Chapter 228: Seeing the Light of Day
As the sky gradually darkened, in this tense moment, a witch suddenly appeared at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, instantly relieving the weight on everyone's shoulders.
Under the beech trees, the pitch-black Forbidden Forest seemed a little less menacing.
The tall, stern-faced Professor McGonagall, dressed in emerald-green robes, stood there. Simply by her presence, the young wizards felt their suspended hearts settle back into their chests.
"Neville... you actually managed to get Professor McGonagall here—" Hermione's eyes sparkled as she looked at the cowering Neville.
"N-no... it wasn't..." Neville blushed nervously, recalling the corridor that afternoon.
"Mr. Longbottom, you should not deceive others with such nonsense—" Professor McGonagall's stern expression had been even more oppressive then.
"N-no... it's not nonsense... everyone knows..." Neville had stammered.
"Everyone who?"
With one sweep of Professor McGonagall's gaze, Neville had exposed everyone.
Sean clearly hadn't expected to encounter Professor McGonagall here. He froze slightly, unable to say a word.
"You are being reckless."
Only Sean heard it; the others didn't react. Professor McGonagall seemed to be using a spell to transmit her voice directly to him.
"You should have told me..."
Professor McGonagall cast a stern look at Sean. A flicker of worry passed through her eyes.
She didn't believe in mystical prophecies—to her, they were no different from the annual death predictions made by the Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney, lacking rigor and evidence.
Voldemort's return was also something she couldn't immediately bring herself to believe.
But she believed in her child, more than she had ever believed in anything before.
"I will watch here for two nights. If I see nothing, then you and Neville will be in detention until your exams!"
To the young wizards, Professor McGonagall's stern words sounded like music. They thought they would never dread a Transfiguration lesson again.
Soon, Hagrid walked over in his moleskin coat and began chatting with Professor McGonagall.
"Professor McGonagall... oh, yes... a Unicorn has been badly hurt, something that's never happened in the forest before... Centaur prophecies... Mars is very? Very bright..."
Harry had said that Hagrid didn't hear what Firenze told him; otherwise, Hagrid could have vouched for them much sooner.
A cool breeze blew through the Forbidden Forest. That night, they heard no strange noises. The Dark Lord lurking in the forest seemed to know someone had arrived and dared not make a sound.
Professor McGonagall's face grew more profound. She left silently.
Just then, the fish-belly white of dawn appeared in the east. Finally, they saw the light of day.
"Day one—we made it through! We'll find him sooner or later and drive him out of Hogwarts!" Justin concluded excitedly.
Harry was shaking with excitement, and Hermione pumped her fist.
Ron, however, was completely exhausted, having been tense all night.
"Brilliant work, Sean, and Harry, Justin, Neville, Hermione..."
With every name he spoke, his eyelids grew heavier. "I'm going to sleep. Do you know how long we can sleep for?"
Only then did everyone feel the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm them. They had never felt as tired as they did today; they felt they would pass out the moment they touched a bed.
Neville was already wandering in a daze, teetering on his feet. The group dragged their weary bodies and hauled him back to the Room of Hope.
Soon, a large group of young wizards lay fast asleep.
Day broke, but the storm outside the window hadn't fully ceased. The fireplace roared fiercely. Sean did not sleep; instead, he pondered continuously.
"Are you still worried... Sean..."
Justin sat down beside him. He was exhausted too, but he always felt the need to ensure his friends were resting.
"Two days..." Sean muttered to himself.
"Two days? You mean Professor McGonagall will be there for two days? And then give you detention? Sean, did you forget what the Professor said? Detention is with Hagrid. Besides, once Headmaster Dumbledore returns, the safety of Hogwarts will improve drastically," Justin comforted him.
Until he finally fell into a deep sleep, and right up until afternoon classes began, Sean displayed a rare state of worry.
Voldemort didn't come to the Forbidden Forest? Why?
The forest was vast; even Professor McGonagall couldn't monitor every part of it simultaneously. In the original story, even when Dumbledore was at the school, Voldemort killed several unicorns over consecutive weeks.
He was greedy and cunning, evidenced by his intrusion into a Hogwarts guarded by Dumbledore. So, there was no reason for him to fear Professor McGonagall simply sitting there, not even patrolling.
Think harder... think harder... Sean reminded himself constantly.
Night fell again. This time, the young wizards were far less panicked. Harry and Justin followed Firenze the Centaur, while Hermione, Neville, and Ron went with Hagrid.
Sean guarded the injured Unicorn alone. He confirmed there bad been no movement for a long time.
Suddenly, Sean realized something. He bolted toward the castle.
The Planning Map was vibrating violently. Sean rode his broom, cutting through the night sky.
How could he forget!
The reason Quirrell and Voldemort couldn't touch the Philosopher's Stone was that their deepest desire was to use the Stone.
But now... was Professor Quirrell's deepest desire still the Stone?
Professor Quirrell had made the right choice, seeing hope amidst despair for the second time. Whether it was seeing Sean and the others guarding the forest, or the Squirrel Biscuit in his own hand, he was no longer wholeheartedly willing to risk his life to get the Stone for Voldemort.
If Voldemort saw no hope in the Forbidden Forest and went to the third-floor corridor... under his coercion, Professor Quirrell might very well reach the state required by the Mirror of Erised—
To want to find the Stone... find it, but not use it.
This meant Voldemort would get the Stone. Whether or not it could help him restore his body, this would not be good news.
A paper airplane sliced through the night sky, flying straight into Justin's hand. It contained only a short message, but it made Justin break out in a cold sweat. He grabbed a broom hidden in the corner, mounted it, and flew across the Forbidden Forest toward Professor McGonagall at incredible speed.
Simultaneously, another paper airplane flew toward the distant International Alchemical Symposium.
The paper airplane created by Professor Terra, winner of the Gold Award, was a nearly perfect emergency communication tool—ignoring terrain, ignoring distance, and traveling at incredible speed.
Having made all preparations, Sean appeared in the third-floor corridor.
In a place he hadn't expected, Mr. Owler appeared in a portrait within the corridor.
"You have been attracted by the brilliance and vastness of magic, yet you always manage to see those weak, even impure lives. You experience both feelings, measuring the breadth a wizard's life can possess.
"This is the wisdom of Ravenclaw. May you understand, Ravenclaw is forever proud of you."
Mr. Owler bowed deeply. Sean saw the trapdoor open, and he stepped inside.
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