The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

Harry raised his wand and fired a string of red sparks into the sky.

"Let's say goodbye here." Ferenze stopped, his ears twitching alertly. "The Forest Guardian is approaching. I shouldn't see him any longer; our people hold...complex views on human allies."

The centaur gave Rowe a deep look, as if trying to remember the strange wizard, before turning and leaping into the depths of the jungle, disappearing like a gust of wind.

A few minutes later, the ground began to shake.

"Harry! Rowe!"

Hagrid charged through the bushes, brandishing his stone bow, with Hermione and Neville following behind, panting.

"Thank God you're alright!" Hagrid dropped his bow, grabbed Harry and Rowe in a tight hug, nearly breaking their ribs, then set them down. "I was terrified when I saw the red sparks! What happened?"

"It's a shadowy figure, Hagrid," Harry said breathlessly, his forehead still throbbing. "It...it's drinking unicorn blood."

Hagrid's face turned deathly pale: "Drinking blood? That's a serious crime! It's a curse! What is it...?"

"I don't know." Rowe put away his wand. "But it's very dangerous. Malfoy and Baskerville ran away in fright and their whereabouts are unknown."

"Malfoy?" Hagrid frowned, a flicker of anxiety in his eyes. "That idiot! Running around in the Forbidden Forest is a death sentence!"

Hagrid glanced at the four exhausted men and made a decision.

"Listen, I'll take you back to my cabin first; it's safe there." Hagrid picked up his stone bow, his tone unusually serious. "Then I have to go back. I need to find Malfoy and Tooth, and I also need to... to deal with that poor unicorn."

Half an hour later, a warm fire was lit in Hagrid's cabin.

Hagrid poured each of them a cup of hot tea, then slung his quiver over his shoulder again, picked up his stone bow, and once more ventured alone into the dark Forbidden Forest.

The room was quiet. Hermione and Neville wanted to ask something more, but Harry stared blankly at the fire, not saying a word. They turned to Rowe. Rowe reassured them, "It's nothing serious, Hagrid will handle it. You two should get some rest." Both were exhausted, curled up in the large chairs, and closed their eyes.

It wasn't until almost 2 a.m. that the door was pushed open.

Hagrid walked in covered in mud, followed by a dejected Tooth and a pale-faced De Malfoy.

"Found it." Hagrid hung the stone bow wearily on the wall. "The kid was terrified, hiding in a hollow tree, trembling. As for the unicorn... I've already buried it."

Malfoy didn't speak, nor did he mock Harry as usual. He huddled in the corner, trembling; clearly, the shadowy figure had left an indelible psychological scar on him.

No one slept well that night.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the spire of Hogwarts Castle, Hagrid escorted the five children across the meadow back to the castle gates.

Listen, children.

Before parting, Hagrid lowered his voice, his eyes filled with worry, "This is serious. I'll go report to Headmaster Dumbledore immediately. Don't mention tonight's events to anyone until the Headmaster makes a decision. Especially you, Harry."

Watching Hagrid turn and walk away, Rowe sighed softly.

Over the next few days, Hogwarts returned to its usual tranquility. Harry became taciturn, frequently touching his forehead unconsciously. Malfoy, on the other hand, took sick leave, reportedly receiving "fright treatment" in the infirmary.

As for Rowe, he began frantically hoarding food and practicing his "pan parry" technique, muttering something like, "Sauron's spies have infiltrated."

However, life doesn't stop because of the Dark Lord's shadow. For the students of Hogwarts, a threat even more imminent than the Dark Lord is approaching—the upcoming final exams!

library.

"The twelfth use of dragon's blood...the twelfth..."

Hermione sat opposite Rowe, her hair twice its usual size, making her look like a bristling cat. She clutched "Potions and Magic" tightly in her hand, muttering incantations to herself.

[Warning! The ally unit [Elf Scholar] is experiencing a rapid drop in Sanity!]

Current state: Confusion/Mania

Rowe sighed and put down the "History of Magic" in his hands. Under the system's filter, it wasn't a textbook at all, but a badly damaged "Map of Gondor's Fortifications".

"Calm down, Hermione," Rowe whispered. "This is just a battle, not the end of the world."

"You don't understand at all, Loewy!" Hermione looked up abruptly, her eyes dark circles like a panda's. "If I can't remember this, I won't pass Snape's Potions exam, then I'll be expelled, and then I'll..."

"Then you'll have no choice but to go mining in Lonely Mountain," Rowe continued.

Hermione glared at him, but clearly didn't have the energy to argue.

Rowe pulled a small square wrapped in leaves (which he had taken from herb class) from his robe pocket. Inside were his homemade high-calorie chocolate cookies from the kitchen.

"Here you go." Lowe pushed the small cube in front of Hermione.

"What is this?"

"Lambas," Rowe said with a serious expression, "is an elf's marching ration. A small bite is enough to keep a strong adult male running all day."

Hermione looked at the chocolate with suspicion: "This looks like a flattened Chocolate Frog from the kitchen."

"That's a disguise," Rowe said in a low voice, "to avoid being discovered by the orcs. Eat, you need to maintain your blood sugar levels to stay focused on your spellcasting."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but still grabbed the "Lambas" and took a big bite.

"...It really works." She mumbled, chewing on her chocolate. "I feel like my head is a little clearer."

"Of course." Rowe watched as Hermione's [Sanity] slowly recovered on the system interface and nodded in satisfaction. "But don't eat too much, Elf Princess. Gluttony is the original sin."

Five minutes later, Hermione finished the entire box of "Lambas" and began reciting the thirteenth use of dragon's blood (although the book only lists twelve).

Watching this scene, Lowe silently added a note to his mind: The elves of Hogwarts seem to have the appetite of hobbits.

...

Late at night, in the Hufflepuff common room.

Although it was already 1 a.m., the lounge was still brightly lit.

However, instead of studying hard, everyone was having a late-night snack!

"Love, wake up!"

A soft little hand pinched Rowe's cheek, pulling him out of his nightmare about the Battle of Helm's Deep.

Susan Burns was sitting cross-legged on the carpet opposite him, holding a book titled "A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms" in one hand and a pumpkin pie in the other.

"You've fallen asleep again," Susan said helplessly. "If you don't review the habits of mandrake, Professor Sprout will kill you. Even though she's our headmistress, she won't hold back when it comes to these things."

Luo Wei rubbed his eyes, looking at the ugly plants drawn on the pages of the book.

The system labels it as "Screaming Treeling Baby".

[Item: Mandrake]

[Attribute: Sonic attack / Instant death]

[Uses: Resurrection potion/Soup (requires detoxification)]

"This thing..." Rowe yawned, "If you don't wear earmuffs, its cries can send a person's soul straight to Mandos."

"That's right, so you have to be careful when repotting it." Susan stuffed a pie into her mouth and mumbled, "Also, its leaves can be used to make an antidote... got it?"

Rowe looked at Susan's mouth, which was covered in pumpkin bits, and at the badgers around her who were either playing cards, eating, or playfully slapping each other (actually, they were chatting).

There is none of Gryffindor's recklessness, none of Slytherin's coldness, and none of Ravenclaw's oppressive atmosphere here.

Here, there is only a warm fire, an endless supply of food, and a group of companions who still know how to enjoy life even on the eve of an exam.

Lowe felt a long-lost sense of peace.

But here, in this moment, he felt that even if Sauron's army were to invade tomorrow, these little badgers would probably ask first, "Can we eat orcs?"

"What are you laughing at?" Susan asked, looking at him curiously.

"It's nothing." Luo Wei stretched and grabbed a pie from the plate. "I just feel... this is the Ciel that's worth protecting."

"Charles?" Susan tilted her head. "Is that your hometown?"

"I guess so." Rowe took a bite of the pie, the sweet pumpkin flavor melting in his mouth. "A place with only good food, pipes, and peace."

"That sounds wonderful." Susan smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Would you like to take me there sometime?"

"There will be an opportunity," Luo Wei said softly, his eyes hardening.

[System notification: A fluctuation in the host's will has been detected.]

[Mental State: Guardian]

[Gain temporary buff: Last-minute cramming]

[Effect: Intelligence +1 (lasts until the end of the exam)]

Lowe felt a sudden surge of clarity in his mind, though it was only a little bit, but it felt like Gandalf had cast a spell of wisdom on him.

"Alright, Susan." Rowe sat up straight and picked up his thick herbalism textbook. "Let's deal with these tree-children. Slice them up or fry them?"

"It's changing the pot! Lowe! Not cooking!" Susan angrily hit him on the head with a book.

The lounge was filled with a cheerful atmosphere!