bacchusnovels Chapter 349 Qiu Zhang's Request
Chapter 349 Qiu Zhang's Request
Chapter 349 Qiu Zhang's Request
Have you seen Professor Phillips?
"You see Professor Phillips..."
"Over there?"
"OK, thanks."
Cedric was standing in the first-floor corridor, holding several Charms textbooks, preparing to head to the library.
He was pondering some complex incantations from the previous lesson when he suddenly heard someone hurriedly calling his name.
"Cedric!" Cho Chang's voice came from behind.
Cedric turned around and saw Cho Chang rushing over, his face full of anxiety.
He was taken aback, somewhat surprised.
"Akira?" He smiled shyly, which made him look somewhat flustered. "What's wrong?"
Slightly out of breath, Qiu Zhang approached and hurriedly asked, "Have you seen Professor Phillips?"
Cedric frowned and tried to recall.
"Professor Phillips? Hmm—I think I saw him over at the greenhouse, but that was about twenty minutes ago." He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "He's probably still there."
"Greenhouse—okay, thank you!" Qiu Zhang hurriedly thanked him and turned to leave.
Seeing Cho Chang's hurried manner, Cedric suddenly felt uneasy.
He hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but call out to her, "Qiu Zhang!"
Qiu Zhang stopped and turned to look at him, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Cedric lowered his head shyly, then quickly raised it again, as if summoning immense courage before saying, "You...you seem very nervous. Is something wrong? Do you need my help?"
Cho Chang's expression relaxed slightly, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Thank you, Cedric. It's just some personal matters; I can handle it myself."
Cedric nodded, somewhat disappointed, but he didn't press the matter further.
"Well—okay, but if you need help, feel free to contact me anytime," he said sincerely.
"Yes, I will. Thank you so much, Cedric." Cho Chang smiled at him, then quickly turned and ran towards the greenhouse.
Cedric watched her departing figure, standing there, a strange sense of loss rising in his heart, yet also a faint hope.
He knew that Qiu Zhang seemed to have some worries lately, but he would help her in any way he could.
He sighed, then turned around and continued walking towards the library, silently wishing her all the best.
The stone walls of the corridor rushed past Cho Chang, and although spring was approaching, the temperature at Hogwarts was still somewhat chilly.
As Qiu Zhang ran, she was thinking to herself that if Sean was in the greenhouse, she could take the opportunity to talk to him, ask about his plans, and even... about that special request.
Upon arriving at the greenhouse, Qiu Zhang gently pushed open the door, and the room was filled with the scent of damp soil and fresh plants.
She looked around the greenhouse and saw Sean intently tending to a man-eating vine. The vine gradually relaxed and became exceptionally quiet.
"Professor Phillips!" she called out happily, stepping forward.
Sean looked up and saw Qiu Zhang. A gentle smile appeared on his face. "Miss Qiu Zhang, you've arrived! I was just busy applying nutrients to these plants, and the man-eating vines were a little uneasy."
As he spoke, he pointed to several man-eating vines beside him. The thorns of the vines were slightly retracted, as if they were reassured by Sean's care.
"I saw you taking care of them, that's really impressive," Cho Chang said with a smile, secretly relieved to have found Sean.
Sean smiled gently, put down his tools, and looked at Cho Chang earnestly. "Thank you. Plants also need patience and care, just like we train Quidditch players."
A warm feeling welled up in Qiu Zhang's heart, but she quickly realized she had more important things to say. "Professor, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you. About the upcoming competition, and... that request I mentioned before."
Sean's expression straightened slightly as he looked at her intently.
"Of course, we can sit down and chat."
They sat down on a bench in the greenhouse, surrounded by lush greenery, the air filled with the fragrance of earth and plants.
Qiu Zhang's heart raced, and he mustered his courage to ask, "I know you promised me at Christmas that if I won the competition, you would grant me one request. I want to know if you will keep that promise?"
Sean nodded. "I will, Cho Chang, but I'd like to know what your request is?"
Qiu Zhang bit her lip, feeling somewhat hesitant, but she still decided to express her thoughts directly.
I hope you—
Suddenly, the greenhouse door was pushed open, and Professor Sprout walked in.
She was carrying a basket of plants in one hand and adjusting her glasses with the other. When she saw Sean and Cho Chang sitting on the bench, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Oh, have I disturbed you?" Professor Sprout smiled slightly, but a hint of worry appeared on his face.
"No, Professor," Sean quickly stood up and adjusted his posture. "We were just discussing some plant care matters."
Qiu Zhang was somewhat flustered and quickly sorted out her thoughts. Although she had been a little nervous just now, the sudden interruption made her even more flustered.
Professor Sprout approached, looked at the plants beside the bench, and then said, "That's wonderful, Phillips. Are you teaching Miss Cho Chang how to care for these plants? She needs some help with that."
Qiu Zhang's face flushed slightly as he thought about how their conversation had been interrupted.
Sean noticed her reaction and gently encouraged her, "Of course, we discussed some of the plant's characteristics and care methods. Autumn sedge has great potential."
Professor Sprout nodded slightly, looking at Cho Chang with approval. "You certainly have a great talent, Miss Cho Chang. Remember to make good use of this knowledge, not only in Quidditch but also in your interest in plants."
"Thank you, Professor." Cho Chang tried to appear composed, but she felt a little disappointed. The atmosphere had been interrupted, and she wanted to continue her discussion with Sean.
Professor Sprout glanced around, looked at Sean, and continued, "Professor Phillips, thank you for your help. However, there are still some minor tasks that might require a student's assistance. You've been helping for quite some time now; why don't you go back and rest? I'll have Miss Cho Chang help me tidy up these plants."
Sean immediately understood the professor's intention.
He nodded, then turned to Qiu Zhang and said, "Alright, Miss Qiu Zhang, it seems you'll be helping out here today. Relax, plant care is a great form of training, and I'm confident you can handle it."
Qiu Zhang smiled slightly, but couldn't hide the hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Okay, Professor, I will do my best."
Sean smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "I know you can do it. If you need any help, feel free to come to me anytime."
After speaking, Sean nodded slightly to Professor Sprout, then picked up his book and walked towards the greenhouse exit. His figure gradually receded into the distance until it disappeared into the corridor outside the door.
Qiu Zhang stood there, watching Sean leave, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
She felt honored to be able to help, but also a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to finish that conversation with Sean.
She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together.
"Alright, Miss Qiu Zhang, we still have some work to do." Professor Sprout interrupted her thoughts, beckoning her to come closer to some plants. "These plants have some root problems lately, and we need to transplant them into larger pots. Look here, the roots have already exceeded the original pot size."
Are you sure he's here?
Sean and Sirius walked down the dimly lit corridor of the underground classroom, surrounded by low echoes.
Sirius looked tense, his eyes darting around as if searching for any unusual movement.
Faced with Sirius's question, Sean stopped and turned to Sirius. "I have my leads, Sirius."
Sirius frowned, still somewhat skeptical.
He gripped the wand tightly in his arms, ready to deal with any potential danger.
"Do you really believe this traitor would show up here? He's always been cunning and very secretive."
Seeing this, Sean took out a neatly folded piece of brown paper from his pocket and gently unfolded it.
Sirius's eyes lit up when he saw the familiar object appear before him; he recognized it almost instantly.
"This... is the Marauder's Map!" Sirius's voice was filled with surprise and disbelief.
His gaze was fixed on the parchment, watching the pattern gradually appear as it unfolded in Sean's hand, and the countless tiny, moving dots.
Sean nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Yes, it's the Marauder's Map." He lightly tapped the map with his wand and chanted softly, "I solemnly swear that I have no ill intentions."
As the spell began, the Hogwarts Castle floor plan on the map began to appear, accompanied by countless names and locations moving across the paper.
Sean's finger slid slowly, eventually stopping at a small dot where Peter Petirou's name was displayed. It moved slowly, as if it were silently wandering.
Sirius's face darkened, his eyes burning with vengeful fury.
He stared intently at the name on the map, as if he could see the cunning traitor's face through the paper.
"It really is him—" Sirius said in a low voice, clenching his teeth, his voice filled with long-suppressed anger.
"He's moving towards the basement," Sean said, observing Peter's path. "We can go around him through the side door and block his escape route."
The two quickly changed direction, passed through the dark corridor, and approached the side door of the basement.
Sirius prayed silently that Peter wouldn't be too cunning and would fall into his hands as he wished.
Soon after, they arrived at a heavy door. Sean pushed it open gently, the sound of it jarring in the empty basement.
The two cautiously entered, the air thick with the scent of medicine, almost suffocating them.
Just as they were preparing to delve deeper into the investigation, Sean's gaze suddenly fixed on a familiar figure huddled in a dark corner.
Seeing this, Sirius was about to do something when Sean stopped him.
The mouse was terrified when it saw the sudden appearance of a human figure and turned to run away.
But Sean had already reacted, quickly waving his wand and uttering a simple capture spell.
The mouse was enveloped in a magical aura in the air, making a "squeak" sound.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded behind him. Turning around, he saw Snape leading a group of students towards him.
The once quiet classroom during Potions class was now interrupted, with students glancing sideways, their eyes shifting between Sean, Filch, and the captured Scabbers.
"Phillips, Filch, what are you doing here?" Snape's face was as dark as a storm cloud. He stared intently at Sean, as if he would attack if Sean didn't give him a reasonable explanation.
"Banban! What are you doing here?"
Ron's excited shouts echoed through the classroom, completely oblivious to the changing atmosphere around him.
His eyes gleamed as he stared at the mouse bound in mid-air by Sean's magic—it was his Spotty, his most familiar little pet.
He pushed aside several students blocking his way and ran over quickly, his face beaming with undisguised excitement. "Banban! I finally found you! I thought you'd already been eaten by Crookshan!"
Banban struggled in mid-air, making sharp "aiai" sounds, appearing extremely terrified.
However, Ron was completely oblivious to the rats' fear; his face was filled with the joy of reunion.
He didn't even notice that Sirius's deep, angry eyes were fixed on Scabbers, as if trying to see right through him.
"Harry, my Scabbers are here!" Ron shouted, turning to look at Harry standing in the back row, his voice filled with excitement.
Professor Snape's gaze swept back and forth between Ron and the struggling rat, his expression growing even more somber.
His sneer was laced with obvious sarcasm: "Scabbers? Yes, very touching, Weasley. But I'd like you to explain how this rat got involved with Professor Phillips?"
Ron then realized what was happening and understood the situation.
Seeing the murderous look in Snape's eyes, he was terrified.
At this moment, Sean stepped forward, waved the spotted object, and slowly spoke.
"Severus, the reason is actually quite simple. I've recently been teaching Muggle Studies to third-year students, and we've been discussing 'the importance of pet sterilization.' I happened to be passing by here today and saw this mouse—Spotty—and realized this was a perfect opportunity to put it into practice."
Ron stared blankly at Sean, clearly not expecting things to turn out this way so suddenly. "Sterilized? Scabbers?"
Sean nodded, his expression still gentle: "Yes, Ron. Scabbers is getting on in years, and, as you know, his health hasn't been particularly good. Sterilizing Scabbers could effectively extend his lifespan, prevent certain age-related diseases, and even reduce his tendency to wander off..."