Just as Sterling and Terry had predicted, amid Ron's desperate shouting, the Golden Snitch was caught by Hufflepuff's Seeker, defeating Gryffindor by no small margin.
Sterling saw Wood so frustrated he wanted to tear his uniform apart, and sure enough, no one complained about Elfra.
Because in their eyes, Elfra had done nothing wrong.
Terry consolingly patted Ron's head. No wonder Sterling liked patting heads—it bounced right back, quite amusing.
"Don't show displeasure toward Elfra either. He didn't volunteer to replace Harry. Besides Neville, no one in Gryffindor thinks he has problems. If you show dislike toward him, no one will stand by your side."
Sterling reminded Ron, then felt something in his pocket suddenly heat up.
Taking it out, Sterling instantly drew his wand and gripped it tightly.
It was a heating gold coin, different from Galleons in that it bore Hogwarts' panoramic view.
This coin was specially made by Professor Vitam as a warning device.
Based on the principle of that rope in the Restricted Section, Sterling had only just learnt that rope automatically sent "someone crossed" messages to Professor McGonagall, Madam Pince, and Professor Dumbledore.
This device's "reactor" was placed at the forbidden zone's entrance. To prevent mobilising forces over one bold young wizard, Vitam had specially distinguished levels.
Below adult wizard standards—slightly warm, barely noticeable without skin contact.
Above adult wizard standards—hot enough to wake someone from sleep.
The current temperature clearly belonged to the latter.
Currently at Hogwarts, who with adult wizard standards would run to the forbidden zone except those with deadly intentions?
Sterling noticed Professor McGonagall, who had been sighing in despair at the Gryffindor stands, had disappeared.
This coin was currently held by Sterling, Vitam, McGonagall, and Snape.
Sterling considered—should he go?
According to Vitam, she, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape were still there. It wasn't Sterling's turn as a student to take risks. Sterling had only received his coin from Dumbledore recently.
So did he really not need to go?
Sterling gripped the coin tightly, the scalding metal bringing pain.
No different from the palm scrapes he had gotten that Halloween night rolling around the Forbidden Forest dodging Voldemort's Killing Curses.
Not that Sterling looked down on Professors McGonagall and Snape, but if they faced Voldemort directly, they really couldn't dodge many Killing Curses.
Sterling tossed the coin to Terry, turned and vaulted over the stands' other end.
Three minutes down the stands, no stairs needed.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The Draconic Levitation Charm caught him at the last moment of free fall, flying arrow-like toward the castle.
Even knowing Sterling could fly, seeing him suddenly free-fall nearly scared Terry out of his wits. Watching Sterling's retreating figure, Terry pursed his lips.
"Doesn't look as cool as riding broomsticks."
As for his inner thoughts—who knew?
Meanwhile, Sterling landed with a roll, breaking through a window into the fourth-floor corridor. Just raising his head, he saw three wand tips pointed at him, one clearly prepared with a spell.
"Sterling!"
Seeing it was Sterling, the three professors lowered their wands. Professor Snape dispersed his spell, his sharp eyebrows connecting. Sterling realised he was about to deliver a long, complex sentence.
Honestly, with poor English skills, whether one could understand his lengthy sarcasm was questionable.
"Professor McGonagall, was the intruder caught?"
Sterling interrupted first.
Professor McGonagall's eyebrows twisted like caterpillars, her lips pressed nearly invisible. She moved aside Snape and Vitam, showing Sterling the scene behind the door—the three-headed dog lay unconscious with a horrifying wound from throat to lower body, blood pooled on the ground with suspected organ fragments floating.
Nausea instantly surged through Sterling. He had once killed Quirrell but never seen his gruesome state. Including the centaur corpses later killed by Voldemort—focused on Voldemort, he had never noticed their death states.
This was Sterling's first encounter with such brutal, sickening carnage.
The bloody smell mixed with the three-headed dog's natural stench made the already disgusting scene more nauseating.
As Sterling desperately slowed his breathing, a blue potion slid from Snape's wide sleeve, landing before Sterling with its cap open.
"Calming Draught. Drink it or smell it; either works."
Sterling downed it immediately. A cool sensation flooded his mind—though the scene remained disgusting, he no longer felt like vomiting.
"Thank you, Professor Snape."
"If you want to thank me, follow textbook steps for a few more classes."
Professor McGonagall conjured bandages to bind the three-headed dog's wounds, then collected the blood and flesh pieces into conjured large jars.
"I've sent my Patronus to notify Pomfrey, Kettleburn, and Hagrid. Hope those three can bring its life back from death's door..."
"We arrived too late." Vitam packed up devices from the threshold. "He cast powerful concealment magic I had no defences against, delaying the alarm about five minutes."
"Getting here took us another two minutes or so." Snape added. "Seven minutes total—sufficient."
McGonagall grimly opened the trapdoor and jumped first. Sterling and others followed, with McGonagall's wand cushioning their landing with air currents.
Looking at the charred, unrecognisable plants, Vitam sighed.
"Pomona will be heartbroken."
"Quite a powerful Blasting Curse. Good thing he didn't use Fiendfyre."
Professor McGonagall continued leading. The second room was devastated—where a door should be, only a charred hole remained.
"Something's wrong. This level of damage from Blasting Curse? I don't recall his flame magic accomplishments being this deep."
McGonagall shook her head, then reached the third challenge—the most severely damaged area.
All chess pieces lay shattered in stinking fragments, the chessboard floor cracked with foul black water flowing through crevices.
Finally, the side wall had a large hole revealing clear sky and the deep Forbidden Forest beyond.
"He left through this challenge. Why would he know he had been discovered? If Vitam's device was found, he would leave instantly without attempting the challenges."
Professor McGonagall gazed ztoward the Forbidden Forest through the hole, as if to spot the Dark Lord hiding within.
"It's simple." Snape stepped back into deeper shadows.
"Someone has succumbed to his power and begun informing for him."