Strange Peeves

The match was already in full swing.

Harry deftly dodged Bludgers in the air, while Slytherin's Seeker, Terence Higgs, was right on his tail.

Gryffindor was ahead by twenty points, but their captain and Keeper, Oliver Wood, had been knocked out by a Bludger from Slytherin's Marcus Flint, and the atmosphere was so tense it was almost frozen.

At this critical juncture, Harry Potter's broom seemed to malfunction, "zig-zagging wildly in the air and jerking violently from time to time."

It bucked and spun madly, as if determined to throw its rider off. Harry could only cling on for dear life with his hands and knees, preventing himself from plummeting from the sky.

"This broom seems to be under control," Rosier suddenly remarked. "I've heard of this before. The person controlling it must be within the grounds, not too far away."

As she spoke, she pulled out a telescope from her robe and began scanning the area.

Meanwhile, Hermione in the Gryffindor stands was doing the same.

"Oh, Merlin! It's Professor Snape, he's muttering incantations!" Rosier exclaimed, turning to Yulian in shock. The immense surprise caused her mind to freeze, unsure of what to do.

"Is that so?" To Rosier's surprise, Yulian didn't seem worried about his cousin at all. He said slowly, "Then take a look behind Snape?"

Rosier raised her telescope again and looked. "Heavens! Professor Quirrell! He's muttering too!"

"Then who do you think is casting the curse?"

"It must be Quirrell, oh, no, maybe..." Rosier suddenly thought of Snape's attitude towards Harry Potter and became unsure.

Yulian glanced at her. Even in the eyes of this usually proud and aloof Slytherin girl, a hint of confusion appeared. "No, don't we need to do something?"

"Perhaps," he replied softly. "Don't forget, Professor McGonagall and many other teachers are here. They won't let students get hurt."

Rosier paused, nodded, then shook her head as if she thought of something else. "No, why did you have me look behind Professor Snape just now? You seem to know something."

"Hmm~ No need to dwell on these unimportant things," Yulian shrugged. "Maybe I have a talent for prophecy."

Just as Rosier was about to ask again, there was a commotion in the staff seating area on the opposite side for some reason. Then Harry's broom immediately returned to normal.

Harry, back on his broom, suddenly dived, plummeting towards the ground like a shooting star. Yulian, however, knew that he had spotted the Golden Snitch. The Slytherin Seeker beside him immediately followed.

Seeing them both about to crash into the ground! The whole stadium gasped! Higgins of Slytherin, clearly not yet skilled in such dangerous maneuvers, pulled up his broom first.

Harry Potter, only at the last moment, used a Wronski Feint to narrowly pull up his broom. Although he fell to the ground from his broom, he spat out the Golden Snitch from his mouth.

"Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan's roar almost shook the stands.

Gryffindor students jumped and celebrated wildly, while Slytherin was in dead silence. Only Marcus Flint was still arguing with Madam Hooch, the referee, that Potter had caught the Golden Snitch with his mouth, not his hand, so it shouldn't count.

Rosier stood up and brushed the snow off her robes. "I have to go back," she said. "After Slytherin loses, the atmosphere in the common room is not very pleasant."

"Be careful," Yulian nodded.

She walked a few steps, then turned back. "By the way--if you find any clues about the ruins, you can tell me. I think... we might have the same goal." Her words held a deeper meaning.

Yulian watched her disappear into the crowd, his hand tightly gripping the thick ancient tome. The cold wind whipped up his dark hair, and in the distance, Harry was being tossed high by his teammates, his laughter piercing the clouds.

That evening in the Library, Yulian closed the notebook he had borrowed from Rosier, his fingertips still retaining the unique coolness of parchment. Outside the window, the night beyond the Ravenclaw Tower was as thick as ink, only above the dome, the stars glittered like diamonds, silently overlooking the thousand-year-old castle.

An indescribable shock surged within him. So that's how it is.

The Scandinavian Mountains within the Arctic Circle, the Dinaric Alps within Albania on the Balkan Peninsula, and the Hogwarts location in the Scottish Highlands are the so-called "magic anomaly fluctuation" regions in Europe.

And maintaining the balance of these three nodes are three "Source Stone Slabs" containing star power, discovered by the first wizards.

One of them was found by Grindelwald and handed over to the Rochelle family for safekeeping; the second was found by Dumbledore and entrusted to the Guardian of the Nordic ice and snow tribes; and the third... had been hidden in the most secret heart of Hogwarts. Now Yulian knew it was in the Mirror of Erised.

What shook his mind even more was that the book mentioned that when the three stone slabs were united, a "Star Gate" leading to an unknown dimension would be opened, its power perhaps enough to reshape the world, or perhaps to tear it apart completely, with fortunes and misfortunes unknown.

Another truth buried by time: the Black Family also participated in the construction of Hogwarts and served as its caretakers for a long time.

The first caretaker was Pyxis. Interestingly, the four founders of Hogwarts were recorded to have called him "Guardian" on different occasions.

"The Black Family... are truly Guardians?" Yulian murmured to himself. His grandfather Alphard had never mentioned these things, likely because he himself was unaware that such an astonishing secret lay buried within his family bloodline.

He had to return to his dormitory immediately. It was late, and if he didn't leave soon, he was sure to be caught by the elusive Filch.

To avoid the main staircase, he chose a little-known spiral path leading to the abandoned observatory in the west wing. The path was cold and damp, and the torches on the walls flickered, casting his shadow long and thin, like a lonely ghost.

Just as he was about to pass through an archway, a sharp, piercing laugh suddenly came from ahead.

"Hee hee hee! Look who's up late playing hide-and-seek!"

A semi-transparent ghost wearing a pointed hat appeared out of nowhere, hovering in front of Yulian. It was Peeves, Hogwarts' notorious poltergeist. He was still clutching a soggy roll of parchment, clearly snatched from some unlucky student's homework.

Yulian's heart tightened, and he instinctively took a step back. Bad luck, why did he have to run into him? This guy was troublesome, even professors couldn't control him.

Yulian was thinking about what spell he could use to drive Peeves away.

However, when Peeves saw him, he didn't throw ink bottles or charge at him screaming as usual. His small eyes, always flashing with mischief, were now fixed on Yulian, and there was a rare solemnity in his gaze.

"Black..." Peeves' voice suddenly deepened, no longer the sharp cackle, but a hoarse sound with an ancient echo. "Shilam Yulian Black. You carry 'her' scent."

Yulian blinked. "Her? Who?"

"Pyxis!" Peeves straightened up abruptly, his tone filled with reverence. "The first Pyxis Black to come to Hogwarts! Only she could command me! And only her bloodline can awaken the sleeping key!"

Yulian's heart rate suddenly accelerated. Pyxis?!.

"What are you talking about?" Yulian forced himself to remain calm, but his voice was a little dry.

"Stop playing dumb, little Black!" Peeves floated closer, almost touching Yulian's face. "I know who you are. You should already know what's hidden inside that mirror. It's right there! But no one can take it out except you! Because your blood is the only key to unlock it!"

Peeves' voice lowered further, with an almost warning tone. "You are not only the key, but also the Guardian. When the three unite, the Star Gate will open. Whether it brings fortune or disaster is in your hands. Remember, little one, don't let those vultures hiding in the shadows catch your scent, otherwise... hehehehe!"

With that, Peeves let out a strange, booming laugh, as if he had completely forgotten what he had just said. His form turned into a wisp of smoke and instantly vanished down the corridor.