Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 172 Have you ever heard of Nicolas Flamel?

Puni did not look back as Voldemort's flames engulfed the woods.

He landed on a relatively open slope, first laying the unconscious unicorn cub flat, and then moving the remains of the two adult unicorns to the shade of a tree.

Qiu squatted down beside the cub, placed her hand on its forehead, and quietly felt it for a long time before speaking in a low voice.

"He's still breathing, just very weakly."

Hagrid ran all the way here, the hem of his cloak covered in mud.

He saw the unicorn on the ground, stopped in his tracks, and moved his lips, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

The Forbidden Forest was never short of danger, but he never imagined that someone would kill a unicorn like this.

"Save the survivors first."

Puni said.

Hagrid snapped back to his senses, knelt down beside the cub, and gently stroked its neck.

Puni drew his wand, first using a levitation spell to lift the two bodies, then casting a concealment spell nearby.

He knew very well that Voldemort being temporarily held back by the offensive did not mean they had time to linger here and grieve.

"Qiu, can you confirm if he's chasing after us?"

Qiu closed her eyes, and after a moment shook her head: "That uncomfortable aura is still there, it hasn't come any closer."

"Then let's go back to the castle."

The three of them stopped arguing.

Hagrid picked up the cub, while Puni and Cho each controlled a corpse, and they retraced their steps.

By the time they crossed the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the windows of Hogwarts Castle were already illuminated in the night, and from a distance, everything looked peaceful and undisturbed, as if nothing had happened.

Dumbledore arrived at the foyer earlier than they did.

He saw the cub in Hagrid's arms, and then the two bodies hanging in mid-air; the smile on his face slowly faded.

Puni recounted everything he saw in the Forbidden Forest briefly, stating only the facts without exaggeration or judgment.

"That shadowy figure used Avada Kedavra."

Hagrid clenched his fists. "He killed them, and he's still—still eating them."

Dumbledore remained silent for a long time before raising his hand and patting Hagrid on the shoulder.

"You did the right thing tonight."

He said, "No one needs to put themselves in front of a dark wizard just to show off."

Hagrid didn't answer, he just clutched the hat in his hand.

He loved to talk about every animal in the Forbidden Forest, and he couldn't bear to throw away even the shed shells of spiders.

This time, however, he found it difficult to even take a second look at the two unicorn carcasses.

Qiu stood aside, offering no words of comfort, but simply covering the cub even more tightly.

Seeing this, Puni suddenly realized that the trouble left behind by Voldemort was not just a near-miss battle.

Some will remember the flash of fire, while others will remember the blood on the unicorn.

Dumbledore clearly understood this as well, which is why he didn't immediately press for every detail.

He arranged for someone to take the unicorn to the school hospital, and then told Hagrid to wash off the bloodstains on his body first.

As for Voldemort, Dumbledore didn't say much in the foyer, only telling Penny and Cho to go back and rest.

When Kopni returned to the Ravenclaw Tower, it was almost dawn.

A few days later, the Christmas holidays were just around the corner, and the atmosphere in the castle remained cheerful.

The students talked about gifts, going home, and holiday plans, as if the bloodshed in the Forbidden Forest was just a nightmare they didn't want to talk about.

Puni didn't tell too many people about what happened that night.

Since Dumbledore had instructed them to keep quiet, he wouldn't trade such a thing for the amazement of others.

That afternoon, Puni ran into Cedric at the sidelines of the stadium.

Cedric had just finished flight training, his broom tucked under his arm, his shoes damp with grass.

He had originally planned to go straight back to the Hufflepuff lounge, but when he saw Puni sitting in the last row of the stands with several pages of Transfiguration notes spread out on his lap, he turned over.

"Still looking at this?" Cedric sat down next to him.

"I didn't do the exercises Professor McGonagall left me smoothly."

Puni said.

Cedric glanced down.

The parchment depicts the skeleton of a mouse, along with the bottom, rim, and handle of a cup.

"Did you turn the cup into a mouse?"

"That's how it was originally."

"It's more like stuffing a grumpy mouse into a cup," Puni said.

Cedric smiled.

He took the quill pen and drew a few short lines on the corner of the paper.

"Professor McGonagall once said that the worst thing about Transfiguration is remembering only the name. If you want to turn a cup into a mouse, you can't just think about four legs and a tail. You have to think about how the ears should stand up, how the back should be arched, and where the paws should land. If the details are messed up, the magic will go in the wrong direction."

After listening, Puni nodded.

"That's right."

Transfiguration isn't about forcibly twisting something; it's about first convincing yourself that it has become something else.

The two continued their conversation on this topic.

First came Transfiguration, then Charms, and then they talked about why Professor Flitwick could make repetitive exercises sound less tedious.

As darkness fell, only the sound of the wind blowing through the stands remained on the field.

Later, Cedric suddenly fell silent.

"My parents want me to work for the Ministry of Magic in the future," he said.

Puni didn't urge him.

"They think the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is good, at least you won't go astray. I also want to join the Ministry of Magic, but it's not because they made the decision for me."

Cedric bent down and flicked the twig at the end of the broom. "My father works in the Department of Magical Creature Management and Control. He often comes home very late, and sometimes he gets injured while on field missions. I want to learn more as soon as possible so that I can work with him in the future and at least share some of his burdens."

After he finished speaking, as if afraid that Puni would think he had said too much, he raised his hand and scratched the back of his head.

"Isn't that pretty childish?"

"Not childish."

Puni said.

Cedric looked up.

"Knowing why you're working hard is much better than just following others. First, get good grades and skills, and when you graduate, the choices will be in your own hands. You want to help your father, but you also want to walk your own path. These two things are not in conflict."

Cedric paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"I used to think that the more I thought, the better prepared I would be, but now I realize that I had trapped myself."

"Thinking too much is not wrong."

Puni put his notebook away. "Just don't stand still and think about it."

Cedric smiled and extended his hand to him.

"Thank you. From now on, just call me Cedric."

Puni took his hand.

"Puni".

The castle lights were already on when the two got up and left the stands.

The holiday hasn't started yet, and no new troubles have emerged, but this brief period of calm isn't unpleasant.

The next morning, just as breakfast was being served in the Great Hall, an uncontrollable burst of laughter came from the Slytherin table.

The following morning, the Great Hall of Hogwarts was no longer silent from the night.

The breakfasts carefully prepared by the kitchen elves were laid out on the long table one after another. The aroma of warm bread, milk and grains mingled and filled the entire hall, creating a rich festive atmosphere for the start of the Christmas holidays.

The tranquil and warm atmosphere was quickly broken by a commotion. Uncontrollable gasps came first from the Slytherin table, followed by bursts of laughter from the entire table.

All the laughter was focused on Draco Malfoy.

Her once meticulously styled, perfectly colored platinum blonde hair has completely disappeared, replaced by a head of bright pink short hair with extremely high saturation and an exceptionally eye-catching appearance.

Draco's face flushed red, his ears burned, and he was filled with undisguised shame and anger.

Crabbe and Goyle, standing beside him, were laughing so hard they were doubled over, showing no regard for their friendship, which immediately ignited Draco's anger.

He opened his mouth as if to reprimand the two of them, but each time he opened his mouth, it was accompanied by a muffled, frustrated whimper, while he exhaled a series of colorful bubbles of different sizes, which floated lightly onto the table and his shoulders, making him look extremely comical.

In the corner of the auditorium stood a tall evergreen Christmas tree with lush and neat branches, its branches adorned with mistletoe twigs and specially made magic ribbons.

Magically created snowflakes drifted slowly down from the sky above the auditorium, landing on the branches and ribbons of the Christmas tree, reflecting a little bit of light.

Professor Flitwick hovered in mid-air, waving his wand to precisely adjust the position of the decorations on the tree, with magical glimmers constantly emanating from the tip of the wand.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of desserts and the cool scent of pine needles and herbs, creating a particularly strong festive atmosphere.

In stark contrast to the bustling and vibrant Great Hall, the library, nestled deep within the castle, is enveloped in utter tranquility.

Even on the eve of the Christmas holidays, the place maintains its solemn atmosphere. The thick stone walls isolate it from all the laughter and noise of the outside world, creating a quiet world of its own.

Puni sat alone at the reading table next to the bookshelf, burying himself in a thick book, "Detailed Analysis of Arithmetic Divination".

The pages are yellowed, the handwriting is dense and intricate, and the whole book is full of complex numerical deductions and pattern demonstrations.

He originally planned to use the free time before the exam to review the knowledge points, but the strong Christmas atmosphere outside kept disturbing his mind, causing his concentration to wander repeatedly, and he was unable to calm down and analyze the reasoning logic behind the numbers.

In a daze, he suddenly remembered a trivial matter that he had completely put aside.

With the Christmas holidays approaching, most teachers and students on campus have already prepared holiday gifts to exchange, but he has not prepared any gifts yet, completely forgetting about it.

Just as he was pondering a way to remedy the situation, several voices, deliberately lowered but still carrying obvious emotional fluctuations, came from the restricted book area.

The voice was kept very low, yet it was exceptionally clear in the quiet library.

Puni temporarily closed the heavy book in his hands and looked up toward the source of the sound.

At a small round table next to the restricted book section, three familiar figures sat closely together, their heads close together, deliberately lowering their voices to talk in hushed tones. It was Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Ron lowered his voice and recounted the amusing incident that had just occurred in the auditorium, his words filled with schadenfreude.

"You didn't see it with your own eyes, Malfoy's pink hair was absolutely hilarious! It's said that he was under some unknown prank curse, and Madam Pomfrey tried all sorts of healing methods, but none of them could remove the effect on the spot. Now, he can only endure the entire Christmas holiday with this strange hair color."

"Now is not the time to dwell on the Malfoy farce."

Hermione immediately interrupted his chatter, her voice serious and somewhat helpless.

A large, old, and heavy ancient book lay open in front of her. She pressed one hand on a passage on the page, her gaze never leaving the words.

"I specifically invited you to the library, not to listen to these irrelevant gossips. We need to hurry up and verify the information. I recently found a crucial clue related to a man named Nicolas Flamel."

Upon hearing the name, Puni paused, his wrist gripping the quill pen.

Nicolas Flamel?

He is recognized as a top alchemist in the magical world and is the only legendary wizard in the world who has mastered the craft of making Philosopher's Stones. He holds an irreplaceable position in the entire history of European magic.

During that visit, Lemaître himself was gentle and humble, completely lacking the aloofness and arrogance of a legendary master. He even showed Puni several basic alchemy products that he had personally crafted.

The most precious and awe-inspiring of all is the Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate alchemical creation he painstakingly crafted throughout his life.

This treasure is the ultimate goal pursued by countless wizards throughout the magical world, possessing two top-tier abilities that overturn the understanding of the magical world.

Firstly, it can reshape the essence of metal, completely transforming ordinary iron into pure gold.

Secondly, it is the only core ingredient for refining the elixir of immortality.

Throughout history, countless alchemists have devoted their lives to replicating the process of crafting the Philosopher's Stone, only to ultimately fail.

The only remaining Philosopher's Stone in the world has always been kept by Nicolas Flamel and has never been leaked.

Puni stood up, just as the three people not far away finished their brief discussion and went their separate ways.

Hermione stared intently at the parchment in her hand, occasionally tapping the paper with her pen as she carefully compared it with the newly found information.

Ron lost interest in the discussion and stood listlessly among the bookshelves.

Harry, however, kept staring at the restricted book section, clearly wanting to go inside and take a look.

However, without the professor's special permission slip, he was not qualified to enter the restricted area at all.

Mrs. Pince, who was in charge of the library, had already noticed his behavior and her expression became increasingly stern. She was convinced that Harry was causing trouble for no reason and wantonly testing the limits of the rules, and she was ready to go forward and drive him away.

Puni picked up the heavy book, "Detailed Analysis of Arithmetic Divination," and slowed his pace, pretending to be simply checking out a book as usual, and calmly walked towards Mrs. Pince's work table.

As he walked, his gaze swept steadily across the room, taking in the state and movements of each of the three people. Upon arriving at the worktable, he gently placed the heavy book on the table and nodded politely to Mrs. Pins.

"Mrs. Pince, I would like to check out this book."

At this moment, Mrs. Pince was furious because of Harry's probing behavior, her expression tense and her attitude stern.

When he turned around and saw that the person who came was Puni, the sharp look on his face softened considerably.

She was very impressed with this student who excelled academically and followed school rules. Without asking any further questions, she skillfully picked up the registration quill and quickly recorded the information in the borrowing register.

Taking advantage of Mrs. Pince's focus on processing the paperwork and her lack of attention to her surroundings, Harry seized the opportunity and quickly and quietly left the library to avoid being chased away with a feather duster by the grumpy librarian later, thus avoiding an embarrassing situation.

After completing the borrowing procedures, Puni left the library with the books in her arms.

The stone door closed behind him, and the cold wind from the corridor seeped in through the cracks in the high window, making the hem of his robe flutter.

Puni stepped out of the library's stone gate, carrying the heavy "Detailed Analysis of Arithmetic Occupation," and the chilly air of the winter afternoon instantly enveloped him.

The light outside the castle was pale, slanting into the corridor through the narrow castle windows, making the stone walls appear even colder and heavier.

His disheveled black hair was gently stirred by the breeze flowing through the window. The boy's brows furrowed slightly, his expression filled with lingering contemplation, as he was immersed in his own thoughts.

Harry noticed Penny walking out of the library and a glint of light instantly appeared in his eyes.

Harry immediately straightened his slightly tilted posture, hesitated for a moment, and finally took the initiative to step forward, intending to ask for advice.

"Puni".

Harry took the initiative to greet him, but seemed a little reserved, and spoke in a very low voice.

"I know you are very knowledgeable, so I'd like to ask if you've ever heard of Nicolas Flamel?"

Puni quietly scrutinized the boy in front of him. The pale sunlight fell on Harry's face, making his clear green eyes shine even brighter.

Those eyes held both confusion and an unwavering desire to prove something.

This is the core of Dumbledore's grand scheme, the young man who was gradually pushed into the heart of the turmoil.

Nicolas Flamel's name is not a top secret; it's just that most lower-grade students don't have enough exposure to it to know about it.

Even if he didn't reveal the truth now, Harry and his two friends would be able to find the relevant information on their own sooner or later by consulting the ancient books, and it wouldn't interfere with Dumbledore's plan in any way.

Puni didn't answer immediately. After a brief silence, his gaze swept over Harry's shoulder and looked into the dim light and shadows deep in the corridor, his eyes distant.

The boy's voice was calm and composed, carrying a clarity and maturity far beyond his years, as he slowly began to speak.

"Potter, there is a profound principle recorded in the books of arithmetic and divination: all answers leave traces before the end, but most people don't pay attention to the little things around them."

This obscure hint left Hareton rooted to the spot, his clear eyes instantly filled with confusion, his mind momentarily blank, completely unable to immediately grasp its deeper meaning.

Having received the hint and achieved his goal, Puni offered no further explanation. He simply nodded slightly to the bewildered Harry, then clutched the heavy tome in his arms and turned to walk slowly away down the long castle corridor.

"You can come visit me during the holidays if you're free, but I might not be going back."

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