Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 238: The Story of the Lucky Black Cat
"Ron, Harry...would you like to join our club?"

The one who came to inquire was Parvati, a beautiful little witch with big eyes and long eyelashes. It was she who told Sheen and the others about Hermione's news on Halloween Eve.

"What club?"

Harry was a little confused; he had only heard of the Quidditch Club, and Ron had only heard of the Wizards' Chess Club.

"The Castle Cat Club. You don't even know about it?"

Parvati covered her mouth, glancing at Justin and Hermione with apparent surprise.

Lavender, standing next to her, also stared wide-eyed, looking on in disbelief.

"Excuse me, what kind of organization is the Castle Cat Club?"

Ron realized he seemed to be falling behind, and he asked shyly.

"Alright, I'm so glad, I can say it again. You should have seen the lucky statue on the third floor of the castle, right? That's one of the pieces of evidence of the existence of the Castle Spirit Cat... But it's strange, if you lose points for going out at night, you should have a chance to see the Castle Spirit Cat."

Parvati spoke at length.

Harry and Ron then realized what was going on.

"That statue is real?! But why could we see... the castle spirit cat during the night tour?"

Ron exclaimed.

“That’s a good question. I have to tell you about its achievements… It’s the messenger of Christmas night, the castle cat that holds good fortune.”

Haven't you noticed? Hogwarts has been blessed with good luck ever since Christmas.

Mr. Grimm published Grimm's Notebooks covering multiple disciplines, many night-wandering wizards were rescued by the castle cats, Mr. Filch wasn't as scary as before, and even Professor Snape was telling us some small details... Now, a great alchemist has appeared at Hogwarts!
We believe this is all thanks to the castle's spirit cat, who holds the key to good fortune!

Lavender's eyes lit up as she pulled out two club invitations with a picture of a black cat on them and gave them to Harry and Ron.

"By the way, our club was the fastest to get approved by Hogwarts! So, please consider that our time at Hogwarts is running out..."

"If no one touches its ears, we've failed miserably."

Parvati seemed very proud of this, but also disappointed with their club's performance.

After handing the list to Harry and Ron, they left.

The hall was bustling with noise, and there were many young wizards trying to recruit people to the club.

They really don't have much time left, which is why the club's vice minister came up with this plan; after all, there's strength in numbers.

"Touching His ear brings good luck for the whole year..."

Ron held the invitation, a curious look on his face. Hogwarts students were always fascinated by the wondrous things that existed within that magical castle.

Otherwise, so many young wizards wouldn't be studying the portraits and exploring the secret passages—anything is possible in this magical castle.

This is Hogwarts, the magical place.

"How interesting! It shows the location of the Lucky Black Cat, and it even helps the young wizards with their nighttime walks... Merlin's mustache, if we had encountered it back then, we wouldn't have lost so many points..."

Ron remarked with emotion.

Harry imagined that if the black cat had helped them avoid Professor McGonagall, they would probably have been very grateful.

"Sheen, do you want to join?"

Ron instinctively asked Sheehan.

Sheehan saw that Justin was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight, and Hermione was also burying her head, trembling all over.

"I'm not going, and you'd better not join either."

Reluctantly, Sheen packed his things and prepared to leave the auditorium.

He felt that the young wizards at Hogwarts were too idle.

Before leaving, he looked toward the main table with some inexplicable intuition. Headmaster Dumbledore was smiling at him, and his hand holding the wine glass paused.

"Um—okay. Harry and I are quite interested. Justin, do you guys want to join?"

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, then Ron asked Justin.

He felt that everyone was a team and should act together.

Justin, who had been watching the show, now wore a gentle and radiant smile:

"no need."

"Oh...I thought you'd be interested..."

Ron's cheeks were flushed from the intense firelight of the fireplace. "He said he didn't need it because he'd already joined, and he's the vice minister now."

Hermione still had a smile on her lips.

"what?!"

"Yeah?!"

Harry and Ron were both somewhat surprised.

"Could this be the reason you went out at night without being discovered?"

Harry was slow to realize it.

"That's not true."

Justin said.

"And you, Hermione? You joined too?"

Ron asked again.

"uh-huh."

Hermione raised her face.

Sheen, who hadn't yet left his seat, put down his book and glanced at them.

"We need some entertainment, don't we, Sheehan?"

Justin tried to explain with a straight face, but anyone could tell he was about to burst out laughing.

"Where is Neville?"

After Harry realized what was happening, he saw Neville nod.

"Hannah asked me to join, and I...I didn't refuse."

Neville whispered, not daring to look at Sheehan.

"So everyone's here!"

Ron became excited, then asked Sheehan with a strange expression and caution.

"Sheen, are you really not going to join?"

Justin was completely exhausted from laughing, and Hermione turned away and whispered, "Fool."

"What are you laughing at? You haven't stopped laughing."

Ron was completely baffled.

Harry had no idea either, but he nodded in agreement.

The people in the cabin rarely had such a fun time; after the Forbidden Forest incident, they spent most of their time reviewing their lessons.

Sheehan sighed; he didn't even know they had all joined the club yet.

"They're all lying..."

Sheen paused, suddenly realizing that although the idea of ​​controlling good fortune was all a lie, the changes at Hogwarts Castle were indeed related to him.

"Fake...what?"

Ron was curious about why Sheen didn't join.

"Perhaps it's true."

Sheen left the auditorium.

……

Since the members of the Castle Cat Club made their move, another rumor has emerged about Hogwarts Castle.

A rumor about a black cat that walks around the castle.

This was an April filled with rumors; although there was a lot of rain, the sunny days were also dry and mild.

On these clear and mild nights, Sheen would go to the Forbidden Forest to learn prophetic magic from his centaur teacher, Ferenze.

At the same time, Sheen encountered two problems:
The prophetic magic was so vague that its secrets were impossible to grasp, and the improvement of the cleaning broom also became a source of confusion for him.

That night, he happened to run into the Weasley twins outside the administrator's office.

(End of this chapter)