[{"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-26":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},2292278,4482,"Chapter 26: Familiarize Yourself with the Venue in Advance","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>Silven had considered targeting the three-headed dog before, and it was even one of the reasons he came to Hogwarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the ancient and powerful magical creatures, as rare as a phoenix—what wandmaker could resist such a temptation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven didn’t know, but he was certain it didn’t include him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after term began, he made frequent trips to the fourth floor, yet never once saw the three-headed dog, not even getting close to the locked door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven remembered his first attempt was the first weekend after term started, at two in the morning—the time when people were most exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought it was foolproof, then nearly ran into Professor McGonagall patrolling the corridor; luckily, Fred and George were also out after hours and quickly dragged him through a secret passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he might have been caught right then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Silven learned his lesson: since someone patrolled at night, he’d go by day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So his second attempt was scheduled for Friday at 3:20 p.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Same corridor—he encountered Professor Aurora Sinistra, who taught Astronomy; but he picked his time well—her class started at 3:30, and he claimed he was lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Sinistra didn’t suspect a thing; she even warmly escorted him to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For his third attempt, he didn’t even go himself—he sent Tang Mu ahead to scout, and Tang Mu was caught by a tabby cat—Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form—and was locked up for several days… learning the school rules (pet edition).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being easily subdued by a tabby cat—even though the cat was secretly a witch—left Tang Mu in low spirits for days; he only recovered after giving Mrs. Norris a good beating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none of that was the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The point was, Professor McGonagall was using her Animagus form to catch students on the fourth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Really?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Treating students like Voldemort?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after that, Silven gave up on getting near the three-headed dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now that he thought about it—was he really just lucky to bump into Fred and George that night?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore had specifically mentioned at the Welcoming Feast: “Those who don’t want to die in agony should stay away from the corridor on the fourth floor, to the right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would Fred and George actually obey that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible. Given their nature, the more they were forbidden, the more they’d want to investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after all this time, Silven had subtly probed them several times—and never once heard a single word about the room on the fourth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant they hadn’t gone in either… even though they had the Marauder’s Map, which showed the entire castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would’ve thought? Such a heavily guarded place—and Harry and the others walked right in so easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that the professor on patrol just happened to be away at the time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The probability was nearly zero—they were deliberately let in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven slammed his thigh in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he have forgotten something so important?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That room was Dumbledore’s “training ground” built for Harry—he naturally wanted Harry to become familiar with the terrain first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the time, Harry was with Ron, Hermione, and Neville—meaning Dumbledore didn’t mind spectators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Silven had simply claimed he wanted to stop them from breaking school rules, he’d almost certainly have slipped in with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in the chaos, plucking a few dog hairs would’ve been no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad—he missed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven sighed… Malfoy was a damn nuisance—why couldn’t he have challenged him a few days later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—you okay?” Seeing Silven suddenly sighing and pounding his thigh, Harry and Ron exchanged glances and edged their chairs back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hitting himself? That was kind of scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Silven forced a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he said that, neither of them dared continue chatting with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven wasn’t in the mood either, making the second half of History of Magic even more boring and dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mood carried into Charms class—Silven didn’t catch a single word Professor Flitwick said; fortunately, the lesson was on Repairing Charms, which he already knew, and even earned Gryffindor two extra points during the final check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step closer to the full twenty points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning classes ended. Silven joined everyone heading to the Great Hall for lunch, and he deliberately approached Harry and Ron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… okay?” Harry asked hesitantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with me? Just didn’t sleep well last night,” Silven said carelessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d just realized he’d been obsessing over nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three-headed dog was valuable, but McGonagall’s wand mattered too—especially its extremely rare [Disguise] trait; who knew if it’d ever appear again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If forced to choose between the [Disguise] trait that boosted Animagus success rate and the three-headed dog, Silven would unhesitatingly pick the former.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good traits were rare and unpredictable, but the three-headed dog would always be there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was one more crucial point—he wasn’t without opportunity… there was one special time when he could slip in even without Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halloween.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It came to him during Charms class, when he saw the pumpkins used as teaching aids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Hogwarts tradition, a grand banquet was held on Halloween, second only in importance to the Welcoming Feast and the Christmas Feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, performance troupes would be invited, and all professors—including Headmaster Dumbledore—would appear punctually in the Great Hall, meaning no professor would be watching that door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Filch…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple: just let Tang Mu loose. After being beaten twice, Mrs. Norris now fled at the sight of him; once she ran, Filch would chase after his own cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Silven thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore and Snape might keep a constant eye on Quirrell, but they wouldn’t care about a first-year student.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Silven’s goal wasn’t the Philosopher’s Stone—it was the three-headed dog. No conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he could also ask Hagrid, the three-headed dog’s owner, for help—that would be the safest method—but then he’d have to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Luwei was currently loaned to Dumbledore and had an important duty; Hagrid wouldn’t likely leave his post to help Silven pluck hairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d have to wait until the school year ended and everything settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that would take too long—Silven didn’t have the patience to wait half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halloween was clearly better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d pluck the hairs and leave—quick movements, perfect timing—and he’d never miss the moment Snape got his leg bitten off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he made his decision, Silven felt instantly lighter, no longer drowsy, and chatted with Harry as they entered the Great Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1081,"2026-06-20T04:03:11.805Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","24b7756f27ccd18a49a83dcb37056297161ee3ce5711618f80920bbc613a3022","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-27","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-25",149,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-cover.jpg"]