Thank you, Hagrid." Dumbledore and Hagrid walked a few steps forward together, and he pressed his wrinkled hand onto the equally wrinkled tree trunk, feeling the aura emanating from the tree, and at the same time, the magic of life.
This was the Whomping Willow he personally planted for Lupin in 1971.
Whenever the full moon arrived, Lupin would enter the shack through the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow.
The howling of a werewolf often came from there.
Therefore, it was also called the Shrieking Shack, and many years had passed in a flash.
With Lupin's departure, that shack was completely abandoned, but the secret passage led directly to Hogsmeade Village outside, so Dumbledore was unwilling to expose it and had already hidden it with a spell before coming.
Professor McGonagall, who had been startled all day, also naturally calmed down to experience the miracle of life before her eyes.
She finally understood firsthand why Dumbledore repeatedly emphasized Chu Yang's importance, even paying as much attention to him as to Harry Potter.
This was a magical power beyond common sense, and it had even faintly touched some ancient taboo of magic.
Study it, perfect it, break it…
This process would lead current magic into a whole new realm!
Professor McGonagall couldn't help but look back at Chu Yang; in a sense, he was even more important than Harry Potter, the Savior.
"Getting old makes one prone to dwelling on the past." Dumbledore patted the Whomping Willow and sighed, "It's no longer suitable to stay at the school now; it might pose a threat to students."
Hagrid thought Dumbledore was going to destroy the tree and quickly explained, "Chu Yang can command it."
"Even so, it's not suitable," Dumbledore slowly shook his head, worrying about the students' safety was one aspect, but what was more concerning was actually Voldemort.
Voldemort, who might return at any time, was like an unpredictable bomb; he was hidden in the darkness, and if he sensed the unusualness of the Whomping Willow, he might follow the clues to find Chu Yang.
Dumbledore couldn't let Chu Yang face this risk directly; he wasn't Harry Potter, protected by his mother Lily's blood curse.
Given Voldemort's current state, Chu Yang's intrinsic value was no less than Harry Potter's; he would obtain him at all costs.
Chu Yang suddenly suggested, "Why not leave this Whomping Willow in the Forbidden Forest and let Hagrid take care of it? That way, no one will ever know."
Chu Yang couldn't let go of the Whomping Willow; it still had potential to be tapped, which would be of considerable help to Chu Yang in the future.
Dumbledore hesitated for a moment but finally nodded in agreement; in fact, he was also very interested in the Whomping Willow's current state and wanted to study it in depth.
Hagrid was the happiest; the more he looked at Chu Yang, the more pleasing he found him!
Watching Chu Yang's retreating figure, the nearly 10-meter-tall Whomping Willow stood up and walked towards the Forbidden Forest, looking quite humanoid from a distance, and with every step, the surroundings shook.
Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall took Chu Yang back to Hogwarts, and since it was mealtime, the three went straight to the Great Hall.
At the entrance, the "minus-points trio" and Neville were waiting anxiously; without seeing Chu Yang return safely, no delicious food could go down their throats.
Fortunately, Chu Yang returned in time; when he and Headmaster Dumbledore stepped inside, Harry's gloomy eyes instantly lit up!
"Chu Yang!"
The few of them happily shouted Chu Yang's name and then rushed towards him.
Harry was so excited that tears were almost flowing; he was the first to rush towards Chu Yang, wanting to give him a hug.
But Chu Yang, being a straight man, found it very difficult to accept men expressing affection in this way, so he sidestepped Harry's hug.
Then he dodged Ron's hug, and incidentally, Neville's hug as well.
Under the trio's aggrieved gazes, Chu Yang opened his arms to Hermione; the two embraced tightly, then released each other.
"Thank goodness you're safe! It's really great!" Hermione's eyes were red; after waiting for so long, she had clearly thought Chu Yang had met with an accident.
"Fortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall appeared in time." Chu Yang looked relieved, as if he had just experienced a life-or-death escape.
Subsequently, Ron, Harry, and others gathered around, and Ron said indignantly, "You guy actually dodged our hugs?"
Chu Yang sincerely replied, "My emotions weren't very stable just now, and you suddenly rushed over and scared me, so I instinctively dodged. Otherwise, if you come again, I promise not to dodge."
"Forget it!" Ron instantly deflated.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, how much longer do we have to stand outside? Aren't your stomachs hungry?" Professor McGonagall said unhurriedly, and her authority instantly enveloped Harry and the others.
Upon hearing this, the young wizards dared not say anything more, nervously pushed open the Great Hall doors, and entered one by one.
Because it wasn't a special holiday, students eating in the Great Hall usually left as soon as they finished, which often left the hall empty.
The first-year students from both Gryffindor and Slytherin houses remained there; most of them were waiting for news of Chu Yang, and some Slytherins wanted to leave but couldn't.
Whether they stayed willingly or were unable to leave, the moment they saw Chu Yang return safely, they spontaneously erupted in fervent cheers!
"For Chu Yang's excellent performance in the recent incident, twenty points to Slytherin!"
Chapter 46: Second Confrontation with Snape
"Correspondingly, because Harry Potter's recklessness put his classmates in danger, twenty points are deducted from Gryffindor."
The cheers from Gryffindor immediately stopped.
Slytherin, however, cheered even louder, the girls looking triumphant.
Harry stood rooted to the spot, awkward and guilty, knowing he had caused the commotion and brought trouble to everyone.
"Harry, don't be so dejected. This was just an accident, believe me, there's no Whomping Willow on the Quidditch pitch. You'll become an excellent Seeker because you have excellent genes." Chu Yang gently put his arm around Harry's shoulder and comforted him in his ear.
"Chu Yang is right!" Ron also encouraged him, "You're the fastest learner and best flyer besides Chu Yang; no one else can compare to you!"
Harry scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. Ron was clearly comforting him, but why did it sound so awkward?
"Ron, your words don't sound comforting at all!" Hermione frowned and said disapprovingly, "Next time you comfort someone, please speak from their perspective!"
Ron looked bewildered.
"Please allow me to interrupt your conversation." Professor McGonagall walked over. "I need Mr. Potter to come with me for a moment."
"Of course, Professor McGonagall!" Harry replied nervously, then followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.
"He hasn't eaten yet…" Ron muttered, then clutched his stomach. "I'm starving too!"
After wolfing down dinner, Chu Yang wanted to go to the Forbidden Forest under the cover of darkness to see the mutated Whomping Willow, but he was blocked at the entrance by Professor McGonagall, who arrived in a hurry.
"I recall there's a school rule that students are not allowed to leave the school freely after dark." Professor McGonagall's stern voice echoed in Chu Yang's ears. "Am I right, Mr. Chu Yang?"
Chu Yang laughed awkwardly, "Yes, Professor."
"Headmaster Dumbledore was right, your mind is full of tricks; I have to keep an eye on you at all times." Professor McGonagall seemed to anticipate her future busy schedule and rubbed her brow wearily. "Now, immediately, return to your dormitory!"
"Good night, Professor McGonagall." Chu Yang tried to salvage his image with an innocent smile, but Professor McGonagall remained unmoved, staring at him indifferently. Helpless, Chu Yang could only bypass Professor McGonagall and walk towards the dark and damp dungeons.
In just two days, the surprises Chu Yang had given Dumbledore were somewhat excessive; the old man had no choice but to guard against him strictly.
Returning to the Slytherin common room, Chu Yang found it unusually quiet.
Upon closer inspection, he realized Snape was sitting upright on the sofa.
"Good evening, Professor Snape." Chu Yang greeted Snape amiably, feeling a little surprised; Snape rarely came to the common room.
"Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to arrange a double room for you. I didn't realize you had such pull, Mr. Chu Yang." Snape stood up, his words as sarcastic as ever.
"Headmaster Dumbledore probably did this to ensure that the Slytherin first-years wouldn't fill up the hospital wing," Chu Yang retorted without weakness. "If only I, as the sole male student from Slytherin, attended classes for an entire semester, it would damage the house's reputation."
Snape's face turned ashen; Chu Yang's sharp tongue always exceeded his expectations.
Having achieved his goal of annoyance, Chu Yang didn't forget to offer Snape a sweet gesture. "Professor, today I earned twenty points for Slytherin, which has already made up for the points deducted earlier."
"Do I need to congratulate you?" Snape snorted coldly, his expression softening considerably. He turned and walked quickly towards the spiral staircase. "Follow me, I'll take you to your new dormitory, but I must warn you in advance, don't get into conflicts with your roommate again!"
Chu Yang followed closely behind Snape, smiling politely, "I promise, as long as he doesn't provoke me, I definitely won't make a move."
Snape acted as if he hadn't heard his promise, as if it meant nothing.
Double rooms in Slytherin were usually reserved for older students, and their location was closer to the prefects' rooms.
Similar to the prefects' single rooms, the double rooms also had private bathrooms, not requiring sharing with others.
The double room was spacious, equivalent to two people using the space meant for six.
Two large beds were positioned on the left and right, each occupying a spot by the window.
Chu Yang smiled contentedly. Although sharing a room with someone made him a little uncomfortable, at least the space was large enough that he could mostly ignore the other person's presence.
"This will be your new room from now on. I hope you'll settle in quietly. I don't want to have to change your room a second time this semester." Snape narrowed his eyes and asked, "I hope you understand what I mean, Mr. Chu Yang."
"I've received enough warnings today, Professor Snape." Chu Yang's previous good attitude was gone; he replied coldly, "Good night to you!"
Snape snorted coldly and turned to leave. He had originally intended to ask about the accident during today's flying lesson in detail, but Chu Yang's attitude made him abandon the idea.
Snape still quite admired Chu Yang, firstly because of the extraordinary learning ability Chu Yang displayed, and secondly because Chu Yang possessed a bravery and composure far beyond his peers.
Having taught for so many years, Snape had never seen an 11-year-old child engage in verbal sparring with a professor as unyieldingly as Chu Yang, and even hold his own.
Yet, strangely enough, despite admiring Chu Yang so much, Snape would still be easily provoked by him. Besides his sharp words, Snape also felt a sense of arrogance in Chu Yang's demeanor that seemed to transcend wizards.
As if he himself was much nobler than the existence of wizards!
Snape found this very perplexing and very annoying.
Snape did not know that part of Chu Yang's superiority came from the golden finger he possessed.
Another part came from his understanding of the future of the non-magical world.
Even though wizards seemed superior now, their glory would eventually become ancient history; modern science was developing at a speed that wizards could not comprehend.
Meanwhile, the development of the magical world had been stagnant for many years, coupled with the outdated thinking of most wizards, everything exuded a sense of decay.
Chapter 47: Chu Yang's New Roommate
After Snape left, the room felt empty. Chu Yang released the owl from its cage and began to give it extra food, "Big White Fatty, eat more. If we ever fall on hard times, you, as a reserve food supply, need to gain more meat."
The owl, which was busily stuffing itself, trembled and silently pulled its head out of the pile of food.
Chu Yang, having successfully played his prank, smiled knowingly.
He tiredly lay down on the bed, his eyes closing unconsciously. After an unknown amount of time, he faintly heard someone speaking.
"Goyle, Crabbe, although I missed the Sorting Ceremony this time because I was sick, my father specially arranged a double room for me so I could rest well! He also said he would personally come to the school to cause trouble for Dumbledore!"
"When that happens, I'm definitely going to make my father clean out those monsters in the lake!"