The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

“Impossible!” Eddie said. “What wizard would willingly turn into a rat for such a long time? Especially for a full twelve years!”

Roger nodded. "Indeed, to be turned into a rat for 12 years? Just thinking about it is insane."

Scott smiled. "Perhaps it has a reason to hide?"

Eddie still didn't believe it. "There are plenty of places to hide in this world. You don't have to turn into a rat and be kept as a pet by a little wizard!"

“My judgment wasn’t based solely on the fact that the rat lived for 12 years,” Scott said. “It possessed a kind of magic that was extremely difficult to perceive.”

Unless one possesses a perceptive talent like his, an ordinary wizard would likely not be able to detect anything amiss.

“Maybe that’s why it lived for 12 years?” Eddie said.

“No, I can sense traces of Transfiguration,” Scott said definitively.

He turned to face the castle.

“Let’s go find Professor McGonagall.”

Now that he had encountered the issue and had a reason to do so, Scott had no reason not to resolve it beforehand.

He didn't want to have such close encounters with Dementors next semester, just like in the "original story."

And, the holiday is just around the corner.

This means that even if this matter is brought to light now, it will not affect these students who are about to leave the college.

“Oh! I must go and see!” Eddie chased after him.

Scott strode to Professor McGonagall's office on the second floor of the castle.

Roger and Eddie stopped at the other end of the corridor.

Scott raised his hand and gently knocked on the office door.

"Please come in."

The office door opened.

Good evening, Professor McGonagall.

Scott walked into the office alone and found that the painting he had given to Professor McGonagall was now hanging on the wall.

Professor McGonagall, who was sitting behind her desk, looked up and was somewhat surprised to find that the person who had come in was Scott.

“Good evening, Mr. Trollope,” she said. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

"There's something I need to tell you, Professor McGonagall."

Scott closed the door behind him and walked to Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Have you seen Ron's pet mouse?"

"Mr. Weasley's pet?" Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses and looked at Scott. "I haven't paid attention to the students' pets, so is there something wrong with Mr. Weasley's rat?"

“I suspect that rat is some wizard’s Animagus,” Scott said directly.

Professor McGonagall paused.

"Are you sure?" she asked Scott in surprise.

Chapter 231 Professor McGonagall Catches a Mouse

Scott said to Professor McGonagall, "Of course I didn't come here just to joke with you, Professor."

Professor McGonagall put down her quill and then stood up.

“Tell me the specifics, Mr. Trollope.”

She came out from behind her desk.

Scott nodded. "I only saw the rat for the first time today too. Ron wants Hagrid to take a look; he thinks it's about to die..."

Under Professor McGonagall's watchful eye, he quickly got to the point, "I hadn't paid any attention until Harry told me that the rat had been in the Weasleys for almost 12 years."

Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together even tighter, which deepened the nasolabial folds on her face and enhanced her seriousness.

Anyone would find it strange that an ordinary mouse could live that long.

Scott continued, "I spoke with Ron, and then came into close contact with the rat... Using my magical senses, I confirmed that it was a wizard's Animagus."

"You can sense Animagus?" Professor McGonagall was clearly very curious about this.

But she walked straight out of the office.

"Although I am very interested in how you did this, I have decided to trust you... or rather, for the safety of the students, I must verify the truth of this matter. In any case, let's resolve this first."

"Of course, you are right, Professor."

Scott followed her out of the office.

He gently waved to Roger and Eddie on the other side of the corridor.

Professor McGonagall stood for a moment in front of a portrait in the corridor, seemingly asking about Ron's whereabouts.

As Roger and Eddie walked up to Scott, she continued walking towards the spiral staircase without stopping.

“Keep up, Mr. Trollope,” she said as she walked. “If the rats escape in a moment, perhaps your abilities can be of help.”

“Yes, Professor,” Scott replied and quickly followed.

The group soon arrived at the spiral staircase.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand.

“I need to go to the eighth floor,” she said in a commanding tone.

The ever-changing staircases immediately formed a path in front of her that led fastest to the eighth floor, and then stopped changing.

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but smile. "I've wanted to try this feature for a while now, and of course, there's also..."

She stopped abruptly and quickly climbed the stairs.

Scott looked up at the armor and statues scattered across the surrounding walls.

The sudden change in the spiral staircase naturally attracted the attention of many students, who began to discuss it animatedly.

They immediately stopped their discussion when they saw Professor McGonagall.

As Professor McGonagall and her group walked by, many students unconsciously followed behind them.

Their desire to watch the excitement was quite obvious.

Before long, Professor McGonagall stood at the door of the Gryffindor common room.

"Step back."

She said something to the students who were watching the commotion behind her.

Then he said to Scott, "Of course, you shouldn't come in with me for now. If what you're saying is true, it might alert that rat."

Scott nodded. "I'll stay here, Professor."

Professor McGonagall looked at the huge portrait again.

The portrait depicts the Fat Lady, the caretaker of the Gryffindor common room.

In the painting, the plump lady bows to Professor McGonagall outside the painting, saying, "Good evening, Professor McGonagall."

“Good evening, madam. The password is Lion’s Mane,” Professor McGonagall said.

The plump lady smiled and nodded, and the entire painting was moved aside, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a cave entrance, because the entrance was really small, and the young wizards had to bend over to get in and out.

This is even more difficult for Professor McGonagall.

It's hard to imagine Professor McGonagall bending over and crawling in in front of so many students.

Scott noticed that many people around him had already craned their necks.

Especially Eddie.

But Professor McGonagall couldn't bear to lose face in front of her students.

She quickly transformed into a spotted cat and gracefully walked into the opening of the common room.

Scott heard many students sighing in disappointment.

These guys...

He couldn't help but shake his head.

How much do you want to see the professor embarrass himself!

At this moment, the portrait of the fat lady once again covered the entrance.

"Are you going in or not?" she said to the students, sounding somewhat annoyed. "If you don't have anything to do, don't crowd around here!"

But the students remained unmoved.

They were very curious about what had happened.

Especially the Gryffindor students who came with them.

It was already unusual for Professor McGonagall to visit the Gryffindor common room, but she even brought three Ravenclaws with her!

While waiting, students would occasionally ask Scott and his two companions questions, trying to find out something.

But all three kept quiet.

Even Eddie, who is usually very talkative, kept quiet.

Students who knew him immediately sensed that something serious must have happened.

Under their influence, everyone became serious and tense.

"..."

Scott, who had just been annoyed by the questions, never expected that these guys would "self-defeat" them like this.

Thanks, Eddie.

Is this another clever use of a big mouth?

The group didn't have to wait long.