Chapter 337: I Am Searching for You

Hope Cottage.

The fireplace burned with vigorous flames.

Mr. Owl wears a hat in winter, and sometimes puts gloves on his claws.

When Wizard Sean saw it, it was holding a tiny coat it had found in one of the portraits, trying to put it on itself.

“Little wizard!”

As it spoke, the coat fell off.

When Wizard Sean opened the door, it was pecking and hitting him; everyone else, when they saw it, would pretend to be frightened, so Mr. Owl would stop making noise for several days.

Beside the warm fire in the cottage stood Wizard Sean’s self-aware wooden bookshelf.

At this moment, it was rapidly reorganizing itself, spitting out a copy of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*.

Wizard Sean stared at the bookshelf for a while; he always felt its self-awareness was growing too fast.

Opening *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, the first page bore a preface written by Headmaster Dumbledore.

{This outstanding work by Newt was immediately designated as a textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And undoubtedly contributed greatly to our students’ consistent high scores in Care of Magical Creatures exams—but it is not merely a book for classroom reading.

No wizarding household is without a copy of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, and they pass it down through generations, flipping through it to find the best way to rid their lawns of Horklumps, interpret the mournful cries of the Bowtruckle, or cure their pet Nifflers’ habit of drinking from the toilet, until the pages are worn to shreds.

—Albus Dumbledore}

This reminded Wizard Sean of something; he pulled out a notebook filled with obscure notes.

The International Alchemical Association has long hoped he would write a book on fairy tale cookies, with Master Nicolas Flamel willing to write the preface himself.

Yes, this master has not yet died.

Wizard Sean did not know whether he had become the butterfly’s wing, but since this master still wished to live, no one could make him die.

Professor Tera’s understanding was simpler:

“Let a master who has spent his life pursuing alchemy die while his curiosity is still full, little Green—you might just see the master’s ghost.”

And so the book continued to be written.

Recording the difficulty of magical rituals was not particularly hard, but explaining their principles was extremely difficult.

At least Wizard Sean could not explain his fleeting inspirations, yet this very inability became his way of further understanding alchemical rituals.

As for alchemy, after reaching expert level, the title of master requires even higher standards.

{Advancement: Three types of high-level alchemical creations can unlock the Master-level title in the Alchemy field.}

Wizard Sean’s fairy tale cookie series counted as only one type—imagine how difficult that was.

Even the most proficient among his fairy tale cookies, the Catoblepas, Wizard Sean had only reached {Expert}.

This difficulty made Wizard Sean think of spells:

{Advancement: Twelve expert-level spells or five master-level spells can unlock the Expert-level title in the Spell field.}

Sometimes, Wizard Sean wondered: how much proficiency counts as enough?

Wizard Sean put down the draft; even if published, Professor Tera believed only one hand’s worth of people could understand it.

As for replication, Professor Tera scoffed:

“Not in a hundred years will anyone manage it.

The Book of Abraham the Jew has existed for so long, yet only Master Nicolas Flamel has ever created the Philosopher’s Stone.”

The talent required for top-tier alchemy is nearly as high as that for divination.

…

Snow fell softly outside the window; the residents of Hope Cottage had spent another day steeped in learning.

Jia Jia Siting seemed to have recovered much; he was studying spell-combination techniques, and the oven still baked sweets;

Hermione had recently become obsessed with silent spells, and Professor Flitwick had guided her many times;

Ron could now reliably conjure small objects, and sometimes rats or beetles could be seen scurrying across his desk;

Harry always enjoyed discussing Dark Arts defense techniques with Neville; both were exceptionally skilled in this area.

And Wizard Sean was still carefully reading *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*.

The thick, delicate pages lay open, the text clear and legible:

{In 1832, the Cincinnati wizard Abel Tritelops claimed to have patented the taming of Catoblepas to guard wizarding homes.

Later, the American Magical Congress raided Tritelops’s home and discovered him casting an Engorgement Charm on a Catoblepas, exposing him as a fraud.}

There seem to be many frauds in the magical world…

Wizard Sean thought silently, and turned to a few later pages:

{Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has long had rumors of Catoblepas, likely because Catoblepas is the name of one of its houses.

In truth, Catoblepas do indeed exist there.}

“Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…”

Wizard Sean repeated the name silently.

Aside from the fact that Ilvermorny School had Catoblepas, finding one across the vast expanse of North America seemed far too difficult.

And if Wizard Sean remembered correctly, Professor Tera was an honorary professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He didn’t know why, but the professor had taught at many schools.

…

“Oh, this question…”

Professor Tera bent down and answered with a smile,

“I am searching for you, my disciple.”

Wizard Sean froze for a moment.

“It seems you have a strong interest in Catoblepas; perhaps this Christmas, we can take a nice trip.

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is widely regarded as one of the most democratic and inclusive great magical schools.

Let me think—they even have a Sorting Ceremony identical to Hogwarts’s.”

Professor Tera briefly introduced the characteristics of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, then a paper airplane wobbled off.

Its contents were simple:

{Eugenia Herrera, your prayer appears to have been answered. During the Christmas holiday, I will visit with my disciple.}

If Wizard Sean remembered the elderly witch with tanned skin and tall stature from the Alchemy Conference, he would realize upon reading materials about Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that

this elderly witch was a North American mixed-blood wizard and the current headmistress of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Her successor would be Agilbert Fontaine.

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has produced many famous wizards, such as Witch Tina Goldstein, an outstanding Auror and also Wizard Sean’s famous senior, Newt’s wife.

In the corridor.

Thick snow fluttered through the sky; the windows remained sealed, and the castle’s external light had dimmed considerably.

Wizard Sean’s plan map floated up automatically, adding a landmark far beyond Hogwarts Castle:

{Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry}, with a small line of text in the top-left corner: {Christmas}.