From the bottom of his heart, Albus Dumbledore felt that Chu Yang's fighting style bore an uncanny resemblance to one of Hogwarts' four founders—Godric Gryffindor.
The great Godric Gryffindor had once fought with a sword in one hand and a wand in the other, combining brute force and magic to send his enemies fleeing in terror.
Chu Yang, on the other hand, had beaten his dorm mates into sleeping on the floor. The level was admittedly lower—but the results were no less impressive.
The more Dumbledore thought about it, the worse his headache became. With a sigh, he said, "Single rooms are a privilege reserved for prefects. I can't break the rules. At most, I can arrange a double room for you."
Chu Yang nodded in agreement. Compromising like this also gave Dumbledore some face.
It was just a matter of which Slytherin would be unlucky enough to end up sharing a room with him…
"Headmaster Dumbledore, you really should have seen it—this is incredible! That Whomping Willow actually responded to me just now!" Rubeus Hagrid exclaimed excitedly as he hurried over, gesturing wildly as he described the miracle he had witnessed.
"As you say, it truly is a great miracle," Dumbledore replied solemnly. "And precisely because of that, we must protect this secret at all costs. Otherwise, Chu Yang will be in danger."
The excitement drained instantly from Hagrid's face, as if cold water had been poured over his head. He sobered up at once and promised, "Please rest assured. I'll keep every secret you entrust to me."
"Thank you, Hagrid." Dumbledore took a few steps forward with him, then placed his wrinkled hand on the equally gnarled trunk, feeling the aura the tree emitted—and marveling at the wonder of life itself.
This was the Whomping Willow he had personally planted in 1971, for Remus Lupin.
Every full moon, Lupin had entered the shack through the tunnel beneath the Willow. From there came the howls of a werewolf.
Thus it came to be known as the Shrieking Shack. Years had passed in the blink of an eye.
After Lupin left, the shack was completely abandoned, but the tunnel still led all the way to Hogsmeade. Dumbledore was unwilling to expose it, and had already concealed it with magic before arriving.
Having endured shock after shock throughout the day, Minerva McGonagall naturally calmed down as well, quietly experiencing the miracle of life before her.
At last, she truly understood why Dumbledore had repeatedly emphasized Chu Yang's importance—why his concern for him rivaled even that for Harry Potter.
This was a kind of magical power that defied common sense, one that had already begun to brush against some ancient taboo of magic.
To study it. To refine it. To break it…
That process could usher modern magic into an entirely new realm.
McGonagall couldn't help glancing back at Chu Yang. In a certain sense, he was even more important than the so-called Chosen One.
"When one grows old, it's easy to get lost in memories," Dumbledore said softly, patting the Whomping Willow. "It's no longer suitable for remaining on school grounds. It may pose a threat to students."
Hagrid thought Dumbledore intended to destroy the tree and hurriedly explained, "Chu Yang can command it!"
"Even so, it's still inappropriate," Dumbledore shook his head slowly. Student safety was one concern—but what worried him even more was Voldemort.
Voldemort's eventual return was an unpredictable bomb. Lurking in the shadows, if he sensed anything unusual about the Whomping Willow, he might follow the trail straight to Chu Yang.
Dumbledore could not allow Chu Yang to face that risk. He was not Harry Potter—he did not have Lily's blood protection.
In Voldemort's current state, Chu Yang's value was no less than Harry's. Voldemort would stop at nothing to obtain him.
Chu Yang suddenly proposed, "Why not move the Whomping Willow into the Forbidden Forest and let Hagrid take care of it? That way, no one would know."
Chu Yang had no intention of letting the Willow go. There was still untapped potential within it—potential that would be of great help to him in the future.
Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. In truth, he was also deeply interested in the Willow's current state and wished to study it further.
No one was happier than Hagrid. The more he looked at Chu Yang, the more pleasing he found him.
As Chu Yang walked away, the nearly ten-meter-tall Whomping Willow rose to its feet and began moving toward the Forbidden Forest. From a distance, it already bore a faintly humanoid silhouette, and each step sent tremors through the ground.
Dumbledore and McGonagall escorted Chu Yang back to Hogwarts. As it was time to eat, the three of them headed straight for the Great Hall.
At the entrance, the so-called point-deduction trio and Neville were standing guard anxiously. Until they saw Chu Yang return safely, no delicacy could tempt their appetites.
Fortunately, Chu Yang arrived in time. When he entered alongside the Headmaster, the dull light in Harry's eyes flared instantly.
"Chu Yang!"
They shouted his name joyfully and rushed toward him.
Harry was so overwhelmed he was nearly in tears, charging ahead first and trying to hug him.
But as a thoroughly straight guy, Chu Yang found it difficult to accept that kind of expression of affection between men. He sidestepped Harry's embrace.
Then he dodged Ron's hug—and neatly avoided Neville's as well.
Under the three of their aggrieved gazes, Chu Yang opened his arms and stepped toward Hermione. They hugged tightly, then released each other.
"Thank goodness—you're safe!" Hermione Granger said, eyes red. She had clearly believed something terrible had happened to him during the long wait.
"Luckily, Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall arrived in time," Chu Yang said with a look of relief, as though he had just survived a brush with death.
Ron and Harry crowded around him. Ron complained indignantly, "You actually dodged our hugs?!"
Chu Yang replied earnestly, "My emotions were a bit unstable just now. You rushed me all at once and startled me, so I dodged instinctively. If you want to try again, I promise I won't dodge."
"Forget it!" Ron deflated immediately.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen," McGonagall said calmly, authority radiating from her. "How long do you plan to stand around outside? Aren't you hungry?"
At once, the young wizards fell silent. Nervously, they pushed open the doors and filed into the Great Hall one by one.
As it wasn't a special occasion, students usually finished their meals quickly and left, so the hall was often half-empty.
But the first-years from both Gryffindor and Slytherin remained. Most were waiting for news of Chu Yang, while some Slytherins had wanted to leave but hadn't been able to.
Whether they stayed willingly or not, the moment they saw Chu Yang return safely, cheers erupted in unison.
"Due to Chu Yang's outstanding performance in the recent incident, Slytherin gains twenty points!"
(End of Chapter)