The ghost in simple robes floated in the corridor. Though her expression was proud, her eyes held no spark of life.
Empty days passed one after another, with no hope in sight and no end in view.
She could only live through each hollow day, unable to truly die, yet feeling no sense of being alive.
By now, aside from other ghosts, hardly anyone even knew her true identity.
But that was probably for the best. It prevented things like what happened before from occurring again.
Thinking of a certain incident, Helena couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in her heart.
That damned boy, actually winning her favor through sweet talk... simply unforgivable!
"Grey Lady, would you be interested in joining our discussion about the history of the Arthurian period?"
The young man's voice interrupted Helena's thoughts. She coldly turned her head and glanced at the young man standing across from Professor Binns.
Then she turned again and floated toward a nearby wall.
Hmph, what discussion about Arthurian history... probably just trying to get close to her, right?
Another one coming to ask her about the diadem's whereabouts? Or did he know her identity and want to extract some thousand-year-old secrets?
Snorting coldly, Helena completely ignored the young man who had called out to her, passed through the wall nearby, and disappeared.
Don't expect to get any information about Mother from her mouth ever again!
Watching the disappearing Grey Lady, Evans scratched his head in confusion.
He felt his invitation was actually quite reasonable. These ghosts floated around the castle all day with nothing to do. Why wouldn't they want to chat?
Perhaps this Grey Lady really disliked wizards trying to get close to her?
Also watching the Grey Lady's disappearing figure, a trace of emotion gradually appeared in Professor Binns's usually expressionless eyes.
"She... is also a pitiful soul."
Thinking of this lady's circumstances, Professor Binns shook his head slightly, his expression returning to its usual calm.
"However, she probably doesn't know much about Arthurian history either, since she's a ghost from the same period as me, even a bit later than me."
"The Grey Lady is a ghost from the same period as you?" Evans looked somewhat confused.
Wasn't this lady a famous figure from the Muggle world over five hundred years ago? And Professor Binns had been Hogwarts's History professor since the school's founding. How could they be from the same era?
Just as Evans was puzzling over this, a voice rang out from underground:
"Did I just hear you discussing stories of the great Arthur Pendragon?"
A semi-transparent head poked up from below ground. It was a short, fat ghost dressed in monk's robes, his kind face showing an interested expression.
What, were the ghosts having a meeting in this corridor today?
Mentally grumbling, Evans nodded.
"We were discussing it, Friar. Do you have any insights?"
"You've asked the right person!" The Fat Friar's eyes lit up as he floated up from the floor and hovered in mid-air.
"Back when I was in the Muggle world, I specifically learned quite a bit about legends related to King Arthur!"
"Oh?"
Evans's eyes also brightened. He remembered the Fat Friar was from the mid-medieval period. Muggle legends about King Arthur from that era should be more numerous and authentic than those passed down to today.
"Interested in discussing it in detail together?"
"Delighted to!"
Having said this, his tone became somewhat low, like a minstrel in a Muggle tavern.
At that moment, the self-playing ensemble in the corridor seemed to have recovered its magic and began playing a low, soothing melody again, setting the atmosphere to perfection.
"It all begins with that legendary wizard, Merlin..."
Afternoon, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Having finished his discussion about King Arthur with the two ghosts, Evans now stood beside a menacing-looking plant, explaining to over forty cats of various colors just how perfect this clearing was.
"The vegetation here isn't too dense, and there's plenty of sunlight. If you'd like, I can even build you a small house here."
"Either I or Hagrid will come every day to bring you food. If you prefer, there are also plenty of mice and other small creatures around for you to hunt, but pay attention to what those creatures look like. Don't randomly eat birds and small creatures that look too unusual... you might encounter danger."
After all, there were still quite a few small magical creatures like Bowtruckles at the Forbidden Forest's edge. This group of cats probably wouldn't have much advantage against them.
Having explained the clearing, Evans pointed to the menacing plant not far away. "Don't go near this plant. It's a Whomping Willow, and if you approach carelessly, you could get hurt."
"But if you encounter danger, you can also hide behind this Whomping Willow. It will prioritize attacking the largest creature within reach of its branches, and you won't be harmed until that creature leaves."
"And the outer areas of the Forbidden Forest, especially regions near the school like this one, generally don't have any creatures that could beat a wandering Whomping Willow. You can completely relax."
Having said this, Evans put his hands on his hips and looked at the cats' eyes filled with excitement mixed with hope, smiling very confidently.
"From now on, this will be your new home! This place is very safe. No creature will be able to harm you..."
Before Evans could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a loud dragon roar.
"ROAR!"
The sound was somewhat young and full of panic, like an underage dragon taking flight for the first time but not knowing how to land.
Then, intense sounds of something cutting through the air came from overhead. Hearing the weight behind that sound, Evans's eyes sharpened. Without time to look up and see what was happening, he waved his wand to gather the surrounding cats to his side, then half-knelt on the ground, inserting his wand tip into the earth.
"Protego!"
Flashes of magical light appeared as a semi-transparent giant barrier enveloped Evans and all the small cats around him. The barrier gradually took shape, then twisted into a semi-transparent medieval suit of armor, silver-white light gleaming as it displayed its impressive protective capabilities.
The next second, deafening rumbling entered Evans's ears.
The tremor of what seemed like a meteor crashing into earth caused all the cats beside him to be shaken off the ground. The dust kicked up by the impact completely obscured their vision... they couldn't see anything.
When the dust gradually settled, Evans saw a massive juvenile Norwegian Ridgeback struggling to get up. Its eyes were teary, and this crash had clearly hurt it quite badly.
But upon seeing Evans, the little dragon's eyes suddenly showed delight. It tremblingly stood up and began walking toward them with difficulty.
It didn't notice at all that behind it, a Whomping Willow was constantly waving its branches, trying to punish this hateful creature that had trespassed on its territory and injured it.
Unfortunately, the Whomping Willow's branches striking the dragon's scales couldn't cause it any harm at all. The little dragon even seemed to enjoy it, wagging its tail as if receiving a comfortable massage.
Evans, who had just assured the cats that this place was absolutely safe: "???"