Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Harry drifted peacefully into sleep, but Lin Xia did not.

She stayed in the golden wooden house, repeatedly recalling the details of the incident under the willow tree hole.

Because Sirius, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were locked in a stalemate for a long time, and because Peter Pettigrew had maintained his rodent form for too long, many of his senses had deteriorated, especially his sense of pain.

So she was able to successfully cast her special curse spell. She set the spell's activation time a week later. Exactly one week later, she had to go to the Ministry of Magic to adjust the binding wands used by the Aurors.

Recently, several Aurors from the Ministry of Magic have reported to the Ministry that the Binding Wand is not as effective as it used to be.

The Ministry of Magic is not without alchemists; they have also tried to research the Binding Wand, but they haven't come to any conclusions.

After dismantling five binding wands, rendering them completely useless, they had no choice but to invite Lin Xia to come and take a look.

Lin Xia readily agreed.

There's nothing left for her to learn at Hogwarts, so perhaps going out for a walk is a good option.

The only reason she stayed at Hogwarts was because the school could offer her the greatest protection.

"I wonder how Dumbledore will react when he sees the commemoration of the Memory Ball? Will he focus his attention on Peter Pettigrew, or on Harry?"

She found out the answer the next day.

As dawn broke, Lin Xia, as usual, went for a run on the playground outside Hogwarts.

The professors are working even harder today than ever before.

Dean Sprout was already waiting for Lin Xia on the track when she finished her third lap.

She said seriously, "Lin Xia, come with me."

As if remembering something, she added, "Oh, right, didn't you invent a little pill that can conceal one's scent? Remember to bring it with you."

These pills that conceal one's aura are of little use to high-ranking wizards like Sprout.

In Sprout's eyes, Lin Xia's aura still made her feel like an ancient ferocious beast, making people fearful as soon as they sensed her presence.

But perhaps because she had been around Lin Xia for a long time, she had gradually gotten used to this aura, so she didn't find it very noticeable.

Lin Xia herself also carried black pills with her, and the entire playground was faintly filled with the smell of wormwood in the morning breeze.

Reminded by the dean, she took out three small oriental sachets from her seamless retractable ring. The sachets were red, blue, and purple.

She hung it directly on the edge of her wizard's robe, right next to the box where she kept her wands.

Sprout was a herbalist, and as soon as Lin Xia took out the sachet, she said with great interest:

"Are these the trinkets sold in the East?"

Lin Xia smiled and handed it over: "Yes, Professor. There is a fragrant bead inside the sachet, which is the black pill I developed."

I engraved a heating magic rune array inside the sachet. When the pill and the heating magic rune array collide with each other, the fragrance will spread faster and more evenly under the catalysis of the slight heat.

The only downside is that it depletes very quickly; you need to replenish it every two or three hours.

Sprout glanced at it briefly, then handed the sachet back to Lin Xia, who continued to wear it on her waist.

The two returned to Hogwarts, during which time young wizards kept greeting Lin Xia, and she also greeted Professor Sprout.

Sprout said with satisfaction, "It seems you have a lot of influence among the young wizards. Hufflepuff rarely has a leader like you."

Lin Xia calmly said, "If you mean the leader of Hufflepuff, I think Senior Cedric is more suitable than me. He is recognized and respected by all Hufflepuff students."

Sprout shook his head. "He is indeed well-liked by Hufflepuff students, but only within Hufflepuff; his influence has not extended to the other three houses."

A hint of doubt flashed in Lin Xia's eyes, "Is it necessary to gain the approval of other colleges?"

Sprout thought for a moment and said, "This news isn't something that can't be leaked. If you can gain the collective recognition of students from the four houses while you're at school, then the probability of staying at Hogwarts after graduation will be very high."

Lin Xia asked, "Will the benefits for staying at the school be good?"

Sprout said with great enthusiasm, "Of course, many wizards in the Ministry of Magic want to apply to Hogwarts, but they don't meet the standard Hogwarts selection criteria. The school wants the elite."

The more elite and outstanding the talent, the easier it is to pass. Of course, there are other selection criteria, but I'm not too clear on the specifics. The review department is responsible for that.

If someone we personally recommend passes the review and successfully stays at the school, we will also receive substantial resources.

Lin Xia said with great interest, "It's a pity I'm too young now. I wish I were a little older."

Hogwarts' welfare benefits are indeed very good. What other school invests so much in its students, building them their own independent laboratories and providing them with many rare resources for research?

She didn't know what the benefits were like for combat personnel. Although she had also been admitted as an outstanding student in the combat category, she had always done the work of an outstanding student in the research category, but she figured it must be pretty good too.

Sprout thought for a moment and said, "The situation of your year's outstanding students is special. Many of you have completely broken away from the school's education. When you move up to the next grade, you may be admitted to the school early without any special consideration."

After entering the castle, Sprout led them directly to the magic elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

Lin Xia's eyes flickered slightly; this was the principal's office.

She asked, "Professor, are Harry and the others waiting in the office as well?"

Sprout shook his head: "No, their schedule isn't as early as yours. Dumbledore wants to meet with you in batches to understand the situation back then."

Lin Xia asked, "Then what about the recording device Hermione used to record the video?"

Sprout said, "It's already been handed over to Dumbledore, but Lin Xia, there are many details that the Photograph Ball can't see. The Headmaster would prefer to hear the answers from those of you who are here."

Lin Xia thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if it's a bit abrupt to ask this, but I'd like to know how Sirius Black School plans to handle this?"

A smile flickered across Dean Sprout's eyes. "Don't worry, we'll handle it perfectly. Even if it's handed over to the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore will have full authority over it."

He was Harry's godfather, and arguably the only person in the world to whom Harry was not related by blood, yet was closer than family.

If he is truly innocent, he will not only be exonerated, but will also receive compensation from the Ministry of Magic, enough to ensure Black's financial security.

However, I think Black has nothing to worry about regarding the Galleons. He comes from a noble family, and there's a manor waiting for him to inherit.

"Ding-dong!" The magic elevator opened automatically and arrived at its destination.

Lin Xia took a step forward, while Dean Sprout remained motionless in the elevator.

Lin Xia turned to look at her, and the dean smiled slightly at him: "The principal wants to see you alone, so I won't go."

Sprout seemed to have thought of something and added, "By the way, don't lie about the truth, or the Sage's Eye will see through you."

Lin Xia's heart skipped a beat.

Instead of opening the headmaster's office door directly, she knocked first, and upon hearing a "Come in" from inside, she pushed the door open and went in. Headmaster Dumbledore looked as kind and amiable as ever, his deep blue eyes hidden behind his glasses, his nose slightly crooked, and his white beard resembling clumps of cream cake on his face.

Dumbledore smiled at her and asked, "What would you like to drink? I have honey lemonade, rose tea, and other teas."

Lin Xia said, "I want to drink honey lemon water."

Dumbledore seemed to sense her nervousness, smiled at her again, and said gently:
"Child, I just want to ask you about some things. Don't be too wary of me. After all, you're just an observer, not the one who did it, right?"

Lin Xia nodded. "Yes, I watched the whole thing."

Dumbledore's question was both meticulous and not meticulous.

Because he focused more on the snail-sheep beast than on the man-beating willow and what happened under the tree hole.

He was very interested in these cute snail-like creatures that could catch mice, and asked several times where the two pets came from and how to get them.

Lin Xia answered them all.

"Hagrid's side discovered a group of migrating snail-goats, which are low-level magical creatures. Hagrid was worried that they wouldn't be able to survive in the Forbidden Forest, so he temporarily placed them in the breeding farm."

When we visited Hagrid once, we found these snail-like creatures very cute, so Hagrid gave one to Harry and one to Ron.

Dumbledore asked curiously, "I thought girls would be more interested in cute things like this. Why didn't you adopt one?"

Without hesitation, Lin Xia said, "The White Fairy will be jealous. I already have the cutest cat in the world."

Dumbledore laughed heartily, "That cat that's been sleeping on your shoulder all this time?"
"Yes, it's very cute, and it has a unique bloodline slowly awakening within it, somewhat resembling your aura."

Lin Xia kept her breathing calm. With her control over her body, she could easily control her breathing without changing her expression.

Through this conversation, she discovered that Dumbledore had been watching her all along.

Although he didn't seem to stay at the school for long, he had a clear understanding of each student's situation.

But so what?

Lin Xia was calm. She hadn't let Peter Pettigrew escape on purpose, and she hoped to catch him in one fell swoop.

But fate is so mysterious; it seems no one can escape the script being written.

Dumbledore suddenly turned to look out the window. Sunlight was slowly breaking through the clouds; it was another sunny day.

He said, "Lin Xia, it was a pleasure talking to you. I learned a lot of interesting new things. By the way, could you call Harry on your way to class? I'd like him to come find me after the first period."

Lin Xia replied, "Of course, Principal."

Even after leaving the principal's office, she did not dare to let her guard down.

After exiting the magic elevator and arriving at her classroom, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

During her conversation with Dumbledore, she was not in Occlumency. If Dumbledore were to use Legilimency on her, she would be in a very passive position.

But there's a premise here: if she has a clear conscience about what happened last night and can guarantee that she didn't participate or deliberately let Peter Pettigrew escape, then why would she be wary of Dumbledore?
She worried that Dumbledore would be wary of her once she entered the Occlumency state.

It's a big gamble.

The bet was that Dumbledore didn't believe she was involved, nor did he believe she had the power to interfere with Peter Pettigrew's life or death.

If she makes the wrong bet, then it is very likely that all her thoughts will be seen by Dumbledore in that instant.

However, by then, she had also devised a hypnotic suggestion for herself.

Once the conditions are triggered, she will instantly forget all thoughts about Peter Pettigrew, leaving only curiosity and disgust.

This hypnosis was something she had planned for herself before she even got out of bed.

Fortunately, she did not fall into this predicament and successfully gained Dumbledore's trust.

Sure enough, the best defense is to be unguarded against him; the more you guard against him, the more attention you will attract.

A thoughtful look flashed across Lin Xia's eyes; she seemed to have found a way to deal with Dumbledore.

Lin Xia entered the transformation class this morning, smelling strongly of wormwood.

The scent has been improved by Lin Xia, and it's bitter with a hint of citrus, like spraying a special perfume, so the young wizards all accepted it well.

She was 10 minutes late, but Professor McGonagall didn't say anything. She just glanced at her, gestured for her to come in, and continued the lecture.

The seat next to Draco was empty, so Lin Xia walked over and sat down next to him.

Draco exclaimed excitedly, "I had a feeling when I came to the classroom this morning that you would be here today, so I specially reserved this seat for you. I didn't expect you to actually come!"

He was somewhat pleased with this intuition.

Sometimes, a wizard's heightened intuition is accompanied by an increase in abilities; the stronger the abilities, the more information they can obtain.

When a wizard's abilities become so powerful that he only needs to glance at something to know everything.

Among all the channels for obtaining information, the ability to foresee is a very good one, and he wants to explore it further.

His expertise in occult medicine and his precognitive abilities complement each other perfectly. The improvement in his cognitive abilities can greatly increase the success rate of his occult medicine and reduce the time required to uncover the true formula.

Lin Xia glanced at him: "Your body is in a period of rapid development and growth. At this time, you should explore your body's potential more. There are many unexpected abilities."

Also, don't keep any of the rare and precious treasures your family has provided you; consume them all. Your body's capacity to absorb them is stronger than you imagine.

Draco understood the implication and said somewhat hesitantly, "I know, I'm just afraid I'll get a nosebleed after using it. Some rare treasures seem too potent to me."

Lin Xia smiled and said, "Not necessarily. You should try it first."

Hearing Lin Xia say this, Draco decided to start taking twice the usual dose from tonight onwards to see if his body could handle it.

If you can accept that, then I'll do the triple kowtow tomorrow.

"By the way, why are you here for class today? You never used to come, did you?" Draco asked.

Lin Xia glanced at Harry in front of her and said, "I have a message for Harry to give after class."

Draco's eyes lit up as he thought of something, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Is it about Sirius Black? Has the school already decided how to handle that?"

He wasn't involved last night, but this morning, through Ron's big mouth, he learned what happened last night. It's a bit of a shame he wasn't there.

If possible, he hoped Sirius Black would have a good outcome, after all, his situation was just too tragic.

Lin Xia shook her head. "I'm not sure. We should know the result after Harry finishes talking to the headmaster." (End of Chapter)