[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker":3,"chapter-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-138":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts: Don't Call Me a Wandmaker",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292390,4482,"Chapter 138: The Hedgehog and the Professor About to Retire","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-138",138,"\u003Cp>“‘Flesh Shaping’?” Madam Pince looked at the slip Silven handed her, then gave him a skeptical glance. “Are you certain Professor McGonagall sent you for this book?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course it’s Professor McGonagall—her signature is right here,” Silven said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strange. Why would Minerva sign a perpetual loan slip?” Madam Pince held the parchment up to the light, as if inspecting for forgery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her words made Silven understand what the horizontal line meant… it meant he could return the book whenever he wished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, the slip passed her inspection. She told Silven to wait, then walked between the towering shelves, returning about fifteen minutes later with what he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven old, thick volumes were placed on the table in three trips. Silven noticed one had two rusted iron chains wrapped around its cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven was curious what could possibly be written inside that book to warrant being chained up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could imagine it was nothing like textbook material—no wonder Professor McGonagall had specifically warned him not to let anyone else see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven put the books into a shape-shifting lizard-skin bag and left the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those chains gave him a good idea—he might add a similar protective casing to his Horcrux grimoire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it wasn’t like a traditional wand; it could even function as a unique weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But iron chains wouldn’t work—they were too heavy and would drain his magic unnecessarily when flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he thought this, Silven walked out of the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the exam date drawing near, nearly every table in the library was taken by fifth- and seventh-year students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the common room, Silven saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione huddled together again, but this time, before he could get close, they hurried off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven pulled out the Marauder’s Map and saw they were again outside Lockhart’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, Harry entered the office. Ron and Hermione waited at the corridor’s corner, then slowly moved to the doorway and stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They really are going head-to-head with Lockhart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Silven felt neither curiosity nor concern. He tucked the Marauder’s Map away and returned to his dorm to read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he took out the book with the chains. Since Professor McGonagall had allowed him to borrow it, the book itself couldn’t be dangerous—he felt reassured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What puzzled Silven was that the chains seemed intrinsic to the book—there was no lock, no opening mechanism to be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried prying the chains loose from the side, but it did nothing. And when his palm touched the cover, the book suddenly began to shake violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven instinctively let go. The book fell to the floor, then transformed before him into a hedgehog, straining to sprint out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven was genuinely startled. By the time he recovered his wits, the hedgehog had already darted past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing the door was shut, it turned its attention to the window on the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crash!” It knocked over a chair, leapt onto the table, and shot toward the windowsill with blinding speed—then launched itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Silven had already drawn his wand and swung it hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wingardium Leviosa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another book floated up and blocked its path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hedgehog slammed into it and fell heavily. It tried to rise again, but Silven pointed his wand at it once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stupefy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell struck the hedgehog, but only caused a brief pause. Silven followed with Petrificus Totalus—still no effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing seemed immune to magic entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, Silven suddenly realized something and swapped the incantation on his lips from a Binding Charm to a Transfiguration spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time it worked. The hedgehog stiffened, froze in place, and Silven tried turning it into a snail—only for it to instantly revert to the chained book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now the chains had snapped in half, easily openable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven picked up the book and placed it on the table, curious to read it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He expected shocking content—but it wasn’t. The book contained nothing but standard, detailed explanations of Transfiguration, even more comprehensive than “Advanced Transfiguration: A Guide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This didn’t look like a banned book at all…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven suddenly remembered: the first time he tried turning the hedgehog into a slipper, it had frozen. The second time, when he used a more complex animal Transfiguration, it had reverted to the book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized—if his animal Transfiguration wasn’t proficient enough, the hedgehog would remain frozen, not revert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, some Transfiguration master had written this book and, on a whim, added a clever little test… only a truly skilled wizard could access its contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were true, then yes, this book belonged in the Restricted Section—if anyone could borrow it, Hogwarts would soon become a hedgehog sanctuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven glanced at the name on the cover: Cogrid Gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no recollection of the name—probably an ancient wizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before class, Silven closed the book, and the chains reconnected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he’d need to pass the Transfiguration test again to read it next time—he should’ve left it open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven left the common room, jogging to the entrance hall to head to the greenhouses for Herbology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he passed the Black Lake, he unexpectedly saw Dumbledore speaking with an old wizard missing half an arm and one leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do me a favor, Albus—I really should retire,” the old wizard said. “I hope you’ve already found someone to replace me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, Silvanus. I’m deeply grateful for your service to Hogwarts,” Dumbledore said, his gaze falling to the brace on the wizard’s right knee. “But could you please teach through this year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” the old wizard answered without hesitation. “Just this one year is no problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A professor covered in injuries… retiring…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven now knew who he was: Silvanus Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures professor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Newt Scamander called him “the bravest fool of the modern age” (a compliment, presumably).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was passionate about magical creatures—and had lost sixty bones because of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lost half an arm studying Hungarian Horntails, and a leg studying Peruvian Vipertooths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He “embraced” a Runespoor and had five ribs replaced with prosthetics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These incidents appeared every few pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, and he’d received a joint gift from every Healer at St. Mungo’s for twelve consecutive years: “Basic Protective Charms Guide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that light, Professor Kettleburn was truly a legendary wizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s retiring?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—he’s in no condition to teach students daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who will replace him? Still Hagrid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven felt uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Hagrid was accused fifty years ago of killing a classmate… though everyone knew he wasn’t the real killer, he was expelled and his wand was snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the true culprit was caught, Hagrid couldn’t even openly use a wand, let alone become a Hogwarts professor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now… because of his involvement, the diary of Tom Riddle—the only proof of Hagrid’s innocence—was utterly destroyed, and the mastermind himself, Tom Riddle, was reduced to only a quarter of his original form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, could the truth of fifty years ago ever come to light?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven slowed his steps, then stopped. He wanted to tell Dumbledore—but they were still talking, clearly not the right moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven decided to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Albus, have you found my replacement yet?” Professor Kettleburn asked. “I suggest you find a strong new professor. The creatures in the Forbidden Forest aren’t easy to get along with—if you’re not strong enough, they’ll tear you apart by tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Forbidden Forest isn’t that terrifying, Silvanus. The Bowtruckles won’t bite off someone’s ear on purpose,” Dumbledore glanced at the wizard’s half-ear, then added: “If word of that gets out, it’ll create a lot of trouble for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… you haven’t found a suitable professor yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, quite the opposite—I’ve already found one,” Dumbledore smiled. “And he fits your requirements perfectly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. I hope this new professor still has a full body when he retires.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think that won’t be a problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, they walked farther away—heading toward Hogsmeade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Silven hesitate—should he interrupt them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just then, the class bell rang from the castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind—he’d tell them later. Silven turned and ran toward the greenhouses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Professor Kettleburn won’t retire until next year—telling Dumbledore now wouldn’t change anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1382,"2026-06-20T04:03:11.805Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","337a3340e142706a8f33547323ab070a67db84565e6443296418571626c25d5a","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-139","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-137",149,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-cover.jpg"]