Nicholas

In contrast to the dejected and oppressive atmosphere among Harry, Harry, and his friends, the atmosphere at Skylar's place was filled with joy and excitement.

When the Quidditch Match ended, the one who stole the show wasn't the captains of either Quidditch team, or even Cedric who caught the Golden Snitch and turned the tide—it was Skylar!

It's unclear who started it, but the stadium stands erupted in cheers as soon as someone called out Skylar's name.

"Skylar! Skylar! Skylar!..." Everyone cheered with all their might.

A tremendous roar, like the tides of the flood season, came wave after wave, starting from the Slytherin stands, then the Hufflepuff stands, and then the Ravenclaw stands...

The young wizards raised their hands high, shouting with abandon. In that moment, they forgot about bloodlines and school affiliations; they only remembered—it was Skylar! He brought hope! He brought courage! He led them to victory against the terrifying Dementor! He united their hearts!

People cheered wildly, some even with tears in their eyes. The originally dark sky seemed to have a hole opened by the thunderous cheers, letting in slivers of golden morning light that shone on the field.

At dinner time, the students gathered in the Great Hall, eating their meals while excitedly discussing the day's events, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Skylar walked to the long table at Hufflepuff, congratulated Cedric, and then, through Cedric's introduction, got to know the Hufflepuff players one by one.

After a warm conversation, the players all developed a strong liking for this polite student. As Skylar was leaving, he was stopped by several Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw girls, who surrounded him and bombarded him with questions about the Patronus Charm. Most of them were fifth graders or higher and had somewhat underestimated the Patronus Charm exchange event held earlier, now only able to regret it in silence.

Skylar gave them some concise points and told them to try it out on their own first, and to come to him for help if they had any problems. Only after receiving Skylar's promise did the girls happily return to their seats.

Having shaken off the girl's advances, Skylar was about to head back when Morrie blocked her way, saying with a slightly sour tone, "You're really popular!"

Skylar coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, "Everyone's just overly excited about what happened today..." Skylar forcefully changed the subject, "You did a really good job today, I saw your Patronus! Being able to release a complete Corporeal Patronus under the influence of so many Dementor is truly remarkable!"

Suddenly praised by Skylar, Morrie blushed and stammered, "You... you are also... Today I saw your Patronus... I have to say, your Patronus is amazing!"

Skylar smiled and said, "Actually, the strength of Patronus is not absolutely related to its size. Throughout history, there have been many Patronus that were small in size but powerful in strength. For example, the Patronus deity of Ilius in the Middle Ages was an extremely powerful rat; and the witch Simposia Lor from a century ago—her Patronus was an incredibly strong little ladybug... So my Patronus just looks scary, it's really nothing special."

Morrie rolled his eyes at Skylar. "You're still so hypocritical—why don't you mention the ancient Greece wizard Invincible Andros, whose Patronus was the size of Giant, making him invincible in his time? Besides, I have a feeling your Patronus isn't even in its true, complete form—were you holding back? I feel that if you really went all out, your Patronus probably wouldn't be much weaker than the principal's Phoenix Patronus."

Skylar shook his head. "You think too highly of me. I'm just a third-year student. How could I possibly compare to the principal?"

Morrie thought for a moment, as if she had thought of something difficult to say. She lowered her head slightly, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, and whispered, "Thank you for today. You protected everyone. You gave me the courage to find my Patronus in that desperate situation... And you were really cool today!" After saying this, Morrie's ears turned red. She hurriedly turned and ran out of the Great Hall, back to her Ravenclaw dormitory.

That's it? Girls are too shy. Skylar had thought there would at least be a kiss on the cheek... Well, Skylar was a bit overthinking it...

After enjoying a sumptuous dinner, Skylar returned to his dormitory room, where he was greeted by Dobby, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Dobby said respectfully, "Young master, Dobby has found Mr. Nicholas's location. We can go there at any time. Would you like to set off now?"

Even before the Patronus Charm Exchange Conference concluded, Skylar had already begun developing an "Anti-Dizziness Bracelet." Through his tireless efforts, he successfully produced a prototype trial version of the Anti-Dizziness Bracelet over the past three weeks. According to experimental results, it can indeed prevent the discomfort caused by magical teleportation. However, if the teleportation process involves excessive rotation or prolonged rotation, the bracelet may break. Therefore, Skylar still needs to make further improvements.

Although the current Anti-Dizziness Bracelet are still unsuitable for long-distance magical teleportation, the wealthy Skylar certainly had a solution. He put five bracelets on each of his arms before taking Dobby's hand and having Dobby Apparition with him. After repeatedly Apparition and breaking five Anti-Dizziness Bracelet, they finally teleported to the Black Forest in Germany, thousands of miles away.

Skylar was quite satisfied with the journey. Although he lost half of his bracelets, he didn't experience even the slightest teleportation side effect. That's how a protagonist should be; how could he get dizzy and S.P.E.W. from teleportation? That would be too unbecoming!

The Black Forest, as its name suggests, is a dark and gloomy forest, much like the Forbidden Forest, and covers a vast area. In addition to various magical creatures such as Erkling and Bowtruckle, it is also home to tribes of dark creatures such as Hag and Vampire, who often harassed Quirrell when he traveled there.

Erkling are close relatives of House Elf, larger than Gnome, averaging three feet tall, with long, pointed faces, and a particular fondness for the smell of children. Their Erkling cawing can captivate children, who use this method to lure them away from their guardians and then devour them. This is why, despite speaking human language, they are still classified as "beasts." The German Ministry of Magic has strictly controlled the Erkling population, and to this day, the number of Erkling attacks has greatly decreased.

Legend has it that a little-known Kobold tribe lives hidden within the area. The Kobold are close relatives of Goblin, and they look similar to Goblin, except that their skin is darker. However, this Goblin race is extremely skilled at hiding, and their invisibility, disguise, and Transfiguration are all exceptional. This is why their existence is so little known.

(Note: There is no mention of Kobold in the original text; the Kobold in the Black Forest is a Germany folk tale.)

None of this really concerns Skylar, because he doesn't need to go deep into the Black Forest.

On the outskirts of the Black Forest lies a pure wizarding village similar to Hogsmeade Village, called Wiedebach Village. Ellerby and Spudmore Broomstick Company are headquartered in this village. Led by Dobby, Skylar entered a secluded alley and knocked seven times on the door of an inconspicuous little wooden house in a coded rhythm. The door opened a crack, revealing the face of a typical Germany man, rugged yet wild.

Skylar was dressed in the same clothes he had worn in Knockturn Alley. He adopted a deep voice and said in fluent German, getting straight to the point. "I'm looking for Nicholas. I was referred by the Giant Spider."

"Come in!" The man quickly opened the door, let Skylar in, and then quickly closed the door again.

The room was simply furnished, clearly a makeshift office rather than the man's residence. Without wasting words with Skylar, the man went straight to the point, "I am Nicholas. What do you want with me?"

"I need Phantom-Scent Grass; the price is negotiable."

Nicholas chuckled coldly. "Phantom-Scent Grass only grows in plantations under the supervision of the Ministry of Magic throughout Europe. I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

Skylar knew exactly how to deal with these people, and sneered, "I believe that with enough profit, there's nothing you can't buy, like this..." Skylar pulled out a bottle of Acromantula venom and waved it in front of him. "This is Acromantula venom; its value needs no further explanation, right? I can easily get my hands on it."

Nicholas stared coldly at the bottle in Skylar's hand, his eyes gleaming with undisguised greed.

"I have a long-term supply of this venom. If you can help me get Phantom-Scent Grass, I think we can cooperate long-term and exchange it," Skylar, throwing out another bait.

Nicholas's expression shifted upon hearing about a long-term acquisition channel. After some consideration, he agreed to cooperate with Skylar. Although it was their first meeting, they could cooperate with mutual trust because the Wizarding World had the very convenient contract magic of "Unbreakable Vow." After agreeing on the details of their cooperation, Skylar, led by Dobby, Apparition back to Hogwarts.

A lot has happened recently.

The first thing was that Lupin was back to teach, although he did seem to have been ill—his old robes looked even looser on him, and there were Black Shadow under his eyes. Professor Lupin's return made Defence Against the Dark Arts class enjoyable again, especially for the Gryffindor, because none of them, except Hermione, had finished Snape's paper on Werewolf.

The young Slytherin wizards were quite conscientious, after all, they had to give face to their headmaster, and almost all of them finished their homework. Meredith, who was good at observation and reasoning, had even guessed Lupin's Werewolf identity, but at Skylar's instruction, she didn't let a fourth person know except for Daphne.

Of course, they didn't know that Hermione had already guessed it.

In that class, Lupin introduced a new dark creature, the Hinkypunk, a small, one-legged creature that looked like wisps of thin smoke. It seemed fragile and harmless, but in reality, it often lured travelers into swamps in the pitch-black wilderness at night. It carried a small lantern in its hand and hopped forward through the foggy swamps, using the light from the lantern to guide its way. If travelers followed the light, they would sink into the swamp and suffocate.

Hinkypunk are not actually classified as living beings, but rather as spirits, like Ghost, Banshee, and Caipora. Within the Ministry of Magic, they are managed by the Spirit Division, which belongs to the Department of Biological Control. Because they lack physical form, ordinary magic has no effect on them; only advanced Dark Arts can harm them. For example, the gaze of Basilisk can petrify a spirit.

However, dealing with them is not difficult, because they have no physical form and therefore cannot touch or harm wizards—as long as you learn to resist their temptations and ignore their existence, you will not be dragged into the mire by them.

(Note: For information on spirits, please refer to the chapter on "Non-beastly magical creatures" in the related sections of the work.)

(Note: The Biological Management and Control Division is divided into three main departments: Beings Division, Beast Division, and Spirit Division. These departments are further subdivided into smaller offices; for example, the Beings Division has House-Elf Relocation Office, and the Spirit Division has Ghost Office. The People's Publishing House's direct translation of the Spirit Division as Ghost Office is incorrect, as it misleads readers into understanding the three-tiered structure of "Department > Division > Office.")

The second thing was that Harry was discharged from the Hospital Wing, and life seemed to be returning to normal. However, the loss in the Quidditch Match continued to have an impact. Harry was often seen staring blankly at the wreckage of his Broomstick. Although everyone tried various methods to cheer him up, nothing worked.

In late November, Ravenclaw defeated Hufflepuff —poor Cedric, despite his individual skill, couldn't withstand the drag of his weak teammates. In the first match between the two new Quidditch captains, he was utterly crushed by Roger Davis, suffering a humiliating defeat (the original book even used the word "flatten" to describe it, how pathetic).

This incident revitalized Wood; after all, Gryffindor Quidditch Team still had a chance to win the championship, although they couldn't afford to lose another game. He now demanded that the players train day and night, with Harry and the others frequently Accio in the biting December snow.

Besides being busy with Quidditch training, Harry also needs to learn the Patronus Charm from Professor Lupin. He needs to cast the full Patronus as soon as possible to ensure that no accidents happen in the next match.