Skyl opened his eyes after returning from his trance. Since he had already learned the causes and consequences, there was no need to keep worrying about it. He could simply find a time to beat Afu up and vent his anger.
He focused on the work at hand, checking the Transfiguration homework the students had turned in. In Skyl's view, this subject was the very essence of magic. Unfortunately, it also tested talent heavily. Skyl was well aware that if he had not had the help of The Tower of Tomes back then, he would never have been able to master Transfiguration so smoothly.
Now, he was already a grandmaster of Transfiguration. Looking back and teaching students had become a process of finding and filling gaps in his own understanding. Many times, when wizards cast Transfiguration, they would suffer unpredictable failures, and those failures made excellent negative examples that could inspire Skyl in many ways.
In the common room, the discussion around Professor Trelawney's prophecy was still raging. The person directly involved, however, was already preparing to organize Quidditch practice. Wood was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and his greatest wish had always been to win the Cup for his House. This was his final school year at Hogwarts, so he had to grasp the opportunity firmly in his hands. Once he missed it, he would spend the rest of his life looking back on his youth with regret.
For precisely this reason, Wood was extremely strict about training. He immediately called the team members to the Quidditch pitch for practice.
Harry and the other three came down the dormitory stairs at that moment. Girls were allowed to enter the boys' dormitories, while boys could not do the reverse. Hermione would occasionally run to the boys' dormitory to discuss things with Harry and the others.
Right now, Ron and Hermione were arguing. Neville had his neck tucked in and did not dare join the conversation, while Harry's brows were tightly furrowed.
"Harry, George, Fred, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, time for practice!" Wood shouted loudly.
"You all go first. I'll be there soon."
After throwing out that sentence, Harry ran over to Skyl's side and whispered, "Mr. Skyl, I'd like to trouble you for a Divination."
The transfer student revealed the inscrutable smile of a Diviner. "Young man, I already know why you've come. You want to know where Ron's pet Scabbers is, don't you?"
Harry anxiously rubbed his hands together, and at that moment, Ron and Hermione also came over.
"Skyl, you judge this fairly. Hermione's cat killed Scabbers, and she still thinks the cat is innocent!" Ron was so emotional that the freckles on his nose seemed as hot as sparks. Clearly, he was furious. Hermione was trembling unconsciously, her eyes full of tears. She lifted her face so the tears would not fall, trying hard to keep her pale pink cheeks calm, but the corners of her mouth still drooped downward.
"Crookshanks wouldn't do that. Ron is prejudiced against him!" the young witch said shrilly.
Skyl did not judge this quarrel. He simply said to Harry, "It's time for you to tell them the truth. Why are you always trying to fight alone? Even someone like Voldemort knows to find a crowd of pure-blood believers to flatter him. But you hide the truth from your friends. That is not right."
Harry mumbled for a while, then finally lowered his head and did not defend himself.
"You thought that man was a shameful coward, so you lowered your guard. But he unexpectedly obtained the Dark Lord's help and escaped at the first opportunity. Right now, he is searching for a snake named Nagini. Harry, unless you can control how a situation develops, do not give your enemies any opportunity. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I know where I went wrong." Harry took a deep breath, and his gaze became firm. "We'll solve this."
Ron looked completely lost. "Harry, what are you talking about?"
"Ron, Hermione, Neville, come with me. I'll explain everything clearly, and there's someone I want you to meet."
The four of them went to the Room of Requirement. There, Ron, Hermione, and Neville saw an extremely thin man. His hair was like dry straw, and his body was like a skeleton wrapped in paper. It was almost impossible to believe he was still alive.
"Who is he?" Hermione asked, trembling.
"Do you remember the papers saying someone escaped from prison during the summer? This is Sirius Black."
The three of them looked at one another, then burst into screams.
"Stop!" Harry quickly explained. "He's a good man. He's my godfather!"
"But he's a traitor, and he killed a lot of people! He killed the hero Peter Pettigrew!" Ron stammered, pointing at Sirius as he made the accusation.
"I saw the truth in Skyl's prophecy. Pettigrew is the traitor."
Harry's words were very effective, and the reason they were effective was because Skyl's reputation had now turned around. He had transformed from an unreliable Diviner into "the greatest prophet at Hogwarts." If Harry had explained it like this two days ago, his friends would definitely have thought he had gone mad.
Harry told Sirius that Scabbers the rat had disappeared.
Sirius, who hated the traitor to the bone, violently grabbed at his own hair, but he did not blame Harry. He only cursed Pettigrew's slyness and treachery.
"He won't get away. I'll catch him! Leaving Hogwarts suits me just fine. I'll find him, and then I'll kill him!"
The old prisoner's cold expression made the young wizards go pale. Only Harry could face it calmly.
"Godfather, I'll help you."
"No, Harry. You stay here. I'll think of something myself."
"Pettigrew has become more dangerous now. He received help from the Dark Lord. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle him alone."
"That doesn't matter. I'll find help. An old friend who isn't exactly pleasant company. I'll introduce you to him when there's a chance." Sirius bared his teeth in a grin, and that mouthful of terrible rotten teeth made his already frightening smile even more horrifying.
Harry gently stepped forward and hugged the poor man.
"Good luck, Godfather."
When night fell, Sirius came to the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow. He picked up a dead branch and poked a knot on the trunk, and the Whomping Willow's wildly flailing branches immediately quieted down. Just as he was about to crawl into the passage, the wolfhound named Afu squeezed out. The two came face to face.
"Where did this dog come from?" Sirius said in surprise.
Afu's whole body stiffened. He stared fixedly at Sirius, ready to spring at any moment, terrified that this unfamiliar wizard would expose his whereabouts.
The prisoner of Azkaban looked thoughtfully at Afu. He remembered this dog had once appeared by Harry's side.
Probably a good dog, then.
Sirius reached out, rubbed Afu's head, and said with a smile, "Beautiful. Good dog."
Then he bent down, entered the secret passage, and quickly left.
Afu let out a long sigh of relief. At that moment, the Whomping Willow gradually revived, and Afu was struck hard by one of its branches. He immediately let out a piercing bark and fled away, whimpering.
For the next while, life at Hogwarts was quite peaceful.
Christmas drew closer day by day. The construction of the Celestial central brain was proceeding more smoothly than expected, and there were many more relaxed smiles on the professors' faces. However, because of the Dementors and the trouble caused by the prisoner of Azkaban this year, a large number of students were bound to choose to go home for the Christmas holidays. Only a small minority would remain at school. Because of that, even the usually thick festive atmosphere in the castle felt somewhat quiet and lonely.
Skyl received many more phone calls. Some were from Marika, some from Melina and Millicent, and others from Star-Lord, Tony, and the rest. They were all asking what plans Skyl had for the Christmas holidays.
Without realizing it, Skyl had already gained many friends who wanted to spend the holiday with him.
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