Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

After Professor McGonagall answered their questions, Lin Xia mentioned that Professor Binns had not come to class that day.

Her explanation differed from what she told her students in class.

On her way here, Lin Xia had considered whether to tell the professor the whole truth or to keep something from him.

Her intuition told her that Professor Binns's state was very abnormal.

But when Professor Binns was awakened by her and returned to the classroom, its behavior returned to normal, and on the surface, it seemed to be no different.

After class, Lin Xia and Hermione both made a point of stopping Professor Binns from asking him questions about the history of magic.

The professor paused to answer, as he always did.

Draco asked the professor why he was late for class, but Professor Binns simply ignored him.

If it weren't for Professor Binns's inexplicable lateness to class, his behavior in and after class didn't seem to indicate any problem.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Xia's mind, but she finally chose to tell him everything.

She could conceal Professor Binns's unusual state, refrain from telling Professor McGonagall about her mutterings, and instead explore on her own.

However, Professor Binns, as a ghost professor, has existed in Hogwarts for over a thousand years.

If he really intends to hide something, how many wizards and how many school secrets will those things uncover?

Lin Xia believes that, given her current status as an outstanding student, she is not yet capable of investigating this matter on her own.

There are too many secrets that have been sealed away for thousands of years!
During the investigation, Dumbledore may very well be implicated.

Once she encounters such an excellent wizard, her whereabouts will be quickly discovered by him.

Hogwarts has many secrets, but even the best secrets can be dangerous to uncover.

Since this commotion was caused by the "aura of an evil god," Lin Xia wasn't sure if the aura had leaked from her body, so she decided to let the professor investigate first as an aid.

Lin Xia recounted what she had overheard Professor Binns saying outside, saying:

"If I hadn't called the professor, it would have remained in that state, muttering to itself and looking anxious."

I suddenly spoke its name, and it snapped out of its daze and went to its magic history class.

Draco and Hermione exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat surprised.

They did not learn about this from Lin Xia.

Professor McGonagall's expression was initially quite calm.

But when she heard Lin Xia say, "That aura has reappeared. Someone is communicating with the evil gods in the world of evil gods again. Voldemort... the Dark Lord... the second Dark Lord..." her expression changed instantly.

Professor McGonagall stared sharply at Lin Xia. This serious intimidation wasn't specifically directed at Lin Xia, but rather because the information she brought was very sensitive.

Are you sure that's what it said?

Lin Xia nodded without hesitation: "The goods are genuine!"
I listened to it repeat the same thing more than four times, and realized it was reciting the same content over and over again, so I decided to call its name aloud.

McGonagall took a deep breath: "This news is important. I need to record what you say and then bring it to the meeting to discuss it."

If Professor Binns is found to be in problematic, the university will take appropriate action.

Draco couldn't help but ask, "Professor, so did the school detect an evil god last night, to the point that Professor Binns, as a ghost, felt uneasy?"

They hadn't yet found a good reason to tell the professor that they already knew what the school was hiding.

But now that Lin Xia has conveyed Professor Bins's words, the meaning is already very clear.

So Draco immediately asked, wanting to confirm whether the information brought by the Weasley twins was correct.

Professor McGonagall glanced at him indifferently, her brows furrowed slightly, and said in a serious tone:
"This is not something you should be investigating, nor should you receive such information; it will not help you. You can do nothing but increase your curiosity out of thin air."

Professor McGonagall neither admitted nor denied it.

She then changed the subject: "Be careful on your next patrol. There may be some strange creatures in Hogwarts, carrying a hint of evil god aura. If you encounter anything, don't rush at them in a swarm."

She emphasized the phrase "aura of an evil god".

The professor used her method to reaffirm their guess.

If before we could guess at the possibility of strange objects or infected individuals, now it's practically an open secret—

An evil god has appeared at Hogwarts!
Lin Xia and the others left the office.

Everyone was shocked and speechless for a moment.

Draco and Hermione wanted to exchange some information, so they followed Lin Xia back to the lab.

In the laboratory.

Ron and Harry sat in the public reception area outside, looking at the ceiling with a bit of weariness, as if they had entered a period of deep contemplation.

A moment later, they heard Hermione and Draco having a heated discussion.

Hermione: "An evil god has appeared at Hogwarts? That's impossible! This is the safest place in all of Britain, even the Ministry of Magic isn't as safe as Hogwarts!"

Draco was also incredulous, and said hesitantly, "The professor only emphasized the aura of the evil god; perhaps we're overthinking it."

Hermione: "Impossible! Combining what Professor Binns said, it undoubtedly points to an evil god! Voldemort is also one of the evil gods; he was used as a body by an evil god to descend!"

Draco's expression changed drastically.

"So what do we do now? If we're going to deal with an evil god, we can't do it alone. We top students are supposed to be on patrol, isn't that just sending us to our deaths?"

When he realized he was very likely to encounter an evil god, his first reaction was to run away and leave school to go home.

If you can't beat them, are you afraid you can't outrun them?
Lin Xia said in a deep voice, "Calm down. The school would never send us, a group of outstanding students, to our deaths. The fact that the professor dared to have us patrolling the school means that the school believes that this evil god will not harm us."

Moreover, when we patrol, there are professors on each floor.

If you encounter any strange phenomena, just find the professor. The school must have other investigative methods; they only dared to let the students participate because they recognized that the aura of this evil god was very weak.

Draco and Hermione calmed down a bit.

Regardless, the professors will protect them; they won't let outstanding students go to their deaths in vain.

However, the news that "an evil god has descended upon Hogwarts" has somewhat eroded their trust in Hogwarts.

They always believed that the school was safe.

But now it seems that something happens at the school every year, so it's really far from safe.

"Wait, what were you guys talking about? So there really is an evil god infiltrating the school?"

Ron's shocked voice came from behind. Lin Xia looked up and saw that he and Harry were sitting on the sofa.

Hermione: "The information the Weasley twins gave us explicitly mentioned the word 'evil god,' and I thought you had expected this."

Ron's expression twisted in disbelief as he said, "I thought they were just trying to fool us with some random piece of information we didn't know, but I didn't expect it to be true."

"That's an evil god! I fell into a coma before I even saw the evil god in Hogsmeade, but I later learned how destructive it was."

"You've all seen the evil god, you know better than I how destructive this creature is. Now it's infiltrated the school, what does it want to do? It will absolutely raze Hogwarts to the ground!"

Hermione can understand Ron's thoughts.

Hearing it in secret and hearing the professor admit it to himself are two different things.

Although she had learned about this from the twins beforehand and was prepared, she thought she could handle it.

But when she actually heard Professor McGonagall's hint that an evil god had descended upon Hogwarts, a storm inevitably surged through her heart.

That's why she had such a heated discussion with Draco after entering the lab.

Lin Xia noticed Harry's expression.

First came the shock, then a sense of calm returned.

She asked, "Harry, what are you thinking?"

Harry hesitated, and his friends were uneasy. Was it really okay for him to tell them his true thoughts?

After hesitating for a moment, he still told the truth: "I'm thinking about whether I should always keep the Sorting Hat with me. If an evil god really appears, then I'll use the Sorting Hat to draw Gryffindor's sword again."

As if he had found his anchor, Ron said confidently, "Yes, you can still use the sword, you are not afraid of the evil god!"

He made up his mind to stay with Harry from now on, and go wherever Harry went.

Ron didn't realize that staying far away from Harry at this point would actually be safer.

Lin Xia clapped her hands, the crisp sound echoing in the laboratory.

"If the evil god that appeared in the school could be compared with the evil god that appeared in Hogsmeade Village, then the school would not still be in the current state. We would have been sent home to wait for orders and the campus would have been locked down long ago."

Although I don't know what the hierarchy is like on the other side of the evil god, judging from the fact that the school is only conducting large-scale tests on us, this evil god is probably very weak and needs to hide among the students.

Furthermore, the idea of ​​an evil god is merely our speculation. Professor McGonagall has consistently conveyed an aura of "evil god" to us; perhaps she's referring to a wondrous artifact from the evil god's realm?

Lin Xia silently added in her mind: If it really turns out to be an evil god, she definitely wouldn't dare to say it.

Who would openly utter the words "evil god"? If it were leaked, it would cause panic.

Lin Xia thought for a moment and then said, "If you are very worried, I suggest that we schedule our patrol times together so that we can help each other if anything happens."

"By the way, what are you guys doing here? Where are the Weasley twins?"

Ron said helplessly, "Harry and I took them to visit the public laboratory. The brothers were very interested in the new equipment in the laboratory, exclaimed in amazement, and have already started to do experiments."

Harry and I stayed with them, but they thought we were in their way and kicked us out.

The reason he and Harry were so exhausted in the reception room was that when they were introducing the equipment to the twins, the twins bombarded them with a series of questions, as if trying to extract every possible way to use the equipment from their minds.

Harry and Ron were exhausted from trying to answer their questions.

The twins were satisfied and learned how to use all the equipment before they were sent out.

Harry and Ron left without looking back.

Hearing that the twins were already using the experimental equipment, Lin Xia smiled slightly and said, "I'm really looking forward to the products they'll bring out later."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she said thoughtfully, "The experimental equipment in the public laboratory is actually the most basic equipment in our laboratory."

If George and Fred want to go further, they need to develop a product that meets the school's requirements and earn the status of outstanding research students.

This allows us to apply for dedicated funding from the school to optimize our experimental equipment. We'll not only have our own dedicated laboratory, but also dedicated funding and equipment.

Lin Xia looked at Hermione and asked with interest, "Do you think they would be interested in this proposal?"

She invited the twins to join the lab because she valued their quick thinking and sharp minds.

Although the gadgets they developed weren't technologically advanced, their creativity was outstanding.

Her lab tackles some rather difficult problems, which often require not a solid and profound understanding of magical theory, but rather a fleeting inspiration.

With the right inspiration, even ordinary researchers can crack the code.

Lin Xia saw this inspiration in the twins, which is why she invited them to join.

Hermione's concerns are valid; it would be a shame if outstanding talent were not guided and instead teetered on the edge of breaking school rules.

Previously, she had only offered them preferential treatment due to the excellent conditions of the laboratory, but now it seems that she might be further enticing them to conduct more advanced experimental research.

Hermione pondered for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.

"This is a good idea. I think we can also invite them to come into our lab and show them our research equipment."

Especially your lab, with that set of high-tech equipment you got from the research association—even I'm quite envious.

Lin Xia turned to look at Ron: "I'll leave this matter to you."

Ron paused, "Me?"

He quickly shook his head: "No, my brother is very shrewd, he'll figure it out!"

Lin Xia: "It's okay, that's what we want, so that they guess it and are willing to jump in."
-
the other side.

The news Lin Xia brought stirred a sense of unease in Professor McGonagall's heart.

She decided to talk to Professor Binns.

If necessary, the school will also need to take appropriate control over Professor Binns.

On her journey to find Professor Binns, Professor McGonagall encountered a hurried Snape.

Snape was holding a bottle of dark purple potion. McGonagall glanced at it and looked away; the potion gave her a very bad feeling.

She felt that the potions Snape had been developing in recent years were becoming increasingly terrifying, both in terms of color and power.

Snape saw McGonagall and was about to pretend he didn't see her and walk past.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and abruptly stopped, asking, "What information did the school uncover using the 'Sage's Eye'?" (End of Chapter)