[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-334":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts Learning Panel",{"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},2250572,4210,"Chapter 334: Choice","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-334",334,"\u003Cp>“You must return these items to their owners and apologize to them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Dumbledore said calmly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will know if you do it, and I warn you: Hogwarts does not tolerate theft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddle’s face showed no shame. He stared coldly at Dumbledore, as if weighing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he said in a dry voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Wizard Sean, the white-haired Dumbledore’s voice was calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And then there is the second choice: how to face your own actions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene flowed again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddle placed the small pile of stolen goods back into the cardboard box, his expression still blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing, he turned and said bluntly to Dumbledore:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is easily solved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore pulled a leather money pouch from his pocket,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hogwarts has a fund specifically for students who need help buying textbooks and robes. Some of your magical books may have to be secondhand, but—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you buy magical books?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddle interrupted Dumbledore, took the pouch without so much as a thank-you, and examined a thick gold Galleon closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Dumbledore wore expressions of profound gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-haired Headmaster Dumbledore spoke after a long silence:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finally, there is the choice of how to face temptation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the memory’s image shattered like bubbles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, Wizard Sean felt himself floating lightly again through darkness, then landed steadily back in the real-world office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still dazed from the detachment—Thought Vessel always had this effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time is playing tricks on us,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore pointed to the dark sky outside the window,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goodbye, child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean froze. Had Headmaster Dumbledore just shown him Voldemort’s childhood, yet said nothing at the end?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he looked over, Headmaster Dumbledore smiled warmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I hope you didn’t doze off and miss the last point, Wizard Sean—Young Tom Riddle liked collecting trophies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You saw that box of stolen goods he hid in his room. They were taken from children he bullied—essentially, mementos of particularly vile magical tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I assume you’ve read that book; if you had any questions, perhaps you now have some answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what I wanted to say, child… choose your life with care. But I must say, no one does this better than you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door to the Headmaster’s office closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore stood by the window: different choices always lead stories down different paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deeper silver threads within the Thought Vessel held entirely different scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A classroom on the fourth floor, a secret chamber underground, the vanished Untraceable Expansion Bag, and the newly risen Children’s Home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His beard curled upward, as if recalling something delightful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wizard Sean stepped out of the Headmaster’s office, he continued to ponder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Headmaster Dumbledore had uncovered Voldemort’s secret of Horcruxes, and “The Most Toxic Magic” was likely permitted by him for Wizard Sean to study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant the plot had not changed much—even when it shifted, it moved in the right direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was exactly what he wanted to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avoiding the excited young wizards on patrol, Wizard Sean walked a little faster; the proficiency needed for Soul Shifting to reach [Skilled] was nearly complete. Soon, he could resolve the fragment of Voldemort’s soul inside Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what were the young wizards doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean focused slightly and effortlessly saw the black cat portrait in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean, about to practice Soul Shifting: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, the snow that had begun in the morning turned into a fierce blizzard; thick, dark flakes swirled through the sky, sealing every window, making the castle far darker than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One black cat eventually found a place to rest; its ears twitched, still hearing the cheerful footsteps of young wizards racing down the lower corridors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the fourth-floor corridor was nearly empty; most young wizards had gathered near the black cat statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the statue now lay piles of offerings; sometimes the black cat felt this was all too strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After quietly moving away the offerings, the next batch would only grow larger, so it gave up in resignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the recent rumors spread by the Castle Cat Club, another rumor had become popular at Hogwarts since morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it’s the silly baby Potter! What’s Potter doing? Why is Potter sneaking around—oh, Potter, you nasty brat, look what you did, you controlled a snake and thought it was funny—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat’s ears twitched, hearing a strange sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Peeves, cackling as it bounced and skipped past Harry on the fourth floor, knocking his glasses askew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get lost, Peeves! The Bloody Baron’s coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry shouted; Peeves hastily retreated, but still stuck out its tongue at Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not like him, and I certainly don’t belong in Slytherin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Peeves left, Harry shouted loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since leaving the Headmaster’s office, he had felt a fear he couldn’t explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m in Gryffindor…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice inside him whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost immediately, another voice countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two voices had argued for hours, making Harry want to throw himself into the thin-iced Black Lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his agitation, Harry saw a shadow flash past—familiar, unmistakable. He rubbed his eyes quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Black Cat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Castle Cat of Hogwarts—the one who knew about Voldemort’s diary. Perhaps it could answer his questions!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the shadow was already gone; he could only lower his head in disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Harry lay awake for hours. Through the gaps in his bed curtains, he watched snowflakes drift past the castle windows, his heart empty and lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the gray-white world, he finally drifted into a drowsy sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes, he saw a hazy space; on the familiar “Children’s Home” sign, a black cat was calmly arranging its tail with its paw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Black Cat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry cried out in delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat nodded with human-like understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Harry had too many words, and none would come out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat wasn’t in a hurry; it seemed still focused on taming its tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Busy today, six chapters tomorrow\u003C\u002Fp>",1015,"2026-06-19T10:00:41.888Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f9ba13be29144ebe492948328692cb7470b7ba23cb8b4a1b2c8e7f2759b1905a","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-335","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-333",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]