After the chaotic Transfiguration class, the afternoon Herbology class went quite smoothly.
Professor Pomona Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House, was a gentle and kind woman. Despite her patched, threadbare robes and the strong smell of herbs and fertilizer, she was incredibly popular among the students. She even reminded Ryan of Helga Hufflepuff—their personalities and appearance bore a resemblance.
The class didn't involve any practical exercises; instead, Professor Sprout introduced the basics of herbal medicine, including identification, collection, preservation, and some common herb species.
It's worth noting that, aside from Hermione, who remained a consistent academic achiever, Ryan didn't overdo it. On the other hand, Neville Longbottom performed surprisingly well in the class, naming several herbs.
"My grandmother likes to grow herbs, so I recognize some..." Neville said.
Professor Sprout awarded him another five points for Gryffindor. With Herbology, Ryan's first day of classes officially concluded. He, Seamus, Neville, and Dean enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Great Hall, then said goodbye and returned to their dormitories.
But as night fell once again at Hogwarts, Ryan left his dorm again.
Once again, his private dorm was perfectly convenient for nighttime excursions, as if it were custom-made for him. Today, however, Ryan chose not to continue his journey to the Room of Requirement. Dodging the possibility of Filch's presence, he quietly exited the castle.
The soft rustle of his shoes on the autumn lawn echoed through the cool night breeze—a chilling chill in this late autumn season. As Ryan paced, he gazed at the nearby Black Lake. Silver moonlight shimmered on the lake, creating a shimmering ripple in the night, as if white spirits were dancing on its surface.
He walked to the lake's edge and softly called out a name.
"Shuja'ah..."
As the Black Lake's surface swirled, startling the fish below and sending them scurrying, the water surface rose like a hill, and a massive pitch-black squid appeared on the shore.
Buzz!
The giant squid's tentacles twitched in the moonlight, producing a low, rumbling sound. That sound should have been incomprehensible to anyone—unless a wizard had suddenly awakened their squid voice. But Ryan was an exception. As the man who had raised Shuja'ah, he could roughly understand what the giant squid was saying.
"Sorry—I should have come to see you yesterday, but I suddenly thought of something..." Ryan apologized softly. The giant squid's tentacles slowly placed themselves before him, its massive head nearing the shore. Ryan caressed him and softly recounted his recent experiences. "Yeah, I woke up and found I wasn't at Hogwarts anymore... I went to the Room of Requirement, you know? The room where Mr. Ravenclaw left it... Hogwarts is still the same, but everyone I knew is gone... I saw the Sorting Hat's memories. Mr. Ravenclaw has..." He spoke softly, and the giant squid listened quietly like a child.
The moonlight shone on them, unchanging. Finally, Ryan asked what he wanted to know:. "Shuja'ah, do you know about the treasures the teachers left behind? They left me things at school, but I'm not sure what they are or where they are."
Yes—in all of Hogwarts, Ryan could currently think of the location of the treasures left by his four teachers. Besides the Room of Requirement, the most likely person to know this information was Shuja'ah. But...
Buzz!
The giant squid shook its head gently.
"You don't know either?" Ryan asked. This reaction certainly made Ryan realize that the giant squid didn't know what the Founders left behind. "That's really... Logically, at least the Mr. Godric should have told you what they left behind." This situation gave Ryan a headache. But now...
Buzz!
Shuja'ah's deep voice echoed again as Ryan saw its giant tentacles tap a stone on the edge of the Black Lake.
"Oh, after all these years—you still like this?" Ryan said with a laugh.
Buzz!
"Of course, of course I'll play with you—go on!" Ryan smiled, extending his wand and pointing at the stone. The stone then flew high and fell into the Black Lake. But the next moment, Shuja'ah's huge tentacle caught it, and the giant squid handed the stone back to Ryan.
Ryan waved his wand again and threw the stone away... It was a simple, even boring game, but Ryan smiled for the first time in a long time. Until half an hour later...
"Oh, Shuja'ah, that's enough for today. I'm really not getting enough magic right now," Ryan said with a hint of regret.
Buzz!
Shuja'ah let out a regretful sound—it was hard to imagine a giant squid as tall as a mountain and possessing such powerful magic enjoying such a game. "Well, I have to get back... I have training today," Ryan said goodbye to Shuja'ah. "I'll see you again sometime, old friend."
But just then...
Buzz!
With a low sound, Shuja'ah's wrist extended toward Ryan. Ryan looked down and saw something wrapped around it. It was a short whistle. It was red, slightly flat, and engraved with a squid. Of course, most people wouldn't recognize the eight threads emanating from the center of the ball as a squid, but Ryan did. He had designed it himself and also drawn the pattern on it.
"You still have this thing... Was it a Mr. Godric?" he wondered with a smile as he took the whistle—the one he'd used when raising Shuja'ah.
Buzz!
The giant squid nodded its massive head, then raised its tentacles. Ryan understood its meaning. "Blow it, and I'll appear." It was no longer the little squid captured by the dark wizard. "I can protect you now, Ryan."
Ryan smiled and nodded, carefully storing the whistle. "Goodnight, Shuja'ah."
Buzz!
After exchanging goodnights, Ryan turned and walked back toward the castle. The giant squid watched Ryan's back from a distance and dove into the lake. Ryan walked back across the lawn, a troubled thought in his mind. Until now, all the places he'd thought of that seemed most likely to find treasure had failed, leaving him with no clues.
"Don't worry, clear your mind, think carefully... huh?"
But just as Ryan was telling himself this, he caught a glimpse of a white figure in the distance, near the castle bridge. The figure seemed to be wearing a skirt—or perhaps a robe—that fluttered faintly in his peripheral vision.
Ryan immediately turned his head and looked carefully in the direction of the bridge. But now, the bridge was empty. For a moment, Ryan thought it was just an illusion, but before he could think further, he saw another white figure flash by in his peripheral vision.
"Who!?"
This time, Ryan was certain he wasn't mistaken. He raised his wand and turned away, already secretly picking up the whistle Shuja'ah had given him. But when he turned and looked closer, he was startled again—because he saw a white cat squatting atop the fountain statue in front of the castle gate.
"It's a cat," Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. It was a slightly fat cat, sitting on the statue with its head tilted and its eyes open, looking at Ryan. What surprised Ryan was that the cat's eyes were not only vertical but also a gorgeous, flame-like golden red. This made Ryan sigh—what a beautiful cat. "Who brought this pet cat?" he wondered.
But in the blink of an eye, Ryan saw the cat jump down from the statue. Its figure quickly dived into the grass and disappeared. Ryan glanced in the direction it left, which was toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Oh, I hope it doesn't really enter the Forbidden Forest... otherwise, its owner might have a headache," Ryan muttered to himself, put away his wand, and headed back to the castle.
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Author's note
If you want to read more chapters of this story, please visit patreon/achmz . You can read this story up to chapter 46! Thank you for your support!