Chapter 274

“Professor, is it that stone?”

Wizard Sean seemed to be asking, yet he already seemed certain.

This information came from Professor Taila’s previous explanation—students granted admission to Woci would receive a message from the current headmaster via the Dream Messenger.

The Dream Messenger would leave a Woci token in the minds of young wizards while they slept—usually a stone engraved with runes.

“Brilliant intuition—”

Professor Taila was profoundly pleased,

“The Sacred Stone, also called the Empty Sigil, is said to be the blank runic tablet from myth, containing the deepest wisdom and the essence of self-mystery.

But I lean toward it being a powerful alchemical creation, much like the Deathly Hallows from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Its power is not as immense as legend claims, yet it is sufficient to allow a wizard to step into that unique realm. This is why Woci wizards excel at self-transfiguration.

Originally, all Sacred Stones were forbidden to leave Woci, but exceptions always existed.

Wait patiently for the next opening… my dear student.”

Professor Taila gazed into the distance, where between the clouds, a paper airplane wobbled through the air.

…

Professor Taila’s mention of the Deathly Hallows legend prompted Wizard Sean to go to the library—he remembered The Tales of Beedle the Bard was on a special shelf.

Compared to the usual crowded seats, the library during summer break was empty. The magical lanterns illuminated Wizard Sean’s path, revealing many books:

The Adventures of the Mad Muggle Martin Miggles: This illustrated book told the tale of the “mad” Muggle Martin Miggles; Ron was a devoted reader of these comics. On his wish hut seat lay a large stack of them;

On the same shelf, Wizard Sean also saw The Book of Magical Tales, The Christmas Owl’s Voyage, and others—all with thick red covers and golden titles.

Soon, Wizard Sean found The Tales of Beedle the Bard—its blue cover stood out clearly.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard? Oh, I forgot you’re still such a little child.”

Madam Pince appeared out of nowhere, holding a feather duster, smiling,

“It reminds me of that dreadful play… it led more than one parent to demand this book be removed from Hogwarts Library…”

Wizard Sean had intended to read the Deathly Hallows legend carefully, but Madam Pince’s words sparked new curiosity.

“May I know…”

“Of course—I recall it was Herbaceous Beasley, then the Potions professor.

He was a passionate theater enthusiast and proposed adapting one of the children’s favorite stories—The Fountain of Good Fortune—into a Christmas performance for staff and students.

But human factors ruined the entire show. Beasley, as director, failed to notice the romantic entanglements unfolding right under his nose, making the stage dangerously unstable.

The actors playing the female lead ‘Amata’ and the supporting role ‘Asa’ were both romantically involved with the actor playing the male lead ‘Sir Misfortune’; just before opening night, the male lead switched affections.

The performance spiraled out of control from the start: ‘Amata’ and ‘Asa’ turned on each other, dueling fiercely, and Beasley was dragged into their battle.

The fight grew increasingly violent; the stage fire-asps ignited a blaze, and the hospital wing overflowed. Months passed before the acrid smell of burnt wood finally faded from the Great Hall.

Headmaster Almundo Dipper then banned all pantomimes entirely—a tradition Hogwarts has upheld ever since.”

Madam Pince recalled with great interest, then pulled another book from the shelf and handed it to Wizard Sean,

“Relax during the break—The Tales of Beedle the Bard is fine, but you might also enjoy this one: The Dream Stories.”

Wizard Sean took the book, surprised that Hogwarts held so many wondrous tales.

He thought that although the wizards had missed the play, perhaps the chaos they witnessed was even more entertaining.

After Madam Pince left, he began quietly reading the story of the Deathly Hallows. By chance, he opened The Dream Stories—a single word caught his eye and held it fast:

—Soul Relic.

Wizard Sean immediately set aside The Tales of Beedle the Bard and began reading The Dream Stories.

It told of a wizard who used a Soul Relic to travel between worlds behind the Veil.

At first, he transformed into various animals and experienced strange adventures; after some time, he discovered that stargazing there could predict the future; finally, he even met other deceased wizards and could “pull out” those who lingered—neither wishing to become ghosts nor to move on—for brief moments.

Truly marvelous…

When he closed the book, the sky outside the window had turned pitch black.

Before the curfew bell rang, Wizard Sean went to the counter to borrow the book, surprising Madam Pince:

“You finally decide to rest—what are you waiting for? Let me sign it for you.”

…

Life at Hogwarts during the break was peaceful and fulfilling.

Wizard Sean mostly switched between cat and wizard forms; each prolonged shift increased his proficiency in Soul Transfiguration slightly.

For example, now:

【You practiced Soul Transfiguration at the standard of a Master-level apprentice. Master-level proficiency +1】

After reverting to his wizard form, Wizard Sean went to practice Transfiguration magic—his greatest advantage in defeating the Basilisk directly;

Of course, due to certain special reasons, Professor Snape had raised the demands on his Dark Magic training—each day, his Dark Magic proficiency surged rapidly.

In the mornings, Wizard Sean had other tasks, such as setting aside time to visit a large dog in the Forbidden Forest.

After a busy week, an owl brought Wizard Sean a special letter.

“Please board the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross Station on September 1st as usual.”

Hmm… what if I’m already at Hogwarts?

He looked up at the towering tower—the owl was flying back to the headmaster’s office.

It seemed the letters were distributed uniformly, and Headmaster Dumbledore had delivered his personally.

He continued reading:

“Second-year students must read: Standard Spellbook, Grade Two, by Miranda Goshawk; Breaking with the Banshee, by Gilderoy Lockhart; Traveling with Trolls, by Gilderoy Lockhart; Holiday with a Hag, by Gilderoy Lockhart; With the Werewolf, by Gilderoy Lockhart; A Year with the Yeti, by Gilderoy Lockhart; Travelling with Vampires, by Gilderoy Lockhart.”

A long string of Lockharts overwhelmed Wizard Sean.