnificent and sacred. This is truly another world."

Autumn's beauty is dazzling.

Chapter 134: I'm sure I can handle Snape!

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was bustling with activity in the early morning as students from all the houses gathered for breakfast. Penny and Cho had just stepped in and taken their seats when they immediately attracted the attention of all the Ravenclaw students around them.

Several classmates, led by Marcos and Eddie, gathered around. They didn't directly question them, but each of them wore a playful expression and their eyes were full of mocking inquiry, silently conveying an attitude of knowing everything, as if they had already seen through the two of them.

Faced with the silent stares and probing of the crowd, Puni and Qiu showed no embarrassment or evasiveness. They calmly ignored the strange looks around them and focused on eating the remaining breakfast on the table, doing so with ease and efficiency.

The two were very affectionate, occasionally reaching out to hand each other food and feeding each other. Their natural and tender interaction was incredibly sweet and eye-catching to onlookers, hitting the funny bone and jealousy spot of a group of single students, leaving the onlookers feeling helpless.

Stimulated by the high-profile interaction between the two, Marcos, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't hold back and spoke up to tease them, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

“I knew I was right! Senior Johnson caught you two being intimate in the Ravenclaw common room this morning, before curfew was lifted. Now it seems you two aren't shy or reserved at all, you're quite open about it!”

Puni gently raised his hand and patted Qiu's shoulder as a gesture. Qiu instantly understood his intention, a gentle smile spreading across her eyes. She raised her head slightly, tilting her slender neck, and looked calmly at the boy in front of her.

Under the watchful eyes of all the Ravenclaw students, Penny smiled, leaned down, and gently kissed Cho's lips, his actions open and natural, without the slightest hesitation.

This candid and intimate gesture left everyone who had been egging them on speechless.

……

As noon approached, everyone finished their lunch break. This time, Qiu took the initiative to hold Puni's wrist and led him to another secluded empty room.

Puni took out a two-way mirror, its surface shimmering with light. It quickly established a communication connection with the other end, and Regulus's voice echoed through the mirror, sounding unbelievable.

"Did I hear that right? You mean there's a thousand-year-old basilisk hiding inside Hogwarts Castle, and you personally dealt with it?"

Puni casually leaned against the trunk of an ancient tree in the secret realm, his expression relaxed and indifferent, his tone light and ordinary, showing no concern for the dangerous battle.

"That's right. I've been busy with preparations and planning, and haven't had time to explain in detail to you. This semester, I've been secretly plotting and looking for an opportunity to hunt the basilisk. Now, I've finally settled this matter."

“I find it hard to believe that you simply forgot to mention it.” Regulus’s voice was full of emotion and sighs. “I studied at Hogwarts for seven whole years and thought I had figured out most of the castle’s secrets, but I never knew that such a terrifying ancient monster was hidden here.”

At this moment, Regulus felt a strong sense of separation.

“I didn’t deliberately hide the news.” Puni looked up at the figure not far away. Qiu noticed his gaze, looked up and smiled, waving gently at him. Puni raised his hand in response calmly, with a gentle smile in his eyes.

“I didn’t originally intend to bring this up to others, but every time I meet you and chat, I always forget about it and can’t remember to talk about it in detail.”

On the other end of the two-way mirror, Regulus's tone was full of helplessness and distress.

"I knew it would be like this. Oh well, no matter what I say, it won't change your way of doing things. I just hope that in the future there will be someone who can truly restrain your willful nature."

Upon hearing these expectations, Puni did not respond, but simply turned his gaze back to what lay ahead.

Regulus was still whispering his deductions through the two-way mirror, constantly guessing the specific methods and plans he had used to hunt down the thousand-year-old serpent monster. His analytical words came one after another, but Puni's mind was elsewhere, and he didn't listen carefully to the second half of the conversation.

Over time, Regulus had figured out Puni's code of conduct. He seemed bold and reckless, often venturing into dangerous situations, but in reality, he was extremely cautious and adhered to the most prudent approach. Puni would never risk his life unless he was absolutely certain of success or had a foolproof way out.

However, Regulus harbored an unresolved question in his heart, which he never asked: Penny's thoughtful, scheming, and extremely pragmatic Slytherin-like personality was completely different from Ravenclaw's academic philosophy from beginning to end. Why did the Sorting Hat place him in Ravenclaw?

Once her thoughts settled, Puni regained her composure and steered the conversation back to the main topic, inquiring about how the spoils of war would be handled.

"I have completely preserved the basilisk's body. Its various scales, bones, and organs are all rare magical materials, and I will use them for them later. The only thing I don't have a suitable way to use is the pair of basilisk eyes, which have been sitting idle for the time being. Do you have any relevant ways to use them?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the two-way mirror. Regulus repeated it in a low voice, quickly sorting through the secret techniques and cultivation experience he had mastered.

"The basilisk's eyes? They'll come in handy; I need them."

"Then it's settled. Tonight I'll have Murty deliver the Basilisk's eye to you. However, you need to keep the Basilisk's horn safe for me separately, ensuring it's intact and undamaged. I have another important purpose for that material."

"Okay, no problem."

......

The clear midday sunlight pierced through the towering, ornate stained-glass windows of the tower, spreading evenly across the narrow corridor and illuminating the gray stone floor with a bright, clean glow. Puni, clutching a thick, hardcover book tightly in his arms, hurried toward the Great Hall. This book was a reference he had borrowed from the Hogwarts Library specifically for his assignment on medieval European magical history. He had spent most of his free time and missed his lunch break in order to find this obscure book.

Just as he was walking briskly forward, a noisy argument suddenly broke out at the corner of the stairs. The sound of the argument pierced the tranquility of the corridor and instantly attracted his attention.

Looking past the few students passing by, Penny clearly saw that at the end of the corridor, in a blind spot, Potions Professor Severus Snape was blocking the path of Fred and the Weasley twins. Today, Snape's expression was far more gloomy and cold than usual, surrounded by a strong low pressure, and he was in a state of extreme anger, his eyes coldly locked on the two Gryffindor students in front of him.

Instead of a loud, angry rebuke, Snape lowered his voice, his deep voice echoing in the empty corridor, carrying an intense sense of oppression.

"Weasley."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Give me a reasonable explanation: why are large amounts of unusual bubbles continuously bubbling up from Gray's potion cauldron out of nowhere?"

The standoff instantly attracted the attention of all the students passing by. Everyone stopped and spontaneously created a safe distance to watch the confrontation between the teacher and students. No one dared to approach the enraged Snape. Penny also stopped and stood on the outside of the crowd, quietly observing how things would develop.

Faced with the professor's questioning, Fred remained calm, spreading his hands to appear completely innocent.

"Professor, this is definitely a misunderstanding. We just saw that Gray was making potions at a slow pace, and we kindly stepped forward to help him. We had no ill intentions at all."

George, standing beside him, immediately chimed in, a barely suppressed smile playing on his lips. He pointed to the hem of Snape's black robe, where several brightly colored bubbles floated gently, constantly bursting and regenerating.

"And these troublesome bubbles haven't gone away yet, they've even gotten on your clothes."

This reminder shattered Snape's last bit of patience; his lips twitched uncontrollably, and his icy aura intensified once more.

"A month of confinement!" Snape could no longer contain his rage and roared in a low voice, "And deduct ten points from Gryffindor! I have never seen such an incurable talent for pranks, with a stupidity comparable to the brain capacity of a troll!"

The students watching secretly gasped. A combined deduction of 20 points for the two of them in one instance was not a heavy punishment for Gryffindor, a school with a strong foundation and consistently leading in points. It was not a serious blow, but such a severe punishment was still far more severe than usual.

The Weasley twins didn't care at all, showing no remorse or regret on their faces. After Snape turned and strode away down the corridor in a fit of rage, the two immediately raised their hands and gave each other a high five.

Fred quickly spotted Puni outside the crowd, and immediately walked up to him with a smile, his tone full of smugness.

“Puni, you saw it all, didn’t you? Snape was absolutely furious today! Our newly developed prank gadget is working way beyond expectations!”

George then came closer, holding a small mouse in his palm, its body shimmering with a pale pink light. The little creature kept jumping around in his palm, looking both strange and novel.

"Take a look at this test subject. It's an improvement on the idea you casually mentioned earlier. It's guaranteed to directly manipulate Snape's emotions and make him completely uneasy!"

Looking at the prank props in their hands, Puni shook his head and chuckled helplessly, then decisively declined.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I don't want to mess up in Potions class. Just being able to finish the class smoothly and get the credits is enough for me."

He paused briefly, then took the opportunity to ask further questions.

"But I'm curious, did Snape really punish you so severely and deduct your house points just because the cauldron was bubbling?"

George shrugged casually.

"We were just temporarily holding onto a batch of brand-new match clubs for the Quidditch team. Who would have thought they would be so reckless in training that they broke the old spare clubs? This has nothing to do with us."

Upon hearing this, Puni immediately understood, a subtle look flashing across his eyes. If there were truly no connection, the other party would have no way of knowing the details of the team's old bat breaking.

Seemingly worried that Puni would continue to press him, George emphasized again, wearing a completely innocent expression on his face.

“We really only hid the new baseball bats, nothing else.”

As soon as they finished speaking, the two brothers put their arms around each other's shoulders and hummed a tuneless, lighthearted melody.

"Next, we're going to prepare a little afternoon tea surprise for Mrs. Lorris of Filch. Let's try to get the cat to blow out pink heart-shaped bubbles. Maybe that will make Filch smile for once."

The light footsteps gradually faded into the distance, and the twins' figures quickly disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor, leaving a group of students still discussing among themselves.

Penny didn't linger. Holding the books in his hands, he continued towards the Great Hall. When he sat down at the Ravenclaw table, the sounds of the surrounding students' discussions still lingered in his ears. Everyone was talking about the point deduction incident in the corridor earlier, and at the same time, they were all guessing who the Weasley brothers' next prank target would be.

......

Almost everyone goes through the process of class officer elections during their school years. Especially at the beginning of each new school year, when a new class has just been formed and the students are strangers to each other, the teacher in charge of the class will often take the initiative to initiate self-nomination elections, encourage students to speak on stage, demonstrate their personal abilities, and actively strive for the qualification of class officer.

In reality, most students are well aware that the freshman election is an excellent opportunity. They should dare to stand on the stage and showcase themselves.

This hesitation stems from two practical concerns. First, most people feel awkward speaking in front of a group of unfamiliar peers and find it difficult to overcome the embarrassment and shyness of public performance. Second, everyone will consider the trivial matters that will follow after taking office. Being a class officer means taking on a lot of class chores, which will consume a lot of their spare time. It is tedious, time-consuming and laborious, and most people are unwilling to take on this burden voluntarily.

However, everyone needs to recognize the fact that if one cannot even break through the courage to step onto the stage and showcase oneself, there is no way to prove that one has the corresponding ability. Self-recognition alone is never true strength. The complicated daily work after taking office as a class leader is the follow-up responsibility that the brave and pioneering individuals need to take on. The courage to take the first step is never just a momentary impulse, but a continuous practice that requires long-term persistence and proactive responsibility. If one chooses to reap opportunities and glory, one must also bear the responsibilities and pressures that come with it.

At this moment, Puni is also facing his own "price of courage".

His previous venture into the secret chamber to hunt down the thousand-year-old serpent monster was a bold action he had carefully considered and mustered the courage to take. The battle was conducted in secrecy, with almost no witnesses throughout, and very few outsiders knew of his feat. However, he had to personally bear the brunt of the chain of consequences caused by this action.

As the top predator in the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest and Chamber of Secrets system, the Basilisk has long stood at the top of the magical ecosystem, exerting a strong suppression and balance on the monster populations in the entire area.

Now that the apex predators have completely disappeared, the mid-level monsters that were previously suppressed by them have instantly lost all restraints. The most obvious change is reflected in the eight-eyed spider clan.

The eight-eyed spider is a fierce and prolific predator, a highly threatening medium-sized predatory group in the Forbidden Forest. However, it suffers from an inherent physiological defect: it lacks eyelids and cannot close its eyes, making it extremely afraid of direct sunlight. Meanwhile, the basilisk primarily preys on various spiders, constantly hunting and killing eight-eyed spiders, thus curbing their population size and range of activity at the source.

For a long time, it was the existence of the basilisk that firmly controlled the size of the eight-eyed spider population, preventing it from over-reproducing and becoming a plague.

With the complete demise of the basilisk, this millennia-old ecological balance has utterly collapsed. Freed from the constraints of its natural predators, the eight-eyed spiders face no further threat to survival, and their population will experience explosive growth, with the subsequent scale of reproduction becoming completely unpredictable.

......

Chapter 135 Where did this dragon come from?

Puni thought of the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest and decided to go and take a look tonight.

He used the passage directly to reach the core area of ​​the Forbidden Forest, a cliff with a completely different landscape from the outside world. There were no lush green plants or traces of any small animals. The entire area was desolate and lifeless.