Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 269: Spider's End Alley

London. The dark clouds that once loomed over the Prime Minister's window are now floating over a filthy river.

The river meandered along its banks, overgrown with weeds and littered with garbage. A huge chimney—a relic of an abandoned mill—stood tall, eerie and ominous.

All around, only the dark river water seemed to weep with the heavy rain, and there was no sign of life.

Suddenly, two figures appeared in the last house at the end of Spider's End Alley, as if they had appeared out of nowhere.

The rain seemed to flow around them, and most strangely, the boy in the black robe had a wooden stick in his hand that was emitting light.

If this scene had been witnessed by people on the street, it would most likely have made the news. Fortunately, as mentioned before, there were no signs of life here.

"Walk--"

Professor Snape led Sheehan, and they easily found the buried potion in a marked location.

Raindrops pattered all around, and Professor Snape and Sheehan waited expressionlessly for the next flash of lightning.

A silvery flash of lightning quickly ripped across the sky, and in that instant, Sheen felt his heart pounding again.

He waved his wand, and the soil moved aside on its own, revealing a bottle of potion buried inside, now blood red.

Half the battle is won.

With a touch of excitement, Sheen picked up the potion, pointed the tip of his wand at his heart, and chanted the spell:

"Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus!"

He then quickly drank the potion.

His heart was pounding like a drum; Sheen felt intense pain and two fierce heartbeats battling each other.

It's as if another heartbeat has been awakened, and now it's vying with the first heartbeat for ownership of the body.

This process is painful and lengthy, because something fundamental is causing the wizard to take on a different form with a second heartbeat.

He gritted his teeth, Professor McGonagall's words echoing in his mind:
"We must show no fear! It's too late to escape the promised change!"

In the wind and rain, Snape's wide robes fluttered, his expression shifting repeatedly. When he saw Sheen's pale face, his instinctive panic, and the abnormal changes beginning to his movements,
He frowned uneasily, a voice inside him telling him—do something.

"I am here--"

He moved closer and spoke in a low, hoarse voice some nonsense he had once scoffed at.

Sheen couldn't hear him; his entire attention was drawn to some animals, whose outlines were only vague, the clearest of which was a black cat.

Despite being called a black cat, it was much larger than a typical black cat and had a lively and agile air about it.

The first transformation began, which made Sheen quite uncomfortable. Clothes, shoes, and other items melted into his skin, turning into fur or claws.

Animal instincts constantly try to dominate and drive Sheen to do foolish things, such as running around aimlessly or rushing into walls.

This instinct was so strong that even Sheen couldn't control himself. Between running around aimlessly and rushing into the wall, Sheen made a choice in a second.

The black cat had just extended its paw when it was lifted up by a pair of large hands.

"Such a clumsy grasp of Transformation... How could Minerva McGonagall dare to let you transform?!"

He roared loudly, as if venting his inner unease.

After its feet left the ground, the black cat's head drooped, and its rationality gradually returned.

Something's wrong. Not only can he not control his body well, but he also has difficulty turning back into his original form.

The black cat looked at the pool with puzzled eyes, its reflection shimmering with emerald light. Then it looked at Snape, who seemed unsure of what to do next, and suddenly smelled a musty, metallic rust that quickly transformed into the fresh scent of dew and grass.

Sheen was certain that his Animagus was at least more than just a cat; it likely also possessed some feline slang traits.

As for the reason... it might be that he ate too many cat biscuits, and his cat ego consciousness has existed for too long and is too strong; it might also be that he performed too many cat ego alchemy rituals, unconsciously forging a new path in transfiguration...

Sheen noted down all the details of these soul transformations and planned to ask Professor Terra about them.

But no matter what, it's still better than a regular black cat.

I don’t know if it’s because it hasn’t gotten used to it yet, but Sheen doesn’t have the ability to automatically find its way around.

Perhaps fearing he might run away again, Snape kept a close eye on him until they entered the room, his attention remaining fixed on him.

Inside a two-story building at the end of Spider's End, there is a dimly lit and cramped living room furnished with worn-out furniture.

A lamp with a lit candle hung from the ceiling, while the surrounding walls were lined with books. One of the hidden doors in the bookshelves led to a narrow staircase upstairs, and another hidden door led to a small room.

There seemed to be no obvious door here, giving Sheen the feeling of entering a soft-walled prison cell upon first entering. Due to its long period of emptiness, spiders had spun many webs here.

The fireplace was lit, and the black cat leaped to the edge of the fireplace, a distance that would be difficult for an ordinary cat to jump over. It shook its body, and the raindrops in its fur were shaken off.

Severus Snape was thrown at, but he glanced coldly at the black cat warming itself by the fire, snorted heavily, and said nothing.

The streetlights were faded and mottled, providing dim illumination at night. The torrential rain washed the streets, flushing some trash into the river, making it even dirtier.

But the small living room was lit by the glow of a fireplace.

Severus Snape was reading a book, his peripheral vision constantly catching sight of the black cat darting around on the bookshelf.

It seems completely unfamiliar with its own body and needs to practice in various ways.

For example, its tail won't move unless it's being looked at; and when it uses its whiskers to sense the temperature of the fireplace, it almost burns them off...

There are too many of these kinds of things.

Snape took a sip of his steaming coffee, and two figures appeared outside.

Within just half an hour, an anxious Professor McGonagall and a cheerful Dumbledore arrived at the scene.

Doorbell rang.

Dumbledore smiled as he watched Snape open the door:
"Severus, what do you think of the black cat? My taste isn't too bad, is it..."

Before the old wizard could finish speaking, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

"Oh, it's always hard for people to admit that others are right, isn't it, Minerva?"

His expression remained unchanged, and he asked with a smile.

It didn't take long.

Spider Lane had its rare moments of liveliness—several figures appeared in the living room.

The soft sounds of conversation continued, masking the roar of the storm outside.

The black cat was by the fireplace, and when Professor McGonagall came in, it casually turned into a soft cushion.

The black cat sat on it, seemingly deep in thought.

(End of this chapter)