Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 301: Dreams and the Black Cat
When we returned to Ravenclaw Tower, the rain was still pouring down, with raindrops sliding down the transparent windows.

Soon only the not-so-loud crackling of the fireplace remained.

Returning from the biting cold outside, Sheen instinctively summoned a small fire lizard and huddled it at his feet, warming himself up in no time.

On his chest, the rune faintly glowed, and Sheen knew he could go to the borderlands.

The Borderlands, the world behind the veil, the place behind the veil of death... whatever you call it, it is one of the deepest and most mysterious realms in the magical world.

Its entry and exit naturally follow a certain ancient rule.

The book "Introduction to the Fundamentals of Empty Symbols" records several different rules for entering and exiting. They explain in detail the influence of time, lunar phase, planets, and connecting objects on entering and exiting the boundary.

In the end, Sheen only came to one conclusion: the key is to look at the state of the Soul Artifact.

Sheen vaguely suspected that the previous overuse of the empty rune had caused it to not recover properly, which led to the recent short period of emptiness.

just now.

Night fell, and a thin mist rose up.

At the entrance of the "Children's Home" sign, a black cat, larger than an average cat with fine fur, sets off from the dilapidated street.

They slowly leaped into the deeper fog.

Among the various bizarre and colorful fog clouds, the black cat stopped beside a fog cloud surrounded by some dark threads.

With a meow, a little red-haired witch appeared in the mist, and then hesitantly walked over.

"Merlin's cat—it's the lucky black cat! Am I dreaming? Oh, I am dreaming!"

Ginny's eyes sparkled, her red hair danced like flames, and she reached out to touch it.

The black cat dodged left and right, but finally remembered that dreams don't last long, and a human-like helplessness showed in its lively green eyes.

Ginny.

"Who's speaking! That voice sounds so familiar..."

Ginny suddenly turned her head and looked around, finally fixing her gaze on the black cat lying on a cloud of mist.

"Hannah didn't lie to me, Hogwarts has the most magical black cat!"

Ginny's eyes lit up.

How have you been lately? Have you been feeling a bit groggy or confused?

"The black cat asked."

Ginny withdrew her outstretched hand.

Is it impolite to touch a talking cat's ears now...?

"How did you know, Mr. Black Cat, that this is your dream?"

Ginny asked in her childish voice.

The black cat was somewhat surprised.

The Weasleys always had a strange intuition.

Is this his dream?

Yes, no.

This is a border area, but it's only a portion of that border area that belongs to him. As described in "A Simple Introduction to Empty Talismans":

The souls here are either timid or brave; only a small fraction wander, and only those who venture in are considered travelers.

The wanderer waits, while the traveler is waited for. The traveler brings change, while the wanderer is changed.

The long, vague passage was understood by Sheen in a simple way: wizards who entered the borderlands through the empty rune had the right to influence a small portion of the borderlands.

These effects are multifaceted:

For example, Sheen can see the Holliss orphanage; he can summon wizards who don't resist him; and he can slowly strip away the soul corruption of a certain dark lord—

The principle is simple: Voldemort was not invited here.

When it comes to dark magic, Sheen needs to be extremely cautious around Voldemort.

But at the border, Voldemort, whose soul had been split multiple times, was not much different from an infant.

The original book describes Voldemort's state as follows:

The thing (Voldemort) was shaped like a naked child, curled up on the ground, his red, rough skin looking as if it had been peeled off. He lay shivering under a seat, abandoned and haphazardly stuffed there, struggling to breathe. "I feel much lighter. Is it because I had too many nightmares before?"

After the nightmare, my robe was covered in chicken feathers, and I have no idea how they got there.

Ginny didn't resist saying anything to the black cat; on the contrary, she was quite excited.

She had no friends to confide in, but now that she could say it in her dream, she felt much happier.

You'll get better soon.

"The black cat said."

Ginny felt a little happy and confused.

She saw a black cat in her dream, a black cat she longed to see... It was really quite strange:

Sometimes it wants to lick its paws, but it resists, its whiskers trembling with restraint; sometimes when its tail brushes against its body, it will use its paws to put the tail back, as if the tail has its own will...

"Mr. Black Cat, will I ever see you again?"

While still half-asleep, Ginny asked in a very soft voice.

"If all goes well, our paths will never cross again."

"The black cat said."

After all... he would soon be dealing with the basilisk.

After obtaining the basilisk's fangs, the diary is no longer a concern.

He has a hundred ways to get rid of the diary without touching it.

"What if things go smoothly... or if they don't?"

Ginny was clearly disappointed, she said loudly.

Things never go smoothly.

The black cat's last words faded from her mind.

She became increasingly curious; it seemed as if the black cat was stretching out its furry paws, tickling her heart.

……

"Lucky Black Cat!"

Ginny woke up screaming in bed, her hair a mess, and her roommates all stared at her in surprise.

She glanced at her watch excitedly—there was still some time before breakfast—and then began to vividly recount the story of her dream.

When Sheen arrived at the Great Hall, he could still see the little witches huddled together in a big group.

Ginny patiently began telling the story again, and after she finished, she walked over to Luna at the Ravenclaw table.

Luna was also sitting not far from Sheen and his group, so they could hear the conversation clearly.

"...That's how it is, Mr. Black Cat came to help me... But Luna, is this really my dream?"

Ginny's little face was full of melancholy.

"Look,"

Luna rested her chin on her hand, seemingly not listening, but suddenly took a black cat hair from the tip of Ginny's red hair.
"it is true."

Harry, Ron, and the others had already crowded around to listen, and Minister Hannah exclaimed that she absolutely had to write it all down.

Even Hermione couldn't help but glance at Sheehan with suspicion before moving closer to him.

By this time, Sheen had already left his seat and gone up to the second floor.

At the entrance of the girls' restroom, Pipi Gui was pacing back and forth with a serious expression, carrying something that looked like a long gun.

"Get out of here, you brat! If you dare bully poor Myrtle again, I'll eat you up!"

Pee-Pee made a face, then snatched a little witch's hat and hung it on the wall.

Hey! Ghost!

That little witch was very brave; she shouted,
"I just enrolled! I don't even know who Myrtle is!"

(End of this chapter)