Shrieking Shack

Cendrillon soon appeared in a painting next to a gargoyle and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore has allowed you up. The password is 'Chocolate Frog'!"

"Okay, thank you." Mu En, though confused, still smiled and thanked her.

He then spoke the password, and the gargoyle slowly opened the door, revealing a spiral staircase.

The spiral staircase to the Headmaster's office was much like an escalator; one simply stepped on, and it would automatically spiral upwards, taking people to the eighth-floor Headmaster's office.

Intertwined with it was another descending spiral staircase.

Mu En saw someone there as well.

He was thin, with straight, shoulder-length hair that looked a bit greasy. His skin was sallow, and his robes billowed behind him like a cape.

Like an old bat.

And the kind that doesn't wash its hair.

As Mu En sized him up, Snape was also observing Mu En. He then saw Mu En's cat head give a slight nod as a greeting.

Snape said nothing, and the spiral staircase moved, causing the two figures to pass each other.

After leaving the stairwell, Snape walked quickly down the corridor, his robes billowing behind him.

"Another cat..." he muttered uncomfortably.

Eighth floor, Headmaster's office. Mu En walked past the curtain and soon saw Dumbledore behind his desk.

"Mu En, welcome! How do you like it here? Have you encountered any problems?" Dumbledore asked.

Mu En looked around the Headmaster's office with curiosity as he explained his problem.

A moment later, Dumbledore, after listening to Mu En's question, pondered slightly and then shook his head. "Mu En, that might not be possible."

He then explained, "It's not difficult to open a passage within the castle. After all, Hogwarts has several passages connected to Hogsmeade, and they aren't restricted by floor.

But the problem is, your house also possesses very strong magic. This will cause the entire Hogwarts castle to reject it. It's like the rejection reaction in organ transplants; the two are incompatible."

After hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Mu En could only nod helplessly. "Then it seems I'll have to set up the house passage in Hogsmeade.

By the way, do those plots of land outside Hogsmeade cost money? My self-built house shouldn't incur street management fees, right..."

"Speaking of which..." Dumbledore stood up and walked to the window, pondering. "Hogwarts does have a house over there.

If you just need a conceptual house as a vessel, perhaps that place would be quite suitable."

Mu En followed him to the window. Dumbledore raised his hand and pointed towards the village. In the distance, on a small hill away from the cluster of houses, an old shack stood alone.

"That's the Shrieking Shack. It was built about twenty years ago for a werewolf child. Apart from some unpleasant rumors, it's quite alright."

After speaking, Dumbledore pointed below the castle. "That's the Whomping Willow. Beneath it is a passage leading to the Shrieking Shack. We just need to conceal the passage."

Mu En followed his gaze and soon saw the Whomping Willow. He nodded.

Then, he also noticed Hagrid by the Black Lake, where a giant squid was pushing out wooden boats stored in the lake water, and Hagrid was catching them on the shore.

"It's almost time for school to start!" Mu En exclaimed.

"Soon, the quiet school will be lively again," Dumbledore also remarked with a smile.

Although this old man could be petty and fussy at times, he genuinely loved teaching and children.

Werewolf children, half-giants, and others were admitted despite immense criticism.

"I'll give you that house. It's been abandoned for so many years," Dumbledore said.

Mu En nodded. "Thank you very much then."

"It's just an old house. By the way, regarding the office's decoration, you can do as you please. If you find the space insufficient, you can also find the house-elves; they have permission to expand it."

"It can be expanded at will?" Mu En was a bit surprised.

After his previous experiences, he had gained a greater understanding of Hogwarts Castle.

This castle was like a living entity. Making arbitrary changes, especially those involving space, should be difficult and go against its operational logic.

Hogwarts was different from Moonlight Castle. Moonlight Castle's core was Lucifer, and its movement was controlled by Lucifer, making it not a truly living castle.

The fundamental logic was different.

A hint of pride flickered across Dumbledore's face; he was clearly pleased with Mu En's surprised reaction.

"Of course, our previous Potions professor set up a Slug Club in his office.

And the current Potions professor carved out a private potion laboratory for himself."

Mu En was somewhat taken aback. "It seems the benefits of this school are even better than I imagined."

After chatting for a couple more sentences, he decided to go to the Shrieking Shack to connect the passage.

As he was leaving, he looked at the fiery red bird perched on a golden branch.

"By the way, is that a phoenix?"

"Yes, her name is Fawkes," Dumbledore replied. At the same time, Fawkes nodded slightly and let out a clear chirp.

Mu En looked at the phoenix. "When I've finished setting up the passage, I'll have time to visit. My friends would definitely love to meet you."

"Your friend is also a phoenix?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

Could it be that your mother's ancestors were surnamed Dumbledore?

Mu En looked at Dumbledore and said, "Don't overthink it. He's... how to explain it, he's a Star Child who likes to call himself a demon."

As he spoke, Mu En waved goodbye to the phoenix, the space twisted, and he teleported away.

Dumbledore was suddenly stunned. The spatial fluctuation caused by Mu En's teleportation was unlike any Apparition he had known before.

And the so-called "Star Child," something he had never heard of...

The portraits of the past headmasters on the wall also began to converse with serious expressions. "What is a Star Child?" "Why is he wearing a cat's face?" "A teleportation magic that completely bypasses anti-Apparition restrictions?!"

Finally, these old headmasters could only offer Dumbledore words of comfort: "In any case, I believe Minerva will like this colleague."

Dumbledore sighed, then forced a smile. "That's true..."

September 1st. London had a rare good day today. The sun hung high in the sky but wasn't harsh, and the breeze from the River Thames carried away the little remaining dryness.

Except for the rather foul smell, there were basically no other problems...

The pollution of the River Thames was a significant issue, both now and in the future.

At King's Cross Station, Harry and Hermione, along with their group, held their tickets and searched for the so-called Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Although Mu En had already opened a passage at Hogwarts, Harry had not yet visited it.

"The books say that to give all young wizards a perfect first impression of Hogwarts, the school will have first-year students travel by boat, seeing the most perfect castle under the starlit night.

So I thought I'd see Hogwarts then.

And... honestly, it's too tempting. If I see Hogwarts, what if I want to go to school every day? I still have my homework to finish."

These were Harry's exact words.

He didn't expect that this kid now not only had a sense of ritual but also hadn't forgotten his homework.

Mu En was quite satisfied.