On Monday, the day before Professor McGonagall's birthday, Scott went to her office after class to give her his gift and wish her a happy birthday.
Just as Milton had said, Professor McGonagall really liked the birthday gift Scott had given her.
When she saw the painting, the stern expression she usually wore vanished completely, replaced by a satisfied smile.
She happily said to Scott, "Thank you, Mr. Trollope. I really like your gift!"
She then emphasized, "I think this painting is even better than the one Professor Flitwick received!"
"Oh, is that so..." Scott suddenly felt a little uneasy. "This painting came from a new burst of inspiration, and Milton's advice helped too. I used a completely different technique from before."
He could already picture Professor McGonagall showing off the gift to Professor Flitwick.
But Professor McGonagall was now focused on the painting before her, and she had a few more thoughts to share. "I noticed. You can't even see any brushstrokes on this painting. It looks as if it was done in a single stroke, with a natural beauty to it."
Scott nodded. "Yes, I used Transfiguration to create this painting."
Professor McGonagall immediately asked with interest, "Oh? Tell me about it, Mr. Trollope. How did you use Transfiguration in your painting?"
"Of course. It was just a combination of the simplest, most basic Transfiguration spells..."
Scott described in detail how he had created the painting.
"It really is quite simple." Professor McGonagall nodded repeatedly as she listened. "But I still have to commend you for your ingenuity."
"Oh! Can I have some points for that?" Scott joked.
To his surprise, Professor McGonagall paused at his words and seemed to genuinely consider whether to award him points.
But in the end, she shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Trollope. That doesn't meet the requirements for awarding points. It was a personal gift, after all, and Professor Flitwick has already awarded points for your painting."
Professor McGonagall really was known for being strict.
Scott smiled and nodded.
He had only been joking, and of course he had no objection.
After saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall, Scott headed for the Hogwarts Library to read this month's new issues of several academic journals.
He crossed a few corridors and heard a loud discussion coming from the other side of a corner.
"Oh! Harry, none of us heard the strange voice you mentioned!" a girl said in a peculiar tone.
Scott remembered that voice. It was probably Hermione Granger, who had spoken to him on the train.
"If you ask me, Snape must have driven you out of your mind in Potions this afternoon!"
That voice... Scott guessed it belonged to Fred and George's "idiot little brother."
"I really did hear it!" a boy shouted. "More than once! And I heard the same voice on the night I helped Lockhart answer his letters!"
That was Harry Potter, the Chosen One.
Scott suddenly shuddered.
Had the Basilisk already come out of the Chamber of Secrets so early?
He only remembered the broad strokes of the "story," and had always thought the Chamber of Secrets Incident began on Halloween, after Filch's cat was petrified.
With that thought in mind, Scott walked around the corner at a normal pace and came face-to-face with the "trio."
The moment they saw him, the three young wizards fell silent.
"Hello, Trollope."
Granger remembered his name and greeted him first.
"Hello, Granger."
Scott nodded, then said to the other two boys, "Hello, Potter, Weasley. I'm Scott Trollope, a fourth-year Ravenclaw."
"Hello, Trollope."
Both boys seemed a little uncomfortable.
Potter in particular: Scott noticed his eyes darting behind his glasses.
Although he could tell the Chosen One didn't seem to want to talk to a stranger, Scott remained where he was and said unhurriedly, "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you were discussing it rather loudly."
Ignoring their reddening faces, he asked directly, "Potter, did you hear a strange voice in the castle? Can you tell me what happened?"
Potter opened his mouth, looking troubled, but made no sound.
Clearly, he didn't want to discuss it with a stranger, but didn't know how to refuse.
"Was that too forward of me?" Scott gave him a friendly smile. "Perhaps you could satisfy my curiosity and tell me where the voice came from."
"It was over there." Potter reflexively returned a shy smile and pointed at a wall. "It seemed to come from inside that wall."
"Let me take a look."
Scott walked over to the wall, drew his wand, and pointed it at himself.
"Super Perception."
He cast a Sensory Enhancement Charm on himself, then carefully sensed the magic within the wall.
At the same time, he heard Weasley quietly ask his companions, "What's he doing?"
His tone was odd, as though he were saying Scott was crazy.
"Shut up, Ron!" Granger scolded him under her breath. "Haven't you figured it out? He's sensing the magic! Don't tell me you didn't know—he became famous at the start of term because he could sense magic so clearly."
Potter sounded hesitant. "I think I've heard about that, but I didn't know who it was."
"All I know is that Fred and George get along pretty well with him," Weasley said.
"You two never remember anything useful!" Granger complained about the boys' pitiful brains.
Just then, Scott shook his head and turned around.
The three young wizards immediately fell silent.
"The castle itself has such powerful magic, and it's very mixed," Scott said. "I can only vaguely sense traces of magic left behind by some kind of magical creature."
Potter's eyes widened. He said happily, "So it's true! The voice I heard wasn't my imagination!"
Weasley scrunched up his face and asked doubtfully, "You mean there's a magical creature inside the wall? Then why can't we hear it?"
"Perhaps Potter has sharper hearing, Weasley," Scott said with a smile.
Granger couldn't help asking curiously, "But... what kind of magical creature could hide inside a wall? And talk?"
"There are pipes inside the walls," Scott said. "Perhaps it's an Acromantula? As far as I know, they can talk."
"A-a spider?" Weasley turned pale, shuddered, and quickly backed away several steps.
At that point, Scott put away his wand. He said goodbye to the three young wizards. "Anyway, thanks for telling me about this. It might be an interesting discovery. Well, see you."
He waved and strode toward the library.
The instant he turned away, his expression grew grave. The news that the Basilisk had awakened made him feel a sense of urgency.
Before you continue