[{"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-97":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},2292349,4482,"Chapter 97: Professor McGonagall Answers Questions","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-97",97,"\u003Cp>Ron was right—the points Hermione and Silven earned in Herbology had barely been counted before they were deducted, but not by Snape; it was Professor McGonagall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A conflict sparked by Lockhart ended with Lockhart retreating in disgrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ravenclaw became the biggest winner, leaping from third in house points to first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oliver Wood was furious; he couldn’t believe Professor McGonagall had banned them from the Quidditch pitch—just as they were about to select new team members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She can’t do this!” Wood said after pacing the common room for over a dozen laps. “If we can’t use the pitch for two months, we’ll lose this year’s match for sure!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fred and George wore rare expressions of seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least Slytherin can’t use it either,” George said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ravenclaw isn’t a problem,” Fred mused. “Hufflepuff only has Cedric to worry about. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we can’t train for two months, they’ll all become strong rivals,” Wood said. “I’m going to see Professor McGonagall. We’ll all go tomorrow—she doesn’t want us to lose the Quidditch Cup either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure you can convince her?” Fred asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have to try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harry…” Wood called out. “You’re coming too, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, of course,” Harry replied quickly from his corner, then turned to look beside him at Silven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that—what did you mean by ‘special sound’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a sound you’ve never heard before,” Silven said. “Cold, chilling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry thought carefully for a moment. “Does Nearly Headless Nick count? I always get chills when I hear ghosts speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there isn’t one.” Harry shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… I think so.” Harry hesitated again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mostly because Silven’s description was too vague—he couldn’t possibly remember every sound he’d ever heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Harry’s expression, Silven had already gotten his answer; he exhaled slightly and said nothing more, returning to the book on the table: *Human Transfiguration, From Beginner to Mastery*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first book on the parchment, likely the simplest, yet still harder than the Basic Transfiguration Guide; Silven looked visibly strained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his aching eyes and finally understood why Professor McGonagall had advised against learning Animagus transformation now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the Quidditch team arrived early at Professor McGonagall’s office and met the Slytherin team on the corridor outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were there for the pitch too—but leading them wasn’t captain Marcus Flint; it was Snape, who had come himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gryffindor players exchanged glances. Though none liked this biased, perpetually favoring-Slytherin Potions professor, they couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Snape,” Oliver Wood stepped forward to greet him. “We—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move aside,” Snape said, his usual sneer in place, ignoring every Gryffindor player. His Slytherin teammates immediately adopted haughty expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those bastards…” Fred’s temple throbbed with anger, but he could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Snape was across from him—he had to endure it, or he’d only suffer worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“George, look at that person…” Harry tugged Fred’s sleeve, pointing to the end of the Slytherin team. “That’s Malfoy, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fred followed his gaze—sure enough, among the bulky Slytherin players, a golden head stood out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Draco Malfoy wore a brand-new uniform, straining to stand tall, yet still half a head shorter than those beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he saw something even more shocking—the players all held gleaming new brooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merlin’s beard, Fred licked his lips in astonishment, so stunned he forgot to correct Harry for mixing him and George up, and jabbed Oliver Wood’s sleeve with his elbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oliver, you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see,” Wood’s voice trembled. “All of them are Nimbus 2001s—the latest model this year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gryffindor team fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their best broom was Harry’s Nimbus 2000—and only one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest… Fred and George still flew the Cleansweep Five, a model over thirty years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps their stares were too obvious—the Slytherin players noticed. They exchanged glances, then turned their brooms in perfect unison, deliberately flipping the golden “Nimbus 2001” labels outward, dripping with provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven Nimbus 2001s, like a mountain, crushed down on Wood; a wave of helplessness spread through him. For some reason, a thought surfaced—he wished Professor McGonagall had stuck to banning them from the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the only way to douse Slytherin’s arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape noticed too. He let out a mocking laugh and knocked firmly on the office door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a colleague, McGonagall would grant him this courtesy—he looked forward to the scene of Gryffindor’s utter defeat on the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knock knock…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound echoed through the empty corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor McGonagall, they seem to be looking for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the second floor, in a small room beside the library, Silven glanced out idly and caught a glimpse of figures on the upper floor through the half-open door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, you’re mistaken,” Professor McGonagall said without looking up, waving her wand to clip a section from a magazine and slip it between book pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These articles should help you. Did you understand what I explained yesterday?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mostly,” Silven nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d stayed up all night reading the thick *Human Transfiguration, From Beginner to Mastery*, finishing only at dawn. There were many parts he didn’t understand, so he’d gone straight to Professor McGonagall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d brought him to this small study beside the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Silven’s second time here—the first was last term, when he and the Weasley twins emerged from the secret passage with a Whomping Willow branch and were caught red-handed, losing two hundred points right here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning felt oddly familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suggest you read it alongside *Intermediate Transfiguration* and *Advanced Transfiguration*,” Professor McGonagall returned the book. “The library should have both.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They do, but Mrs. Pince won’t let me borrow that many,” Silven said. “I plan to buy one from Flourish and Blotts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor McGonagall nodded. She couldn’t help with that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Pince of the library and Madam Pomfrey of the infirmary—under normal circumstances, even Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn’t interfere with their decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, if Dumbledore shouted loudly in the library or infirmary, he’d be thrown out without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she could have pressured Mrs. Pince to change her mind, there was no need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, *Intermediate Transfiguration* and *Advanced Transfiguration* were textbooks for upper-year students—they’d need to buy them eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can send a letter via the school owls to Flourish and Blotts,” Professor McGonagall reminded him. “They’ll deliver what you need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any other questions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None,” Silven shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Close the door,” she said. “Also, I’d like to work quietly today.” She gestured to the towering stack of parchment on her desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood,” Silven smiled. “I’ll be in the library all day—no time to chat with the team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor McGonagall gave a barely perceptible nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven took the book and walked toward the door, then paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” Professor McGonagall asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like this,” Silven thought for a moment. “Yesterday, while borrowing books, I happened to see a rumor about a secret chamber in the school—Salazar Slytherin left a monster inside to cleanse…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense,” Professor McGonagall cut him off impatiently before he finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is no secret chamber. No monster. Salazar Slytherin—do you think anything can survive a thousand years?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something like that exists…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Ollivander, I can answer your questions on Transfiguration—but not vague legends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven’s words were cut off again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to learn Animagus transformation, I suggest you focus your energy on truly useful books. Now, you may leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven stood in the corridor, watching the door shut behind him, and shrugged helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, he should’ve expected that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up again at the upper floor—the crowd outside McGonagall’s office had dispersed. Silven caught sight of Snape storming down the stairs, his face dark as if it could drip water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not worth provoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven quickly looked away—and spotted Lockhart across the corridor. He wore a pale purple robe, dressed like a peacock, signing autographs for two young wizards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he kept glancing nervously upward, as if afraid Peeves might suddenly leap from a corner and dump a sack of flour on his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm. Nothing seemed different from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silven yawned, deciding to head downstairs for breakfast, then return to his dorm for a nap—he could sleep until noon today; it was the weekend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1367,"2026-06-20T04:03:11.805Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1a25ecfd25c1f73531d643f0cdf7b2d28e247cace5c6a9579589a5aac5976ef2","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-98","hogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-chapter-96",149,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-don-t-call-me-a-wandmaker-cover.jpg"]