The Seventh Chapter of Night

At the end of the corridor, there is a carved wooden door.

The door had no handle; instead, a bronze bat statue hung on the lintel, resembling a door god.

William gently knocked on the strange door.

The bat statue on the doorframe suddenly opened its eyes, its large mouth opening and closing, uttering a cold female voice.

"Come in."

As soon as the sound faded, the wooden door suddenly opened by itself.

It was broad daylight, yet the room was completely dark, as if someone had covered the entire room with a curtain.

William went inside, and Hermione followed him timidly.

The wooden door was closed again, and it was pitch black all around, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

"Is there something you need, child?" The icy voice seemed to come from all directions. "I think it's rest time today, and you shouldn't be taking up a professor's rest time."

Hermione clung tightly to William's robes, her head tucked behind him, seemingly frightened.

William waved his wand, and a ball of flame shot out, instantly illuminating the oil lamps on the surrounding walls.

"Don't turn on the light suddenly, you jerk!" The voice was filled with panic and a hint of annoyance.

My eyes!

William looked up and saw a magnificent sofa in the corner of the room.

A girl was lying on it, wearing a short-sleeved top and loose shorts, looking extremely relaxed.

Especially her pair of long, fair legs, as white as mutton fat jade, were so dazzling that they made his eyes hurt.

Despite the excruciating pain, William did not blink.

Hmm... It's a bittersweet experience, something like that.

The girl covered her eyes, then vanished in a flash, disappearing from the sofa, leaving cucumber-flavored potato chips scattered all over the floor.

Professor Bathsheda Professor Babbling's office was completely different from that of other professors.

This was an enormous lounge, beautifully decorated, even more luxurious than Dumbledore's office, and the air seemed to be filled with the scent of incense.

However, the smell, mixed with cucumber, seemed particularly out of place and ruined the elegant atmosphere of the entire room.

What puzzled William the most was that the room didn't even have a window!

William looked around; the quaintly decorated office was filled with antique artworks and Alchemy artifacts.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the giant oil painting behind the desk.

William was drawn to the painting.

A goddess's naked body is presented with striking, vibrant colors; she has long silver hair and red eyes.

"This is ' The Seventh Chapter of Night,' which I drew. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Professor Babbling appeared beside William without warning, holding a crystal goblet filled with bright red liquid.

Like blood,

Bright red.

She took a deep breath through the long straw and let out a satisfied sigh.

Professor Babbling's baggy trousers have disappeared, replaced by a gorgeous white lace-trimmed France court dress.

Professor Babbling was dressed like a princess; she was breathtakingly beautiful, with delicate features, wine-red eyes, and long, silver hair that cascaded down her shoulders in curls.

She wore a lapis lazuli amulet around her neck—it depicted a snake coiled around a scepter.

Babbling looks like she's only eighteen, but she's actually been a professor at the school for twelve years; time seems to have left no trace on her!

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

Professor Babbling tilted her head, and although she spoke in a questioning tone, the exquisite porcelain on the table had already begun to pour tea automatically.

"No sugar, no milk, thank you," William said without hesitation.

"Hmm, but I think we'd better sit by the fireplace and have some tea, shall we?" Professor Babbling snapped her fingers, disappearing from her spot and reappearing on the velvet sofa.

A sofa suddenly appeared under William and Hermione's bottoms.

The surrounding scenery had changed; it was no longer the office, but a slightly smaller room.

But there were still no windows around, only the fireplace fire burning brightly.

"What do you little wizards want with me?"

Professor Babbling's wine glass disappeared and was replaced with black tea.

She held the cup gracefully and sipped it slowly.

"If you want to ask me about the final exam questions, forget it, I definitely don't know... to put you in a difficult position."

Professor Babbling gave a "kind" smile.

"No, I'm a second-year wizard, and I'm preparing to learn Ancient Runes from you," William explained.

"Oh, a second-year wizard?" The woman looked up, crossed her legs rather rudely, and said impatiently, "What does a second-year wizard want with me?"

This isn't class time, I need to rest, I need to sleep in bed... um... I need to exercise, I don't have time to play house with you."

"Of course, if you have something of value to offer in exchange, I can reluctantly spare half a day to tutor you."

The woman yawned. "Let's get this straight, I don't need the money, so don't give me Galleon."

William thought for a moment, then took off a ring from his finger and tossed it over.

Now William has followed in Dumbledore's footsteps, wearing four rings.

He wore Ravenclaw Bronze Ring on his right index finger; a ring given to him by Dumbledore on his middle finger; a ring made with Undetectable Extension Charm on his left index finger; and a ring on his little finger that provided warmth and protection from the wind.

The ring William gave to Professor Babbling was the last one.

Professor Babbling merely twitched her fingers slightly before tossing the ring William had made back at her, her eyes filled with hostility, as if William had thrown some trash at her.

A picky woman, huh?

William then tossed the ring that Dumbledore had given him over.

Anyway, it's a time loop, so even if you give it to her, it will eventually come back to you.

Professor Babbling grasped the ring, and a longsword instantly appeared in her hand. She brandished it twice and laughed:

"Not bad. The stuff that little Dumbledore made is barely enough for me to teach you for a day... wait."

Babbling then noticed the ring on William's index finger.

She extended her right hand, as white as mutton fat jade, and grasped William's hand, her eyebrows slightly raised as she examined it carefully.

William felt a chill; the other person's hand seemed to have no warmth.

Give me this ring, and I'll teach you for free for a year!

William didn't answer, but weakly said, "Teacher, you're hurting me."

Babbling's lips curled slightly. No one had ever dared to "tease" her like this before. She tightened her grip on William, her wine-red pupils fixed on him.

Holy crap, this woman is incredibly strong.

William grinned and said, "But I can't take the ring off."

The woman glanced at William, a half-smile playing on her lips—a smile that was perhaps better left unsmiling. William felt a chill run down his spine just looking at her. Then he heard her say gently, "Then cut it off, even this hand."

"..."

"Haha, I was just kidding." Babbling laughed heartily. "Of course not! I'm a Hogwarts professor! I've changed my mind, I can teach you."

Hermione gripped William's left hand tightly, seemingly trying to get him to leave.

"And what about you?" The woman then turned her gaze to Hermione.

She rested her chin on her right hand, a smile playing on her lips, and said with captivating charm:

"I can teach you for free, but you need to stay with me tonight and warm my bed for me tonight."

William glanced at Professor Babbling and thought he could manage the job, albeit barely.

Hermione, sitting on the sofa, didn't pay attention to what the woman was saying; she was just staring at her in a daze, thinking how beautiful this woman was.

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(Thanks to the generous donor "Xuanyuan Xingji")