[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-472":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},2250710,4210,"Chapter 472: The News (3k)","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-472",472,"\u003Cp>The black cat woke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it opened its eyes, the mist of the Borderlands was churning thickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You remind me of one of my… teachers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said, as if chatting idly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She conjured a scene—the black cat recognized it as the classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Seventy-nine years ago, the lesson that day was on Boggarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore was guiding a line of boys forward, encouraging them to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Riddikulus…” “Riddikulus…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young wizards’ voices rose and fell; the Boggart shifted from a shark to a buoy, from a zombie’s head to a pumpkin, from a vampire to a rabbit with tiny buckteeth—laughter followed in waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, Newt. Be brave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat had never seen Headmaster Dumbledore so young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixteen-year-old Newt stepped to the front. The Boggart transformed into a Ministry of Magic desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is unusual. So what, Mr. Scamander, do you fear most in this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore smiled warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat watched Headmaster Dumbledore—he’d always enjoyed watching performances, even as a professor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Working in an office, Professor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixteen-year-old Newt replied, earnest and sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole class burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on, Newt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore laughed too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Riddikulus!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newt turned the desk into a playful wooden dragon, then stepped aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done. Excellent transformation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore clapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was sixteen-year-old Rita’s turn, but she didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rita, it’s only a Boggart—it can’t hurt you. Everyone fears something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore spoke kindly to Rita.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him, a group of girls huddled together, relishing her fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at her humiliate herself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girls said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita stepped forward. The Boggart began to shift—and instantly, all laughter vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Green light reflected on every terrified face. The Boggart became a shadow, with a tiny human hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita let out a sob and ran from the classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat and adult Rita followed behind, watching as she hid in another empty classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After who knew how long, young Rita still sat on her old desk. Then Dumbledore entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a surprise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you saw me in class? Am I that bad a student?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said coldly to Dumbledore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the contrary, you’re my brightest student.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said bad, not stupid. Don’t bother thinking of an answer. You never liked me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita dropped these words coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not true. You’re not a bad child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore came closer and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’re mistaken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita refused to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Dumbledore studied her carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rita, I understand the rumors about your brother Corvus have caused you great pain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, you don’t understand. Unless your brother had also died.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I lost my sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at him; both were hostile, yet equally curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you love her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t love her enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore’s eyes were gray and dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s never too late to find peace. Some say honesty is liberation. A release.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita kept staring at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wondering what he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regret has long been my companion. Don’t let it become yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I once doubted him. I wondered if he, too, was a monster—until I met someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said to the black cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat’s ears twitched; Rita now knew for certain that her beloved Bastet wandered not only through Newt’s dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A witch who forgot her own name—no, she wasn’t quite a witch at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s expression turned reflective,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She remembered only that she had two brothers at Hogwarts, and she waited. In my memory, very few fit that description…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few simple deductions—I realized who she was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat naturally knew too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was when I realized my teacher’s words were true—we are the same kind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you, my dear Bastet—can such a being truly understand a witch’s heart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am a witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I understand—you’re not a cat. You’re a witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat nodded its head up and down in agreement; Rita laughed until her whole body shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful magical creature, possessing magic beyond a witch’s imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it was willing to listen to a witch’s wishes—even willing to fulfill them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita felt today’s wonder surpassed all her expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady Lestrange, can you find her again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, her? Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s eyes flickered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You rushed through the Borderlands just to bring witches good fortune? Whose wish will you grant this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll help. For my teacher—and for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mist churned more fiercely; both the black cat and Rita knew it was time to part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When will you come again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita placed a trimmed Gabriel flower into a vase and asked the black cat, as if speaking to a longtime friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat shook its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lita understood that good fortune might never come again—or perhaps it would return tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, the black cat glanced back at her, then turned and sank into the deep mist, vanishing without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The borderlands were now left with only a witch who loved trimming flowers; occasionally, she would tell the creatures she had bound and brought here for destruction the story of a black cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hogwarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bell rang three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean rarely woke at his usual time; this journey to the borderlands had not gone smoothly—he had used the Empty Rune’s power far too thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This resulted in a disappointing outcome: he could not return to the borderlands for the time being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this state would not last long; Wizard Sean estimated it would be about a full month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled Lita’s words and unexpectedly thought of the headmaster’s office, filled with silver objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old wizard guarded this castle as if it were a cage he had built with his own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he passed the headmaster’s office, the bell was still ringing; Wizard Sean could already smell the sweet scent of pumpkin in the Great Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered Lita’s pumpkin pie and ultimately decided her cooking was better than that of his Ravenclaw teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he quickened his pace—the exam week was approaching, and he still had a Potions exam in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Potions, for wizards, was no longer an outright disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With some truly useful notes, they at least avoided making Professor Snape’s face turn as black as coal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry remembered how embarrassed he had been during the last in-class Potions quiz, when he simply could not thicken his Forgetfulness Potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape had watched with clear delight, jotting something down in his notebook before leaving—something that looked suspiciously like a zero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such things were now firmly in the past; he could even pass the Potions exam with relative ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they emerged from the dungeons, everyone was still discussing the narrow escape of that test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, young wizards took their Astronomy exam atop the highest tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the star-strewn night sky, Wizard Sean always thought of his Divination magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite studying with the Centaur teacher for so long, he still had not unlocked Divination magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Centaur teacher inevitably frowned, recently searching through Centaur knowledge for answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, Wizard Sean had already spent more than three hours in the borderlands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Book of Dream Tales mentioned that after seven hours, the borderlands’ sky would darken, the stars would blaze brilliantly, and one could see a clear, pure night sky—the perfect moment for divination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unusual progress made Wizard Sean think of the borderlands’ legend—the legend of the black cat of good fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, reading the Book of Dream Tales as the Merlin Tales made Wizard Sean realize that soon, perhaps, he would witness a different borderlands—a starlit borderlands, one where wizards might glimpse even a corner of “the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What changes the borderlands would undergo then—perhaps only Merlin knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, the weather was clear; after the Astronomy exam, Wizard Sean returned to study Divination with the Centaur teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his progress in Divination magic remained stalled at the final stage, it did not prevent him from learning the Centaurs’ knowledge of prophecy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the exams continued, unhurriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>History of Magic was on Wednesday morning; when Professor Binns’ ghost told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, the young wizards burst into cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who had read the Green Notes could expect to get a perfect score in History of Magic, and the History of Magic section of the Green Notes was one of the most popular extracurricular books among wizards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its popularity nearly rivaled that of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was rumored that the Green Notes would soon release a new section, titled A History of Magical Positions; in recent days, order letters had nearly filled the entire Green Bookshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wednesday afternoon was Herbology exam; baked under the sun in the greenhouses, they returned to the common room with sunburned necks. Everyone looked forward to this time tomorrow—then everything would be over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thursday morning was the final exam: Defense Against the Dark Arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Snape happily took on the role of examiner; wizards had to duel their classmates in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his words:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feeble fools have long needed such training.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though spells flew wildly during the exam, astonishingly, no one was injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it ended, everyone hurried out of the dueling arena, buzzing with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Wizard Sean was kept behind by Professor Snape.\u003C\u002Fp>",1594,"2026-06-19T10:00:42.198Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a77cbdb126ecc76a1756cd7bc59d4e22b20db243254dc98698d94956c702a6cf","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-473","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-471",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]