Alongside the good news came bad news.
The black cat could clearly feel the mist growing thicker—meaning its remaining time was shrinking step by step.
At its current pace, it would probably be forced out of the Interstice before it ever reached Madam Sayre.
And according to Dream Tales—wandering souls could forget their obsessions at any moment and step onto their "great adventure"; and since those souls were always drifting, it also meant the black cat wouldn't be lucky enough to find them nearby every time.
The challenge was even bigger than it had imagined, but it didn't slow its running for even a second.
It wasn't used to stopping.
As the fog thickened—when the Interstice began to give its gentle "farewell" signal—its stride grew lighter, and lighter still.
At last, all it could hear was the wind roaring in its ears.
The fog-clusters, in the rush of its sprint, blurred into a river of flowing color.
When it was finally not far from Issolt Sayre, it suddenly looked back at itself.
Its paws had grown larger, its whiskers longer, its body swollen to more than ten times its size.
The black cat had become a cougar-like creature.
Its eyes were an emerald green, brighter than gemstones; its body was sleek and powerful, and a few leaps carried it an enormous distance.
The Wampus Cat avatar had appeared! That was probably because Soul Transfiguration had reached the "Adept" stage…
[You have mastered a special Soul Transfiguration. Master-level proficiency +100]
[A special form has been unlocked. Please view details.]
Sean was surprised. A hundred points—this time the soul-avatar increase was no small boost… He couldn't wait to open the panel.
[Name: Sean Green]
[Special forms unlocked: Kneazle, Wampus Cat.
(Animagus form slots have also increased in sync.)]
[Not unlocked: Unknown]
A new Animagus?
Sean was thrilled. Other than Merlin, he'd never heard of a wizard with multiple Animagus forms—
let alone magical-beast Animagus forms.
While thinking about when he should explain this to his professor—and use ritual magic to unlock the Wampus Cat Animagus form again—he glanced further down:
[Transfiguration Categories:
Magical Transfiguration: Beginner (60/900)
Material Transfiguration: Adept (10/3000)
Soul Transfiguration: Adept (150/3000)]
[Evaluation: A wizard who has reached Mastery in Transfiguration now shows early signs of true combat power, and possesses a foundation of Transfiguration magic beyond what any non-Master wizard can imagine.]
"Early signs of true combat power"… "a foundation beyond what any non-Master can imagine"…
Sean mulled it over, faintly lost. After defeating the basilisk, he'd slipped back into that phase where his own strength was hard to quantify.
He was sure he could trade blows with an Auror and escape safely—win or lose.
But could he defeat an Auror easily?
If the number of Aurors rose, could he still get away intact?
If he fought the professors, how far could he go?
The mist thickened again, and Sean let those questions sink away.
He looked ahead. A familiar yet unfamiliar figure was staring at him in astonishment.
"Hello, Madam Issolt Sayre," the cougar-like creature of ink-dark fur spoke.
"Hello, dear Wampus Cat—"
Madam Sayre rushed over at once.
She'd never seen a Wampus Cat like this: flowing black fur, with silver-white patterns like cloud embroidery—and most striking of all, those green eyes, dazzling enough to seize the mind.
But when she got closer, she suddenly blurted:
"Mr. Green?"
The Wampus Cat nodded.
"You died?!" Madam Sayre exclaimed.
Wampus Cat: "…No, Madam Sayre."
"Just a joke, dear—honestly, it's hard to imagine that the current owner of the Hollow Sigil can reach this level.
So tell me—finding me wasn't easy. What do you want to ask?" Madam Sayre beamed.
"Have you found James Stewart, Chadwick Boot, and Webster Boot?" the Wampus Cat asked.
"Not yet. But if meeting is inevitable, then waiting becomes a holiday.
Mr. Green, let me tell you an old human joke:
People feel happiest when they're closest to happiness."
Issolt smiled.
Though her face carried more wrinkles now, her smile still brimmed with fierce life.
"Then… have you met anyone?" the Wampus Cat asked after a few seconds.
"Of course. I've been here for a while now. While I waited for James, Chadwick, and Webster to cross the bridge of love to me, I explored this place out of curiosity.
Naturally, I ran into some wandering souls… But dear, who are you looking for?" Issolt asked.
"Ariana Dumbledore, Leta Lestrange, and Lily Potter…" the Wampus Cat listed.
"Well then—so you don't miss any Greens?" Issolt teased, amused.
"Green?" The Wampus Cat's eyes were full of confusion.
"For example, Grandfather Green, Grandmother Green? Oh—sorry, they're still alive?
Forgive me. I've been without the concept of death for a long time."
Issolt stepped through the blank-white expanse, dodging a fog-cluster.
"I don't know," the Wampus Cat said.
"Then Mrs. Green and…" Issolt fell silent for a long moment before asking softly.
"I don't know," the Wampus Cat repeated, sitting in the white void with no expression to read.
"Sorry," Issolt's voice weakened.
"It's fine. Have you seen the people I mentioned? If you do, please tell me." The Wampus Cat's ears flicked.
"Of course—" Issolt's downturned mouth slowly lifted into a smile.
"You mean—" The Wampus Cat looked surprised.
"No." Issolt's smile widened.
"Did you think it was easy to meet the right wandering soul?
Do you think the things wizards couldn't do in life—couldn't say—become easy just because they're dead?
The Interstice is wider and more dangerous than you imagine.
Next time, you might not find me again. Know this: two souls' paths do not cross easily, even if you possess a soul relic."
Issolt's words pushed Sean into thought.
It seemed Dumbledore's idea had only been a guess after all—and it made Sean understand even more clearly that shortcuts were never reliable.
If he could stay in the Interstice long enough—long enough to reach the edge of dawn—then the odds might finally rise.
"Thank you for telling me," the Wampus Cat said, watching the fog begin to lift.
"But I did meet another witch—the one I most wanted to meet—" Issolt suddenly changed direction.
"Who?" the Wampus Cat asked, right at the last second before being forced out.
"The honorable Rowena Ravenclaw," Issolt's voice drifted out, dreamlike.