The days at Hogwarts

"It's not certain yet, maybe a few months, maybe even longer." The cold voice said, "Don't worry, Wormtail, I will let you return to Hogwarts at the beginning of the next school year."

The short and fat middle-aged wizard knelt down at once, tears and snot streaming down his face. He choked and said, "No, please, Master, don't send me back to Hogwarts... Master... Master..."

The cold voice lazily said: "Don't worry, Voldemort will not let an obedient servant go to his death. I still need to plan this matter carefully..."

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Harry suddenly woke up from his dream.

Chapter 237 Door-to-Door Delivery

Harry lay stretched out in bed, breathing heavily as if he had been running, and he had awakened from a very vivid dream, with his hands pressed to his face.

Under his finger, the lightning-shaped scar burned as if someone had just pressed a white-hot wire against his skin.

Bright white light shone into the Gryffindor common room from the window. Harry had not slept well last night, and the strong light made his eyes sting slightly.

Harry put his hands on his face and rubbed them hard, looking like he was going to rub his hands into his head. The pressure from the hard pressure made his breathing smoother, and the slight pain made him feel clearer.

"Let me find it..." Loren sat opposite Harry, holding a large book in one hand and turning the pages with the other hand. The parchment pages made a rustling sound when they were turned.

Hermione and Loren sat in a row, and Ron sat next to Harry, and they stared at Harry with worried eyes.

"That's it!" Loren spread the book flat on the table. "According to your description, the emblem you saw should be the school emblem of Ilvermorny."

Harry put down his hand that was rubbing his face, exhaled, and leaned over to look at the pattern in the book: "A giant bird like an eagle, a water snake with a long horn, a cat-leopard, a goblin... yes, this is it."

Harry pointed at the emblem composed of four animals, his mind full of doubts: "But, but I have never seen this thing. I have only heard of the name Ilvermorny before, why did I dream about Ilvermorny."

"Not only that, Harry." Hermione buried her head and read the following introduction. "Look here - Ilvermorny is located on the top of Mount Greylock. It is protected by many powerful magics and only appears occasionally when it is surrounded by clouds and mist. Marble statues of its founders, Isolt Sayre and James Stewart, are placed on both sides of its main entrance. The four animals symbolize their four colleges."

"Your dreams are completely realistic, they are not just imaginary dreams."

"But these are things I didn't know at all before." Harry's voice was a little flustered.

Loren looked at him seriously: "Harry, don't you understand? That was not a dream."

It's not a dream, it's real...

Harry once again covered his cheeks with his hands and rubbed them vigorously, trying to dispel the anxiety and pressure in his heart. He tried his best to recall the scene in his dream last night.

Everything was so real... Wormtail came out of Azkaban and controlled Crabbe... The potion made from unicorn blood and basilisk venom gave Voldemort the body of a baby.

When thinking of that person, Harry felt as if a piece of ice had slipped into his stomach, and the scar on his forehead was faintly stinging, interrupting Harry's memories. He raised his head and said firmly: "I have to tell Dumbledore this!"

"No, not now!" Ron pulled him back and lowered his voice.

"How are you going to describe your dream to Dumbledore, Harry?" Ron said worriedly. "You're seeing everything from Voldemort's perspective, and that's going to put you in a very awkward position. How long has it been since you learned Parseltongue? Don't forget, Colin and Justin are still in the hospital wing."

"Are we going to hide this?" Hermione asked back.

Although Ron was indeed trying to help Harry and didn't want Harry to be bullied again... but sometimes teammates just hold back and misunderstandings arise.

Loren pursed his lips and smiled softly: "I think Dumbledore will keep it a secret for us. He is worthy of our trust, isn't he?"

After a pause, he asked seriously, "Speaking of which, Harry, have you learned anything about Occlumency that you studied during the holidays?"

Harry scratched his head in shame: "Well..."

Half an hour later, in the principal's office.

Silver objects of various shapes were spinning and emitting small puffs of white smoke. Portraits of past principals were hung on the wall, carefully eavesdropping on the conversations of the people below.

Dumbledore, wearing crescent-shaped glasses and a gray and white robe, sat inside the desk, and four little wizards sat outside.

Harry tried his best to recall everything in his dream, trying to tell Dumbledore everything he saw and heard. Hermione and Dumbledore listened very carefully, and Lauren and Ron were also spinning the butter cookies on the table, very seriously.

After listening to Harry's story, Dumbledore asked the same question as Loren: "Harry, how is your learning of Occlumency going?"

"Professor, why are you and Loren so concerned about Occlumency?"

Hermione practiced Occlumency with Loren during the holidays and was very curious about this question.

Harry agreed, "I would like to know too. Sirius said it was a very obscure magic, specifically used to prevent the mind from being invaded by foreign things."

"Um--"

Dumbledore pondered for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I think you all know that Voldemort is difficult to kill. And that night many years ago, Harry defeated him, which established a mysterious connection between Harry and Voldemort."

The old bee took a detour. He did not lie, but just selectively told part of the truth.

Loren stopped stuffing the biscuits into his mouth. It seemed that Dumbledore still had some reservations and he didn't dare to tell Harry the whole truth.

Tsk! Even better than that Rita.

"I've noticed some signs. Every time I come into contact with something related to Voldemort, it reacts." Harry touched the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "But what does this have to do with Occlumency?"

Dumbledore looked at him gently. "Harry, you can enter Voldemort's perspective through this connection. Similarly, if he detects the passage between you, he can also follow the passage into your mind."

"This...this..." Harry felt as if he had fallen into an icy hole in the Black Lake in an instant. His whole body was cold and his heart was filled with chills.

Loren patted his shoulder and comforted him in time: "This is why you are asked to practice brain blocking."

These words were like the tentacles of a giant squid, pulling Harry out of the deep water and making him feel like he could breathe fresh air.

Harry came back to his senses after a while, and smiled bitterly: "I tried it during the holidays. It's harder than I thought. Sirius couldn't teach me."

"Harry, Severus is an expert in Occlumency. If you need it, you can ask him for help. Severus will not refuse you."

……

When they walked out of the headmaster's office in a daze and returned to the Gryffindor common room, Ron suddenly came to his senses and shouted in disbelief:

"We've been talking about Occlumency for a while, but nothing else?"

"Where's Crabbe? Where's Wormtail? Where's Voldemort's new body?"

Hermione looked thoughtful and said in an unpredictable tone: "He seemed to know a lot of things before we went to see Headmaster Dumbledore."

Loren looked at the little witch suspiciously. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that Hermione's eyes kept drifting towards him.

Did I get cookie crumbs on my face?

……

Hogsmeade is more lively on weekends than usual. The Honeydukes Candy Store is always packed with customers, Zonko's Magic Joke Shop is full of screams and laughter, and Madam Puddifoot's Tea House is full of pink bubbles...

Except for the bookstore, no one wants to waste time in the bookstore, after all, the school library is usually tired of reading. Anyway, there are not many customers, the owner of the bookstore always stays in the back room of the store, and the clerks don't know where to hide and slack off.

The bookstore was not in a good location, and in the past few people passed through this alley. But today, a strange guest walked into the remote alley.

Her hair was done in elaborate, stiff, weird curls that looked odd against her big-jawed face, and she wore jeweled glasses and clutched an alligator-skin handbag with her fat two-inch-long nails painted red.

Rita Skeeter found a corner where she would be hard to be noticed and pulled a letter from her crocodile-skin handbag.

The content of the letter is very concise:

Ms. Rita Skeeter:

I am very sorry to inform you that in order to maintain the daily teaching order of the school, I would like to reject your visit request on behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wish you a happy life.

Deputy Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

Her long, gorgeous nails made a harsh sound as they scraped against the letter paper. After tearing the letter paper into pieces, Rita, who had vented her anger, smiled smugly and said to herself:

"Professor McGonagall forgot to refuse the visit of a little beetle, although I did not apply in advance..."

A few seconds later, an inconspicuous little beetle flew out from a remote alley. It flapped its wings and flew towards the castle next to the village at the speed of an ordinary beetle...

On the second floor of the castle, there is a small study next to the corridor. There is a roaring fireplace in it, and you can see the Quidditch field outside the window. A hidden door leads to a bedroom with a gravel floor.

"Professor McGonagall, what do you want to talk to me about?" Sirius pushed the door open from outside the corridor and turned sideways, not wanting Professor McGonagall to see the bruise on his left eye.

"Sirius, we are colleagues now, you can call me by my name—" Professor McGonagall, who was busy marking documents, raised her head, as if catching a naughty student who was not obedient, and she saw what Sirius was covering up at a glance.

Professor McGonagall asked helplessly, "Are you in conflict with Severus again?"

"He thinks I'm unfit to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and I don't like him either, so it's a good opportunity for us to have a competition." Sirius pouted, not trying to hide it, and sat directly opposite Professor McGonagall. "I didn't suffer any loss, I hit him hard a few times."

Professor McGonagall didn't quite believe it, after all, Severus had never had any scars on his face.

"Are you going to keep fighting? Don't forget that you are professors!" Professor McGonagall said with a headache, "You should set a good example for your students!"

Sirius nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, I have already arranged a public duel with him. It will be in the next duel class."

Professor McGonagall felt even more troubled, and she chose not to continue to dwell on this topic:

"Sirius, I'm looking for you regarding the Animagus teaching class. I want to discuss with you how the three of you were able to complete the Animagus ritual on your own without any guidance, and all of them succeeded?"

Although Professor McGonagall herself is an Animagus, she has always been good at Transfiguration, and the practice process of Animagus is more like the talent taking effect.

Professor McGonagall was unsure whether her experience had any universal value.

Talking about the glorious deeds of the past, Sirius' eyes lit up, and he looked proud and childish. He took out the potion he carried with him and took a sip, recalling the events of the past with great interest.

"I think you all know, Professor McGonagall, that our friend, Remus Lupin, has a furry little problem and has to hide in the Shrieking Shack for a while every month. We discovered his little secret in our second year, and although he didn't say it, we all knew that he cared about it very much."

At this point, Sirius laughed and cursed, "He's still trying to put on an act in front of us. His acting is very poor."

Professor McGonagall nodded. Lupin's affairs were no secret to her. After all, it was Dumbledore who let Lupin spend the full moon night in the Shrieking Shack.

"In order to support Remus, we began to secretly learn the magic that allows us to transform into animals at will, that is, Animagus. We want to accompany Remus safely and control him during his transformation."

"That's what I thought at first, but things changed a little later." Sirius' eyes flashed with ill intent, and he smiled smugly, "Werewolves don't have much reason after transformation. In order to prevent Remus from hurting others, we also want to prevent him from hurting himself. In the beginning, James and I would beat him up every time the moon was full, and Peter Pettigrew would watch from the side."

"Sorry, I got off track." Sirius came back to his senses and sighed apologetically.

"Our learning process was not smooth. It took us three full years to understand those complicated principles of human body deformation. The control of two heartbeats, the control of animal emotions, the adaptation of the body, self-cognition...it's a lot of messy stuff." Sirius spread his hands.

"These are things that must be mastered in the learning process. They are not surprising." Professor McGonagall carefully analyzed every word in his sentence. "I want to know why you were able to succeed and how you did it?"

"You and James are among the most gifted students. I can reluctantly attribute your success to talent. But what about Peter Pettigrew?" Professor McGonagall asked, "His talent is not outstanding, and his grades are average. How did you teach him?"

As a high-level transformation magic, Animagus was extremely difficult to learn. There were only seven Animagus registered in the entire 20th century. Professor McGonagall could not imagine how they could learn it on their own and all succeed.

"I don't know, Professor." Sirius looked blank. "Although he was indeed the slowest one, he still succeeded."

For the next hour, Professor McGonagall asked them in detail about the process of learning Animagus. From holding a mandrake in their mouths, brewing potions under a full moon, and taking out potions on a stormy night...

Finally, Professor McGonagall keenly grasped a detail: "You mean, you have witnessed the werewolf's transformation many times?"

Chapter 238 Professor McGonagall: Headache

"Animagus is a special kind of human transformation that follows the basic principles of transfiguration. It is rigorous and true. I think that in the process of you watching werewolves transform many times, you have a deeper understanding of human transformation than ordinary people."

"Every process of the werewolf transformation is deeply engraved in your mind. You understand the changes in the body and the transformation between man and beast."

"You have a deeper understanding than most people of the process of beast thinking invading human thinking. The werewolf state makes you firm in your beliefs and never be dominated by the wild."

With her extensive knowledge of Transfiguration and her deep understanding of Animagus, Professor McGonagall quickly analyzed the key points from their experiences.

"There are two key points. One is the detailed physical transformation process, which is detailed enough to allow students to master the transformation between human body and beast. The other is spiritual counseling, which allows students to be firm in their hearts and not be affected by wildness."

Seeing Professor McGonagall's excited expression, Sirius couldn't help but say, "Professor McGonagall, this doesn't seem to be popularizable. We can't find a werewolf and have him transform repeatedly in front of the students, right?"

"Will Remus Lupin accept our invitation?" Professor McGonagall asked, even though she knew the request was offensive.

"I don't think Remus would be willing to expose his embarrassing side to the public, especially in front of so many students." Sirius refused without thinking.

He had recently reconnected with Remus, and he was having a hard time, which seemed to make his already low self-esteem even more sensitive.

Out of respect, Sirius could not directly give Lupin financial assistance, and Lupin would not agree to such a job that would sell his dignity. Sirius was recently thinking about how he could give the wolfsbane potion as a reasonable gift and let Lupin accept it with peace of mind.

Professor McGonagall fell into deep thought. She knew something about Loren's affairs, but she quickly ruled out the idea... It would be irresponsible to let an ordinary person participate in such a thing. Moreover, if a wizard or werewolf felt that such behavior was humiliating, it would be equally offensive to a Muggle.

Sirius also wanted to fulfill some of his duties as a professor for his students: "We can solve one of them. Now that we have two Animagus in the school, letting students watch our transformation process repeatedly can deepen their understanding of the changes between humans and animals. At least it can ensure that no one of them will grow scales or horns forever."

Professor McGonagall's lips were pressed tightly into a straight line. "No, that's not guaranteed. Your success in learning Animagus was partly due to luck."

Sirius was confused: "Isn't it because of Remus?"

"Yes, but not all." Professor McGonagall gradually sorted out her thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Wolf, mouse, dog, stag. Did you find out, Sirius, that the animals you transformed into are the same kind."

Sirius had a very flexible mind, and he vaguely grasped some clues: "There is hair on the body, it runs on four legs, and it breathes with lungs..."

"There are many similarities. Your limbs will still transform into limbs, instead of your hands turning into wings and your feet turning into claws. Your hands will not turn into fins, and your feet will not fold into a fish tail... Your internal organs will still transform into similar internal organs, instead of having gills or other different organs."

"Your Animagus happen to be a type of animal that has a lot of similarities. They happen to be animals similar to wolves."

Professor McGonagall paused and looked at him seriously, "Sirius, you are really, very lucky."

Sirius was not too happy to be praised, but felt a little scared. He patted his chest thankfully and said, "If any of us were other animals... owls, perch or something like that, we would be in big trouble now."

He said with lingering fear: "Professor, after the Animagus teaching class starts, be careful not to let other little wizards imitate you. If something goes wrong, it will be troublesome."

"you're right."