https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-97-The-Vanishing-Cabinet-Corrected-Version-/12572356/
Chapter 98: Roar
Chapter 98: Roar
Remus Lupin was efficient, and by noon the next day, he informed Victor that he had purchased the Vanishing Cabinet from Borgin and Burkes.
Meanwhile, Victor borrowed the Vanishing Cabinet in the castle from Professor McGonagall under the pretext of researching Alchemy, assuring her that he was aware of the dangers and wouldn't recklessly experiment.
The Vanishing Cabinet was a striking piece, with a black and gold exterior adorned with intricate ancient runes and whimsical patterns. Ancient magic forged a peculiar connection between two such cabinets, enabling instantaneous transportation between them, even within Hogwarts where Apparition was forbidden.
In the story, it was through this very passage that Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, and Dumbledore met his end that fateful night.
Victor shrunk the Vanishing Cabinet and took it to the Room of Requirement, conducting experiments whenever he had free time. He stayed in contact with Lupin via the enchanted coin, placing various objects into the cabinet and retrieving them from the other end.
The initial experiments were successful—apples, bread, pillows, and buckets emerged unscathed.
Lupin then suggested experimenting with live creatures—mice, rabbits, and then moving on to creatures closer in size to humans, eventually progressing to magical beasts.
The thirteenth experiment went awry.
As Victor opened the cabinet, he sensed something amiss. Inside lay a goblin, its breath stilled.
[Victor: It's dead.]
[Lupin: What happened?]
[Victor: No visible wounds, but it's not breathing. You can check from your end.]
Victor closed the cabinet door, and when Lupin opened it, he found the goblin's cold corpse. He pulled it out and examined it carefully.
[Lupin: The body is ice-cold, as if it's been dead for three or four hours. There are strange cracks on the skin, and the bones have become brittle, like biscuits. It's as if when the door closed, it was transported to some strange place and died there.]
[Lupin: Victor, the Vanishing Cabinet is more dangerous than we thought.]
[Victor: I understand. Let's halt the experiments for now. I'll see if I can repair the cabinet.]
As Victor put down his quill, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
He had assumed that the Vanishing Cabinet was damaged by Peeves during Harry's second year, but he hadn't expected it to be imperfect even before that incident.
He stared intently at the Vanishing Cabinet, and slowly, countless golden magical circuits appeared like flowing water, forming complex layers of magic. Ancient runes entwined like chains around the cabinet.
Tiny flaws, fragmented patterns, time-worn Runic letters, and seemingly corroded magic...
Victor meticulously identified the cabinet's imperfections.
...
Umbrella Room
As the practical training session concluded, the group tended to their bruises with healing ointment. Harry asked, "Victor seems busy lately. He only comes to the Umbrella Room once every three or four days."
And when he does come, he only stays for about an hour, teaching them a new spell and offering guidance on any issues they encounter with their studies before disappearing again.
"Yes," Michael said helplessly, "That Alchemy professor seems to have assigned Victor a challenging task. Lately, he rarely returns to the common room and spends most of his time researching Alchemy elsewhere."
The cleaning crab scurried over, collecting the cotton balls and mopping the floor.
Unconsciously, everyone's gaze followed it as it moved, and it wasn't until the crab retreated back into its shell and settled down quietly that they left the Umbrella Room. As they descended the stairs, they encountered an unexpected person.
"Y-You all, good evening..."
Professor Quirrell seemed startled by the chance encounter as well, a hesitant smile on his face as he greeted his students.
Michael, Hermione, and Ryan reflexively lowered their heads, respectfully replying, "Good evening, Professor."
"
Harry and Theo responded loudly, "Hello, Professor Quirrell." Neville lingered a step behind, also hurrying to greet the professor.
As they were about to part ways, Harry added, "Good luck, Professor! You're really brave!"
Professor Quirrell gave a brief, nervous laugh and waved slightly.
"You..." Hermione stared at Harry, her eyes speaking volumes.
Theo cut straight to the point. "Harry, do you think Professor Quirrell is... brave?"
—There wasn't a more timid professor in the entire school than Quirrell.
"You don't understand," Harry said mysteriously, as if he were privy to some great secret. "Professor Quirrell is fighting against evil. He's amazing."
Although Neville and Theo didn't understand, they nodded vaguely. The others exchanged glances, looking lost for words.
"Keep an eye on him and don't let them get too close," Michael whispered.
Everyone nodded silently, feeling the weight of their responsibility.
...
Oblivious to their concerns, Harry returned to the dormitory as cheerful as ever. He shared what he had learned that day with Ron, played a game of Wizard Chess, and then went to bed.
But for some reason, the scar on his forehead was throbbing that night. While everyone else slept soundly, Harry lay awake. He eventually threw on a coat and sat by the window, gazing at the starry night sky.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed across his vision, and it took Harry a moment to realize what he had seen—someone riding a broomstick across the sky!
Who was it?
What were they doing, flying back and forth above the school in the middle of the night?
Without hesitation, Harry grabbed his Nimbus 2000, climbed out the window, and jumped off from the eighth floor of the castle!
He quickly descended and then pulled up, hovering in the sky. After circling for a moment, he spotted a figure by the edge of the Black Lake. Harry flew over and, upon approaching, recognized the person as Viktor.
"Hi, Viktor," Harry said as he dismounted his broomstick. "What are you doing here?"
"Harry?" Viktor turned, equally surprised. "You're still up so late? Aren't you sleeping?"
"Can't sleep," Harry said, touching his forehead. "Don't know why, but I have a bit of a headache today—maybe Snape is cursing me from the bottom of the Black Lake?"
Viktor's eyes drifted to the lightning-shaped scar. He answered Harry's previous question. "I was about to go to bed when I thought I saw a white-haired person here... But when I flew over, they were gone."
He wasn't sure if the figure he had seen that night was the same one he had glimpsed half a year ago, but for some reason, Viktor always felt that this matter was important.
Perhaps it was because he had been too far away, but he had never been able to see the person's name.
Harry scratched his head, not thinking too deeply about it. "Maybe you imagined it?" he suggested.
"Maybe," Viktor agreed without arguing.
Viktor watched as Hagrid walked into the Forbidden Forest with his lamp, Fang by his side.
"Looks like Hagrid's still up, too," Viktor commented.
"Probably going to feed Norbert," Harry said casually.
"Norbert?" Viktor turned to look at him.
"Yeah! Oh, that's what Hagrid named the baby dragon," Harry explained. "It's gotten too big to keep in his hut, so Hagrid moved it to a cave in the Forbidden Forest."
Viktor was astonished. "He didn't send it away?"
Harry sighed in resignation. "Hermione has tried to convince him several times, and Ron even suggested sending Norbert to his brother Charlie in Romania, where they could take care of him. But Hagrid just won't let go..."
"ROAR—"
A deafening roar echoed from the Forbidden Forest, followed by a burst of fire that shot into the sky!
(End of Chapter)
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