Hogwarts Was Going to Be Destroyed

Late at night, Li Wei quietly returned to his office.

His two assistants were still awake.

Seeing Li Wei return safely, Jiamer hurried over to greet him, while Qiao Weili secretly let out a sigh of relief—during the time they had been waiting, Jiamer had already taken three doses of calming potion.

Sometimes, Qiao Weili could not help wondering whether Jiamer's curse had already been lifted.

Otherwise, even though a new month had begun, why was she still so concerned about the professor?

But when he recalled the cold look Jiamer had given him at the start of the month, the curse was clearly still in effect. It truly made no sense.

"Professor, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. It was a misunderstanding, and it's been resolved."

Back in his familiar office, Li Wei's nerves finally relaxed completely.

He looked toward the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. It was raining outside, and the view beyond the glass looked particularly gloomy.

Yet amid that gloom, he felt a sense of peace and beauty. Li Wei unconsciously walked forward, then suddenly felt that there was one sofa missing.

So he shifted the table and chairs in the center slightly to the right, then transfigured a large red leather sofa facing the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Ah."

He sank back onto it. Amid the creak of leather, his whole body settled into the sofa as he stared blankly out the window.

An autumn wind blew through the rain. A fallen leaf rose and fell repeatedly in the darkness before finally being carried high beyond his field of vision.

"Professor, are you very tired?"

"Could you tell us what happened today?"

At some point, Qiao Weili and Jiamer had come to stand behind him.

"Mm... A lot happened, but I don't have the energy to talk about it today.

"You've worried all night. You must be tired too, so go back and rest first. We can talk about anything tomorrow.

"Today, I just want to be alone for a while."

Li Wei's voice sounded lazy and listless.

But to his two assistants, it sounded exceptionally harsh.

They exchanged a silent glance and both saw the solemnity in the other's eyes. It was the first time they had seen their professor so lacking in spirit.

What exactly had happened?

"Professor..." Jiamer spoke first, her voice extremely soft. "Can we stay here quietly?"

Qiao Weili immediately followed.

"We won't make any noise. Please let us spend this time with you."

"What is this about?"

The leather sofa creaked again as Li Wei turned his head and glanced at the two assistants behind him.

His heart suddenly softened.

After all these years, it was not only himself that he had let down.

Both assistants had followed him from around the age of twelve. They studied magic every day without complaint or exhaustion, and often helped him handle trivial matters.

"You two really are cut from the same mold."

Li Wei suddenly chuckled and said to them,

"Qiao Weili, Jiamer, since you don't want to sleep, come keep me company."

The two assistants gladly agreed and sat respectfully at Li Wei's sides. They knew that such unusual behavior from the professor meant he must have something weighing on his mind. As long as he did not speak of it, the best they could do was simply keep him company.

Li Wei slumped back onto the sofa.

His arms were spread wide as he watched the raindrops continuously strike the window and slowly slide downward.

Yet during that time, the properly seated figures of his two assistants kept naturally entering his sight. Li Wei looked at their backs, and merely watching them made his exhausted mind feel much lighter.

Suddenly, he pushed himself up from the sofa and gently placed his hands on his assistants' heads.

"I've found my path, so from now on, you don't need to force yourselves to accommodate me anymore. You need to find your own paths too."

"Professor, what does that mean? Are you leaving us?"

Visible panic appeared in their eyes.

"No, of course not."

Looking at them, a rare gentleness appeared on Li Wei's face.

"You are the most important people in my life. We will never be separated."

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

The holiday was over, and the young wizards resumed classes amid undercurrents of unrest.

From the morning onward, rumors of the Chamber of Secrets began spreading among the four houses.

By the time classes were about to begin, nearly every young wizard knew about it. Unease quickly spread.

Except that the Slytherin students began strutting about arrogantly, looking down on others with nothing but their noses.

The other students either had an extra pair of glasses on their faces or kept a mirror close at hand, even though they did not know what use such things would have.

In fact, aside from Hermione and the others, not even Malfoy knew that a Basilisk was imprisoned within the Chamber of Secrets.

The students only knew that a place called the Chamber of Secrets might have been opened, that something terrifying might emerge at night, and that if you carried no tool capable of letting you see through walls, you might be spotted by "it."

This was the initial version devised by Cedric and Hermione.

But it quickly turned into all sorts of versions among the young wizards, with every imaginable claim being made.

Absurd rumors spread through the Great Hall like influenza. Trading protective charms became popular among the young wizards, and their fear eased considerably through those exchanges.

When Snape entered the classroom, they were still eagerly discussing it all.

"Put away all those ridiculous things at once!"

"Ah!"

Some witch screamed in fright. The students hurriedly gathered up their belongings, their fear even greater than if they had faced the monster of the Chamber of Secrets directly.

They had always known how strict Snape was.

But today seemed somewhat different.

Normally, if Snape found unrelated items in class, he would surely say something like—

"I had thought that there might at least be a trace of reason left in your meager minds, enough to distinguish fairy tales from reality. Clearly, I have once again overestimated your intelligence."

Yet Snape merely watched them calmly as they hurried to put everything away?

One young wizard was quicker than the others. He looked up in panic and happened to meet Snape's gaze. He froze.

His expression was as horrified as if he had seen a Mandrake tap-dancing.

Professor Snape, who was always so cold, was actually smiling?

Could what those people said this morning be true? Was Hogwarts really going to be destroyed?!

"..."

At that moment, Snape noticed that a student was looking at him and hurriedly withdrew his smile.

"Cough!"

He coughed heavily and resumed his stern expression.

Yet he could not help recalling what Li Wei had said to him yesterday. "Snape, you're not actually that unpleasant."

No. This is class.

I can't laugh right now.