bacchusnovels Chapter 140 Professor
Chapter 140 Professor
Chapter 140 The Professor (A long chapter of 10,000 words)
Qiu Zhang was a little embarrassed after hearing what Sean said.
Something had already happened. She gently turned the steering wheel, and the car slowly drove towards the castle.
As the car wound its way through the night, a strange emotion welled up in Qiu Zhang's heart; she felt a peace and contentment she had never experienced before.
"Thank you, Professor Sean," Cho Chang said suddenly, her voice filled with gratitude and sincerity.
I learned a lot from today's training.
"It's my duty, Miss Cho Chang," Sean replied gently. "Next time we'll start training with flying broomsticks."
This locked-room mystery had a significant impact on Hermione.
She, who usually buries herself in books, is now unusually idle.
Harry and Ron were puzzled by her unusual behavior, and she was always distracted when they asked her about it.
However, the two of them could roughly guess that being framed by others was not a pleasant experience.
Harry deeply sympathizes with this.
However, it wasn't until the following Wednesday that they uncovered the mystery behind this unusual behavior.
this day.
Harry was left behind by Professor Snape to clean up the mess from Potions class. He quickly finished his lunch and hurried to the library to find Ron.
On the way, they ran into Justin Finley, a fellow Hufflepuff classmate who was also taking Herbology class, but Finley turned away as soon as he saw Harry.
In a secluded corner of the library, Harry found Ron busy measuring his History of Magic homework.
Faced with a three-foot-long essay on "A Gathering of Wizards in Medieval Europe," Ron seemed a little flustered.
"I can't believe it, I'm still eight inches short of the requirement," Ron said in frustration, the parchment in his hand quickly rolling up as it loosened. "Hermione wrote four feet seven inches, and her handwriting is especially small."
"Where is she?" Harry asked, grabbing the measuring tape and starting his work.
Ron pointed towards the bookshelf, "She's still looking for books. She probably wants to read all the books in the library."
Harry casually mentioned Justin Finley's avoidance of him, but Ron dismissed it, saying, "He's always been a bit odd, always spouting nonsense about how great Lockhart is."
At this moment, Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves, her face pale, but she finally agreed to speak with them.
"All of Hogwarts: A History of the School is borrowed," she complained, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. "The waiting list is two weeks long. I really regret not bringing mine, but my suitcase is already full of Lockhart's books, there's no room left."
When asked why she wanted to read the book, Hermione explained, "I wanted to look up the legends about the Chamber of Secrets."
"What is the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked curiously.
“That’s the problem,” Hermione said, frowning. “I don’t remember it very well, and I can’t find this story anywhere else.”
Ron interrupted her, anxiously demanding to see her essay. But Hermione firmly refused, "No, you can't. You had ten days, more than enough time to finish."
The school bell rang, and Ron and Hermione, amidst their argument, headed to the History of Magic classroom, a subject widely considered the most boring.
Of all the teachers, only Professor Binns, who taught this course, was a ghost; his appearance always brought a touch of mystery and wonder.
Whenever he walked across the blackboard into the classroom, it was always the most exciting moment of the class.
Professor Binns was old, his body was shriveled, and his wrinkles were deep. There were even rumors that he was unaware that he had passed away.
On his last day, he got up to teach as usual, but unexpectedly left his body on an armchair in the faculty lounge.
Since then, his daily routine has continued as before, as if nothing has changed.
Today's class was as dull as ever. Professor Binns opened his notebook and began his lecture in his dry, monotonous voice, like an old vacuum cleaner making a soft, grating sound.
The students gradually drifted into a daze, occasionally snapping back to copy down some names or dates, before falling back into a state of half-dreaming and half-awake.
However, half an hour later, an unprecedented event broke the dull atmosphere.
Hermione suddenly raised her hand to ask a question, a rare occurrence in Professor Binns' class.
The professor was engrossed in a dry lecture on the 1289 International Wizarding Conference when he looked up and saw Hermione's actions, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"You are Yi Yi?" he asked hesitantly.
"I am Granger, Professor," Hermione replied in a clear voice. "Could you answer our questions about the Chamber of Secrets?"
This question is like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, creating ripples.
Dean, who had been staring blankly out the window, turned his gaze away. Lavender Brown lifted his head from his arms, and Neville also put his elbows off the table. The attention of the entire class was drawn to them.
Professor Binns blinked, seemingly unaccustomed to the sudden attention.
He cleared his throat and replied in his characteristically dry voice, "My course is the history of magic, Miss Granger. I study established facts, not myths or legends."
He paused briefly, as if gathering his thoughts, "However, the legend you mentioned does indeed have a certain historical background."
The whole class listened attentively, and Professor Binns was also touched by this unprecedented attention.
He began to slowly recount the mysterious legend: "As you all know, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded by four great wizards. The four houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Together they built this castle to keep Muggles away from their prying eyes, because in those days wizards suffered greatly."
Professor Binns looked around and continued, "However, as time went on, disagreements arose among the four founders..."
One,
The professor paused again, his lips moving as if recalling that distant history. "The reliable historical data ends here."
He said, "But these facts are overshadowed by a strange legend about the locked room, which says..."
"It is said," Professor Binns continued, "that Slytherin sealed the Chamber of Secrets to ensure that no one could open it."
Until his true successor arrives at the school. Only that successor can open the secret chamber, unleash the terrifying creatures within, purify the school, and purge all those unworthy to learn magic.
As the story ended, the classroom fell silent.
But this was not the dull silence that Professor Binns' classes usually provided.
The students all stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
This tense yet expectant atmosphere made Professor Binns slightly displeased.
"Of course, the whole thing is complete nonsense," he said. "The school has investigated whether such a secret room exists. They investigated many times, consulting the most learned wizards. The secret room doesn't exist. It's just a legend, designed to scare simple-minded people."
Hermione's hand hovered in mid-air again. "Sir—you just mentioned the Chamber of Secrets 'the terrifying things inside',"
What does that refer to?
"I guess... it's a zombie." Sean pondered for a moment, then said seriously to the curious little gulls and eagles below the stage.
Ever since he walked into the classroom today, there has been a constant chattering and noise from below.
Even the dishwasher he brought from the Muggle world today couldn't attract their attention, so he decided to fulfill the young wizards' wishes and answer their questions—and so he told them what he knew about the history of Hogwarts.
"Are they the zombies of the American South?" the young wizard who had just asked the question continued, raising his hand to ask another question. "I read about them in Quentin Trimble's 'Black Magic: A Guide to Self-Protection.' They have gray skin and smell of decay."
“Very good, Miss Clearwater.” Sean nodded in satisfaction. “If I were still the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I would gladly add five points to Ravenclaw’s score.” He then changed the subject with a hint of regret, “But unfortunately, I am not.” With that, he winked at the little witch who had stood up and waved for her to sit down.
Sean remembered the little witch's name: Penelope Clearwater.
She was the fifth-year prefect of Ravenclaw, with fair skin, long blond hair, and bright eyes.
She had pale blue eyes and was an extremely beautiful and intelligent witch.
After Penelope finished speaking, the audience erupted in cheers.
"So, we're going to remove the zombie's brain and burn it?"
"I remember that's what it said in the book."
"I've never seen a zombie before. What do they look like?"
"Do they eat people's brains?"
"Quiet!" The words did not come from Sean's mouth. In fact, Sean was still on the stage, smiling as he watched the students below having an enthusiastic discussion.
The young wizards heard that the source of the sound was Percy.
"Quiet down and maintain classroom discipline!" he said.
When the classroom quieted down again, Sean continued to provide evidence for his argument.
"I think..." Sean paused, emphasizing his words, and continued, "that the zombie in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets wasn't a zombie from the American South, but a zombie from the Dragon Kingdom."
"Only the zombies of the Dragon Kingdom could be locked in a secret room for so long without eating or drinking."
"Does the Dragon Kingdom also have zombie households?" A Hufflepuff wizard eagerly raised his hand to ask.
"Of course," Sean replied decisively. "Do you all remember my book, 'A Year with the Tibetan Yeti'? I was traveling in China at the time and encountered a zombie."
According to legends of the Dragon Kingdom, the zombies there can be traced back five thousand years.
"Five thousand years?!" a young Ravenclaw wizard exclaimed, covering his mouth in surprise. "Our Hogwarts School is only a thousand years old!"
But not all the young wizards believed this, after all, five thousand years was a rather frightening number. The reason they didn't raise any objections directly was because of Sean, who was telling them this.
"The Book of Songs of the Dragon Kingdom records this: 'In the south there is a person, two or three feet tall, with a head and eyes on the top of their head. They walk like the wind, and their name is... Wherever they are seen, there is a great drought, and the land is barren for thousands of miles. They are also called the Drought Mother.'" Under the astonished gazes of all the young wizards, Sean recited this passage in fluent Chinese, then translated its meaning into English, and continued his introduction.
"The zombies of the Dragon Kingdom are inhuman and have lost their minds. Because they died with their eyes closed, their resentment gathers in their throats. They can absorb the yin energy of the moon. Usually, the corpses will turn into zombies due to being infected with corpse poison or the feng shui attributes of the cemetery."
"A walking corpse that moves by stretching its arms out horizontally forward and jumping continuously with its legs, with little movement in other parts of its body except for its head and limbs."
Then, Sean paused, and his words gradually became sinister, "They use their claws as weapons and feed on the blood of humans or livestock. People who are bitten or scratched will be infected with corpse poison."
"What happens if you get infected with the zombie virus...?" a young wizard asked in a trembling voice, clearly terrified by the zombies Sean had described.
Sean looked at the trembling little wizard, his tone growing even lower, "Those infected with the poison will initially feel weak, then begin to experience symptoms such as skin ulceration, teeth growing longer, and eyes turning red. Eventually, they will completely lose their minds, turning into a new kind of zombie, attacking living beings and sucking blood."
Upon hearing this, many of the young wizards turned pale and began whispering amongst themselves.
"However," Sean suddenly raised his voice, silencing all the young wizards who stared at him, "this corpse poison is not incurable."
"If you get infected with the virus, you can use glutinous rice to treat it."
"Furthermore, according to ancient Chinese records, when facing zombies, we can use items such as black donkey hooves."
As the class was about to end, Sean cleared his throat and scanned the classroom to make sure all the young wizards were watching him.
Just when everyone thought he was going to continue telling more stories about zombies, Sean suddenly changed the subject, revealing the true purpose of the lesson.
"Next month," Sean's voice was full of anticipation and enthusiasm, "I have a special surprise for everyone. To deepen everyone's understanding of zombies, and also to make our classes more interesting,
I specially prepared a brand new game.
"The name of this game is Plants vs. Zombies: Hogwarts Wizarding Special Edition."
So, when get out of class ended, the young wizards, filled with excitement and curiosity, all left the classroom.
They kept repeating Sean's words.
The news that a dragon-like zombie was imprisoned in the Chamber of Secrets quickly became a hot topic of discussion. Throughout Hogwarts' corridors, common rooms, and even at the dining tables, the young wizards could be heard excitedly discussing this astonishing information.
"Have you heard? The Chamber of Secrets really exists! There's a dragon zombie locked inside!" a young Gryffindor wizard excitedly told his friends.
"Yeah, I've also heard that people bitten by zombies will turn into new zombies. That's terrifying!" another Hufflepuff student chimed in, a look of horror on his face.
"You all know too late." A Slytherin student came over and mysteriously waved the cloth bag in front of the others. "Look, this is the sticky rice my dad just sent me."
"To ensure that the glutinous rice in Britain was authentic, he specially sent someone to China overnight to buy it."
"And what about your black donkey hooves?" a Gryffindor student asked.
The young Slytherin wizard shook his head with feigned regret. "The kind of magical artifact Professor Sean mentioned is too precious; it's simply not available on the market. However, having sticky rice is enough. I don't want to become an ugly and stupid zombie."
Sean didn't even need to explain why the Chinese zombies were at Hogwarts.
Some of the rumors were fabricated by the erudite young wizards in Ravenclaw, such as "Slytherin once visited the Dragon Kingdom" and "Ethel Red II and Slytherin's journey to the East."
This is why the "Plants vs. Zombies: Hogwarts Wizarding Edition" that Sean mentioned didn't receive much attention. After all, in the eyes of young wizards, there's nothing more fun than Wizards vs. Zombies.
And that night.
In the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron deliberately chose to sit away from Percy.
Ron was clearly in a bad mood. He kept making mistakes while doing his Charms homework, and ink kept spilling on the paper. When he absentmindedly tried to clean the stains with his wand, he accidentally set the parchment on fire, which made him even more annoyed. He angrily closed "Standard Spells: Level Two".
Harry was surprised to find that Hermione had also angrily slammed her hand down and closed her book.
"So, who could it be?" she murmured to herself, as if continuing their previous discussion, "Who wants to expel Squibs and Muggle-born students from Hogwarts?"
“Let’s give you some pointers,” Ron said, feigning confusion. “From what we know, who would think that all Muggle-born people are trash?”
He stared at Hermione, who returned his gaze with a suspicious look.
“If you mean Malfoy—” “Of course it is!” Ron asserted. “You heard him say, ‘You’re next, Mudbloods!’ In fact, just look at that repulsive rat face of his, and you’ll know it’s him—”
"Will Malfoy be Slytherin's heir?" Hermione asked doubtfully.
"Look at their family," Harry said, closing his book. "They're all Slytherin."
He was always proud of this. They were very likely descendants of Slytherin. His father was evil enough.
"Perhaps their family has always held the key to the secret chamber, passed down through generations," Ron speculated, "from father to son—"
"Hmm," Hermione said cautiously, "that is indeed possible—"
"But how do we prove that?" Harry asked somewhat pessimistically.
“Perhaps we have a way,” Hermione said slowly, glancing quickly at Percy on the other side of the room and lowering her voice. “Of course, it won’t be easy, and it’s quite dangerous, very dangerous. We might break up to fifty rules.”
"Are you planning to wait about a month until we beg you before telling us what the solution is?" Ron asked irritably.
"No, I can tell you now," Hermione replied calmly. "What we need to do is sneak into the Slytherin common room, ask Malfoy for clarification, and make sure he doesn't recognize us."
"How is that even possible?" Harry questioned, while Ron couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“No, that’s possible,” Hermione insisted. “We just need some compound decoction.”
"What is Compound Herbal Potion?" Ron and Harry asked in unison.
"A few weeks ago, Snape mentioned this potion in class—" "Can't you listen to something else in Potions class? Why do you have to listen to Snape's lecture?" Ron muttered.
"This potion can transform you into someone else. Imagine! We could become three Slytherin students, and then no one would recognize us."
"Malfoy might tell us everything. He's probably bragging in the Slytherin common room right now, but unfortunately we can't hear him."
"I always felt that this 'compound formula' thing sounded a bit far-fetched," Ron said, frowning. "What if we became Slytherin and could never turn back?"
"The effects will wear off naturally after a while," Hermione explained impatiently, waving her hand. "But the problem is, the formula for this potion is very hard to come by. Snape said it's in a book called *Potions of Power*."
That book must be in the restricted section of the library.
The only way to borrow books from the restricted section was to obtain a permission slip signed by a teacher.
"Should we find Professor Sean?" Ron suggested without hesitation, looking at Hermione.
He remembered that last semester, Hermione had said that she could ask Professor Sean to approve the banning of books.
"This...this isn't a good idea," Hermione said, showing great hesitation about the suggestion.
She always felt that this behavior was a deception of Professor Sean, and she did not want to deceive him.
"How about... we ask Lockhart?" Harry suggested. "Lockhart always likes to sign autographs..."
+
When sunlight streamed obliquely through the window onto the wooden bookshelves in Sean's office, the entire space was bathed in a warm golden glow.
The room was so quiet that the only sounds were the faint scratching of a pen on paper and the occasional rustling of turning pages; the air was filled with the faint scent of ink from old books, making one want to delve deeper and explore the mysteries of knowledge.
Sean sat at his desk, his eyes focused and deep, the quill pen in his hand dancing lightly on the letter paper, leaving neat and powerful handwriting.
His surroundings were piled high with all sorts of letters and books, each one from a reader all over the world.
Each book was a product of his painstaking efforts in previous years, drawing inspiration from online novels he remembered.
Just then, a gentle knock broke the silence of the office.
Sean looked up and saw Hermione standing in the doorway, her face showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
She was wearing a simple wizard's robe and jeans.
Today is the day Sean and Hermione had agreed upon—he was punishing Hermione by making her come to his office on Saturday to reply to his readers' letters.
In fact.
Sean did not have the habit of replying to readers' letters.
He has too many readers. If he only writes a few letters, it would be unfair to the other readers. But if he replies to everyone, he wouldn't have to do anything. He could just lock himself in a dark room and reply to his readers every day.
However, he did it anyway in order to give the little witch something to do.
This shows that he...
Sean waved to Hermione, who was standing at the door, signaling her to come in.
Hermione cautiously entered the office, looking around and being overwhelmed by the mountain of letters piled up there.
She walked up to Professor Sean, bowed respectfully, and then waited nervously for his instructions.
Professor Sean put down his quill and looked Hermione up and down, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
In fact, for Hermione, the simpler the clothes, the more her temperament is highlighted.
This doesn't mean she's unsuitable for wearing glamorous clothes; rather, it's that simple clothing can evoke a protective instinct in people.
"Hermione, you're here." Sean's voice was deep and gentle. He pointed to the pile of letters beside him and said softly, "These are all letters from readers. They like my work and look forward to my reply, but you know, my strength is limited, so I hope you can help me share some of the burden."
Hermione nodded, her eyes shining with determination.
This was a great honor for her, who had admired Sean for a long time.
She walked to the pile of letters, picked one up at random, and the childish handwriting on the envelope revealed the reader's sincerity and anticipation.
"I will do my best, Professor Shaw," Hermione said solemnly.
Seeing the little witch's serious expression, Xiao Cheng smiled.
So cute!
"Then let's begin," Xiao Qiu said gently. Ting pointed to an empty table on the other side, "Your staff are there. Feel free to ask me any questions."
Hermione nodded, sat down at the designated table, and began her work of replying to the letters.
"This letter is for Mrs. Molly Weasley, who is a long-time reader of mine."
"In your letter, praise the Weasley brothers' recent performance, and also include your evaluation of Rowley's classroom behavior during this period..."
北》
"This letter is for Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood. Please congratulate Ting on the good sales of his recent 'Queer' and ask if Ting would like to have my novel serialized in his 'Queer'."
"By the way, don't worry about Miss Lovegood, I'll take good care of her for Ting."
"And this letter, addressed to Mr. Time Sage, isn't that a rather strange nickname?"
"This letter, from Tianye Xuanbing, is from my reader in the East..."
"These letters are from Dragon Rider, Zarka, Ancient Sword Blue, and Tiger Stripe..."
The entire afternoon slipped away quietly amidst the scratching of the pen tip against the letter paper.
The afterglow of the setting sun streamed through the window, gently casting dappled light and shadow on the desk; the golden light intertwined with the pristine white paper, creating a tranquil and warm atmosphere.
Hermione, however, was completely absorbed in the world of writing letters, as if the whole world had quieted down.
She had never felt Professor Xiao Qiu so close to her, his life, his thoughts, his emotions.
They were all sent to her through these letters.
Hermione stretched and looked out the window.
The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the sky was dyed a golden-red hue.
"It's getting late, go eat," Xiao Mie suddenly said.
Hermione looked up, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes. "But... there's still so much." Her gaze shifted to the side of the cupboard, where a large pile of unprocessed letters still lay.
It seems my efforts this afternoon haven't yielded any significant results.
Seeing Hermione's somewhat discouraged expression, Xiao Qiubing smiled and comforted her, "Don't be discouraged, Hermione. You've done very well. These letters can't be processed all at once. We'll deal with them next time you come."
"Can I come again next time?" Hermione was overjoyed to hear Xiao Qiu's words.
"Of course, Miss Granger," Xiao Cheng replied with a smile. "We need you here, and we welcome you to continue helping out."
So, after tidying up the desk, Hermione left Shaw's office happily.
Throughout the entire ordeal, she never mentioned asking Xiao Qiu to sign her autograph.
Since that incident with the little elf, Professor Lockhart has stopped introducing any public property into his classes.
Nowadays, Ting prefers to read her own works aloud to her students, and occasionally she will even act out some dramatic scenes from the books.
Harry is often chosen by the Pavilion to help recreate those exciting scenes.
To date, Harry has played many roles: from a simple Transylvanian villager who was cursed with a bubble-blowing charm and then tricked by Lockhart, to a Himalayan Yeti suffering from a cold, and then to a vampire who turned to eating divination.
In this Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Harry is once again thrust into the spotlight, this time playing the role of a werewolf.
Although Harry was unwilling, Ting had an important reason to cooperate in order to keep Lockhart in a good mood.
"Well said, Harry—it's so realistic—you won't believe it, but I just pounced on him like this—and knocked the pavilion down with a thud—like this—I held the pavilion down with one hand and pointed my wand at its throat with the other."
"Then, after a short rest, I used my remaining strength to cast a complex spell to restore human form—Ting let out a scream—"
"Harry, keep calling—louder still—good—his hair receded—the grizzly hairs retracted—"
He then transformed back into human form.
"√Clean and efficient—another village will remember me, for it was I who freed the village from the monthly attacks of the werewolves."
When the bell rang, Lockhart stood up.
Homework: Write a poem about my feat of defeating the werewolf Januzo! The best poem will receive a personally signed copy of "Me, the Magician"!
The students left one by one. Harry returned to the back of the classroom, where Rhodes and Hermione were already waiting.
"Is everything ready?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"Let's talk after everyone's left," Hermione replied. "Okay—"
She walked toward Lockhart's podium, clutching a note tightly in her hand, followed closely by Harry and Rhodes.
“Professor Lockhart?” Hermione stammered. “I wanted to borrow this book from the library. I hope to learn some background information from it.” She held up the slightly trembling slip of paper. “But the book is in the library’s restricted section, so a professor needs to sign the slip. I believe this book will help me better understand the chronic ecstasy you mentioned in *Wandering with Ghouls*.”
"Ah, 'Wandering with Ghouls'!" Lockhart enthusiastically took the note, flashing Hermione a bright smile. "This is my proudest work. Do you like it?"
"Oh, of course I like it," Hermione replied eagerly. "You used the tea strainer to catch the last ghoul."
That's so clever—"
"I believe no one would object to me giving my best students some extra help," Lockhart said enthusiastically, pulling out a huge peacock feather brush. "Indeed, it's beautiful, isn't it?"
However, Ting misunderstood the unpainted face of Ron, saying, "I usually only use it for signing my name."
With that, Ting wrote his elegant name on the slip of paper and handed it back to Hermione after the meal.
"Well then, Harry," Lockhart continued as Hermione awkwardly folded the note and put it in her bag, "tomorrow's the first Quidditch trial of the season, isn't it? Gryffindor versus Slytherin, right?"
"I've heard you're an excellent player. I used to be a finder too, and they invited me to join the national team."
But I would rather dedicate my life to the cause of eradicating the forces of darkness.
"However, if you need additional guidance, feel free to contact me. I'm always happy to share my experience with players who need to improve their skills."
Harry gave a vague reply and hurriedly left with Rhodes and Hermione.
"I can't believe it," Harry exclaimed as the three of them examined the signature on the note closely. "Ting didn't even look at what book we wanted to borrow."
"Because Ting is a brainless idiot," Luo said. "But it doesn't matter, we've already got what we wanted."
Hermione wanted to say something in response,
But when he thought of Professor Xiao Qiu, he swallowed the words back.
On her way to the library, she felt like she had forgotten something...
(492 words have been deleted)