Sean returned, feeling a sense of loss.
But within seconds, his furrowed brow slowly smoothed out.
He could find Lady Ravenclaw again next time; that was fine.
What mattered was that he had his answer.
The air was frigid, and the moon still hung high in the sky.
Only a faint hint of grey-green on the distant horizon signaled the approaching dawn.
Sean walked out of the Ravenclaw common room. Glancing back at Ravenclaw's portrait, he felt a momentary sense of disorientation.
Talking to a deceased soul turned out to be even stranger than sending a ghost on.
In fact, he still had many, many questions.
For instance, why had Ravenclaw chosen him as her heir? Was there some special selection process?
And what magic lay within that old book of hers? Sean had clearly seen the words The Book of Ghosts written on it.
But it didn't matter. He had plenty of time to explore the mysteries of magic. What was even more delightful was that he happened to be good at it.
Sean had a lot to do this weekend.
A few special tasks stood out easily on his planning map:
[Go to the dungeons to practice Legilimency], [Create a low-cost "telephone"], [Grind Wampus Biscuit proficiency to "Journeyman"]...
But none of these were as important as what he was about to do now.
He stepped into the corridor, where a thin layer of white frost covered the floor.
Bright flowers left over from Valentine's Day were still stuck in the suits of armor on either side.
It was still too early; not only were the students asleep, but even the ghosts didn't seem to be active yet.
Sean transfigured a cushion in the corner where the Grey Lady often lingered and sat there reading for a while.
A long time passed, but the Grey Lady did not drift by.
Just then, a giant red exclamation mark appeared on his planning map.
So, Sean packed up his book and prepared to head to the Forbidden Forest.
The weather was biting cold, and any students out and about were wearing gloves.
Passing the fourth-floor corridor, Sean was slightly surprised to see the black cat statue draped in a scarf, surrounded by students praying with blissful expressions.
He had intended to walk past quickly, but he found himself stopping.
He watched the students sharing sweets by the black cat statue, discussing interesting news, and holding steaming mugs of grapefruit juice to ward off the chill.
The Castle Spirit Cat Club didn't seem like just a simple club anymore; it connected the lives of the young wizards, feeling much like those threads of connection.
Sean suddenly understood something, and his perspective shifted slightly.
He decided that next time, he might take a look at the dreams of the club members.
Like Hannah, the club president—how had she come up with the idea for this club?
---
Outside the castle, the snow was soft and powdery. The woods were a sea of white, the trees looking as if they had been dusted with cotton.
Snowflakes swirled slowly in the air before landing on Sean's slightly flushed face and melting.
"Sean—"
Hagrid waved from a distance. Behind him, smoke was rising from the chimney of his hut.
"Morning, Hagrid," Sean called back, raising his hand.
"Oh—I've got good news to tell yeh! Come on in—"
With a sweep of Hagrid's arm, Sean was ushered inside.
"Dumbledore agreed—have some stewed pear in dragon milk, Fenwick from Hufflepuff taught me that—he agreed! I knew he would. Next term, yer gonna be the teaching assistant for Care of Magical Creatures."
As he spoke, Hagrid handed Sean a hot drink that looked incredibly sweet.
Being a teaching assistant was a novelty for Sean, too.
He nodded, his cheeks flushing a bit more in the warmth of the hut.
"Yes, yes, I heard... right, Mr. Scamander said... I keep in touch with him... that yeh have a special magical creature..."
Hagrid acted bashful, fidgeting a little.
"A Wampus Cat?"
Sean asked, though it was more of a confirmation.
"Merlin's beard! It really is a Wampus Cat!"
Hagrid exclaimed.
"Sorry, Hagrid, I'd have to ask Eva first."
Sean thought for a second.
"Yeh can talk to it?!"
Hagrid suddenly slapped the table.
"Oh, sorry..."
Hagrid sheepishly pulled his hand back.
"I'm leavin' Hogwarts for a bit to go to the Ministry of Magic. Word is they're considerin' droppin' the charges. Ah, this is all thanks to yeh!"
A genuine smile spread across Sean's face.
He knew about this; Rita Skeeter had mentioned that the Hogwarts professors had put in a lot of effort.
Of course, Headmaster Dumbledore was probably the key factor.
"So, yeh might need to help me look after the Forbidden Forest. But yeh gotta be careful. Norbert might've come back... I saw a lot of... dead spiders earlier."
Hagrid stammered, then on second thought, realized that might be too dangerous.
Especially for a student.
"I'll help. Um... can I get someone to help me?"
Sean agreed.
It just so happened that Eva hadn't been out for a stretch in a long time.
As for managing the Forbidden Forest, Sean had an excellent candidate in mind.
Like Pukwudgie the butler.
"Oh, Sean! Of course yeh can!"
Hagrid's eyes instantly welled up.
He felt sudden remorse—he had almost left a student alone in the dangerous Forbidden Forest!
It wasn't until he saw Bai transform into a dragon and frolic in the forest that he started to remember things properly.
In the Forbidden Forest, Thestrals spooked and took to the sky; Bowtruckles clung tightly to their trees, trying to turn transparent; a group of centaurs followed the noise, saw the familiar dragon, gave Sean (who was in the hut) a strange look, and then vanished back into the woods.
"Bai."
Sean called out, and Bai, having melted a patch of snow, reluctantly returned.
"I reckon... there's nothin' to worry about," Hagrid said, his voice muffled.
It seemed he had found the culprit behind the Acromantula deaths. After a brief moment of gloom, he became excited again.
"Well, here's the key to the hut. See yeh later, Sean."
Hagrid confidently handed the key to Sean and walked out of the hut.
Sean watched as the motorbike billowed black smoke and soon disappeared into the sky.
Hagrid was going to clear his name completely, not just at Hogwarts.
Thinking about such interesting things, Sean opened the Book of Wizards.
---
Pukwudgie the butler loved this vast forest, so Sean left Bai with him.
Walking across the snowy ground and looking up, every window in Hogwarts Castle seemed to glow with warm light.
In the distance, Sean spotted a familiar figure. He raised his hand, and his broomstick shot out like lightning.
Seconds later, Sean appeared not far from the Ravenclaw Tower.
Across from him was a corridor door, and at the end of the passage, the Grey Lady drifted further away, ethereal and faint.
"Lady Ravenclaw," Sean said.
"Green..." the Grey Lady whispered.