Chapter 419: Before the Action

When Dumbledore blinked, a turning point suddenly appeared.

A brisk figure hurried from the end of the corridor, her plump body pushing through the crowd and completely blocking Wizard Sean.

“My precious child!”

Madam Pomfrey cried out, then seized Wizard Sean’s hand and carefully examined whether the curse had malfunctioned.

“Poppy, you’re here.”

Dumbledore smiled.

“Alright, Professor, Headmaster, I must take the patient back—right now—”

Madam Pomfrey pulled Wizard Sean away and vanished at the end of the corridor.

Left behind, Professor Snape shot Dumbledore a furious glare before turning to leave:

“Albus, you’d better remember what you said.”

“Hogwarts should be the safest place, Albus.”

Professor McGonagall clearly didn’t believe a normally rule-abiding wizard would wander off alone—especially after this had happened before: Dumbledore and Wizard Sean had left Hogwarts together and returned to find themselves in the hospital wing.

“Ah…”

Dumbledore said nothing, only smiled calmly.

The corridor fell silent again.

At the other end of the corridor, reminded by the word “patient,” Wizard Sean suddenly remembered he was supposed to be in the hospital wing.

He had completely forgotten.

According to his plan, he had only intended to retrieve the scroll…

Memories swirled chaotically in his head, and Wizard Sean felt his head growing dizzy again.

“You need rest, child—no matter what Headmaster Dumbledore has tasked you with… he really is… always taking dangerous risks.”

Madam Pomfrey muttered, then handed Wizard Sean a glass vial.

Wizard Sean stared at the vial, from which a faint, silvery vapor was rising.

It was a calming draught, a magical potion used to soothe agitation and anxiety.

Madam Pomfrey sometimes used it to calm young witches and wizards; some Quidditch players received it after injuries to prevent emotional outbursts from interfering with her treatments.

Wizard Sean’s impression of this potion: difficult to brew.

To make this potion, ingredients must be added to the cauldron in strict order and precise quantities;

The mixture must be stirred exactly the prescribed number of times—no more, no less—first clockwise, then counterclockwise;

The flame under the cauldron must be lowered to a specific temperature—neither higher nor lower—and maintained for a set duration before the final ingredient is added. If the ingredient is added carelessly, the drinker falls into a deathly, sometimes irreversible, slumber…

The more thoughts crowded his mind, the more blurred Wizard Sean’s vision became.

Ravenclaw’s memories were not easy to absorb.

“I’m sorry, Madam Pomfrey—I went out on my own.”

Wizard Sean said, just before slipping fully into unconsciousness.

“Oh—you don’t need to cover for him. I know far more than you think. I’ve been the nurse here for decades…”

Madam Pomfrey looked pained; after all, Wizard Sean couldn’t see his surroundings, speaking to a flowerpot.

“What a vile curse—I’ve rarely seen one like it. Rest now, child.”

With that, Wizard Sean’s dizziness worsened. He drank the potion and fell into deep sleep.

For several days, he remained dazed, sleeping for long stretches.

The calming draught may have contributed, but mostly it was because Ravenclaw’s memories were slowly merging with his own.

This was not a rapid process.

During this time, Hogwarts erupted in chaos.

Some said Mr. Green received a hundred Valentine’s cards and was knocked unconscious by them;

Others claimed Mr. Green rejected a young witch’s advances, only to be knocked out by her in a fit of rage;

Still others said Mr. Green had fallen into a dream of good fortune—he would soon receive great rewards!

This rumor, obviously, came from which club.

That day, the sun shone brightly, and winter snow had melted.

Clearly, it was a bright March—wind battered the bright haystacks, and spring counted her flowers each night.

“Has Wizard Sean woken up?”

Outside the hospital wing, among a group of people, Jia Jia Siting asked nervously.

Madam Pomfrey had chased them away three or four times a day, but she softened slightly:

“He was cursed—I’ve never seen such a vile curse—but he will recover.”

“Curse…”

Hermione murmured the word—the most terrifying and dangerous aspect of Dark Magic.

Beside her, Harry’s face was pale.

He felt this couldn’t be simple.

Think of all the dangers they’d faced—none had ever brought Wizard Sean down.

Now he lay in the hospital, unconscious. He could guess who was behind this.

“Is Headmaster Dumbledore still at Hogwarts?”

Harry forced calmness into his voice.

“That’s beyond my authority.”

Madam Pomfrey shooed them out.

On the way back to the hut, the five walked in silence.

Hermione and Jia Jia Siting were even paler.

They knew more than Harry’s group—they knew evil could never be fully eradicated.

Hogwarts might be in danger again—but once more, the danger was smothered in its cradle.

They felt a chill, as if a venomous snake watched them from the shadows, waiting to strike.

“Has he come back?”

Hermione asked Jia Jia Siting.

Jia Jia Siting nodded, then gazed toward the distant horizon.

They had to get Lockhart out as soon as possible—this fraud taught them nothing.

Whenever they encountered Dark Magic, they were helpless, relying entirely on Wizard Sean’s notes to build even basic understanding.

As for how to counter Dark Magic, they knew nothing at all.

Yet the enemy they faced was the most powerful Dark Lord in the entire magical world today.

“Has the Truth Potion been brewed?”

Jia Jia Siting asked.

“In a few days.”

Hermione knew what he meant.

Without another word, both looked back anxiously at the hospital wing.

Two wizards had just entered.

Snape stood silently in the shadows, before him a pile of snacks:Fizzing Whizbees, Fudge Flies, Chocolate Frogs, and more.

The snack pile was identical to the one three days prior—untouched.

On the white bed behind the snacks, Wizard Sean was still sorting through the memories in his mind.

After days of half-sleep, the memories had finally found a place where they no longer merged with his own, making him feel he was Ravenclaw.

But a new problem arose—the memories were buried deeper; Wizard Sean could recall them only when triggering specific magic.

When triggered, it felt as if Lady Ravenclaw had always been beside him, guiding him.