Chapter 170: The Night Pegasus, Geraldine
Chapter 170: The Night Pegasus, Geraldine
In a moment of crisis, a particularly elderly house-elf suddenly appeared by Harry's side, grabbed his arm, and disappeared with him in an instant.
At the same time, three or four spells hit the night pegasus that had attacked, freezing it in mid-air.
One of the spells came from Vader.
He jumped off the night pegasus's back, landing nimbly on his feet, and rushed over to inspect it.
Soon after, Professors Sprout and Snape also appeared nearby.
"What happened here?" Professor Snape asked, his face grim as he glared at the frightened girls.
"It was an invisible thing... it attacked Harry Potter!" one of the girls cried out, on the verge of tears.
"A house-elf took Harry away!"
Vader glanced at the girl's red hair... another Weasley.
Hagrid also rushed over, his eyes filled with concern and confusion as he looked at the immobilized night pegasus. "But Geraldine is usually so gentle... she's never attacked anyone before..."
"What did that idiotic Gryffindor do to provoke her?" Snape asked coldly.
"Harry didn't do anything!" Ginny Weasley spoke up bravely, meeting the potion master's gaze. "He had just helped us get rid of a grindylow when he was suddenly attacked!"
"I don't think it was Harry's fault, Professor," Vader added thoughtfully. "Look at the wound on the pegasus's back."
Professor Snape approached the night pegasus and noticed a thin, bleeding gash near its hind legs. As he drew closer, his hooked nose twitched a couple of times.
"Chattertree bark," he muttered.
"Chattertree bark?" Ginny repeated, curious.
"Pay attention in class, Miss Weasley," Snape snapped at her. "Chattertree bark is used to brew a Confundus potion. It induces fear, palpitations, and can even cause hallucinations and mania."
"So, someone fed this pegasus a potion?" Vader asked gravely. "Were they trying to harm Harry or create chaos at Hogwarts?"
Professor Sprout pried open the pegasus's mouth to examine it. "It's not a finished potion... there are still grass roots between her teeth. It looks like someone fed her a large amount of raw chattertree bark."
"I recall that this plant is mainly produced in East Africa and Arab countries, and its transportation and sale are prohibited in most countries..." Vader recalled from his studies.
"But... erm... Britain and New Zealand do allow its sale within a certain range, but it's not something that's easily accessible to the general public," he added.
"With the right connections, obtaining it is far easier than you think," Snape said thoughtfully. "More importantly... who would dare target one of Hogwarts' night pegasi..."
Hagrid growled angrily, "If I ever find out who did this, I'll make them pay!"
Ginny stood by, watching the discussion unfold, but couldn't find an opportunity to interject.
Her friends tugged at her arm, wanting to leave, but Ginny stood her ground, rooted to the spot.
After a brief pause in the conversation, Ginny spoke up hesitantly, "Professor, Harry's been taken away..."
"The house-elf will take him to the infirmary if that's what you're worried about," Snape replied, his tone cold and impatient.
His demeanor was far from friendly, but compared to how he usually treated Gryffindors, he was being remarkably gentle with Ginny.
Vader shot a thoughtful glance at her vivid red hair.
"Thank you, Professor," Ginny mumbled, not feeling particularly comforted by the stern professor. The girls whispered their thanks and quickly scurried away.
Dumbledore had also arrived on the scene by then. He was a little late because he had gone to see Harry first, and there were still traces of blood on his sleeve.
"How is Harry, Headmaster?" Hagrid asked urgently.
"Just some minor injuries. Madam Pomfrey will have him patched up in no time," Dumbledore assured. With a slight wave of his wand, he examined the Night Pegasus as Professor Sprout shared their findings.
Dumbledore nodded gently. "Hagrid, take all the Night Pegasi back to the stables. I think we need to conduct a thorough inspection."
"What about Geraldine, Professor?" Hagrid asked anxiously. "I know she hurt Harry, but she didn't mean to. Geraldine has always been a good girl..."
"Of course, she was merely taken advantage of by someone with ill intentions," Dumbledore said. "Have her stay with you until the effects of the potion wear off."
"Yes, Professor," Hagrid sniffed, lifting the immobilized Night Pegasus with one arm and carrying her away.
"Dumbledore!" Snape objected. "A beast that has injured a student cannot be kept here..."
Professor Sprout frowned. "There's a difference between actively causing harm and being manipulated, Severus. Its mind was clouded by the Chittering Charmbeam, and it didn't know what it was doing."
Dumbledore didn't make an immediate decision. Instead, he turned to Vader and asked, "What are your thoughts, Mr. Grey?"
Vader was taken aback, and Professors Snape and Sprout looked at him simultaneously.
Under their gaze, he thought for a moment and said, "I think we should first let the students who participated in the challenge leave, temporarily halt the project, and inspect the other creatures to ensure they haven't been tampered with."
"As for the Night Pegasus, Geraldine... why don't we ask Harry for his opinion? After all, he is the victim here."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, let's do that."
Snape immediately humphed in disagreement, and his glance at Vader seemed to convey his displeasure with him as well.
Everyone was well aware that given Harry's personality and his relationship with Hagrid, he definitely wouldn't pursue the matter further.
Vader chose to ignore it. After all, that was just how Professor Snape was—never offering a kind face or word, but always ready to answer questions, lend assistance, and help when asked.
In all the time he had been at school, Vader had only seen him praise Malfoy once.
Of course, this might also be because they didn't attend Potions classes with the Slytherins, otherwise, they might have witnessed Professor Snape's flowery praise of Slytherins disguised as criticism.
But over the past year or so, whenever Vader consulted Professor Snape about potion-related matters, even if they went beyond the curriculum, he always received an answer.
Ever since he started brewing potions in the Room of Requirement, he no longer practiced in the underground classroom.
It was only after being coldly mocked by Professor Snape a couple of times that Vader realized he meant, "Why aren't you continuing to practice? Don't give up halfway!"
Vader: "..."
So, after the next Potions class ended, he brought his recent results to show the professor and explained that—
He had changed locations for practice because some potions took too long to brew, and he didn't want to occupy the Potions classroom for extended periods.
For this, he received comments like "Passable" and "Don't get complacent."
(End of Chapter)
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