Chapter 422: Operation Begins

Any other wizard might have been moved by Hannah’s invitation.

But Wizard Sean finally shook his head.

This left Hannah deeply disappointed.

“You don’t believe the Lucky Black Cat exists? But you’ve already dreamed of it!”

Hannah asked, puzzled.

“Well, luck might occasionally exist, but I’m sorry, Miss Abbott, I trust myself more.”

Wizard Sean said softly.

“But… luck, you know, everyone hopes for it—don’t you want to touch the Lucky Black Cat’s ears?”

Hannah spoke haltingly.

“Maybe.”

Wizard Sean thought for a moment—can a cat touch its own ears?

It was a confusing question.

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Green.”

Hannah walked away, head drooping, clutching the invitation.

“Hannah,”

as she was about to step out the door, a voice drifted over,

“I don’t know if luck exists, but the longing for it may be the truest gift of all.”

“You’re right.”

Hannah turned quickly, but the hospital door had already closed.

All she could see through the crack was the wizard on the bed gesturing with one finger, summoning several books to fly over.

She rubbed her eyes—the crack had sealed shut.

Mr. Green is the most outstanding wizard in nearly a century…

Her view, shared by every student at Hogwarts, was once again confirmed.

…

The hands of time turned downward, reaching the warm, pleasant hour of evening.

The sun sank slowly behind the treetops of the Forbidden Forest as Wizard Sean walked across the grass, cloaked in twilight.

Beside him, Hermione held a crystal vial, and Jia Jia Siting gripped his wand tightly, alert and ready.

“It’s a very interesting place—the house-elves at Hogwarts call it the ‘Come and Go Room,’ or the ‘Room of Requirement.’”

Wizard Sean explained slowly, and Hermione and Jia Jia Siting listened intently.

They needed to act in this quiet, overlooked place.

Otherwise, if they were discovered or interrupted, Hogwarts might truly consider expelling them.

Of course, Wizard Sean would be excluded.

No professor would vote to expel Wizard Sean.

“Why?”

Hermione and Jia Jia Siting asked in unison.

“Because this room only appears when someone truly needs it.”

It comes and goes, but when it appears, it always arranges itself to match the seeker’s need.

When a house-elf is hopelessly drunk, he finds butterbeer hangover remedies and a bed sized just for him.

Mr. Filch once found spare cleaning supplies there when he was short on tools…”

Wizard Sean recounted what he knew.

“It sounds like a Wish Room.”

Jia Jia Siting mused.

“Yes, they’re much the same.”

Wizard Sean affirmed.

That’s another incredibly amazing room.

Jia Jia Siting grew excited.

“How many people know about it?”

Hermione frowned.

“Very few. People usually find it only when they need it—but then they can never find it again, because they don’t realize it’s always there, waiting for need.”

Wizard Sean said.

“That sounds amazing—where do we find it?”

Jia Jia Siting’s heart quickened.

“On the eighth floor, opposite the tapestry of the troll beating up Barnabas the Barmy.”

Wizard Sean shared.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Jia Jia Siting rushed ahead, then quickly turned back,

“Which tower, Wizard Sean?”

Hermione fell silent.

Evening, the night pleasantly cool.

They hurried down the corridor to the place Wizard Sean described—the massive tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach a troll ballet—facing a stretch of white wall.

“Here,”

Jia Jia Siting whispered. A worm-eaten troll paused mid-bludgeon, turning its head to stare at them,

“Wizard Sean says we must walk past this wall three times, focusing our thoughts on what we need.”

They obeyed, walking to the window at one end, turning back, then walking to the tall vase at the other end and turning again.

Wizard Sean stood aside holding an old Ravenclaw book; Jia Jia Siting squinted, concentrating; Hermione murmured softly under her breath.

We need a place with no escape… Jia Jia Siting and Hermione thought, a place that won’t transmit sound… won’t be discovered…

“Wizard Sean!”

as they turned for the third time, Hermione suddenly said.

A very smooth door appeared on the wall.

Jia Jia Siting seized the brass handle first, pulled the door open, and they stepped into a spacious room—lit by torches, just like a dungeon classroom.

But apart from the torches, it was completely empty.

Wizard Sean stepped toward the wall and saw a precise array of runes.

“It’s a soundproofing magical barrier.”

He said.

“Just some trivial magic among the clutter.”

Mr. Raven emerged from Wizard Sean’s wizarding book, standing tall and proud.

“Mr. Raven.”

Wizard Sean reminded it; Bai Yi also emerged.

“Clever little wizard, it’s asleep. But let me tell you again—you’d better release it soon. A wizard needs only one owl… and it should be the smartest.”

Raven was supremely confident.

“Mr. Raven.”

Wizard Sean whispered again.

“Annoyed little wizard, I said—Bai… Yi, how did you wake up—”

Raven flapped away in panic; Bai Yi let out a loud coo and chased after him.

The two owls fluttered wildly, one chasing, the other fleeing.

“That voice sounds familiar.”

Jia Jia Siting watched the owls fly out through the door crack, scratching his head.

Mr. Raven’s suit had been taken by Will for cleaning, and the dim light made it hard to recognize him.

Hermione studied the owl’s back closely, then shook her head firmly, banishing the absurd thought from her mind.

“Close the door. Lockhart’s in his Defense Against the Dark Arts office now—I’ll be back in half an hour.”

Hermione instructed.

“Mm.”

Jia Jia Siting tightened his grip on his wand.

After the owl incident, a tense atmosphere naturally settled.

Jia Jia Siting couldn’t help trembling; Hermione drew a deep breath.

What they were about to do was extremely risky, and they had no way to communicate—should anything go wrong, they’d have to rely entirely on their improvisation.

As Hermione stepped out, the evening chill brushed past, making the torches flicker dimly.

“Wait—take this.”

Wizard Sean spoke, breaking the tension.

“What is this?”

Hermione held the smooth mirror and asked curiously.

“A variant of the two-way mirror, functioning like a telephone—I call it the Magic Hand Mirror.”

Wizard Sean faced the two holding the smooth mirror.

“Wizard Sean, you mean—?”

Hermione’s eyes lit up.

“Really? That’s incredible!”

Jia Jia Siting gasped.

“Yes.”

Wizard Sean smiled slightly and nodded.