Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 228: Seeing the Light of Day

As darkness fell, a witch suddenly appeared at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, bringing a sense of relief to everyone.

Beneath the beech trees, the dark, forbidden forest appears even more menacing.

The tall, serious-looking Professor McGonagall, dressed in a green robe, simply stood there, and the young wizards breathed a sigh of relief.

“Neville…you actually called Professor McGonagall here—”

Hermione's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the timid Neville.

No, it's not...it is.

Neville blushed nervously as he recalled the hallway that afternoon:

“Mr. Longbottom, you shouldn’t be trying to fool people with such nonsense—”

Professor McGonagall's stern expression seemed even more subdued.

"No, no, that's nonsense, everyone knows..."

Nawi stammered.

"Who is there?"

Professor McGonagall glanced around, and Neville immediately exposed everyone.

Sheehan was clearly surprised to meet Professor McGonagall here. He was slightly taken aback and didn't say a word.

"You're being ridiculous."

Only Sheen heard it; the others didn't react. Professor McGonagall seemed to be transmitting her voice.

"You should tell me..."

Professor McGonagall cast a stern look at Sheehan.

A fleeting look of worry crossed her eyes.

She didn't believe in any mystical prophecies, which were no different in a rigorous and significant way from the annual death prophecies made by the divination professor Trelawney.

Voldemort's return was something she couldn't immediately believe;

But she trusts her child more than she ever knew before.

“I will stay here for two nights, and if I don’t see anything, then I will put you and Neville in solitary confinement until the exam!”

Professor McGonagall's stern words sounded so sweet to the young wizards that they thought they would never resist even the slightest bit of Transfiguration lessons again.

Soon Hagrid came over wearing a mole-skin coat, and he began to chat with Professor McGonagall:

“Professor McGonagall… oh yes… a unicorn was greatly injured, something that had never happened in the Forbidden Forest before… the centaur prophecy… Mars is… very bright…”

Harry said that Hagrid didn't hear what Ferrenze said to him, otherwise Hagrid would have been able to testify for them much earlier.

A cool breeze blew through the Forbidden Forest. That night, they heard no strange noises. The dark demon lurking in the Forbidden Forest seemed to know that someone was coming and dared not make a sound.

Professor McGonagall's face became even more profound.

She left without a sound.

Just then, the first light of dawn appeared in the east, and they were finally able to see the light of day.

"Day 1—we made it through! We'll find him sooner or later, and then kick him out of Hogwarts!"

Justin concluded excitedly.

Harry was shaking with excitement, and Hermione pumped her fist.

Ron, on the other hand, was completely exhausted; he had been on edge all night.
“Fantastic! Sheehan, and Harry, Justin, Neville, Hermione…”

With each name he uttered, his eyelids grew heavier.
"I'm going to sleep now. Do you know how much longer we can sleep?"

Then everyone realized that their physical exhaustion was almost overwhelming. They had never felt so tired before, and they were about to fall asleep the moment they hit the bed. Neville was already in a daze, swaying and about to collapse. The others dragged him back to the cabin, exhausted.

A whole bunch of little wizards immediately fell asleep here.

As dawn broke, the torrential rain outside the window had not completely stopped, and the fireplace flames burned fiercely. Sheen did not fall asleep, but kept thinking and thinking.

"Are you still worried... Sheen..."

Justin sat down beside him. He was actually exhausted too, but he always wanted to make sure his friends were resting.

"Two days..."

Sheen was muttering to himself.

"Two days? You mean Professor McGonagall will be here for two days? And then she'll arrest you and put you in solitary confinement? Sheehan, have you forgotten what the professor said? Solitary confinement is with Hagrid. And once Headmaster Dumbledore returns, the safety of Hogwarts will be greatly improved."

Justin offered words of comfort.

Until he fell into a deep sleep, before the afternoon classes began, Sheen unusually appeared worried.

Voldemort didn't come to the Forbidden Forest? Why?
The Forbidden Forest is so vast that even Professor McGonagall cannot keep an eye on every part of it at all times.

In the original story, even when Professor Dumbledore was at school, Voldemort killed several unicorns over several weeks.

He was greedy and cunning, as evidenced by his trespassing into Hogwarts, which was guarded by Dumbledore.
Therefore, he had no reason to fear Professor McGonagall's presence, or even the fact that she wasn't patrolling the Forbidden Forest.

Think more... Think more...

Sheen kept reminding himself.

Night fell again, but this time the young wizards were not nearly as panicked as before. Harry and Justin followed Ferrenze, while Hermione, Neville, and Ron followed Hagrid.

Sheen stayed alone with the injured unicorn, and he was certain that there had been no movement from it for quite some time.

Suddenly, as if he had realized something, Sheen rushed towards the castle.

The map was shaking violently as Sheen rode his broom, tearing through the night sky.

How could he forget!
The reason Quirrell and Voldemort couldn't touch the Philosopher's Stone was because what they desired most in their hearts was the Philosopher's Stone.

So now, is Professor Quirrell still most eager for the Philosopher's Stone?!

Professor Quirrell made the right choice, seeing hope again amidst a second wave of despair.

Whether he saw Sheen and the others guarding the Forbidden Forest, or the squirrel cookies in his own hand, he was at least not single-mindedly trying to work for Voldemort to obtain the Philosopher's Stone.

If Voldemort, seeing little hope in the Forbidden Forest, went to the fourth-floor room, Professor Quirrell might very well have reached that state under his coercion—

I hope to find the Philosopher's Stone, find it, but don't use it.

This means Voldemort will get the Philosopher's Stone, and whether or not the stone can help him reshape his body, it's not good news.

A paper airplane streaked across the night sky and flew straight into Justin's hand. Inside was only a short message, but it sent chills down Justin's spine. He took out a broom hidden in a corner, mounted it, and sped across the Forbidden Forest toward Professor McGonagall.

Meanwhile, a paper airplane flew to the distant International Alchemy Congress.

Professor Terra's groundbreaking gold medal-winning paper airplane is almost the perfect emergency communication tool—it ignores terrain, ignores distance, and is incredibly fast.

After completing all the preparations, Sheen appeared in the fourth-floor corridor.

To his surprise, Mr. Owl appeared unexpectedly in a portrait in the corridor.

"You are drawn to the magnificent and vast magic, yet you always see those weak, even impure, lives. You experience these two feelings and measure the breadth that a wizard's life can possess."

That's the wisdom of Ravenclaw.

May you understand that Ravenclaw will always be proud of you.

Mr. Owl bowed deeply, and Sheen saw the trapdoor open and stepped inside.

(End of this chapter)