Quarrel

The Christmas holiday passed very quickly.

Hogwarts became lively again. After the Christmas snow, the weather began to get colder and colder, and heavy snow started to fall in the last two days.

During lunch, in the warm Great Hall, Linley and his two companions were engaged in a heated debate about spells at the Ravenclaw table.

"The green sparks and red sparks are within the scope of spells, and they are inextricably linked to the wand Lumos spell. Therefore, these two spells should be considered branches of the wand Lumos spell," Cedric stated confidently.

However, Linley had a different opinion.

"I agree with your earlier point. While these two sparks are simple, they are indeed spells, and they are indeed connected to the wand Lumos spell. But they cannot be called branches of the wand Lumos spell; they should be a category under the Summoning Charm, which itself is a branch of spells."

Cedric frowned, "Summoning Charm? What is the primary factor in distinguishing a Summoning Charm? The effect or object produced by the spell already exists. The Summoning Charm acts as an intermediary. So, where did the green and red sparks originally exist?"

Linley said earnestly, "There are many hidden elements in nature, and countless ways to produce sparks. For a wizard with magic, changing their color is as easy as picking up a cup and drinking water. The key is that after these two sparks are released, they have a process of ascending. Moreover, they are not pure light; they are sparks that can burst, which is fundamentally different from the wand Lumos spell."

Cedric still couldn't accept Linley's theory. They both turned to Ian, who had been silent.

"What do you think?"

Ian was concise as always.

"I tend to agree with Linley's statement."

Cedric was very confused. "Why?"

"Because I have also studied natural sciences."

Cedric didn't understand what he meant, but Linley retorted.

"This isn't exactly natural science. The core of natural science is to follow dialectics when facing any problem. I've only made a guess. To verify the conjecture, we still need to conduct experiments."

"There will be opportunities," Ian said slowly, cutting his steak with his knife and fork. Judging by his demeanor, he must have received a lot of education in this area since childhood.

While they were discussing, a commotion suddenly erupted from the Slytherin table.

The attention of people from other houses was drawn to it.

The dispute was between two Slytherin Prefects, the female Prefect Betty and the male Prefect Raphael.

They seemed to be genuinely angry, arguing until their faces were flushed, and finally parted ways unhappily.

Cedric asked in a low voice.

"I remember they were a couple, weren't they?"

Linley knew this. He nodded. "It's said they started dating in their fourth year, and it's been almost two years now."

Cedric sighed and shook his head. "They seem truly angry, not giving each other any face at all, arguing in front of so many people. It's really... alas."

Ian spoke faintly.

"Are you thinking of interfering?"

Cedric immediately became flustered and waved his hands.

"Don't talk nonsense! I never had that idea!"

"Then why are you worrying so much?"

Linley, on the side, laughed until his stomach hurt. Ian's words were quite sharp, and Cedric often found himself at a disadvantage.

That night, by the Whomping Willow near the Black Lake, Linley and his two companions gathered under the cover of darkness.

The Whomping Willow, which usually waved its branches menacingly, making it seem like no one should approach, was now as quiet as an ordinary willow tree.

Ian looked at Linley and Cedric expressionlessly.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?"

Linley shrugged. "We've already come this far. If we go back now, are we just waiting to be caught by Filch?"

Cedric also patted Ian's shoulder.

"It's okay, Ian. Besides, it would be too lonely for you to stay in that place alone for a whole night. It's the weekend tomorrow anyway, and we don't have anything to do."

Seeing their persistence, Ian didn't say anything more and took the lead into the secret passage, with Linley and Cedric following behind him.

"It's quite strange, isn't it? The last time we came here, it was to avoid Ian, but this time we're voluntarily following him."

Cedric said with much emotion.

"You were even going to bravely offer yourself up for sacrifice back then," Linley said, the scene evoking memories of Cedric's bravado.

The secret passage was quite long. They walked for about half an hour before reaching the exit.

It was a dilapidated house. Linley and his two companions crawled out from the underground storage room of the house. Their feet landed on the worn wooden planks, emitting an eerie creaking sound.

"Lumos."

Cedric used the wand Lumos spell, illuminating the surrounding area.

They walked out of the storage room. As they moved, dust motes floated everywhere. Linley couldn't help but cover his nose with his sleeve.

"Have you been here alone before?"

"What else?"

Ian seemed accustomed to this place; it was clear he'd been here more than just once or twice.

They arrived at the living room area of the Shrieking Shack. Ian found a clean spot and sat down, quietly waiting for the transformation to begin.

Linley and Cedric sat not far from him.

Not long after, Ian suddenly collapsed onto the ground, letting out muffled groans of pain.

The process of transforming into a werewolf was exceptionally painful, and even Ian, a special werewolf who could retain his sanity after transforming, was no exception.

But the transformation wasn't long. With a chilling roar, Ian completely changed from human to werewolf.

This time, Linley and Cedric didn't run. Instead, they stood up and observed Ian's transformation up close.

"Can you still use magic in this state?" Linley asked curiously.

Ian panted heavily and shook his head. "I tried, but the magic in my body felt like it was sealed by some invisible force, unable to come out."

Linley suddenly had an idea. He found a thick wooden board from somewhere and started with Cedric. "Here, punch this board with all your might."

Cedric was an honest person. When Linley said "with all your might," he gave it his all. As a result, the board was completely unharmed, but he clutched his fist, gasping in pain.

Then Linley also punched the board with all his strength. The board remained intact, but the sound clearly indicated his punch was many times stronger than Cedric's.

"Your turn." Linley held the board out in front of him, gesturing to Ian.

Ian understood his intention and didn't hold back, throwing a straight punch at the board.

"Crack!"

The board immediately snapped into two pieces. Under the immense force, Linley was thrown backward, falling to the ground and sliding back several meters.