Chapter 452: Spinner's End

London. The dark clouds that once loomed outside the Prime Minister's window now drifted over a filthy river.

The river wound its way, with weeds overgrowing both banks and piles of garbage. A huge chimney—the relic left by an abandoned mill—towered high, gloomy and ominous.

Only the dark river water sobbed in the heavy rain around, with no sign of any life.

Suddenly, two figures appeared at the last house at the end of Spinner's End, as if they had sprung from nowhere.

Rain seemed to flow around them; most strangely, the boy in black robes held a wooden branch that emitted light.

If people on the street had seen this scene, it would Dagailu Society make the news. Fortunately, as said before, there was no sign of life here.

"Go—"

Professor Professor Sineipu led Xiang Xiang Xien; they effortlessly found the buried Mo Yao Yi Jing at a marked spot.

Raindrops pattered around, and Professor Professor Sineipu, expressionless, waited with Xiang Xiang Xien for the moment the next lightning bolt would strike.

Silver lightning soon tore through the sky; in that instant, Xiang Xiang Xien felt his heartbeat grow strong again.

He waved his wand, the soil moved aside automatically, and a bottle of buried Mo Yao Yi Jing had turned blood-red.

Half success.

Xiang Xiang Xien, with some excitement, picked up the Mo Yao Yi Jing, pointed the tip of his wand at his heart, and recited the spell:

"Amado, Animus, Animado, Animagus!"

He then quickly drank the Mo Yao Yi Jing.

His heart beat like a drum; Xiang Xiang Xien felt intense pain and two fierce heartbeats fighting.

It was as if another heartbeat had awakened, and now it was fighting the first heartbeat for ownership of the body.

This process was painful and long, because something most essential was, with the second heartbeat, making the wizard take on another form.

He gritted his teeth, and Marcus Marcus Maige's words flashed in his mind:

"You must show no fear! At this point, escaping the promised change is too late!"

In the wind and rain, Professor Professor Sineipu's wide robes snapped; his expression changed again and again. Seeing Xiang Xiang Xien's face turn ugly, some instinctive panic, and his figure beginning to change abnormally to a certain extent,

he frowned uneasily, and a voice inside told him—do something.

"I am—"

He moved closer and said some nonsense he had once scoffed at, in a low, hoarse voice.

Xiang Xiang Xien could not hear; all his mind was drawn to some animals. They had only vague outlines, the clearest of which was a black cat.

Called a black cat, it was much larger than an ordinary black cat and carried a lively spirit.

The first Transfiguration began, making Xiang Xiang Xien quite uncomfortable. Clothes and shoes and other items melted into his skin, turning into Mao Fa or sharp claws.

Animal instincts constantly tried to dominate and drive Xiang Xiang Xien to do foolish things, like running wildly or rushing to crash into a wall.

This instinct was too strong; even Xiang Xiang Xien could not control himself. Between running wildly and rushing to crash into a wall, Xiang Xiang Xien made his choice in one second.

The black cat had just extended its claws when it was lifted by a pair of large hands.

"Such clumsy mastery of Transfiguration... how dare Minerva McGonagall let you attempt Transfiguration?!"

He roared loudly, as if venting his inner unease.

With his feet off the ground, the black cat's head hung low; his reason gradually returned.

Something was very wrong; he could not only not control his body well, but even turning back was very difficult.

The black cat's puzzled eyes looked at the water basin, reflecting a green light.

Looking again at Professor Professor Sineipu, who seemed unsure what to do next, it suddenly smelled an old, dull metallic rust scent, then it changed to the fresh scent of dew and grass.

Xiang Xiang Xien confirmed that his Animagus was at least not just a cat; it very likely also had some cat-like traits.

As for the reason... it might be that he had eaten too many cat-like biscuits, his cat-like consciousness had existed too long and was very strong; or it might be that he had performed too many cat-like alchemy rituals, unconsciously forging a new path in Transfiguration...

Xiang Xiang Xien recorded all these contents regarding soul transformation, preparing to ask Professor Professor Taila.

But no matter what, it was always better than an ordinary black cat.

Whether he had not yet adapted or not, Xiang Xiang Xien temporarily did not have the ability to find his own way.

Perhaps fearing he would run again, Professor Professor Sineipu stared at him firmly; even after entering the room, his attention did not leave.

Inside the two-story building at the end of Spinner's End was a dim and narrow living room, furnished with worn-out furniture.

A lamp with a lit candle hung from the ceiling, while several walls around were filled with books. Inside one dark door in the book wall was a narrow staircase leading upstairs; another dark door led to a small room.

There seemed to be no obvious door; when first entering the room, it gave Xiang Xiang Xien the feeling of walking into a soft-walled cell. Because it had been empty for years, spiders had spun many webs here too.

The fireplace flames were lit; the black cat leaped, reaching the fireplace edge with a distance an ordinary cat could hardly jump. It shook its body, and raindrops in its Mao Fa were flung out.

Severus Professor Sineipu was splashed all over, but he gave the black cat warming itself by the fire a cold glance, snorted heavily, and said nothing.

Streetlamps were mottled and faded; night lighting was dim. The heavy rain washed the streets, flushing some street garbage into the river, making the river even filthier.

But in the narrow living room, there was the glow of the fireplace.

Severus Professor Sineipu was reading a book, his Yu Guang constantly catching the black cat darting about on the bookshelves.

It seemed completely unfamiliar with its own body and had to practice in various ways.

For example, if it did not look at its tail, the tail would not move; for example, when it used its whiskers to feel the fireplace temperature, it almost burned its whiskers...

There were too many such things.

Professor Professor Sineipu took a sip of steaming coffee; Wu Wai Yi Jing two figures appeared.

In just half an hour, the anxious Marcus Marcus Maige and the cheerful Dumbledore rushed here.

The doorbell rang.

Dumbledore looked at Professor Professor Sineipu opening the door with a smile:

"Severus, what do you think of the black cat? My taste isn't too bad, is it..."

Before the old wizard finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a "Bang!"

"Oh, people are always very hard to admit others are right, aren't they? Minerva?"

His expression remained unchanged as he asked with a smile.

Not long after.

The end of Spider Alley saw rare moments of bustle—several figures appeared in the living room.

Faint voices of conversation continued, masking the howling of the storm outside.

The black cat sat by the fireplace; after Professor McGonagall entered, she casually conjured a soft cushion.

The black cat sat upon it, seemingly lost in thought.