Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 198: Conversation and Change
The night was very dark, and the corridor was quiet.

Neville was returning to Gryffindor Tower from the Hope Hut on the third floor. He was afraid of the corridors, but the wand at his waist gave him a little confidence.

"Neville."

A figure seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.

Justin.

Neville flinched, then realized it was Justin and came to his senses.

"Can we talk about... Professor Quirrell?"

Justin continued speaking slowly.

Upon hearing this word, Neville swallowed hard before daring to continue listening.

"The wizarding world has never been safe, has it? The First Wizarding War, the Second Wizarding War... even according to the records in 'Important Histories of Magic in the Twentieth Century,' they were devastating. You... should understand this better than I do."

Justin paused for a moment, looking at Neville with a hint of worry as his eyes shifted from fear to sadness.

His chubby hands had already unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes.

The battle was, of course, brutal. For example, in the Battle of Hogwarts, fewer than 400 people from Hogwarts participated, but more than 50 died.

With a mortality rate exceeding 12.5%, it was a veritable meat grinder battle in the wizarding world.

"Headmaster Dumbledore knows about Professor Quirrell, do you understand, Neville?"

Justin paused again, waiting for Neville, whose pupils were wide open, to process what he had just learned.

"Headmaster Dumbledore is naturally much further ahead than we are, but the danger won't just disappear like that."

We need strength, we need to stand together, I need you to know... if danger really comes, it's us who will rely on each other, just like when facing a giant..."

His firm and sincere voice carried a seductive power, and Neville felt something shaking his heart for a moment.

In this small, dimly lit corridor, Neville felt a part of himself changing.

A responsibility weighed on his shoulders, and he willingly took it on.

"Can...can I do this...what should I do?"

Neville's lips trembled as he spoke.

“Of course you can, Neville. What we need to do is simple—train ourselves. If we really encounter danger, we should face it together with Sheen, not wait for someone to come and save us.”

After Justin finished speaking, he left silently. Before leaving, he looked into Neville's eyes and was certain that his friend possessed a hidden power.

He was certain that these insignificant beings, whom Dumbledore didn't value and Voldemort didn't even notice, would make those arrogant people suffer a great fall.

Moonlight streamed in through the window.

Justin's usually gentle and warm face was blurred in the pale moonlight.

Of course, they have to stick together, otherwise, are they just waiting for Sheen to save them one by one?

In this castle, there is only one person who is capable of facing danger and willing to risk everything to ensure their safety.

Justin sighed. He had to make the little wizard in Hope Hut understand—don't hold Sheen back.

Both in terms of strength and mental fortitude.

……

Since the incident with Professor Quirrell, the young wizards in Hope Lodge have been filled with passion, and they train hard every day.

Neville was very effective in defending against dark magic, and when he stammered a question to Sheen, Sheen had him train specifically in the Curse Stop and Stunning Curses.

It has to be said that Neville learned these two spells much faster than Hermione.

Compared to Neville's specialization, Hermione's knowledge is much more diverse. She knows a wide variety of spells and is constantly expanding her spell repertoire.

The only thing that Justin found amusing was that when Hermione was nervous—like when they used a spell together to subdue Sheen's snowman—Shemi would even forget the spells she had learned. Justin had no choice but to take her spell proficiency chart and silently help her memorize them.

Ron is currently the slowest progresser in the cabin, but considering he chose the vast field of Transfiguration, his progress is already quite rapid among the young wizards. He can even transform wooden tables into stone now, and Justin roughly estimates that he has the same abilities Sheen had on the train.

What does "on the train" mean?

Ron asked blankly.

"That was before Sheehan enrolled, on the Hogwarts Express, remember?"

After Justin finished speaking, he saw Ron slump in his chair, motionless.

Overall, everyone is making progress. Justin nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the ever-changing proficiency chart.

As the only one whose schedule was even in sync with Sheen's, he actually worked harder than anyone else in the cabin. It's just that, seemingly limited by his not-so-outstanding talent, his progress appeared slow.

Fortunately-

"Sheen, want to come together?"

In the afternoon, the sun shone brightly, and the drizzly January brought another sunny day.

"Ah."

Sheen nodded.

"Stop the spell, plus the Smoke Spell, the Illusion Spell, and the Whisper Spell... I think I understand a little bit of the spell combination you mentioned last time..."

Justin was always eager to learn spells for defense and concealment.

On many occasions, he would discuss the tricks of these spells with Sheen, and with the help of an unknown expert, his progress was always quite fast.

Before reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Sheen handed him a small notebook containing only Justin's personal knowledge of spells.

Justin's spells were almost identical to Sheen's, so Sheen spent some time summarizing a "Justin version of spell learning plan" for him.

"See you tonight."

Sheen entered the Forbidden Forest, and from afar, he could see Hagrid.

"See you tonight."

Justin waved.

He left the lawn with light steps, and as he chanted the spell and waved his wand, the sound he made instantly became much quieter.

His reason for being keen on learning defensive and stealth spells is simple—when facing dangerous figures in the magical world, with strong external support, their first priority is simply to gather intelligence, protect themselves, and evacuate in time.

He believes that most young wizards are unable to even stand up to those dangerous individuals before they graduate.

Only a wizard destined for greatness like Sheen has the ability to dominate the battle.

Are they then useless? Are the lives of those wizards without talent wasted?

Magic is not just about direct confrontation...

Professor Flitwick can also be knocked away by Neville's Levitation Charm...

In the magical world, it's common for things to go wrong unexpectedly.

Edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Before Sheen lay a narrow path that gradually disappeared into the depths of a dark forest.

He looked into the Forbidden Forest, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair, and Hagrid strode over.

"It's so good to see you, Sheen! Look over there!"

Hagrid said with great enthusiasm,

"Do you see that big footprint on the ground?"

(End of this chapter)