Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

While Mikel was struggling with this dilemma.

Ron noticed the anomaly on the stone table and screamed, "Harry, come quick! Has some creature moved my stone table? Is Scabbers back?"

Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly ran over to check.

There was a patch of dark footprints on the stone table, which looked just like mouse footprints.

The footprints were densely packed, suggesting that it had lingered on the stone table for a long time, where it had previously been in a dirty spot.

Meanwhile, the tracking runes that Ron had drawn were mostly covered by footprints and had lost their effectiveness.

No, this isn't called losing its effect; it's that it never had any effect to begin with.

Ron drew tracking runes twice on the stone table.

After his first successful drawing, he also drew a miniature magic rune array next to it to fill in the gaps in Ron's magic rune array.

The second time, Ron redrawn the tracking rune circle at a short distance, but it was unsuccessful.

However, due to his carelessness, the previously successful magic rune array was accidentally contaminated and lost its effectiveness.

Ron realized this too, and his face showed his frustration.

He muttered, "If only I had drawn more carefully last night and hadn't been so perfunctory, maybe the tracking magic rune array would have worked, and I could have caught Banban's trail from it!"

Mikel snapped out of his thoughts and asked in confusion, "Catching Spot's trail? Ron, are you looking for your pet?"
I used to see it all the time, so why hasn't it appeared this semester? It seems like I didn't see it for a while after the end of last semester.

Ron and Harry snapped out of their daze, and Harry spoke up, "Yes, Ron is looking for Scabbers. Scabbers hasn't been seen for a while, and Ron is worried that Scabbers might disappear."

Ron nodded emphatically: "Yes, that's the reason!"

Mikel glanced at them questioningly, sensing that their expressions were a bit odd.

But based on the current plot development...

Although the background of the wizarding world has changed a lot, the plot of each year still follows the original story. They should not have realized that Scabbers the rat is actually Peter Pettigrew in disguise.

Just as I was thinking this, another notification popped up from the system:

[Start the quest: Capture the rat Scabbers. Quest reward: Randomly obtain one of Peter Pettigrew's talents]

Mikel's lips twitched. This task had appeared before, but it was "the first to capture the rat Scabbers, randomly extract luck, and gain two chances to draw a prize."

At that time, the task was a temporary task that was only valid in that specific scenario.

If the time and context are missed, the task will automatically become invalid.

The task at hand also involves catching the rat Spotted, but it will take a relatively long time.

It's the kind of job where, once you accept it, you have to do all sorts of side quests and complete the prerequisites step by step.

Of course, these prerequisites also come with rewards, so no one works for nothing. The final reward is to obtain one of Peter Pettigrew's talents.

He had taken on several such long-term tasks before, but he often only managed to complete a few prerequisites before being unable to continue.

The side quests become increasingly difficult, requiring specific conditions to be met, a certain status to complete, and time limits.

If the delay is too long, the task will automatically become invalid, and the task will eventually be judged as a failure.

The only good thing is that the rewards for completing the prerequisite tasks are issued immediately and will not be taken back.

Mikel thought about it and finally decided to take on the task.

He thought that since he was Ron's roommate, he had a much greater chance of coming into contact with Scabbers than others, and maybe he would have a chance to participate in the capture?
The task didn't specify that he had to catch the rat Spotted by himself.
-
It was evening, time for patrol again.

Lin Xia appeared before everyone, bringing with her the sleeping White Fairy.

She communicated with the patrol leader and asked to join the White Fairy, saying that she was a magical creature that could not only track strange phenomena, but also detect where the whispers of evil gods appeared.

The captain hesitated.

The grayish kitten perched on Lin Xia's shoulder looked adorable and posed no threat whatsoever.

Although the White Fairy is a feline, it is undergoing bloodline modification, making it much larger than a normal cat, resembling a leopard in its growth stage.

The reason it became so tiny was because Lin Xia had used a shapeshifting technique on it, which shrunk its body considerably.

Although it is asleep, it is a living being, making it quite difficult to apply shapeshifting magic to it.

If Lin Xia hadn't been quite skilled in transformation magic, the attempt would most likely have failed.

As far as Hogwarts is concerned, there should be no more than 5 people who can cast Transfiguration on the White Fairy.

Lin Xia's research on transfiguration has surpassed that of most professors and is on a completely different level from that of her students.

If it were a captain from another college, seeing such an intimidating creature, they would have refused without hesitation.

But precisely because he was the captain of Hufflepuff, he was very aware of Lin Xia's influence in Hufflepuff and knew that she was not a casual person.

She wouldn't insist on bringing the creature along on patrol just because it's cute.

Everyone knows that patrolling can also be dangerous.

If you really love a pet, you shouldn't take it to dangerous places all the time; instead, you should keep it properly in your dorm room.

Suddenly, a clear and cheerful voice, seemingly carrying the fragrance of earth and the light mist of water, rang out.

"What happened?"

Cedric walked over and looked at them with a puzzled expression.

The captain seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said to Cedric, "Lin Xia said that the kitten perched on her shoulder has a strong tracking ability, capable of detecting strange phenomena and tracing the location of the evil god's whispers. What do you think?"

Cedric glanced at Lin Xia's shoulder, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and said uncertainly:

"Lin Xia, is the cat lying on you the White Fairy I saw before? How did it get so small?"

Lin Xia succinctly stated: "It is a magical creature that can also awaken its bloodline. It has recently entered a dormant period and is currently in the process of awakening its bloodline."

The awakening of a magical creature's bloodline is best done in the wild, but it's always stayed at the school, and I was worried it wasn't getting enough experience, so I brought it out.

Lin Xia had never hidden the fact that Bai Xianzi was her pet, and she used to bring it out often.

Many students saw the White Fairy patrolling with Mrs. Lorris of Filch.

As for the matter of bloodline awakening, Lin Xia decided not to hide it after consideration.

Because the White Fairy's appearance cannot be concealed. No matter how excellent her illusion is, as long as the professor looks carefully, he can see her true appearance at a glance.

The White Fairy's normal appearance is already quite different from that of an ordinary cat. Since its special nature cannot be hidden, it might as well be stated openly.

At Hogwarts, even professors do not have the right to require students to disclose the abilities of their pets.

The White Fairy's abilities are somewhat special, which allows her to relay some discoveries through her powers.

No one can speak to the White Fairy, so what her abilities are can be determined with a single word from her.

Cedric glanced at the white fairy who had been sleeping and asked, "Can you prove to us in advance that it has excellent tracking abilities?"

Lin Xia raised an eyebrow, just about to ask if they had any special items on them, since the White Fairy should be able to sense them as soon as they took them out.

Although it is asleep, it is still aware of the outside world and will not allow itself to completely lose consciousness.

Only when he is by Lin Xia's side, and is considered absolutely safe by Fairy Bai, does he dare to truly relax.

Bai Xianzi had been warned by Lin Xia beforehand, so she subconsciously sensed something and would wake up immediately as soon as she sensed something.

Just then, Professor McGonagall walked over.

With a stern expression, she asked, "The patrol is about to begin, why are you still standing here?"

Lin Xia volunteered, "Professor, my pet is undergoing a bloodline awakening, but because it stays in Hogwarts and doesn't receive the training it needs from the outside world, it's affecting its awakening. So I'd like to bring it along on patrol."

As she spoke, the white fairy on her shoulder suddenly twitched its ears, opened its eyes abruptly, and looked in Professor McGonagall's direction.

Cedric then noticed that the white fairy's pupil color had changed, becoming very similar to Lin Xia's pupil color, but Lin Xia's pupils didn't seem to have been this color before...

"Meow!"

The White Fairy stared at Professor McGonagall's arm and called out.

Through the connection of the soul contract, Lin Xia knew what it wanted to express and said, "Professor, the White Fairy told me that you have a strange object in your hand, but it has hidden itself."

"The White Fairy also told me that this strange object is a benevolent and neutral object, and its main function should be searching, without any harmful effects."

However, using this strange object will produce evil divine murmurs that bewitch the mind; it warns you to pay close attention to the level of these murmurs on your body.

Professor McGonagall's expression softened slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "I was carrying a strange object in my hand to assist me in patrolling and searching. Many professors didn't notice it, but I didn't expect your pet to find it."

She then inquired about the White Fairy's abilities. After thinking for a while, the professor agreed, "Let it join the patrol, but I have one condition: it cannot leave you."

Lin Xia immediately agreed.

Given the White Fairy's current state, she dared not let it leave.

Its current state is both dangerous and fragile. If it is captured and eaten by another creature, that creature might also gain some strange abilities.

Although one cannot obtain the power from the White Fairy, one can still awaken one's own bloodline.

Many creatures fail to awaken their bloodline, partly because they succumb to hunting and cannot ingest sufficient amounts of prey.

Secondly, they were hunted by other creatures and turned into nutrients to nourish their enemies.

With Professor McGonagall's words, Patch Patch's captain said nothing more and quickly arranged the patrol route.

Lin Xia volunteered to patrol more dangerous areas.

"I brought the White Fairy here to train it. If it doesn't go to a dangerous place, it won't have the desired effect of being trained."

The captain pondered for a while and said, "There is an empty corridor. We have been unsure whether there are any strange phenomena, because we have been unable to find where the strange phenomena are, so we have not reported it to the professor."

But whenever our patrolmen walk by, they always feel uneasy and anxious. Anything that can affect people's senses, whether it's a strange phenomenon or something else, is quite dangerous.

Because that corridor had been vacant for a long time, the environment was quiet and secluded, and it was quite far from the previous patrol point. There was also a blind spot, so once you turned the corner, you wouldn't be seen.

Therefore, some people believe that sensory changes are physiological reactions and worry that danger is imminent, scaring themselves unnecessarily. "Tonight, you and your cat will patrol this area."

the other side.

Professor McGonagall turned a corner in the corridor and disappeared from everyone's sight.

She spoke with great interest about the portrait of the "narrator" that she had been holding and that had also been hidden from view:
"Was that little witch the one Hogwarts was closely observing? I sensed a powerful force emanating from her."

This power is very pure, radiant and upright, and is completely different from the power of evil gods. If you doubt her because of this, you have nothing to worry about.

McGonagall's eyes flickered slightly. "You seem quite interested in the power she possesses."

The portrait of the narrator says, "Of course, I have almost never seen such an interesting power. I know you are curious about what this power is, but due to the rules, I cannot tell you."

"I can only tell you that this power is completely different from the power of the evil god that you think it is. If you are focusing your attention on her, you might as well look at the people around you."

McGonagall's gaze sharpened: "Who?"

The portrait of the narrator shrugged in the frame: "Due to the rules, I can't tell you. After all, you're looking for someone with malicious intent. Although that person has the aura of an evil god, my observation tells me that he has no ill intentions."

McGonagall said calmly, "I only asked you to find the source of all the evil god's aura, not to discern whether that person has malicious intent."

The speaker smiled gently at McGonagall: "Minerva, I'm listening to your inner voice, not your commands. I'll do what you think."

Every day, your thoughts will change, and I will change accordingly. If you don't want me to keep changing my mind, then you should first guard your own heart.
-
The scene shifts back to Lin Xia.

She started with her regular patrol.

She would only come to that dark and unsettling corridor during the final change of location before the patrol was about to end.

Everyone noticed the white fairy on Lin Xia's shoulder and couldn't help but stare at it.

During this time, the White Fairy never woke up once and discovered nothing.

Meanwhile, Neville was also patrolling in the Gryffindor patrol not far away.

His performance was much better than during his first patrol. He was no longer afraid of the strange phenomena that suddenly appeared and was able to remain calm in the face of them.

He adapted quickly and shed his novice awkwardness.

Even the Gryffindor patrol captain was surprised, as he thought Neville would be the first to give up.

However, among the students who joined at the same time, some fourth and fifth graders dropped out, but Neville, a third grader, remained steadily in the patrol team.

Despite his pale face and fear in his eyes during each patrol, he still bit his lip and continued patrolling.

The captain felt that Neville, though seemingly weak, actually possessed the courage of Gryffindor, though it was not outwardly apparent.

He decided to keep Neville. (End of Chapter)