Chapter 218: The Gathering Storm
The Transfiguration Office.
Professor McGonagall-kun was indeed furious, but beneath her stern exterior, she was far more concerned about whether Sean-kun had been injured. After a chilling silence, she handed Sean-kun her personal notes on dragon form analysis. Following a brief discussion with Professor Flitwick-kun, she sentenced Sean-kun to half a month of detention with her.
Sean-kun simply nodded throughout the encounter. With a weary sigh, the professor gently ushered him out of her office.
At the Door.
The moment Sean-kun stepped out, he was surrounded. Hermione-kun gave him a tight hug, followed by Harry-kun and then Ron-kun.
"You shouldn't have done that," Hermione-kun said tremulously, her eyes still red from crying.
Harry-kun and Ron-kun remained silent, but their expressions echoed her sentiment. Sean-kun thought for a moment, glanced at Justin-kun—who was leaning against the wall with a knowing smile—and spoke softly.
"It was Justin-kun's idea."
Hermione-kun and the others didn't believe him for a second; they all knew that Justin-kun's ideas usually followed Sean-kun's lead. Realizing he wouldn't be allowed to leave without saying something meaningful, Sean-kun added:
"Because we are friends."
Taking advantage of their stunned silence, he quickly made his exit down the corridor.
When the point deduction affected all four houses, the mutual blame among the students vanished, replaced by a lingering curiosity. Why would someone like Green-kun break the rules? Explanations whispered through Ravenclaw, and though the details were vague, anyone who heard them immediately stopped spreading rumors.
In this peculiar atmosphere, Sean-kun prepared to depart for the Alchemy Symposium. He left the Alchemy office with a heart full of excitement—his ritual was complete! He lacked for nothing now. Even if it was currently just a fire-dragon-kun, one day he would be able to create true Dragon Biscuits. Besides, a fire-dragon-kun army was still an army. Venomous fangs and fireballs were not known for listening to reason.
In the Corridor.
The invitation in his pocket vibrated slightly. Sean-kun looked at it by the flickering candlelight:
Under the light of the Aether, magic flows like silver threads.
Alchemists wander through ancient runes, yet none know the way.
Thus, we come for the future of magic—
The International Alchemical Symposium,
Tomorrow,
Awaits—
The future you carry.
The invitation grew hot to the touch, transforming into something akin to a magical contract. Sean-kun sensed a faint connection to a distant place.
As he headed back to the Room of Hope to pack his belongings, he bumped into Harry-kun. Harry-kun was crouched by a door, peering through a crack with intense focus. Sean-kun remembered that Harry-kun had been buried in revision lately. The five of them were always together, studying late into the night, memorizing complex potion recipes, charms, and historical dates of goblin rebellions. Sean-kun had assumed nothing could break their resolve to achieve good marks alongside their friends.
As Sean-kun approached, he heard the sound of someone sobbing inside the classroom. It was Professor Quirrell-kun.
"I... I can't do it... I can't... please..."
He sounded as if he were being threatened by someone. Harry-kun's brow furrowed. If Professor Snape-kun was the one pressuring him, the situation was dire. Yet, Professor Quirrell-kun seemed unwilling to give in to whatever demands were being made. Listening to his voice, Harry-kun realized how a person might act when pushed to the brink.
The danger surrounding the professor had increased significantly. Harry-kun moved quickly and left the corridor in a hurry. He pulled out the Planning Map Sean-kun had given him and touched a specific spot.
Instantly, Harry-kun's name on the map flashed red. Simultaneously, everyone else's names flashed red as well. Above Harry-kun's name, a few words appeared: [Emergency Round Table Meeting].
Harry-kun had used the map to call an emergency meeting. Behind him, Sean-kun silently put away his own vibrating map.
He watched Professor Quirrell-kun hurry out of the classroom, adjusting his turban. The professor's face was pale, and he looked as though he were on the verge of tears as he strode out of Sean-kun's sight. Sean-kun didn't know if the professor was already fully controlled by Voldemort. But seeing the turban still firmly in place, he knew that, at least for now, the professor had not sought help from Headmaster Dumbledore-kun.
He hoped that before the Forbidden Forest, before the cry of the Unicorn, things could still be salvaged.
Professor Quirrell-kun hurried to a shadowed corner at the end of the corridor. His body trembled. In the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, there was always a squirrel-kun biscuit. The words "Happy Easter" had been partially rubbed away, leaving only the word "Resurrection."
He sat in the shadows, timidly grading papers. After a moment, he wrote a large "O" on the paper belonging to Sean Green-kun without hesitation, then stared blankly at the name "Harry Potter-kun."
He could barely speak a few words in public, but his mind was racing. He was the one who let the Troll in to create chaos—that was the only excuse that made sense. But what kind of Troll could truly cause chaos in a castle guarded by the greatest White Wizard? And he himself, a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, faking a faint from fear... how pathetic and ridiculous.
Just like he was now. Snape-kun was closing in, and the Great Master wanted him to drink the blood of a Unicorn. He thought he had no choice. But now, there seemed to be a sliver of a possibility.
What should he do? Dumbledore-kun had turned a blind eye to his subtle pleas for help. Would he be forced to repeat his mistakes? A Unicorn was the purest of creatures...
Professor Quirrell-kun seemed to reach a decision. As he left the room, he bumped into the "passing" Harry-kun. His hand brushed against Harry-kun's, but nothing happened.
The Second Round Table Meeting began with Harry-kun's frantic explanation as he burst into the room. They confirmed the rising threat level of Professor Quirrell-kun but lamented the lack of hard evidence against him.
To make matters worse, Sean-kun was leaving for the symposium, and Dumbledore-kun was also departing. Most unsettling of all, Harry-kun and the others' detention was about to begin.
The weather had taken a turn for the worse. The ceiling of the Great Hall was darker and gloomier than before, and rain lashed against the high windows. The entire castle felt as though it were teetering on the edge of a storm.
In this fragile atmosphere, they watched silently, with unease and reluctance, as Sean-kun left the Room of Hope. As soon as he departed, the wind seemed to roar louder, rattling the windows. Harry-kun unclenched his hand to look at the note inside:
Your detention begins at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch-kun in the Entrance Hall.
Professor McGonagall-kun
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