Chapter 222: Fire Salamander

In the cold courtyard.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ron asked uneasily.

"If other teachers were nearby listening, I don't think he would refuse; everyone knows this rule was made up on the spot."

Harry's eyes were filled with determination. What he did not say aloud was that he and Ron were struggling with how to approach Xiang Xiang Xien—they also wanted to join that mysterious place.

And just at this moment, he had actually lost Hermione's book, which was truly irritating.

He went downstairs to the staff room and knocked on the door.

No one answered. He knocked again, but still there was no response.

Perhaps Snape had left the book inside? It was worth a try.

Harry pushed the door open a crack and peered inside—a terrifying scene met his eyes.

Only Snape and Filch were in the room. Snape had hitched his robes up above his knees.

One of his legs was covered in blood, the flesh torn and mangled. Filch was handing him something.

"Damn thing,"

Snape said,

"How could you possibly keep watch on three heads at once?"

"Oh—try this."

Mr. Filch took out potions and bandages, which greatly surprised Professor Snape.

"I don't think—"

Before he could finish, Mr. Filch uttered a name that made his face darken in an instant:

"Ah, ah, this, it's Green..."

Hearing this, Harry quickly clapped a hand over his mouth as he saw Xiang Xiang Xien flash past the corridor corner.

He was holding a book with a green cover.

After spotting the sneaking Harry, Xiang Xiang Xien nodded to him, indicating that Hermione's book, which had been confiscated to the caretaker's office, had been retrieved.

"Merlin... Xiang Xiang Xien..."

Harry seemed to realize something; he had just taken action to retrieve the book, yet Xiang Xiang Xien had already completed the task?

The reason Ron and Harry had completely united fronts was due to Neville's performance in Charms class.

"Good, very good! Mr. Longbottom, excellent progress!"

Professor Flitwick's delighted voice seemed ready to lift the roof off the classroom; he hurried over to Neville, watching him make the small wooden board float back and forth, finally spinning it skillfully twice.

The circle of young wizards around them widened their eyes and began whispering.

Some said Xiang Xiang Xien knew a kind of magical magic, and that Neville's mysterious daily disappearances were to seek Xiang Xiang Xien's magic; accepting this magic made one extremely clever, otherwise how could one explain Mr. Longbottom's such rapid progress?

His progress with the Levitation Charm had even surpassed that of many young wizards at a stroke.

Ron and Harry's specific reaction was to pay far more attention to Xiang Xiang Xien than usual; they very much wanted to know whether Xiang Xiang Xien would accept them.

And what about Xiang Xiang Xien?

Recently, he had been busy studying the Dark Arts and Transfiguration.

Since Thursday, Professor Snape had almost every day been glaring fiercely at his progress in the Dark Arts.

It was just like Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team lately—

Wood demanded that every player devote every second to Quidditch training, while Professor Snape demanded that Xiang Xiang Xien devote every second to Dark Arts training.

His exact words were:

"Hmph—our arrogant Mr. Green, thinking himself so talented... but let me tell you, Green, I have seen too many 'so-called' geniuses..."

When he spoke, he looked as if he wanted to eat people alive,

"But I tell you, they all died—because they foolishly wasted time on trivial matters!"

So, in any case, Xiang Xiang Xien's progress in the Dark Arts had seen a significant improvement:

[You practiced Sectumsempra once to an expert standard, Proficiency +50]

[You practiced Sectumsempra once to an expert standard, Proficiency +50]

[Knockback Jinx: Expert Level (10/9000)]

[Sectumsempra: Skilled Level (10/3000)]

[Advancement: Three beginner-level Dark Spells can unlock the Beginner Title in the Dark Arts domain]

Xiang Xiang Xien's title in the Dark Arts domain remained at Apprentice Level, but the two Dark Spells he had learned already possessed high proficiency.

Recently, he had even begun learning nonverbal Sectumsempra.

Unfortunately, the Dark Arts seemed to share a set of principles with ordinary charms; power and strength had to coexist.

Therefore, Xiang Xiang Xien felt even more anticipation for tomorrow's third Dark Spell lesson—

Professor Snape had said that offense was immensely important, but if one could not master control spells—"Green, do you think you can defeat everyone?"

Xiang Xiang Xien thus began to guess what spell it would be: Impedimenta, Full Body-Bind, or Locomotor Mortis?

There were not many books at Hogwarts concerning the Dark Arts, and the accurate information on the Dark Arts that Xiang Xiang Xien could access was even scarcer.

Of course, he did not have a strong interest in the Dark Arts anyway.

The Dark Arts were certainly a branch of magic with immense destructive power, but in terms of intensity, Transfiguration was in no way inferior. In fact, regarding comprehensiveness and universality, it nearly crushed the Dark Arts.

More importantly, Xiang Xiang Xien dared not study the Dark Arts too extensively—it would corrupt a wizard, and Hogwarts had a headmaster who was resolute in cracking down on the Dark Arts.

Compared to the Dark Arts, Xiang Xiang Xien naturally devoted a great deal of time to Transfiguration.

What he had currently mastered was intermediate Transfiguration: the mutual transformation between "inanimate objects" and "living creatures."

As well as parts of advanced Transfiguration: the transformation of objects into "magical" states, and casting multiple Transfiguration spells.

Not long after, just one day before the Quidditch match began.

Xiang Xiang Xien could already transform the snow on the ground into a snowman that threw snowballs on its own, although it could not last too long—because it always emptied itself out.

And once it emptied itself, it would collapse softly and loosely.

At the same time, Xiang Xiang Xien in the courtyard frowned; he faced a problem: the fire salamander was growing larger, sometimes reaching the size of a football.

But it was not obedient.

It would always whoosh up into the half-air, spin wildly around the courtyard, crackle with sparks, and create loud noises.

Because Xiang Xiang Xien had cast a Silencing Charm on it, it climbed onto Hermione's book without her noticing and ignited the book with a "hiss."

—It was as if it were Xiang Xiang Xien's opposite, always doing things Xiang Xiang Xien would never do.

Jia Jia Siting laughed and said this was Xiang Xiang Xien's "devil" being let out; Xiang Xiang Xien did not fully agree, because he felt even a devil would not be wicked enough to burn books recording knowledge.

Yet if Xiang Xiang Xien tried to make it obey, its size would shrink rapidly, transforming into a miniature lizard.

Xiang Xiang Xien knew that football-size was likely not its limit; if he recklessly poured all his magic into it, he himself did not know what kind of monster he might transfigure.

No wonder Transfiguration required caution; Xiang Xiang Xien had gained a profound understanding of this once again.

Another update in half an hour.