Professor Kettleburn

"Are you looking for something?"

A ghost floating in midair made Professor Lore and Pringle stop what they were doing.

"A student has broken school rules and should be nearby," Pringle said, hoping the ghost might help them. "Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

The ghost pretended to think for a moment. "Speaking of students wandering about at night, I did see one at the staircase on the third floor just now. He should have fled from here."

"It must be one of those Gryffindor troublemakers!" Pringle said bitterly, rushing toward the stairs. "I'll catch him!"

Professor Lore frowned and glanced once more at the stone pedestal. Yet that sense of discord had already vanished. He shook his head and left the spot in confusion.

The ghost in the air let out a breath of relief. Then he saw Helena drift over curiously. She asked, "Are you covering for a student wandering around at night?"

Xiwen gave an awkward laugh. "I just thought it wasn't easy for the students either..."

Helena gave him a suspicious look but did not ask any further questions.

At the same time, Young Wizard Xiwen had already arrived at the hall on the first floor of the teaching wing.

While using his ghostly identity to draw Professor Lore and Pringle's attention, he secretly took out his wand and softly recited the spell he had learned that day, turning the soles of his shoes into soft pads. He then quietly slipped away from the two staff members searching the area and made his way downstairs.

Then, with his nerves taut, he stood beneath the staircase leading from the first floor to the second. Only after hearing their footsteps fade into the distance did he finally relax and let out a deep breath.

That was close! Xiwen rubbed his face, feeling as if his entire body had gone stiff.

Still, at least he had achieved his goal.

Leaving the staircase where he had hidden, Xiwen walked to the castle's tightly shut front doors. He saw the iron bolt and heavy lock hanging there, but they did not discourage him.

Xiwen reached out and pressed a hand against the doors, gauging their thickness.

Then he raised his left hand upright and used the wand in his right hand to draw a circle on the doors.

A golden ring appeared, expanding from small to large until it was tall enough for a person to pass through, pressed tightly against the castle doors. Through the golden ring, he could see pinpricks of starlight in the sky and faint grass on the ground. It was the scene beyond the doors!

Who would have thought I'd be reduced to simplifying Dimensional Gate into a wall-passing ring? Xiwen smiled self-mockingly and stepped through the ring, arriving outside the castle.

Half an hour later.

Xiwen wandered aimlessly across the lawn, feeling his hope of finding Little Cat grow increasingly faint.

"Accio Kitten!"

Unwilling to give up, he raised his wand and shouted at the empty grassland.

With his eyes closed, Xiwen pictured Little Cat in his mind, hoping to summon her to him.

About half a minute later, Xiwen opened his eyes—

A strange, stubbly face abruptly appeared before him, its enormous features wearing a deeply astonished expression.

"Holy—!" Xiwen swore in fright and sprang backward, only to lose his footing and fall onto the grass.

"Professor Kettleburn, why are you here?" He barely managed to sit up, rubbing the head he had struck hard as he asked in lingering fear.

"I should be asking you that! Shouting in the middle of the night beside my home!" Professor Kettleburn glared, speaking aggressively. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be curfew right now."

Xiwen replied with a headache, "Yes, but my cat is missing. I really want to find her."

Professor Kettleburn said irritably, "What could happen to a pet cat? Maybe she ran off to play by herself. Once she gets tired of it in a few days, she'll return to her nest."

"But my cat hadn't even opened her eyes at noon today," Xiwen said. "And her cage was still securely locked."

Professor Kettleburn sounded even angrier. "You brought a kitten that hasn't opened its eyes to school? What were you thinking? What if you can't keep her alive? Would you take responsibility?"

Hearing that, Xiwen suddenly remembered something and asked excitedly, "Professor, you teach Care of Magical Creatures, right?"

Professor Kettleburn gave him a suspicious look. "That's right. Is there a problem?"

"I was planning to find you anyway," Xiwen said. "Today just happens to be perfect!"

Then Xiwen told Professor Kettleburn everything unusual about his cat.

As the professor listened, he gradually became interested. With a sweep of his large hand, he said, "Follow me!"

Professor Kettleburn led Xiwen to where he lived. He resided in a shack beside the Forbidden Forest. The room was extremely simple, with only a bed, a table, and a chair. A dirty table stood by a narrow window, and on it sat a large colorful pot boiling water.

Xiwen glanced at the colorful pot and felt that it seemed rather out of place in the plain room. So he looked again, and then he could no longer take his eyes off it.

"Professor, is that a Fire Crab shell? You use it to boil water?" Xiwen asked incredulously.

"Mm-hm. This little thing boils water quickly. It's quite useful!" Professor Kettleburn sat boldly on the bed and gestured for Xiwen to sit in the chair.

Xiwen bent down and moved aside a dusty long-haired brush blocking his way, preparing to head toward the chair. However, he froze again.

"Is this... Unicorn Tail Hair?" He reached out and touched it in disbelief, clearly feeling the same texture as the tail hair he had specifically studied at home for use as wand cores. He looked at Professor Kettleburn in shock.

The professor waved a hand, signaling for him to come over quickly.

"Don't make such a fuss. Unicorn tail hair gets caught on tree trunks easily. This stuff is common in the Forbidden Forest," he said. "Sit down already and tell me about your cat in detail."

Xiwen felt numb. Even a family as wealthy as his could not possibly be extravagant enough to use Unicorn Tail Hair, which cost ten Galleons a small bundle, to make something like a brush...

Shaking his head hard, he forcibly cast aside his astonishment and began recounting how he had bought the cat, what she looked like, her usual unusual behaviors, the experts' assessments, and so on.

The professor listened with great interest, occasionally interrupting Xiwen to ask for details.

"You said the cage was securely locked, but the cat vanished?" he asked. "Could one of your roommates have let her out?"

Xiwen shook his head. "I don't think so. They had no reason to do that."

Professor Kettleburn nodded lightly and pondered for a while. Then his expression suddenly turned grave. "Based on what you've said, I only know of one feline creature capable of passing through a perfectly sealed cat cage without damaging it..."

"That would be a Zouwu!"