Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 177: The Second Trip to Diagon Alley

Compared to other templated Wizard Chess games, Sheen's Wizard Chess is much more interesting.

In this game, Ron couldn't even beat Harry. Because his knight and queen fell in love, the king angrily sent his knight to hunt them down, and in the end, Harry won without Ron losing a single piece.

"Merlin—damn knight, must you really fall in love with the queen?!"

Ron was furious, and his face turned completely red.

His shouting attracted the attention of a group of young wizards.

Everyone curiously gathered around, and various sounds of annoyance filled the auditorium.

"You've fallen in love with the queen on the other side?! You're willingly losing the match? Damn it! This is my match!"

"You don't like using force? Then why are you a knight? Go be a decoration in the auditorium!"

"Merlin—the enemy has reached the front, and you said you ate too much and couldn't move... Well, you're doomed, and so am I."

……

Strangely enough, this game, which relies on 90% luck and 10% skill, quickly became popular throughout the auditorium.

Even the older wizards wanted to see what was going on with these chess pieces, and as a result, they were so angry that they couldn't sleep all night.

Because they couldn't understand why their pieces would jump off the board, shouting "Freedom!", and then smash to pieces under the table.

Fortunately, they have an automatic repair function.

It can also anger the next wizard.

"Sheen, want to give it a try?"

Ron pushed his way through the crowd, and the young wizards naturally made way for him.

Sheen, who was preparing to test the effectiveness of Wizard Chess, nodded. He had always had a question—why was Wizard Chess so unruly, could it be because his proficiency was too low?

Another question is whether the creator can have complete control over these magical creations that have their own will.

"Oh, I will do my best, Sheen."

Ron on the other side was already itching for a fight.

Ron was dumbfounded as soon as the game began.

"Knight, if you're not afraid, take two steps forward..."

The "bishop" nudged the "knight" next to him.

"Of course I'm not afraid! I am a noble knight, brave and fearless!"

The "knight" turned around and took two steps.

"Aha!"

"Knight!" the knight shouted.

Then Ron lost the game because the pieces wouldn't obey his commands at all.

When Sheen commanded the black knight to step forward, his white knight surprisingly obeyed as well.

Since his idea had been validated, Sheen quickly left the auditorium.

Inside the Hope Hut.

Sheen looked at the top of the schedule and wrote down: "Master Wizard Chess" and "Find the next intermediate alchemical creation".

Imbuing magical items with will does increase the difficulty of alchemical creation, but Sheen always seems to have divine assistance when making them.

He guessed that this was the magical intuition hidden within the wizard's body guiding him, which was what was known as talent.

He could easily create some alchemical artifacts imbued with his own will, but what should he choose?

These options were placed at the top of Sheen's agenda. Although he hadn't given up on making Fantastic Beasts cookies, he knew he had to take it one step at a time.

First, you need to unlock the expert level title; who knows, it might bring you unexpected surprises?
After all, once you reach the expert level, new special talents will always emerge.

One morning.

The heavy snow of winter fell on the castle and grounds, and the statues outside the castle seemed to be covered with a thick white robe. The gingerbread house sprinkled with icing sugar in the lawn was Hagrid's hut.
The Black Lake was covered with a thick layer of ice, making it smooth and translucent, and the trees nearby were also covered with a layer of white frost. The house-elves in the kitchens below Hogwarts were busy preparing a variety of hot stews and sweet puddings.

Sheen enjoyed the food, and no matter how busy he was, he would never miss a single time in the auditorium.

The weather was bright and sunny, and Sheen also received a special letter:

Dear Sheehan Green, a lovely child of the McGonagall family. May you know that some exceptionally cheerful people are waiting for you here.

I love you to death: Marcus McGonagall

Marcus McGonagall?
Sheen didn't know who this was, but it wasn't hard to guess who the professor was.

Then Sheen saw the professor in the main seat nod gently to him.

As Sheen emerged from the auditorium, he saw Professor McGonagall waiting at the spiral staircase on the third floor.

"They all want to meet you. They've even prepared Christmas presents for you."

The professor said softly.

So Sheen started packing his bags. He examined some of the gifts in the magical world and eventually approached the Weasleys.

“Mr. Weasley, I might need you to go to Hogsmeade. I will pay for it…”

Sheen said this in the hallway.

“Great Green—what are you talking about, George? That’s absolutely the funniest joke I’ve ever heard.”

Fred looked at Sheehan in disbelief, then stared at him for a moment before turning around.
"That's strange, how come he's talking nonsense when he doesn't have a fever?"

"What a complete fool! You're our VIP!"

George blinked, his words sounding incredibly sincere despite being a joke, as if they truly meant it.

"Oh, and take this! And—"

"We will fulfill all your requests—"

The two spoke in unison, and then disappeared without a trace.

Sheehan took the slip of paper, which contained the Ministry of Magic's permit for the new shop:
The approval criteria for Weasley & Grimm's Wizarding Tricks Studio have been approved.

Sheen put away the license attachment and walked much more briskly.

The snow had been falling for several hours, and Hogwarts had entered a quiet afternoon.

Under a large Christmas tree, Professor McGonagall carried a suitcase. She had changed her formal gown into a light, plain-colored wizard's robe. Soon after Sheen arrived, the two set off.

Apparition is not allowed around Hogwarts, but this restriction does not apply outside the castle grounds.

"Of course—that's more like it!"

In the entrance hall, several portraits were huddled together. Sir Cadogan watched as two wizards, one large and one small, stepped onto the snow. Their faces, distorted by the squeezing of the ponies, revealed a crooked smile.

The two ladies watched silently, their vision blurred by the heavy snow.

"The first time you apparate can be really unpleasant..."

Professor McGonagall said.

Sheen nodded.

"However... Severus sent some things."

The professor handed a bottle of potion to Sheehan.

“Hold my hand tight, child, let’s go to Diagon Alley first and buy you some…”

After drinking the potion, Apparition didn't cause Sheen much discomfort.

Instead, in an instant, a lively sound came to my ears.

Wizards came and went along the cobblestone path, while toads, owls, rabbits… all sorts of animals roamed among them. Every shop, every object in front of it, and every shopper seemed to radiate holiday joy.

Last time, Sheen had to count Nate's shopping purchases, but things seem different now.

……

Outside the world, Hogwarts became a distant symbol, and Severus Snape still stood in the dark cellars.

It was as if this was his final resting place.

Sir Cadogan muttered on the wall outside the cellar door:
"Coward, Severus, coward... always shrouding yourself in black, deeply hiding your other side, moving forward alone and forlorn. You should have been a knight..."

Sir Cadogan gradually departed.
"But my king... how can a knight who has never felt love have the confidence to bring happiness to others?"

　Dear readers, please be aware of the temperature drop. I've been sleeping for a day now, and updates will resume tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)