Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 335, Section 334: The Second Soul Reincarnation
Perhaps every cat has a tail that it needs to tame.

For quite some time, the black cat was trying to find the secret to getting along with its tail.

Seeing this, Harry's lips slowly curled up slightly, and he was surprised to find that his troubled mood had dissipated considerably.

Mr. Black Cat,

Harry spoke again; now that his anxieties no longer overwhelmed his reason, he had finally sorted out his thoughts.

"I can speak in a snake-like voice."

The black cat lowered its tail, turned to look at him, and then nodded.

"Voldemort can do it, Slytherin can do it, I must have some terrible dark magic power..."

I'll become a terrible person; the Sorting Hat wanted to sort me into Slytherin. Everyone knows Slytherins are...bad people."

Harry lowered his head, enveloped by a huge sense of fear and confusion.

The black cat jumped onto Harry's shoulder and brushed the cloud of fog symbolizing fear off Harry's head—these clouds always appeared at the boundary, and wizards who delved into their own souls would inevitably encounter them; they would mislead wizards, and worse, they would change and dominate them.

“Not all Slytherins are like that, Harry.”

The black cat said that by then it had thrown the fog far away.

This place—is his border area.

"You mean..."

Harry watched this scene in amazement.

Within that misty cloud was the image of himself cruelly laughing—here, fear could actually be materialized, and the spirit of the great castle could even banish it!
“Slytherin had many great people too.”

In the black cat's emerald green eyes, there was a human-like look of reminiscence.

Harry had no doubt about it.

"But you are not a Slytherin. The Sorting Hat wanted to sort you into Slytherin because it saw some of the Slytherin's abilities in you."

Some of the qualities Salazar Slytherin particularly valued in his carefully selected students. Some of his own rare talents, Parsleyan…resourcefulness…strong will…and a certain contempt for the law.

But the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor. Do you know why? Perhaps you could think about it.

The black cat exudes a unique and mysterious aura; it seems to know everything and understand everything, yet it is not arrogant at all.

Harry felt it must be a wise man, a humble and approachable wise man like Headmaster Dumbledore.

Perhaps... it knows even more than Headmaster Dumbledore; it is the spirit of the castle, evolved over ten centuries at Hogwarts.

"The reason it put me in Gryffindor,"

Ha said in a hesitant tone,
"It's because I said I wouldn't go to Slytherin..."

The black cat nodded, its eyes showing a human-like expression of satisfaction, which gave Harry a feeling of encouragement.

“That’s exactly what makes you so different from Tom Riddle. Harry, expressing our true selves is our own choice, and that’s more important than the abilities we have.”

The black cat said that its satisfaction was even greater.

It stirred the wisp of mist, which drifted over, and Harry saw himself drawing the Gryffindor sword inside it.

Harry froze on the spot, unable to move.

"I...this...but...this was made by Sheen, I really..."

Harry stammered, as if a deer was pounding wildly in his chest.

“Harry, this is what floats from your soul, this is your expectation.”

The black cat led the fog, and Harry could see his own proud and determined expression reflected in it. "Regarding your question, I'm sorry I can't answer it... Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do."

Harry, remember, the life you want is your own choice. If you have a dream, defend it; if you have a dream, achieve it.

Harry was completely stunned. He didn't know what to say; his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single sound.

Goodbye, Harry.

The black cat's tail cradled the wisp of mist, placing it in Harry's hand.

Harry could sense that all the fog in the hazy world was rising.

Will I ever see you again, Mr. Black Cat?

he shouted.

"In the world of souls, there are no coincidences. Harry, you called me seventy times tonight, but I say, Harry, you were calling yourself."

The black cat's last sound faded from Harry's mind.

He suddenly opened his eyes; dawn had arrived.

It was cold, and everything was covered in white. The windows of the Gryffindor common room were covered in snowflakes.

Harry felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment, a subtle yet firm conviction that made him feel richer and more complete.

Meanwhile, in the world of dreams.

The black cat continued to roam the border area; it had been there for three minutes, which was a very long time for it.

At least, it has never happened before.

At this moment, wisps of mist drifted out from its dark fur, and these mists first formed a wondrous animal.

It looks like a cat, and also like a leopard.

Then, the fog dispersed, forming wispy, net-like strands.

The black cat inexplicably knew that this represented a connection, the key to not getting lost in the world of the soul.

The mist drifted to different places—to the stone hut where the Transfiguration professor lived, to the dimly lit cellar, to the Hogwarts student dormitories, and even to the headmaster's office…

As the mist dissipated, the black cat's figure also became blurred.

Three minutes and three seconds.

In the Ravenclaw bedroom, Sheen picked up the wand by the window and waved it gently, and a small notebook flew over.

Sheen habitually recorded the time he spent at the border, and then became slightly excited.

His second soul reincarnation seemed to be taking shape; if he wasn't mistaken, it was a cat-leopard.

Cat-leopard, a Class XXXXX magical creature.

Its size and appearance are somewhat similar to a common cougar or jaguar, and it is native to the Appalachian Mountains. It can walk upright, run faster than an arrow, and its eyes have the ability to hypnotize and grasp thoughts.

The Cherokee people have conducted extensive research on cats and leopards, as they both originated in the same region. Furthermore, only Cherokee warriors have successfully obtained cat and leopard fur and used it as the core of their wands.

For example, Isolt Thayer once used cat and leopard fur to make a wand.

Isolde Thayer was one of the founders of the Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and her adopted son, Webber Boot, even chose the name of a cat-leopard as one of the school's houses…

Sheen wrote down these memories in his notebook and began to ponder whether, if his second soul reincarnation was a cat-leopard, he could maintain his sanity during the cat-leopard transformation.

Sheen found its mind-stealing and hypnotic abilities very meaningful.

The question is, where should he find cats and leopards to make magic animal cookies?
(End of this chapter)