0204 Aftermath
Crack!
A silver snake of lightning slashed through the sky, tearing apart the darkness that enveloped the world. The wind howled like a wild beast and the waves roared like thunder, slamming against the cliff with enormous and furious force. The earth shook, and even the Hogwarts castle, standing on the high cliff, trembled slightly. The windows rattled, the portraits swayed, and the candles flickered.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid hugged his little red umbrella in his arms and rushed into the dark woods. He had to help the creatures that lived there, from the centaurs to the unicorns to Aragog's clan. The terrible weather might endanger them all. He hoped that none of them had been struck by lightning or crushed by falling trees.
"Oh, This is dreadful, I haven't seen such a storm in years!"
In the castle hall, Professor Sprout held her ragged hat tightly and ran into the thunderstorm. She had to protect her greenhouse from the wind and the waves. Her precious plants could not withstand such a violent attack. She knew that some of them were very sensitive to temperature and humidity, and could not survive the harsh conditions outside.
The world was gloomy and stormy, but Hogwarts castle was still standing.
Thanks to Professor Watson's excellent performance, the hospital wing was once again full of patients.
"I don't remember when I offended you, Bryan!"
Madam Pomfrey snapped as she smeared some white paste on Ron's back. She then hurried to the girl's area, separated by curtains. On the way, she saw Bryan wandering around, his smile betraying his guilt. She glared at him and said.
"Don't be too serious, madam–"
Bryan scratched the back of his head and said awkwardly. He wanted to explain his actions, but Madam Pomfrey had no time to chat. She lifted the curtain and went straight into the girl's area.
Oliver Wood, who got the news, stood in front of Harry's bed. Harry had woken up, but his face was wrapped in white gauze. Wood looked at him with despair and pleaded with Bryan,
"Is there any possibility, professor?"
Wood turned his face and asked, "Since Malfoy can use his arm as an excuse, professor, is there any possibility that the Gryffindor team can also change the time of the match?"
"Woo!" Harry couldn't speak because of the gauze, and could only nod desperately.
"Oh, sorry, Mr. Wood–" Bryan pursed his lips and said regretfully, "You have to ask Professor McGonagall, I don't have the final say."
She knew that the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was very important for the house cup, but she did not want to see her students lose their spirit.
At Hogwarts, the great Albus Dumbledore's appearance was an indicator of whether something was serious or not.
Since Bryan hadn't caused a big mess, and there were still a lot of things to deal with, Professor McGonagall left with a sullen face. Bryan told her that, In the race Gryffindor had defeated Slytherin in the final round, and won the victory in his 'practical' class, and got a reward of thirty points which didn't make Professor McGonagall feel much better.
"Then, please rest well here–"
Bryan rubbed his stomach that had already protested. He hadn't eaten lunch to accommodate these young wizards. He smiled and continued,
"Professor Lupin is not feeling well. I have to go back to the office to take care of him–"
He smiled happily, ignoring the 'angry but dare not speak' 'glare' of the young wizards who blamed him for their misfortune.
Suddenly, he saw a head sticking out from behind the curtain of the girls' ward. It looked hesitantly at his side. Bryan raised his eyebrows and turned his head. He saw Harry, who knew nothing, and Ron, who had already noticed but pretended to be stupid.
"Still quarreling?" He walked to Ron's bed and said gently, after thinking for a while.
"Oh, you know, professor–" Ron's tone was calmer than before, but he was still full of resentment when he mentioned it.
"It was clearly that her cat killed Scabbers, but she never came to apologize!"
Ron's rat had died in a strange way. Bryan didn't think it was the smart big ginger cat that had killed Scabbers. On the night of the Halloween dinner, Bryan had sensed that Crookshanks had appeared in the Shrieking Shack for a while. Considering the distance between Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack and the time of the dinner, it shouldn't have had enough time to commit the crime. But Bryan didn't bother to clear the cat's innocence.
He smiled slightly and said, after listening to Ron's grumbling complaint,
"Ron, life is a one-way road. You can't go back and undo what you said or did. I've seen many people suffer from regret and pain for a long time because of their impulsive actions. I don't want you three to make the same mistakes."
He saw Ron blink and seem to realize something. Bryan pursed his lips and walked out of the hospital wing leisurely.
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